5. Coincidence and Destiny
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, it seemed like raindrops were falling from the sky.”
“Rain?”
“Huh, rain?”
Both the blue bird and Raphiel widened their eyes at my words.
“Aha, you must be new here. Let’s see, you seem familiar. Are you from the middle ranks of angels?” Then, flapping its wings, the blue bird flew around me. “Alas, my divine power must be waning from staying here too long. Ten years ago, I would have recognized you at a glance.”
It chirped so much that my ears almost hurt.
“Hey, Newbie. Let me tell you something. There’s no rain in Pronaea. Because!”
The chirping turned into an indescribable song.
“It’s directly connected to Ananke’s Sea. That’s why there’s no drought here, and flowers and fruits thrive. Puffy and fluffy~♬”
From a raccoon driving a carriage to a blue bird composing songs. There’s never a dull moment here, really.
“Pronaea is connected to Ananke’s Sea?”
But the blue bird wasn’t the important part.
Ananke’s Sea was the place where Redian underwent his baptism ceremony to become the crown prince. To think that the sea near the capital is connected all the way here.
“Yes. Ananke’s Sea is our source and the world tree.”
“…”
“Sometimes, when we go outside of the barrier and return, we come through the Ananke’s Sea. But we leave behind memories that need to be forgotten in that sea.”
I scanned the surroundings as I listened to Raphiel.
“So, that’s why people here have no memories of the world outside the barrier.”
These were people who must have faced trials outside the barrier. How could they be so clear and pure?
Memories that must be forgotten. Suddenly, I remembered the moment Redian emerged from that sea.
“Then, does that mean it’s possible to retrieve memories from that sea?”
“Yes, that’s right. You can retrieve the discarded memories.” She seemed pleased that I understood her words.
What memories did Redian see in the depths of that sea? What had he seen that made him recognize and call out to me as soon as he opened his eyes?
“Ah, so, Newbie, what were you in a past life?” The blue bird on Raphiel’s shoulder tilted its head. “You seem like you were someone significant. I can feel it. Seraphiel, you must know, right?”
“…I wonder.”
“As expected, an archangel who served the goddess closely is different. So tight-lipped.” The blue bird continued to prattle on. “Well, our goddess could be so cold when she wanted to be. Among us forest fairies, it was rumored that she had a nasty temper. Ahaha!”
What is this? Why do I feel like I’m being bad-mouthed?
“Cough, anyway, next time I’ll show you the sea. It looks like the sun is setting, so let’s head back.”
While I scanned the blue bird up and down, Raphiel cleared her throat.
“Since you’re here, try these.”
I took the candy wrapped in a handkerchief that Raphiel offered.
“Cough, when I was in heaven, I monopolized the goddess’s love. She only shared the recipe of Renet with me.”
I popped it into my mouth without much thought. Uugh. My brow furrowed involuntarily.
What a recipe? This is a fraud.
“It’s not supposed to be this blandly sweet.” As I rolled the candy in my mouth, I could feel what was missing. “You should have used vanilla herbs and ropin leaves instead of honey.”
To dare speak of the goddess’s recipe with such a poor imitation.
But at that moment.
“Eeh…?”
I couldn’t figure out why the blue bird stopped flapping its wings.
* * *
It was after Redian left. The Norma, who remained in the capital, began to prepare to welcome Siani. Inein veiled the castle where she would stay with an opaque barrier, Vallentin selected the equipment, and Francis arranged the servants.
“How about this? Looks sturdy.”
“Do you think princess will accept that?” Francis frowned at the wrist shackles Vallentin had picked.
“What, you think she’d appreciate being locked up?” Vallentin clicked his tongue as if it was a tough decision. Just a few days ago, he had put a restraint on his brother’s neck, but doing that to Siani might end up with his own shin broken.
“Be a gentleman. This would be better.” Francis pulled out ankle shackles. “It’s easy to deceive and comfortable to move in.”
But they were wrapped in soft silk to prevent skin damage and perfect for deception.
“Talking about being a gentleman when you’re more like a crazy b*stard.” Vallentin cursed.
How could that device, which looked to be an ordinary ribbon but tightened around the ankle when crossed the permitted boundaries, be considered gentlemanly?
“It looks like this should do.” As Vallentin and Francis bickered, Inein, who had walked around the castle once, spoke up.
This small castle, built behind the garden of the Crown Prince’s palace, would be a space solely for Siani. Although luxurious and beautiful inside, an opaque barrier prevented anyone outside from peeking in.
“It’s better to leave the rest to His Royal Highness. Besides, we’ll be coming in and out of this castle continuously.”
Here, Siani wouldn’t need to move her arms or legs. After all, they would become her eyes, legs, arms, and hands. Moreover, she could do whatever she wanted in this castle, except for one thing, which was leaving this place.
“Alright, then… this is my gift.” Vallentin unveiled something like laying down the last carpet.
“What’s that?”
Gold-threaded paper rolled up and tied with a string. It was unclear what was hidden inside, but it looked extremely rare at first glance.
“A portrait.” Vallentin chuckled as he placed the prepared gift in the drawer. “How boring and dull it must be to stay inside the room all the time.”
“You’ve heard of the underground library passed down to the kings of Decilio, right?”
“There’s a reason why the previous kings valued that library more than their lives… There’s a holy painting of Lucifer in there.”
The thrill felt when facing the holy painting of Lucifer upon returning to Decilio. And…
“It would be nice to have a painting to look at.”
He thought Siani should also see it with her own eyes. What would her reaction be upon confronting that painting?
“The rain here seems to be clearing up.”
Francis’s comment drew their eyes to the window. The clouds that had dominated the state’s sky seemed to have moved elsewhere, bringing clear weather for the first time in a long while.
“…It seems he has arrived.”
The night was unusually dark yet strangely peaceful.
* * *
Meanwhile, in Pronaea, the small village now embraced by night was as peaceful as ever.
“Honey, have you tried the Renet that Madame Raphiel brought?”
“It was truly amazing!”
Even the house of Julius and his wife at the very end of Pronaea was no different.
“I knew it wasn’t my divine power waning! That blue fairy made it seem so convincing!”
“Even in heaven, he was known as a troublemaker.”
In the dimly lit room, the wife was knitting while the husband was repairing a clock. Having entered Pronaea long ago, Julius and his wife had mostly forgotten their memories from when they were human. They had become so accustomed to peace that their divine power had nearly vanished.
“The lady staying in Raphiel’s annex made them.”
“The new lady? Ever since she arrived, the village seems livelier.”
“That’s right. Hoho.”
Julius’s wife, who was laughing heartily, then blinked her eyes.
“Tonight seems unusually dark.”
“Do you feel that too? I thought it was just me. Tonight seems particularly dark.”
“Let’s light another lamp.”
“I’ll do it.”
As Julius’s wife watched her husband approach the window, she returned to her knitting. But then…
“Oh gosh, Honey!”
A loud bang shook the floor.
“Honey, Honey! What’s wrong?”
Julius’s wife jumped from her seat and hastily approached the window.
“Honey, come to your senses!”
“…”
The sight before her made Julius’s wife’s face turn pale. The man who had been fine just moments ago had collapsed, drained of strength.
“My goodness, what suddenly…”
As if in a deep sleep, her husband’s shoulders and head drooped.
“…!”
Slowly lifting her head to look out the window, Julius’s wife froze in place.
Ssshh, ssshh, ssshh… Black mist seeped through the window cracks.
“W-Who are you?”
Tuk, tuk, tuk. Houses that had been letting out light were swallowed by darkness. The street, where time seemed to have stopped, was filled with empty shadows…
“No way!”
One by one, those shadows began to take on human forms.
“This can’t be happening.”
Even though everything else was blurry, those faces were clearly remembered. Pale skin, seductive eyes that could ensnare humans, devouring their souls as they grew!
Ipos, Beleth, Halphas, Barbatos, Gaap, Bathin, Ose, Eligor, and more!
“You wicked beings.”
But all Julius’s wife could only do was shout and tremble, unable to move as a cold grip tightened around her neck, arms, and legs.
“How dare you come here!”
It was at that moment.
“I’ve come for what’s mine.”
“Heuk…!”
A man who commanded all that darkness appeared.
“Is there a problem?”
The lips under the robe smiled devilishly beautiful.
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