In front of the princess’s command tent.
“So, is this all?”
Only a few hundred men.
The number of returning survivors was barely in the hundreds.
Defeated and scattered, they had returned in a pitiful state.
And even those who made it back were in critical condition.
Their faces and bodies covered in burns.
“I have no excuse.”
Elena closed her eyes and answered calmly.
Beside her, Marquess Lunamic, unable to contain his agitation, raised his voice.
“My son! What happened to my son, Lord Regent?!”
“He was taken prisoner.”
“Po… prisoner…!! Ugh…!!”
The realization that his only son had become nothing more than a hostage drained all color from Marquess Lunamic’s face, turning him as pale as a sheet.
The princess, meanwhile, strode forward, personally inspecting the soldiers one by one.
She wanted to compare their wounds to those she had inflicted upon the beasts she had fought before.
“This is…”
Following behind her, the saintess, Lumienne, gasped in shock at the soldier’s injuries.
She had seen countless burn wounds before—But never anything this severe.
“How was the Sage’s flame?”
“W-What?”
The sudden question startled the soldier.
“I’m asking how it compared to mine.”
“Uh… Well… That is…”
“Speak honestly. I won’t punish you.”
“…It was stronger than yours, Your Highness.”
She had expected as much, but hearing it directly still put the princess in a foul mood.
“The black flame… It was like a vast sea sweeping across the battlefield. We could do nothing but run, trying desperately to escape…”
The soldier’s voice trembled as he spoke.
The princess fell into deep thought.
‘A black flame powerful enough to engulf ten thousand soldiers at once? To control a flame of that magnitude…’
Even she, a Saint-rank warrior renowned as the Empire’s strongest wielder of divine power, could not command such flames.
That was why she found it so hard to believe.
She couldn’t accept the soldier’s words until she saw it with her own eyes.
Because if she acknowledged it as truth, the situation would become even more troublesome.
The demon king and his elite generals were already formidable enemies—And now, an even more vexing force had appeared.
If the claims were true, then House Lunamic had never stood a chance to begin with.
“Your Highness, we should begin treating the soldiers…”
“Proceed.”
At her command, the waiting cardinals, priests, and nuns rushed forward, quickly tending to the wounded.
The saintess also channeled her bright green divine power, pouring her utmost effort into healing.
But as time passed, they all grew more and more alarmed.
The Sage’s power was so immense that their healing magic barely worked.
“Huh…? W-Why isn’t this working?!”
“I-Is it just me, or…?”
“This is impossible… Even the cardinals…?!”
“What about the saintess? Ask the saintess how she’s doing!”
Hearing that, Lumienne Herkaen felt cold sweat drip down her back.
Because even she—the first Saint-rank divine healer in Church history—was no different from the others.
The healing was working—But only barely, at an excruciatingly slow pace.
At this rate, it was impossible to tell when they would finish treating all these wounded soldiers.
Meanwhile, Marquess Lunamic, his judgment clouded by desperation, began rambling and acting recklessly.
“P-Princess! Give me another chance! I will personally avenge this disgrace in my son’s stead! I will not tarnish the honor of the royal family!”
He believed the princess—who tolerated no failures—would never forgive his house for such a devastating defeat.
“No. There’s no need for that.”
“W-What…? Then… My son…?”
“I will go myself. You are not capable of facing him.”
Her expression was resolute.
“We march immediately. Every second wasted is precious.”
With the demon extermination as their ultimate goal, they couldn’t afford to be delayed by a mere fortress.
As everyone moved to return to their positions—”That won’t be necessary.”
A sudden, unfamiliar voice rang out.
Even the princess, who had been contemplating how to subdue the Sage, turned to look.
The saintess, cardinals, priests, nuns, and noble commanders—All turned toward the source of the voice.
The wounded soldiers shrank back in terror, crying out—”H-Hiiiek!! It’s the Sage!!”
‘‘The Sage…’‘
Is it really him…?
’‘That man is…?’‘
‘This bastard?!’
Everyone’s gaze fell upon a man in a black robe and crimson mask.
Hanging limply at his side—unconscious—was Darkin Lunamic.
“M-My son!! You bastard! I will not forgive you!!”
Fury overtook Marquess Lunamic, and in an instant, he unleashed a brilliant white-blue crescent slash straight toward the Sage.
But the moment it touched the Sage’s hand—It vanished.
Dispersed, as if it had never existed.
The expressions of everyone watching shifted dramatically.
Although it was limited to the northwest, Marquess Lunamic’s divine power was among the most formidable, placing him among the strongest warriors in the region.
The attack he had just unleashed was powerful enough that few could have withstood it unscathed.
Yet, this Sage had effortlessly erased it—as if it were nothing at all.
Some were shocked.
Some were terrified.
Some were filled with doubt.
And among them, one individual discreetly winked and smiled, secretly pleased at the encounter.
“….”
“Please, calm yourselves, everyone.”
“Calm?! How can you expect us to stay calm?!”
“I did not come here to fight you.”
“Enough with the lies—!”
“So, you are the Sage.”
Cutting off the enraged Marquess Lunamic, the princess interjected.
“If you are not here to fight, then why have you come?”
A familiar name surfaced in the Sage’s mind—‘Violeta…’His former fiancée.
The woman he had been forced to part from at his father’s funeral—without even a chance to speak a single word.
He looked at her, suppressing the bitter emotions behind his crimson mask.
‘She doesn’t even recognize my voice anymore.’
“Answer me. I asked what your purpose is for coming here.”
His cold-hearted former fiancée, who had unilaterally annulled their engagement, gave him no time for sentimentality.
“….”
“As I said before, I have no intention of opposing you, Princess.”
“No intention to oppose me? Then why did you do this to my soldiers?!”
“And most importantly—I’ve heard that you control monsters.How can we possibly trust someone who practices such wicked sorcery?”
“It seems there is a misunderstanding.”
The Sage sighed.
“First of all, you were the ones who attacked me first.And second, I do not ‘control’ monsters.I do not practice such sorcery.”
“You don’t control monsters?”
“No. They are part of my household—family, even.”
The princess’s expression twisted in disgust.
“That makes trusting you even harder.Monsters and humans can never coexist.Everyone here knows that to be an undeniable truth!”
Her sudden outburst took the Sage by surprise.
Was this really the same Violeta he had once known?
The timid, gentle girl he remembered had never displayed such aggression before.
Five years.
For five long years, they had not seen each other.
And in that time, the warmth and kindness he once knew in her had been replaced by a sharp, unyielding demeanor.
“….”
“…Believe what you will. That is your choice.”
“But one thing is certain—I do not want war.If you promise not to attack, I will open my gates, and my forces will not strike either.”
The princess narrowed her eyes.
“Prove it. Right now.”
“Prove it?”
“Why? Can’t you? Of course, you can’t.Your words are just a polished deception.”
“Proof, huh…?”
The Sage sighed again, then gently lowered the unconscious Darkin Lunamic from his shoulder, carefully setting him on the ground.
“I don’t know if this will be proof enough, but—I will return your hostage.”
Then, in a single step, he suddenly appeared beside the wounded soldier that the saintess had been tending to.
“Agh! What the—?!”
Both the saintess and the soldier, startled by his sudden movement, nearly fell backward.
The princess silently observed him, analyzing his technique.
‘Teleportation… Is that one of his abilities as well?’
The Sage crouched beside the wounded soldier and calmly spoke.
“Since I caused these injuries, I will heal them all myself.”
The saintess stared at him, bewildered.
‘He plans to heal everyone? By himself?’
She watched closely, curious how he intended to accomplish such an absurd feat.
And then—Her eyes widened in shock.
From the Sage’s outstretched hand, a blinding radiance flowed over the soldier’s burned flesh.
In an instant—The charred wounds vanished, as if they had never existed.
‘H-How…?!’
She was too stunned to speak.
Among the many religious sects in the Empire and beyond, the Holy Church’s healing arts were considered the finest.
Yet this man’s mysterious, divine light—was dozens, no, hundreds of times more potent.
“….!”
The light swirled around the soldier’s body, spreading and restoring him entirely.
As if he had been reborn in a new body.
“H-Huh…?”
The soldier hesitated, touching his healed skin in disbelief.
“I… I don’t feel any pain. Not even a little…”
The Sage, unfazed, moved toward the next wounded soldier—but the saintess hurriedly grabbed his arm.
“W-Wait a moment! What did you just do?!”
“The soldiers come first.Curiosity is less important than saving lives.”
“….”
His words struck like a dagger—making the saintess flush with embarrassment.
Yet, her fascination only grew, and she began following him closely.
Seeing this, the cardinals, priests, and nuns in the distance rushed over, eager to witness the Sage’s healing firsthand.
“T-This is impossible…”
“What in the world is that light?”
“Could it be divine healing from the Celestial Thrones?”
“I have never seen or heard of such a thing…”
Surrounded by onlookers, the Sage remained indifferent—continuing his work, healing the wounded one by one.
A process that should have taken days—Healing nearly 300 soldiers had taken two full days before.
This time,He treated over twice that number in just a few hours.
Because of the trials and benevolent practices he had endured,his martial and spiritual cultivation had grown to extraordinary heights.
“….”
Once the last soldier had been healed, the Sage rose to his feet and turned to the princess.
“I believe this should be proof enough.”
“Now, if you’ll excuse me—I have matters to attend to.”
With a single step—He vanished.