Chapter 54
Breakfast time.
For young Erica, mornings were a difficult moment.
The heavy eyelids kept closing, but she must not shut them.
She must not yawn at the table.
She must not yawn.
Having a meal with the dining etiquette was not just about eating food; it was a time spent with the only God, Lord Wiggdrasil, so one had to be prepared.
Not observing meal etiquette was unacceptable in a faithful portrait.
…Trying to regain composure with such a devout mindset is not easy. The fork she held in her cute hand slipped little by little as her strength waned.
Then, there was a word that made Erica’s slowly closing eyes sparkle.
There’s an engagement.
And it’s with the famous Shugenhardt’s third son.
“A letter! A letter has arrived!”
Bargan and Erica exchanged letters.
At a time when they didn’t even know each other’s faces.
Before the engagement ceremony.
“Wow…!”
Now eight years old, Erica marveled at Bargan’s letter. The vocabulary was so difficult for her age, which was hard to believe.
A neat handwriting that looked like it was written with a pen.
The noble dignity and consideration felt within.
Erica’s big eyes sparkled.
He was an adult.
A different, wonderful grown-up from herself.
Perhaps this person called Bargan wouldn’t find the morning time difficult.
“You know, Laila! What does this mean?”
Although Erica hated learning difficult writing intensely, she meticulously reviewed each word of the letter written by Bargan.
She wanted to know what he was saying.
She wanted to know what he was thinking.
What he was interested in, what he disliked, what he was looking at…
She wanted to know more about him.
Erica, along with her confidante Laila, often spent time reading Bargan’s letters and sending replies. For Erica, those moments were the happiest in her day.
“Mr. Bargan. I have read the letter you sent. From the style alone, it’s clear what a great person you are… I will eagerly await the day I meet you, to become someone who suits you.”
Alright! Surely, he will like it, won’t he?
Truly.
It was a happy time.
***
“…sigh.”
Dressed elegantly in a black dress, Erica exhaled deeply from the floor up, heading towards the clock tower, the designated meeting place.
Dressing up wasn’t solely to impress Bargan, ‘of course.’
There might not be anyone at dinner, but there was an almost 80% chance that someone planted by her mother would be at the theater.
Later, when reporting back, it would say, “Went to meet Bargan in a dress that begged for forgiveness.” How will that explanation hold up?
Hence, Erica was wearing uncomfortable, frilly, and fluttering clothes. Fortunately, the outfit was a modified outdoor attire, so at least it didn’t drag on the ground.
I really want to turn back.
I want to go back to the dormitory, eat sweet cake, and read a magic book.
Where on earth is the need to commemorate an engagement that neither of us wants? Despite thinking that, she walked with resigned steps and reached the meeting place.
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“You’re here.”
A man with a truly aristocratic appearance.
Bargan had arrived at the meeting place early.
…Oh.
I didn’t expect him to arrive first.
Erica scanned Bargan from head to toe with a sharp look. An exchange of greetings came from her lips.
“At least you have some sense.”
Bargan was dressed in a stylish suit. He always wore luxurious clothes, but today he seemed to have made an extra effort to be more formal, which anyone would notice.
Mother would probably approve if she found out.
“Did you coordinate the colors for me?”
“Ridiculous. It just happened to match.”
As if coordinating their outfits, both were dressed in deep black attire. Even the atmosphere was similar, as if they were made by the same tailor, making it obvious to anyone that they were a pair.
“Let’s go.”
“…What are you doing right now?”
With her arms crossed, Erica squeezed her hands tighter and subtly moved her body back in response to Bargan’s dreadful sudden action.
“I am your fiancé.”
“So?”
“Today is our engagement anniversary.”
“…So?”
Bargan gently shook the hand extended to him.
With a confident expression, he boldly stated, “It means holding hands.”
“….”
Erika, who had frozen in place, turned pale, and her crossed arms soon wrapped around her body. She shivered as if she had seen something repulsive.
Looking at Bargan, she shot back with a chilling tone, asking if it was a new way to torment her with her chilling reaction.
Then, she briskly walked ahead.
Watching her walk briskly like a chick running away, Bargan let out a hollow laugh. For her, it was an effort to keep a distance from Bargan, but with such a significant difference in strides, she was quickly caught up.
And so.
“Why are you staring like that?”
Erika, seated with crossed legs, spoke with a tone of injustice.
Today, within the injustice, there were only Bargan and her.
“Suddenly, old memories came to mind.”
“Old memories?”
“Erika, do you remember? The day you and I first rode the injustice together?”
“Wait. I know what it is, so don’t say it.”
Erika reached out to stop Bargan from speaking. Although she tried to appear calm, her tone was somewhat strained.
“Back then, you were gentle and fearful. Despite barely pushing away the fear to ride the injustice with me, tears welled up when we ascended into the sky and the ground below faded away.”
“Oh, stop it! I said stop!”
“Why do you deny your past self? They were all good memories.”
“It may be a joke to you, but not to me!”
Erika abruptly stood up and stomped her foot on the floor. She rarely displayed such blatant anger in front of others, but particularly in front of Bargan, she couldn’t contain her frustration and raised her voice.
“That’s a shame.”
The childhood memories shared between Erika and Bargan were like a weakness to Erika.
She wanted to erase all traces of her past self. The immature and fragile young self. And above all, she couldn’t forgive her past self for blindly following Bargan.
“I was insane back then.”
“Isn’t childhood all about being naive and immature?”
“…You were probably most mature when you were young.”
“Are you talking about when we first met?”
“Of course, it was all just superficial.”
As unpleasant memories flooded Erika’s mind, she swiftly turned her head to look outside. The sky was visible through her swollen eyes.
Thick clouds loomed beneath the injustice. It used to be a sight she couldn’t bear to look at, but now… No, no. What kind of reminiscence is this because of Shugenhardt?
“You’ve grown a lot, Erika.”
“Grr…!”
Erika’s face flushed as if everything had been exposed, and Bargan was smiling contently. Erika felt even more embarrassed by his expression, and it lasted for a while.
***
The time when the sun began to hide its bright appearance.
Diphyellia spent her time near the dormitory in a small botanical garden, communing with the plants.
Her mind was heavy with mixed emotions.
The rough bark of the tree, even when touched.
Even when inhaling the sweet scent of flowers.
The heavy clouds in the chest did not dissipate.
Then, she feels someone looking at her. A chirping little bird turns its body and looks outside through the glass.
“Who is it…?”
A stranger.
Wearing the uniform of Academia but never seen before. It’s hard to tell if it’s a man or a woman. Wearing pants, but since the choice can be changed, it’s not certain that it’s a man.
He entered the Botanical Garden.
Is he here just to observe plants? The thought doesn’t continue, and he walks up to Diphelia and strikes up a conversation.
Not sure why, but Diphelia felt a mysterious feeling when she saw him. Human in appearance, but not quite human. An ambiguous sensation.
“Hello?”
A cheerful voice.
Full of curiosity.
However, a feeling of being beyond humanity cannot be erased.
“Nice to meet you. Are you here to see the plants?”
Though she knew it wasn’t the case, Diphelia slightly turned the conversation to gauge his reaction. He laughed, saying, “What? No, no. I wouldn’t do such a boring thing!”
Then suddenly, the atmosphere changed.
The mention of coming to convey someone’s will was a turning point.
As if possessed by someone else, everything from the gaze to the tone changed. Like an aura of encountering some arrogant nobleman scheduled to meet today.
“Diphelia. A saint devoured by futile dreams. With such a rusty sword, who can you possibly strike down?”
When his voice changed, Diphelia was taken aback.
It wasn’t merely imitating. If she hadn’t seen him speak, she would’ve thought Bargan was speaking, as it was the exact same voice.
“The future you see is a legacy of the past. It’s now gone, never to return. But you, who have never departed from that world, wouldn’t understand. You don’t know how a covenant is structured.”
He seemed to mock Diphelia.
Mocking her foolishness, ignoring her beliefs.
Through Nias, Bargan, who conveys his will, found the saint manipulated by the covenant amusing.
“Oh. This needs to be said.”
While speaking, Nias suddenly reverted to his cheerful voice from before. It’s possible to change forms partially.
“Don’t misunderstand, as I’m not the one continuing from here. I have no ill feelings towards you. Well, no good feelings either.”
“…….”
Diphelia calmly composed herself and listened to his voice. It might not be pleasant, but it’s a response to her letter, so she must endure till the end.
Nias’ voice once again contained Bargan.
“Do not test me, saint.”
Do not evaluate.
Do not judge.
Do not try to understand.
“You are naive. With your limited perspective, you cannot fathom others.”
Just following along behind the one called God, picking up breadcrumbs to eat, you do not know the essence.
You probably didn’t even try to know.
Truly lamentable.
Leading people down the right path and revealing the way ahead, the figure should become a lamb and look down at the ground.
…I am a noble who sincerely loves humanity.
“So, I want to give you a chance.”
Nias took out an organ from his arms and positioned it right in front for Diphelia to take.
Diphelia narrowed her forehead and looked up at him. Her closed eyes met the spirit’s intense gaze.
Nias conveyed his final intention.
“It’s an organ filled with fantasies. I’ve put my intentions in it. I won’t force you, but if you want to escape from us, it would be good to open it.”
“……”
Diphelia stared at the organ for a while with unseen eyes. After Nias left, she was alone, and the presence of the organ became more prominent.
An organ placed on a small glass table.
Contained within is the curse magic of Bargan.
At the same time, she didn’t know his intentions.
Should she open it or not?
The saint thinks.
She does not consider her thoughts to have been wrong on the path she has walked so far. It just felt like Bargan’s twisted concepts were trying to belittle her.
Her small threat to Bargan did not work. He would act as he pleased.
However, he left a loophole.
Perhaps by checking the organ, she could understand the structure of his ideology and possibly enlighten him.
As a saint, she has a particularly strong resistance to curses. If he had placed a strange device, she might be able to solve it.
In that case, wouldn’t it be right to open it?
To purify him and prevent him from falling into a bad pit, could she lend a hand?
“……”
The saint placed her delicate hand on the organ. Despite making a decision, her hesitant hand did not move easily.
She gathers her thoughts once again.
Slowly.
Carefully grasping the top of the organ.
The saint lifts the small object.
***
Erica and I had an early dinner.
It was a proper course meal.
The intervals between dishes were long, allowing us to have a lot of conversation, and the saint’s name came up from Erica’s mouth.
“Don’t mess with Diphelia.”
She spat out the words with eyes sharp like a fierce cat.
It seemed like she was talking about the scene where Diphelia handed me a letter last time.
Apparently, Erica seems to think that I played a prank on Diphelia and that she is trembling with fear. Seeing that she knows nothing about the whole story, it seems certain that the relationship between Diphelia and me has been strained lately.
“I’m not interested. If it’s not business, I won’t say a word.”
“…Well, that’s a relief.”
Although Erica still couldn’t shake off her uneasiness, she didn’t inquire further. That was typical of her.
After a pleasant dinner, we arrived at the theater.
I stood in front of it, admiring the overall structure of the building.
The wide building, a mix of past theater structure and modern architecture, exuded an elegant aura as if about to start playing an orchestra immediately.
“……”
“Aren’t you coming in?”
Lost momentarily in memories of the past, Erica woke me up.
A play here.
A different feeling.
“Hmm…?”
Erica hesitantly extended her hand.
She avoided meeting my eyes.
“If we don’t do this much, it might seem suspicious.”
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She seemed worried about what someone in her household might report. Well, it wasn’t an incorrect assessment.
I took her hand as it was.
The slightly cold, gentle hand transmitted sensations through touch.
Memories embedded through Bargan brought back old sensations, feeling almost the same as back then.
“……”
“Are you embarrassed?”
“…No, not at all.”
To emphasize that she was fine, she gripped my hand even tighter. Perhaps her easily provoked nature was simply straightforward.
“……”
Gradually getting immersed in such thoughts.
But I mustn’t lose my mind completely.
Don’t forget.
This outing is not just a simple date.
*Dong.*
A wide stage comes into view.
Numerous seats come into view.
*Dong.*
With this turn of events, the future will change significantly once again.
There are things I want to test.
That fellow will disappear from the world as the target.
*Clap, clap, clap.*
Finally, the curtain rises.
In the surrounded darkness, the only ones brightly lit were the actors on stage.
So this would be a turning point, and from here the future is completely unpredictable.