A small black crystal slowly drifted out from the wound in her chest, dripping black, putrid water. Once it had completely detached from Lovene's body, the dark patterns on her skin faded entirely.
Now free, the crystal immediately lunged at Mia, who stood directly in front of it.
However, Clement was prepared.
He pulled out a wooden box engraved with a golden seal and opened it toward the black crystal. The inside of the small box acted like a black hole, unleashing a terrifying suction force that pulled the floating black crystal entirely inside.
Clack!
Clement snapped the box shut and immediately locked it. He then muttered a few incantations under his breath. Only after the golden seal on the box flared with a blinding light did he finally put it away.
With that, the contamination source that had plagued the territory was completely contained.
Next came the farewell.
Clement looked at Lovene, who had regained her sanity in Mia's arms, and asked with a complicated expression, “That was you just now, wasn't it?”
“...It was the last thing... I could do...”
The claws that could have killed Clement had been redirected by her sheer willpower, plunging into her own body. In doing so, she had not only saved Clement but also ended her own life.
And this was the very last thing she could do for them.
Lovene turned her head, her wings slowly folding in the dawn light. Mia supported her weight, her palm resting gently against Lovene's shoulder.
Mia looked down into those peaceful, comforted eyes, and her heart trembled.
“...Thank you, Mia.”
Lovene's voice was barely a whisper. Her heart had already been pierced by the sword, and she was clinging to life solely through sheer willpower.
Mia leaned down, gently pressing her forehead against the side of Lovene's face, and whispered:
“Your Highness...”
The corner of Lovene's mouth twitched, forming a faint, weak smile. “I didn't hurt you... That's wonderful.”
No one answered. Mia held her tightly, as if refusing to let her go. Elena's eyes were red as she clutched Marcus's hand, while the others watched in silence, lost in their own thoughts.
At that moment, the first light of dawn broke across the horizon.
It first touched the edges of the giant butterfly wings, which were slowly growing still, before spreading along the tide to the wet sand and reefs, sparkling like stars in the reflecting droplets of water.
The moment the dark, contaminated aura on Lovene's body touched the sunlight, it was like molten iron poured into a pool. It began to boil violently and rapidly dissipated.
The dissipation of the dark aura was painful, but she no longer cared.
Her gaze fell upon the distant sunlight, her pupils reflecting the silhouette of the rising dawn, shining as bright as gemstones.
“The sunlight... hurts, but... it's truly beautiful.”
The edges of her wings had completely drooped. The morning light fell upon the sea, shattered by the waves into countless tiny fragments of light. Soon, these fragments gathered once more with the tide, surging onto the beach wave after wave.
Life was just like those fragments of light—fragile, yet endlessly resilient.
Clement was the first to speak. Standing beside Mia and looking at the departed Lovene, he sighed softly and said:
“My condolences.”
Marcus stood a little further away, holding Elena tightly in his arms. After a moment of silence, he took her hand and walked over to Mia as well.
“Everything the Saintess did will be remembered forever, not just by the Oswell territory, but by all its people.”
Holding Lovene, Mia murmured:
“Is there really... no way to save her?”
She did not shed tears, though her eyes were rimmed with red.
A way to save her?
The Church Saintess had already passed away. How could there be any way to save her? The dead could not be brought back to life; this was an eternal, immutable rule.
Clement knew that Mia understood this. She only asked because she could not accept the Saintess's death. After a brief pause, he replied:
“No. Unless someone had taken her place to bear the contamination. But knowing her character, she would never have agreed to that.”
Even before the contamination had taken root, they wouldn't have been able to save Lovene.
Because her kindness would always lead her down this path of self-sacrifice.
“The Saintess is the greatest person I have ever met,” Elena said.
She bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. Meanwhile, Gale sheathed his greatsword and performed a textbook knight's salute to Lovene's body.
“I was wrong. There really are people who will never change, even unto death.” He shifted his gaze from Lovene to Mia. “Mia, my condolences. At least she died for her own ideals.”
The more one interacted with the Saintess, the more they realized her nobility.
Aside from his regret and grief, Gale felt a deep sense of shame.
Lovene, the Saintess, had sacrificed herself to save Marcus and the territory. Yet he, the strongest knight in the territory, had previously fallen into painful despair over a woman who had betrayed him.
In comparison, his mental fortitude was practically inferior to that of a three-year-old child.
Even worse, when he first met the Saintess, he had constantly mocked her and even assumed she was like the rest of the clergy, harboring ill intentions toward the territory.
How laughable. It was truly laughable.
The tide slowly rose not far away as the first light of dawn completely cleared the horizon. After resting for a brief moment, the group carried Lovene's body back to the territory.
The return of daylight, the homecoming of the Lord, and the sacrifice of the Saintess—all of these events needed to be announced to the citizens. Thus, three days later, the territory held a grand ceremony.
The ceremony took place in the plaza. Citizens gathered from all directions, the crowd stretching from the center of the plaza to the streets on either side, forming an irregular sea of people.
When Marcus appeared at the top of the steps, a brief silence fell over the crowd before someone let out a short, ecstatic cheer. Immediately after, the crowd erupted into wild cheers like a wave rippling through a wheat field.
The news of the Lord's return brought expressions of excitement to many faces. After all, it was during the Lord's reign that the Oswell territory had experienced its most rapid development.
However, that excitement was quickly overshadowed by an even heavier blanket of grief. The Saintess had perished to save the territory, and the joy of the Lord's return was instantly diluted.
Especially those who had received the Saintess's blessings; upon hearing the news, many beat their chests in grief, lamenting the injustice of fate.
The territory erected a statue of the Saintess on one side of the plaza and designated the day of her passing as the Remembrance Festival.
However, the object of their worship and reverence was not the Lord of the Morning Light of the Church of the Morning Light, but the Saintess, Lovene.
Indeed, she was recognized as a saintess not just by the Church, but by the entire territory.
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