Epilogue

Excited cheers resounded from every direction.

“I was planning to challenge you officially sometime soon…”

Ianna checked her reflection in Rise’s blade, which she had polished to a shine, before she looked over the sword and at Arhad, who was stretching. She continued,

“But I never imagined that we’d end up facing each other in the festival’s sword competition.”

Today was the last day of Ex-knights’ victory festival.

The people of Ex-knights had practically lost their minds throughout the festivities. This was because it had been announced during the festival’s opening address that Ex-knights was no longer a kingdom but rather an empire now. The festival was intended to celebrate their victory, but it was also meant to celebrate the birth of an empire.

Today was the final match of the swordsmanship competition. Naturally, the finalists were Ianna and Arhad. The competition was being hosted in Ex-knights’ name and the champion was to be granted a great reward, and Ianna’s and Arhad’s duel was to bring the curtains down over the entire festival as its closing event.

Arhad had avoided answering whenever Ianna asked him when they could finally have another match, only to suddenly declare to her two weeks before the festival opened. They would have their match during the last day of the festival.

“It was during a swordsmanship competition that I first defeated you.”

Ianna smirked.

“Are you trying to say that you’ll defeat me all over again, or are you trying say that we should wrap everything up nicely because you feel like you’re about to lose?”

“Both. I’m happy to win, but I don’t think it’ll be too bad to lose either.”

Swish.

Arhad unsheathed his sword.

“Shall we start?”

He seriously took his stance, and the light in Ianna’s eyes grew dark.

Their surroundings slowly quieted down. It was impossible to tell whether that was because the people had actually stopped talking or because their focus was sharpened to such an extreme that no sound could make it through.

Ianna and Arhad stared each other down inside the silent arena.

Booooooooom!

And the silence was shattered by a thunderous roar.

“My word.”

“Wowwwww…….”

The audience covered their ears and gulped.

Sharp, ear-splitting ringing and explosions that seemed to shake the heavens and the earth burst out from the center of the arena. The people were deafened even though sturdy barriers were blocking everything that was coming from within.

It was impossible to see Ianna and Arhad just by looking at the arena. They were too fast for the eye to see, and the people could only approximate where they were by guessing where the explosions were coming from.

That was why the crystal balls that had been installed in the audience seats played back a slowed-down version of their showdown.

The people feasted their eyes on high-leveled techniques that were enlightening even if all they did was watch. Ianna and Arhad exchanged not only swordplay but also high-leveled spells and divine arts as if they were merely playing with them.

Normal people grew dizzy and intoxicated by the spectacle, and those who worked in warfare or magic dropped their jaws and drooled. They kept their eyes wide open so as to not miss a single thing because just looking at the two helped them study their craft, and they couldn’t help but drop their jaws because they were so consumed just trying to keep up.

The people of Ex-knights more or less felt the same emotions as they watched the showdown. They felt so truly relieved as they spectated the marvelous match.

Thank goodness!

I’m so glad that they’re our allies and not our enemies.

Ex-knights, the land ruled by Ianna and Arhad, was surely safer than any other.

“Huh?”

But then, the people began rubbing their eyes as they doubted them. This was because the fierce duel suddenly began looking like a beautiful dance.

Ianna had Arhad were so absorbed into each other that they could have been the only people in the world. They clashed ferociously as they tried to defeat the other.

And yet, it looked like they were dancing…….

Why was that?

Their clashes looked so ardent and desperate that they threatened to bring tears to the eye. They poured out attacked after attack as if they were trying to kill each other, yet everyone could feel their sincere respect for the other in their attacks too. Each and every swing of their sword was filled with their deep love and affection for each other. And a smile was gracing both of their lips, as though they were both enjoying their match immensely.

This was probably why. This was probably why it looked like they were dancing.

It was like thousands of flowers were blossoming and scattering over the arena every time they clashed.

The sunlight turned into bubbles of light and shone over them like a chandelier, and the collisions erupting everywhere echoed like passionate music.

Their sword dance reached its climax.

And, at long last…

Clang————————————

Someone’s sword was sent flying high into the air.

And someone’s sword was pointed at the other’s throat.

Clatter!

A single sword fell noisily to the ground behind them.

Shoulders heaved.

Sweat poured down like rain.

Silence fell.

It was an excited voice that shattered the silence.

“I won.”

She was bewildered and in disbelief.

“……Did I really just win?”

It was Ianna who was pointing her sword at Arhad’s throat.

Ianna’s hand trembled as she held up her sword.

She had been eagerly awaiting this, and she’d been confident in her ability too, but, to the contrary, she hadn’t thought that she’d actually win.

In her last life, Arhad had ever been her enemy who had always defeated her. And even in this life, she had only ever managed to keep drawing with Arhad, and she had never been able to defeat him.

And yet, and yet…….

“You won,”

Arhad acknowledged it wholly as he raised both his hands in surrender.

He had truly given it his all. He had devoted his heart and soul into his attacks, as though he was facing off against the strongest foe in the world, and he had defended himself as though he was defending his castle from innumerable enemies.

But he had still lost, and Ianna had emerged victorious.

Arhad could no longer best Ianna in battle.

Ianna’s wings were too large for him to block her path. And they were too powerful for him to hold her back.

“You won, you know?”

he said in a refreshing manner, but Ianna didn’t seem to be able to grasp reality, so he repeated him a little more strongly.

“You won.”

Ianna slowly brought down her sword.

“You really won.”

“…….”

Ianna remained speechless. Arhad waited patiently because he thought that Ianna might simply be savoring her lingering feelings, and then he grew extremely bewildered.

Tears were welling up in Ianna’s eyes.

Her tears drew arcs down her cheeks until they finally began dripping to the ground.

“Ianna?”

Arhad walked up to Ianna in a complete loss for what to do when Ianna said,

“I truly didn’t regret anything that day.”

Only now do I concede my defeat!

……But I don’t regret anything!

She recalled how she had screamed about not regretting anything even as she conceded her defeat that day.

“But I wasn’t happy.”

Part of the reason why she didn’t regret anything even as her life was gouged away from her was because she had done her best, but another part was because she had no lingering attachments to life. Ianna had not been happy that day, nor had she held anything dear. She had laughed like a manwoman because she had been seized by how refreshing the emptiness was. She continued,

“But now, I’m so happy that I think I’m going to lose my mind.”

She had laughed back then when her tedious life had finally ended even though she hadn’t been able to defeat Arhad, but strangely enough, she was crying right now even though she was so happy.

“My entire life was for this day.”

Ianna pulled Arhad, who was standing before her, tightly into her arms.

“I defeated you.”

“You did.”

“I won.”

“Yes, you won. You were amazing.”

“I love you.”

“You have my congratul……huh?”

Arhad intoned because he thought that he had misheard her, but then Ianna squeezed him so hard, like she was going crazy, as if she meant to kill him.

“I love you.

“I love you.

“I truly love you. I love you like crazy!”

Ianna shouted out the love that was deep inside her heart.

“Oh…….”

Arhad was so delighted as Ianna embraced him so hard that he could barely breathe and he nearly lost his mind. He seemed to be learning constantly that one’s head could go blank from an overabundance of happiness whenever he was with Ianna these days.

Arhad’s soul jolted in his ultimate bliss. Their bygone final day had once only been filled with despair and obstinacy, but it felt like a dream now, and the madness of that final day was scattering into the light.

His sense of lacking vanished, as if he had finally found the last puzzle piece, and his heart was filled to the brim with contentment like a cup filled with water whose contents were threatening to spill over.

“Does this mean that I’ve won too?”

Arhad whispered into Ianna’s ear.

“Yes. I concede defeat. You won.”

Ianna smiled blindingly as she slipped out from Arhad’s arms.

And instead, she took his hand and pulled it up.

She brought the back of Arhad’s hand to her lips. She kissed the back of his hand like she was stamping it with her seal, and she looked back at him with vividly clear eyes.

“In this life, I will be your knight.”

I offer up the sword inside me to you.

And in so doing, my everything will be with you always —both my conviction and my life.

I will respect you, and I will love you.

Until the day this life of mine ends.

“I am your knight.”

Fires were burning brightly in Ianna’s eyes. And the night was ecstatic, as if he didn’t care even if their heat burned him to death, as he swallowed the flames whole.

The heated flames burned even bigger.

And so, Ianna Ex-knights Rise, the empress of the Ex-knights Empire and the greatest knight in the world, and Arhad Rise Ex-knights, the emperor of the Ex-knights Empire, both stood victorious.

This is their tale of mutual victory.

—“Epilogue” End

—“Adonis” Fin.