The man her sister had once saved, and who had come back hoping to save her sister in return. The one who would make the most perfect instrument for her revenge.

Ella’s pale fingertips trembled faintly.

“He should be here.”

The one who would become her sword.

“Fifth prince of the Kar Kingdom, Haven Montefeltro.”

Ella reached toward the stone wall entrance draped with hanging willow branches like a curtain.

If Marian’s memories were accurate, he would be injured right now.

“As expected……”

Sure enough, the sharp, metallic smell of blood drifted through the gap between the split branches.

Ella bit her lip.

‘With the power I have now, I can’t heal him.’

Marian, who had possessed strong holy power and healing ability, had kept him alive after he escaped from the prison camp. Gravely wounded, Haven had developed a fondness for Marian because of that, and within only a few days, that fondness had transformed into something blind and absolute. Enough that he unified three kingdoms and became emperor and started a war, all to help her.

The news of his victory had reached the Empire right after Marian’s execution was decided at the noble tribunal.

She remembered clearly the tension of war that had settled over the Becarto Empire when word arrived that Haven had unified the three kingdoms.

‘At least she got to hear this news before the end.’

Even with the scaffold waiting for her in a matter of days, Marian had prayed for his safety. In all of the Becarto Empire, the only one who had genuinely rejoiced at Haven’s victory was probably……

“Marian alone.”

He was a fugitive prisoner in hiding now, but the man would come to hold the power and strength to bring the Becarto Empire to its knees.

‘Where else would I find a better sword?’

It was no exaggeration to say this plan had taken shape because of the last image of Haven she had seen in Marian’s memories. His face, captured in Marian’s eyes as she stood on the scaffold…… was filled with nothing but darkness, as though the world had ended.

‘I will avenge you without fail.’

The trembling of his lips in fury, the tears twisted with despair. It was all as vivid to Ella as if she had witnessed it herself.

She intended to use him for a swift and certain revenge.

“I have to tame him as mine, no matter what.”

A loyal hound and a sharp sword that would obey her every word without question.

She gripped the bag on her shoulder and stepped into the cave entrance.

A damp, musty air rushed over her, but Ella lit her mana stone lamp and walked on without flinching.

How long had she walked through the damp cave?

From beneath a deep hollow in the stone wall came a faint groan.

Ella knew it instinctively.

‘Found him.’

Haven was there.

“Who’s there!”

The man’s voice was low and grim. His silver hair was tangled and soaked with blood. His body was battered and broken all over, yet his violet eyes burned with a fierce, sharp light like a bird of prey.

“I asked who’s there.”

Haven Montefeltro, the man who would come to hold the power to bring this Empire down in two years’ time.

The bleeding silver wolf crouched tight and leveled a blade at Ella.

“You don’t need to be so guarded. I’m not here to hurt you.”

Despite Ella’s gentle tone, Haven’s wariness did not ease in the slightest.

He staggered upright.

“What are you scheming?!”

The tip of the blade stopped precisely beneath her chin. The hand gripping the sword trembled faintly, but the killing intent in Haven’s eyes did not waver.

Ella met his gaze without blinking.

One small movement and the cold edge would cut into her skin, yet she remained perfectly composed.

“You look badly hurt. Shouldn’t we treat that first?”

Ella’s eyes moved slowly downward, taking in his condition.

The light leaking from the mana stone lamp made the state of Haven’s body all the more stark. His clothes, reduced to rags, were already soaked through with blood. A long slash wound on his side continued to bleed steadily. His face, which would have been quite striking in better circumstances, was swollen and split and thoroughly ruined.

It was a wonder he was still breathing.

‘And he’s still standing with a sword in his hand.’

Truly remarkable willpower.

Then again, the fact that he had escaped from the notoriously brutal border prison camp was astonishing enough on its own. It was the one place in the Becarto Empire, a nation that forbade magic, that was layered in high-level magical wards from every direction. No one had ever escaped from there. He was likely the first and the last.

The reason the border guard was hunting Haven with such frantic intensity was probably because they couldn’t afford a stain on that reputation.

‘Should I be grateful this is the Hooly Forest?’

No matter how desperately they pursued him, border guards without holy power couldn’t enter the Hooly Forest.

‘But how did this man get in? This place is……’

The Hooly Forest was originally a place priests and holy knights entered to strengthen their holy power. It was said that ordinary people who entered would have all five senses numbed and eventually fall unconscious, due to the layers of sacred barriers woven throughout.

Ella herself had only been able to enter because a trace of her sister’s holy power still lingered in her.

But Haven Montefeltro. Had he ever possessed holy power?

Nothing in Marian’s memories offered any clue to that question.

Her puzzlement deepened as the trembling of the sword blade grew worse.

“I asked what you’re scheming…… ugh!”

The pain in his side must have been severe. The hand clutching the wound clenched tight and crumpled inward.

Dark red blood welled up steadily between Haven’s thick fingers.

“You’ll die if you stay like this.”

Ella reached out quickly, and the blade that had been resting beneath her chin finally pressed into her soft skin.

A red bead of blood immediately bloomed on her pale white skin.

“Don’t move!”

Even at that sharp command, Ella grabbed the sword.

She hadn’t gripped it hard, but the edge was keen enough that blood began to drip between her fingers almost at once.

Haven flinched for just a moment, and she gave him a quiet smile.

“Isn’t that a bit much to do to the person who’s going to save your life?”

Ella glanced sideways toward the bag on her shoulder.

“If you really don’t trust me, check what’s inside. It’s nothing but medicine.”

I am not your enemy.

The message carried in her voice seemed to reach him. The sharp wariness in Haven’s eyes slowly faded.

“……Tell me who you are first. That comes first.”

Dying and still stubborn about it.

Ella let out a small sigh and drew the identification token from inside her clothes.

It was a kind of marker, like a noble family’s seal, identifying the bearer as someone from the Bailia Grand Temple.

The gold identification token, which looked like a pendant necklace, had only the name Ella inscribed on it. It was a forged token she had made separately for the purpose of coming here.

Mariella Tinsley. There was no one in the Bekarto Empire who didn’t recognize that name. It belonged to the common-born Saintess.

Haven recognized the distinctive emblem of the Bailia Grand Temple and spoke.

“……Are you a…… priest?”

Pfft.

His sudden shift to formal speech made Ella laugh softly.

“Well…… something like that.”

Everyone in the Becarto Empire knew that the imperial family and the temple were at odds. The rift between the two powers ran so deep that they were pushing for a national marriage between the crown prince and the saintess just to present a surface appearance of unity.

Perhaps confirming she was from the temple helped. Haven’s killing intent eased slightly.

Even so, he still hadn’t let go of the sword.

But thinking about his circumstances, she understood.

‘He’s been betrayed repeatedly and ended up like this…… of course he would be.’

Right now, trusting anyone would be nearly impossible.

Ella didn’t rush. She waited until he spoke.

Haven finally said something.

“If you’re a priest…… shouldn’t you be using healing rather than medicine?”

His gaze, full of suspicion, landed on the bag she was carrying.

“I’m still a novice priest in training. I don’t have enough holy power to use my healing ability.”

“……Then how did you know I was here?”

“I came into the forest this morning for prayer and caught a glimpse of you. Your injuries looked serious and it stayed on my mind. That’s why I came.”

“……”

“Is that enough?”

Ella delivered the answers she had prepared, and only then did the blade withdraw from beneath her chin.

Clang.

The sword hit the ground, and a heavy crash rang through the cave.

At the same moment, Haven’s body gave out and he collapsed.

“Ugh!”

“Careful!”

If Ella hadn’t caught him quickly, Haven would have slammed his head straight into the wall.

Before she could even catch her breath from the close call, his condition began to deteriorate rapidly.

Having apparently reached his limit, Haven’s breathing fell apart. Even the air leaking between his teeth grew weaker by the moment.