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Chapter 27
“So who won the shooting match?”
“Of course, I did.”
“Really?!”
“Haha, you should’ve seen the priest’s face when he lost. Priceless.”
The crisp, cheerful laugh didn’t seem like a lie.
‘A paladin who beats an assassin?’
Paladins were, after all, people of the temple—not killers. They trained mainly to protect, not to take lives. They were the polar opposites of assassins, who existed for murder.
Saint’s martial skills, as I had just seen, were flawless. And Lake had supposedly beaten someone like that? How was that even possible?
“It’s almost time for the parade.”
Startled by Lake’s words, I snapped back to my senses.
“A parade?”
When I asked, Lake gazed down at me intently. His expression was so serious that I involuntarily tensed up.
“I know a great spot to watch from. Would you like to go there?”
Then, his green eyes softened into a gentle curve.
“Sure.”
“It’s a bit of a walk. Will that be alright?”
“Umm… I think so?”
Thanks to all the volunteering I’d been doing, I had gotten a bit more stamina. Or so I hoped.
Unfortunately, that hope didn’t pan out.
“…You never said we’d be climbing this high!”
I panted as I wailed in protest. Lake just smiled gently.
“We’re almost there.”
After walking a long while, we finally reached an observation deck atop a hill. Though it was called a hill, it felt more like a small mountain.
I staggered over and leaned my arms against the stone railing. It wasn’t all that high up, so I could only see about half of Rueben Street.
The sun had long since set, so the details of the people below weren’t visible. But the yellow lights from the stalls scattered along the streets filled the area with a warm glow.
“There’s a way to see even better. Want to try?”
“What is it?”
“Let me know if it’s uncomfortable.”
With that, Lake suddenly scooped me up.
“Wah!”
The scenery changed rapidly before I was gently set down on top of the railing. It was a little scary, but the railing was wide enough that it didn’t feel too dangerous.
Sure enough, with the added height, the view was much clearer. After setting me down, Lake leaned casually against the adjacent railing.
“The parade will start from over there.”
He pointed to the beginning of Rueben Street. At the same time, cheerful music began to faintly drift over.
Yellow lights twinkled as they moved along the street, and when they reached our section, red lights burst upward. Beneath the wave-like fireworks, dancers spread the hems of their wide dresses and began to dance.
The red fireworks soon changed into a rainbow of colors. The lights rose into the sky like lanterns, shimmering and swirling like starlight in the sea of night.
“It’s beautiful!”
I turned to Lake and exclaimed. I couldn’t see my own face, but I was sure it was full of awe.
He looked at me for a moment, paused, then smiled back.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I really do! A lot!”
It wasn’t an exaggeration. I’d never seen anything this beautiful in my entire life.
When the parade ended, Lake gently lifted me down from the railing. Seeing him looking just as pleased as I felt made me even happier.
As I held onto his arm and carefully made my way back down the hill, a question popped into my mind.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why don’t you get along with Saint?”
It was a random question, but I felt like this might be my only chance to ask.
Lake stopped walking. After a moment of deep thought, he spoke cautiously.
“This might be more of a personal matter…”
His tone made it clear he didn’t really want to talk about Saint. I was about to tell him it was okay not to answer when he continued.
“I believe that, as humans, living virtuously is the right way.”
His tone was serious, and for once, there was no smile on his face.
“But the priest is not someone who shares that belief.”
Lake shifted his gaze away from me and looked ahead down the path.
“All our past arguments stemmed from that fundamental difference.”
A faintly bitter smile touched the corner of his lips.
It made sense, in a way.
I wasn’t sure whether Lake knew that Saint was an assassin, but even without that knowledge, the two were complete opposites. Being a paladin and a priest, they likely ran into each other a lot at the temple—which would naturally lead to clashes.
“Well, these days it just feels like the priest is jealous of me.”
He shrugged playfully as he said that.
“By the way…”
Lake trailed off, drawing out the words. At some point, his gaze had returned to me.
“You’re standing here with me, but thinking about someone else?”
His eyes curved teasingly.
“That’s a little hurtful, you know.”
“Wha—no! That’s not it at all!”
I flailed in embarrassment, and he chuckled as if it had all been a joke.
“I’ve always liked kind people.”
The soft night breeze matched the quiet tone of Lake’s voice. His expression had relaxed.
“I’ve always admired those who, despite being small, find the courage to face hardship.”
He slowly closed and opened his eyes.
“What about you?”
He asked the question without any clear intent.
“You…”
He was back to his usual warm self as he looked at me quietly.
The path down the hill was lit only by dim streetlights. His brown hair fluttered gently in the breeze, catching my eye.
His graceful, elegant smile held my gaze. And in that faint light, I couldn’t help but marvel again at how beautiful his green eyes were.
“I… I almost fell for you just now.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. I hadn’t even thought them through first.
Oh no. You idiot! I glanced at Lake nervously.
“Ah, I mean. You know it doesn’t mean anything, right?”
I scratched the back of my neck, worried he might take it the wrong way.
“I know.”
Lake’s calm, unchanged expression and reaction were a relief.
“Let’s go back now.”
At my words, Lake nodded silently.
Whether it was because the parade had ended or simply because it was getting late, the shops along the street were beginning to close. I felt a little regretful that we didn’t get to see the play we’d planned to watch, but I knew this was the right place to end the night.
“I hope we can come again next year.”
“I hope so too.”
I said goodbye to Lake and climbed into the duke’s carriage. As I watched the passing scenery, a forgotten thought returned to me.
‘Why did Saint leave first?’
I knew he was the kind of person who did as he pleased, but something about it still bothered me.
When I’d seen him off in the underground of Rose Tower, he had reacted quite normally. He wasn’t the most expressive person, but even so, I’d sensed something.
After pondering for a while, I gave up and slumped back into the carriage seat.
There was no way I could guess what he was thinking, so I might as well stop worrying.
✦
Once the heart of glory, Ponz had crumbled into near ruin, barely holding its shape. The priests had only managed to restore the altar, and the place retained the title of a temple in name alone.
While only corpses were ever found in Ponz—not missing people—faithful visitors had stopped coming long ago. Today too, the place remained quiet, save for one person.
A crow flew in from the dense forest surrounding the temple, then transformed into a woman. She wore a black hood pulled low, hiding her face.
“Lord Flood.”
Despite being called by name, the man in white priest robes did not turn around. The woman knelt before him as if this were routine and gave her report.
Upon hearing that the comrade who had infiltrated as an assassin was dead, a tear rolled down the cheek of the priest known as Flood. His pale gray hair trembled. His ash-colored eyes shimmered with moisture.
But that was all. He neither grieved nor wept aloud. His expression remained unchanged.
“The noblewoman?”
Midway through the report, Flood interrupted with a question.
“She’s not the one.”
For the first time, Flood turned to look at the woman.
“That’s strange.”
“I saw it with my own eyes. I’m sure of it.”
Her voice was firm.
His dull, cloudy eyes gazed at her for a moment before shifting away again.
“Is the tracking spell still active?”
“Yes.”
“Keep watch.”
His voice was flat and cold.
“Report immediately if anything unusual occurs.”
With that, he turned and walked away, clearly unwilling to listen further. The woman, recognizing his authority, bowed and vanished.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
The noblewoman he’d encountered in Pallium had felt completely different. Her presence had been unnatural, unsettling—something that needed to be cleansed immediately.
Even the subtle shift in the flow of fate since that day had seemed suspicious. Things don’t go wrong for no reason. She was the most likely cause.
‘But the one who saw her up close must be right.’
Flood was blind. He couldn’t see. So naturally, his subordinate’s visual confirmation held more weight.
“This feeling… I don’t like it.”
Since receiving divine revelation, he had never felt this anxious.
“But if this too is a trial from the gods…”
Then he could not turn away from the path he had chosen.
