When the continent first rose and dry land appeared in the world, soft and warm things gathered to birth Goddess Kaine. As the Goddess’s power grew stronger in the south, in the north the remaining things—cool and sharp things—clustered together to create a massive shadow.
As much as the Goddess’s influence prospered in the south, the shadow took deep root in the north, creating long winters and nights, and sometimes even burrowing into people’s hearts.
The Goddess wished for the shadow to completely disappear from the hearts of the humans she cherished. She wished for spring, only spring, to be complete in every part of the continent. But the more the Goddess gathered her power to make spring breezes blow and flower buds burst open, the bone-chilling cold intensified and the frost grew sharper.
The Goddess declared war on the shadow. As if it had been waiting, the shadow began freezing the earth with north winds and ice. The power that had been maintained in such tension tilted back and forth like a seesaw, repeatedly.
The era when the balance between the Goddess and the shadow was disrupted. On the continent, only chaos and disorder abounded. Day and night falling out of alignment came first, summer and winter mixing came next.
The land gradually dried up, and only voices filled with pain filled the earth. Unable to bear seeing humans and all life suffering amidst such chaos, the Goddess made the first concession—the Goddess in the southern lands, the shadow in the northern lands. They came to live without touching each other’s domain.
Thus the world where the Goddess’s and shadow’s powers now balanced was peaceful. The Goddess, who prospered in summer, closed her eyes when winter came, and when winter arrived, the shadow’s world returned.
“And it’s said that the current Omanea Empire’s imperial family inherited the blood of that shadow. Because of that, the imperial family is strong beyond belief for humans, but the blood flowing through them is opposite to the Goddess…”
To Rou, who had spent most of his life in the Goddess’s embrace, such stories were unfamiliar. A shadow. Was that why the Goddess had been so reluctant about the north?
“So that’s why I suddenly lost consciousness whenever I tried to learn about Brukisel by borrowing the Goddess’s authority?”
“That’s right. I think you need more energy.”
“I see…”
Jes was simply amazed at Rou’s unexpectedly calm appearance. Usually, the deeper people’s faith in Goddess Kaine, the more confused they became that there was an opposing force. Especially those who heard the story that shadow’s blood flowed in the imperial family easily harbored resentment toward the imperial family.
“Then… then shouldn’t we serve the imperial family? If they’re beings who oppose the Goddess…”
Just like Yan right now. To Yan, who had thought of the imperial family second only to the Goddess, the myth he’d just heard was chaos itself.
“Is-is that why His Majesty persecutes the Kaine Religion like this? Because he’s a shadow? No, he inherited the shadow’s blood, but isn’t the shadow itself.”
“Yan.”
“I-I, when I first entered the imperial palace. I pledged loyalty to the imperial family! But if the imperial family is heretics who oppose the Goddess… what on earth should I do…”
Yan’s eyes shook anxiously, unable to quite get a grasp on things. Rou gently stroked his shoulder.
“High Priest. Did you know, High Priest?”
“No. This is the first time I’m hearing this too.”
“But how, how can you be so calm? Having served the Goddess your whole life, has your desire to help His Majesty the Emperor not changed?”
Humans had a tendency to think about everything too complicatedly. Rou simply earnestly wished that Brukisel would be happy like the others living on this continent. Just because Brukisel was of shadow lineage didn’t change those feelings.
Brukisel wasn’t even the shadow itself, he was just human. Rou couldn’t hate Brukisel simply because he’d inherited the shadow’s blood.
Moreover, there was no way the Goddess would be pleased if humans opposed the shadow. What the Goddess wanted from humans who didn’t even live a hundred years was simple. For humans to be faithful to the life currently given to them, and to be happy.
“Even if the Goddess and shadow are opposing forces. How could that be the burden of lowly humans? The Goddess wouldn’t expect such things.”
“…”
“Rather, experiencing confusion due to what happened between the Goddess and shadow might be the greatest act of doubting the Goddess. Humans need only be faithful to the life given right before them, and that’s enough.”
Yan came to his senses as if struck on the back of the head. To doubt the Goddess. For Yan, who had lived devoutly his whole life, it was an impossible thing. There wasn’t a single wrong thing in the High Priest’s words. Would the Goddess be pleased if he started hating the imperial family now? Knowing he was swayed by such poisonous feelings, She might rather be saddened.
Yan nodded with a determined face. If he was faithful to his life as an attendant, the Goddess would surely be pleased.
Jes felt it was unfortunate that he had to witness this amazing scene alone. It felt like committing a sin if he didn’t write down those precious words somewhere immediately. He paced around the room looking for parchment, but the only paper in the room was the scriptures.
Since he couldn’t write on the scriptures, Jes tore off a piece of his clothing. Jes, whose memory had been growing dim lately which worried him, became increasingly anxious. He knelt before the fireplace and began writing with soot.
While Jes was writing down the earlier situation and Rou’s words, retracing them, Rou comforted the tearful Yan.
‘Is it because they don’t even live a full hundred years? Humans are really emotional.’
Just the tears Jes and Yan had shown before him seemed like they could fill the small lake in the Room of Declaration. As Rou comforted Yan, the vision he’d seen just before fainting suddenly came to mind.
“Yan. I can’t gauge the time at all. Has night fallen now?”
“Ah… Yes. The new moon has risen so it’s really pitch black outside.”
“What? The new moon?”
“Yes. Why… do you ask?”
Rou glanced at Jes. If he said he was going out to meet Brukisel, Jes would surely oppose it. But Rou wanted to see Brukisel. He hadn’t seen him even once since being declared High Priest—he wanted to check how he was doing, whether he was sleeping well.
When Rou stood up while glancing at Jes, perhaps sensing something, Yan looked back and forth between Rou and Jes.
“…Sorry.”
Rou left that apology and sprang up from his seat. And began running along the corridor. Yan stared blankly at the corridor, dumbfounded by the High Priest suddenly standing and running as if determined.
“Wait, High Priest! High Priest! Where on earth are you going in the dead of night!”
Jes stood up abruptly to follow him. Perhaps because he’d been so trained by running beside Rou, he could now stand up well on his own. The problem was what came next. Because he’d been crouching continuously and then suddenly stood up, a tingling pain shot through his lower body.
“Aah! A cramp!”
Yan wavered for a moment between the disappeared High Priest and the former High Priest who’d collapsed clutching his leg, but couldn’t ignore the fallen elderly man and massaged Jes’s leg. When the pain lightened enough for Jes to move his tongue, he asked with glaring eyes.
“Where on earth did the High Priest go! Hm? Where did he run off to like that!”
“Well… it seems he went to the training grounds.”
“The… training grounds? At this, this hour of night… there shouldn’t be anyone there.”
He was already someone with a weak body. And since he himself seemed to care about that, Jes had already drafted a plan to improve the High Priest’s stamina after consulting with Yan, encouraging meat-centered meals and walks as much as possible.
If someone who originally didn’t exercise suddenly overdid it, something would definitely go wrong. Jes was about to say they should go together to bring back the High Priest. Until Yan informed him of information like a bolt from the blue.
“No. His Majesty is supposed to be there tonight.”
“…What?”
Jes’s face became as pale as his snow-white hair. Yan stamped his feet, feeling like he’d misspoken unnecessarily. Jes pushed Yan’s shoulder.
“Go right now! His Majesty might harm the High Priest!”
The Emperor openly ignored the High Priest even with witnesses present. If he met the High Priest when holding a sword in his hands… Jes felt faint just thinking about it.
Though Jes ordered him to depart immediately, Yan hesitated. If the High Priest had left him behind, wouldn’t there be a suitable reason for it? Yan kept looking back at Jes, wondering if it was really right to follow, and unable to bear it any longer, Jes raised his voice.
“Go to the training grounds right now!”
“B-but… Yes, yes.”
Yan flinched but faithfully followed the order. Listening to the footsteps growing distant, Jes let out deep sighs.
“The High Priest must owe a tremendous debt.”
Just how had the Emperor saved the High Priest? Just what had he given? That the High Priest so desperately wanted to meet the Emperor, wanted to save him. Jes truly wanted to know.
