“So, that’s how it turned out. For now, I’ll be working as the Grand Duke’s lieutenant.”
“Aha.”
“-…Are you possibly angry?”
“No, why would I be angry?”
Even with a smile, there’s a hint of doubt about whether it’s a genuine laugh.
Even I think that my tone just now wasn’t very smooth; after all, wasn’t it just another woman saying his name?
It’s not really jealousy since we weren’t that close. Then what should I call this?
“Then I’ll contact you again later if the timing is right. I hope I didn’t cause any trouble today.”
“It’s fine. We have plenty of time.”
After a moment of hesitation, Adrian smiled softly and spoke.
With a mind tangled from who knows when, continuing the conversation was quite difficult.
Once the communication with the artifact ended, Miragen’s voice came from the crystal ball.
“-You said you had something to say, but you just hung up?”
“…Yeah, it’s just a hard story to believe. It’s a bit tough to talk about right now.”
“-Is it about that prophecy you mentioned before? Don’t worry too much; nothing ever happens, right?”
Can what I saw really be called a prophecy?
It felt like something from a long time ago.
Yet, the timing was something closer to the present.
I’m not sure how to judge this confusion of time, but one thing is certain: it’s related to Robert Taylor.
“Okay, can I take a break for now?”
“Got it, I was busy too. I’ll reach out again in a bit.”
Click
As the connection from the crystal ball ended and the room fell quiet, the only thought that arose was the name Robert mentioned earlier.
Adrian, a name that sounded so smooth and soft.
I couldn’t even guess why I couldn’t say that name in the end.
Why was I doing this alone? As I found myself in the ensuing calm, my lips parted slightly.
Robert… Just about to mutter that name, Adrian bitterly smiled and closed his mouth.
Who knew it would be so hard to call someone’s name?
Lord Taylor could call me comfortably, yet here I was, making such a fuss.
Adrian sighed softly while fiddling with his eyes.
These eyes could no longer see the light.
The last thing I saw was the brilliant moonlight from my childhood—a memory far behind me.
But with eyes devoid of color and light, I faced an utterly different world.
I look at the inner self, not the outer.
Whether this is a blessing or a curse, even Adrian couldn’t tell.
When a person’s inner thoughts and words don’t match, it hurts the heart.
But meeting someone who truly thinks of you warms the heart.
Of course, it’s not all good. Seeing someone’s true feelings is always a chilling thing.
How can one trust someone when they realize that the person looking at them harbors different thoughts?
And when I look at the inner self, I can also see things like that person’s destiny.
The future they will live, their fate, their path. Thus, I chose not to see.
The only person close to me is Miragen, and even her, I’ve avoided looking into her inner self on purpose.
Adrian no longer used the eyes bestowed by the God.
…If only he hadn’t seen the inner self of a man named Robert, would he have been able to treat him normally?
Adrian chuckled softly and brushed his cheek.
A chance encounter, a connection resumed by chance.
Every time I was next to him, I’d feel a chilling sensation, yet there was also a glimpse of the softness in his voice.
Startled yet aware of the softness in that voice.
He’s not a villain. But why are rumors always so cruel?
As time passed, I tried to look into the core of these intensifying rumors.
If he were truly evil, he wouldn’t treat me so kindly.
Right, at the Moon Tower.
The inner self of Robert I faced there seemed completely empty.
I felt nothing; not even a ray of light or warmth.
Having seen people like this before, I couldn’t help but be shocked by his inner self, which was like a living corpse.
When my hand reached his chest, a shallow pulse was finally felt at my fingertips, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief.
This man is alive—yet his heart is dead.
Why? When he speaks to me, that gentleness remains. Warm and kind.
How is it possible that such a person’s inner self is empty, leaving me to guess what past he has lived through?
With my head throbbing, I slowly recalled what I had seen.
I didn’t see much; what I had witnessed was probably just a fragment.
A vast memory too great for one person to hold, and memories far too cruel.
“One person can’t die multiple times… can they?”
Dying for a sister, beheaded, hanged.
Abandoned by someone he loved, starving to death in an empty room.
I thought it was a fantasy, but I knew it was no such thing.
But can that really be called reality?
What should I think of these memories, knowing that one person carries several deaths?
It was neither past nor future.
The saint’s ability isn’t to read prophecies or memories, but simply to see a person’s destiny and inner self.
Yet this man Robert has undergone several deaths alone.
Rustling, cold sweat dripped from Adrian’s forehead as he clutched the bedspread.
If what I saw was true, where did that emptiness stem from?… from how many deaths?
The sudden anxiety that arose afterward was one of the emotions torturing Adrian.
What if Robert suddenly disappeared?
What if someday his existence was forgotten?
I knew it probably wouldn’t happen, yet this anxiety lingered, constantly circling Adrian.
When I suddenly turned my head, my gaze naturally pointed toward the North.
A chilly northern wind lightly slapped Adrian’s cheek through the slightly open window.
“…Robert.”
What are those deaths I witnessed? I wanted to ask but couldn’t.
If I asked this, what would Robert even say in response?
My blurred vision aimed at the void. I saw nothing, but slowly clenched my fist, feeling the sensation at my fingertips.
The fingers that touched his chest that day felt that pulse.
This strange anxiety may not dissipate until I see him directly.
Yet I had to endure. I am a saint; I can’t leave my post carelessly as a member of the Order.
“Hah.”
Adrian smiled bitterly.
It was the first time I felt a sense of resentment towards being a Saint.
“Surprisingly calm, aren’t you?”
“I don’t really worry. I believe everyone will be nice.”
“What’s making you think that?”
Adele suddenly stopped walking. Did she think I would be scared thinking about the lieutenants I’d meet? My surprising calmness seemed to intrigue her.
Of course, it made sense. I already knew them: Lothos, Toby, Bunta… and Adele too. I had some fond memories of getting pretty close with many others as well.
There was no one with a bad character among them. After all, they were people who lived under the leadership of young Adele, who was several years younger than them. They’d welcome someone with good skills; they wouldn’t dislike a good person.
However, since I already knew them, I couldn’t answer right away. After a moment of contemplation, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“Gue…?”
Adele clicked her tongue in disbelief, but her expression showed she understood. After all, no one lived more by intuition than her, so it was hard to argue against it. After staring at me for a moment, Adele started walking again.
Then, as if she remembered something, she spoke while still looking ahead.
“By the way, who were you talking to earlier? It seems like no one entered the room.”
“I once received an artifact from Her Highness the Princess. It’s a thing that allows us to communicate even when we’re apart.”
“Hmm, I didn’t know there was such a thing.”
“Would you like to try it?”
When I asked, Adele gazed intently at the artifact in my hand. Normally, there should be one more artifact, but if I used a bit of magic power, we could have a quick conversation.
The long, stick-like artifact was about the length of a fountain pen, and Adele’s eyes narrowed as she took it.
“How do you use it?”
“Just lightly touch the end to your ear.”
As I demonstrated with my hand, Adele awkwardly brought the artifact to her ear. I chuckled at her dubious expression, and she gestured for me to hurry up.
The magic power rising from my hand touched the artifact, causing it to vibrate lightly. When Adele manipulated the artifact as I instructed, she quietly whispered into the magic power that hovered over her hand.
“Can you hear me?”
Startled—
Adele quickly pulled the artifact away from her ear and blinked several times. If I wasn’t mistaken, was she trembling in surprise?
After staring fixedly at the artifact, Adele carefully brought her hand back to her ear again.
“It seems you can hear me properly.”
She flinched.
This time, she trembled slightly less than before, but she still looked surprised. A light blush spread across her snowy cheeks.
Perhaps feeling embarrassed for being startled, she returned the artifact to me, mumbling softly.
“…It seems like a useless toy.”
“It’s surprisingly useful. It’s faster than sending letters.”
“I’ll just use a courier. This doesn’t suit me.”
“Were you just surprised or not?”
“Huh? No way.”
Seeing her sulking uncharacteristically made me chuckle a little. Adele glared at me and abruptly turned her head away.
Is she pouting? Even after calling her name several times, she didn’t respond; it seemed she was indeed sulking.
But soon, we would be at the office where the lieutenants were waiting.
It was soon the office where the lieutenants gathered.
Though they were more of a group connected through their friendship with her rather than proper lieutenants.
Still, I couldn’t disregard their influence in this North.
Those under Adele’s command in the mercenary group were all capable of conquering a region.
Bunta, who had lost to me, once held the title of leader of the mercenary group that opposed Adele.
Their strength wasn’t just in power; as soon as the door opened, their gazes were poured upon me.
“Welcome? You’ve come together.”
Lothos, sneaking a smile at me while looking at Adele, and Bunta, who wore a sulky expression.
Toby, just staring blankly at me, along with Argos, Imanda, and others, were all at the top of the legion she commanded.
Adele, leaving me in one place and walking on her own, then flopped down into her chair, looking around.
The Grand Duke’s throne, made of a wolf’s head and a bear’s skin,
After a moment of silence, Adele spoke up a little later.
Unlike moments ago when she was sulky, a rather serious tone flowed from her.
“As you all know, I will appoint an acting lieutenant. The reason for appointing a lieutenant this time… well, even though I made some excuses, you all probably noticed.”
“It must be about the upcoming hunt. But are you okay with that? Aren’t you a noble?”
Lothos glanced at me and answered.
He seemed to expect me to be surprised by the word ‘hunt,’ but I had already known that much before coming to the North.
By the time I arrived here, plans for the hunt must have been somewhat in place.
The reason I was chosen as the lieutenant must be simple.
She probably thought my skills would be helpful for her hunt.
So there was no reason to refuse. When I maintained a calm expression, Adele stared at me intently and spoke.
“I think it’s probably not an issue. From the looks of it, you seemed to have caught on to some extent. Am I wrong?”
“I had my suspicions. Why else would I have come in winter?”
“…You’re sharp. Good. If you already expected it, there’s no need to hide anything.”
With a swish, Adele drew her sword and plunged it into the map laid out before the throne.
The map depicted areas outside the Northern Duke’s territory,
and the lands of the immigrant tribes, which Adele had yet to extend her influence over.
“The reason I wanted to bring in a new lieutenant is simple. First, Robert Taylor’s skills are exceptional. Second—”
As Adele spoke, the lieutenants all wore serious expressions, waiting for her words.
Since her days leading the mercenary group, Adele’s speeches had been short and concise.
That hadn’t changed after becoming a Grand Duke; when she commanded something, she mostly got straight to the point.
Holding the sword that split the map, Adele quietly murmured.
“To hunt down the immigrant tribe.”
Winter always brought bitter north winds. The winter in the North was the same.
A harsh and biting cold that came like no other, it was a brutal season where everyone clawed to survive.
Thus, I came in winter. Participating in this hunt was the best way to earn Adele’s support.
A cold wind blew in through the slightly opened window.
Just a touch, the chill transmitted through to my bones as I stared blankly at the pale sky.
Soon, it was time for the hunt.
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