#089 Mars's Declaration
Mars's declaration wasn't something Catherine could just laugh off. The Mars she'd come to know wasn't the type to joke around like that in a place like this.
'What if I no longer seem worth waiting for?'
Did that mean everything—Chezare, the wealth that came with him, the convenience, happiness, magic, and all the rest—could vanish like it never happened?
'But I've already met Chezare in the future.'
And they'd been contracted for ages. They'd even formed a bond deeper than blood. She'd agreed to invest in the theater, too...
"Catherine."
Mars called her name softly. His voice sounded strangely tender. A faint smile warmed his face as he looked down at her.
"Don't take it so seriously. Can't you tell when it's a joke?"
Her tension melted away at those words.
'A joke, huh? Not like him at all...'
So Mars was capable of joking, too. And with a straight face, no less. People really shouldn't be judged too hastily.
The peace of the plains shattered as the true name was spoken. With the crisp sound of crashing waves, a massive sea turtle was summoned.
This suddenly?
"I've been waiting. Which arrogant fools shall I send flying this time?"
Queen's voice brimmed with wariness and battle lust. She sounded like a knight eager for the call to the battlefield.
"The war is over, Queen."
"Is that so? What a shame. I was looking forward to crushing those bronze scraps."
Queen's rough tone matched Mars's perfectly. Even the Queen from the past was no different.
Mars climbed onto Queen’s shell and extended a hand to Catherine. Hesitantly, she took it and settled beside him on the shell.
Before she could ask what was happening, Queen floated up into the air.
"We're heading to 'that place' now."
"Leave it to me."
Queen soared high into the sky, shooting through the clouds. The speed was far greater than Catherine expected—she hurriedly grabbed Mars's waist. It might look like a turtle, but it rivaled any winged monster.
Yet Mars sat as steady as if he were on solid ground.
"Mars. Where are we going?"
"That place."
"Where is that place?"
"You'll see when we get there."
Of course she'd know once they arrived! What an infuriating way to talk. He clearly had no intention of telling her right now, though. Fine—she'd find out soon enough, so no more prying.
"Do we really have to fly on Queen? Magic teleportation would be easier."
"The protective magic around that place is tricky even for me."
His calm reply surprised her inwardly. This was the first time she'd heard him admit weakness when it comes to magic—he was always so confident.
'How impressive must that place be?'
"Why bring me all the way there?"
Was he watching her in case she tried to run? Mars turned to study her face.
"To bury you."
Dozens of chaotic questions pierced her mind in that instant. Reasons Mars might want to bury her: One, she knew too much about him. Two, she was in the way. Three, he just didn't like her.
"Kidding."
Catherine shot him a glare. It really didn't suit him.
'Has he gotten a taste for bad jokes?'
Enjoying them was one thing, but when they didn't even sound like jokes, that was a problem. Chezare had a decent sense of humor, too. How much had changed in six hundred years?
"Mars, you should stop with the jokes from now on."
"Why."
Catherine hesitated. How could she phrase it without hurting his feelings while still conveying her honest thoughts?
"It's not great."
Her conclusion after agonizing: 'Any blunt words will hurt feelings anyway, so just be honest.'
Mars's response was immediate. His mocking tone poked at her ears.
"That's not what you said before. You were gasping for breath, saying how much you liked me."
Dozens more chaotic questions raced through her mind. But before she could answer them one by one, her mouth moved first.
"I-I never said it made my breathing ragged."
"You confessed so desperately, like you were about to die, and now you're making excuses. You like me that much?"
"Didn't you say our bond is deeper than blood? If we disliked each other in a relationship like that, that would be the real problem."
"When did I say that? Now you're putting words in my mouth like it's nothing. Have you lost your mind?"
It was maddeningly unfair. Who was the demon who'd lectured her that contracts weren't like marriage?
"I'm not making it up. Don't you even remember what your future self said?"
Of course he wouldn't— it was the future. She'd blurted nonsense in her haste. Calming her excitement, Catherine continued slowly.
"You said our bond is deeper than anything in the world. You swore you'd watch over me even if I reincarnated as an earthworm or a pine tree."
"...I did?"
"Yes. You, Mars."
Mars turned to her again, his gaze gleaming with disbelief.
"It's true."
Gazing at his sharp profile, Catherine spoke once more.
"Really, really true."
"Got it. No need to emphasize."
For a fleeting moment, she caught a hint of amusement in his voice. His broad back, against her chin, shook slightly with it.
Catherine slowly closed her eyes, then opened them. That voice lingered like an auditory hallucination before fading. Closing her eyes again brought the illusion that Chezare had been there and vanished.
A sharp wave of longing hit her, hard to bear.
"Mars."
"What."
The stiff reply was the total opposite of Chezare's. Yet Mars no longer felt like a different person.
Mars was Chezare.
She tightened her arms around his waist. Mars pressed for an answer.
"Don't beat around the bush. Spit it out."
"Can I have a hug? Just once?"
"You're hugging me right now."
"Not like this."
He fell silent for a moment.
'Too much to ask?'
Truth be told, the familiarity and longing she felt for Mars were all one-sided. To him, she might be no different from some random subjugation squad grunt.
"Hey."
Mars turned toward her and sat facing her. His head, a couple of handspans higher, bent down to look at her. Through the faint shadow between them, his face came into sharp focus.
This was the closest they'd ever been.
"You know you're ridiculously brazen, right?"
Propping his chin, Mars let out a hollow chuckle.
"You like me that much? Asking for a hug out of nowhere on a turtle's shell?"
She did like him, but... did he have to harp on it like that?
Embarrassment made her heart pound wildly.
"Stop saying that."
"Saying what? That you like me?"
Embarrassed people always shout the loudest. She scooted back on her butt and yelled,
"Yes! I like you, Mars. You're my absolute favorite. So stop teasing!"
"Don't wanna."
Forget them overlapping—she took back every word. Mars grinned mischievously and yanked her retreating arm.
"You asked for a hug, so where do you think you're going?"
He trapped her between his legs and lightly pulled her small frame into his arms. Catherine stiffened at the warmth enveloping her whole body.
She'd asked for it herself, but actually being held left her mind in a daze.
'Why did I say that? Was I crazy for a second?'
Mars's heartbeat sounded so close. And it was racing just as fast as hers.
"Did you say that to my future self, too?"
"...That I like you?"
"Yeah."
"No."
Honestly, she doubted she'd ever say it to Chezare's face, even after returning. She couldn't even imagine his reaction.
A new weight settled on her head.
"Hm. So I'm the first to hear it, not that guy."
Mars spoke with his chin resting on her hair. There was a oddly satisfied tone to it.
Anyone hearing would think "that guy" was someone else entirely.
"Master. We're approaching the target airspace. I can see it in the distance."
At Queen's words, Catherine hurriedly turned. As the altitude dropped, the clouds parted.
A massive city came into view not far off. And at its center, a majestic white fortress rivaling the Iterana Imperial Palace in grandeur.
Surrounding the city was a translucent, bluish defensive barrier.
"The Papal Palace."
It was astonishing all over again. The Papal Palace looked exactly the same six hundred years ago as it did now.
The only difference was that the surrounding city—Whiteland—was far smaller than in the future.
"I brought you here to warn you."
A warning?
"Timing-wise, it'll be around your era. The Papal Palace will turn the continent upside down once. On a scale like this—or worse."
Catherine gazed down at the pristinely white Papal Palace.
Truth be told, Mars's warning wasn't exactly shocking.
"You don't seem fazed. Already figured it out? Or just fearless?"
Mars's large hand pressed down on her head.
"Brain's in there somewhere."
As if.
"There were already signs. Recently... well, in my future, the Papal Palace summoned the Lord of Bronze."
And she even knew the contractor personally.
"Oh? Is that Behemoth a new one?"
"New?"
"I mean a young demon. This era's Behemoth is about to die by my hand soon anyway."
Catherine recalled the conversations between Behemoth and the other archdemons in the Abyss. The couple of times they'd treated Behemoth like a baby brother.
The Behemoth of this era seemed long dead by six hundred years later.
"Yeah, a new one."
"Good. Queen, back to the subjugation squad."
"Yes. Holding back the stench was exhausting."
And that was it?
Catherine felt a twinge of emptiness. Knowing Mars, she'd half-expected him to smash a gate or something on the way out.
"What's your take on my warning?"
What kind of question was that?
Catherine answered honestly.
"Thanks for caring, but... I'm not cut out to be some hero."
Was he trying to instill some grand mission to protect the future continent? If so, total failure—she wanted to say.
She was just a small citizen responsible for one gardener, one maid, and one cat.
"Who said anything about heroes?"
His reaction was baffled. Uncomfortable in his embrace, Catherine squirmed.
"Let go now. It's awkward."
"Who was begging for a hug? Stay still. What hero talk?"
"Wasn't it about dealing with the Papal Palace's chaos?"
"Not at all."
Mars denied it flatly.
"Others'll handle that. Pack your bags and run far away. That's why I told you."