Chapter 137: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (1)
Chapter 137: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (1)
Sunken memories rise like shards. Memories of a man, built from pure white light.
Flowers did not bloom in the fields. It was a lonely spring.
The Continent's West Coast was plagued by low rainfall due to the perennial cold currents, leaving much of it a desert wasteland.
When spring arrived, rain clouds driven by strong westerly winds would occasionally pass through and sprinkle a brief shower; this was the only time one could see flowers in the West.
But in the man's memory, the West remained desolate despite the arrival of spring.
Neigh—! The mournful cry of a horse echoed through the camp, which was submerged in a heavy silence. The rows of tents stood as silent witnesses, testifying that even this place had become a battlefield.
The man dismounted without a word. Every soldier he passed wore a face of listless exhaustion.
The only sounds that occasionally broke the silence were mocking jeers that sounded more like lamentations.
"It's the Crows, isn't it?"
"Hey, hey... keep it down. They aren't the kind of people commoners like us should insult recklessly."
He was used to this treatment by now.
One of the people standing behind the man stepped forward with an indignant expression, but the man raised a hand to restrain him.
In truth, that gesture alone was enough.
The soldiers who had been snickering and mocking the man flinched at the movement and hurried away. The sound of teeth grinding came from behind him, but the man never opened his mouth.
He simply walked on until he stopped before a particularly lavish tent.
The white tent was spotless, an unbelievable sight in the middle of a desert. And embroidered upon it in elegant gold thread was a sophisticated pattern.
It was the symbol of the Imperial Household.
The man stared blankly at the dragon-head crest for a moment before quietly stepping inside.
The knights guarding the perimeter did not move to stop him. They acted as if it were only natural for him to enter the tent without permission.
Inside, countless documents were flying through the air.
It looked as if dozens of white birds were fluttering their wings. In the center of this whirlwind of paper stood a woman.
Her face was not clearly visible. However, the moment she turned her head, the man's knees buckled instinctively. Just as he was about to speak, he was given pause by a playful voice.
"......Did you enjoy your honeymoon?"
The man seemed to hesitate for a moment.
In the end, instead of the formal greeting he had prepared, he had to offer an answer laced with a sigh.
"She and I do not have that kind of relationship."
"But you will soon, won't you? That's what the rumors say."
With a sharp snap of the woman's fingers, the documents flying in the air stacked themselves neatly on the desk all at once. She crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair.
Her mischievous smile was striking. The man avoided her gaze with a troubled expression.
"Hehe, how interesting. A scandal spread by the disciple of the Great Witch..."
"Strictly speaking, I am not her disciple. And most of those scandals are untrue."
"I know. I'm the one spreading some of them, after all."
At those words, the man's composure nearly crumbled. As he looked up at her in a daze, she stood up with an inscrutable smile.
She tapped the kneeling man's shoulder twice and spoke.
"Don't make it so obvious. I'm a very jealous person, you know."
"Shall we walk, then?"
At the following suggestion, the man took the woman's hand as if he had no choice.
The afternoon sun was fierce, and the sweltering heat baked the earthen ground. Though the heat was enough to make anyone gasp for air, the breathing of the man and the woman remained perfectly calm.
They stood before the battlefield.
The man's movements suddenly stiffened. His frozen eyes stared beyond the horizon.
"......What do you think?"
At the woman's question, the man's lips parted and then closed again.
His face turned pale. Even from this great distance, the shadow of the colossal beast looming over there was clearly visible.
He could even see the massive body swelling and receding with every breath it took. At that size, it was a monster at least dozens of meters tall.
"A few days ago, we succeeded in binding its movements by sacrificing a Divine Artifact kept by the Imperial Household. It should stay like that for at least a month."
"......How long."
At the stuttered question, the woman turned her face toward the man as if puzzled.
"How long can we hold out? If that monster is unleashed."
His voice was tinged with a fear he couldn't hide. Anyone would feel the same.
Anyone who saw that shadow covering the horizon would feel it.
Only the woman let out a small "Hmm," pretending to be composed.
"We can't hold out."
It was a plain, unembellished statement.
That was why the sense of despair hit even harder. The man's mouth clamped shut instantly.
"Who would have thought my eyes would be worth that much? To think they would summon such a terrifying creature of myth..."
Involuntarily, the man glanced at the woman, who was wearing a bitter smile.
Her eyes were closed. And she would likely never open them again.
"Sir, we have no more time."
There was no need to ask for whom.
The answer was obvious anyway.
No one had any time left. The time remaining for humanity was racing toward its final moments.
It was then that the woman's lips, which had been relaxed throughout, trembled slightly.
"......Delphirem is coming."
The man could do nothing but stare at the shadow beyond the horizon in silence.
As the sunlight faded, it cast a shadow over the man's golden eyes.
It was a bleak gaze.
And once again, the world came crashing down.
Soon, a sharp gasp woke my hazy mind.
It was the sound of my own breathing. Driven by a burning thirst, my fumbling hand swept across the bedside table.
My hand found the familiar sensation of something heavy. I immediately unscrewed the cap of the canteen and gulped down the water.
My senses gradually returned. The scenery was somewhat familiar now.
The flipped calendar, and the elegant envelope sitting on the table.
I let out a curse and carefully examined the envelope.
It was made of a material more luxurious than any envelope that had arrived so far. With trembling hands, I broke the seal.
My eyes began to scan the lines of text.
----
To. My beloved Ian Percus,
Please forgive this foolish lover for speaking of the past at a time when I should be promising a happy future.
The moon is exceptionally cold tonight, making me long for you dearly. It is for that reason that I have taken up my pen, leaving behind the embarrassments of my immature childhood.
Countless memories are crashing against my time like waves. While the memories of that day have become the milestones of my life, I worry that they might still remain as unpleasant times for you.
Once again, I deeply apologize for the painful memories you had to endure.
How could I dare to say I understand your heart, having had to bear misunderstandings and pain for the sake of everyone? Nevertheless, not a single day has passed since then that I haven't regretted what happened.
Even more so after realizing that you did it all for me.
The emotions that sprouted that day began to torment me. A feeling of affection that comes only once in a lifetime made my chest ache as if it were melting my heart.
To confess, I cried every night.
Because I thought we might have had a much better first meeting.
First love is such a terrifying emotion. Every woman by your side looked like a fox to me, and even though I had so much I wanted to say, I couldn't utter a word because of the sins I had committed.
It was the first time.
From the moment the demonic beasts attacked the procession, I was completely out of my mind. In the end, I even fell into the Dark Priest's trap.
But at the final moment, when you entered that cave, color was finally born into my life.
In your arms that day, I thought to myself: I must spend the rest of my life atoning to this man.
That is why I started learning how to cook recently.
It's embarrassing, but if I marry you, we might have to move from place to place. Sometimes, we might even have to live without servants.
Supporting one's husband is both a wife's duty and her right. Above all, I hope it makes you happy.
They say love is the process of making someone the other half of your life, but I don't know why you feel like my entire life to me.
The night has grown deep. I have much more I want to write, but I shall set down my pen for now.
Thank you once again for protecting my eyes.
And I love you more than anyone, Ian.
I close this letter with the desperate hope that I may see you again tomorrow.
P.S. 1: There are rumors circulating about a recent appointment to the western edge of the continent, but they are all untrue. Of course, she is bothersome, but I simply judged based on objective evidence that she is suitable for protecting Arancote. It's not jealousy, absolutely not.
P.S. 2: Couriers have been arriving from the Holy Kingdom lately, and I am somewhat worried. Ian, you are a pillar of the Empire, and the other party is a high-ranking official of the Holy Kingdom. You could be accused of colluding with a foreign power. I say it again, it's not jealousy. Absolutely not.
From. The woman who loves you most, staying awake through the night thinking of you.
On the first day of the Month of the Staff, Imperial Calendar year 571.
----
After reading the letter in silence for a while, I let out a deep sigh.
It was still a letter I couldn't make head or tail of.
A procession? An attack by demonic beasts? And a Dark Priest?
And what was this about "eyes"? As I pressed my temples, I had a fleeting impression that I might have heard something about "eyes" in my dream.
I checked the back of the letter first.
As expected, it was there.
Words scribbled in a completely different handwriting from the rest of the letter.
'He who possesses the Dragon's Eye does not know the human heart.'
I stared blankly at the sentence for a moment before sighing and tucking the letter into my shirt.
First, I had to figure out the parts that bothered me.
She wanted to apologize for the "painful memories" I had to endure?
I had no idea what that was about. I stood up to assess the situation.
As I did, I suddenly noticed a piece of paper that had been slid through the gap under the door.
It was a paper folded in half. I strode over and picked it up without thinking.
And the moment I unfolded it—
Whoosh! Flames erupted. Startled, I immediately threw the paper away and scrambled back.
The heat was incredibly intense for a moment. If I had been even a second slower, I would have been burned.
No matter how much I tried to think of it as a prank, it was in poor taste.
"No, what kind of crazy bastard...!"
I spat out a curse and looked down at the paper, which was still emitting heat and wisps of smoke.
There, a small flame was carving out gray letters as it traveled across the surface.
It was a short sentence. Just a single line of text.
But upon confirming its contents, I could only freeze in my tracks.
'He who touches the Imperial Family must pay the price.'
I fell silent for a moment. It might be more accurate to say my mind went completely blank.
A moment later, my hand instinctively slapped against my forehead.
Don't tell me... is it treason this time?
"Just what the hell did you do...?"
The future already looked bleak.