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The tablecloth was spotless, and the cutlery was silver and shiny. The tone of the violin was elegant and graceful, despite the tension in Aphia’s eyes. After carefully sipping the wine poured by the waiter, Aphia looked at the view below.

Loggins, who was the hero of their time, had mentioned that this restaurant, which overlooked the streets of King’s Landing and the waves of people, was his favorite place to eat.

Aphia stole a glimpse of Loggins, who was swirling water in a wine glass in front of her.

“Aren’t you going to drink, Commander?”
“I don’t drink.”
“Now I’m feeling bad that I’m the only one that’s drinking…”
“Don’t worry about it. I was the one who asked you to drink, and I’ve also heard that you’re a sucker for it, so don’t hold back.”

Loggins tried his best to appear relaxed. The truth was that Loggins simply couldn’t hold his alcohol, but he tried hard not to let anyone in on this fact.

Hearing his words, Aphia took a somewhat reserved sip of her wine.

“It’s delicious.”
“Isn’t it? In fact, the wine in the barrels here is Sir Or… I mean Orthus’ favorite.”
“Sir Orthus favorite?!”
“Yea. He wasn’t fond of expensive restaurants, but he really liked the wine here.”
“I see… I see…”

Aphia said, once again bringing the glass to her lips, just as Loggins had predicted.

She then began to look around the restaurant with a lively curiosity.

“You seem to be quite fond of Orthus, do you mind me asking why that is? After all, not even the most fervent of fans would go all the way up to the Hill of Promise every day.”

When asked by Loggins, Aphia responded with a big smile on her face. It seemed like she was very glad he’d asked.

“Sir Orthus saved me when I was little.”
“Did he?”

Loggins thought this was a common story.

The number of lives Orthus had saved during his short time in this world was extraordinary. There was no end to the number of people who had been impressed by his words, deeds, and behavior.

Aphia was one such person.

She continued with a beaming smile.

“I remember it even now. My mother was killed by demons, my brother was killed, and I was just about to be killed myself when Sir Orthus appeared. It was exhilarating to watch him slay those wretched demons one after the other with his Sacred Sword and that jade cape waving behind him.”
“You sound quite excited.”
“Of course! It’s when I and Sir Orthus met, after all!”
“That’s not what I mean… Forget it.”
“……?”

Loggins couldn’t bear to ask if meeting Orthus or losing her family was more important to her. Unbeknownst to his thoughts, Aphia continued happily, like a young girl talking about her dreams.

“A few months later, I was attacked by a group of bandits. It was when I was attending my father’s tea party in the royal capital. Sir Orthus saved me then too. At that point, he’d already saved me twice!”

‘But it’s a knight’s job to guard important people coming to the royal capital…’ Loggins thought, but couldn’t bear to say it. Nevertheless, Aphia’s eyes continued to shine as she spoke.

“At that time, the powerless soldiers were taken one after another by the lowly bandits. Seeing that filled me with despair. And that’s when I understood it.”
“Understood what?”
“That justice without power is not justice. And that Sir Orthus was truly a god.”
“A g-god…”

A blush of red appeared on Aphia’s cheeks as she closed her eyes, and put her hand on her chest.

‘T-This girl…’ At this point, Loggins’ suspicion became a certainty. Aphia was not a lunatic— she was a fanatic. With that realization, everything clicked into place for Loggins.

He understood that Aphia’s heart had been broken by the first incident. Since then, she could only keep her mind balanced if she allowed herself to blindly believe in something. She’d found the object of that belief in the god Orthus.

As Aphia tasted Orthus’ favorite wine in the restaurant, Loggins felt a mix of pity and fear. The human heart was fragile and easily broken, especially when faced with the tragic death of a family member at a young age.

“So that’s why you visit his monument every day.”
“That’s right. It’s only natural for one to pray to god.”
“To god, huh…”
“Besides, who knows, my wish just might come true one day.”
“Your wish?”
“Yes. For god to be revived.”

Aphia’s eyes were intense and unwavering as she answered.

Hearing that, Loggins somehow managed to hold himself back from collapsing.

“Mythical figures always end up being resurrected. That’s why I’m sure that it won’t be long before a person as great as Sir Orthus is resurrected.”
“I see… That’d be great, wouldn’t it…”
“Of course, it would!”

As Aphia replied with a carefree smile, the food had just been brought out. The chef placed a piece of beef with a nice aroma of herbs on the plate in front of her.

“Was this also one of Sir Orthus’ favorites?”
“Yea, I think he liked it quite a bit.”
“Whoa! He did?! Whoa!”

Regret swirled inside Loggins. He began wondering whether it was a mistake bringing Aphia here. He somewhat regretted even getting to know the woman known as Aphia.

Even though Loggins admired Orthus from the bottom of his heart, his enthusiasm cooled when he saw a real fanatic in front of him.

However, if her faith in Orthus was managing to sustain her broken heart, then Loggins couldn’t allow himself to be harsh, or condemn it.

“Say, what if he really is resurrected? What will you do?” Loggins asked.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“It’d be really happy for sure. And I’d also probably do my best to eliminate everything that stands in his way. I am prepared to give my body, my heart, and everything to him for the justice he desires and the world he wants.”

Aphia’s determination was dark, cold, and solid like frozen steel. If the revived Orthus told her to die, she would die, and if he told her to kill the king, she would do it without hesitation.

‘At least that’s not possible.’ Loggins sniffed and took a bite of the meat.

There was no such thing as the dead coming back to life. It was a work of God that no mage, no matter how great, could accomplish. If it were possible, it would indeed be god’s work.

Aphia’s delusions were just that—delusions. Loggins was not open-minded enough to take every single one of her ramblings seriously.

Despite his half-hearted dismay, Aphia was enjoying her God’s favorite meat dish to her heart’s content.

Occasionally, she would mutter something like, “This is God’s favorite” or “I’m eating God’s favorite meal right now!”