Crown of Thorns

Watching them from afar, I slowly moved towards the palace. The sky was still dark, but it was a little brighter than it was a while ago. The light was about to become more and more widespread. Dawn was coming.

The world will be brighter than ever if this darkness is lifted. That was what I believed.

The Heavenly Palace was tightly closed. In front of it was a crowd of knights, equipped with swords, waiting for the rebels to come in so they could defend the castle. It was the same behind the doors, inside the palace, everywhere. I wanted to see Evan one more time before everything was over but he was stuck in the palace and didn’t show up. There was also no way to know whether it was by his own free will or if he was forced to.

Yohan, who would have come forward and fought head-on like he always did, took advantage of the confusion to help the rebels advance forward. No one noticed him because he moved stealthily during a time of utter chaos.

Last night, I remembered Yohan talking with his Knights and trainees.

“…You guys.”

Yohan’s low and heavy voice immediately silenced his surroundings. Yohan looked over them and continued.

“Do you believe in me?”

After being silent for a while, they replied with a look that said, “Why do you even have to ask such a thing?”

“…of course.”

“We will follow you even through hell.”

“You are the one who brought us here. To us, you are our mentor, parent, and the country we look up to after being abandoned by our families.” When the Knights’ Order, who had been with him for a long time, said so, the trainees behind them also nodded determinedly.

When Yohan encountered Evan, a boy whose identity was unknown in the Witch’s Forest, he not only saved him but also took him under his wing, believing only in his abilities.

Yohan was such a man. I knew that the Knights’ Order and the trainees would reply with such an answer even before hearing them speak. They were people who had trusted and followed Yohan for years, the very people who accepted Evan as one of their and whom Evan relied on and got along with like family. I knew exactly how much strength his followers would put towards such a dedicated leader who also poured his trust and affection on them.

Yohan looked at them with warm eyes for a while before opening his mouth again.

“…Thank you.”

He gave a brief account of his plan. It was a very short and intense plan.

“You just have to trust me and follow me. However, I can’t even take responsibility for your lives, so protect yourselves somehow. Survive, and come to the end of this hard road with me to welcome a new world.”

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

They chose to protect Yohan instead of the Imperial Palace.

The knights, who were supposed to prevent the rebels from entering, were opening a way up for them until they pushed into the palace.

Before I knew it, I looked through the people who fought fiercely both inside and outside the palace. It didn’t really hit me that this would be the last time. I even wondered whether this was a dream or not.

Looking at those who died and killed each other reminded me of the time when I was constantly being killed. Someday, I’ll die. It’ll be over. That hope alone did not stop the warriors who had come to visit me. There were times when I tried to understand why they couldn’t help but kill me.

As I arrived in front of the palace, I looked up. Countless scenes flooded my mind. The emperor who looked down at me, Margarita whom I couldn’t save, Evan and Heleina who were chatting here, Evan who was sleeping, Evan who was walking with a cold face, Evan who was carrying a book from the Imperial Palace Library, and Evan who couldn’t take his eyes off the sky that was clearer than usual.

Evan was at the end of my life.

And what a happy ending that was. I’m regretful that I couldn’t see him for a little while longer, but I was at least happy to be with him at the very end. Yes, even if he was pointing a sword at me, even if his face showed hurt or even anger at my betrayal.

I turned my head and looked far away. In the end, there would be Ruadhan and the rest of the knights who helped me. Ruadhan probably wasn’t looking at where I was. As soon as I die, and as soon as the Emperor dies and a new King is born, they would follow my last order and guide the Knights into the place I prepared for them and bide their time.

I was both grateful and apologetic to them until the very end. One of them had gone the same way as me, one had done all he could do for me, and one will work for those who will remain after my death. They were people who had to hide and operate things in the dark while I comfortably closed my eyes.

“Thank you, Ruadhan.”

I greeted with sincerity and turned my eyes away. I had intentionally prevented them from coming to war because I could no longer afford to see lives lost and making more people sad. Though it may not make much of a difference now, I had hoped that they could live a life where they could dream of happiness and comfort. It seemed that it would lighten the load that lay in my mind, although faintly.

I looked at the Witch’s Forest and Tower that would be somewhere in the distance. I had lived there alone for a long time. Killing memories, killing emotions, and killing myself just like that. I thought I’d be trapped in that state forever, but a warrior appeared before me like a dream. Young Evan showed up.

And as he transformed into a young man, the boy brought out the woman buried deep inside the witch and reminded her of all her memories and emotions. He made her realize that she was a woman, not a witch.

It was a great curse and almost turned into a tragedy*, but everything returned to its place and was given another chance—the opportunity to turn a young monster into a warrior. I did my best, and I ended up here. I saw, thought, learned, and realized many things in the process, but it will end soon. You don’t have to suffer as you did in the past.

//TN: Meaning the first dream she had of Evan dying.

Blood spattered and screams constantly sounded, but the path I went on was exceptionally wet with blood, and even if I swept it over clean, it got wet again, but my guilt was very dull. I didn’t know whether it was because I knew I would soon be in a similar situation to them or because I would make it so that they no longer suffered.

They’re also victims. They’re innocent. Evan, please, make a world where this terrible thing doesn’t happen anymore.

Create a world where no more witches and young monsters are born; a world without an evil Emperor who uses people as disposable pawns. At my demise, make a world without witches.

His bright hair and sun-like eyes were drawn in my mind’s eye. Carrying both warmth and brilliance, he was sure to be the new hope and glory. Witches really only exist in fairy tales, and those who have seen the dark will welcome the new world.

I had hoped that it would end with, 「Upon killing the witch, the warrior lived happily ever after. 」Just as the fairy tale went.

I brushed past the people and eventually reached the palace. Through a woman named Luella and through a knight named Yohan, we were able to figure out the Heavenly Palace’s interior and where the location of the Emperor was. Yohan knew the whereabouts of the emperor, perhaps because Evan was staying here. He told me about it without reserve, proving that he really intended to believe and follow Evan, even though he knew I would kill the Emperor. From the very beginning, the current Emperor was a man regarded as the center of the dirty swamp, so Yohan might have welcomed my existence.

As I entered and traversed through the palace, the only thing that had changed was the scenery. The battle was still raging outside.

Swords collided with swords, clanging sharply, and blood spewing from here and there wet the floor. The glimmering emotions in the rebels’ eyes were infernal, and without a moment’s hesitation, they flung anyone’s hearts out. This place, where death and killing prevailed, was literally hell on earth.

I set foot in that hell.

The marble, which would have been polished countless times by maids, had long been covered in deep blood. It was becoming a crimson river, with bodies piled up.

The walls, which would have entertained the eyes of the passers-by, were so soiled and deformed to the point that their original form could not be recognized. However, the luxurious lights hanging from the ceiling were still hanging, creating a very strange feeling. As if they didn’t care what was going on under them, they sparkled endlessly.

Somewhere in here, the Emperor was waiting for me.

“…Gasp!”

I pushed back one of the men blocking my way with a sword, and he ended up being flung against the wall. The wind stained the wallpaper that swallowed in the man’s body with blood. But no one cared about it. The maids, who would have been punished for a single dust stain, all of them had either ran away or died.

“Argh!”

The man pushed to the wall ended up with a sword stuck in his chest. His wide-open eyes, flashing an incredible feeling, soon lost their light and drooped. The man who stuck the sword through the first guy was also pinned on the wall after being hit with a sword to his back.

I remembered what I saw in my dream. It was definitely my future. It was my dream. And if the reality that I am facing now was the same as my dream, then I will end up facing the future that I wanted.

I took my eyes off the two bodies that had become one ornament and walked forward.

The road was blocked by people struggling, but I didn’t care. No one cared about me, either, as I swept blood under my feet.

Before I knew it, my destination was getting closer. Gradually, I raised my body and breathed life into the Shadow, which simply moved according to my will. The smell of blood was pungent and colored. When I took a determined step, I could feel a small ache in my chest.

“W-witch!”

Finally, the one who found me had loudly called out. Silence descended on the battlefield. Those who were holding swords trying to kill each other looked at me, stopping as they were. They had to kill the public enemy first before they killed each other. So it was by no means strange to see them rushing right at me.

I turned again and walked towards my destination. The Darkness that crawled from under my feet filled my back like a fog from hell. Stuck in the dark, unable to see, they called out to me in a confused voice before dying to a sword, not knowing whether it came from an ally or an enemy. I walked out firmly, listening to those pained and agonizing screams.

Soon, a big tall door welcomed me. It looked so beautiful and noble, unstained without a drop of blood. I caught the doorknob. At that moment, a strange sensation quickly spread from my hand throughout my body. Though I already know what it was, this strange feeling was not easily ignored. As I managed to open the door, I saw a large, beautiful, magnificent room I had never seen anywhere. I could see someone welcoming me in the farthest and highest chair in the room.

“You’re late. How dare you make the Son of Heaven wait?”

The smile that rolled up the corners of my mouth was nothing different from the one made by the witch in my memory. We finally met again. I’ve been looking forward to this day. The one who created a witch to hide the fact that he was a monster and the one who made many people close their eyes in pain.

I finally stood before him.

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