When Malenia was young, she had imagined a future where she would become Lord and her sister would ascend as a god. Or perhaps the other way around.
But her sister had made her own choice. That dream had long since been set aside.
And somehow, it always came back to the man in front of her.
"You came back for this alone?"
Her expression gradually turned solemn, frost settling over her beautiful features.
"Yes." Nolan nodded. As a Promised Lord, having his future wife snatched away would be a joke no one would let him forget.
He studied her face. She was listening carefully.
Time to press the advantage.
"Do you really want Trina to be carried off by some stranger who came out of nowhere?"
"So why not sound the retreat now? Come back with me and protect that weak, helpless, pitiable Saintess."
This was the real reason he had come.
Why waste such a powerful legion here on a war they were destined to lose?
With him, the Valkyrie, and the Haligtree Army together, even if Mohg showed up in person, they would still beat him down.
As for the Golden Prince's body, what of it?
Godwyn had been dead for so long. His remains might already have been returned to the roots, merged and twisted beyond use. Even if recovered, they might serve no purpose.
Sister…
Malenia swallowed unconsciously.
The image of Trina throwing herself into her arms, clinging and acting spoiled, flashed through her mind.
That soft, fragrant sister was far more tempting than any so-called throne.
She had never wanted this war in the first place. It had only ever been her sister's mission.
Nolan knew her well. He knew what lay beneath the surface.
If anyone else saw the look that had just crossed her face, their jaws would hit the floor.
"When will this Mohg of yours move against the Haligtree?"
Malenia did not answer him directly. Instead, she countered with a question.
Her slender fingers tapped lightly against the table, producing a crisp, steady rhythm. Her gaze was sharp and unwavering.
This was no trivial matter. Too many interests and too many forces were entangled in it. She could not act rashly.
She's wavering.
Her weakness was almost too obvious.
But as Nolan's smile began to form, her question hit him squarely.
How could he possibly know when Mohg would make his move?
He wasn't even certain Mohg would target the Haligtree this time.
"I don't know." Nolan shrugged honestly.
Malenia's brows drew together.
"Then do you have any evidence to support what you just said?"
Nolan shook his head again.
"No."
The corner of Malenia's eye twitched.
"You expect me to withdraw my army based on nothing but your word?" Her voice cooled noticeably. "Are you playing with me?"
No proof. No certainty.
Just empty talk, asking her to pull back her forces?
Seeing the anger rising in Malenia's eyes, Nolan quickly dropped his smile. His expression turned serious as he spoke with genuine urgency.
"Of course not. I truly am worried about Trina's safety."
"You're always wrapped in secrets," Malenia said quietly. "Sometimes I can't tell what you're really thinking."
Perhaps she sensed the sincerity in his tone. The fury that had been building in her seemed to falter. After a brief pause, she changed tack.
"I'll have someone escort you back to the Haligtree. If you believe there is danger, then bring my sister to me. But this war will go on. There is no room for retreat."
Nolan's face remained calm, as if he had expected that answer.
A war of this scale, tangled with so many interests, was never going to end because of a few words.
Still, he needed to ask.
"Why? This war is incredibly risky. Even if you take the Royal Capital, are you certain you can defeat those two brothers together?"
He frowned, concern plain on his face.
"I am not," Malenia replied evenly. "Radahn's strength is extraordinary. He is not to be underestimated. Rykard is a Demigod as well, far beyond mortal limits. I would never look down on any opponent."
"Then why insist on this, knowing the odds are slim?" Nolan pressed.
"You once said many things to me," Malenia answered, rising slowly to her feet. "But there is one sentence I remember clearly. To try is to leave a sliver of hope. To give up is to ensure nothing."
She met his puzzled gaze, her voice steady, tempered by resolve.
"Such determination," Nolan murmured. "Is it to answer Trina's expectations?"
"That is part of it," she admitted with a slight nod.
Then her eyes drifted toward the distance, something more complex stirring in them.
"But more importantly, this concerns the future of all of us."
"And what we seek is not the throne. I doubt they care much about that."
"As long as we can retrieve that thing, everything else will fall into place."
Godwyn truly held a special weight in the hearts of the Demigods. No wonder he had once been seen as the perfect heir.
Nolan suddenly asked,
"What if Godwyn's body is not in the Royal Capital? What if it is no longer perfect?"
"Even so, I will go and see with my own eyes."
Malenia cut him off with a sharp gesture, her fist clenching as her voice hardened.
"Radahn has his pursuit. Rykard has his. I have mine. As the Blade of Miquella, I will not retreat."
Nolan let out a long sigh, a faint, wry smile tugging at his lips.
"The conviction of a Demigod really leaves no room for argument."
"Nor does yours," Malenia replied. "Otherwise, you would not be standing here. Wouldn't it be easier to remain at the side of the Lunar Princess?"
It was rare.
She did not place Trina above all else in this moment, but chose instead an unseen future.
Malenia still carried the mission entrusted to her by her sister, but she had her own thoughts, her own judgment. Only undeniable proof could make tens of thousands of soldiers turn back.
"This war is not something my sister and I can fully control," she continued. "Nolan, do you truly believe that a Demigod in the Lands Between can act without limits?"
"Who do you think is capable of taking my sister from the sacred tree? Are you certain the enemy is only a hero or a Demigod?"
"Rykard could not. Radahn could not. Morgott could not."
Her voice fell colder.
"But this brutal war must reach its end."