It was spring.
This did not actually mean that the season was spring.
It simply felt like spring to Ares during the time he spent with Karen, as the weather became warmer and life began to stir, much like the season of spring.
Ares learned many things from Karen.
One of the most notable lessons was about the mindset one should have when loving someone.
“Are you saying that if you don’t love someone, you can sacrifice them?”
“Yes. In the end, you only see others as chess pieces, as if they are nothing but tools for your own goals. You don’t think about who they love or who loves them.”
“It might be hard for you to accept, but it’s a simple matter, Your Highness. If someone were to ask you to sacrifice me for a great cause, would you be able to pass over it without hesitation?”
“That… “
Ares thought for a while before nodding.
“I think I would have considered sacrificing myself in your place. But if that isn’t possible… well, I’m not sure. Even if I think I could sacrifice my sister, honestly, there is a part of me that doesn’t want to do it.”
“Humans often show a duality when it comes to protecting what is dear to them. And even if you decide to sacrifice me, I wouldn’t mind.”
“Well, Your Highness, you thought about it, didn’t you? I’m sure that before, you would have instantly said ‘It’s fine to sacrifice for the greater good’ without hesitation.”
Ares’ cheek turned red at Karen’s words.
Karen knew everything, and frankly, at this point, he didn’t feel the need to argue strongly with her.
“That’s the most important part, Your Highness. The fact that you couldn’t give an immediate answer and had to think. That is the weight of unwanted sacrifice. You need to remember that.”
***
“People aren’t just your chess pieces, Your Highness.”
“A real hero can’t be made just because you want to be one. They are born with the flow of the times. If you chase only the outcome without considering the weight of sacrifice, you will eventually trip over that very weight you ignored. Never forget that. Understood?”
These honest conversations about Ares’ heart made up about half of their time together.
The other half was spent—
“Alright, do you think you can handle this, Your Highness?! Hya!”
“Ugh…!! It’s… it’s so big…”
They played a card game that Ares had designed.
“Yay! I won!”
“How could this be… I lost…?”
“Hehe, Your Highness! This is the first time you’ve lost in a game you made yourself, isn’t it?!”
Though only Karen and Ares were the actual players, losing to the one who had been continuously winning was quite a shocking experience.
Especially in a game that Ares himself had designed from A to Z!
“No, but… how did you figure out such a strategy?”
“I learned the rules, played a few rounds with you, and then kept thinking. I figured there might be a winning strategy if I dug deep enough!”
As Karen said, her strategy was a practically unbeatable one.
Two cards, which didn’t originally have synergy, now created an unexpected combination.
“I think you should modify this part! After all, this game is still in development, right?”
“Got it. Thank you for pointing out the critical flaw, sis.”
“Hehe… It’s a bit disappointing that your winning strategy was defeated, but! I really want this game to become something better and loved by many people. After all, it’s a game Your Highness worked so hard on!”
For some reason, Ares didn’t feel as happy as he should have.
He had imagined that the game would be fully completed and shown to the world… but honestly, he felt embarrassed at the thought of letting people know he, as a prince, was making such things.
Perhaps, as Karen said, this was part of his inner desire to become a hero.
A hero who was passionate about board games wasn’t exactly the most admirable figure.
But now… he wanted to finish this game and show it to the world.
And yet, somehow, he felt that Karen wouldn’t be there when the time came.
He couldn’t bring himself to be truly happy.
They spent time playing chess, other board games, and having tea together.
For Ares, it was a dreamlike time.
As always, the happy times were short-lived.
The last day with Karen.
She had told Ares several times that today would be the last day they spent together.
Ares knew from the beginning that they couldn’t stay together forever, so instead of clinging to that fact, he focused on making the most of their remaining time.
Just like every other day, they greeted each other, talked about Ares’ thoughts, played board games, and shared tea—
***
As the sun began to set, their time together was nearing its end.
“Your Highness, you’ve worked hard. Shall we review one last time?”
“Sure.”
Following Karen’s words, Ares slowly spoke his thoughts.
“I won’t try to manipulate others for the greater good.”
“Good, and what else?”
“I won’t take others’ sacrifices for granted.”
“And?”
“I’ll remember that deciding to sacrifice myself doesn’t give me the right to judge others’ lives.”
“Great! Now, the most important one!”
“I won’t turn my gaze away from my own desires.”
The reason Ares could become so extreme was, ironically, because of this last statement.
“Well done, Your Highness! You’re truly my sibling! I’m so proud of you.”
Karen clapped a few times and then looked at Ares with a smile.
“Ares. Never forget this. A revolutionary who only loves themselves cannot lead the world in the right direction. To love others and live with them, you must face your own deficiencies. Even if it seems foolish, it’s never something to be ashamed of. When your heart gets confused and your chest feels tight again, remember my advice. Understood?”
“…Yes.”
Karen tilted her head slightly, still smiling brightly.
“Your Highness, I really enjoyed our time together. And thank you for listening to me. Even though I spoke honestly, you didn’t mind and took me seriously.”
“No, it was I… who enjoyed it. And I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten so angry that day…”
“It’s fine. It’s all in the past.”
Ares noticed something as he watched Karen answer him.
She didn’t say the usual phrases like “Don’t forget me” or “I’ll never forget this memory.”
‘What did that mean?’
Now, Ares thought he understood.
She… would soon “disappear.”
Not just vanish from his sight, but disappear from this world altogether.
She was a temporary presence sent by the gods. Once her time was up, she would fade away again.
So, Ares knew that he couldn’t hold onto her.
And at the same time, he knew he shouldn’t.
Still, even if she didn’t remember him, he could remember her.
“Thank you. I’ll never forget you.”
That was all Ares could say in a weak moment.
“Oh my, I’m happy! But you know, there are many good people in this world. If you live your life with a heart that wants to love others, you’ll meet wonderful people one day… And someone like me will be easy for you to forget.”
Karen said this with a smile and then bowed her head.
“Goodbye, Your Highness. Take care.”
She turned her body and walked toward the door.
Ares waved his hand toward her, offering his own form of farewell.
***
In his mind, he was calling out to her, “Sister.”
But his heart could not accept it.
“Don’t go, sis.”
He moved on his own, grabbing hold of her.
“Please, don’t go.”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. But you know… I can’t stay in this world much longer.”
“I… I will believe in the gods. I’ll follow Igogodon’s teachings and ask them to grant a simple truth. Please, don’t…”
“Igogodon doesn’t want to give you false hope. They know that clinging to me will not help you in the long run.”
“No, it’s not meaningless! You—”
He reached out to embrace her.
While holding her, he wanted to tell her that she was incredibly precious to him.
He wanted to express his gratitude for the simple truth the gods gave him and that it wasn’t a strange thing to follow.
Just like Eirene did.
Just like Yuria did… he was only given a chance.
But somehow…
He couldn’t hold Karen.
His arms passed right through her.
There was no feeling of obstruction at all.
Literally, it was just as if it passed through the air without a trace.
“Sis…”
When he lifted his head to look at Karen—
She was… fading away, as if she were a ghost.
She was becoming blurry.
“It’s meaningless. I was born to make you, Ares, fall into the Igodenism faith.”
“But the simple truth of the gods is a grace for humans, isn’t it? Just like my mother or older sister, I too received the grace of the gods—”
“It’s different.”
“The gods love Lady Eirene.”
I am an existence loved by the gods, a fully ripened one—
The voice of his mother, Eirene, brushed against Ares’ ear.
“Because the gods love Eirene… they tried to exclude you, Ares. They used my existence to cloud your vision.”
“But… but in the end, they didn’t do that!”
“That’s right.”
“Then, it’s fine! Even if you stay by my side, it wouldn’t cloud my vision. If I truly devote myself to the religion and walk the path of a monk who serves the gods—”
“Your Highness.”
Ares wanted to say more, but—
The image of Karen, growing more and more faded, began to disintegrate into dust.
Ares, realizing that time was running out, understood it was inevitable.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. But… in the end, I’m glad that I could walk the path truly meant for you, and not corrupt you—”
“Karen, sis…! Please, please! Please!”
Ares flailed his arms before collapsing to the ground.
He knelt and looked down.
When he lifted his head… there was nothing.
As if nothing had ever existed from the very beginning.
“Sis…!!!”
Ares buried his head into the ground, tears streaming down his face.
He knew he couldn’t hold on to her.
As she had said, he understood that the ultimate reason for her existence wasn’t because the gods were favoring him.
And he could even logically accept that as long as she existed, he would be swayed by her.
What if, one day, the gods changed their mind and asked her to use him for something terrible?
Her very being was shaped by the gods.
It would surely be easy for her to twist her words, to reverse them.
‘Would he really be able to cut through her words like a sharp blade?’
Just thinking about it, as she had said—
It was clear that the answer was never to stay together.
So then…
Was the fact that he still wanted to be swayed by her a sign that he hadn’t grown enough?
Rather than seeking an answer to that…
…Gods.
Ares clasped his hands and prayed.
“Thank you for sharing the simple truth with me. Thanks to Igogodon’s grace, I was able to cast aside my selfishness and become a new person. Even though it may not be the ‘miracle’ my mother and older sister experienced… I can feel clearly what the gods were trying to convey to me.”
“I dare not ask for anything more from the gods. I know it is shameless to ask for something when I have not believed in them. And I understand that this… this is the right choice.”
“However, if possible, please allow me to meet her in my dreams. Please show mercy and let me taste even a fragment of the love she gave me…!”
Swallowing his tears, speaking with sincerity, Ares’ appearance was already that of a true Igodenism monk.
He reached for the roll of tissue beside him and wiped his moist eyes.
Honestly… the parting scene was far sadder than he had imagined.
It wasn’t the kind of thing that made him burst into tears, but somehow… something felt so sad, even though he had expected it.
***
[MoneyPlease: Ares will likely soon officially convert to the Igodenism faith.]
[MoneyPlease: With that, the threat regarding Lady Eirene will be gone.]
[MoneyPlease: We are all truly amazed at the fact that this is all part of Igogodon’s design.]
[MoneyPlease: To achieve such an enormous result with such a small amount of ‘divine power,’ it truly is remarkable.]
[MoneyPlease: If it had been through Erin, more divine power would have been necessary.]
[Igogodon: Hehe, it ended well, but it’s still a bit sad to see them part ways.]
[Igogodon: Still, I doubt Ares would ask me to help, right?]
[MoneyPlease: Unfortunately, for now, that’s all I can say.]
Creating a complete human being from scratch…
It was said to require an immense amount of divine power.
From the many times it had been emphasized that an overwhelming amount of money was needed, it seemed like the writer had a similar insistence on the idea of “creating a human being was unbalanced and should be abandoned.”
‘Wouldn’t it cost several hundred thousand won, perhaps?’
At first, Ares had no intention of spending such money, so he hadn’t thought much about it…
But now, it felt uncomfortable to be the one causing the forced parting.
[Igogodon: Seems like there’s no perfect solution.]
[MoneyPlease: We can’t keep forcing divine sponsorship every time… for now, that’s the situation.]
[MoneyPlease: I truly apologize, Igogodon. And, it feels shameful to ask for too much to create a genuine miracle, but…]
[Igogodon: No problem, hehe, I understand. I’m not trying to pressure you either.]
[MoneyPlease: But… what does it mean to force sponsorship every time?]
[MoneyPlease: In order for a nun to continue to exist, even for a short period of time, divine power is needed, no matter how small.]
Hmm?
[Igogodon: Wait a minute.]
[Igogodon: What if we do this instead?]
[MoneyPlease: Huh?]
“Has Ares officially decided to convert to the Igodenism faith?”
“Yes, mother.”
Eirene, with a delighted expression, spoke kindly to Ares.
“You’ve thought this through well. Ares, I’m so happy that you understand the will of the gods.”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ll personally inform the Saint. Please take some time for yourself.”
“Understood.”
Ares stood up and as he was about to leave, suddenly turned around and bowed to Eirene.
“Mother, please continue to lead the empire wisely.”
Even though it was quite an unexpected question, Eirene smiled and nodded.
“Don’t worry, Ares. A well-ripened woman never burdens her people with foolish rule.”
Honestly, Ares still didn’t fully understand what “well-ripened woman” meant, but…
If she continued like this, Ares thought he could accept it.
It had already been more than three days since Karen’s departure.
Now… it was time to move forward, leaving the sadness behind.
‘Sis. Please continue watching over me, so that I don’t stray.’
After finishing his meeting with his mother, Ares returned to his room, and when he opened the door—
“Oh, you’re here, Your Highness…?”
The voice.
The voice of the woman he had tried to forget but couldn’t.