Looking at the girls before them, who exuded an aura so overwhelming it seemed capable of turning the tide of fate, both Juliessa and the remaining defenders were left stunned.
“You should rest here for now. Leave the rest to us.”
Iserine knew time was tight, so after she killed all the Norwich Empire soldiers in the underground passage, she settled Juliessa and the others down right where they were.
She left a few Rose Knights to guard the area, while the rest surged into Snow City Fortress, joining the fight with the soldiers inside.
With the arrival of the Rose Knights, the situation within Snow City Fortress changed in an instant!
Leanna’s sword flashed like a silver storm, each slash precisely tearing through enemy lines, forcing many foes to scatter and flee.
Aixi’s great hammer smashed down with overwhelming force—no matter what spells the enemy used, she dispatched them with a single blow.
Teresa, Seli, and the others were no weaker. Magic flowed flawlessly from their hands—ice spells or arrow spells, all sent waves of enemies fleeing in panic.
But above all, it was the cohesion of the entire Rose Knights that made the difference.
Their teamwork far surpassed that of the empire’s soldiers.
Even when the enemy formed magical phalanxes, the Rose Knights wiped them out in moments.
In the blink of an eye, Norwich Empire’s soldiers suffered defeat after defeat.
“Counterattack! For Snow City! For the Empire!”
The General of Snow City Fortress wiped blood from his cheek and, wielding a broken sword, charged out from among the soldiers. For the first time, hope lit up his weathered, desperate face.
The Rose Knights swiftly drove the Norwich soldiers back to the fortress gates.
This scene—like warriors descending from the heavens—utterly shattered the last vestiges of the Norwich army’s will to fight.
After sacrificing many soldiers, the Norwich Empire’s general reluctantly gave the order to retreat.
As the defeated soldiers abandoned their armor and fled, thunderous cheers erupted within Snow City Fortress.
The setting sun glowed blood-red, shining over the fortress, now finally at peace.
The invaders were completely purged. The surviving defenders and civilians began clearing the battlefield and tending to the wounded.
In the central plaza, Juliessa emerged from the underground passage.
She sank to the ground, exhausted, inhaling the scent of smoke and blood in the air—and suddenly, she laughed.
“I’m sorry, Juliessa. I came too late…”
Iserine glanced around the battered fortress, clenching her right hand, her gaze full of guilt. But Juliessa shook her head.
Though her face was pale, her eyes shone with the light of someone who had survived disaster, and with a newfound, deep respect.
“No, Iserine, it was you… it was all of you who saved everyone.”
She looked up at her friend, whose aura had utterly changed—now like a true hero—and smiled with contentment.
“It’s been so long, Iserine. You’ve truly grown up.”
……
With the arrival of the Rose Knights, Snow City Fortress stabilized.
In the days that followed, Norwich Empire soldiers launched two or three more assaults, but each was blocked by the Rose Knights.
Their numbers were few, but the magic they wielded far surpassed what ordinary soldiers could manage.
A few large-scale spells, and the Norwich soldiers—no matter how many—could only retreat.
For this, the General of Snow City Fortress, representing the people of the Empire, made a special point to thank them.
After that, Selis and Nora arrived at the fortress.
Because Nora knew of her relationship with Isavel, she dropped all pretense in front of her, openly playing the role of Selis.
In this way, their enemies would be unable to obtain any news of Isavel—killing two birds with one stone.
Upon arriving at Snow City Fortress and meeting with the General and the Rose Knights, she expressed her desire to visit the graves of the fallen.
The General accompanied her personally.
On the fifth day after the Rose Knights arrived, fine snowflakes drifted down from the sky, as if heaven itself was mourning the dead in white.
Selis, in a flowing white dress and draped in a silver-gray cloak, appeared at the newly raised graveyard behind the fortress.
She hadn’t notified many people, but word quickly spread.
General Breno and several high-ranking officers immediately set aside their work and followed silently behind her, maintaining a respectful distance.
Hundreds of new gravestones stood quietly in the snow, each marking a soldier’s eternal slumber.
The wind howled, stirring the snow, and the atmosphere was unbearably heavy.
General Breno stepped forward, his voice hoarse and heavy:
“Lady Saintess, all those buried here… they gave their lives for the country in the recent war. In the end, we couldn’t bring them all home.”
The soldiers guarding the frontier fortresses always loved their homeland, always longed to return.
The iron-willed old general’s eyes reddened, and the officers behind him bowed their heads, their faces etched with grief and regret.
Selis said nothing.
She simply walked past each grave, her gaze brushing over every unfamiliar name.
In her eyes, there was no condescending pity—only a sorrow and empathy deep enough to pierce life and death.
The officers followed in silence.
Slowly, she reached the center of the cemetery, where a dozen officers were buried, their bodies never recovered, with only symbolic graves.
There, she stopped, gently removed her hood, and let the snow fall upon her silver hair.
Under everyone’s gaze, she folded her hands over her chest, grasped the star-like pendant around her neck, and softly closed her eyes.
Her lips parted, and she began to sing a quiet, ancient, ethereal Sanctuary Song. There was no mighty magical resonance in her voice—yet it seemed to carry a power that soothed the soul.
All the officers present, even the battle-hardened General Breno, were moved by the melody.
For a moment, they saw again the fearless figures of their comrades charging forward, heard their dying wishes for home…
The Sanctuary Song echoed through the silent cemetery, twining with the sobbing wind and snow.
Unseen by all, the lowest star on her pendant seemed to give off a faint, gentle light.
Unknowingly, the song came to an end.
She tucked the pendant back into her clothes, replaced her hood, and turned to face all the officers who had accompanied her.
“General Breno, everyone.” Her voice was still gentle, yet it carried an undeniable strength. “They did come home. This place—has always been their home.”
She swept her gaze across the graveyard, as if her eyes could pierce the gravestones and see the resting souls within.
“The land they gave their lives to protect—that is their home. They fell here, and this is their most glorious resting place. Their blood was not shed in vain. Snow City Fortress still stands, and so do the people they guarded.”
She looked at the old general, her tone becoming solemn.
“For the living, we must bear the hopes and sacrifices of the fallen. What we can do is not wallow in grief, but make this fortress—defended with their very lives—stronger than ever before.”
“Let life upon this land be even more worthy of their sacrifice.”
With those words, she looked one last time at the silent graveyard, bowed deeply, then turned and quietly left the way she came.
Her white figure faded into the swirling snow, like a goddess from heaven.
Behind her, General Breno stared at the spot where she disappeared, muttering in a voice only he could hear:
“So this… is what a true Saintess is…”
He straightened his once-bent back, eyes blazing anew, and called out in a deep voice to his subordinates:
“Did you all hear that? Dry your tears! Reinforce the defenses, check the supplies, reassure the people! We must be worthy of every brother who lies here! We must make this fortress worthy of their sacrifice!”
“The Norwich Empire, who consorts with demons, will be defeated by our hands!”
In that moment, the fortress, once shrouded in gloom, seemed to grow bright again.
……
Within the warm tent, the crackling fire brought rare peace to all who had endured the battle.
After tending to some of the wounded, Iserine made her way to Juliessa’s side.
“After leaving here, you joined the Rose Knights?” Juliessa turned slightly, asking in a gentle voice.
Iserine smiled with a hint of pride at the corners of her lips. “I did. Surprised?”
“Very surprised.” Juliessa’s gaze grew distant, as if remembering the past. “The little girl who only knew how to wield fire magic is now the prophesied savior… It’s hard for me to believe.”
They had grown up around the same time, almost like childhood friends.
Seeing Iserine as she was now, Juliessa struggled to believe she was the same person she used to know.
Iserine’s own eyes grew complicated. “It’s hard for me to believe, too. But maybe… sometimes fate is just that unpredictable.”
Just then, the tent’s flap was gently lifted, letting in a hint of chill.
Selis entered, dressed in a snowy white gown, a sharp contrast to the somber atmosphere inside the tent.
Her arrival seemed to hush the very air.
“Iserine.”
Her voice was especially gentle as she looked from Iserine to Juliessa.
“This is your dear friend, Juliessa?”
Iserine immediately stood and respectfully introduced her. “Let me introduce you—this is the Oracle Maiden of the Oracle Hall, Lady Selis.”
With that, she gently tugged the dazed Juliessa, who, regaining her senses, hurriedly pushed back her chair and rose to her feet, her voice trembling with nervousness.
“…Lady Saintess!”
The Oracle Maiden?
In Juliessa’s eyes, this was a figure akin to the Empire’s queen!
Someone even the fortress general would never hope to meet—yet here she stood, right in front of her, so gentle…
Noticing Juliessa’s tension, Selis smiled—a smile like sunlight melting the snow, carrying a calming warmth. She waved her hand lightly.
“No need to be so nervous. I’m not going to eat you.”
Her tone was light, trying to put Juliessa at ease. But in the next moment, her expression grew a touch more serious, her gaze focused.
“I’ll get straight to the point. I’m here to ask you to take Iserine and me to the place where you both grew up—to find the Pure Heart.”
At her words, the color drained from Juliessa’s face. Her eyes flickered, unconsciously avoiding Selis’s gaze. Her voice was shaky.
“W-what Pure Heart…?”
Selis said nothing, only maintaining her gentle smile, quietly watching.
That silent pressure made Juliessa uneasy.
She drew a deep breath, as if steeling herself, then turned to Iserine, her voice strained and low.
“Lady Saintess, forgive me, but I’d like to speak to Iserine alone first.”
“Go ahead.” Selis nodded understandingly.
Outside the tent, Juliessa kept her voice down, her expression full of disbelief and tinged with reproach.
“Iserine, you told her about the Pure Heart?”
“I did.” Iserine admitted calmly, without any sign of evasiveness.
“You’re insane!” Juliessa’s voice rose, then she forced it down. “If you do this, you’ll destroy our home!”
Iserine only gave a soft smile, as if she’d long expected this reaction.
She explained,
“If I hadn’t, Snow City Fortress would have fallen long ago to the Norwich Empire’s soldiers. Our home lies just behind this fortress. If the Norwich soldiers find it, it’s only a matter of time.”
“Besides, Juliessa, do you still think that village is our home?”
Before Juliessa could reply, Iserine stared intently into her eyes, her tone turning heavy and sharp.
“You know. If not for you, I’d have been burned alive by them long ago. To me, that place isn’t a home—it’s a place filled with hatred.”
“You helped me, and for that, you were banished from the village. A place so cold, cruel, and ignorant—can you truly call that your home?”
Her words pierced Juliessa’s heart like arrows, leaving her speechless.
Yet in her eyes, a trace of hesitation lingered.
After a long silence, Juliessa gripped the hem of her clothes, her voice trembling with struggle and helplessness.
“But… but if the Pure Heart is taken by the Oracle Hall, they’ll hate us forever…”
Even if her home had exiled her, she didn’t want its people to hate her for life—after all, many of her precious memories were still there.
“They won’t.”
Iserine’s reply was firm.
“It’s exactly because of the Pure Heart that they are trapped in that tiny place, living cut off from the world.”
“What do you mean?”
Juliessa grew more confused. Iserine clasped her hands behind her back and patiently explained.
“They sealed off the village and isolated themselves, all for the sake of immortality—which you and I both know. The method is to drink the holy water flowing from the Pure Heart.”
“But you know as well as I do: that holy water only extends life by thirty years. Because they’re isolated, they cherish those thirty years so much, and that’s why they’re so determined to protect the Pure Heart.”
“But out here, if you keep training your magic, it’s easy to live an extra thirty years, isn’t it?”
Iserine’s words left Juliessa silent.
She was right. Because of their isolation, the people of their home thought an extra thirty years of life was so precious, and so they clung to the Pure Heart and their isolation even more.
In fact, as long as you’re willing to keep honing your inner magic, living an extra thirty years isn’t so difficult for most people.
And she knew—Iserine was only explaining this for her sake.
After all…
Iserine’s expression turned cold, her tone resolute.
“If they still want to hate, let them hate. I have my own feelings, too. What they did to me is the real cause of all this.”