Fragmented memories rise like shards. A memory of a certain man building with pure white light.
The fields were devoid of flowers. It was a desolate spring.
Due to the cold current flowing year-round along the continent’s western shore, there was little rainfall, resulting in a vast desert area.
When spring arrived, the strong westerly winds brought rain clouds that briefly showered the land, making it the only time to see flowers in the west.
Yet, in the man’s memories, spring had come, but only desolation remained.
The mournful sound of a horse’s neigh echoed through the silence, resonating within the encampment. The tents that stood without fail testified that even this place had become a battlefield.
The man silently descended to the ground. Every soldier passing by wore a look of powerlessness.
Occasionally, the sounds that reached him were little more than scornful laments.
“Aren’t those crows?”
“Hey, hey… be quiet. We commoners can’t insult them recklessly.”
It had become a familiar treatment.
One of those standing behind the man tried to step forward with a pained expression, but he raised a hand to stop him.
In fact, that alone was enough.
The soldiers laughing and mocking the man flinched at his action and hurriedly retreated. A grinding of teeth could be heard from behind, but the man’s mouth stayed shut.
He simply continued walking until he stopped in front of an especially ornate tent.
The white tent was immaculate, almost unbelievable for a desert area. And there, lavishly adorned with antique golden threads.
It was the symbol of the Imperial Court.
The man stared silently at the dragon-head motif and then quietly entered the tent.
There was no resistance from the knights guarding the vicinity. It was as if it was natural for him to enter the tent without any permission.
Inside the tent, numerous documents fluttered about.
It was akin to dozens of white birds flapping their wings. Amidst those paper birds, a woman appeared.
Her face was not clearly visible. However, when she turned her head, the man’s knees instinctively bent. Though he had been about to speak, he paused at her playful voice.
“…Did you enjoy the honeymoon?”
The man hesitated for a moment.
In the end, instead of the greeting he had prepared, he had to give a response mixed with a sigh.
“She and I are not in that kind of relationship.”
“But soon, it seems that way; rumors are saying so.”
With a snap of her fingers, the documents soaring through the air fell in a neat pile onto the desk. She sat back in her chair, crossing her arms.
Her mischievous smile was striking. The man averted his gaze, looking embarrassed.
“Heh, it’s amusing. The scandal of the great witch’s disciple spreading around…”
“To be precise, I am not a disciple. Moreover, most of those rumors are false.”
“I know. Some of it I spread myself.”
At that, the man’s expression almost crumbled. When he blankly looked up at her, she rose with an inscrutable smile.
And with a light pat on the shoulder of the kneeling man, she spoke a single word.
“Don’t make it too obvious. I get jealous easily.”
Then shall we walk.
At her continued suggestion, the man had no choice but to take her hand.
The afternoon sun was hot, and the heat scorched the dry ground. Despite the fierce warmth, the breathing of the man and the woman was surprisingly calm.
They were approaching the battlefield.
The man’s movements stilled suddenly. His frozen eyes gazed beyond the horizon.
“…How is it?”
At the woman’s words, the man opened and closed his lips.
His complexion turned pale. The shadow of a massive beast that had settled beyond was clearly visible even from this great distance.
With every breath he took in and expelled, he could see that creature swell and sink. It was a monster that was at least several dozen meters long.
“Recently, we succeeded in binding its movement with a sacrificial offering from the Imperial Court. It should remain bound for at least a month.”
“…How long?”
At the halting question, the woman’s face turned toward the man, puzzled.
“How long can it hold? If that monster is released.”
Fear was unmistakably evident in his voice. Anyone would react the same way.
If one were to see that shadow covering the horizon, anyone would.
Only the woman made a sound, pretending to be composed.
“It won’t hold.”
It was a simple and straightforward statement without embellishments.
Hence, the despair struck deeper. The man’s mouth immediately shut.
“Who would have thought there would be such value in my eyes? To actually summon that terrifying mythic being…”
Unintentionally, the man glanced at the woman, who was smirking bitterly.
She had her eyes closed. And she likely wouldn’t open them again.
“Time, there is not much left now.”
The phrase “to whom” was unnecessary.
The answer was predictably obvious anyway.
There was no time for anyone. Humanity was racing against the clock.
The woman’s lips, which had been relaxed all along, trembled at that moment.
“…Delphrium is coming.”
The man could only stare at the shadow beyond the horizon in silence.
As the sunlight waned, shadows fell across his golden eyes.
They were dire eyes.
And once again, the world crumbles.
Soon, a rough gasp awakened my dazed mind.
It was the sound of my own breathing. My groping hand, driven by thirst, brushed across the table by my bedside.
The sensation of something heavy grabbing hold became familiar to my hand. I immediately opened the cap of the water flask and gulped down the water.
Gradually, my faculties returned. The scene was now somewhat familiar.
A turned calendar and an antique letter envelope placed on the table.
I let out a curse and cautiously examined the letter envelope.
It was made of a more luxurious material than any envelope I had received thus far. My trembling hands tore open the seal of the letter.
My eyes began to scan the text.
—-
To. My beloved, Ian Fercurus
At this time when I should promise a happy future, please forgive this foolish lover who speaks of the past.
Tonight, the moon is particularly full, and I am deeply thinking of you. Leaving behind the embarrassment of my childish days, that is why I take up this pen.
Countless memories are washing over me like waves. The memories of that day have become signposts in my life, but I wonder if they still linger as unpleasant moments for you.
Once more, I deeply apologize for the painful memories you had to endure.
How could I dare to say I understand your feelings, having to bear the misunderstandings and pains for everyone? Even so, not a single day since that day have I ever regretted what happened then.
Especially after realizing you did that for me.
The feelings that budded that day troubled me greatly. The affection that comes only once in a lifetime twisted my heart, making it almost unbearable.
To confess, I cried every night.
I thought perhaps there might have been a better first meeting.
First love is such a terrifying emotion. All the women around you looked like foxes, and even though I had many things I wanted to say, I couldn’t utter a word, fearing I had sinned.
It was my first time.
I was completely lost since the procession was attacked by monsters. I even fell into the trap of the dark priest in the end.
But in the last moment when you entered the lair, my life finally acquired color.
That day in your arms, I thought, I would live the rest of my life in atonement for this man.
So, I have started learning to cook recently.
Embarrassingly, I might have to move from place to place when I marry you. Sometimes I might have to manage without servants.
Supporting my husband is both a duty and a right for a wife. Above all, I hope you will be happy.
They say love is a process of making a half of one’s life, but I cannot help but feel you are my everything.
Before long, night is deepening. There are many things I want to write, but I will put down my pen here.
Once again, thank you for protecting my eyes.
And I love you more than anyone, Ian.
I fervently hope to meet you again tomorrow, and I will end my letter here.
P.S. 1: There are rumors regarding personnel assigned to the continent’s western section lately, but they are all untrue. Of course, she is bothersome, but I have always thought she is fit to protect Arancourt based on objective evidence. It’s not jealousy, I assure you.
P.S. 2: A courier has recently come from the Holy Kingdom, and I am somewhat concerned. Ian, you are the pillar of the Empire, and the other party is a high-ranking official from the Holy Kingdom. You may be suspected of colluding with foreign countries. Again, I say, it is not jealousy. Absolutely not.
From. Your beloved who spends the night thinking of you, your most beloved woman.
In the year 571 of the Empire, on the first day of the Month of the Staff.
—-
For a while, I read the letter in silence, then let out a deep sigh.
It still was a letter I couldn’t comprehend.
Procession? Monster’s attack? And the dark priest?
And what does “eye” mean? As I pressed at my temple, a fleeting thought crossed my mind that I might have heard about “eyes” in a dream.
I examined the back of the letter.
Just as I suspected, there was indeed something.
Words hastily scrawled in an entirely different handwriting from the letter’s content.
“The one who possesses the eye of the dragon does not know the heart of humanity.”
As I stared blankly at that sentence, I soon exhaled and tucked away the letter.
I had to first grasp the content weighing on my mind.
You want to apologize for the “painful memories” I had to endure?
It was a story I couldn’t grasp at all. I decided to rise to understand the situation.
Then I suddenly noticed a piece of paper that had slipped through the gap under the door.
It was a folded piece of paper. I briskly walked over and picked it up without thinking.
And the moment I unfolded the paper.
A flash of flame ignited. I gasped and immediately threw the paper away, taking a step back.
It was instantaneous, but the heat was intense. If I had been even a moment slower, I would have been burned.
No matter how much I tried to think of it as a prank, the quality of the joke was lacking.
“No, what kind of madman…!”
I cursed as I stared down at the paper, still warm with heat, from which heat shimmered upwards.
There, small flames were etching gray text along its path.
It was a brief sentence, no more than a line of text.
But upon confirming its content, I could do nothing but freeze in place.
“Whoever touches the Imperial Family must pay the price.”
I fell into a moment of silence. Perhaps the expression that my mind had gone blank was more fitting.
Then, shortly after, my hand involuntarily rose to my forehead.
No way, is this now talk of treason?
“What on earth have I done…?”
Already, the future felt bleak.
