Rin didn't look back.
He sprinted through the valley, his body fueled by desperation.
The convoy. He had to reach the convoy.
He needed them to kill that Suzuki.
It didn't matter if his identity was exposed. It didn't matter what happened after.
She had to be stopped.
Yet—the road stretched longer.
He was running, but wasn't getting anywhere.
His speed-enhancing magic surged through his legs, but the world itself warped.
A forbidden-tier illusion spell.
It wasn't just deceiving the eyes—it was altering reality itself.
The ground beneath him stretched infinitely.
His surroundings blurred, his footsteps felt like nothing.
Rin's breath caught in his throat.
Then—arms wrapped around him from behind.
Soft. Warm. Familiar.
A voice whispered against his ear—tender and full of sorrow.
"You can't leave me, Rin…"
A black wave crashed into his mind.
His body froze.
"GAHHHHH—!"
A burning coldness crawled into his skull.
His vision darkened as a heavy weight pressed down on his soul.
Rin's knees buckled.
He crashed onto the ground—pain jolted through his body.
His hands trembled, gripping the dirt.
She was still holding him.
Suzuki.
Or whatever she had become.
Her arms, gentle yet unyielding, tightened around him.
The corruption was spreading.
Slowly, her fingers traced over his chest—tainted mana slipping into him.
Her voice—sweet yet distorted.
"Shhh… just give in, Rin. You don't have to fight anymore…"
The world spun.
His thoughts blurred.
A void was swallowing him whole.
Rin felt himself falling.
There was no ground beneath him—only an endless, sinking pull.
A deep, black ocean.
It swallowed him whole.
His vision faded into nothingness.
The world around him—silent, empty.
No warmth. No light. No sensation.
Just void.
He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe.
He was drifting.
A gentle voice—soft, almost loving—echoed in the abyss.
"I love you."
The last thing he heard—before everything vanished.
The flickering flames of the campfire cast long shadows across the encampment. The cold night air did little to lighten the heavy atmosphere surrounding the four princess consorts.
Miharu and Rei sat in guilt-ridden silence, their gazes locked onto the fire, as if trying to find answers in its burning embers. Their hands clenched into fists—they had to find a way to save Rin.
Yet, no matter how much they thought about it, the damage had already been done.
Suzuki, the younger one, trembled, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She had tried. She really had. She worked hard to change herself—to become someone Rin could love.
And now, because of Miharu and Rei, everything was falling apart.
Across from them, Akane sat comfortably, sipping her tea, completely unbothered. Her head maid, Emi, knelt beside her, quietly observing the situation.
"You seem rather relaxed, my lady," Emi mused, pouring more tea into Akane's cup. "Do you truly not mind making the other consorts suffer like this?"
Akane smirked behind her porcelain cup, her golden eyes glinting in the firelight. "Mind? Of course not. It's quite entertaining, actually. I did warn them, after all. But they wouldn't listen."
She took another delicate sip, her gaze flicking toward the other three consorts, relishing their misery.
Miharu and Rei tensed at her words but said nothing. They had already lost the right to argue with her.
Suzuki, on the other hand, glared. "Is this really fun for you, Akane? Watching us suffer?" Her voice was shaky, but she refused to back down.
Akane smiled, almost kindly. "Not fun, per se. But necessary."
The headmaids of the other consorts exchanged tired sighs.
Ito Fumiko, Miharu's head maid, glanced at her mistress, her usual sharp gaze softening. This wasn't like Miharu at all. She was always so determined, so forward-moving. Now, she was lost.
Niwa Yori, Rei's head maid, crossed her arms. "Sulking won't do anything. You should be thinking about what comes next," she muttered. But deep down, she knew Rei had already been thinking about that—over and over again.
Fujikawa Rina, Suzuki's head maid, gently placed a hand on her mistress's shoulder. "Lady Suzuki, please don't lose yourself in regret. You've worked too hard to change. Lord Rin wouldn't want you to break down now."
Suzuki sniffled but nodded, trying to hold herself together.
Akane, watching them, chuckled under her breath. "You're all acting like he's already dead. How dramatic."
Rei shot her a glare. "You know something, don't you?"
Akane just smiled. "Maybe."
Miharu's grip on her robe tightened. "Damn it, Akane! Just tell us! If you really care about Rin, then help us!"
Akane finally set her tea down, her smirk fading.
"Help you?" She leaned forward slightly, her golden eyes cold. "No, Miharu. You don't deserve my help."
Silence fell over the group.
Miharu's breath hitched.
Suzuki clenched her hands.
Rei grit her teeth.
Akane stood up, dusting off her sleeves. "You three are the reason he's in this mess. You don't get to beg for salvation."
And with that, she turned away, walking toward her tent with Emi following behind.
The remaining consorts sat in silence, the fire crackling between them.
The weight of their actions settled heavily on their shoulders.
And no matter what they did, they couldn't escape the truth—
They were the reason Rin was going to die.
The tense silence of the convoy camp shattered as the Advance Squad rushed in from the Valley, their armor covered in dirt and sweat. Their hurried, frantic movements immediately caught the attention of the soldiers stationed at the camp, and soon, all eyes were on Officer Tsutomu, who stormed straight toward the Commander of the Imperial Convoy.
Akane noticed immediately.
She had been expecting this. Something had happened. And she needed to hear it.
With a calm but firm tone, she addressed the three sulking consorts.
"Miharu, Rei, Suzuki. Come with me."
The three looked up at her in confusion.
"Why?" Miharu asked, her voice hoarse from exhaustion and frustration.
"Because," Akane said, her golden eyes glinting, "you need to hear this."
Without waiting for their response, she turned on her heel and strode toward the commander's tent. Despite their hesitation, the three consorts followed. Their head maids, sensing the importance of the moment, silently trailed behind them.
Inside the tent, Tsutomu was already reporting to the Convoy Commander. His expression was grim, his breath still unsteady from the hurried retreat.
"—the Valley was deemed safe at first," Tsutomu recounted, his voice sharp with urgency. "We inspected the area thoroughly, and there were no signs of an ambush. But on our way back, a forbidden-tier illusion spell activated, completely altering our surroundings."
Akane and the other consorts stiffened.
"The spell hid something... the bodies of the Dark Order members and demons. Someone had already massacred them before we even arrived."
A shiver ran through the room.
"Then," Tsutomu continued, his fists clenched, "we saw her."
The air felt colder.
"She wore Azure robes, her expression unreadable… but the moment we saw her face, we knew." He hesitated for a moment before forcing the words out.
"She looked exactly like the Azure Princess Consort—Chinen Suzuki."
Suzuki gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
"But older," Tsutomu added. "More mature. And she was powerful. Beyond anything we could handle."
Miharu and Rei exchanged looks of shock.
"She attacked us," Tsutomu pressed on, "but before she could get too far, Shimuzu Rin intercepted."
The room fell silent.
"He fought her alone?" the Convoy Commander asked gravely.
Tsutomu nodded. "He told us to retreat. He kept her attention while we escaped."
Suzuki shook her head violently. "No... No, no, no... That can't be..."
Miharu's fingers dug into her sleeves. Rei clenched her fists.
"The last thing I saw," Tsutomu continued, his voice heavy, "was Rin suffocating her with a relentless barrage of spells. He was holding her back. Buying time for us to escape."
He took a deep breath.
"But... I don't know if he's still alive."
A deep, crushing silence settled over the room.
Suzuki felt her knees weaken. Miharu and Rei's faces drained of color.
"If it's a direct fight," Tsutomu said quietly, "he won't last long."
The Commander's gaze hardened as he listened to Tsutomu's report. He crossed his arms, deep in thought, before finally speaking.
"How long has it been since you last saw him?"
"Almost six minutes," Tsutomu responded immediately. "We lost sight of him in battle six minutes ago."
The Commander nodded slowly. That was enough time for the battle to take a turn for the worse—or worse, to already be over.
His eyes flickered toward the Consorts standing in the room, their presence undeniable even amidst this military discussion. He straightened his posture, gave them a respectful bow, and then turned to his officers.
"Shimuzu Rin is a Supreme-tier magic user." His voice was firm, unwavering. "According to our files, he should be capable of escaping using his own magic. That said..."
A heavy silence followed.
"The safety of the Imperial Convoy takes priority over one warrior's sacrifice."
It was as if the entire room had frozen.
"The enemy is using Forbidden-tier magic. This is not an opponent we are equipped to handle. If we engage further, we risk injuring the Crown Prince and the Consorts. We must retreat."
The Consorts did not move.
Even Akane, who had been watching the entire exchange with an amused glint earlier, stiffened. Her usual smugness had completely vanished.
Tsutomu's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Commander," he spoke urgently, "we need to send a rescue squad. Rin is probably still holding them off! He bought us time to escape—"
"The answer is no."
The Commander did not waver.
Tsutomu turned to the two Consorts he expected to fight back—Rei and Miharu. The ones he knew loved Rin. The ones who, even in this situation, wouldn't stand idly by.
But instead of two, he found himself facing four.
Four Consorts, standing together, expressions grim.
His stomach dropped.
"Wh—" His thoughts scrambled. Since when was it all four of them?!
Miharu was the first to break the silence.
"Why are you abandoning him?" Her voice trembled with anger. "He didn't deserve this. He's the one working the hardest, always in trouble, always fighting."
Tsutomu turned to her, feeling the weight of her words. She knew.
Of course, she did. She had been a fellow apprentice at the White Flower Palace. She had seen Rin at his lowest and highest.
Suzuki was next.
"How can you justify protecting us when you can't even protect one single person?" Her voice was sharp, cutting through the room like a blade.
Tsutomu flinched.
Rei stepped forward.
"Shimuzu Rin has saved countless lives—including civilians. If a man like that can't be repaid the same kindness, then it's a shameful disgrace."
The weight of her words settled heavily in the air.
And then, Akane.
She didn't speak.
She didn't need to.
But the sheer pressure emanating from her was suffocating. It was as if something had snapped in her mind—a silent, unseen demand.
Rescue him.
Tsutomu could feel a cold sweat forming on his back.
He watched, stunned, as four Consorts—the highest-ranking women of the Empire—stood against the Commander's decision.
He let out a shaky breath.
'If Rin somehow survives this,' Tsutomu thought to himself, 'I swear, I will never treat that bastard badly again.'
A tense silence gripped the entire convoy.
The soldier who had rushed in moments ago remained kneeling, breathless, sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Two figures are approaching from the valley," he had reported. "We have yet to confirm their identities, but we deemed it necessary for the Commander to see."
That alone was enough to send a ripple of unease through the camp.
The Commander, Officer Tsutomu, and the four Consorts wasted no time in stepping outside, their movements tense, their gazes locked on the valley's entrance.
And then, they saw them.
Two silhouettes, slowly emerging from the mist.
As they came closer, their forms became painfully clear.
The first figure was clad in Azure robes.
A sharp gasp echoed among the soldiers.
They all recognized her.
It was her.
The older version of Chinen Suzuki.
The same woman that Rin had stayed behind to fight.
A shudder ran through the convoy. Some of the soldiers flinched, recoiling instinctively, just as the Advance Squad had when they first encountered her.
The insignia of the Azure Empress was stitched into her robes, glowing faintly.
And yet, it wasn't the real Azure Empress, Hoshimi Nao.
And more importantly—it wasn't the real Chinen Suzuki.
Because the real Suzuki stood among them, her expression frozen in shock, her hands trembling at her sides.
She couldn't look away.
The older Suzuki smiled.
A wistful, nostalgic smile—like she was reuniting with old friends.
Like she was home.
The four Consorts stiffened, confusion, fear, and unease flashing across their faces.
But then—all eyes shifted to the second figure.
The man walking beside the older Suzuki.
The man whose hand she was holding.
The moment they saw his face, the air turned ice-cold.
Shimuzu Rin.
A lifeless shell of the man they knew.
His expression was utterly vacant.
His gaze, hollow.
His body, moving, but only because he was being led.
It was not the Rin they knew.
Not the warrior who had always stood tall, who carried himself with unshakable confidence, who met every challenge with calm defiance.
The Rin before them wasn't even a person anymore.
Just a puppet.
The four Consorts visibly trembled.
Miharu's heart pounded violently in her chest.
Rei's breath hitched.
Suzuki's knees nearly gave out beneath her.
And Akane… for the first time in her life, found herself at a loss for words.
It was the exact same expression the Crown Prince, Hoshimi Kazuo, had worn years ago.
The same hollow, dead look.
The realization was like a knife to the gut.
The Commander's voice boomed through the silence.
"Do not come any closer!"
His soldiers raised their weapons.
"We will retaliate if you take another step!"
And yet—
The older Suzuki simply smiled.
Her grip on Rin's hand tightened.
And Rin did not resist.