At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 64

It was the wedding of the noblest person in the empire. And so, there gathered not only the nobles, but also the heads of nations. Even if it wasn’t as large-scale as it could have been, the status of those who would gather in that place could not be changed.

Due to the nature of the Akarna, who had no family or acquaintances, she was able to wait without meeting anyone, but that wasn’t the case for the Crown Prince.

Moreover, there were many people who worked hard together to make this wedding ceremony with a somewhat unreasonable schedule.

Since the Crown Prince achieved this position by establishing numerous majors, the people he deserved to invite to his wedding were also comrades who traveled to and from the battlefield together with him.

So when the bombing started, they judged the situation more quickly.

When responding to the surprise attack, protection was given priority over counterattack. This was especially true in places where the majority of people were of noble blood.

Boom. Boom! When they heard the loud bombings, the people who were confused at first quickly began to evacuate calmly, relying on the Crown Prince.

Among other things, this was the temple where the Akarna was. All the people gathered there today did not feel a great sense of danger while evacuating due to her presence.

There was one more reason.

“Your Highness, I think this just seems like a big fuss?”

“…I see.”

Although the bombs were pouring down heavily, it seemed to have no purpose in mass killing, only to cause panic.

Thinking there would be casualties from sneaking assassins, he pulled out his sword and ran, but there was nothing to use it against.

There was one more strange thing.

If the people of the Outer Wall were to attack this place, it would turn the entire Empire against them in the future, as well as turn other countries involved into their enemies.
From the Crown Prince’s point of view, who had driven the green-gold village that had already hidden Akarna to the brink of destruction, he did not see any reason for them to take such a loss and invade this place.

“It would be better for Your Highness to leave this to us and return to the Akarna’s side.”

“…Yes.”

The Crown Prince nodded and tried to sheath his sword, but he suddenly noticed something strange.

Among them, there was only one group of people whose complexion turned pale and looked for a way to run away.

The Archbishop.

The High Priest.

The priests…

The Crown Prince, who had been calmly searching for and leading the way to escape, gritted his teeth.

Rather than grasping the situation, a sinking feeling arrested him out of nowhere.
Something snapped inside the Crown Prince’s head, who at least maintained his rationality.
What qualifications do they have to find a safe place? They tamed strangers who don’t know anything and send them to death, using them as they please. Fooling everyone in the world and filling their own interests!

How could they still think of their own comfort after all of that has been exposed?

Even the Crown Prince himself couldn’t look straight at the sky.

Did they not even know shame?

In an instant, the hot and heavy sensation of being in the midst of a battlefield arose within him, even as he was in the imperial capital. Just as his eyes wandered across the battlefield, the Crown Prince started chasing the priests.

They were running somewhere other than where people were evacuating.

Following them, the Crown Prince swung his sword without hesitation.

When the body was slashed with a mixture of the sword energy, the priest who was split in half died without even being able to scream.

“Aaaack!”

The only ones who screamed were the priests who grasped the situation and ran away from the Crown Prince.

His eyes had nothing more to see. Except for priests who are about to die.

“Ahh!”

It’s not even like cutting enemies on the battlefield. Like a flesh-eating demon, the cruel hands followed to release its grudge.

“GAHH!”

No mercy was given even to the priests who turned their backs asking for forgiveness. He even viciously pursued and decapitated the priests who crawled away while dripping blood.

“Please spare m… keugh!”

The Crown Prince moved forward, killing them without hesitation. No matter how much they begged. At the forefront of their path, the high priest and the archbishop were frightened and stood stiff.

When the Crown Prince swung his sword and rushed at him the High Priest sat down and covered himself. His pants, as he sat down, were soaked in foul liquid.

“Your Highness, Your Highness, it failed! It failed!”

“…Failed?”

The Crown Prince looked down at him as he wiped the blood on his face with the back of his hand.

The Crown Prince called out one person and killed them, so there was only the High Priest left.

“We couldn’t find a replacement life force! They died and had to replace the life force to summon Akarna…!”

From the time the priests heard the news that Akarna had gone missing, they assumed that Akarna and the alchemist of the Outer Wall had met, or at least the disbelievers of the other race.

So, while searching for her, they would announce that the great Akarna had died and would be preparing to summon a new Akarna.

It was good to start a war as usual, but they couldn’t find the right manpower because the Crown Prince was obsessed with the missing Akarna.

That’s why they turned the arrow to the Outer Wall.

They tried hard to eradicate the Outer Wall, but it was a headache because the number of the other races increased every year, but there was no other suitable target.

They were already despised races anyways. When humans approach, they show aggression to individuals, but the entire race does not counterattack.

They didn’t have Akarna anyway, so they were suitable to be used as substitutes because they were the ones who would die from the miasma if they were lured out when the beasts were freed.

The temple thought it would happen this time too.

However, Akarna did not return to the original world and remained here. And the Crown Prince found her.

That wasn’t just the part of the plan that went awry— The Crown Prince even asked to summon a new Akarna despite the original Akarna still being here.

In the meantime, one of the two high priests went missing, and the destruction of the Outer Wall, which was thought to be successful, failed for an unknown reason.

The High Priest poured out all of this to the Crown Prince, hoping for the Crown Prince’s understanding.

Weren’t the temple and the imperial family on the same side anyway?

“Ah…”

However, the Crown Prince grasped the situation faster than they did.

“It seems that you touched the Outer Wall and was fooled by the death they concocted.”

“I-It’s not too late now!”

“Not too late?”

“Yes, Your Highness! It’s not too late. If you kill anyone now, they will be the substitute.”

The Crown Prince rolled his eyes and smiled. The glowing red eyes on his bloody face were terrifying.

“So I can kill anyone?”

“Yes! Anybody…! Ggguhk!”

The Crown Prince’s sword pierced the High Priest’s face.

Then, the point of the blade was soon directed at another man—the Bishop.

Seeing the blade without hesitation, the Bishop smiled, his wrinkled face becoming distorted.

It was a strange smile that was neither resisting like the screaming High Priest, but nor did it look like he was giving up at the sight of a sword being slashed down.

“…I knew it would be like this one day.”

Was it a laughable situation?

“Your Highness, it wasn’t just the alchemist of the Outer Wall who sent the Akarna back to their original world.”

“What do you mean?”

When the matter about Akarna came out of the old Bishop’s lips, the Crown Prince stopped his movements.

“We originally opposed the meeting between a member of the Imperial Family and the Akarna.”

It was like that. But it’s not just the imperial family.

The Akarna was prohibited from creating personal connections to any of the priests or escort knights in the temple, except for one servant of low status.

“In the meantime, not one or two Akarnas had been summoned by the temple. She could not bear the life of the temple and ran away, more than half of them. How could the Akarna who has weakened, break through the temple security, and escape from the temple alone?”

“……”

The Crown Prince’s grip gradually loosened. The tip of the sword, which was standing stiffly facing the bishop, dropped to the floor.

“That’s why we were wary of Your Highness meeting the Akarna in the first place.”

The priest who had compassion for the Akarna, the escort knight who grew affection for her, and the maid who could not see her plight all tried to take Akarna out, but were eventually caught.

And they were executed together.

The imperial family, who knew of the Akarna’s circumstances, were no different.

During the history of the empire, the imperial family that became close to an Akarna wasn’t just the Crown Prince standing here.

“But Your Highness had never done anything like that in five years.”

“……”

Even if the Crown Prince knew of the truth behind the Akarna much too late, he hadn’t become one of them while in the closest position to Akarna for five years.

Rather, because of the Crown Prince, the Akarna found a savior and she endured for five years.

“I thought Your Highness could overturn this system more than anyone else if I told you.”
The temple was therefore wary and opposed. But.
But… Here is the result.
The result of their love.
The Crown Prince was completely at a loss for words, and the bishop laughed as if finding it very funny.

The old man’s dry laugh sounded cynical.

“Your Highness, we will accept your disposition today. After all, it was going to be like this someday. But we must not hold the blame solely on us, only on our ancestors.”

The bishop put down his crown.

His face, accepting the current situation, even looked relieved.

“If there is God, I hope God will forgive us.”

“…If such a thing exists, you say.”

The Crown Prince muttered with a grudge.

“Yes, if there is…”

The Bishop could not finish his word.

He died from the sword the Crown Prince wielded. After ending the old man’s breath with a single blow, the Crown Prince could no longer hold the sword.

Clang. After dropping his sword on the floor, the Crown Prince stared blankly into the air before leaving the building.

Boom. Boom! The bombings still continued elsewhere. But he could not properly hear them.

With blood all over his body, he just walked in a daze.

He had to find the Akarna quickly.

One way or another.

Hold on.

He needed to ask for her forgiveness…

But how?

There was no one running around, perhaps the evacuation had gone smoothly. While walking in the opposite direction of the evacuation route, the Crown Prince suddenly looked at the floor.

Something shiny was rolling on the floor.

The ring he forcibly gave to Akarna, thrown away like garbage.

With a sudden ominous feeling, the Crown Prince looked up at the sky.

With a bright smile on her face, the Akarna was dancing.

Above, the sunset sky served as the light for the party hall and the smooth marble floor beneath.

Memories that he thought were nothing came back to him.

—“Your Highness, you promised me.”

—“You know there’s nothing I can do.”

—“Your Highness, don’t go.”

—“It’s just one dance.”

—“Your Highness, I beg of you… Please don’t leave me here alone.”

In the end, he was the one left alone.

The Akarna was dancing among the ruins. Round and round. The white wedding dress she wore for her marriage to him today was fluttering, and the best jewels that could ever be bought was glistening upon her skin.

Blessed by nature, not by humans. She was beautiful. The most beautiful bride in the world.

Tears flowed from the Crown Prince’s eyes.

Akarna. My Akarna.

Even at this point, I dare to love my Akarna…