That night, an old memory appeared in a dream.
'I didn't want to take you as my wife from the beginning. That's my reason.'
It was a memory of the day when I confessed my heart to Fernan.
That day, Fernando had said so in a voice without a single hint of warmth.
His cold expression, which made him shiver all over his chest, was vividly portrayed as if it had happened yesterday.
After waking up, Yulia slowly opened her eyes and got up slowly.
When I looked out the window, it was dawn.
However, the old memories that she had unwittingly brought up made her mind shattered so that she could not fall asleep again.
Yulia got up from the bed with an empty face somewhere.
Then, after putting on a thick shawl that was hanging on one side, he approached the door.
When I opened the door, I saw an empty hallway. Yulia, who had been walking along the hallway like that, finally stood in front of her stairs.
Whether she thought there was no way to escape at dawn like this, or whether she was watching from an unseen place, no one was seen in the hall.
Julia, who went down the stairs slowly, quickly exited the door.
I just walked down the street slowly as my footsteps reached me.
Whether it was snowing or not, I felt the bottom of my body sinking with every step I took.
When I lifted my head and looked around, I saw conifers reflected in the moonlight.
After walking for a while through the trees, Yulia soon stopped on a long bridge that crossed the lake.
The winter lake I've been looking at through the window all the time. It was the first time I had seen it in person.
The lake shimmering in the moonlight was covered with thin ice.
Julia leaned on the railing and leaned forward. To keep the shining lake in sight for a long time.
Then, someone grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back abruptly.
"… ah."
With a firm hand, his back touched someone's bosom.
The focus returned to Yulia's eyes, which had been empty the whole time.
When I lifted my head and looked behind me, Fernando, with a surprised face as if he had run in a hurry, immediately came into view.
"What the hell are you doing here at this hour?"
Fernand tightened the hand that wrapped around his waist. He looked like he was very confused.
Locked in her big arms, Yulia blinked blankly.
I do not know. He wondered why he came out.
Were you trying to run away? Or did he unconsciously want to get some air?
Unable to answer her own question, Julia tried to remove his hand.
However, Fernando wrapped her arms around her shoulders and hugged her with more tenacity.
It was then that Julia realized that his breathing was trembling.
"Don't surprise me. I, you again... ."
Also, I thought I was throwing myself into this deep water. He put her completely in her arms with one hand until she was desperate.
She could feel her stiff body rising and falling slowly behind her back.
Julia gently lowered the hand that pushed his arm. He was shaking so badly that he couldn't shake it any longer.
… What is it that makes me tremble like this? His appearance was strange and unfamiliar.
With her mouth shut, Yulia tried not to be conscious of the warmth she felt behind her back.
After a while, Fernan's breathing gradually calmed down. Her hand that was holding her in her grip loosened.
Taking advantage of that time, Julia got out of his arms and turned around slowly.
As he raised his gaze from a distance, he was met with twinkling golden eyes.
His eyes now were not the cold eyes he had seen in his dreams. His temperature was completely different from that time.
"… Julia."
After staring at her for a long time, Fernan suddenly reached out.
A large hand wrapped around her cheek completely and began to caress her carefully.
As if I still can't believe her standing in front of me like this.
Despite the cold winter wind, his hands were very warm.
Yulia, who looked at his moonlight eyes, quickly regained consciousness and turned her head.
His hand, which had stayed in the air for a while, was then removed.
"It must have been frustrating because I was only in the bedroom."
A low, calm voice descended.
"I'll take you anywhere, so don't disappear alone."
At that moment, Julia lifted her head and looked up at him, who seemed sensitive.
"… You didn't mean to lock me up, did you?"
"I had no intention of leaving from the beginning. As long as you stay within my sight, I can go anywhere."
Julia looked back at his words slowly. At first glance it sounds like he's going to set me free, but in the end it meant that I had to accompany him wherever I went.
There was no energy to breathe, so Yulia just lowered her gaze. And he soon let out a quiet voice that contained his doubts.
"I don't know what the benefit of my being here is for you."
An expression of incomprehension appeared on Julia's calm face.
From the moment she opened her eyes after losing consciousness for a long time, she could not accept this situation.
Yes, it was natural. Fernan swallowed the distant emotions and calmly answered.
"I don't need any kind of gain. As long as you stay by my side, that's enough."
"… … ."
Julia lowered her eyelids halfway and then raised them again. It's still hard to comprehend his words.
But the way he looked at me was so unfamiliar that I had no choice but to keep my lips shut.
The warmth this man is showing now is temporary. It will never last long, it will be like that.
Maybe Fernando didn't even know that he was mistaken for a moment that he wanted me now.
My wife, who ran away from my eyes and hid for a year.
Since he is a man who has never lost anything in his life, it may have hurt his pride.
Yulia repeated this to herself for a long time. Never be fooled by this man.
Then, as if to protect himself, he slowly opened his shawl. It was then that she turned her body and fell away from him.
Fernan quietly followed her from a distance of one step away, following her as she moved so quickly.
* * *
Cedric arrived at the monastery when access to the outside of the temple was permitted.
It had been a month since the Holy Kingdom was invaded by monsters without notice.
monster. To be more precise, the day the demon magicians appeared was the time of the annual event at the Central Great Hall.
Maybe they didn't even know that they were aiming for that day. As a result, many unprotected people suffered meaningless sacrifices.
And still, they were pouring out monsters all over the place without end.
In the end, in the central temple, it was declared that the war with the demons would continue for a long time.
The village where Cedric stayed was also difficult to access due to the ongoing battle, and he could not visit the monastery for a long time.
About a month after that, I heard that the situation in the village had calmed down to some extent.
After that, Cedric was able to go straight to my village with the paladin.
The fact that the place had become a sea of blood had already been heard and known. But I couldn't believe it until I saw it with my own two eyes.
After personally checking the ruined monastery, Cedric lowered his head as if torn apart.
"A total of eight bodies were found here, and we had no choice but to burn them all for fear of an infectious disease."
A knight approached and spoke quietly. The bodies found inside the monastery were quickly retrieved by knights who had arrived in advance.
"iced coffee… ."
Cedric trembled with his face buried in his hands. All of them who would have been killed in vain were people who lived with him.
'Why such a tragedy, why such a tragedy... .'
For this moment, I couldn't help but resent the God who was my life. Cedric longed for all of this to be a dream.
"It appears that there were no survivors. Or, is it true that the number of those who remain in this monastery is eight?"
The knight spoke in a subdued voice. Cedric, who was taking a deep breath, slowly raised his head.
"… no."
Cedric, who gently twisted his eyes, murmured.
Except for the priests, those who remained in the monastery were well over eight.
"Have you recorded the age and gender of the corpse?"
Cedric hurriedly grabbed the knight's arm.
"Oh, yes. of course."
The knight who nodded his head gave an answer quickly. The body was so decomposed that it was difficult to identify the face, but it was possible to determine the gender and age level.
The knight took out a note stating the identity of the body and handed it to Cedric.
"Eight bodies have all been identified as adult males."
His eyes began to tremble like crazy when he hurriedly checked the contents of the note.
In fact, it was all just adult male records. There were no children or women.
This meant that Gabriel, Julia and the children were not found here.
Cedric rested a white hand on his forehead, thinking of several possibilities.
The reason the Holy Kingdom was invaded by monsters this time was because the enemy had a clear purpose.
The purpose of offering eternal life to their king by sacrificing those with divine powers.
As a result, the priests who stayed in the Central Great Hall were also in danger.
In other words, there was a possibility that Gabriel and the children did not know, but Julia was dragged by them.
Because her heart also has stamina.
"Priest, the demons haven't been completely wiped out yet. You never know when you will appear again in this town, so you must forget your sorrow for a moment."
The knight said to Cedric, who was standing frozen, with a sad and determined face at the same time.
War is so cruel. It doesn't even give you time to mourn someone's death.
Cedric didn't even know about it. But he couldn't get his mind to get through this horrific situation.
At that time, another paladin who came to check the vicinity of the monastery quickly approached them.
"Priest, look at this."
The knight pounded something heavy on the floor. It was the corpse of a monster with several fragments.
"I looked around, and found these corpses all over the outside of the monastery."
"This… ."
"Yes, this is not the swordsmanship of the Paladins. Maybe someone else fought a battle here."
When attacking monsters with normal power, it creates a dense flame.
The monster that had been completely burned like that was to be destroyed as it was by flying ashes.
It's not like leaving a corpse in this way.
This means that someone other than a paladin fought a battle here.
It was self-evident that it was the work of those who were accustomed to confrontation with monsters, and who knew how to kill monsters without energy, and were obviously skilled.
Cedric, speechless, approached the corpse that the knight had laid down.
Holding his flashing head, he thought of several possibilities again.
Suddenly, his eyes slowly returned to focus. I don't know why, but it was because a man suddenly came to mind.