"It's raining."
It was a dark and rainy night. Accompanying the misty rain was a thick fog flowing down the river. The lamp-adorned road that stretched throughout the horizon had gotten wet. Lara put on a long cape and climbed on the horse. Waiting for her to get on safely was Demian, who was looking at the gently flowing fog.
"Did he find it?"
"I don't know."
They got a message from Crown Prince Acerus. To be exact, he asked the innkeeper to arrange an audience with Saintess Lara and Demian.
"Let's go."
They left the manor through the hazy fog and moved toward the outskirts of the capital. The streets were quiet because it was so late at night and even more so because of the rain. The soldiers who stood guard also just stayed in one place, barely moving around.
The innkeeper was waiting for them with only a faint lamp on at the entrance.
"Hello, mister."
"Welcome."
"I'm sorry for coming at such a late time."
"It's fine. It's not time for me to sleep anyway."
The innkeeper came out of the door and took the horse's reins from Lara's hands. Raindrops formed on his moist gray hair. Entering the inn, they took off their capes and went straight down to the basement. The innkeeper cast a long spell and the old lamp soon turned on.
"Acerus."
When Demian opened his mouth first, the subdued voice of the Crown Prince came out of the lamp.
「Is the saintess there?」
"Yes, I'm here."
「Haa… First of all, hello.」
Acerus sounded really tired.
"Hello, Your Imperial Highness. I guess something is going on. Are you okay?"
Lara just asked what he was doing out of courtesy. She was dealing with the Crown Prince of the vastest country on the continent. But the moment Lara kindly asked how he was doing, Demian briefly clicked his tongue.
"Damn it."
And Acerus began to sing the blues.
「I was thinking of assigning about 300 people to fulfill your request, but I don't think the temple should know about this. So I gave a pile of gold to people who could secretly do long-term work and ordered them to start right away.」
The quiet basement was filled with Acerus' voice.
「But neither relics from 100 nor 500 years ago had records of such a god. I even stole the records that the Temple of Glory hid… Wow, what have I done?」
"So?"
The Crown Prince is talkative.
Lara thought that it was better to let him reach the conclusion quickly so she asked Acerus to continue. Then, he continued to explain more excitedly.
「You said that he's a God that's not holding any symbolic item, right? Just an ordinary God with his arms open. What's fascinating is… that there was no such statue in the temple prayer room here. And I have searched all the existing prayer rooms, mind you.」
"Pardon? No such statue?"
「No, not at all.」
It was strange. Did that mean the statue that Lara chose only existed in the Temple of Glory in Hautean?
「It is weird, isn't it?」
Acerus asked in a tone that was sneakily whining. Lara was about to nod, but then recalled that she was talking to him only with her voice. But when she tried to answer him, Demian, who had been standing silent until then and only listening, suddenly intervened.
"Hurry up and get to the point. Before I turn off the lamp."
「You son of a… That's not what I mean."」
Acerus barely swallowed his half-put-out curse and spoke to Lara in a subtly subdued voice.
「There was one.」
"There is?"
「Yes, it was in God's House.」
In the Temple of Glory in the capital of the Tarragon Empire, there was a house where God stayed when he came to this world. It was a place that was long regarded and protected as a sacred place by the Temple of Glory. Acerus said that he found the God statue that Lara had talked about in there.
「He's the God of Fate.」
Lara closed her mouth and stared at the dimly flickering light of the lamp. As to not miss anything Acerus said, she even killed her breath to focus on Acerus.
「He came down to this land a long time ago and lived with humans. One day, he suddenly disappeared.」
Although Acerus continued to call Lara saintess, he did not show more courtesy to her than necessary. Rather, he acted naturally, as if dealing with a friend of a friend. However, there was no tiredness or playfulness in his voice in the following moment.
「Saintess, please.」
He spoke politely and earnestly.
「Please come to the Empire.」
Demian looked at Lara. he asked with his eyes what she was going to do. If Lara said she would go, he would take the lead. But if Lara said she would not go, he would turn off the lamp.
A short silence followed. Acerus did not beg for her answer. Demian also stood silent and waited for her decision.
Lara took two deep and long breaths. Then, looking at the dimly flickering light of the lamp, she abandoned her hesitation.
"I will go."
「Ha…」
After a while, excited with the thought that he had received a promise from the saintess, Acerus gave a bizarre cheer beyond the lamp.
「Thank you.」
"Don't mention it."
「If I could do as I please, I would like to set up an envoy and send them along with the armed forces, but we have to hide your existence as the saintess for the time being.」
"Demian is enough. I will find my way there. I just don't want to stand out."
「As expected, you're wise. Should we talk about the schedule again tomorrow at this time? The lamp is so antique that no matter how talented a sorcerer is on standby, we still can't talk for long.」
"Oh, regarding that."
Lara had no intention of hiding from Acerus about Valentine's long-distance magic receiver. So she opened her mouth lightly.
"My alchemist made a long-distance magic receiver…"
「What did you just…」
Their conversation was cut short.
The lamp's critically flickering flame was extinguished without being able to convey all of Acerus' voice.
"What a ridiculous guy."
Demian smiled and muttered.
"I didn't end it this time but he'll probably still swear at me."
Somehow they felt like they could hear bombastic swear words over the lamp.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
After thanking the innkeeper, Lara first climbed up the horse. Demian told him that they would come back at the same time tomorrow.
"Take care of yourself."
"See you tomorrow."
The way back was quiet. As the rain stopped, the fog became even more intense. They did not even know whether they were running on land or running on water. Lara looked at Demian's face, not knowing what he was thinking about.
"Demian."
"Yeah?"
"What kind of place is the Empire?"
Demian could not answer immediately. Thinking that her question was too abstract, Lara tried to choose another word. Then, Demian broke his silence and suddenly opened his mouth.
"It's a complicated place."
"In what sense?"
"War is constant and there are frequent attacks by demonic beasts, but the ruler does not change."
Compared to the Tarragon Empire, Hautean Kingdom was a quiet and peaceful place, said Demian with a mix of laughter. Considering that he had lived on the battlefield all his life, Demian's expression while talking about the Empire was not very bad.
Lara asked again.
"Do you think of the Empire as your hometown?"
"No."
"Then?"
"I don't even know where I was born or who my parents are. How can I think of it as my hometown?"
"You may think so because you have lived there for a long time."
"Hometowns are places that come to your mind when you're lonely and sad."
"Is there a place like that for you?"
"No."
"Is there any place that you think you have to go back to someday?"
"Battlefield."
Lara was speechless after listening to his unexpected answer. She knew Demian had been living on the battlefield for a long time and that one day he would go back there. But she did not know he thought of the terrible battlefield as his hometown. When Lara closed her mouth with a stiff face, it was Demian's turn to ask her.
"I thought you wanted to hide the fact that you're the saintess and that you really hated going to the Empire. But why did you change your mind?"
"Because of you."
Lara said.
How she wished she could ask God to show him everything she knew. How much Demian sacrificed for her in her past life, how the world changed after her death and why he became a demon.
"What do you mean because of me?"
Demian smiled and asked. Instead of answering his question, Lara decided to ask something else.
"How did you meet Crown Prince Acerus?"
Demian's eyes narrowed.