novelraw Chapter 241 : An Imperfect Story, the Most Perfect Ending
Chapter 241 : An Imperfect Story, the Most Perfect Ending
Chapter 241: An Imperfect Story, the Most Perfect Ending
The distant wind drifted from afar, blowing apart the carefully woven princess braid of Shiltina.
「An answer that isn’t tainted by anything else... one that truly belongs to me?」
Shiltina held the letter in her hand, feeling her chestnut hair cascade like water, rippling in the air.
Deep within her soul—the fragments of memories she had shared with the owner of this letter resurfaced one by one, like shattered rays of light.
……
In Deep Blue Port, the first time she met that black-haired, black-eyed boy.
At the time, she had just entered the Remnant of the Age. Casually choosing a bar to gather information... and then, she was approached by Rast, who was in the middle of playing a Host Simulator in the bar.
His opening lines were so formulaic that Shiltina had mistaken this instance NPC as someone who was all looks and no substance—a womanizer who relied on his handsome face to flirt indiscriminately.
Of course, looking back now—Rast being “all looks and no substance” was false.
But “a womanizer” wasn’t exactly wrong.
……
Later on, when she was being hunted through the harbor district by the tide of the Iron Cross Clan, with nowhere left to run, she had no choice but to leap from the Watchtower.
In the frigid seawater, with her makeup washed away, she received a 9.5 rating from Rast.
That moment, the bomb exploded. A fiery blast dozens of meters tall swept across the entire port, like twin sunwheels rising alternately in twilight. On the glittering sea, in that sunrise-like blaze, the burning city was reflected in their eyes—like a golden-hued starry sea.
That day, not only Rast, but Shiltina also remembered that boy whose eyes mirrored the stars and the ocean.
……
The second Remnant of the Age—the fog-covered Frozenwater Town, like a never-ending mist.
Rast, as a companion, witnessed Shiltina’s childhood dream—the origin of her ideal called “Forester.”
And, her final farewell to her former close friend, Flan.
……
During a break from clearing the Nightworld, the two strolled through the Starfall University’s anniversary celebration and joined an afternoon tea party together.
Though they were merely trivial, unremarkable daily moments—
At this moment, after all that had happened, recalling them again, those peaceful times remained as vivid as ever...
Perhaps, since her mother’s passing, those were the happiest days Shiltina had ever experienced—the ones she missed the most.
……
And also, a few months ago, when they met again at Starfall University.
She had just finished a heated argument with her visiting stepmother. Shaken both physically and mentally, unusually lost, she asked Rast a question that had troubled her for a long time:
「How much can a person sacrifice for the sake of justice?」
At that moment, the sunset was at its most brilliant. The black-haired boy stood in the courtyard of Starfall University, a blade of grass casually between his lips, his face veiled in twilight, vague and indistinct, with only the sharp profile outlined by the fading golden light.
And yet, his answer was firm and resolute, without hesitation—
「Everything I have.」
……
Clearly, these were just broken fragments, plain emotions.
Yet at this moment, these memories surged like a tide, washing repeatedly through Shiltina’s mind.
Until all the chaotic thoughts brought on by everything that had happened were completely washed away by that tide, leaving not a single impurity—
What remained was the purest wish, a voice originating from the very depths of Shiltina’s soul, untouched by any external force.
「Idiot... even in the letter, you're saying you'll wait expectantly for my answer...」
Those words, lost within the storm...
Were they sobs, or cries?
「What my answer will be—」
「Haven’t you known it from the very beginning?」
The fragile letter fluttered violently in the storm, rustling sharply.
Shiltina’s hand, once steady from countless sword swings, trembled for the first time as she held that piece of paper.
She slowly closed her eyes, feeling that mysterious yet incredibly warm emotion swirling in her heart.
Shiltina understood—Rast’s battle was not just a rebellion against her father, nor merely a hunt for the hostile Gravekeepers...
It was also his way of showing her something—
Between the gap of ideal and reality, between the rift of duty and family—
There existed... a third possibility.
……
She had already forgotten how old she had been back then. She only remembered it was an autumn afternoon, a courtyard blanketed in golden maple leaves—just like the name Autumnleaf Domain.
「Little Tina—」
「What kind of person do you want to become when you grow up?」
「Of course I want to become a Forester like Mommy!」
In her memories, her mother’s face had already become blurry, but Shiltina still remembered her expression that day—
After hearing her answer, her mother was momentarily surprised, then smiled and gently patted her head.
「You have a remarkable dream.」
「Though this is destined to be a rugged and difficult path... there will surely be beautiful scenery along the way.」
「Little Tina, I hope you’ll meet someone who can walk with you—someone who can enjoy that scenery by your side on the journey toward your dream.」
This was the origin of the little girl named Shiltina’s dream—to become a “Forester.”
Later on, when faced with a painful choice—that scene of her mother stepping into the fire was deeply etched into Shiltina’s mind, becoming an obsession she could never forget.
And now—
As Shiltina had grown stronger day by day—
She finally stood in the exact same situation her mother had faced ten years ago… a painful choice between “her own ideals” and “the one who mattered most.”
If she wished to protect the one important to her, she would have to let go of her obsession, draw the Holy Sword, inherit the throne, and abandon that childish dream of becoming a “Forester.”
But if she wished to uphold her ideals—
Then it meant standing by, watching Rast—her companion in the secret war—become a sacrificial pawn and die at the hands of a Gravekeeper Quasi-Angel.
This was the overt scheme laid by her father, Allen, to force Shiltina into compromise and inherit the throne.
It was a problem as unsolvable as the Trolley Problem—no matter the choice, something would have to be sacrificed.
Shiltina had once believed that, faced with such a dilemma, she had no other choice—
She would ultimately have to abandon her ideals in order to protect that black-haired, black-eyed boy—the only one who truly mattered in her heart.
Yet now, at this very moment, Rast had shown her that beyond the two choices in the Trolley Problem… there existed another possibility.
「The price I can pay for justice is everything I have.」
That answer was not hollow or false—Rast had truly staked his life on embodying the essence of those words.
Faced with a Gravekeeper Quasi-Angel far stronger than himself, Rast had neither chosen to escape under Fate’s concealment, nor accepted Allen’s goodwill—to simply go along with marrying Shiltina, become a prince, and live comfortably under the Empire’s protection.
He had made a move no one expected from the very beginning—killing a Gravekeeper on the brink of becoming an Angel all by himself.
Even if the price Rast had to pay for such actions was everything he had—body and soul reduced to ash, perhaps never to awaken again.
This was what Rast wanted to show her. It was his answer, through actions rather than words, to the question Shiltina once asked: 「How much can a person sacrifice for the sake of justice?」
So then, after witnessing such brilliance with her own eyes… what about herself?
Shiltina lightly held that white piece of paper.
On that white paper inked with black words, there still seemed to linger a faint warmth—left behind by that boy, the temperature shared between two hearts.
Shiltina quietly examined her own heart.
She had always claimed to be a Forester, a knight who pursued her ideals—
But had the past me… been too weak?
Under her father’s guidance, under those so-called royal philosophies like 「to be a qualified ruler, one must learn to weigh values and make sacrifices」, 「saving some means abandoning others」, and 「a path that brings happiness and salvation to all has never existed from the start」… she had lost herself.
So much so that she instinctively believed that 「marrying Rast, drawing the Holy Sword, becoming heir to the throne」 and holding onto her dream of being a “Forester” were irreconcilable options that could never coexist.
But… was that truly the case?
Under her father’s pressure, she had been trapped in this so-called binary choice of the Trolley Problem…
Yet those who were trapped by the Trolley Problem—at the root of it—wasn’t it simply because they lacked the courage to face the train head-on? To derail it entirely, saving lives on both tracks?
Certainly, stopping the train and overturning the rails was far harder than just flipping a lever. From a probabilistic standpoint, such an action meant near-certain destruction, a death sentence.
But if one only spoke of probabilities and likely outcomes—then from the start, they had already dismissed the possibility of miracles.
To think of retreat before even trying… how could such cowardice ever reshape that imperfect story into something she desired?
Back when Rast fired that shot at the Gravekeeper Quasi-Angel above the distant sky—did he have a one hundred percent chance of winning?
Who could guarantee he would succeed? Who could predict the price Rast would pay?
Even a single mistake would have led to a fate worse than death.
But Rast still did it—not because he didn’t fear, or didn’t understand the consequences—but because to him, it was simply the right thing to do.
He had walked his own path, charging forward toward a Happy End where both “the one who mattered most” and “his ideals” could be saved.
No matter the outcome, the wish to pursue a perfect ending was beautiful—and never wrong.
If that was so, then it was already enough.
Just as her mother had once told her—on the road toward one’s ideals, the destination may be important, but more important still… was the scenery along the way, and the person who walked beside you to see it.
「So, Father—」
「All those philosophies about ruling, about how saving some people means sacrificing others… yes, they are correct, but they are merely just that—correct.」
「That sort of thing, I have no use for.」
A faint smile traced Shiltina’s lips. She turned to gaze toward the palace cluster at the center of the Imperial Capital.
Though far apart, she knew her father Allen was also watching—observing the movements of his two daughters, and his would-be son-in-law.
「To me, what is ‘correct’… is to never regret what I’ve done.」
「So, in order to never have regrets—」
「I want it all.」
Her voice paused slightly.
「I will become the heir to the throne.」
「I will also become Rast’s wife, protect him with my life, stand by him, and accompany him in realizing his ideals… If anyone dares to hurt him, they’ll have to step over my corpse first.」
「At the same time, I will not give up on my own ideals. I will still follow in my mother’s footsteps and become a true Forester.」
「My ideals, the duties and mission of the royal family, and the one person who matters most to me… I will not abandon a single one of them.」
「It may sound greedy—but this is the path I’ve chosen.」
「With the sword in my hand, I will cut down every obstacle in my way—」
「And if Father insists on standing in that path, then you are my enemy.」
This was Shiltina’s greedy wish—but also her declaration of rebellion against her father.
In the distant palace complex shrouded in twilight, silence reigned—no response seemed to come.
But in the next moment—
Within the Imperial Capital, the citizens who had just calmed after the chaos, still whispering about the Sky-Piercing Tower and the Demonic Form of Sataniel that had appeared in the skies, all instinctively looked up again.
And then—
Every one of them saw it.
That glorious Holy Sword manifesting in the night sky.
It was no illusion or phantom—this golden sword appeared with a thunderous gale, radiant light gathering upon its dazzling blade, illuminating the dim, dark heavens.
Under this brilliant, crystalline glow—whether it was the ordinary citizens of the capital, the teachers and students from Starfall University who had come to spectate, or the foreign envoys attending the wedding—each and every one of them was struck speechless.
It was the Holy Sword forged from the planet itself, a blade that had illuminated the chaotic darkness deeper than night before civilization began.
Regardless of faction or identity—as children of the Empire—their ancestors had once rallied beneath this very sword’s glow, expanding the nation’s lands.
In the next instant—
That blazing Holy Sword carved a radiant arc through the sky and fell straight into Shiltina’s hand.
There was no need to draw it from the stone. No words required.
At that moment, Shiltina’s surging will and emotion resonated through the Scabbard “Avalon” within her—
And with that, the Holy Sword embedded in stone responded, for the first time in a thousand years, choosing its master.
Shiltina raised the sword in her hand. Though her figure was slender and graceful, every movement she made radiated decisive, thunderous resolve.
Bathed in radiant light, her elegant white gown vanished.
In its place appeared a red-and-white knight’s uniform—manifested in accordance with Shiltina’s will.
In this moment, Shiltina was no longer the helpless royal maiden once forced by her father to silently await the wedding…
She had once again become that sharp, dazzling, proud knight of the past.
With the Holy Sword in hand, amidst its clear, ringing cry, she solemnly declared:
「From this day forth, I am the master of the Holy Sword—next Empress of the Empire.」