To. My beloved Ian Percus
Summer is fading, and autumn is approaching. Before long, the cold rain will fall at night, and the now-diminished sunlight becomes a welcome sight. How is it there, Ian? Can you hear the sound of rain soaking the moon?
Night, rain, and wine.
It’s a perfect day to reminisce about the past. Some may scold me for drinking as a priest, but that day has come again, making it hard to wash away my bitter heart. You would understand my feelings, wouldn’t you?
It was a sunny day, unlike today. The day you and I left for the Holy Kingdom.
I remember the excitement in my chest as if we were going on a picnic. It was my first time visiting my hometown with you. Hometowns hold special meanings for everyone, and love makes one want to share all of it. I thought that even my childhood, buried long ago, could be faced with courage if I were with you.
It was like a ‘confession.’ Perhaps I wanted to repent for the sad and tearful little child I had long since turned my gaze away from.
But who would have known? The fact that I had a different sin altogether.
The Lord has also said that as much as we hate someone, we also hate ourselves. This is because the more strong our hatred, the more our hearts hurt and suffer.
I think the emotion of ‘doubt’ is similar.
The more I delved into the suspicious aspects of the orphanage, the deeper my doubts grew, and the more I began to distrust myself. It was a time when all the truths I had believed began to crumble. On the day I was betrayed by someone I never thought I would doubt, I blasphemously began to suspect the existence of God.
It was betrayal by a colleague, no less.
All the roads I had loved were leading to the cross. On the day of the trial, death was imminent, and the God I had searched for my entire life was nowhere to be found.
Though it’s late, I want to ask you.
How could you have trusted me?
This is separate from being falsely accused. The verdict had already been decided, and I had no confidence in saving myself. To put it more accurately, I had given up. My beliefs, faith, and trust… all of it was denied.
Yet, despite that, why did you?
Even while your skin was torn, your bones crushed, and your blood flowed like a stream.
Why did you try to save me? Why did you show hope again to someone who had given up everything?
In truth, I already know your answer. You have always said so.
‘Obedience’ is a concept that truly can’t be grasped.
But I now understand. Even when broken and down before wounds and trials, there are times when one must rise and move forward again. And that was the way the Lord proves Himself, a fact I learned that day.
Even the drink I raise today will become a memory someday.
In memory of the poor soul, and for the uncertain futures that lie ahead.
I drink one more for you.
My love, my foundation, my eternal companion.
On this rainy night, I swear my love for you before the Lord.
P.S. I think I will visit the system around the middle of next month. You will come out to welcome me, right? Just a piece of advice, please get rid of that pet dog. I receive nagging letters from it once a week, and it’s quite a headache.
P.S. 2. Recently, rumors are spreading that the Yuridina Clan might have an illegitimate child. Please be careful, really. Before both of you are brought up on charges of adultery in the religious court.
From. Your ‘Lucia.’
In the 571st year of the Empire, on the twelfth day of the Moon of Discs.
—
After reading the letter, I remained silent.
Still, no detailed circumstances were provided. This was a common feature shared by the first letter and all others. At this point, it could be more appropriate to consider that some force was at work rather than mere coincidence.
The ‘me’ from the future had said something similar.
Directly delivering information has too great of a ‘cost.’ I can’t tell what exactly is being ‘consumed,’ but it seems that there exists a total amount of events where one can interfere from the future to the past. This could relate to why the future persona couldn’t intervene during the previous incident.
In the end, I had to navigate through a difficult future with this vague clue.
It was better than facing an event without it. Nevertheless, I couldn’t shake off the peculiar sense of regret.
There was one reason for that.
A scribbled phrase on the back of the letter had crept back into my vision.
‘Beware of your family.’
Along with the mention of the existence of the ‘betrayer’ in the letter, this was a sufficient statement to plant a seed of doubt in my heart.
And if ‘family’ was mentioned, there could only be one suspect.
My sister, Liya Percus.
“No, it can’t be…”
I swallowed a dry laugh and shook my head.
Liya would never betray me. Unless, perhaps, she was manipulated by the Dark Cult, but even that possibility had become extremely unlikely after destroying the core of the Corpse Giant.
Yet, I still couldn’t shake off a thread of anxiety.
Betrayal is originally something that happens from someone you trust.
Isn’t it clearly stated in the letter? That I was betrayed by a ‘colleague.’
I bit my lip for some time in contemplation. I didn’t want to suspect Liya, but on the other hand, I couldn’t ignore my anxious feelings.
After a few minutes of tapping the table with my index finger.
In the end, there was no conclusion to be found by myself. In times like this, I needed to gather additional clues first.
For this, I had two choices.
The first, to investigate the actions of the ‘me’ from the future.
And the second, to consult a more intelligent colleague.
It was common knowledge that the more information available, the more specific inferences could be made. Therefore, I decided to follow the first step as usual.
It wasn’t difficult to track ‘my’ actions within the Academy.
Due to my notoriety, all my movements were exposed. The next person I sought out was none other than the Imperial Princess.
“Sir Ian, you’ve come again!”
The Princess greeted me with her usual warm welcome. In the rarely populated Veralta Palace, a privilege given only to royalty, there were only the silhouettes of two people.
Yes, two people.
Surprisingly, the Imperial Princess was accompanied by a familiar face. A lady knight with neatly arranged blue hair cascading like a waterfall.
Airen Rufemyon.
She had returned from the Percus Manor, where she had said she would stay for a time supporting us.
I smiled warmly at the return of my comrade.
“Lady Airen! You’re back?”
“Yes, Master. Thanks to you, I’m safe.”
Lady Airen accepted my greeting with a wry smile.
The term ‘Master’ still felt quite unfamiliar. In fact, both the Princess and Lady Airen were among those who didn’t know of the existence of the ‘me’ from the future.
I had to reveal that someday.
However, fearing it might embarrass Lady Airen, who calls me ‘Master,’ I decided to postpone that truth. After all, the one whom Lady Airen served as her Master was the ‘me’ from the future.
Instead, I offered a simple greeting.
“How is the Percus family? I heard you were searching along with the Empire’s Intelligence Department, but has there been any signs of the Dark Cult’s henchmen approaching?”
“If there were, I would have contacted you immediately, Master. However…”
Ahem, Lady Airen was about to reassure me but suddenly showed a slightly awkward expression.
She looked like a child who had done something wrong and was wary of their parents.
As I looked at her in confusion, she sighed and began to confess.
“Um, the ‘masked individual’ has completely vanished from sight. We couldn’t even specify the suspect…”
In other words, it meant they could still be lurking around the Percus family.
I swallowed as I pondered this, and the Princess glanced between Lady Airen and me. She seemed unable to keep up with the conversation.
Was she not picking up on the situation?
As I hesitated whether to provide additional explanations, the Princess tilted her head.
“You asked about that ‘masked individual’ two days ago, didn’t you?”
Surprisingly, it was Lady Airen who reacted with surprise.
She hung her head in an even more apologetic manner. The beads of sweat rolling down her forehead were a testament to her feelings.
“I-I’m sorry, Master… I just arrived yesterday and didn’t know. If I had known you were that concerned, I should have stayed longer to keep an eye on things… Should I go back?”
“It’s fine, but what exactly did I ask?”
I cut off Lady Airen’s suggestion and turned back to the Princess.
At this point, if I had asked about the ‘masked individual,’ there must have been a legitimate reason. After all, he wouldn’t commit unnecessary acts.
Especially since he had been indifferent to the ‘masked individual’ until just recently.
Though he had reportedly been spotted in the Yuridina Territory, he suddenly showing interest felt unnatural.
The Princess, unaware of these circumstances, only wore a bewildered expression.
“You asked about the suspicious figure spotted in the Yuridina Clan, didn’t you? You asked about their features…”
“And what did you reply?”
“Honestly, I was too surprised at the time, so I don’t really remember well…”
At that, the Princess offered a silly smile and an awkward chuckle.
It was a reply that only elicited a sigh, yet faced with her innocent expression, I couldn’t bring myself to be angry. At least she recalled some usable information.
“Oh, right! I remember you mentioned Lady Airen, didn’t you?”
“Lady Airen?”
“Yes, you said you needed to hear Lady Airen’s testimony in detail.”
That’s when the Princess and I natural turned our gaze toward Lady Airen.
Regardless, Lady Airen still seemed unable to meet our eyes, looking unnerved. She merely shut her eyes tightly while apparently straining to remember, but only managed to display a sheepish expression.
“Um, as I said, all I can recall is that my vision went ‘flash!’ in front of me…”
The expressions of both the Princess and I hardened.
It was completely unhelpful information. After all, doesn’t everyone feel a flash in front of them just before they faint?
In the end, Lady Airen followed the Princess’ lead and offered a silly smile in return. It seemed she had tried to think of an escape route.
“Lady Airen, are you joking? Sir Ian is personally asking you right now.”
“I-I’m sorry, Your Highness…”
“Will saying sorry end your duties as a guard?”
Of course, that attempt fell flat.
With one hand placed on her hip, the Princess started to scold her in a strangely delinquent tone.
Ultimately, Lady Airen had to lower her head once more, flustered.
Regardless, my anxiety continued to deepen.
There was a lack of proper information. According to my investigations, the last known action of ‘me’ led to a conversation with the Princess. It was clear something must have happened after that, but it was difficult to investigate at this moment.
Still, I wished there was at least one more meaningful clue.
As I groaned in frustration, the Princess, who had been scolding Lady Airen, carefully asked me.
“Sir Ian, do you have some kind of worry?”
I glanced at the Princess.
Now that I thought about it, the Princess was talented enough to be the top student in the first year of the Magic Department. Perhaps consulting with her might yield some new information?
Yet, I soon chuckled to myself.
That Princess?
In my mind, the Princess felt like a sister I needed to protect. She was certainly not someone I could lean on for support.
Even so, I couldn’t help but feel a strange foreboding as I gazed into her fiery gray eyes. Looking back, the Princess had previously tried to bury me at the Academy.
I had quite a difficult time because of that.
With the mindset of having nothing to lose, I decided to share my concerns with the Princess.
“So, I want to ask, what do you think it means when someone says to ‘beware of your family’?”
“Of course, that’s a common phrase, isn’t it?”
Right, that was true.
I suddenly felt the weight of the Princess’ background. Although she smiled sweetly, no family would respond so boldly to such a caution.
This was something only royalty could accomplish.
Since they had been hearing such phrases since they were able to understand language.
However, the Princess seemed well aware that I hadn’t intended my question in such a manner, as she tilted her head and inquired.
“But that’s strange. Why didn’t they specify whom to be cautious of?”
“Well, you see, I can’t directly convey specific information due to various circumstances. I have to be as vague as possible…”
“That still sounds odd, though.”
The Princess responded in a seemingly sincere tone, raising an eyebrow as if genuinely confused.
“In the end, it implies that specific information shouldn’t be conveyed to Sir Ian, doesn’t it? But as far as I know, Sir Ian’s family isn’t too large, and it should be possible to narrow it down.”
That was a valid point.
Her observation hit precisely at the area I had been pondering, leaving me momentarily speechless. According to her reasoning, the only person left for me to suspect was Liya.
In other words, it was as if I was being told to suspect Liya.
If so, then this was no longer indirect information. While I momentarily shut my mouth, the Princess, bearing an inscrutable smile, continued.
“The important thing is not that you should suspect ‘family.’ There’s a question that needs to be resolved first.”
And a confident declaration followed.
“Whose family is it?”
The Princess’ ashen eyes that accompanied that remark held an oddly sinister glint.
It was the look of a trickster who had discovered an interesting riddle.
After hearing the Princess’ advice, I began to consider a wider range of potential suspects.
I wasn’t the only one in the world with a family. While it’s not certain that Liya is not the ‘betrayer,’ there were also the Virgin Saint’s ‘family’ present at the orphanage.
Could it be that someone from the orphanage was the betrayer?
Why are there so many traitors in the orphanage managed by the Holy Kingdom?
Lost in various thoughts, I found myself passing through the warp gate and entering the Holy Kingdom.
That was when I unexpectedly encountered someone.
“Oh, Elsi Senpai?”
At my low call, a girl wearing a hooded hat jumped in surprise and turned around. Following that was a pleasant light blooming in her blue eyes.
But it was not long before disappointment replaced that joyful moment.
Before I could even wonder why, a voice boomed from above.
“It’s been a while.”
I had to raise my gaze slightly to meet the shadow looming in front of me. Though I was quite tall, the other person’s height surpassed even mine.
He was indeed fitting of the title of a behemoth.
And his eyes were a shade of blue resembling Lady Elsi’s.
“Nephilim.”
I shook his outstretched hand in a daze, showing a foolish expression.
A powerful archmage from the Rainelle Clan, and a man who fought alongside me at the Percus Manor.
It was a reunion with Raymond Rainelle.
