As I slowly reduced my speed in front of the Academy Gate, I fell into thought.
First, let’s clarify one thing. I have no particular reason or desire to roam around the festival site with Riina.
Riina would want to enjoy the festival with the Duke and Duchess of Adelheid, along with Laura, the four of them together, while I cannot completely rule out the potential risk of displaying “acts of pain” in front of Riina. She must not know that I brought her to the festival bearing all the burdens.
If Riina were to find out… she would probably resent me deeply. Ultimately, I would be hiding the fact that I deceived Riina and engaged in the very act of “causing trouble for others,” which she hates the most.
It is a deception. I pulled in Priest Luciana, whom she firmly believes in, using every method possible to ensure she remains unaware.
Even if it could be deemed a well-meaning lie or a white lie, Riina’s heart is too delicate and too kind to endure and accept that. She does not wish for others to sacrifice themselves for her happiness.
Riina can enjoy the festival with her family. Additionally, there will be Priest Luciana, a close aide to Duke Adelheid, and for the time being, Mr. Moritz, her personal physician, along with several aides of Duke Adelheid. In any case.
Riina should simply enjoy the freedom and happiness she has longed for, alongside the precious people she wishes to be with.
That was the deception, that was the lie, and that was the burden shared by me and Priest Luciana. Riina must not know, nor must it be shown to her, the pain and personal issues I have to endure.
Riina just needs to effortlessly enjoy the festival as she has always wanted. Yes, that is all that matters.
She wishes to be happy with her beloved family. It is a dream everyone desires and a wish that seems too simple for something fervently hoped for over many years.
The girl longs for happiness. No…
“…How foolish.”
“Fools” wish for happiness.
I have seen such fools before. Long ago. Only after climbing several years back in time could I finally meet that fool face to face.
Always prioritizing others over their own well-being, pushing aside the happiness they should rightfully enjoy. Reflecting on the fact that humans are weak against desires, could she have not been human?
“Then why am I doing this?”
…Why did this thought suddenly come to me?
I don’t know. Just, suddenly. That thought came to me.
So abruptly, at an unexpected moment, that thought intruded into the sea of my mind.
In the past, I might not have been able to respond immediately. Understandably so, because back then, I did not even grasp the reasons behind my actions.
But now… yes.
“I cannot just watch.”
I cannot bear to witness the foolish person, so much like Helena, lose yet another chance—perhaps the last one before they can enjoy happiness—right before my eyes.
While my thoughts meandered, the carriage I was in came to a stop in front of the Gate. Before getting out, Sofia Sub-priest looked back at me with a worried expression.
“Head Priest, are you okay…?”
“…What do you think, Mr. Moritz?”
“Well… it is fast-acting, but its effect does not last as long as taking painkillers in pill form. It will dissipate quickly in the body.”
“Then, how long…?”
“At most, half a day. That’s about it.”
“Half a day…”
“Yes, half a day… That’s not even certain.”
I looked at Mr. Moritz. He kept scratching his forehead, an anxious behavior. Why?
“Half a day is… too short. It’s exceedingly short.”
“S-Sir… is there no reserve of painkillers?”
“There is one more, but if it’s taken while there’s still effect left, the side effects could be severe. It’d be fine if I came after the effect wears off, but that’s unless I don’t accompany Antorelli…”
Half a day is too short.
Half a day. Half of a day. To break it down further, that’s just over twelve hours.
For some, it’s a long time, for others, it’s short. For someone on the brink of death, it might feel like an eternity, while for those who have yet to witness death firsthand, it’s an unbearably long and tedious time.
“…Half a day.”
But you know.
I do not think that half a day given to me is short at all.
I briefly rolled down my sleeves. The soft touch of my priest robe covered the bare skin of my shoulders. I felt a peculiar sense of stability.
“It’s alright.”
“…What?”
“It’s enough. Half a day.”
Half a day. It’s a time that can change everything.
If the enemy’s assault had been delayed by just half a day, we would have been better fortified.
If the reinforcements from the army that came to rescue us had arrived just half a day earlier, we could have saved more lives.
And, before Helena died. If only we had just half a day more before that.
No, even one hour, thirty minutes, five minutes, one minute… even ten more seconds.
If that were the case, half a day would be several times enough to change everything.
“…That’s sufficient.”
“W-What do you mean? What exactly is…?”
“It’s the time a fool can enjoy happiness.”
So, like a bottomless jar… for me, who is spilling out my past and my life, half a day is.
“More than enough.”
It overflows.
—
Riina von Adelheit looked around with a cheerful heart.
There were people here and there. It is astonishing to realize how many people can move around in good health like this. No, they are really moving around this much.
It was a new world. The girl had never seen so many people milling about before.
She acknowledged that while there weren’t as many servants as the crowd gathered here at the Duke’s Mansion of Adelheid, there were quite a few. They could be spotted anywhere in the vast estate.
But at the same time.
She questions. Were there ever so many that they couldn’t even step into the mansion?
The girl answers. No, not at all. There’s no way that could be.
“Wow…”
The girl wanders about. With a wrinkled hand gripped tightly in one hand, feeling warmth emanating from it, she clutches her father’s hand while sensing the love blatantly exposed within that warmth.
The girl strengthens her grip. The hand she is holding tightly is her father’s hand. It wasn’t intentional. Riina von Adelheit is experiencing something more thrilling and intense than anything she has encountered in her life so far.
She continues to roll her eyes. From this side to that side, from that side to this. Without getting bored, she looks around in every direction. In just a few seconds, different people take the places in the same familiar spots she had seen before.
The girl is fascinated. This incomprehensible scene amazes her. She dives into this astonishing visual experience that is unprecedented, that is approaching with extraordinary clarity. It is almost like an illusion.
For humans, how crucial is the sense of sight? Unless one is visually impaired, sight is the most vital sensory organ to discern something, and if vision becomes meaningless, touch and smell slip into next priority.
As important as it is, the visual shock hits stronger than others. It feels intense, like an electric shock jolting through, embedding deep into the brain so thickly that it can never be forgotten.
Riina von Adelheit is currently experiencing that intense visual experience in real-time.
“There are more people than before.”
“Well… Indeed. Even though many came during our time, not this many ever gathered.”
“Hehe… And as a refresher of old memories, let’s take a slow look around. Because Riina is here too.”
“I hope it becomes a good memory for Riina as well.”
Riina’s father and mother, the Duke and Duchess of Adelheid, chat with each other. With a calm and composed tone like someone gazing at something seen several times before, they do not tremble.
The girl opened her mouth. In contrast to her beloved father and mother, a trembling voice slipped out.
“F-Father…”
“Is there something you want to say, Riina?”
“People…. people….”
“…People?”
Riina’s father tilted his head in confusion. It was a strange reaction. As if the scene unfolding before them was all too familiar. As if it were an always occurring everyday sight.
And, as if that scene was perfectly normal.
There’s no reason to lie. If so, it means this is indeed a usual sight that can be often seen during the Fall Festival of Caldera Imperial Academy.
The girl cannot believe it.
“People….”
This, this is what normal looks like?
“There are so many…!”
“Huh…?”
“There are so many, so many people! Father!”
The girl’s eyes twinkled. Shining brightly like rubies, those red jewels directed toward her father. In those eyes, stars were reflected.
“Riina…”
Tears welled in her father’s eyes. The girl turned her head again. The multitude of people still thronged before her eyes, bustling and real.
The girl looked down at her legs. Beneath the fluttering hem of her lovely skirt, her white legs stood on the ground. She pinched them lightly and slapped them softly.
It is not an illusion. Not a dream.
“Riina. Come on… let’s go in.”
“Don’t rush so much, you.”
“I-I know… but, dear.”
“…Let’s go in.”
The girl, entranced, gazed at a place bustling with people. The very spot where the most crowds were gathered, lined up doing something.
“Come on, let’s go in…!”
“Yes! Let’s hurry and enter!”
“Y-You! Just a moment…!”
Riina’s father was ecstatic. Riding on a merry-go-round he hadn’t experienced in ages, the father with Riina in his arms charged towards the spot while feeling the wind. The girl’s mother chased after them with a disapproving expression.
There was no need for nobility’s face or anything else. Here, they were just one family.
Even with the wind in her hair, the girl smiled brightly, looking around at the people. Riding on her father’s shoulders, her viewpoint rose significantly. She felt thoroughly capable of anything.
The girl searched for someone. In the distance, she spotted a familiar face.
A white face, also white hair, and bright red eyes….
‘What should I do…? What should I do…?!’
Her heart raced. It didn’t pound to the extent of causing heart disease. She hadn’t run so fast that it made her breathless.
But she couldn’t control the beating of her heart.
“Sister—!”
The girl, Riina von Adelheit, called out to her beloved sister. Laura von Adelheit. With all her strength, she shouted that name.
Soon enough, it seemed her voice reached her. Her beloved sister, Laura von Adelheit, looked at Riina. In her eyes were astonishment, joy, and emotion. Riina beamed brightly.
It was an expression of a dream.
