Omen (2)
Omen (2)
Plink. Plip.
Small, clear droplets fell one by one from the overcast sky, thick with dark clouds, sinking toward the earth.
"Nn... mm."
As I listened to the rain's soft murmur in the stillness, Claire, nestled against my chest, murmured in her sleep and burrowed even closer.
There was nowhere left to burrow, yet she kept pressing her cheek and nose against me. Watching her, I felt the corners of my lips lift slowly.
I brushed back her golden hair, which somehow shone more brilliantly in the muted light. The motion revealed the red marks hidden beneath, stark against the fair canvas of her skin.
Traces I had left upon a blank sheet of paper.
'...You're more than I deserve.'
This feeling.
Everything that has been given to me.
"Mm..."
When the hand in her hair moved to stroke her cheek, a faint smile touched her lips. Like a child, she rubbed her cheek against my palm.
'Is this greed?'
I once thought it would be enough if just one person—Ha-na—could be happy. But now that number had grown.
'Not exactly a good change.'
Still, it wasn't a greed beyond my reach.
"Mmm...?"
Long eyelashes drifted upward, and the blue eyes hidden beneath slowly revealed themselves.
"Sleep a little more."
"...Okay."
I returned my hand from her cheek to her hair, stroking gently. Claire's eyelids, which had just opened, slid closed again. A moment later, her breathing evened out.
A vulnerability devoid of any wariness.
As I gazed down at a face only I was permitted to see, I listened to the rain drumming against the window.
Hoping that my heart would not grow numb.
**
"I have an appointment with Jaden, so have lunch first."
"Yes, I will."
Claire walked beside Baek Woo-jin as he headed toward the front door, answering him.
"I'm off."
"Ah, th-this..."
She handed him the black umbrella she had prepared a moment ago.
"Alright."
"..."
Her face flushed for no good reason at the faint upturn of his lips.
Even knowing he had no need for an umbrella, she had prepared it anyway, to satisfy a small personal wish.
"Take care..."
"I will."
She saw him off as he stepped outside and unfurled the umbrella she'd given him. She remained there until the front door shut completely.
"Haa..."
The moment he disappeared, she pressed a hand over her left chest, where her heart beat heavy and wild, and let out a heated breath.
A black shirt, a simple black suit.
It was his usual attire, complete with the coat that had now become Ha-na's signature. Nothing out of the ordinary.
She should have grown somewhat accustomed to it by now. Yet this morning, her heart had fluttered so violently as she saw him off that she found herself terribly flustered.
"...I'll start with tidying up."
The persistent pounding in her chest irritated her, but she could not postpone the housework. Step by leaden step, she forced herself to move.
First, the teacups and dishes left on the dining table.
Next, she entered Baek Ha-na's room to wipe away dust and straighten the bedding.
Finally, she passed through the study and opened the bedroom door.
She drew in a slow breath.
She hadn't noticed it when she first woke up. But after walking through the rest of the residence and returning to the bedroom, one fact became undeniable. The room was thick with a scent that forcefully stirred the memories of the night before.
Her face growing hot, she exhaled sharply and stripped the blankets and sheets from the bed. For a moment, she considered taking the pillows too, but ultimately, she left the room carrying only what she already held.
"Mmm."
Once the laundry was running and the housework was done, Claire quietly returned to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.
Plink. Plip.
After staring blankly for a moment, she lay back slowly, lulled by the sound of rain behind her. She gazed up at the window.
There had been a time when she had to board a plane at least once a fortnight, sometimes every single day.
Now, even without borrowing the power of a magic tool, her top priority was housework that took barely an hour to finish. And once that was done, she spent the remaining hours lazing about like someone with nothing to do.
'...Is it truly alright for me to live like this?'
She was not bored.
The time spent waiting for him to return was still so full of anticipation that it never grew dull.
Perhaps it was simply because she had spent so long in constant motion.
Even now, she could not quite adjust to this leisure.
"Lunch... alone..."
Recalling Baek Woo-jin's words before he left, Claire pulled his pillow—the one she had left untouched—into her arms and curled around it.
His scent, faintly soaked into the fabric, seeped slowly into her with every breath.
Claire.
A low, pleasing voice.
Large, warm hands encircling her waist.
Filled with the profound affection she had felt the night before, Claire was just about to bury her face in the pillow she held close—
-Peep-peep-pururu~
-Hoho, you have to shake the water off properly before you come in, you know?
Two familiar voices drifted through the gap in the half-open door. Claire quickly straightened up and climbed off the bed. After swiftly checking her clothes, she passed through the study and stepped into the hallway.
-Claire!!
"Oh my. Did you not say you were accompanying the professor to his lecture today?"
"...Well. Schedules can change at any time."
Answering Lee Ye-sol's question as naturally as possible, Claire extended her palm toward the Fairy flying her way.
"Did you make this yourself?"
"I put considerable effort into it."
The Fairy, wearing a light-green raincoat that matched her hair color perfectly, landed on Claire's palm and beamed. A faint smile touched Claire's lips as well.
-Splish-splosh!! It doesn't get wet!!
"Is that so."
The Fairy bounced on her feet, clad in cute little rain boots adorned with a frog sticker.
But seeing how drenched her hair was, Claire found herself smiling again.
She could easily picture it even without having seen: the Fairy flitting about with her eyes sparkling at every falling raindrop.
"You'll need a wash."
-Peep!!
Soaking in warm water was another thing the Fairy loved. The tiny creature beamed at Claire's words and flew off toward the bathroom on her own.
"Hohoho~"
"...What exactly is that irreverent laugh supposed to mean?"
Heading toward the bathroom together, Claire frowned at her subordinate's unpleasant smile. Yet even in the face of her superior's threatening look, Lee Ye-sol kept that characteristic flippant smile of hers and opened her mouth.
"It's just that I suspect the professor has quite strong possessive tendencies."
"What..."
Claire closed her mouth before she could tell her to stop talking nonsense. A beat too late, she realized Lee Ye-sol's gaze was fixed on her nape and shoulders, clearly visible.
The marks could have been erased at any time with the power of healing.
She had left them because he did not wish them gone.
And because she did not wish to show them to others, she had stayed home today.
"...It is not like that."
"Hmm~? What is not like what?"
"..."
Under her subordinate's teasing question, Claire shot her a glare for a brief moment before fleeing into the bathroom.
"Hoho, let's go in together~"
With a rare chance presenting itself, Lee Ye-sol's eyes lit up as she chased after Claire to keep teasing her.
·
·
·
-Bwooh...
The Fairy, having eaten chocolate until her little stomach bulged, sprawled out on the dining table like a starfish.
Watching her, Lee Ye-sol carefully began to speak.
"It concerns the disappearance case I reported five days ago."
"Did you pick up the trail?"
"Regrettably, we were unable to seize the trail."
"..."
Claire's eyes narrowed at Lee Ye-sol's answer.
"I dispatched Knight, did I not?"
Queen.
Bishop.
Rook.
Knight.
These were the designations of the holy knight orders operating solely to hunt wanted criminals and followers of the Evil Gods. Among them, Knight was the order most skilled in tracking arts.
"A report has come in. It is presumed that the agent who disposed of Quickdust's remnants has also been eliminated."
"Cooperate with the other temples and continue the investigation."
"Yes. I will relay that. Also, as of approximately 2 a.m. Korean time today, a large quantity of bones—believed to belong to children—was discovered in Los Angeles, USA, and Tuscany, Italy."
"Human sacrifice."
"At present, the balance of opinion is tilting in that direction."
A large quantity of bones, hearts excised.
Human sacrifice was the only plausible conclusion to draw from the visible clues.
"Citing concerns about a pandemic, the leadership of the respective governments and the Associations have expressed a desire to see this case resolved discreetly."
"Hah. They worry about the most trivial things."
For the first time, Claire displayed open displeasure.
"Now that the Executor's continued presence has been confirmed and the professor's martial prowess has been revealed, they likely do not dare risk offending us."
That way, when a catastrophe beyond their own nations' power to handle strikes, they can ask for help with a bit less shame.
"Tell them we will not involve ourselves."
"I shall do so."
They had inquired while pretending to respect our stance, but hidden within was undoubtedly the intent to shift any future blame onto us should an incident occur.
"Any other notable matters?"
"There is one."
Claire, who had been reaching carefully toward the now-sleeping Fairy, paused.
"Due to the recent disappearances and the rise in other crime rates, an opinion has been put forward: to move the Clergy General Assembly forward."
"That matter would be best asked of the person attending."
"...Lord Vuar has commanded that the Executor attend this conference."
The expressions on both Lee Ye-sol and Claire's faces hardened simultaneously.
For Claire, it was because she had heard nothing of this. For Lee Ye-sol, it was because she had naturally assumed her superior had also received the directive—only to realize that was not the case.
"...Convey my agreement."
"Yes... And also..."
"Hoo."
At her superior's short exhale, Lee Ye-sol continued with an awkward smile.
"...The host nation for this conference has been changed to Korea."
"...By whose authority?"
At the icy tone that sent a chill down the spine, Lee Ye-sol instinctively averted her gaze from her superior and moved her lips.
"By that of the great ones..."
"Ha."
A fierce glare that looked ready to commit blasphemy on the spot, and a deep furrow carved between her brows.
Lee Ye-sol had to seriously deliberate whether she should order a new divine statue.