“L-Lady Grace... sob...”
“Ugh... sob...”
In a room that was not flashy but luxurious, quite a number of people had gathered around a woman in her late twenties lying on a pure white bed. Every face was filled with sorrow. With reddened eyes, they stifled their breaths as tears continued to fall.
“Lady Grace, please try to stay with us. Please, open your eyes...!”
“...Disciple.”
“Y-Yes, Master!”
“My ears hurt.”
“...Pardon?”
“I said my ears hurt, so stop shouting already...”
I’ve been conscious this whole time, you know? My eyes have been open too!
Her face was deathly pale, her body gaunt as if only bones remained. But the voice that left her lips was strikingly clear.
“Ah...”
Seeing her disciple stare blankly, Grace clicked her tongue softly.
Who would believe that face, which looked like it had just entered the late teens, actually belonged to someone in their late twenties? Maybe that was why. Even though he was older than her, she still felt uneasy about leaving things in his care.
“Enoch.”
“Yes, Master.”
At her quiet call, tears gathered in Enoch’s eyes once again. The thought that he wouldn’t hear his name from her much longer pierced him anew.
But he couldn’t show such a pathetic side of himself at her final moment. He quickly removed his round glasses and wiped at his eyes again and again.
Watching him, Grace clicked her tongue quietly once more. At this rate, he might even start sniffling.
When she flicked her hand lightly, Enoch hurried closer.
“Where is Kai?”
“Ah, well... Lord Kainel has likely received the news by now.”
The moment the name Kai left her lips, Enoch’s face visibly paled.
“B-but, Master... is it really alright to tell him this late? We should have informed him sooner...”
“If he had found out earlier, it would’ve only made things more troublesome.”
This was the best option. As soon as he learned of her condition, even she, who had {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} known Kainel for so long, couldn’t predict what reckless thing he might do.
If anything, we would be lucky if he didn’t try to hunt down a dragon just to make me drink its blood.
Just thinking about it was exhausting.
“Still... he will be devastated...”
“Enoch.”
“Yes, Master.”
At her gesture, he leaned in closer and brought his ear near her lips. Was there something private she wanted to tell?
“When Kai gets here...”
“Yes?”
“Run.”
“...What?”
“You know what he’s like, don’t you?”
“.....”
Kainel’s temperament came to mind. Enoch swallowed dryly without realizing it.
“Take the others and leave first.”
“Yes, understood!”
After letting out a quiet sigh, Grace looked at her disciple with concern.
In front of her, the two behaved like gentle lambs, but to others, they were no different from vicious wolves. Especially Kainel, he was the kind of man who wouldn’t hesitate to come down hard on them for something like failing to properly serve their master.
“Of course, no matter how bad his temper is, he wouldn’t actually kill you all...”
“......”
“...Just run.”
“Yes!”
You know it, and so do I. That’s just how Kainel is.
Running away really is the right answer, isn’t it?
BANG!
“Gasp!”
“W-what was that?!”
At that moment, the door slammed open with a deafening crash like it might shatter.
Step.
A man stepped inside. His white hair was so immaculate it felt almost unreal, paired with cold silver eyes.
At his appearance, everyone in the room froze as if turned to stone. It felt as though the slightest breath could be cut by the sharp chill surrounding him.
Step.
From the moment he entered, his gaze never left Grace as he walked straight toward her.
“Kai?”
Enoch, you punk... you said Kainel just heard about my condition. Then why is he already here?
“What is this? How did you get here so fast—”
Ah.
As realization dawned on her, Grace fell silent. Even in her weakened state, a hollow laugh escaped her, laced with disbelief and something almost like relief.
The distance between here and the Grand Duchy of Persia was no short journey. Yet, the fact that he was already here after only just hearing the news meant...
He must have dragged along several mages.
Having a good idea of what must have happened, Grace shook her head inwardly.
“You’re here.”
She greeted him warmly with the brightest smile she could manage.
She had grumbled that his arrival would only make things troublesome, but seeing her friend’s face like this wasn’t so bad after all. Honestly, she thought she would regret it if she closed her eyes without seeing him once.
“......”
The man stared at her in silence for a long moment, and then his expression slowly twisted. After sighing heavily, he dragged a hand roughly over his face.
“Explain.”
A pleasant low voice flowed out softly.
As expected, it doesn’t work.
She already knew he was the type who could drive a blade straight through a smiling face without hesitation. With a quiet sigh, Grace forced her smile to stay.
“Turns out, even I have an illness I can’t cure.”
“Just wait. I will find a way somehow.”
As if he might leave that very moment, Grace hurriedly grabbed his hand. The frail, strengthless touch made Kainel’s brow crease even deeper.
“This is exactly why I didn’t tell you. If I can’t cure it, who do you think could? Have you already forgotten who I am?”
She had conquered rare diseases one by one, saving countless lives until people began to call her a saint. If she didn’t know this illness, who could possibly cure it?
It was an extremely arrogant statement, but no one could refute it.
“Is this why you kept stopping me from coming all this time?”
Grace, who had always found excuses to refuse his visits, averted her gaze.
“I’m already exhausted just dealing with my own condition. I didn’t want to worry about you too.”
“...Selfish to the very end.”
Grace chuckled faintly. Noting how Kainel’s already cold expression had hardened even further, she beckoned him closer.
As soon as he stepped in, she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down.
“Kai.”
“Say it.”
As if used to Grace’s sudden actions, Kainel remained unfazed.
“Don’t touch my disciples.”
“......”
“Don’t take your anger about my death out on them.”
Grace paused, catching her breath as if the words themselves took effort.
Geez... to worry about this even on my deathbed...
“Don’t hurt them and don’t kill them. Just leave them alone.”
So this is why people say you should choose your friends wisely.
She threw in a few half-annoyed remarks, but Kainel’s lips remained sealed. Not even a hint that he would respond.
Grace’s gaze sharpened.
He really was planning to go after them. This is driving me insane.
“Answer me.”
“...Fine.”
Only then did Grace let go of him. But even after her hand fell away, Kainel didn’t move. He simply continued to look at her from up close.
That gaze drew a smile back to her lips.
“What a shame.”
“......”
“I really wanted to see you cry at least once. A perfect chance like this came, but I won’t get to see it... hmm...”
“Why.”
“...Don’t tell me you won’t even cry after I’m gone.”
When the crease between his brows deepened, Grace lightly tapped his face in a playful gesture.
But even that seemed to drain her strength. As her hand dropped, Kainel quickly caught it.
“...I’m tired.”
“Grace.”
“I just want to rest now.”
“Says who.”
“Tch... you know you’re just as selfish, right?”
Grace shot him a playful look and chuckled weakly. The way he stubbornly kept his mouth shut reminded her of their childhood.
“Don’t fight with Arti.”
Maybe because of that, the old words she used to nag him with slipped out without her realizing it.
“Eat properly, and don’t go causing trouble.”
“......”
“Don’t get sick...”
With those final words, Grace’s eyes slowly closed.
Kainel’s gaze gradually sank as he watched her. As if unwilling to let the fading warmth slip away, he held onto her hand for a long time, even though he was now the only one holding on.
***
Grace Ellesia.
The young head who brought House Ellesia back to its peak. Some called her a saint the world could not do without, while others named her a merciless demon.
On October 18th, 1213—
Grace Ellesia, who had accomplished countless feats, closed her eyes for the last time.