After parting ways with Franz, I aimlessly wandered around the winter castle, feeling weak.
"What kind of person talks so much…"
Even after the story about Richard was over, I had to hold onto him for a while. Ever since I had been captured by Wilhelm and revealed the truth about my father, Wilhelm had always been the most talkative person in my thoughts. But now, Franz had taken his place.
Of course, there were things worth listening to, such as stories about the academy time he spent with my father. Aside from that, it was mostly complaints about how much he had suffered because of my father's actions. Somehow, it felt as if I was shouldering all the blame for my father's deeds.
Even the speeches given by my school principal couldn't compare. He was so talkative that conversations that started in the morning carried on until sunset.
Honestly, he was so talkative that I pondered if the name "Twilight" came from the fact that he talked until sunset.
If he had not stopped talking in the middle, saying that his mouth hurt, and if I had not run away at that moment, I might still have been stuck there.
"Elena…"
Exhausted, Elena's name involuntarily escaped my mouth. Under normal circumstances, I would have entertained various thoughts upon uttering her name accidentally. However, I lacked the energy to even contemplate that now. All I desired was to lay eyes on Elena's face.
And just in the nick of time, a white light entered my field of vision.
The world was turning red by the light of the sunset, yet she remained the sole figure preserving the purity of white.
As she walked towards the castle, she seemed to have spotted me and started coming towards me. However, I didn't have the patience to wait for her to come in front of me. I just ran towards her right away.
"Why are you like this, Damian… uh… uh… uh…"
"I just wanted to see you."
If someone were to ask why I acted in such a way at that moment, all I could say was that it was a natural response born out of my exhaustion. I was far from being capable of embracing her and dancing with her effortlessly.
Nevertheless, at that time, I didn't even have the opportunity to think about such things.
All I could recall from holding Elena in my arms were the warmth of her body and the sound of her pounding heart. I held Elena in my arms for a long time, seeking comfort in her embrace, until Joachim's disapproving gaze interrupted us from afar.
Subsequently, we composed ourselves and returned to the room, not daring to meet each other's gaze.
It wasn't until some time later, when we met again at the entrance of Winter Castle for an outing, that we could once again face each other.
"Sh-should we go?"
"Yes…"
Elena tried to sound casual as she spoke to me, but her ears were still red from the earlier encounter. I turned my head away from her and pushed open the castle's door.
The door of the winter castle opened and a cold wind swept through.
It was the north wind of the Merohim that made me chill to the bone, but somehow my face was still hot.
"It's very cold."
I said while holding Elena's hand.
As the sun, which was high up in the sky, began to disappear between the distant mountain peaks, I could clearly feel that the temperature had dropped noticeably compared to before.
As the sun began to set, the pure white city, which was as white as snow, was submerged in darkness like a blank white canvas being dipped in black ink.
By the time the whole world was plunged into darkness, a soaring white tower, akin to a distant mountain, commenced emitting flashes of light. The top of the tower gleamed brightly, resembling a lighthouse that banishes the darkness of a nighttime sea.
After a while, the cluster of lights emitted from the tower began to spread throughout the city of Merohim, centering on the tower. The cluster of lights that spread throughout the city went into the streetlights standing in various places as if finding their place.
The city was no longer shrouded in darkness.
Perhaps thanks to the street lamps in the alleys of the city, the city wrapped in light seemed to give a feeling of being brighter than the street during the day when the sun was shining.
In the midst of this surreal and beautiful scene, I was looking up at the sky, lost in thought.
As if entering a world of fairy tales, I chased the cluster of light spreading from the sky with my eyes.
It may be a matter of sensitivity.
Having lived in a modern society where science and technology were extremely developed, I had seen things that were more unrealistic and splendid than this, Yet, just as a merely beautiful painting paled in comparison to a renowned masterpiece, this sight before my eyes stirred my heart, unlike anything I had previously encountered.
Elena put on a small smile as she saw me in such a state of bewilderment.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? Once a month, we release the residual magic power that accumulates during the construction process like this from the Tower of Dawn."
"Then, do all the towers handle residual magic power in that way?"
Witnessing this spectacle, a desire to visit the Tower of Twilight, which I hadn't even contemplated before, welled up within me. But Elena shook her head with a sad smile.
"That's… probably not. As far as I know, the Tower of Dawn is the only place that handles residual magic in this manner. Most magical towers don't openly use magic like this."
"Ah…"
So there was no need to go to the Tower of Twilight.
As I was looking up for the light that had already disappeared in the sky with a face full of regret, she grabbed my hand and pulled me along, leading me to a street that was shining brightly with starlight.
Her slightly troubled face seemed to be telling me to stop looking at the sky and focus on her.
Facing her jewel-like purple eyes along with the streets as she wished, I no longer had any lingering attachment to the lights that lit up the night sky.
I followed her into the street where the light was shining.
"Even though the weather is cold, there are many people on the street."
As someone accustomed to sensing auras, even I, despite the rather chilly weather tonight, observed a multitude of individuals outside, likely due to the night market being held.
I could see street stalls set up on the street, children going in and out of them with curious faces, and parents hurrying to take care of such children.
In addition to that, the laughter of people was endless due to various entertainment. If one simply judged the volume of the sound, the sound of the speech in the banquet hall could not be compared to them, but I did not feel that this sound filling the street now was noisy.
Elena answered my words with a smile on her face, taking it for granted.
"For people living in Merohim, this kind of weather is normal. Besides, it's not common for the day of residual magic processing and the night market opening to coincide like they did earlier. That's why there are so many people here."
'Oh, they were just used to this weather.'
Seeing Elena speak calmly, it was only then that I was able to belatedly recall the fact that
she was born and raised here. To her, this appearance of Merohim would be the same as her daily life, but I felt strange at Elena's words, which she should have taken for granted, perhaps because of my memories in Sarham, where I spent time with her.
I slowly followed Elena down the street.
With each passing block, the medley of sounds that reached our ears began to multiply. True to its name, the night market sells a variety of foods, but the one I liked the most is a meat skewer with a long name that reproduces the taste of cheap chicken skewers sold in my previous world.
The texture, too, was reminiscent of those skewers, and surprisingly, the sauce applied here tasted exactly as I remembered. I couldn't help but wonder if there was someone else who was reincarnated here, besides myself.
Later, I learned from Elena that it was simply a popular delicacy in Merohim from long ago.
Elena held mostly sweet treats in her hands, aligning with her fondness for all sweet things. Among them was something resembling a frozen fruit frozen in sugar water, called Bingdangho, which was the only thing I could eat that she offered me.
She only offered it as a joke, but when I casually took a bite, she made a surprised expression as if she hadn't thought I would actually eat it. Then, as if I had eaten something I couldn't eat, she immediately said to me, at a loss for what to do.
"That Damian… It was just a prank. You don't have to eat it…"
"I do eat fruit, as long as it's not too sweet. This one has a tangy flavor that I can handle."
Others might think that I couldn't eat anything sweet at all, but I could if I wanted to. I just didn't enjoy it as much.
Of course, the Bingdangho I just ate was too sweet even by my standards. The reason I ate it was not simply because she handed it to me, but because I had a memory of eating it before, and I wanted to relive that memory by putting it in my mouth.
The taste was slightly different from what I remembered, but it was enough to evoke the nostalgia of the past.
It was sweet.
Elena seemed pleased that I had eaten the Bingdangho that she had offered me, but when I looked at the one remaining in her hand after I had finished the one she had given me, she looked at me with shaking eyes.
"Hey, would you like another Damian?"
"…No, it's okay. I'll buy a few more on the way back later."
Elena smiled with relief when I said it was okay and carefully put the remaining bingdangho in her mouth. I could feel my mouth twitching involuntarily at her cute appearance.
How can a person be this cute?
If I had asked for a bingdangho, she would have undoubtedly given me one, but the memory of eating something that didn't suit my taste wouldn't have been as valuable as her smile. Seeing her happy face right now was more valuable.
I quietly watched her eat and began to look around for something new that she might like.
The dark alley remained impervious to the radiance that illuminated the bustling night market in Merohim.
Amongst the crowds, those who intentionally sought out such hidden places were far from ordinary individuals. They concealed their identities beneath black robes that enveloped their entire bodies, arousing suspicion in their wake.
The necklace hidden within the pitch-black robes, darker than the depths of the night, was engraved with a symbol representing their affiliation. The emblem veiled the sun, the emblem of Altair, the current revered god of light on the continent, evoking an image of a solar eclipse.
This was evidence that they were the so-called "pagans" who deny the existence of the god worshiped on the continent.
They were considered enemies of all mankind and not only did they not hide their existence, but they also put symbols on their clothes and armor to reveal their affiliation without hiding anything. However, this time they only had one small necklace.
To those aware of their whereabouts, this choice seemed more befitting of deranged fanatics than devout followers, as it represented the dwindling remnants of their faith.
A rough voice that couldn't be considered human echoed in the shadowy figures.
[Are you sure that they are really here?]
[It is certain since the Archbishop said that he had heard the revelation. As proof of that, isn't the divine object reacting like this.]
From the depths of the shadows, a black jewel emerged into view.
Though possessing an exquisite form, the jewel exuded an ever-present unsettling aura, inducing unease in all who beheld it. Nevertheless, the enigmatic assembly embraced this peculiar aura as if basking in the warmth of sunshine, their countenances brimming with delight.
The figure holding the gem trembled, struggling to contain her overflowing emotions.
[Even on the day when the Archbishop was appointed, the holy things did not shine this much. There must be no mistake that the Apostle of the Lord, or perhaps our Lord himself, has come to Merohim.]
Thinking of the Archbishop who had gone mad a few days ago, destroying everything around him like a lunatic hidden in the darkness, she sobbed and murmured repeatedly about her god disappearing.
If she hadn't been in the Archbishop's position, her words would have been speechless and worth killing, but everyone present thought the same way, so no one could refute her.
But even that was short-lived as the Archbishop immediately began to bang his head on the ground with a face full of joy, taking out the holy relic that had not been taken out of the sacred chest for a long time and declaring that their long-cherished desire had been fulfilled
Ordinary people could never follow the flow of thought, but they were crazy about their gods, and the thick darkness of the sacred object reflected in their eyes made them understand the archbishop's words.
Just the fact that the holy relic was spreading thicker darkness than ever before after entering Merohim was proof that her words were true.
If there was one thing that they did not understand in their minds, it was that Merohim, which should have collapsed as a cornerstone of destruction along with the advent, was still standing strong, but such doubts were buried in their fanaticism.
Those hidden in the darkness were only laughing with joy at the thought of meeting their god.