Pick me Up – Chapter 308 – Epilogue 1: Taonier
A crescent moon hung in the starry sky.
Priacis sat in a chair set up on the terrace, gazing at the landscape outside.
The capital of the Millennium Empire, Bardia.
To commemorate the ten years since Priacis Al Ragnar ascended to the throne as Empress, a grand festival was taking place in the streets.
Everywhere, bright magical lamps lit up the roads, cheerful music resonated, and citizens of all ages gathered to dance and sing.
“Ha…”
Priacis took a glass and drank.
A bitter liquid flowed down her throat.
“Ten years.”
Ten years had already passed since she ascended to the throne.
The empire, once ravaged by war, was now beginning to heal its wounds.
“Your Majesty, were you here?”
Priacis turned around.
A man in light armor drew back the curtains and bowed before her.
“Yoshu?”
“Yes.”
The man named Yoshu stood behind Priacis.
His gaze wandered over the city.
“There have been many events.”
“Yes. I still remember them clearly.”
Priacis smiled as she looked at her loyal vassal.
That man was named Yoshu Kranshe. From insignificant plebeian origins, he had become a legendary figure by leading the victory in the war alongside Priacis, and now he was the commander of the Royal Guard of the empire.
“Look at the people enjoying the festival. If it weren't for you, they would still be suffering.”
“Do you believe that too?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
The Black War.
Ten years ago, that was the name of the disaster that shook all of Taonier.
Everywhere, unknown monsters called ‘Fragments’ began to emerge and ravage the entire continent.
“War.”
Priacis recalled the past.
The war ended with Taonier’s victory.
All the races of the continent, including humans, joined forces to drive out the monsters.
“Was it such a simple fight?”
According to her memories,
Definitely,
“……”
Priacis frowned.
Sometimes strange memories would come to her.
Memories of moments she had never lived.
“But, Your Majesty, won’t you return to the ballroom?”
“The ballroom?”
“You are the protagonist of this festival.”
“What would I do there?”
“The court mage, Lady Yvolka, has prepared a special stage…”
“Special stage?”
Yoshu scratched his neck.
“Without using magic, she makes doves appear from a hat, disappears on the spot, and reads the backs of cards.”
“That sounds interesting.”
Priacis stood up from her chair.
“I will decline. If I’m there, they will only feel pressured. Let them enjoy themselves. It's enough for me to see their smiles.”
Priacis took one more look at the street scene and left the terrace.
She walked down a long corridor.
Yoshu followed her.
“Sir Yoshu, you can go back.”
“Your Majesty, are you going incognito?”
“What if I am?”
“At least take an escort. It’s dangerous.”
“I have confidence in the capital’s security. If a woman cannot walk safely at night, it’s also my responsibility.”
Priacis removed her coat and handed it to Yoshu.
She also took off the golden crown and scarf.
“Ah, this is refreshing.”
“Your Majesty, I’ve told you many times. If something were to happen to you…”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry. Do not follow me. That’s an order. Stay here and ensure the palace servants enjoy the festival.”
Priacis left a bewildered Yoshu and pushed a wall.
With a slight buzz, a passage opened. It was a place known only to a few in the palace. A secret path she had created to inspect the capital personally.
“Hic… Long live the Empress! Long live! Long live!”
“Hey! You’re drunk! Drink in moderation!”
“Heh, hehe…”
Small groups of drunkards staggered with their glasses in hand.
Priacis had changed into a tattered robe and was walking with her hood up.
“Are they happy?”
Priacis observed the citizens.
Ten years had passed since she ascended to the throne.
The empire was considered an example of a golden age.
“A place where one can live tomorrow without worries or troubles.”
That was the paradise she had wanted to create.
But…
Priacis placed her hand on the wall of the alley.
An empty voice came from her mouth.
“What’s the point of all this?”
Something important she was forgetting.
No matter how many times she tried to recall it, she couldn’t.
She wanted to show someone.
The land she had created with such effort.
“Where are you?”
Priacis stumbled through the alley.
“Just once. If I could see it just once.”
If you told me you were living well, if you smiled at me once more.
From then on, Priacis planned to live her own life.
She intended to seek ‘happiness.’
But… why?
“Where are you?”
Tears streamed down Priacis’s cheeks.
Ten years. No, for longer, she had a great void in her heart.
Neither her noble status, her loyal followers, nor her position as Empress filled Priacis’s heart.
“Where am I…?”
When she regained consciousness, Priacis was standing somewhere in a dark alley.
A rancid smell flowed from somewhere. She had smelled that more than ten years ago.
“What… what is this?”
A man who was sitting on a broken column in a ruined house stood up.
He had a long, sharp scar on his cheek. The man’s gaze landed on Priacis’s face, visible under the hood.
“A girl on such a joyful festival day. Hehehe.”
She had gone too far.
Priacis’s hand touched the dagger on her back.
Even if the war had ended, for a ruffian like this…
“It’s nice to enjoy the festival while everyone else is having fun. Haha! Then I will enjoy the festival too…”
Thud!
The man fell forward.
“What a pathetic sight.”
Crack!
The heel of a boot crushed the back of the man’s head.
A woman with a fierce expression stepped forward.
“You are…”
“My name is Edith Callen. I’m a mercenary. What is a noble lady doing here? The temple of the nameless god is not in this direction.”
Edith twirled a dagger with her index finger and looked at Priacis.
“Nameless god.”
Priacis blinked at the term for the first time.
“What? You didn’t know?”
“What is the nameless god?”
“We mercenaries need something to believe in.”
Priacis narrowed her eyes.
When the Fragments started causing havoc, a group of sectarians called ‘Tel Ikar’ had caused trouble.
Was this woman one of their followers?
“It’s not a sect. It’s more like a folk belief. If you’re curious, you can follow me. It’s a common legend, I don’t know if it will interest you.”
Thud!
Edith kicked the fallen man and began to walk inside.
“Nameless god.”
Priacis swallowed.
And began to follow Edith.
“Do you know?”
“...?”
“Ten years ago, the fragments that attacked here were only a small part. Not even a tenth, not even a hundredth. If they had attacked with all their strength…”
“Are you saying Taonier would have been destroyed?”
“You know it well?”
Edith smiled.
Soon, the path widened.
The legend of the nameless god.
Priacis thought she knew quite well the circumstances of the capital, but she had never heard of it.
“Do you see that?”
Edith looked to the side.
On the outskirts of the capital, in the widened alley, people dressed in black goat masks walked in a line.
“They are believers of the nameless god. They gather here once a year to hold a festival. They are just walking, so don’t worry.”
Edith took a goat mask from her chest.
And put it on her face.
“I brought an extra one, do you want one? It’s fun.”
“…Thanks.”
Priacis accepted the goat mask.
“What does this mean?”
I don’t know.
Somehow, it seemed like a joke.
Priacis sighed and put on the goat mask.
“Victory.”
A girl walking next to Priacis murmured.
“To the nameless god… victory.”
With a fervent prayer.
The girl with the goat mask walked slowly with her hands together.
“Victory.”
This time, a small man murmured.
Everyone gathered here was offering their own prayers.
“What are they doing?”
“Cheering.”
Edith responded.
The eyes behind the mask narrowed.
“Somewhere here, deep in the universe… the nameless god is fighting.”
“…”
“Fighting against countless enemies for a very long time. To protect us.”
“To protect us.”
Suddenly, Priacis felt desperate and grabbed Edith’s clothes.
A desperate expression.
“Then, the reason we haven’t been destroyed is…”
“Don’t take it completely seriously. It’s a legend without much credibility. Just keep in mind that this story exists.”
Priacis looked around.
Hundreds of people with masks were walking.
It was a scene she had never seen from the palace terrace.
‘These people…’
Were they marching?
Praying for the victory of the nameless god.
“When will that battle end?”
Priacis clung to Edith.
A desperate expression.
“When will the nameless god return?”
“I don’t know. Some say it will be in decades, but others talk about millions of years, tens of millions of years, or even eternity.”
“I can’t wait that long!”
“Why are you getting so excited?”
Priacis bit her lips.
“I’m sorry…”
Priacis looked up with teary eyes.
The starry sky. She looked down again.
Hundreds of believers continued to march.
“Victory.”
The voices of the crowd joined in a soft murmur.
“To the nameless god… victory.”
Priacis closed her eyes in prayer.
Beyond her dark vision, a scene emerged.
‘He is fighting.’
A world she could not perceive with her senses.
Over an immense time, a man wielded a sword.
Dying and coming back to life,
Coming back to life and dying again.
The man fought, repeating resurrections and deaths.
‘This is not…’
It was not what Priacis desired.
‘Where is your happiness?’
No one was watching him.
He had lost all his humanity and suffered eternally, unable to die or live.
That man could not be considered alive.
‘A specter.’
Priacis reached out to the man.
But she couldn’t reach him.
He was too far away.
‘Please, save him.’
It didn’t matter if Taonier was destroyed.
It didn’t matter if this world burned and disappeared.
The only thing she wished for was…
Woosh!
At that moment, a blinding light blocked her vision.
“Miss.”
“Huh?”
Edith was touching Priacis’s shoulder.
Priacis looked around.
The vision that had appeared in her mind had completely disappeared.
“What are you doing standing there?”
“…Was it a dream?”
“What dream?”
“I’m sorry. It’s nothing.”
Priacis shook her head and recalled the scene from a moment ago.
Nameless god.
That was the identity of the man she had seen.
And, at the end of the vision.
‘He wasn’t alone.’
It seemed that someone was fighting alongside him.
With a sword wrapped in flames.
‘If someone else has gone to save him.’
Priacis decided to pray.
“To the nameless god… salvation.”