Screeeech-!

The door of the house painted in light yellow opened.

The boy turned around, glanced at Leopold and Ariel, and then entered the house first.

“Austin, did you bring guests?”

“Yes, Mom! Please come in.”

At Austin’s gesture, Leopold and Ariel stepped inside the house.

Only then did Leopold remove the robe covering his head.

“Excuse us.”

At Leopold’s polite greeting, Austin’s mother, Lane, waved her hand.

“Oh, don’t mention it. We know better than anyone how exhausting and tough a traveler’s journey can be. Come in and have a seat. I’ll prepare a meal for you soon.”

Lane welcomed them with a warm expression and then returned to the kitchen.

The two of them passed through the entrance and approached the dining table in the living room.

Leopold pulled out a chair.

“El.”

“Thank you.”

Ariel smiled at Leopold’s escort.

Austin stared at the two of them intently.

“Are you two married?”

Ariel burst into laughter at Austin’s innocent question.

“Yes, we are. We are a married couple of travelers.”

She patted Austin’s head.

“Austin-! Can you help your mom?”

“Yes, Mom.”

Austin lightly bowed and ran to the kitchen.

“A married couple of travelers, huh.”

At Leopold’s flustered voice, Ariel turned her head.

He was covering his mouth with the back of his hand. His face was flushed red, even his earlobes were red.

“Why are you so embarrassed? We are married, aren’t we?”

Not understanding what part made Leopold so embarrassed, Ariel asked him directly.

“…Yes, that’s right.”

Although they had confirmed their feelings for each other, hearing the word ‘married’ from her made Leopold feel strange.

“Oh, Austin-! Let me help you.”

Seeing Austin carrying a tray with several dishes, Ariel quickly stood up and took the tray.

“How did you carry this heavy thing?”

Ariel naturally placed the dishes on the table.

The natural consideration and actions she displayed, despite being born as the daughter of a Marquis, were due to her experiences in the world before she possessed Ariel.

Now, she knew.

***

“Thank you for the meal.”

“There isn’t much, but please enjoy it.”

The dishes were steaming warmly.

There was stew, but what stood out the most was the vegetable rice and vegetable side dishes.

‘In Atlan and Kolnman, the staple food was wheat. So I only ate bread or noodles.’

As Ariel blinked her large eyes, Lane nodded as if understanding her reaction.

“Where we lived, rice was the staple food, not wheat. So with the money my husband earned from selling weapons at the market, we buy imported rice from Atlan and cook it.”

“Oh, I see. It looks delicious.”

Ariel scooped a spoonful of warm rice into her mouth.

The moist and soft sweetness enveloped her tongue.

‘It’s been a while, rice. Even just eating rice is so delicious!’

Ariel’s eyes sparkled as she looked down at the table.

She placed a vegetable side dish, which seemed to be made by mixing various herbs, on top of the rice.

Ariel opened her mouth wide and shoved the spoon in.

‘It would have been better with a drop of sesame oil.’

It was a bit disappointing, but it was still good.

“It’s delicious.”

“I’m glad it suits your taste. But it seems your husband isn’t enjoying the food much…”

Ariel then looked at Leopold.

‘Oops. I was too focused on my own eating.’

Ariel gave an awkward smile.

“Oh. It’s just that it’s my first time eating these kinds of foods. They are tasty, so don’t worry about it.”

Although it didn’t quite suit his taste, seeing his beloved wife enjoying the food was enough for him.

And if not for this opportunity, when else would he get to eat a simple meal in a common household?

‘It will be a memory.’

After dealing with Noah Diaz, when everything is over. And when time passes and they enter old age.

Casting off all the dignity and duties of being Emperor and Empress, this moment of just being husband and wife would become deeply nostalgic.

Leopold picked up his spoon again.

Lane shifted her gaze from Leopold to Ariel.

“By the way, where were you headed?”

“We were on our way to the White territory.”

At Ariel’s answer, Lane’s face suddenly darkened.

“For what reason…?”

“Because my relatives live there. We are going to greet them for our marriage.”

Lane’s pupils filled with anxiety. She soon took a deep breath.

Ariel felt a moment of foreboding.

“Why do you ask? Has something happened in White?”

“I only heard about it, so I’m not sure of the details… but I heard that the castle in the White territory has completely collapsed. Most of the territory’s residents were buried under the fallen walls and structures… Only about a dozen people survived, and they were away on errands at the time.”

“Is, is that true?”

“The survivors came here and told us directly. I’m really sorry to be the bearer of such news…”

Lane shuffled her feet, unsure of what to do.

Ariel and Leopold’s eyes met.

‘It’s Noah Diaz’s doing.’

Both stood up simultaneously.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Thank you for the warm hospitality. We will definitely visit again later.”

The two covered themselves with their robes and prepared to leave the house.

“Be careful. You never know what might happen. May Lumiere’s grace be with you.”

Lane bowed her head.

Leopold stepped out first. Ariel was about to follow but then stopped.

“Oh, Austin! Thank you so much for today. Thanks to you, we had a warm meal. I won’t forget this kindness.”

“What, what’s your name?”

Oh, I didn’t tell him my name.

Ariel smiled warmly and said to him,

“El. Remember me as El.”

After seeing Austin nod, Ariel ran to Leopold, who had extended his hand to her.

***

What on earth happened in the White territory?

Without speaking a word to each other, the two ran with their mana at full capacity.

They were afraid to speak. The moment they uttered a word, it felt like what they had heard from Lane would become an undeniable truth.

‘Noah Diaz. How could you harm innocent people!’

Was he always such an evil person?

Ariel tried to recall anything about Duke Noah Diaz, but she knew nothing about him, except that he had shown her excessive kindness.

That was the only thing she was sure of.

Perhaps, as he regained the powers of the Demon King, the evil nature of the Demon King took over him.

‘If that’s the case… I can no longer see him as human…’

He is not an object of mercy.

He is the axis of evil that must be eradicated from this world.

A strong light shone in her emerald eyes.

But soon, that light faded as her empty eyes reflected the ruins of the White territory.

“What, what is this-!”

Her long eyelashes trembled.

She couldn’t believe the horror before her eyes.

The innocent people of Atlan, the residents of White, buried under huge piles of rubble.

Their bodies were scattered everywhere.

She was used to hunting demonic beasts. So even if what Lane said was true, she thought she wouldn’t be greatly affected.

However, she had never seen a dead person before, let alone witnessed the massacre of so many people at once.

Ariel collapsed as if fainting. If Leopold hadn’t caught her, she would have fallen to the ground.

Ariel leaned against Leopold’s chest, breathing heavily.

“Huff, huff-! How, how could this happen!”

“Ariel, Ariel…”

“Huff… What do we do, Leo.”

These people must have died in agony from a single attack by the enraged Noah Diaz.

Leopold, unsure of how to comfort the sobbing Ariel, simply held her tightly.

‘I, too, feel the futility.’

Leopold looked up at the sky. The blue sky, without a single cloud, seemed to mock their grief and despair.

He recalled how he had neglected White because it was far from the capital.

He remembered how he had sent Noah Diaz to White as if to get rid of him, how he had ignored the stories of the residents suffering from the increasing number of demonic beasts.

He remembered how he didn’t stop Noah from disappearing into the prison.

All these thoughts pained his heart.

Leopold buried his face in Ariel’s shoulder. Just for a moment. Just for a fleeting moment, he allowed himself to grieve and regret, leaning on her.