It’s something I always think about, but a day spent in the Moon Tower is undeniably boring.
Even if I can’t see the front, there are plenty of things I could do.
If only I could go out more often, it might be a bit better.
But living a life where I can’t even go out freely, spending time just praying.
Unless I was raised as a saint from birth,
Adrian, who became a saint in her childhood, was gradually feeling the dullness of it all.
No matter how accustomed I become, it would be a lie to say I don’t feel boredom in this repetitive life.
A light sigh escaped Adrian’s lips as she clasped her hands in prayer.
What could be the reason for my inability to concentrate on my prayers lately?
I already knew, but when I thought of that name, my mind seemed to become even more tangled.
How can a single person live dozens of lives? Is such a thing common sense?
Robert Taylor, a name I can now let slip out more naturally, wrinkled Adrian’s brow.
What I saw was just a fragment.
But even that fragment exceeded ten times, so how many lives could he have possibly lived? I couldn’t even guess.
Reading memories was always like looking at a colorless world.
Watching the story of the one with Robert’s voice, reading momentary memories made up of black and white.
Yet the end of these continuing memories always led to death.
If my memories are correct, it would be about my sister, Yuria.
In Robert’s memories, there were instances where Miragen appeared, or the Grand Duke protecting the North.
But the fact that I am not present… well, perhaps I was only reading memories without myself.
What concerns me more is the fact that one person possesses memories of multiple lives.
…There’s none among the relics I know that can enable reincarnation.
And unless there’s contact with the Order, I can’t use the power of the relics.
Since it can’t be explained as anything other than reincarnation that a single person experiences multiple events in the same time frame,
Adrian was rather certain about Robert’s reincarnation.
‘Twelfth.’
What I saw, Robert dying.
In that memory, Robert had died in various ways.
He was hanged at the gallows, and perhaps he was poisoned by a woman who appeared to be Yuria Taylor.
What I keenly observed in the process was Robert’s attitude.
As if he were someone who had died multiple times, his calm demeanor in the face of death was nearly bizarre.
No one is unafraid of death.
No matter how heroic a person is, it is human nature to struggle to survive ugly before death.
How can he be so composed? However, there was one time Robert trembled before death.
– “You’ve finally come to kill me. I’ve been waiting for a very long time…”
– “Did you think saying that after waiting for the first person you saw since birth would spare your life?”
– “Was this life peaceful for you?”
Adrian’s memories are quite fragmented.
Miragen, covered in Robert’s wounds and scars, pushed a sword towards him.
The scene was one where countless knights lay dead, and only Miragen remained, gazing down at the kneeling Robert.
Her expression was blank.
A mix of anger over losing all the knights and bewilderment over having watched him for so long.
Adrian had never seen this face before, but the expression of the man who looked like Robert was even stranger.
He was just softly smiling at Miragen as if he truly wished for death.
There were multiple large wounds, some showing bone, and seeing him gasping for breath made Adrian’s chest feel heavy for no reason.
“What on earth are you talking about? Aren’t you seeing me for the first time?”
“…I’m just glad you’re not hurt. That you’re still alive and in good health at this time. I truly think that’s fortunate.”
The incomprehensible words continued.
A memory only Robert possessed, something neither Miragen nor Adrian could understand.
Adrian realized that this was one of the memories he had not seen.
Could it be that Robert and Miragen had a special relationship?
But if Robert didn’t reveal anything, he couldn’t know anything.
For now, he was just left to speculate.
Even saying that felt quite flawed.
Listening quietly to Robert’s words, Miragen simply raised her sword and swung it.
Her expression said it wasn’t even worth listening to.
Yet, Robert continued to smile.
Even as the sword reached his neck, bringing him closer to death, he just smiled, as if thankful for everything.
“…What kind of memory do you hold?”
How can someone smile like that until the moment of death?
And what was the complex relationship he had with Miragen?
From his current standpoint, it was something he couldn’t easily comprehend.
He thought he could catch a clue if he headed south this time.
The relics hidden in the south—if they were those relics he once studied, they might explain Robert’s reincarnation.
Thus, his mind was complicated.
He was troubled by the inexplicable memories held by the man named Robert Taylor and the emptiness in his heart.
Come to think of it, hadn’t he said he was still in the north?
As Adrian slowly stood up, recalling the contact he had shared with Miragen a few days ago,
a voice came from behind.
“Saintess, we’ve received word from the Imperial Family.”
After a moment of contemplation, he realized it was Miragen’s message.
It was a bit early for contact; could something urgent have happened?
Following the Paladin into the room, a vibrating hum resonated from the crystal.
“Miragen? Did something urgent happen?”
“Did something come up with work?”
– …Ah, I got a message.
It was a darker voice than usual.
Even without seeing the face, you could sense that gloomy expression radiating outside the crystal sphere.
For a moment, Adrian was curious about what could have happened to provoke this, but the next words from Miragen made his shoulders twitch in surprise.
– It seems Duke Taylor wants to say something to you. When he contacted me, I thought something was up. Doesn’t he know I’m not a crystal sphere?
“Me, me?”
– Yeah, anyway, I’ll connect you right away. I’m not taking any more calls from Duke Taylor. Don’t forget to pass that on.
“…Alright.”
So, he has something he wants to say to me.
The thought of reincarnation suddenly sprang to mind, but he surely wouldn’t share such a thing with me.
If he would, he would have already told Miragen.
However, since Miragen seemed unaware of that possibility,
realizing it was about something else, Adrian slowly steadied his voice.
…Just moments ago, he had been thinking about Robert,
and now, fate stepped in to deliver this message.
With his nervous heart shaking his body, he calmly exhaled.
Once, twice. Just as Adrian began to regain the saint’s composure, he heard a voice in that moment.
– Adrian, it’s been a while.
“Yikes!”
The voice that unexpectedly broke through was enough to open Adrian’s tightly shut eyes.
This startling situation… hadn’t he experienced it once before?
Robert chuckled softly before quietly speaking.
– It’s been a while since I’ve seen you react like that.
#
He hadn’t intended to tease, but it seemed Adrian thought he would.
He insisted he wasn’t really shocked; he merely bit his tongue at the suddenness of the voice.
If you think about it, wasn’t that a response of surprise?
In fact, he found Adrian’s surprised look rather endearing, but he knew she was concerned about the name saint that she carried.
Just as the memory of that earlier shriek began to fade, Adrian cleared his throat and cautiously opened his mouth.
– But, what made you want to contact me? I heard you were still in the North.
“Actually, I’ve already arrived in the Center. To be precise, it would be correct to say I’m in the capital.”
– If you’re in the capital… it’s been a while since you left the North.
“I have something to ask Adrian. I suppose it’s more like asking for permission.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow at the term ‘permission,’ but soon, as if guessing what he was trying to say, she continued speaking.
Given the timing of coming to the capital, it could only be one thing, so it wasn’t hard to speculate.
– If you’re thinking of meeting Miragen, you wouldn’t need my permission. You could meet her at the Imperial Palace instead.
“Why would I go to the Imperial Palace? And as for Her Highness, I’ve seen her too much already in the North.”
“I’ve seen you too much in the North.”
-…Ah. Now that I think about it, that’s true.
Why can’t I remember that I’m trying to meet Adrian?
Her thoughts seemed to be heading in a slightly different direction, so I thought it would be better to be a bit straightforward.
After all, since I wasn’t going back to the Ducal Residence, I had to be with Adrian.
“I’m going to see Adrian now.”
-What…?
“The reason I returned quickly from the North and came all the way to the capital was to meet you in person. It’s New Year, isn’t it? We should go to the South together, so shouldn’t we meet before that?”
Adrian seemed to ponder my question for a moment before not responding right away.
After a brief silence, a somewhat flustered voice reached my ears.
Was she flustered by something? The slight rise in her voice made me chuckle.
-Ah, ah! That’s right. I needed to talk to you about the South. Are you planning to come in person?
“I was trying to get permission. There’s a lot to do in the South, isn’t there?”
Along with obtaining the relics, I had to visit the Temple of the Moon.
Plus, I had to finish my investigation into Teresa and the Dead Dragon.
Could it really be done in a month?
I had started to prepare as early as possible to shorten this preparation period a little.
-You don’t really need to get permission. If you want, you can meet me now. Will you come straight to the Moon Tower?
“Sounds good. Then let’s talk about the rest later.”
-But, um… there was something I wanted to say.
Adrian, who hesitated for a moment, took a long time to think before speaking softly.
It was such a small voice that not even the artifact could capture the sound.
-Ro-be… Ro-be… Robert.
What was carried in her gentle voice was my name.
The thought of how she had said it was hard for her to say before flashed through my mind.
It seemed like it was still difficult for her to call out my name, but I could almost picture her struggling to utter it.
If those pure white cheeks turned red and she said that in front of me, what expression would I make?
-I can call you by your name now. Robert… you call me Adrian too.
“Didn’t we decide that already?”
-I think it means something a little different now. It could be said that we are friends, in a way.
Friends. I smiled a little at that and Adrian continued.
-Then shall we see each other a little later?
She seemed to be a bit shy.
It must have been really hard for her to say my name, as I clearly heard her exhale softly.
I don’t know what calling my name means to her, but I believe it will get better gradually.
I never imagined that a Saint and I would turn into such a relationship that we would call each other by our names.
But if this life ends in failure again, there would be a lot I would be sorry for in many ways.
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