Chapter 104: Love from a Fairytale Book
The night had grown deep, and the faint night light enveloped the palace.
Within the bedchamber, the candle flames flickered, burning brightly and illuminating Rast’s clear eyes.
He gently turned the page of the fairytale book in his hands and calmly narrated the story of Chronicles of the Silver Wing.
…
“『Knight Lyle, are you insane!』”
“『She is the witch who doesn’t know how many she has killed, who corrupted tens of thousands of lives, turning several once-prosperous nations into desolate lands… Her mere existence brings plague and death to the world.』”
“『And now, you’re actually standing against us for her.』”
“『Have you forgotten the oath you took when you became a knight? That vow to be a guardian of order, a friend of justice… to eradicate evil, to sever disaster and plague from this world!』”
“Far in the sky, a radiant and holy angel shone in the sunlight, its six pairs of sacred wings wrapped in holy flames, questioning Lyle coldly.”
“『Will you betray us?』”
“However, in the face of this embodiment of divinity—the six-winged seraphim’s interrogation—Lyle only gently closed his eyes.”
“He stepped forward, shielding the plague witch behind him who had been grievously wounded by the holy light and had fallen unconscious.”
“『Yes, I have betrayed… the dreams and hopes I once had when I became a knight.』”
“Lyle drew his silver sword and faced the six-winged seraphim in the distant heavens, along with the allied forces of the Holy Church behind it.”
“The blade of the silver sword tilted downward, reflecting a chilling gleam.”
“『From this moment on—』”
“『I shall become the justice partner who belongs solely to Miss Witch!』”
…
Chronicles of the Silver Wing
Just as its vintage title suggested, this storybook, written during the golden era before the Calamity Era, told a rather classic tale—
Lyle, a boy from a small town on the border of the continent, had dreamed of becoming a just knight since childhood.
To fulfill this dream, he trained diligently in knightly arts from a young age and finally received the blessing of the Holy Church at his coming-of-age ceremony… thus gaining the qualifications to become a knight.
He only needed to travel across the continent and complete a pilgrimage to officially become a Radiant Knight.
During his journey across the land, Lyle encountered a girl who had lost her memory.
Out of the knightly virtue of compassion, Lyle decided to help the amnesiac girl regain her memories, and so they traveled together.
Throughout their travels and countless battles and adventures side by side, the bond between Lyle and the girl quickly deepened.
Eventually, they fell in love.
However—
At the end of their journey, when the amnesiac girl finally regained her memories…
Lyle came to learn the truth: the girl was in fact a wanted criminal of the Holy Church, a plague witch who had once wreaked havoc across the continent, leaving countless kingdoms in ruins.
From then on, the plot rapidly accelerated in intensity.
The Holy Church discovered the plague witch’s whereabouts and dispatched a six-winged seraphim and the Judgment Knight Order to hunt her down.
At this moment, Rast was narrating the climax of Chronicles of the Silver Wing.
After a period of painful struggle and inner conflict, the protagonist Lyle…
Eventually chose to follow the truest voice in his heart.
He betrayed the Church and raised his sword against the six-winged seraphim, the emissary of the God of Light.
He stood before the witch, who had been grievously wounded by the seraphim and plunged into deep despair.
「And then?」
Perhaps because Rast had paused in his narration, a line of tiny, ice-blue text appeared in the air before him.
Beside Rast, the queen of this kingdom—Her Majesty Helen—was hugging a pillow, sitting on the white, soft bed, tilting her head and quietly listening.
Helen’s mother, the former Queen of the Underworld, had left her many fairytale books, but Helen’s favorite was always Chronicles of the Silver Wing.
From listening to bedtime stories told by her mother as a child, to flipping through it repeatedly herself later on, and now having Rast read it to her… Helen had heard the story many times, yet still listened attentively.
She was indeed a very good listener, clearly already knowing how the story would unfold, but still tilted her head to ask “and then?” when Rast paused.
Rast flipped through the rough-surfaced book again and resumed narrating.
After the grand climax of the battle with the six-winged seraphim, the story of Chronicles of the Silver Wing unfolded smoothly.
Through secret investigation, Lyle discovered that the witch’s memory loss had actually been part of a conspiracy orchestrated by a hidden manipulator within the Holy Church, whose goal was to seize the witch’s power.
After enduring countless hardships, Lyle finally defeated the seemingly holy and pure yet inwardly ambitious traitor—the Red-robed Cardinal—and foiled his plot.
However, by a twist of fate, the heroine became consumed by memories of her past life, turning on those close to her, and the plague witch’s powers spiraled out of control.
Then—
It came to the final act of Chronicles of the Silver Wing.
With help from the abyssal demons previously imprisoned and exploited by the Church but rescued by Lyle…
Lyle overcame the corrupting plague power and approached the berserk witch… and confessed his feelings to her.
In his confession, the power of love broke the chains and created a miracle.
The rampaging witch recalled the memories of meeting and journeying with Lyle, regaining her sense of self.
“『But I am the embodiment of plague, a harbinger of death and disaster to this world.』 The awakened witch trembled as she looked at the bloodied Lyle.”
“『Don’t say that. None of that matters!』”
“『The fate of the world, the rules and order of the mundane realm… at this very moment, none of them matter more to me than you.』”
“『I said it—I have betrayed the oath I once took as a knight, and now I will only be your justice partner!』”
“Lyle’s voice was weak, but each word he spoke was clear:『If one day your power spirals out of control again and the world cannot accept you, then let me fall into the abyss with you, facing the darkness and eternal night.』”
“『If the Church wants to judge you, then I will become its enemy!』”
“『If the gods wish to kill you, then they must step over my dead body first!』”
…
“And then, ten years passed.”
“In a dense and remote forest near the continent’s border, Lyle and Miss Witch built a small wooden house.”
“And there, the two of them were happily married and had children…”
“They lived forever blissfully in that little house in the forest.”
“Through the lush trees, the laughter of the family could often be heard.”
“The End.”
Rast gently closed the Chronicles of the Silver Wing in his hands.
The last page of the book also featured a simple illustration, similar to its cover.
Just like the ending CG of every adventure game—
Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the young knight in silver armor and the witch shrouded in black mist embraced tightly, everything appearing beautifully perfect.
It made one instinctively want to sigh and toss flowers in celebration.