“What’s the reason for wearing masks? If it’s a secret organization, it would be better to look ordinary, wouldn’t it?”
“Exactly.”
Adrian’s question was a perfectly reasonable one.
Though led by Kaitel, this organization, shrouded in mystery, was entirely comprised of masked individuals.
The only person I knew among them was a man who called himself Cain.
And perhaps they were just interested in the relic created by the dead dragon.
In the end, you have to find out to know. The wind blowing from beyond was cold.
As we got closer to the uncharted territory, the energy I felt in my body intensified, and both Berod and Adrian swallowed hard, as if they felt it too.
“The uncharted territory has been sealed off since ancient times. We don’t know what’s there, or what lived there. It was even marked on maps as if it never existed.”
“And even now, we know nothing in the same way.”
“After I got the message from Robert, I did some digging on my own. I thought that if something urgent was happening, it could be related to the uncharted territory… and there are some intriguing points.”
When I focused on the term “intriguing points,” Adrian, who silently brushed his hair aside, continued speaking.
“It seems certain that the uncharted territory wasn’t like this from the very beginning. There are records about the uncharted territory, but the reasons for its sealing and disposal—the previous records were unnaturally erased.”
“So someone did the erasing.”
“I don’t know what they were trying to hide, but it’s clear there’s something on the other side.”
Boom—
In a snowfield where even a step ahead was obscured, this place was not a raging blizzard area.
If you reached out your hand towards what looked like a blizzard ahead, there was a transparent veil blocking the view—indicating that an unseen place marked as the uncharted territory lay beyond.
As Adrian swept his palm through the air, he carefully drew forth divine power.
However, that was only for a moment; the energy that had been swirling in the sky instantly dispersed like snowflakes and shattered.
“That’s divine power. There’s no other force that reacts like this.”
“Surprisingly so. That means the Moon God directly sealed it. What on earth is on the other side?”
“Nobody knows. To cross over, a being of equal level will have to dismantle it, or a god will have to do it directly.”
I tried to slash the barrier with my sword, but even my magically infused blade did not make a sound against it.
It meant I couldn’t touch it with my current power.
Unless I augmented my skills further, it seemed my past life’s power wouldn’t be enough.
“If it’s a being of equal level.”
“Well, I think there’s nothing aside from the dead dragon. So I’m wondering, what if those wearing masks know what’s beyond here?”
“…That’s not an unreasonable thought.”
I need to consider what information Kaitel might have about the dead dragon.
According to Arwen, there’s still information about the dead dragon in the imperial family, so it’s quite different from the completely discarded Order.
If Adrian’s words are true… perhaps what those wearing masks are searching for is something beyond this place.
To revive the dead dragon somehow, and to cross over through that dragon.
The deeper my thoughts go, the faster my heart beats, so I grabbed my chest and slowly steadied my breath.
The moon stone’s reaction is intensifying day by day.
Even though many things have changed in this 101st life, this is the first time the relic has reacted so strongly.
Why is it reacting? For what reason is this moon stone really related to the dead dragon?
Such questions might be resolved when Arwen arrives, but I can’t help but feel curious.
“Well then, shall we look around again? It’s our mission to check the entire area.”
When Adrian, now wearing his mask again, said this, I shook off my residual thoughts and nodded.
There would be plenty of time to think later. Right now, I should focus on the patrol.
As I walked forward, I suddenly realized that Adrian was still right beside me.
Berod was far away, but judging by his expression, he seemed to be filled with dissatisfaction.
What’s wrong? He looked as if he had been asked to stay away.
Startled by his gaze, I cautiously approached Adrian and opened my mouth.
“Lord Berod seems quite unhappy today. Did something happen?”
“Oh, if it’s about that, it’s probably my fault.”
“What do you mean…?”
“I asked him to stay away a bit.”
With that, Adrian joked and laughed, then staggered and grabbed my arm to regain his balance.
It’s great that he’s joking and smiling, but I wish he’d pay a little more attention to not seeing where he’s going.
Isn’t it hard to walk while looking at me?
When I asked if he was okay, Adrian said he was fine, smiled brightly, and quietly held my arm.
“Is it rare for us to be like this together? We used to do this often.”
“Considering it was less than a year ago, I wouldn’t quite call it ‘a long time ago.’”
“During that short time, we became quite close, didn’t we? Isn’t that nice?”
“We’ve gotten close, haven’t we? Isn’t that nice?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s bad.”
“By chance, we met, by chance, I learned all about your memories, and by chance, we grew closer.
It’s a connection that has brought us here together by chance.
To call this bad might be a bit too much to say. It was definitely good.
Perhaps it could even be said to be overflowing with goodness.
I’ve relied on the connections I’ve made in this life more than ever.”
“As I feel the sensation of the arm I’ve grabbed, sometimes I think of a life without Adrian.
This is the first time in one life that I’ve formed bonds with Adrian, Adele, and Miragen.
I can’t remember how I lived so hard back then.
Now, just being together eases my heart.
Wasn’t I trying to do everything alone back in the past?”
“Shall we finish talking about things we couldn’t before? The Grand Duke is really interested in Robert, so you two haven’t talked much, have you?”
“Did he ask what you’ve been up to?”
“Um, this time I’ll ask a little differently.”
Adrian, slightly lifting his mask, paused a moment to ponder the question, then smiled softly and let his lips twitch.
His voice was so gentle that I didn’t even notice it.
That question was quite sharp and pierced through me, you see.
“What have you both been up to?”
“……”
“I feel like something happened while I was gone. You two seemed much closer than when I last saw you. I didn’t read the emotions, but there’s definitely a vibe.”
His face was the same as usual.
The smiling face remained benevolent, and his voice, when he spoke to me, was more warm than cold.
However, as time passed, that tone changed, and Adrian stood tall, silently looking at me.
Spring exists in the North, too. Although it may not be as warm as other places, it’s definitely a season where warm winds blow.
Yet, curiously enough, I felt an eerie chill, and even as I faced that smiling face, I continued to feel cold.
It would have been fine just to mumble through it, but I could never easily let it out when facing Adrian.
“…We drank together.”
“I see.”
Nodding his head as if easily accepting it, Adrian lifted his still paused feet and began walking forward again.
I walked alongside him, still gripped by his arm, only watching for any cue from Adrian as he remained silent.
There was no reason to feel like I did something wrong or to be wary.
“I just asked. You both seem much closer now, and I was curious about what happened.”
“…I see.”
“I like drinking too.”
“I love drinking.”
At Adrian’s words that came out of nowhere, I let out a small laugh, but he looked at me intently, like it was no joke.
His expression made it seem like he wasn’t joking at all, so I composed my face and cautiously opened my mouth.
I shouldn’t forget that her status was that of a Saint.
But drinking? I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity, and Adrian continued speaking.
“It’s not a joke. If Robert wants, I can drink to some extent too.”
“Are you saying that as if you’ve drunk before?”
“Of course, as a Saint, I’ve never drunk. That would be against the Order’s rules. But if Robert wants…”
Pouting her lips slightly, she then turned her head to look ahead and replied in a casual tone, shrugging her shoulders.
“Well, Adrian says he can drink.”
“I’m not sure if it’s okay to say that with Lord Berod present.”
If he had heard this entire conversation, it wouldn’t be surprising if my head got hit with a blunt object, but the fact that he was still behind us felt oddly out of place.
After hearing my words, Adrian briefly chuckled, then leaned close to my ear and whispered.
“That’s why I told you to keep your distance. If you get caught, Robert might get hurt.”
So that’s why we’ve distanced ourselves like this.
I sighed as I looked at Adrian with a dumbfounded expression.
Having laughed for a while, Adrian seemed tired and leaned his head on my shoulder, then lifted it again to look ahead.
“I hope everything goes well. For this matter, and for everything Robert will do in the future.”
“If the things I do go well, we might have a harder time meeting each other.”
“Well, I don’t think that’s necessarily true. It might be difficult to meet as a Saint, but it wouldn’t be for Adrian.”
Realizing what those words implied, I stared blankly at Adrian and gave a bitter smile.
If Adrian, who isn’t a Saint, were to come looking for me, I wouldn’t know how to respond.
I couldn’t just refuse, could I? Maybe it would be better to run far away so no one could find me.
To erase my complicated expression, I put on a mask, and my previously dizzy vision began to clear up again.
And in that distant view, a massive spire became visible.
It seemed that was the place we were looking for, as Adrian also looked ahead with a serious gaze.
“That’s the place.”
Naturally, if this was the location the masked ones were looking for, it was no surprise that I’d think of this place.
As I gazed at the tall spire reaching towards the sky, my eyes began to chill slightly.
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