A Farewell Beneath the Night Market Lights
The journey in third class had been a delight.
It was an open, wide-open space with no privacy to speak of, yet people sprawled out in total comfort, acting without a shred of self-consciousness. This place felt like the only cradle of freedom the Federation allowed. Simon carved scraps of time out of his rest to meet all sorts of people. There were Federation citizens who didn't believe in the Goddess, and others who resisted Efnel — though in front of the Inquisitors, they all played the devout believer without fail.
Meeting so many different people, Simon felt his horizons widening by leaps and bounds.
Lethe, on the other hand, was far less accustomed to this kind of environment. To avoid being subjected to an endless barrage of staring, she spent most of her hours holed up on the second-tier bunk or burying her face in a pillow.
Still, by the second day she seemed to have more or less adapted — she began striding about in her outer robe thrown carelessly open, at ease for once, and grew friendly with a commoner girl her age, often wandering the train together.
And so the five-day train journey came to an end, bringing them back to the very station in the very village where they had first arrived in the Federation.
Farewells poured in from all sides. Even the two Inquisitors they'd grown close to on the train came to find them personally, shaking Simon's hand before they parted.
The moment they stepped off the train, the two of them headed straight for the broker. They'd just settled into the ramshackle tavern that served as the meeting point and were sipping their water when a man draped in a shabby robe appeared.
"The wolf's confession—"
the broker said.
"—belongs to the foolish lamb."
Simon replied. The very broker who had first ferried the two of them across bowed his head.
"We meet again. Your preparations for the return journey are complete."
"How are things at the border these days?"
At Simon's question, the broker answered as if he'd been waiting for it.
"Rejoice! The crackdown has eased considerably, now that the Blood Sky Cult — the Federation's greatest thorn in its side — has finally been stamped out. Things work out beautifully, don't they?"
Simon and Lethe exchanged a furtive glance and smiled. The three of them laid out a concrete schedule.
"Then at dawn tomorrow, we cross back into the Dark Alliance."
"Yes. We're in your hands."
And with that—
this was where the journey with Lethe ended.
The truth was, Lethe had wanted to cross back into the Dark Alliance and stay at Anna's side until she fully recovered her health, but Israfil put her foot down.
"Have you lost all sense? This is dangerous and reckless beyond reason! If you truly represent Efnel, then show some judgment!"
She issued the curfew to Lethe not as an acquaintance, but as a Saintess. In the end, Lethe was forced to promise she wouldn't cross the border.
"Maybe I'll just—"
"?"
On the way back to the inn after meeting the broker, Lethe spoke in a voice pressed flat.
"Maybe I'll just skip Israfil entirely and cross over with you anyway."
To her wildly impulsive suggestion, Simon answered like a teacher gently correcting a student.
"Don't worry so much. Mom will be fine. We finished the mission well ahead of the deadline my father mentioned. Once the surgery's done, I'll send a letter across the border — I promise."
Simon had already burdened Lethe far too much. Not once, but twice over.
She had her own life to live, after all. As Efnel's top-ranked student she must have been drowning in obligations, and carving out this much time for Anna's sake had already been a stretch for her.
He couldn't possibly impose on her any further, Simon thought.
"……"
"What is it?"
Lethe stuck her lips out in obvious displeasure, then promptly turned her head away.
"It's nothing."
Night was falling.
Tonight was their last in the Holy Federation. The two of them threw their robes over their shoulders and headed out to the night market.
Simon remembered the chaos of their first visit here, when the heresy Inquisitors had stormed the place.
But on this second visit, there was none of that. It was brimming with warmth and vitality — exactly the night market Simon had imagined.
Alright then, what should I buy?
Thanks to Israfil's cooperation, the trip had wrapped up quickly, and he hadn't needed to splurge on the 'White Leaf' either, so his funds were comfortably flush.
The two of them roamed the night market together, snacking their way from stall to stall and picking out gifts for Anna.
She was living in the Dark Alliance, so things from here would be hard for her to come by. They bought a pristine new scripture, a variety of prayer implements, local specialties, and treats.
"Let's get this one too. Anna will love it — I'm sure of it."
When it came to gifts for Anna, Lethe's advice shone brightest.
"What's this? Jujubes?"
"Dates. Sweet and delicious. When I was little, Anna used to sit me on her lap every single day, spit out the pits for me, and hand me the fruit."
"Sounds more like you just liked them."
"Shut up."
Simon bought heaps of presents for Anna and for Richard and tucked them into his subspace.
He wanted to buy gifts for his friends at Kizen too, but anything unmistakably from the Holy Federation might give them away, so he held back to avoid inviting needless trouble.
"Oh."
Then a clothing shop caught Simon's eye. The very shop where he'd bought the new robe he was wearing now.
"Lethe. Will you come with me for a second?"
"Hm? Which shop?"
Simon led her inside.
"Oh my, back again, dear customer!"
The shopkeeper remembered him.
She greeted the two of them warmly, and — catching on that this time the target of the shopping trip was Lethe — began rubbing her palms together and laying on the sweet talk.
A little later, the fitting room curtain swept aside.
"……Ugh, honestly."
Lethe stood there in the exact same white robe Simon had worn. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, visibly embarrassed.
"Absolutely GORGEOUS, my dear customer!"
the shopkeeper shrieked in full business mode. Simon smiled too.
"It suits you."
"N-no, what's with the ambush? Why are you doing this out of nowhere?"
"You liked this robe when you saw it on me, remember? I'm buying you one."
"No way, this thing's expensive—! A-and we'd be matching! Couple outfits! I would rather hang myself than walk through the market side by side with you in matching clothes!"
Simon smiled sweetly and took off his robe.
Whoosh!
He flipped it inside out, reshaped it into a coat, draped it over his shoulders, and pushed mana into the fabric at his fingertips — not jet-black mana, but ordinary mana.
The garment's color shifted to a deep, entrancing blue.
"There. Problem solved."
"……"
Before Lethe could get another word in, Simon and the shopkeeper, working together like a well-oiled duo, swiftly finished the transaction.
Lethe stepped down from the fitting room, apparently not entirely displeased, tucking her hair behind her ear as she turned this way and that, studying her own reflection.
"Let's go."
Simon approached, the tails of his blue coat swirling.
"……"
She stole a glance at him, then ducked her head deep. She murmured something under her breath, then whirled and marched out the door ahead of him.
He hadn't caught the words, but he guessed it was probably a thank-you.
"Your lady friend is adorable."
the shopkeeper said, bursting into laughter. Simon hastily pressed a finger to his lips before Lethe could hear — just as her voice came hollering from beyond the door, snapping at him to hurry up already.
Outside, a cold night wind was blowing.
Wearing the same outfit that was definitely, absolutely not a couple's look, Simon and Lethe strode through the night market.
Money still burned in their pockets, and there was nothing left they hadn't tried. They sampled hot broth dishes standing at a stall, played the arrow-throwing game, and when the two prodigies got competitive and swept every prize off the shelf, the stall owner ended up chasing them out — quite the incident.
"It was a short break, but a lot happened."
Their final stop was one of the Holy Federation's famous wine houses. As Lethe raised her glass, Simon clinked his against hers with a bright ring.
"Yeah. A lot happened."
The inn, at dawn that day.
The time to leave had come.
Simon, who had risen early and packed his things, pulled on his coat over everything one last time and stepped outside.
"What took you so long."
Lethe, who'd taken the room across the hall, was leaning against the wall in the white robe Simon had bought her.
"You're up early. Didn't you overdo it last night?"
"One Purification spell takes care of a little thing like alcohol."
Simon flashed a mischievous smile.
"Should you really be using divinity for that?"
"It's my divinity. Come on — I'll walk you out."
The moment they stepped outside, the lively, bustling city was deserted — hollow, almost. The two of them walked down the empty streets with the pre-dawn wind in their faces.
"Right on time."
When they reached the meeting point, the broker was waiting with a bow. Beside him, a teleportation circle was being prepared.
Having been through it once, Simon understood the process clearly.
They would travel via the teleportation circle to a warehouse near the border, ride inside a crate on a cargo wagon through the 'Holy Gate,' and then activate the teleportation circle drawn beneath the crate to jump to 'Hove,' the neighboring territory of Leshill. Simple as that.
"I'll go ahead and wait for you there."
As always, the broker stepped onto the circle and vanished first.
Now only Simon and Lethe remained before the magic circle.
The moment of parting.
An awkward silence hung between them for a moment. It was Lethe who spoke first.
"Please take good care of Anna."
"I will. Thank you — truly, for everything."
"……"
Slowly, she pulled up the hood of her robe. Seeing her lips tremble, Simon spoke.
"Something you want to say?"
Her white hair spilled out from beneath the robe, swaying in the wind.
"I am your greatest enemy."
"I know."
"We only worked together because Anna was our common ground. Our fates have already split apart and twisted beyond repair."
"I know."
"I'm going to become a Saintess. I'll give everything in service of the Goddess and Efnel. The mission comes first, above all else — and if I have to kill, I won't hesitate."
"I understand."
"There will be plenty of times my work collides with Kizen. The people you care about — your friends — might die by my hand."
"I know that too."
"And so—"
Her golden eyes gleamed from within the hood.
"I'll give you one last chance. Fight me, necromancer."
Simon let out a long sigh.
"Where's this coming from, all of a sudden?"
"Shut up and summon that Prince fellow too. Fight me for real—"
"I refuse."
Simon shook his head.
"I'm not going to hurt you."
Lethe had saved Anna. His entire family owed her an enormous debt.
He'd seen up close what kind of person she was. He knew, too, that among the Saintesses there were good people like Israfil.
"There's no need to grieve over something that hasn't even happened yet. Let's each give our all — you at Efnel, me at Kizen. If a day ever comes when we have to fight, we'll fight with everything we have. And we won't blame each other for it afterward. We know who we are now. We know how we've each lived. Don't we?"
"……"
She stared blankly at him for a moment, then barked out a laugh.
"You really are an insufferable man."
"I'm off."
Slowly, she pulled the hood back down. Her bangs fell and swayed, revealing her golden eyes beneath.
"Take care of yourself, Simon."
Simon, one foot already on the magic circle, froze. Then he turned back with a grin.
"You wait until the very last second to call me by name?"
"Ugh! Agh! Just shut up and GO already! Before I change my mind and kill you where you stand!"
Simon chuckled and stepped onto the circle.
Their eyes met once in the empty air — and then a dazzling blue light swept Simon away to his next destination.
"……"
Blue motes of light drifted in the empty air, then faded away.
"……I will never lose to you. Not ever."
Lethe stared at the vacant air for a long moment. Then, as if sealing a vow, she drew her robe tight around her and walked out into the night.