Time Alone Together - 3
The four seasons were a convention that held true wherever in the world one traveled—everywhere, that is, but the South. In this land without winter, where verdant greenery rippled beneath the sun all year round, the very word winter did not exist. Unlike the Central Region or the North, the southern landscape held fast to the shape of high summer, a sight that could only be described as a kind of magic.
"By continental measure, this place should count as the heart of the empire. And yet the wind is so warm."
"It's a land overflowing with mana in more ways than one. This is where the Evil Dragon died, after all."
To be precise, it had been sealed rather than slain—but a land where a dragon slumbered carried immense meaning in and of itself. Wicked and ferocious though that existence was, it remained a being whose vitality nothing in this world could hope to rival. Such a creature slept beneath this very ground. Its overflowing life force had seeped into the earth, which meant that what we had come to face was, in the end, this South itself.
"Honestly, I don't know very much about the Evil Dragon. It's the sort of word people treat as a taboo."
Having first confirmed that no other paladins were within earshot, Adrian answered quietly.
The reason the Moon Church, which worshipped the Moon God, spurned the Evil Dragon was a simple one. A dragon that had once tried to steal the very moon they revered—how could they possibly look upon it with anything but loathing? The same reasoning explained why the relics scattered across this South had never been properly managed. The mere association with the Evil Dragon was enough to make the Church recoil. In a sense, the Moon Church's hatred of the dragon ran even deeper than the imperial family's.
And yet the current imperial house was more dangerous than the Church itself—all because of the Crown Prince, who meant to put the Evil Dragon to genuine use. Which made it rather awkward that I, the very man who had ostensibly come south to deliver those relics into his hands... well, I suspected my answer, when the time came, would be no.
"The Temple of the Moon is the largest temple in the South. In a way, you might think of it as the predecessor of the cathedral in Aden."
"There was a time when this was the empire's capital, so that's probably the right way to see it."
"Somehow it feels familiar. As if I've visited once before, long ago."
Perhaps because her origins lay with the moon itself. The Temple of the Moon was known as a place where relics lay dormant, and like the Moon Tower, it stood among the places in this world closest to touching the moon. Set against the Moon Tower, I doubted there was much difference between them at all.
Around the time the clatter of hooves finally fell silent, Adrian—realizing we had arrived—glanced over at me.
For the next week or so, I would be spending my days alone with Adrian. It would be quite some time before the rest of the paladins arrived, and Berod and the other priests were far too busy establishing a stronghold in the vicinity to spare us a thought. Adrian was the Saintess, and I was a thoroughly idle noble whose skill the paladins had come to acknowledge—never mind that I also held the distinction of being the Saintess's friend. In a situation like this, the only two people who could afford to be idle were the two of us.
"...So the two of you were sitting together."
"Yes, I asked him to sit beside me."
The moment Berod opened the carriage door, his brow twisted into a grotesque knot—but at Adrian's words, he could do nothing more than suffer in silence. For Adrian, it was surely nothing at all. But what must it have felt like for Berod, watching it happen? I felt a flicker of guilt for understanding his heart all too well—and yet, remembering what I had once endured at his hands, a small part of me found it thoroughly satisfying. When Adrian put it that way, there was simply nothing he could say. His face was a portrait of betrayal on every count, and even as I took Adrian's hand to help her down from the carriage, I made sure to keep a careful eye on Berod's reaction.
I mustn't forget that the paladins' support was mine to win as well. And if possible, securing the aid of the entire Order would serve me well in the days to come.
I had chosen the journeys north and south intending to leverage that support into a head-on confrontation with Yuria—but the odds were growing high that the plan would not unfold as I'd envisioned. Yuria's rampage had already far outstripped anything I had accounted for. Where would a woman devoured by her own madness point her blade next? Family or not, stopping the Yuria of now would be impossible. True, I had steered her there myself, but I was keeping a close watch on her violently erratic movements all the same.
Renald and Arwen's roles were critical. If they failed to play their parts, I risked losing the single most important thing when I claimed the seat of Family Head: legitimacy.
The Church's backing would matter all the more once I became Family Head. All the more so after I killed the Crown Prince. More than the act of killing him itself, it was what came after that would decide everything—wouldn't it?
Once Berod led the carriage away, Adrian quietly took hold of my arm and urged me onward. Perhaps her expectations for this place were simply that high; her voice was brighter than usual, and I nodded along with a small smile.
"Shall we be off, then? We still have plenty of time."
We had reached the South, but I figured granting ourselves a day of leisure would do no harm. Once this night passed, things would grow busy in their own way.
The Temple of the Moon. In a way, it was a name that sat oddly with the religious character of the Moon Church—for temples, as a rule, carried the air of things ancient and worn. It had indeed stood since antiquity, and yet its interior was more resplendent than even the cathedral itself.
"Wow..."
That splendor was not the kind the eye could see. Anyone who could read the flow of energy would grasp it at a glance: the divine power saturating the air within made Adrian's shoulders jolt and tremble. Drunk on rapture, she let out a soft gasp, then carefully withdrew her hand from my arm and reached out toward her surroundings.
Vmmm—
Each time Adrian moved, brilliant motes of light moved with her. It was a sight entirely unlike anything the other paladins or priests produced—the mana of the moon itself dwelled within this temple. Compared to divine power there were differences, certainly, but at its core it was the same thing: power granted directly by a god. Perhaps that was why. The light that had drifted about as if awaiting Adrian's command now trailed her fingertips—and then, slowly, it settled into me.
A warm, gentle energy touched my heart, and for a brief moment, the perpetual tightness in my chest eased. It was less a change in the body than a healing of the mind—or so it seemed.
"This is..."
"I don't know. It's my first time doing anything like this, so I'm not sure what to call it. It's as if... as if it's showing me that divine power can be wielded in this way."
"So it's a kind of enlightenment."
Just as swordsmen and mages attained enlightenment in their arts, a Saintess too must have her own realm of mastery. They said the Saintess of antiquity had turned day back into night by her strength alone. If Adrian advanced far enough, perhaps one day I would witness such a sight with my own eyes.
"Could you hold me for a moment? I feel a little dizzy."
I steadied her swaying frame, and though sweat beaded her face with the strain, Adrian smiled brightly. She seemed pleased with what she had achieved. When I asked whether she was all right, she nodded and straightened herself up again.
"I never expected to feel something like this the moment we arrived. Somehow, it feels like a good omen."
"You are the Saintess, after all. You may well come away from the South with a great deal."
"That would be a blessing, but more than what I gain for myself, I hope I can be of help to others. I hope there's someone we can save this time, too."
"The best outcome would be for there to be no one who needs saving at all."
The South's great affliction was its sacrifices—people offered up like the children I had seen before. Managing and protecting them was the very purpose behind the Order's decision to come south, and helping them was not something Adrian and I could accomplish alone. Only with the paladins and priests working actively alongside us would we achieve what we had set out to do.
Fortunately, the sight Adrian had shown earlier seemed to have left a deep impression, for every priest tidying the grounds wore an expression heavy with resolve. The temple's interior could wait for another day. Even if we had wanted to help with the cleanup, having the Saintess lend a hand would only have burdened them further. I took Adrian's arm lightly and murmured,
"It's probably better to return to the temple later. If you truly wish to help, I won't stop you—but..."
"...Hehe. Going out to look around is the better choice, isn't it?"
Adrian mulled over my words for a moment, then stole a glance at me and smiled bashfully. It was a smile entirely her own. More than helping, it seemed, she preferred simply to look around—she so rarely had the chance to get out, after all. I was of much the same mind, so the two of us left the temple at a brisk pace.
"So where to now? I don't know a thing about this area."
"It's not as though I know nothing. I've done some research on what lies around the Temple of the Moon."
Not every corner of the South was dangerous. The region was widely regarded as untamed wilderness and hostile terrain, but the surroundings of the Temple of the Moon fell firmly under imperial jurisdiction—had they not, the non-human races would have razed them long ago. For that reason, this area differed little from the capital. Non-humans simply lived mingled among the people; beyond that, it took the shape of any ordinary imperial city. There were proper streets and market districts—one might even call it a city where the other races and humans lived side by side in harmony.
As we pressed on along a small forest path, the scene unfolding beyond drew a soft gasp of wonder from Adrian. There were things one could feel without seeing: that tingling sensation reaching me through my ears, through my skin. Non-humans dwelled here—beings who rode the spirits of the forest or lived out immortal lives on this overflowing vitality.
"I think there are elves nearby!"
Those pointed ears carried hearing far sharper than any human's, and Adrian—well aware of the fact—whispered softly. For me, who could simply see them with my own eyes, it was hardly surprising. There were dozens of non-humans in the vicinity alone: not only elves, but nymphs, orcs, goblins, centaurs, and more besides.
"That's the kind of place this is. Unlike the Central Region or the North, it's a remarkably free city."
Non-humans were known simply as savage, yet even among them were those who sought harmony with humankind. These environs were home to those who had accepted that the age of the Evil Dragon had ended, and who had submitted to human rule. At my words, Adrian pressed herself more tightly against my arm and cautiously surveyed our surroundings.
"I don't quite know how to describe it. It's wilder than I imagined... almost violent."
"It's nothing like the capital."
"You could say it's nature itself. So much purer—it makes me feel like I'm nothing at all, if that makes sense."
Her outfit was unusual enough that a few of those who saw Adrian clinging to my arm let out the occasional wolf whistle. We could not have looked like an ordinary pair. A woman hanging entirely off a man's arm—most would take them for lovers. Adrian seemed to notice it too, to some degree; her cheeks flushed, but even so, she did not let go of me. If anything, she looked a little anxious. Not, I thought, from any fear that I might vanish as before, but because of the non-humans crowding the streets around us. Their hearts differed enough from human hearts that, for Adrian, this was truly a glimpse into an entirely new world.
"C-Could we walk a little more slowly?"
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine now. I was a bit flustered earlier, but I've got a full grasp of it now."
The divine power wrapped around her flared up with a soft whoosh, then began to fade away of its own accord. Her expression eased considerably, and the grip of the hand holding my arm loosened, just a little.
"Sorry. For clinging to you this whole time."
"There's no need to apologize. You're welcome to keep holding on as long as you like."
"...Really, don't say things like that."
I watched Adrian give my chest a light thump at my teasing remark, smiling—until my head, turning slightly, froze in place. A chill slid down my spine. The warmth I had felt from Adrian was forgotten in an instant, and every one of my senses sharpened, pouring into a single woman—the one my gaze had landed upon.
She wore a robe. As if unaware of me, she simply faced forward, moving along with some crowd or other. Her face was hidden, so I could not see all of her—but the earrings hanging from her ears made my eyes narrow, slowly. I knew those earrings. As far as I knew, only one woman in all the world wore them.
"Robert?"
"One moment. Wait for me just a moment, please."
Ignoring the worried voice calling my name, I watched the woman melt into the sea of people. I could not chase her. Adrian was beside me, and dragging her along in pursuit might well invite danger instead. But the thought of the woman I had just seen would not leave me. I had known she might be here when I came. I had steeled myself; I had already pictured the ending in my mind. And yet I had never expected to cross paths with her this soon.
Theresia. As I murmured the name under my breath, my expression hardened, bit by bit, into ice.