Chapter 570

Surrounded by Rinne and two golems of the Avenger Fleet, Illyna felt a rising tide of frustration engulfing her.

"Ugh... Sob... You, bad guy... Bad guy..."

Her continued protests of innocence fell on deaf ears, as no one believed her. Overwhelmed by a sense of injustice, tears streamed down her face.

[Illyna! He's a villain! How could he discard you like a used rag after all the time you've spent together?]

Despite Caldeiras shouting in anger, for Illyna, the weight of sadness surpassed the feeling of betrayal. Davey was the person she trusted, the one she cared for. It was easier to endure others pointing fingers at her, but when Davey accused her, it stung differently. The saying, "You don't know what you've got until it's gone," resonated more than ever. She thought everything was fine, but in this situation, the reality brought tears to her eyes.

Thud... Clatter...

Just then, the door to the room where Illyna was confined swung open, and a familiar figure entered.

"Perserque..."

"Illyna."

"It's not me. I swear it's not me!" Grief overwhelmed Illyna, and she threw herself into Perserque's arms, crying inconsolably.

"It's okay... It's okay..."

"But... But... Davey..."

"I'm here."

At the sight of Davey, who followed shortly, Illyna began to cry again. "Sobs!"

And then, with a pitiful cry, she ran to him and clung to him, exclaiming, "Davey! It's not me! It really isn't!"

"Really?"

"It's not, it's not!"

"Alright, I believe you."

Despite his words of assurance, she continued to assert her innocence. The human heart, as fragile as a reed, found it challenging to act against its convictions. In that respect, Illyna felt deeply wronged by an entirely unexpected false accusation. The pain intensified because it was Davey who harbored suspicions against her.

"Really?"

"Yes."

The chilling gaze of the one she trusted the most and from whom she wanted trust in return seemed to instill more fear in her than she thought.

"Heh, if you think I'll be easily shaken by that, you're sorely mistaken! You've made a huge mistake against me!"

"If I had left you alone, you would have caused a bigger disaster."

Startled by Davey's words, Illyna flinched. "What... What do you mean?"

"You see, Davey quickly locked you away so that you don't fall further into the trouble." Perserque stepped forward to embrace Illyna and comfort her. "You did good, very good. Davey has taken care of everything, so now you can rest easy."

"Sob... sob... I... I was so scared... I thought no one believed me..."

"That's right, that's right. You're good." Perserque hinted with a subtle look for Davey to leave the room, and he glanced over with some discontent before quietly turning away.

"Master Davey. There is one presence approaching," Rinne stated.

"Hmm..."

On the surface, it seemed like a perfect assassination attempt targeting Perserque. But considering the objective of the parasite and some strange movements during this incident...

'These bastards... They're targeting Illyna.'

However, Davey could not understand why they would target Illyna over Perserque.

"Any characteristics?"

"Only the presence emerged, swiftly retreating upon entering Rinne's electromagnetic field."

Rinne, evolving over time, had recently unveiled the full power of the electromagnetic field within. Imperceptible to most, but when intertwined with Rinne's fighting will, it could instantaneously transform into a lethal electric field.

Naturally, Rinne had concealed it with camouflage. The fact that it was detected indicated it was no ordinary entity.

"That's accurate."

Rendos' desire to seize control of the Whitebird command authority held by Illyna suggested that Perserque was the primary target, with Illyna as a mere casualty. However, Davey had a suspicion that this wasn't the entire story.

* * *

Once the issue had been roughly resolved, what lingered was a pervasive sense of exhaustion. The initially festive mood had taken a strange twist, but not everything could be set aside.

"Rest easy," Davey murmured to himself as he peered down at the sturdy wooden casket. Inside lay the body of Bart, a Beastfolk man who had been sacrificed in the recent upheaval. He continued, "All hands, draw swords."

After placing a white chrysanthemum atop the coffin and slowly addressing the gathering, Monmider and the territory's guards drew their swords with disciplined precision, the blades pointed skyward.

"Although we cannot claim it was an honorable end, he was a valued member of our territory. Let us all pray in silence for his soul."

Following Davey's words, the first to step forward were the servants. The Beastfolk servants silently placed a chrysanthemum on the coffin and respectfully bowed their heads. One by one...

As the procession continued, a white flower bed formed on top of the coffin, the line seemingly endless. Despite Bart being a mere Beastfolk servant, not a significant figure, everyone left a chrysanthemum, whether they were guards, servants, or maids.

The funeral proceeded solemnly, and even if someone burst into tears amidst it all, Davey allowed them to express their emotions. Among them was Illyna, caught up in this event.

Despite her royal descent, Illyna came for a humble Beastfolk servant, silently laying a pure white chrysanthemum on the coffin and whispering, "I'm so sorry; it's because of me... I hope you find peace in a better place."

Some servants looked at her appreciatively, but her gaze remained fixed on the coffin.

"I will never forget your sacrifice," Illyna added softly.

The funeral continued solemnly and quietly.

"All hands, sheathe your swords!"

Following Monmider's command, the guards methodically returned their swords and raised them again, angled toward the sky. Then, the servants carefully lifted the coffin holding Bart's body and quietly departed from the castle, taking it outside. The funeral maintained its solemn and hushed atmosphere.

* * *

Typically, no noble or royal would permit a peasant's funeral on the joyful day of their betrothal. This reluctance was rooted in superstitions, fearing that such unfortunate events might adversely affect the couple's relationship.

It would be standard to prohibit funerals for unrelated deaths, but the circumstances here were different. The lord conducting a betrothal ceremony personally presided over the funeral, offering solace to both the body and the wronged souls in the name of saints.

Even for a mere commoner. He had orchestrated as solemn a funeral as that of a noble from an entire nation, paying tribute to someone who had worked and died for the territory. Even if it was a façade, for the commoners, it could not be perceived any other way.

'If you work for the territory, you must be treated well,' Davey thought.

This action heightened faith. Because they were simple commoners, the fact that the lord, also their prince, held a funeral ceremony, discarding all superstitions, bolstered their faith in him.

Fundamentally, the morale in the Heins territory was remarkably high. Outsiders found it challenging to accept this reality, but the territorial residents, who followed Davey almost fanatically, deepened their belief in him as these events overlapped.

Thus, the people of the territory, as if a knight had died honorably, all came out to the roadside with the procession of guards and servants moving the coffin, scattering white chrysanthemums in its path. With many expressing their condolences, Bart's coffin was soon engulfed in a bright red flame at a neatly prepared cremation site.

* * *

People's hearts and attitudes could swiftly change depending on situations, and much had occurred.

After discussions with Sullivan and the decision to officially keep Illyna in the Heins territory, Davey appointed her as the first senior student at the Heins Academy.

Now, there was no excuse for not accepting more students. Even if it meant a slight loss for him, he had a compelling reason to accept Illyna as a student in exchange for saving her life. Although there were some voices of concern, it was no longer an issue for Davey to worry about.

On the other hand, what he should have been concerned about was...

"Phew... Phew... Don't be nervous, Davey O'Rowane." Slapping his cheeks with both hands, he breathed heavily, nervously tensing up.

Never before had his entire body trembled like this, not in over twenty years of his previous life, not during his seventeen years in the current one, and not even in the thousand years spent in the Hall of Heroes - a total of over 1030 years. Throughout all that time, Davey had lived a life of perpetual singleness. Naturally, nervousness gripped him now.

"Do not be too tense. Confidence is key for a man." Trying to ease Davey's tension by bringing him wine, Bernile chuckled and said.

"Does that amuse you, Bernile?"

"Honestly, Your Highness, you have done so many things that this old man could never think of."

"..."

"However, seeing Your Highness like this now, it does make me feel that, in the end, you're human just like the rest of us." Bernile laughed as if watching his grandchild play charmingly. "Your Highness."

"What?"

Bernile bowed his head silently at the sight of Davey biting his nails. "Do not forget. Confidence is key for a man. Never show you are flustered. Everything you do is right, Your Highness."

"Bernile."

"A couple's first night is almost like going into battle. I wish you success."

After observing Bernile's departure, Davey took a deep breath and muttered quietly to himself, "That's right. I'm better than a three-thousand-year-old lifelong single. Yeah."

"Shut up, Davey."

Startled by the sudden voice, he turned his head to see a girl in a black negligee, avoiding his gaze. Stunned by her exceptionally beautiful appearance, he gazed at her silently, and she looked back at him slowly with flushed cheeks.

"Well... You were also a thousand-year lifelong single, so there's no difference."

A thousand-year lifelong single and a three-thousand-year lifelong single... Honestly, at this point, neither could say which was better or worse.

"What... What should we do first?" Davey asked nervously.

Although Davey seemed to remember the rites that a couple were supposed to perform on their wedding night, it felt like his mind had gone blank.

"Pe... Per?"

"Do... Don't ask! I... I can't remember either right now..."

Seated across the chair from him, Perserque took a wine glass. Then, with shaking hands, she tried to uncork the wine bottle ham-fistedly. "Gruh..."

As expected, it would not open, and as she struggled, her eyes ignited with fire.

Clang!!!

A surge of dark magic coalesced in her hands as she deftly struck the bottle, cleanly slicing off the neck of the wine bottle, causing it to tremble violently. "This... Is it supposed to be done this way?"

"It doesn't seem right... Let's just drink for now."

Their faces were flushed, making it challenging to look at each other. Perserque felt the same, and without exchanging further words, they poured wine into empty glasses. Perserque muttered, "Too much for this... what am I doing..."

"That's my line," Davey responded.

The night of the lifelong singles' first wedding, spanning a thousand years, felt like nothing short of a battlefield. They both reached out with trembling hands, lightly clinked their glasses together, and then drank down the wine without even meeting each other's eyes.