Chapter 389.1: Already Early Spring (Part 1)
“You should go take a look, Blue Sparrow. That person, Grey Dove… it seems she hasn’t come out for a while.”
Using the moment when Cyan Hawk was holding Evelia back, White Dove, who had been hiding in the corner, walked over to Blue Sparrow.
“……”
Of course, Blue Sparrow understood what White Dove meant. What he wanted her to check on was definitely not just Grey Dove. Even the fact that she had just let Rachel through, he might have seen that too.
But… could a child who went into a burning area like that really have any chance of surviving?
Blue Sparrow didn’t know why Rachel had walked in with such determination, but all she could do was let her go. After all, Rachel’s wish was simply “to find my dad.”
Now, Rachel had been inside for a while. Blue Sparrow didn’t know if she had found her “dad,” but… yes, it was indeed time to go take a look.
After all, she was also worried about Grey Dove, that “madwoman” in the team who didn’t seem to get much attention from others still had someone who cared about her. To Blue Sparrow, they were family.
“…Alright, I understand.”
Blue Sparrow nodded, stepped back two paces, and entered the fire zone where people had just started preparing to put out the flames.
Even though the knights had come to put out the fire, it was proving to be much harder to control than expected.
Blue Sparrow made sure the knights were still outside and hadn’t yet entered the fire zone, then, with her cloak around her, she searched for Grey Dove in the heat and smoke. When Rachel went to find Armand earlier, it was probably under the same conditions.
“…Grey Dove!”
Through the flickering flames, Blue Sparrow finally spotted two people lying on a patch of open ground. From the broken swords and long arrows scattered around, it was obvious there had been a fierce battle here.
Grey Dove was lying on the ground, a terrifying wound running from her chest all the way down her abdomen. It looked as if someone could reach in and pull her organs out with their hands.
“…Blue…”
It was hard to imagine that someone this gravely injured could still be alive. Blue Sparrow didn’t even look at the nearby Armand at first, she rushed straight to Grey Dove. She wanted to help her up, but didn’t dare touch her for fear of aggravating the deadly wound.
“Grey Dove… you…”
“Sp-arrow… hurts… it hurts so much…”
“Y-yeah, I know… I… I’ll think of something…”
Blue Sparrow knew that no medicine could save Grey Dove now, but she still took out every single bottle and jar from the imprint on her arm, trying desperately to keep Grey Dove’s fading breath going.
“I… I don’t want… don’t want to die… I still haven’t… been… acknowledged… by Lord Red Crow… I want to…”
The only reason Grey Dove was still alive was because she was holding on for Evelia. Even though she had started doubting Evelia, even though she felt Evelia had developed feelings and was no longer the “god” she once believed in…
She still, deep in her heart, wanted Evelia’s approval.
Red Crow had always been her idol. For so many years, that had never changed. She would blame Red Crow’s changes on others, or even on herself. In her mind, Red Crow could never be at fault, everything must be the result of other people’s malicious influence.
To her, Red Crow was pure and untouchable. Even she herself did not want to taint that purity.
But…
“I want… to see Lord Red Crow…”
In her final moments, Grey Dove spoke her last wish.
It was because of this obsession that she could still be breathing now, still have the strength to speak.
“But, Grey Dove—”
“Help me… Blue Sparrow…”
Grey Dove’s hand clutched a crumpled “Good Girl Card.” The cute crayon drawing on it had been soaked in blood, blurring it beyond recognition.
This was the first time Blue Sparrow had ever seen Grey Dove beg like this. That girl who was always so bold and brash… could actually show such an expression.
“…Alright.”
Blue Sparrow froze for a moment, but still accepted the card, because this was part of the promise she had once made. Whether it was letting Rachel through or taking Grey Dove out, it was all something she had agreed to when giving away this card.
As the “big sister who can do anything,” she should fulfill the wishes of the “children.”
But because White Dove needed it, she took Armand’s “corpse” out along with Grey Dove. That soulless body was already dead, if it weren’t for the intense heat of the surrounding flames, it would probably have felt cold to the touch by now.
Blue Sparrow, using some effort, placed Grey Dove down as steadily as possible. Grey Dove, using the last of her strength, kept her eyes wide open, afraid of missing even a single second, staring intently at the figure of her god.
“—Mr. Armand?!”
But her god… had never truly seen her.
Evelia didn’t even glance at Grey Dove. She ran straight toward Armand. Cyan Hawk didn’t stop her this time. He retracted the large shield into the imprint on his wrist and stood at a distance, watching Evelia kneel on the ground in confusion.
“M-Mr. Armand?! Are you alright…? Mr. Armand, could you… could you at least open your eyes and look at me…?”
Even though she knew the body in her arms was already a corpse, Evelia still held him like she was praying, feeling the warmth from the flames fade away from the man she loved, as if she was reliving the process of him growing cold after death.
“...Mr. Armand… don’t…”
She knelt on the ground, her knees scraped and bleeding from the rough dirt, her body covered in bruises from the shield’s blows. But none of that pain compared to the heartache of seeing the body of the man she loved.
“Please… wake up… don’t… you’re all I have left… Mr. Armand…”
Evelia sobbed so hard her words came out unclear, full of desperate pleas, as if she wished Armand would suddenly return to her, just like Rachel had.
Although Rachel could have saved Armand like she had saved herself, there was no way to tell Evelia that. Rachel had indeed found Armand and taken the soul stone.
But that poor little girl was still trapped in the flames. The wind shifted suddenly, and the fire surged toward her again. In the ruins of the palace, she couldn’t even find an exit.
She wanted to save everyone, but now she was stuck in this sea of fire.
And yet, she had to find a way out…
She had come this far, and there were no more replacement bodies. She had to survive—
“Mr. Armand… I can’t lose you… please—don’t… don’t leave me… we promised… promised we’d stay together… get married… build a family… have our own children… live happily together forever…”
Everyone else just quietly watched Evelia cry until she could barely breathe. Cyan Hawk didn’t speak, his job had only been to keep Evelia from interfering, so once the task was done, he didn’t stop her anymore.
He was long used to death, but he respected it. If Evelia truly had become the wife of that knight captain during this time, then he would also respect this mourning between lovers.
Grey Dove stared blankly at her god, at Evelia. She had given Evelia everything she had, but in the final moments of her life, her hands were empty.
She looked at her, her lips moving as if unwilling to let go, muttering “Lord Red Crow, Lord Red Crow…” But her hoarse voice could no longer form clear words, and the broken syllables were barely recognizable.
Evelia held Armand’s body tightly. Blue Sparrow stayed beside Grey Dove, enduring her own grief at losing “family.” She wanted to open her mouth, to call out to Evelia. Just once, just to have her look this way.
“Red—”
But before she could finish saying the name, she felt her wrist tighten.
Grey Dove, still staring at Evelia, had gripped Blue Sparrow’s wrist, almost as if to stop her.