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Since parting ways with Franz, I had been wandering aimlessly around Winter Castle.

“What kind of person is that so talkative…”

Even after Richard’s story ended, I found myself stuck with him for quite a while. Previously, I had held the title of “Most Talkative Person” in my heart for Wilhelm, who had cornered me with stories about my father, but now that title had been claimed by Franz.

Of course, there were also worthwhile stories, like those about the academy when I was with my father. Other than that, it was all complaints about how much he had suffered because of my father’s actions. It felt like I was receiving all the bad karma for things my father had done.

The principal’s lectures during my school days couldn’t even compare. The conversations that began in the morning continued until sunset.

Seriously, it made me wonder if the name “Twilight” was given because he talked until dusk.

If he hadn’t stopped to complain about his mouth hurting, and if I hadn’t suddenly left, I might still be stuck there.

“Elena…”

Exhausted, her name escaped my lips. Normally, I would have had various thoughts about uttering her name without thinking, but right now, I didn’t even have the energy for that. I just wanted to see her face.

And then, a white light caught my eye.

The world was dyed red by the twilight light, yet in that world, she alone retained a white radiance.

As she walked towards the castle, she seemed to have noticed me and began to approach. However, I no longer had the patience to wait for her to reach me. I immediately dashed towards her.

“Damian, why are you like this… Oh…”

“I missed you.”

If someone were to ask why I acted that way at that moment, I could only say it was a natural response because I was exhausted. Standing before her and gracefully embracing her was still far off.

Yet at that moment, I didn’t have time to think about that.

All I could feel in my head while holding her was the warmth of Elena’s body and the sound of her racing heartbeat. I embraced her tightly, finding solace for quite some time.

Until Joachim’s disdainful gaze shot over from a distance.

After regaining our senses, we returned to our rooms, unable to look at each other’s faces.

The next time we would face each other again was after some time had passed, when we met at the entrance of Winter Castle for an outing.

“S-So, shall we go?”

“Y-Yes…”

Elena, trying to act nonchalant while speaking to me, still had her ears blushing like before, as if the recent moment lingered on. I turned my head away from her and pushed open the castle gate.

As the gates of Winter Castle opened, a cold wind rushed in.

Even though the northern wind from Merohim was chilling to the bone, my face remained hot.

*

“It’s very cold.”

I said, holding Elena’s hand.

As the sun began to dip between the distant mountain peaks, I could truly feel the temperature noticeably dropping compared to before.

As the sun set, the pure white city, once white as snow, fell into darkness like a blank canvas being painted black.

As the whole world was starting to sink into darkness, the tall, white tower in the distance began to shine brightly. It was as if the top of the tower was a lighthouse, illuminating the dark night sea.

Soon after, the beams of light from the tower started spreading through the streets of Merohim, as if the light was finding its way home, seeping into the lampposts that dotted the area.

The city was no longer dark.

Thanks to the lampposts standing between the city alleyways, the city aglow in light felt even brighter than the streets during the day.

In that surreal sight, I found myself transfixed, gazing up at the sky.

It was a dreamlike beauty, as if I had entered a fairy tale world, and I followed the streams of light cascading from the heavens with my eyes.

This felt like a matter of sentiment.

Having lived in a modern society with extreme technological advancement, I had witnessed things more real and brilliant than this, but just as a mere beautiful picture isn’t necessarily a masterpiece, the scenery reflected in my eyes didn’t resonate with my heart as strongly.

Elena, noticing my dazed expression, wore a small smile.

“Isn’t it beautiful? Once a month, Dawn’s Tower releases residual magic from the work processes like this.”

“So, do all the towers handle residual magic in this way?”

Seeing such a sight made me want to visit Twilight Tower, which I hadn’t thought about before. However, Elena shook her head with a look of regret.

“That’s… probably not the case. As far as I know, only Dawn’s Tower handles residual magic like this. Most of the magic towers don’t process magic publicly like this.”

“Oh…”

Then I guess there’s no need to go to Twilight Tower.

With a disappointed expression, looking up for the lights that had already vanished, she pulled my hand and led me into the glowing street illuminated by the burst of starlight.

Her somewhat sulky face was like she was telling me not to focus on the sky.

Facing her jewel-like purple eyes sparkling alongside the street, I no longer had any lingering wishes to seek out the lights in the night sky.

I stepped into the brightly lit street behind her.

“Even though it’s cold, there are so many people out tonight.”

Well, being someone who can handle aura, I guess that makes sense. But maybe it was because tonight was the night of the night market; many people were outside despite the frigid weather.

I saw street vendors set up along the road and children wandering curiously between them, as well as parents hurriedly gathering those children up.

Besides that, the sounds of laughter echoed continuously through the various entertainment spots. If one were to compare the volume of the voices to those at a banquet, they would hardly measure up, but I didn’t find the sounds filling the streets annoying at all.

Elena smiled at my words and replied as if it were obvious.

“For those living in Merohim, this kind of weather is normal. Moreover, it’s rare for a day like this, when residual magic processing coincides with the night market opening. That’s probably why there are so many people.”

Ah, so everyone is just used to this weather.

Elena’s calm demeanor made me recall that she had grown up here. For her, the sight of Merohim must have been just a part of daily life, yet due to my memories from Sarham where I spent time with her, something felt strange about her words.

I walked slowly, following Elena through the streets.

With each block we passed, the items in our hands began to increase one by one. True to its name, the night market offered various food items, and the one I was holding now was a skewer that perfectly replicated the taste of cheap chicken skewers from my previous world.

The texture was great, but surprisingly, the sauce coating it tasted exactly like what I remembered, making me wonder if there might be other reincarnators here too.

Later, I learned from Elena that it was just a dish that had been trendy for a long time in Merohim.

Elena, adhering to her sweet tooth taste, was mostly holding onto sweet things. Among them was something resembling frozen fruit in sugar water, which was the only item she offered me that I could actually eat.

She had merely offered it to me playfully, but when I casually took a bite, her expression turned one of surprise, as if she hadn’t expected me to.

Immediately, she panicked as if I had eaten something she didn’t expect me to eat.

“Uh, Damian, that was just a joke. You didn’t have to eat it on purpose…”

“I do eat fruit. As long as it’s not too sweet. This one is sour enough to be worth eating.”

Others thought I couldn’t eat sweets at all, but if I put my mind to it, I could manage. I just didn’t enjoy it much.

Of course, that frozen fruit was too sweet for my standards. The reason I took a bite wasn’t just because she offered it to me; I wanted to relive that memory from before.

It tasted slightly different from that nostalgic flavor, but it was enough to invoke a sense of nostalgia from the past.

It is sweet, indeed.

Elena seemed delighted that I ate the frozen fruit she had given me, but when I glanced at the last one left in her hand after I finished, her eyes wavered as they met mine.

“D-Damian, would you like one more?”

“…I’m good. I’ll buy some more on our way back.”

Upon hearing that I was okay, Elena finally eased her worried expression and carefully took a bite of the remaining frozen fruit. I couldn’t help but feel a smile creeping onto my face as I watched her.

Is it really okay for someone to be this cute?

If I had asked for the frozen fruit, she would have definitely given it to me, but the memories that could be triggered by something she didn’t even like weren’t as valuable as the joy of seeing her smile right now.

I quietly observed her eat, then began looking around for something new and sweet that she might like.

*

In a dark alley where not even the light from the city at night could pierce through.

While the bustling night market of Merohim was thriving, there were those intentionally lurking in such places, and they weren’t normal individuals.

Wrapped in black robes that shrouded their bodies, they looked particularly suspicious.

The necklace hidden beneath the pitch-black robe bore a symbol representing their affiliation. That symbol, resembling a solar eclipse, evoked the image of the sun obscured by darkness, akin to the symbol of Altair, the God of Light, who was revered as the main deity in the continent.

This was evidence that they were the ones referred to as “Heretics,” denying the existence of the deity worshipped across the continent.

They were considered the enemies of all, failing to hide their existence; in fact, they openly displayed their affiliation through the symbols on their clothes and armor. However, this time was an exception, as they carried only a small necklace.

This was like the last shred of their faith that they couldn’t abandon, yet to the eyes of those who knew about their activities, they appeared more like mad zealots rather than pious believers.

From the dark shadows, a voice emerged, broken and unrecognizable as human.

【Are you sure you are here?】

【The Archbishop said she received a revelation, so it’s certain. Look how the sacred relic is reacting.】

The hand that emerged from the shadows held a black gem.

Though its form was beautiful, it exuded a sinister energy that made one feel uneasy simply by looking at it. Yet they welcomed that twisted energy with faces brimming with joy, as if they had discovered a warm sunlight.

The silhouette extracting the gem trembled, struggling to contain their emotions.

【Even on the day the Archbishop was chosen, the sacred relic didn’t shine like this. There’s no doubt that an apostle of our Lord has descended upon Merohim.】

The one hiding in the shadows recalled the image of the Archbishop, who had gone mad a few days ago and was smashing everything around her, crying out blasphemous words about how their deity had vanished. If she weren’t the one currently holding the Archbishop’s position, it would have been perfectly reasonable to strike her down then and there, but everyone present shared similar thoughts, so no one could dispute her words.

However, the Archbishop soon bore a face full of exhilaration as she began to bow her head to the ground.

Then, she took out the sacred relic that had not been seen for a long time and declared to them that their long-held wish had come true.

Ordinary people could never follow that train of thought, but they were intoxicated by their deity, and the deep darkness reflected in the sacred relic made them comprehend her words.

According to the Archbishop, once they entered Merohim, the sacred relic had been radiating a darker shade of black than ever before. This fact alone was enough to confirm that her claims were true.

The only thing that puzzled them was that despite the descent, it should have crumbled as a cornerstone of ruin, yet Merohim remained intact—but such thoughts were buried beneath their fanatical faith.

The hidden ones were merely submerged in joy, awaiting the arrival of their deity.

 

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