Chapter 55

That night, an old memory appeared in a dream.

“I didn't want you to be my wife from the beginning.  That's my reason.”

It was a memory of the day when she confessed her heart to Fernan.

That day, Fernan had said so in a voice without a single hint of warmth.

His cold expression, which made her heart ache, was vividly portrayed as if it had happened yesterday.

After waking up from her sleep, Julia slowly opened her eyes and slowly got up.

When she looked out the window, it was dawn.

However, her long-standing memories, which were brought out unconsciously, made her mind shattered and she could not fall asleep again.

Julia got up from the bed with an empty face.

After she put on a thick shawl that was hung to one side, she walked towards the door.

She opened the door and saw an empty hallway. Julia, who had been walking along the hallway like that, finally stood in front of the stairs.

At dawn like this, whether she thought there was no way she could escape, or whether she was being watched from behind, no one was seen in the hall.

She went down the stairs slowly, and soon passed through the door.

She just walked down the street slowly.

As if it was snowing, she could feel her feet sinking with every step she took.

When she lifted her head, at first glance, the tall trees were visible under the moonlight.

After walking for a while through the trees, Julia soon stopped on a long bridge across the lake.

The winter lake she had been looking through the window the whole time. But it was the first time she came out and saw it in person like this.

The lake shimmering in the moonlight was covered with thin ice.

Julia leaned against the railing, keeping the shining lake in her sight for a long time.

Then, someone grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back.

“…Ah."

With a firm touch, her back touched someone's arms.

At that moment, focus returned to Julia's eyes, which had been empty the whole time. When she raised her head to check behind her, Fernan, with a surprised look on his face as if he had been running in a hurry, immediately came into view.

“What are you doing here at this hour?”

Fernan tightened his grip around her waist. 

He looked like he was very confused.

Locked in his big arms, Julia blinked blankly.

She didn’t not know why she came out here.

Was she trying to run away from him?  Or was she unconsciously wanting to get some wind?

Julia couldn't answer her own questions and tried to take his hand off.  However, Fernan wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her with a more tenacious strength.

It was only then that Julia realized that his breathing was trembling.

“Don’t surprise me. I, you again….”

He thought she was going to throw herself into such deep water.  He took her completely into his arms with a desperate touch.

Julia could feel his stiff body rising and falling slowly behind her back.

She gently lowered her hand which was pushing him away. He was shaking so badly that she couldn't shake it any longer.

・・・ What is it that makes him tremble like this? His appearance was strange and unfamiliar.

With her mouth shut, Julia tried not to be conscious of the warmth she felt behind her back.

After a while, Fernan's breathing gradually calmed down. His hands that were holding her in his grip loosened.

Taking advantage of the gap, Julia escaped from his arms and slowly turned around.

As he raised his gaze from a distance, he was met with twinkling golden eyes.

His eyes now were not the cold ones she saw in her dreams. His temperature was completely different from that time.

“… Julia.”

After staring at her for a long time, Fernan reached out.

His large hands wrapped around her cheeks and began to gently caress her. As if he still couldn’t trust his vision of her standing in front of him like this.

Despite the cold winter wind, his hands were very warm.

Julia, who looked into his eyes under the moonlight, quickly regained consciousness and turned her head.

His hand, which had stayed in the air for a moment, was then removed.

"You must have been frustrated because you've been in the bedroom all this time."

A low, calm voice descended.

“I’ll take you anywhere, so don’t disappear alone.”

Julia then lifted her head up and looked up at him, who looked friendly.

"… Weren't you trying to lock me up?”

“I had no intention of doing that from the beginning.  As long as you stay in my sight, you can go anywhere.”

Julia looked back slowly at his words.  At first glance it sounds like he was going to set her free, but in the end it meant that she had to be accompanied by him wherever she went.

She didn't even have the energy to sigh, Julia just lowered her gaze. And she soon let out a quiet voice that contained her questions.

“I don’t know what benefit you are getting for me to be here.”

An expression of incomprehension appeared on Julia's calm face.

She had lost consciousness for a long time and from the moment she opened her eyes, she had not been able to accept this situation.

Fernan swallowed the distant emotions and calmly answered.

“I don’t need any kind of benefits.  As long as you stay by my side, that's enough."

“…  ”

Julia lowered her eyelids halfway and then she lifted them up again. She still couldn't understand his words.

But the way he looked at her was so unfamiliar that she had no choice but to keep her lips shut.  The warmth this man was showing now was temporary.

It would never last long. Maybe Fernan was mistaken for a moment for wanting her now.

The wife who ran away from his watch and hid for a year.

He was a man who has never lost anything in his life, so it may have hurt his pride.

Julia repeated this to herself for a long time.  She would never be fooled by this man.

And she slowly tightened her shawl as if to protect herself. Only then did she turn away from him.

Fernan followed her quietly from a distance of one step away as she moved hurriedly.

***

Cedric arrived at the monastery when access to the outside of the temple was granted.

It had been a month since the Holy Kingdom was invaded by monsters without notice.

Monster.  To be more precise, the day the demon magicians appeared was the time of the annual event at the Great Temple.

They didn't even know that the monsters were aiming for that day.  As a result, many unprotected people suffered meaningless sacrifices.

And still, they were pouring out demons all over the place without end.

In the end, in the Great Temple, it was declared that the war with the demons would continue for a long time.

The village where Cedric stayed was also difficult to access due to ongoing battles, and he could not visit the monastery for a long time.

About a month later, he was told that the situation in the village had calmed down to some extent.

After that, Cedric was able to go straight to the village with the paladins.

He already knew that there was a sea of ​​blood everywhere.  But until he saw it with his own eyes, he could hardly believe it.

After personally checking the ruined monastery, Cedric lowered his head as if he was breaking apart.

“A total of eight bodies were found here, and we had no choice but to burn them all for fear of an infectious disease.”

A knight approached and spoke quietly.  The bodies found inside the monastery were quickly retrieved by knights who had arrived in advance.

"Ah..l..”

Cedric trembled as he buried his face in his hands.  Those who would have been killed in vain were all people who lived with him.

‘Why such a tragedy, why such a tragedy….'

For this moment, he couldn't help but resent the God who was his life.  Cedric longed for all this to be his dream.

“It appears that there are no survivors.  Or, is it true that the number of those who remain in this monastery is eight?"

The knight spoke in a subdued voice.  Cedric took a deep breath and then slowly lifted his head.

"…no."

Cedric, who gently twisted his eyes, murmured.

Except for the priests, those who remained in the monastery were well over eight.

"Have you recorded the age and gender of the corpse?"

Cedric hurriedly grabbed the knight's arm.

“Oh, yes. Of course."

The knight, who nodded his head, gave an answer quickly.  The bodies were so decomposed that it was difficult to identify the faces, but it was possible to determine the genders and age.

The knight took out a note stating the identity of the bodies and handed it to Cedric.

“Eight bodies have all been identified as adult males.”

His eyes began to tremble like crazy when he hurriedly checked the contents of the note.

In fact, it was all just adult male records. There were no children or women.

This meant that Gabrielle, Julia and the children were not found here.

Cedric put his hand on his forehead, thinking of several possibilities.

The reason the Holy Kingdom was invaded by demons this time was because the enemy had a clear purpose.

The purpose of offering eternal life to their king by sacrificing those with divine powers.

As a result, the priests who stayed in the Great Temple were also in danger.

In other words, there was a possibility that Gabrielle and the children did not know, but Julia was taken away by them.

Because her heart had holy power.

“Priest, the demons haven’t been completely wiped out yet.  You never know when they will appear again in this town, so you must forget your sorrow for a moment.”

The knight said to Cedric, who was standing frozen, with a sad and determined face at the same time.

War was cruel.  Because it didn’t even give people time to mourn someone's death.

Cedric didn't know that before. And he couldn't get his mind out of this horrendous situation.

At that time, another paladin who came to check the vicinity of the monastery quickly approached them.

“Priest, look at this.”

The knight pounded something heavy on the floor.  It was the corpse of a monster with several fragments.

“I looked around and found these corpses all over the outside of the monastery.”

"This…."

“Yes, this is not the swordsmanship of the Paladins.  Maybe someone else fought a battle here."

When attacking demons with power, it would create a dense flame.

The demons that were completely burned like that were supposed to disappear like blowing ashes.

Not leaving corpses in this way.

This meant that someone other than the paladins fought a battle here.

It was the work of those who were accustomed to confrontation with demons, and who knew how to kill monsters without divine power.

Cedric, who was speechless, approached the corpse that the knight had laid down.

Holding onto his flashing head, he thought of the possibilities again.

Soon, his eyes slowly returned to focus.  He didn’t know why, but a man suddenly came to his mind.