The Temple's Hidden Aura
“So… what should we do now?”
She descended from the tree and immediately linked her arm with mine.
“Hmm. A walk? You two do that often, don’t you?”
Strolling through a dark mountain at night wasn’t exactly an ideal route, but it wouldn’t be a problem for her. Just as I was about to take a step, her muttered words froze me in place.
“I still don’t understand what’s so enchanting about it that you can’t forget.”
…Right. That wasn’t about a simple walk. I couldn’t recall the exact contents of the books Georges had given me, but her words clearly referred to a secret rendezvous. The scene of a man and woman meeting under cover of night, and everything that followed, had been glossed over as nothing more than a “night walk.”
It didn’t seem to be one of those books that described such things in explicit detail. Given Georges’s personality, that was only natural, but whether that was something to be grateful for…
“Y-yes, that’s true.”
Regardless, we began walking. The dark mountain path and the fact that our arms were linked made it less than comfortable, but that discomfort was nothing compared to the awkwardness of not knowing what to do next.
“Come to think of it, what happened to that guy who used to fawn over Anubkut? He disappeared at some point.”
“Klugbi? When Anubkut lost his second hatchery because of you lot, the idiot tried to switch sides to Zeka and got sliced in half on the spot. Foolish. Zeka despises sycophants more than anything.”
We exchanged a few trivial stories from the past, but the conversation inevitably died out before long.
“……”
As the silence stretched on, an obsessive need to say something crept up on me. It felt as though I were a boy on his first date. I remembered a classmate who had been dumped on the very day of his first date because he kept cracking jokes out of nervousness. What was his name again—Skow? Shtimph?
“What are you thinking about?”
She gave my arm a gentle shake, having noticed my mind wandering.
“…I was just wondering if there was anything we could do. I was worried you might find it boring, since it’s been a while since you’ve been outside.”
“Why would you think I’m bored?”
Her genuinely surprised reaction caught me off guard as well.
“Well, we’re just walking like this.”
“So what? Don’t you two enjoy walks?”
Of course, there was no rule stating that a good walk required constant conversation. Still, considering her personality and the situation she was in, simply spending time like this felt woefully insufficient.
“You don’t enjoy it, do you, Lady Rofena?”
“Then what do you think I do enjoy?”
I had to admit I was momentarily flustered. Come to think of it, I had never really given much thought to what she liked.
“Reading is out, and obviously balls or plays are as well. So……”
The more flustered I became, the more she seemed to enjoy drawing it out, her expression playful yet composed as she waited for my answer.
“So?”
“…Blowing up mountains?”
It wasn’t the best way to dodge the question with such a silly joke, but honestly, nothing better came to mind no matter how hard I thought. Of course, there was that time during the early days of the great war when she had literally blown up a Letinian mountain, but still.
“You got it. Should I try it right now?”
She extended her hand in a mock gesture, a small flame flickering at her fingertips. The scale was so different from when she had joked about burning books that the immersion was somewhat lacking. Whether dissatisfied with my reaction or simply thinking of a more entertaining prank, she suddenly pulled me closer.
“If you’re going to think about me that much, don’t leave me alone. I’m not waiting for you so I can do something—I just want to be with you.”
I could feel my ears turning red, not just my face. Being pulled so close, her face was right in front of mine, and hearing those words in that situation made it impossible to hide my expression or maintain composure.
“I-I’ll do my best.”
“Don’t forget those words.”
Only then did she release me. Our arms remained linked, but at least I was no longer completely trapped as before, so I could straighten my posture.
My flushed face, however, refused to return to normal. The cool night air only made the heat in my cheeks more apparent. She seemed to find my reaction amusing and kept staring at my face with a mischievous glint in her eyes, making me even more uncomfortable.
“By the way, do you know what’s up on this mountain?”
“I’ve heard there’s a temple dedicated to the god Taisankun.”
At my answer, she glanced toward the summit and tilted her head.
“Taisankun? That doesn’t seem right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Taisankun is a god of the underworld. But the energy I’m sensing now feels closer to the demon realm.”
Naturally, I couldn’t sense anything. There was no massive surge of mana or magic, and it wasn’t as if I could detect such things from this distance.
“Are you certain?”
“Don’t you trust me?”
I felt her magic begin to coil around me. Surely she wasn’t—
“No, I do trust—!”
I never got to finish. The scenery around us had already changed. Though I couldn’t be sure, we were almost certainly at the summit.
“See? Just like I said.”
At her expectant question, I quietly tried to sense the energies. The temple itself wasn’t visible yet, but we had clearly drawn closer, as I could now feel the presences.
It was like a light white mist settling in the early morning—ethereal yet vast, filled with an ancient sanctity and mystery that permeated everything around us. Even the rocks and blades of grass seemed steeped in that lingering aura.
Yet, unlike that ancient, pristine energy, there was also something impulsive and foreign mixed in.
“…I can definitely feel it.”
It was similar to the energy of the demon realm. Though faint, it felt recent, as if it hadn’t yet blended with the existing energies.
“Demonic energy in a temple dedicated to a god of the underworld.”
“Right? Strange, isn’t it?”
Something was clearly suspicious. While it wasn’t unheard of for a single temple to honor multiple gods, this wasn’t a case of deities from the same lineage or with similar domains sharing blessings. There was no reason for a temple of Taisankun to also venerate a god of the demon realm.
“Do you have any guesses?”
I didn’t expect her to, but I asked anyway. As anticipated, she shook her head.
“None at all.”
“Then shall we go take a look?”
Neither Rowell nor Aegina was here, and under normal circumstances this wouldn’t have been the kind of situation to act on impulsively. But her presence made the decision much easier. Besides, it was better than standing around wondering what to do next.
“If that’s what you want, sure.”
“Then for a moment……”
“Wait! Hold on!”
“Yes?”
“What are you trying to do?”
She stopped me as I began to form runes in the air to set up a barrier.
“Just in case, I thought I’d put up a barrier……”
“What’s there to worry about when I’m here?”
“No, it’s just……”
I knew her strength well—she had once been a Demon Commander. But unlike Rowell or the others, I couldn’t confidently say that having her by my side guaranteed safety. Rowell and the others were accustomed to fighting while protecting something, but I had never seen her do the same during the great war. If anything, when excited, she would abandon even her subordinates and charge into battle herself, or attack without regard for her own allies, be they imps or Death Knights.
“Don’t you trust me?”
It would be a lie to say I felt no unease.
“You think I can’t even protect one person?”
“No, it’s just that you’re probably not used to it. And as you know, the human body is fragile, so in case of an emergency……”
Moreover, the bodies of high-ranking demons were fundamentally different from those of this material world. Their forms, closer to spirit than matter, couldn’t be destroyed by mere physical force without sufficient magic or will behind it. The sense of danger was completely different from that of humans or other material beings.
“Do you really think anyone here could lay a finger on you while I’m around?”
Faced with her serious gaze as she looked straight at me, I had no choice but to lower my hand.
“…Understood. I’ll leave it to you, then.”
Of course, part of me wanted to layer at least two or three barriers just in case. Not because I didn’t trust her, but because I was accustomed to minimizing variables and preparing for the worst. But if doing so would make it seem as though I didn’t trust her, then it didn’t matter.
* * *
In a room where a gentle flame flickered and old prayers and wishes were inscribed on fine cloths hanging from the walls, a woman sat on a wooden chair entwined with vines. She wasn’t exactly beautiful, but she possessed a tall, lean frame, an air of dignity accentuated by her black-and-white garments, and a strong, unwavering gaze.
“You called for me, Savio Dinok.”
Neikalsin, who had entered after opening the door, carefully spoke her name. His voice was respectful, and his posture conveyed deference to a leader, yet his eyes held a deep affection that transcended mere formality.
“What became of the merchants and the warriors?”
Her gaze toward him carried a faint tremor. Though she tried to hide it, the emotional stir was unmistakable, and the meaning behind it was essentially no different from his own.
“Some left early, perhaps to request notarization from other islands, while others remain.”
“Then they won’t be coming here?”
“It seems unlikely.”
She turned her head toward the altar. Upon the massive structure that spanned an entire wall, countless memorial tablets were arranged across nine tiers. Strangely, the candles that should have been lit before them were all extinguished.
“…Thank you for coming to tell me in person.”
“It was only what I should have done.”
Neikalsin’s gaze toward her was filled with longing as well as affection, but she deliberately avoided meeting his eyes.
“It’s late. You should return now.”
She wasn’t looking at him as she spoke. Neikalsin hesitated, as if he had something to say, but soon closed his mouth and bowed in respect.
“Then I pray you rest well.”
He turned slowly, as though his feet were reluctant to move, and left the room. Once the door closed and his footsteps faded, Dinok finally let out the sigh she had been holding and leaned back against the chair.
“Well done.”
From the empty air, a woman with hair so long it covered her face and reached her waist appeared.