Chapter 23: The Aftermath of the Attack

A chilling fear gripped Evening as she finally grasped the true nature of the magic Erich had so often scoffed at her for possessing. If a mere mistake could unleash such power, what havoc would she wreak if she fought with intent? And it wasn’t just her. Even the ordinary people gathered in the Sun Palace, looking no different from neighborhood aunts and uncles, possessed dangerous magic. All of them harbored grudges against Erich. It was as if everyone carried unseen swords, guns, and cannons.

“Let’s talk somewhere else. People might see us here—”

Overwhelmed by this sudden dread, Evening slowly began to move. Just as she tried to navigate through the inverted icicles, which bristled like a hedgehog’s quills, a thunderous roar erupted not far away, as if a missile had been launched.

Boom!

It sounded like explosives detonating at a fireworks festival.

Boom, boom, boom!

The explosions continued in rapid succession, as if they were under bombardment. Beyond the fence, thick black smoke billowed upwards. Flames shot out like firecrackers, and pitch-black ash scattered in the air. Debris flew in all directions, like shrapnel from a grenade.

“Aaaargh!”

Evening screamed, extending her arms towards the source of the explosion behind her. Ice, condensed from the ground and the space before her palms, solidified into a sturdy wall, shielding both Evening and Erich.

“It came from over there!”

“The Duke is caught in it!”

From a distance, she could hear shouts and screams. The deafening explosions made their voices sound both impossibly far away and eerily close, right beside her ear.

Boom, boom!

Now, flames surged upwards in a fiery vortex. Burning rocks and shards of wood flew through the air, striking the ice wall. Evening stomped hard on the icy ground, screaming. With every shriek, her stomach and intestines felt as though they were shriveling and twisting.

“Waaaaaah!”

“…ve.”

“Aah! Ah! Waaah!”

“Ev—”

“Aaaah!”

“Damn it, you’re so loud. Just step back instead of making such a fuss.”

Even as she performed her duties using magic she had barely practiced, she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. To calm the turbulent waves of her heart, which felt like a harbor in a typhoon, she needed to scream. Erich’s words were drowned out by her shouts and the deafening explosions.

Boom!

Just when it seemed like it should be over, another explosion ripped through the air. Amidst the dense smoke, flames and lightning burst forth, spreading spectacularly like the grand finale of a fireworks display. A fist-sized rock, propelled by the blast, struck the ice wall head-on. Cracks spiderwebbed out from where the rock embedded itself. The heavily cracked ice wall seemed to waver for a moment before shattered pieces of ice rained down onto Evening’s face and arms.

“How foolish.”

It happened in a flash. Just before heavy, hailstones-like chunks of ice could crush Evening, Erich pulled her back.

“Why don’t you just step back instead of standing there like an idiot?”

“Ah, yes, I understand.”

Evening, awkwardly cradled in Erich’s arms, gasped for breath. She couldn’t bring herself to say that she couldn’t escape because he was behind her. It felt unseemly to make excuses in such a truly dangerous moment. Besides, he was immortal. He had watched explosions erupt and pillars of fire surge before them with the detachment of an observer, arms crossed, as if it were someone else’s problem. Even with all this happening, not a single guard knight had rushed to his side. The idea of protecting him was presumptuous. Even now, Erich was leading her.

Evening stepped carefully into the gaps between the densely packed inverted icicles. Her intention was to walk across the ice and find a safe refuge.

“Over there— Ah!”

As she cautiously tried to walk on the ice, a gust of wind suddenly roared. This unnatural squall spread black smoke and flames far and wide. Against the clear blue sky, a hellish spectacle unfolded: acrid smoke, electricity, and flames surged like a hurricane. A large branch, carried by the fire-laden gust, flew towards them. Struck in the back by the arm-thick branch, Evening stumbled forward. The ground was covered in ice, and her shoe soles were far more slippery than she had anticipated.

“Ah!”

Erich, who had been standing in front of Evening, did not evade her as she fell towards him; instead, he caught her. However, on the slick ice, he couldn’t support Evening’s weight in addition to his own. Clutching Evening, Erich fell backward.

“Ugh!”

He was impaled by the inverted icicles that bristled from the ground. Half of the icicles shattered upon impact with Erich’s body, while others lifted him significantly before piercing him. He let out a loud, pained cough.

“Lord Erich?”

Evening, who had been held in Erich’s arms, awkwardly scrambled to her feet. Unlike Erich, whose arm was twisted and side pierced, Evening was unharmed. She merely had a long gash on her sleeve and arm from the sharp icicles. This was thanks to Erich, who had absorbed the entire impact while holding her.

“Are you alright?”

Her voice trembled as she asked the obviously rhetorical question. Evening tried to push herself up by gripping Erich’s body, only to cause him more pain. The spot she mistakenly pressed was cut even deeper by the sharp ice.

“Ugh…”

Beneath his pristine white hair and neat clothes, a pool of blood began to form. Sticky blood spread widely across the transparent ice.

“No, no! Are you alright? Can you speak?”

Erich, who had been groaning in pain, glared at Evening. His eyes, vividly alive even amidst the agony, seemed to scold her to shut up. His prominent Adam’s apple and twisted arm twitched eerily.

“Lord Erich! Doctor! Nurse! Someone, hurry!”

Pale with horror at his wretched state, Evening cried out desperately. Erich, frowning at her noisy wails, slowly closed his eyes. As if drifting into a long, peaceful sleep.

[Aftermath of the Attack]

The time it took to revive after death varied each time. Physical restoration took different durations, and losing consciousness could result in a prolonged slumber. After being impaled by ice and losing consciousness, Erich awoke several hours later. Regaining his senses in bed, Erich immediately looked around.

“How much time has passed?”

“You were asleep for about three hours, Your Majesty.”

The waiting attendant promptly replied. At his gesture, the imperial physicians and nurses approached to examine Erich’s condition. His eyes were fine, his mouth was fine, and his senses of smell, touch, and reflexes were all perfectly intact.

“Longer than I thought. What happened to the Duke?”

“His Grace, the Duke? Duke Elpata returned to the North, but…”

The attendant, looking bewildered, gauged Erich’s reaction. His expression suggested he didn’t understand why Erich was asking about the Duke.

Erich, wearing an expression of annoyance, kicked off the duvet covering his lower body. It was irritating to have to pry for the answers he wanted, asking two or three times.

“The Duke was caught in the explosion, wasn’t he?”

“Ah, yes! He was caught in the explosion but is safe.”

“I already heard that. Tell me the full story. What happened with the explosion?”

“The Minister of the Household is currently handling the response.”

“The Minister of the Household?”

The words, “Hadn’t the Minister of the Household retired three months ago?” almost slipped out, but he stopped himself. He had just appointed Evening as the Minister of the Household today. Memories that had been temporarily sealed away when he lost consciousness began to resurface.

“…Evening?”

Before losing consciousness, that woman had clearly been in his arms. He remembered catching a falling Evening and tumbling together onto the ice, which bristled with spikes like a hedgehog. He remembered the annoyingly numerous inverted icicles piercing him, but what about Evening? She didn’t possess an immortal body like his.

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s protection, she is safe and sustained no significant injuries. She did get a cut on her arm, but it won’t leave a scar.”

“Lucky her.”

Erich scoffed, pushing his bothersome hair back from his forehead. It was ironic; he had been impaled by Evening’s ice, bleeding to death, while she remained perfectly unharmed.

“Don’t act bothersome, knowing I can’t die. Where is Evening now?”

Erich waved away the physicians and nurses who were touching his body from all sides. As he got out of bed and extended his arm, the maids swiftly approached and helped him out of his nightclothes. Beneath his now bare body, there were no wounds from the thick, sharp icicles, nor any frostbite from contact with the ice.

“Call Evening.”

On the day of the appointment ceremony, which gathered high-ranking nobles and regional lords, a massive explosion and battle involving the Duke had occurred outside the palace. He wanted to know what had transpired while he was unconscious.

****

Guided by the attendant, Evening arrived at the office. The moment she saw Erich, tears welled in her eyes.

“You’re awake? I’m so glad you’re safe. You even look healthier, perhaps because you’ve revived.”

Her words held an impertinent edge, yet her tearful expression was genuine. Erich was slightly dumbfounded.

“Don’t make such a fuss as if you’ve never seen me die before. It’s not like you didn’t know I’d come back to life.”

“What are you talking about? Just because you revive doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt when you die. You looked so tormented when you were impaled by the ice… It broke my heart that it happened because of me.”

“It should. For someone renowned as an excellent mage, your magical control was a mess.”

“No, that’s not it. You got so badly hurt protecting me. I’m eternally grateful. Lord Erich, you saved my life.”

“I wasn’t trying to save you.”

His voice grew gruff. He had intended to chide her for getting him hurt with her inept magic, but seeing Evening shed tears like chicken droppings, genuinely heartbroken, his resolve crumbled.