And Thus… It All Comes to an End - Chapter 23

“Hey, Mommy. When is Daddy coming home?”

“Very soon, dear.”

As I answered, I didn’t stop scrubbing the dishes. Outside the window, the pre-winter wind rattled the branches of the trees.

A few days ago, I had a dream where my husband, Louis, Mary, and I all went on a picnic together. When I woke up, I reached out for the side of the bed, but Louis wasn’t there. It has been two months since Louis was sent to the front lines for Dreisburg.

I heard he was taken prisoner. He might never come back. Even so, I have no choice but to believe that he will. Mary, who happened to have the exact same dream, has asked “When is he coming home?” countless times since that day.

He was forced into war by the country’s command, yet there is no compensation for the families left behind. Because of that, I took on a second job last week.

“I have to raise this child without her wanting for anything.”

That single thought was all that sustained me through these painful days. However, the capital is under lockdown, and the flow of goods has stalled. A loaf of bread that used to cost a single copper coin now costs three. I have to stockpile whatever I can before the prices rise again.

“Mary, Mommy is going to do some shopping, so please stay home and be a good girl, okay?”

“Okay!”

At her cheerful reply, a faint smile touched my lips. I threw on my cloak and stepped out the door. In the street, two or three neighbors were talking in hushed voices.

“Hey, did you hear? Even though our people were taken prisoner, the Kingdom refused to pay the reparations for their release.”

“I heard. What will happen if they don’t pay? Surely by now—”

“Shh! Oh, Myra. Going shopping?”

“Yes…”

I tried to smile, but I’m sure my face was stiff.

—I mustn’t cry.

I walked around the market. The shops that were once bustling had thinned out by half, and the goods on display looked faded and sad. Every time I looked at a price tag, a chill ran through my chest. I couldn’t afford these prices. But I couldn’t go home empty-handed either.

“The soup doesn’t have many vegetables today.”

“I’m sorry. I went shopping late today. They didn’t have the vegetables I wanted.”

The words that left my mouth were a quiet lie. The vegetables were there. I just couldn’t buy them. Every time Mary looked at me with those honest eyes, my heart ached.

“It’s okay. More than that, I really want to see Daddy soon.”

“…Yes. Mommy does, too.”

Those words pierced my heart. After dinner, once I had tucked my daughter into bed, I sat in the chair by the window and picked up my sewing.

It was then. A voice flowed into the back of my mind.

『My voice reaches the children of the Goddess who grieve for this nation. My name is Luciana Eisenberg. Apostle of the Goddess.』

—Eh? What?

『There is no future in this kingdom. Believe in me and come to the Kingdom of Veridia. In the name of the Goddess, I swear to protect you all.』

After the same words repeated, silence returned. It wasn’t a hallucination. It had definitely echoed deep in my ears. I rushed outside to find several neighbors standing in their doorways in the twilight. Everyone was looking up at the sky with the same expression.

“Hey! Did you all hear that too?”

“Yes. What was that? It’s terrifying.”

“The voice is gone, but somehow I feel like I’m being called. From over there…”

Someone pointed a trembling finger to the North.

Beyond the moonlight, a single streak of faintly glowing clouds hung down, as if tearing through the sky. It looked as if the Goddess herself had lowered a path from the heavens.

The cold wind brushed my cheeks. Before I knew it, my feet were moving forward. Together with the murmuring crowd, I began to walk toward the light. Strangely, the sound of footsteps on the cobblestones fell into a rhythmic unison. No one spoke, yet everyone was aiming for the same place.

When we finally reached the plaza, I gasped.

The entire ground was glowing with a shimmering magical pattern. It pulsed like a living thing, its faint golden radiance swaying in the night air.

“Hey, do you think what that voice said was true…?”

“Hey, someone go try it.”

“No way. What if something happens to my life?”

Voices buzzed back and forth, but no one dared approach. Fear and anticipation moved between the people like an invisible wave.

Then—

From the distance, the sound of hooves echoed. The clack-clack against the cobblestones grew louder. Eventually, a black carriage rounded the corner and appeared in the light of the plaza. The coachman pulled the reins, and the horses neighed.

From the stopped carriage, a group of nobles dressed in fine cloaks stepped out.

“Wait, isn’t that… Viscount Ashford?”

“Even Earl Rosewood is here…”

The murmurs intensified. Everyone held their breath, watching to see what they would do. Earl Rosewood stood before the magic circle, took a deep breath, and turned around. His face was set with resolve.

“Everyone, listen!”

His voice was low but firm as it rang through the plaza.

“Lady Luciana Eisenberg has grieved for the future of this nation and declared the founding of a new country! I shall follow that voice and head for the Kingdom of Veridia! This is the only way to change—no, to save—this land!”

Another wave of murmuring swept through the crowd. Some wanted to believe; others couldn’t. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the Earl’s next words.

“Many of you are seeing this for the first time. This is a teleportation magic circle. It is not dangerous. Look, I shall lead the way!”

Without hesitation, the Earl stepped onto the pattern. Instantly, light enveloped him. Golden particles swirled upward, and his figure slowly melted into the night.

Left behind was only the faintly glowing magic circle and the hushed breaths of the people.