Chapter 56: The Silent Farewell

– The Last Mercy

The Audience Chamber was filled with silence as the Silent Swordsman returned with the mirror in hand.

There, the prince awaited her.

His appearance was in shambles. Blood both his own and the queen’s had blended so thoroughly that it was impossible to tell whose it was anymore.

The stains smeared across his face, faintly wiped with his sleeve, were all too telling. Lowering his head, the prince addressed her.

“I apologize. Earlier, in a fit of rage, I said terrible things to Mother.”

Mother.

Even now, he clung to that fragile thread of connection.

As if to respond to that notion, the Silent Swordsman adjusted the brim of her straw hat.

Her sunken eyes, devoid of the penitence or maternal affection she might once have held for him, showed nothing but indifference.

“Had it not been for Mother’s help, I wouldn’t have made it this far.

I understand if I have offended you, but I beg you to grant me one more chance.”

The prince spoke with confidence.

“With the palace’s power players now gone, it’s no exaggeration to say the power of the Demon Realm lies entirely in my hands.

Here, in this realm, whatever you desire, I can make it happen.”

The confidence of someone who had become the ruler of a world.

To him, there was no person he couldn’t win over, no treasure he couldn’t obtain.

If the Silent Swordsman desired something anything he would willingly give it to her.

Click.

“…Mother?”

That is, if she had not already rejected him.

“Madam! Are you truly going to see this through to the end?”

“…”

“Ugh! F-Forgive me. I spoke out of turn!”

They had crossed the point of no return.

Who had crossed that line first the prince or the Silent Swordsman did not matter.

What mattered was this:

The Silent Swordsman had drawn her sword.

And the prince stood in its path.

“Mother… why do you reject me? It’s me, your son. Please, do not take away my chance to fulfill my filial duties.”

The Silent Swordsman stepped forward, sword in hand.

Though invisible, the Silent Swordsman’s sword aura was palpable, moving with her every step as if the air itself bent to her will.

“You no longer need to hide in filthy alleys, waiting for a chance to strike your enemies. You can bathe in warm water instead of washing your body with blood.”

“I can give you sweet treats, ancient treasures, and soft clothes anything you desire. Just say the word, and it will all be yours!”

But the Silent Swordsman’s steps didn’t falter.

Just as she had entered the prince’s life unbidden, she now walked away, maintaining her path.

If they parted here, they would become nothing but strangers.

It was a reality the prince only realized too late.

“Please… don’t leave me like this. There’s still so much I want to give you. So many things I wish we could do together!”

His voice brimmed with sincerity, his expression as desperate as it had been during their first meeting.

But what had changed was her heart.

That earnestness.

That longing.

She could no longer see it through the lens of her past, through the memories of the martial world.

Because she knew better.

‘A person who betrays once can betray twice. ‘

‘And the next time, it will be during a more critical, irreversible moment.’

She had to shut her heart completely.

Otherwise, it would be her who suffered the consequences again.

To survive in the treacherous world of martial arts, this was the only way.

It was the life she had led. The life of a warrior.

“Even if the Demon Realm falls, you have nothing to worry about. ”

“With the wealth and followers you’ve amassed, you’ll live comfortably in the human realm!”

“Please stop, Your Highness. You’re going to provoke her. Madam will truly strike you down.”

“Maganon! Why aren’t you stopping her? ”

“Are you planning to leave me as well? ”

“Will you abandon me and throw away the power you’ve always longed for the kind that ensures your life will never again be at risk?!”

Within the Silent Swordsman’s domain, only Maganon remained loyal to her.

But even he hesitated, flinching as he halted his steps.

“Th-that’s…”

“If you leave me, there’s nothing left for you!”

Maganon’s eyes trembled violently.

For the past three days, he had been dreaming a solitary dream.

A life where he was not merely a servant to the prince but a child under the Silent Swordsman’s protection.

A life where he served her, stayed by her side, and received her affection.

He wanted everything the prince had enjoyed—the Silent Swordsman’s love, her guidance, her trust.

And now, fate had presented him with an unprecedented opportunity to make that dream come true.

A chance to reverse his wretched life.

Like a blind turtle stumbling upon a floating piece of wood, this was a moment that might never come again.

‘Am I willing to throw away this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity just because of my desire to stay by her side?’

Maganon stopped walking.

Even as he bowed deeply behind her, the sound of his knees hitting the ground resonating in the air, she neither paused nor looked back.

Maganon’s decision to choose power and stability over following the Silent Swordsman was not something anyone could condemn as cowardly or wrong.

This was the Demon Realm.

A world where powerless humans were treated as livestock or food mere beasts.

Maganon had endured enough suffering, and his desire for power was more than justified.

“Look, Mother. Even Maganon, who wished to serve you, has chosen to remain by my side. How do you think you’ll survive alone in this savage world?”

“It’s over now. Take my hand, and let me escort you to the queen’s hall. I will protect you.”

But none of that was reason enough for her to stay.

Clang!

The Silent Swordsman’s blade lashed out, blocking the prince who dared to obstruct her path.

Wendigo’s massive arm intercepted the strike.

“Prince, step back.”

“…So you truly reject me? Are you saying you can’t accept anything I offer you, even if it’s for your sake?”

“She’s dangerous, Prince. If you persist, she’ll truly cut you down.”

Wendigo could feel it.

The strength of the sword that had slain Viktor, the mightiest general in the Demon Realm, was unparalleled.

But Wendigo also realized something else:

No matter how formidable her blade, the Silent Swordsman was not unscathed from such a grueling battle.

“Give the order. Kill her now.”

“Wendigo! Kill Mother? What nonsense are you spouting?”

“If you let her go, she’ll become an enemy. Kill her while she’s weak. That’s the way of the Demon Realm. Am I wrong?”

The prince’s eyes quivered violently.

Wendigo’s words were irrefutable.

If the Silent Swordsman left the Demon Realm now,

her eventual enmity against half-demons and monsters like them was almost guaranteed.

If they were to strike, it had to be now.

They wouldn’t get another chance to take down the strongest swordsman of the human realm.

‘Mother will never love me again. She’ll never forgive me, no matter what.’

For a fleeting moment, the prince and the Silent Swordsman had been the closest people to each other in the world.

Because of that shared bond, the prince could instinctively sense the truth.

The Silent Swordsman was someone he loved deeply and didn’t want to let go.

Wendigo was right.

She was still human, after all.

Even if she wasn’t, after a battle like that, she had to be weaker than ever before.

-Can I… call you Mother?
-Please accept this jade hairpin.
-Mother.
-Mother?
-I believe in you, Mother.

But the weight of the time they had shared, the yearning for a bond that could never be restored,

and the gratitude he felt for the unconditional love she had once shown him held him back.

It was a foolish sentiment, but the prince couldn’t overcome it.

His naïve affection kept him from crossing that final line.

“Let her go.”

“You’ll regret this, Prince.”

“I know. Of course, I’ll regret it.”

But knowing that didn’t matter.

Because of his foolishness, he would not repeat his mistake a second time.

“This is all the result of my own foolishness. How could I blame Mother for it?”

Ignoring the prince’s forlorn gaze behind her, the Silent Swordsman stepped toward the queen’s dimensional gate.

Beyond this gate lay the human realm, waiting for her at the end of the Half-Demon Valley.

“……”

The prince, destined to be the sole ruler of the Demon Realm.

Leaving him behind—was it truly the right decision?

A fierce, primal urge to kill surged within her.

Kill him. You must eliminate any future threats.

How many master warriors have died because they let their emotions cloud their judgment?

The whisper of instinct.

The Silent Swordsman knew it was correct.

The prince was the rightful heir to the throne, the only legitimate successor bearing the blood of the Demon King.

Given the warriors surrounding him, his ascension as the next Demon King seemed inevitable.

One day, he might unify the Demon Realm and cross into the human world.

Even her cold, unfeeling heart understood this possibility.

-Mother.

For a brief moment, beneath the warmth of spring sunlight, her frozen heart had softened and melted.

Even after returning to her cold,

hardened state a heart clouded like a frost-covered winter mirror she could not forget the gentle touch of spring’s breeze.

‘This is my final mercy.’

Not as the Silent Swordsman, but as Hae Eung Eung.

With that thought, she stepped into the dimensional gate, sparing the prince’s life.

The gate to the human realm shimmered in the distance as the Silent Swordsman disappeared.

Standing before it, Maganon asked the prince, “Are you not going to follow her?”

“…Even if I do, it won’t change her mind.”

“It might not be too late.”

“It’s done,” the prince replied, lowering his gaze.

The cracked marble floor bore the scars of the recent battle.

Amid the dirt beneath the shattered surface, the prince realized he had unconsciously scrawled a single word:

(Eui-ji).

The character held deep meaning symbolizing the promise of support,

like a warm coat to shield a trembling body from harsh winds or a hand to hold a fragile branch upright.

It reflected the love and devotion of a mother.

“Yes… It’s far too late now. I shouldn’t have said those things.”

If only he had sought forgiveness instead of vengeance.

If only his cold heart had chosen a different path.

Perhaps things could have been different.

But it was too late.

He had lost his mother and gained the singular authority over the Demon Realm in exchange.

Was this power worth such a loss?

Maganon thought so, but the prince wasn’t sure.

He truly didn’t know.

“I have one more thing to report.”

“Does it need to be said now?”

“Boogeyman is nowhere to be found. It seems he left for the human realm before the lady did.”

The inscrutable one had departed on his own terms, as always.

Though it should have angered him, the prince instead felt a weight lifted from his heart.

“He’s not one to fall easily. And with one of us in the human realm, she won’t be alone.”

Boogeyman was the second-strongest among the prince’s warriors, second only to the Silent Swordsman.

Knowing he was with her brought the prince some solace.

‘Take care of her, Boogeyman. Until the day I can stand before her once more, stay by her side.’