In his final moments, Bardi could feel Kaiden’s body trembling. It seemed that Kaiden didn’t have much time left either.

‘You were always like this,’ Bardi thought quietly.

‘You were soft-hearted.’

Bardi understood. The ice that had pierced his heart wasn’t from Kaiden himself, but from something within Kaiden that had sprung forth to protect him.

Perhaps it was the anger that had built up inside Kaiden over time. Maybe it was tied to his father, to the deaths of Dustin or Yurie, or to something else from Delcliff.

Or maybe, Bardi thought, it was all just a defense mechanism, and he was giving it meaning that wasn’t really there.

But Kaiden had never truly intended to kill him. Bardi’s final memories proved that.

‘Foolish brother.’

He understood. He knew it all along—that their father had imprisoned Kaiden in the underground dungeons.

Not only had Bardi known, but he had even encouraged it. Yet, to avoid being caught by their grandfather, the former emperor, Bardi pretended to be innocent.

He had always lived pretending, except during war.

Perhaps the only time Bardi’s heart truly raced was when he anticipated seeing Kaiden’s blood. That’s how much he despised Kaiden’s existence.

‘If only I had been the half-blooded prince.’

If that had been the case, perhaps everything would have flowed smoothly. The Ardgold Empire wouldn’t have been ravaged by the Kark tribe’s rebellion, and everyone would have lived in their proper place.

‘It’s because I wasn’t fit for my role.’

Just as his father always said. Just as his grandfather had always taught him.

That’s why things had come to this. And now, he was dying meaninglessly. He hadn’t suffered any other attacks, yet here he was, dying so easily from just one blow by the person dying alongside him.

‘Rohana.’

For the very last time, Bardi called out her name. He had known from the beginning that she had clung to him for different reasons.

“Don’t go.”

The girl’s eyes had been filled with fear when she begged him not to go south on vacation.

‘What could she have been so afraid of?’

Instead of asking that, Bardi had chosen to ask something else.

“Are you worried about me?”

He had wanted, just once, for someone to be genuinely concerned for him. After hesitating briefly, she had answered.

“Yes, I’m worried.”

Bardi knew it was a lie. She had likely become the Crown Prince’s fiancée to escape her fears. He had known that, yet he still liked her, and in the end, he had wanted to ignore the truth in her heart.

His plan had always been to torment Kaiden. Aurelia had only been a temporary conquest. But Rohana was too calm, too composed, just like Kaiden.

He couldn’t stand that about her.

Out of spite, he tormented her to the very end. But he never imagined she would genuinely fall in love with Kaiden.

He hadn’t expected even her to betray him like that.

As the light faded from Bardi’s blue eyes, a faint tear welled up.

It was a realization that came too late. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had seen her. With that thought, Bardi took his final breath.

***

In his fading consciousness, Kaiden was jolted awake by a sudden roar. He turned his head sharply towards the shattered windows and saw a familiar figure beyond the broken glass.

It was Heath.

And Iz.

“Your Grace!” Iz hurried over to him. The sounds of arrows flying and swords clashing filled the grand banquet hall in an instant.

Using all her strength, Iz began to channel healing magic to support him. After all, his wounds were inflicted by humans. Kaiden quickly regained his senses.

“Why is Heath here? What about Nopthal?”

“The Caladrius joined the fight. So did Shatonwell. Nopthal should be fine,” Iz replied, handing him a sword. It wasn’t his own sword, but Kaiden wielded it as though it was. It was nearly impossible for the palace troops to hold back the power of the forces wielding fire and ice.

Most importantly, they no longer had an emperor to protect.

“Iz, go and gather the hostages. Start from the outer palace and take control of the rest,” Kaiden ordered.

“Yes!”

Iz transformed once again and disappeared through the shattered window.

“Heath!” Kaiden called.

Heath, having taken out several palace soldiers, turned around.

“Where’s Shatonwell?”

“I only made it as far as the banner,” Heath replied, eliminating another soldier with an arrow.

“The Caladrius is there?”

Heath nodded silently.

“Good,” Kaiden said, slashing through two more enemies. His magic froze even the blood droplets that sprayed from the soldiers he cut down.

He was certain that Rohana would be standing beside the Caladrius. Before long, the Kark tribe had taken full control of the grand banquet hall.

‘Maybe I can finally catch my breath.’

Amidst the wreckage, Kaiden spotted Bardi. He had collapsed, eyes closed, as though he had finally found peace.

The ice spike that had pierced his chest still hadn’t melted.

Sometimes, it was said that magic could manifest in ways that exceeded the mage’s will. This was why proper training was essential, as it could become dangerous without it.

Of course, in a situation where the Kark tribe was consistently ostracized, proper training was impossible, and so, misunderstandings between them only grew deeper.

Kaiden had never manifested magic against his will, except when he was very young.

‘Why now?’

Kaiden quietly looked down at his hands. He wasn’t in any state to use that level of magic right now.

He recalled something Rohana had once said. She mentioned that communicating with the Caladrius was unpredictable. It wasn’t a direct conversation, yet not entirely absent either. She had said it sometimes followed her will, and other times it didn’t.

“We know less than we think,” she had told him when he asked about her connection with Lazar.

“So even if you’re skilled in magic, don’t place too much trust in it, but don’t doubt it entirely either,” she had advised.

Kaiden bitterly looked down at Bardi and slowly pulled out the ice spike. The thick armor, leather, and red silk had been pierced through, and the spike had gone straight through his body. The blood frozen onto the ice had already hardened.

“Amazing,” Heath said, with an indescribable emotion.

“What is?” Kaiden asked.

“Axton was right.”

Heath replied, referring to his father by the name he always used.

“What did he say?” Kaiden inquired.

“He said that if you don’t hesitate, you’ll win.”

At that, Kaiden let out a quiet sigh. With a snap of his fingers, soldiers approached.

“In any case, it’s the emperor’s body. Treat it with respect and prepare it for transport.”

The soldiers nodded and lifted Bardi’s body onto a stretcher, carrying it to the platform at the far end of the hall. It seemed right to handle it there since everywhere else had been wrecked, with the grand chandeliers that once adorned the ceiling now shattered across the floor due to magic attacks.

As Kaiden walked, the broken glass and remnants of weap*ns crunched beneath his boots, mingled with the bodies of the fallen.

Before long, Galad and Iz arrived, having secured the palace. The battle had been surprisingly easy. There was no longer any reason for the opposing forces to fight. In the process, Iz realized that Kaiden’s reckless plan wasn’t as foolish as it had seemed.

Even if Kaiden had died here, they would have continued fighting. The palace soldiers, however, would not.

Whether by eliminating, suppressing, or incapacitating Bardi, removing him was the simplest way to win the war.

Even if it came at the cost of his own life, it was a gamble worth taking.

Despite the burn marks scattered across its body, a messenger bird flew swiftly indoors.

“Report,” Kaiden commanded in a cold voice to Iz and Galad. He began writing in code rapidly while asking Heath, “We still don’t know the situation in Nopthal, right?”

“My messenger hasn’t returned yet,” Heath replied, mentioning that the Caladrius and Shatonwell had joined forces.

Kaiden nodded and sent one of the incoming messenger birds back toward Nopthal, asking, “Is Rohana still in Nopthal? She wouldn’t have listened even if we told her to evacuate, would she?”

Heath’s face stiffened, and Kaiden immediately sensed something was wrong.

“What happened?” he asked.

“She disappeared in the middle of everything,” Heath said, his voice betraying the seriousness of the situation, causing both Iz and Galad to hesitate.

“You two go and organize the troops. Keep the situation under control and report back if anything happens,” Kaiden ordered.

“Your Grace, perhaps we should move to your office. This space is too exposed on all sides, making it dangerous,” Galad cautiously suggested, but Kaiden’s dark eyes remained fixed on Heath.

“When exactly did she disappear?” Kaiden asked, his voice cold and edging on anger.

“As the moon rose. Right after we reached Nopthal.”

The faint light of dawn began to creep between them, and in Heath’s pale eyes, hesitation and resolve coexisted.

“Why didn’t you stop her?” Kaiden’s voice was sharp, barely hiding his fury.

“Is the Caladrius still in Nopthal? Are you saying it’s not with Rohana?”

If the Caladrius wasn’t there either, Kaiden would have imprisoned her to keep her from getting dragged into the war.

“Even after Rohana disappeared, the Caladrius fought alongside us,” Heath said, unable to hide the anxiety in his voice.

“Then it disappeared mid-battle and returned later,” he added.

“It disappeared and then came back?” Kaiden muttered, summoning a soldier to bring him his horse.

“The Caladrius appeared from the north,” Heath said.

“Surely that has nothing to do with… that place, does it?”

That place, where it was always winter. The north, where Lazar was said to always “exist.” Heath spoke nervously, his voice tinged with dread.

Suddenly, Kaiden remembered. How much he had told her about that place. How Rohana had subtly, persistently asked about it.

Kaiden glanced at Heath’s wrist, still bearing dark marks. Then, looking at Bardi, who was no longer of this world, Kaiden’s mind drifted to Aurelia and Jody.

The moment he realized what Rohana was planning, Kaiden mounted the horse brought by the soldier and spurred it into a gallop.

“Kaiden!”

“Your Grace!”

He could hear their urgent shouts behind him, but Kaiden quickly rode off into the distance.