I bent my knees slightly and lowered my upper body. I covered the small outstretched hand with mine.
“I’m Rian.”
Then I introduced myself. Facing each other like this reminded me of when I first met Deadrian. When we all gathered together for the first time and introduced ourselves to each other, I wondered why he stared at me so intently—was this why?
I turned my gaze to look up at Ruvlian and pulled down the hand he held. It meant for him to greet as well. Then Ruvlian let out a deflating laugh as if he couldn’t be bothered.
“Ihyun.”
He cut off everything before and after and really only said his name. I was at a loss for words at how true to his fiery personality he was. Even if I added words asking if that was it, I knew only annoyance would come back, so I stayed silent.
My gaze that left Ruvlian stopped on young Deadrian. The child seemed to have gathered their expression again and didn’t show any emotion. Only occasional boredom was glimpsed.
“It’s a secret Divine Oracle, but is it okay to go when there are this many people?”
“Yes. It’s fine. As long as we don’t get caught.”
He stated definitively that there was no way we’d get caught. He wasn’t trusting us but trusting himself. Was Deadrian smart even as a child? As if reading my thoughts, the child parted their closed lips, saying they would tell us what to do from now on.
“There’s a separate place where Divine Oracles are received. Those not permitted by God cannot even touch the door, but since you two have been summoned by God, you can enter. First, enter as if you’ve come to pray at the Temple and go to the bathroom in the left corridor. Among the floor tiles there, there will be one with a scratch. If you remove that tile, there will be priest robes I’ve prepared, so change into them and wait until I come. You don’t need to worry about getting caught in the middle. There’s no one who can speak to me carelessly.”
The mouth that had opened shut tight as if that was the end. When on earth did he receive the Divine Oracle to have prepared everything? As if the god would say something like “if you go to the left, priest robes are arranged” while giving a Divine Oracle. That couldn’t be possible. If the god here in the past were the same as the current god, it would be suspicious, but they said they were different.
“When did you receive the Divine Oracle about us?”
“One hour ago.”
As soon as I heard the answer to the question I asked out of curiosity, I thought: Deadrian had a quick mind even as a child. This child was the only one who received the Divine Oracle, so there was no way someone else planned the operation and prepared. He looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, yet I thought he was amazing.
“Is that the end of your questions?”
“Ihyun. Do you have anything more to ask?”
Ruvlian shook his head. I said it was fine now since I had nothing more. Though the child’s expressionlessness and excessive calmness were concerning, it was ambiguous what to ask.
It was one-sided—me knowing Deadrian—so this sense of familiarity and trust existed only in me. If I suddenly asked personal questions, I’d definitely be treated as a strange person like before. Or I’d look like a curious, nosy person.
“Then let’s depart together. Of course, we’ll enter the Temple separately. And just in case you don’t know, I’ll tell you, but if you’re a mage, you must not use magic. Magic is prohibited within the Temple, and detection minerals are melted into the Temple building.”
The child said this while pulling the hand they held and taking a step. That was the most widely known of the Temple’s rules. If you asked someone who had never been to the Temple to name one Temple rule, that would definitely come up. They said they told us just in case, but I could tell how much of an outsider they saw us as.
However, I didn’t say anything. Because it was young Deadrian. I looked at the small figure from behind grasping the doorknob, then stopped being led along.
“……?”
The child looked back. They seemed puzzled that I wasn’t coming even when pulled.
“We have one more companion.”
When I pointed to the bed, young Deadrian’s gaze followed. The child saw young Ruvlian sleeping quietly and fell silent. It seemed only Ruvlian and I were within the expected range, so they’d have to change the plan.
“Could you wake them up?”
“Well……”
I could wake them with magic, but then I’d have to deal with young Ruvlian’s fiery temper. After all, I’d said I’d let them see the bustling district but put them to sleep with magic before we’d even left the alley. Of course, it was Ruvlian who did it, not me, but if young Ruvlian woke up now, the two would fight and time would be delayed.
“It’ll get a bit troublesome, but let’s just go.”
“……What?”
Emotion once again appeared on the expressionless face. Bewilderment as if asking if they’d heard correctly.
Staring at the child, I freed both hands that had been filled with large and small hands. Fortunately, both let go easily. Ruvlian gripped once tightly as if reluctant to let go until the last moment before releasing.
“I’ll handle everything. You—”
Taking a breath, I smoothly lifted the child who was larger than young Ruvlian. Then I handed them to Ruvlian and continued the words I’d stopped while taking that breath.
“Just go ahead to that room where you receive the Divine Oracle.”
A voice with no highs or lows flowed out as usual. The child who had been looking at me with blank eyes nodded as if entranced. I picked up young Ruvlian from the bed. Originally I was going to have Ruvlian hold him, but…… I gave up because it seemed both would terribly hate it.
“Rian.”
“What.”
“I’m narrow-minded, so mistresses won’t do. I’ll also look only at you with pure devotion, so you have to do the same.”
I was about to tell him to stop talking nonsense, but the expression of Ruvlian reflected in my retina was too serious. The clear, bright pupils within the shade created by the golden eyelashes that gently lowered and rose were the same. I was at a loss for words once again.
Are you seriously worried about that kind of thing right now? Of course, I had no intention of dating or marrying Ruvlian. I had no intention of tying ourselves together with a legal bond. However, there was also no premise that I would come to like someone else. The one and only emotion of “love” in me had long been completely extorted by Ruvlian.
They say a person’s heart changes in an instant, but isn’t it too much when you’re already confident that I like you enough to give up my life for you? Besides, though mistresses are common here, they weren’t in my world. I had no intention of becoming someone who commits adultery.
“Please answer. Yes?”
Since I wasn’t answering, feeling deflated, he urged me with a voice like a gentle spring breeze. In contrast to him, young Deadrian who had been between Ruvlian and me was waiting for our conversation to end with an expressionless face tinged with coldness.
I need to cut off this bud quickly. I opened my mouth.
“I have no intention of doing that with you or anyone else. Stop talking nonsense and just teleport in front of the Temple.”
Though he seemed displeased that he was included in having no intention with anyone, soon Ruvlian first cast invisibility magic and then teleportation magic. The familiar churning sensation struck my body. Bright light poured down from above. Before my eyes was a magnificent white Temple.
“Magic isn’t allowed.”
“I know. Put Deadrian down. And dispel the invisibility magic too.”
At the same time as I spoke, I created and wrapped a barrier with Divine Power. It wasn’t different from invisibility magic. What people’s eyes could see was only young Deadrian outside the barrier. Emotion quickly filled the child’s expressionless face. Their eyes widened as if surprised.
“Wh-what is this……”
Though young, I thought they’d see it because it was Deadrian. That Divine Power was distributed so finely as to form a surface, enough to be mistaken for naturally distributed Divine Power.
Just as the Parallel World Deadrian created a Divine Power barrier when blocking sound, the Deadrian from the Hero days was naturally capable of it too. Of course, it was difficult enough that only Deadrian and I could do it in this world.
“Guide us. I said I’d handle it myself.”
When I briefly removed the sound blocking to convey my words, Deadrian gulped and moved. Once again, emotion disappeared from their face. The doll-like appearance weighed on my mind.
At that moment, a person came right next to us, so I slightly turned my body. I spoke once more with the meaning to be careful to Ruvlian, who would know the precautions from having heard them so much during the Hero days.
“Be careful not to touch people. You know, right?”
“Of course I know, Sihyeon.”
Since I’d wrapped us in a barrier made of Divine Power, there was a high possibility they’d notice if touched. This was why I’d thought infiltration would be easy at night when there were no people. Being daytime, it overflowed with crowds.
We entered the Temple interior following young Deadrian. Since it was the Temple in the capital, I’d come a few times before we began preparing for subjugation in earnest. Perhaps because only a few years had passed, there was no difference from the Temple in my memory.
The priests passing by didn’t say anything upon seeing Deadrian. Some ignored him, while some bowed in greeting before going their way. Perhaps it was because his Divine Power was excellent. Originally, when you’re outstanding at anything, jealousy, envy, and admiration follow.
As we went, there were fewer and fewer priests, and now there were none at all. Tap tap. Only the child’s footsteps echoed loudly in the empty corridor. Soon the legs heading toward the destination stopped abruptly. Before the child was a splendid and majestic door.
“My role ends here, so I’ll be going now.”
Young Deadrian bowed their head deeply downward and then raised it. As expected, that polite and emotionless face bothered me. It felt like no matter how much I shook out my shoes, the grains of sand wouldn’t come out. Because I knew Deadrian’s relaxed and free appearance, that look stuck in my eyes. If I parted like this without saying anything, it would probably be even more so.
If it was the Deadrian I knew, even if I didn’t say anything now, he would eventually leave the Temple on his own. Those who leave are bound to leave. Nevertheless, the reason I spoke out was because he was my companion and my friend. I wanted him to taste freedom a little faster. Even if you saw it as meddling that didn’t suit me, I had nothing to say.
“Deadrian.”
I recalled the question you asked after beheading the Demon King. Along with you, who said you were thinking of just taking the money and running, who had no intention of being bound to the Temple anymore.
“If you leave the Temple, what will you do?”
You, who were endlessly free.
