Yan moved his hands in a way that would make the recipient comfortable, as if accustomed to such attendance. The bumblebee’s stamina had long since hit rock bottom. Rou yawned softly while receiving the gentle touch. Having someone stroke his hair made his heart feel at ease, like when he received the Goddess’s touch.
Rou was barely keeping his drowsy eyes open when he stopped resisting at someone’s whisper that he could sleep comfortably and closed his eyes. Through his half-blurred vision, seeing the water with red petals floating on it, Rou suddenly thought of Brukisel.
When half-submerged in water, he had looked flustered and uncomfortable. Rou wondered who was by that child’s side now, who was afraid of water, and whether someone would stroke his hair like this even just before he fell asleep.
‘Goddess, I want to know more about Brukisel.’
Rou decided to offer prayers to the Goddess once he finished bathing. The things he wanted to ask overflowed like the milk and honey flowing from the Goddess’s storehouse.
Rou let out a small sigh. Fatigue slowly swallowed his small body, and like how the flow of water stops when you turn off a faucet, his thoughts were cut off in an instant. And that was the last thought Rou had before falling asleep.
Rou, who had been languidly stretching out his body like that, suddenly opened his eyes wide at some point. Unfamiliar surroundings and an unfamiliar scent enveloped him. As befitting an existence loved by a god, having long since built walls against fear, he rose without hesitation and looked around.
‘Wait… I’m a bee, aren’t I?’
The unfamiliar body made Rou flustered. Instead of his pride and joy—his plump bottom covered in fluffy fur—what caught his eye was a sleek, small bee stinger. Unable to hide his confusion, he spun around in place.
However, he soon realized that the sensation of moving his body was different from usual. The fact that his body soared toward the sky with a single flap of his wings felt unreal. Thanks to that, Rou was able to realize.
‘I’ve entered a dream.’
Dreams were a privilege of those who lived on the earth. But whether it was only a blessing or not, Rou had seen people offer prayers asking not to have nightmares when he was in the Goddess’s embrace.
‘But I didn’t know dreams would be permitted to me…’
The Goddess was not pleased with him staying on this land. Dreams for someone like himself? It wasn’t like the Goddess. Rou tried to get accustomed to the unrealistic sensation that dreams gave while flying toward the light visible in the distance, and soon he could easily tell where he was now.
‘It’s Brukisel’s nightmare.’
Brukisel had a small, emaciated body like the day they first met. Though he was crouched in a corner and his entire body was stained with ash and dust, only those eyes were vivid. As if drawn to the blazing red pupils, Rou flew toward him.
The harsh northern wind continued to blow mercilessly. Even while flying the short distance, Rou staggered from being buffeted by the wind this way and that. Perhaps hearing the sound of Rou’s wingbeats, Brukisel looked at Rou with a gaze more murderous than the north wind. He grabbed the hilt of his dagger as if he would draw it immediately.
Rou revealed himself under the moonlight to quickly calm Brukisel’s anxiety.
“A fly, is it? You’ve managed to survive without dying until this season.”
Brukisel sighed while letting go of the hand that had been at his waist. Rou was upset about being called a fly again, but consoled himself that at least he hadn’t called him a fly after seeing his true form.
“Hoo…”
Brukisel leaned back against the wall while exhaling. Rou felt sorry for him, who looked clearly exhausted. Rou stealthily approached Brukisel’s side and settled near his fingers. Brukisel only glanced at it but didn’t wave his hand to threaten Rou.
Brukisel looked around with his nerves on edge like someone being pursued. The small, half-collapsed abandoned house seemed to be a hideout he had barely found, as dried, shriveled bread and an empty water bottle rolled around at his feet. No matter how much he was from the north, spending winter without even a single thick outer garment was too much.
Rou wanted to diligently rub his wings together to warm at least Brukisel’s fingers, but he didn’t want to make noise and put him in a predicament. Rou climbed onto Brukisel’s little finger. It was an attempt to block the biting wind, but because Brukisel’s finger was warmer than expected, it ended up stealing his warmth instead.
Brukisel looked at Rou climbing onto his finger as if it were ridiculous, then shook his hand to brush Rou off. Rou fell to the ground but approached next to the finger again, and Brukisel didn’t even glance at Rou, as if he didn’t want to pay attention.
Rou placed one leg on top of Brukisel’s finger. Looking at it this way, it felt like holding hands, which made him feel good. It seemed he had dozed off while feeling Brukisel’s body temperature like that.
When he opened his eyes, the scenery had changed again.
Like a sunset, the whole world was a warm orange color. The wind blowing as if spring had come was warm and dry, and it smelled of ash.
‘Wait. Ash?’
Rou quickly flew up. Though his body swayed this way and that even in the slight breeze, he could clearly tell what was happening to Brukisel.
‘No! No!’
The hideout he had barely found had become a sea of flames, and Brukisel was completely surrounded by the spreading fire, gradually being cornered by the soldiers who had come to capture him. Brukisel drew his dagger and resisted. He was fierce to a degree unbelievable for the strength coming from such a small frame.
Whether the soldiers had set fire to the surroundings, the flames stretched upward like dense vegetation. Thanks to that, Rou could clearly see the imperial crest engraved on their chests and the red eyes that glared at it with contempt.
For capturing one dried-up boy, the soldiers were fully armed and numerous. Even so, at first it seemed like Brukisel had the upper hand.
However, that was only for a moment—Brukisel staggered after being hit by an arrow coated with paralyzing poison. The soldiers didn’t miss the opportunity and restrained him, and Brukisel was dragged away like a beast. Perhaps the drug hadn’t fully taken effect, as the chains binding him scraped against each other, making a chilling sound. Each time, the surviving soldiers flinched.
Rou desperately chased after them, but was eventually hit by a horse’s long tail and sent flying far away. Even while flying away, Rou tried to capture Brukisel’s last appearance in his eyes. Brukisel’s eyes behind the iron bars were filled with resignation.
“Haak!”
Rou wiped away the cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He felt like he had glimpsed a part of what kind of life Brukisel had lived. Rou’s heart ached. He couldn’t even dare to imagine what state of mind he must have been in when he yielded the sugar cube.
‘As expected, Brukisel is kind-hearted.’
To that young and emaciated child, the sugar cube might have been that day’s only sustenance. Brukisel’s nature was warm enough to yield such a thing to a bumblebee he had just met. So no matter how much he looked at him with cold eyes, he couldn’t leave him alone.
‘I want to know more about Brukisel.’
He was curious about him. He needed to know what wounds he carried so he could apply the right ointment to those wounds. Rou hoped that nothing terrible had happened to Brukisel after being dragged away like that. It was already the past, and he didn’t know if doing this would blur his memories or heal his wounds, but Rou knelt and prostrated himself, offering earnest prayers.
‘Please. Please.’
Please let Brukisel be able to spend a comfortable night. May his past not become nightmares and come find him again. He prayed.
Rou’s prayers continued for a long time and ended around the time when the bluish energy of dawn flickered at the window. He slowly rose and approached the window. The window was opaque, perhaps because frost had formed during the dawn. Rou opened the window a little, then gasped at the colder-than-expected wind and shut it.
Because the sound of the window closing rang out quite loudly, Yan came running in from outside.
“High Priest!”
He always looked at Rou with a greatly impressed face, but this morning was especially excessive. His eyes were brimming with tears as if he would burst into crying at any moment. Rou stroked Yan’s cheek and greeted him.
“Good morning, Yan. Did you have good dreams last night?”
“High Priest!”
Finally, Yan knelt before Rou and wrapped his arms around his waist. Rou couldn’t reject Yan in his weakened state. Especially since he had just awakened from someone’s nightmare. When he slowly stroked Yan’s hair, Yan confessed a fact Rou hadn’t anticipated.
“High Priest, from the day the temple was first opened… you’ve woken up after three days!”
Rou’s hand, which had been stroking the ordinary brown hair, faltered. Three days? He thought he had just dreamed for a moment, but had time already passed like that?
“Are you feeling alright?”
“…I’m fine. Everyone must have been very worried. Could you call Jes?”
Yan wiped away his tears and ran out. Rou let out a small sigh while watching his retreating figure. He had thought his body was particularly tired, but to this extent? As expected, this body was too weak. Rou decided to exercise diligently once the weather warmed up to build up his body. Though it was currently a soft body, it might look impressive if he gained muscle and became burly.
While Rou was deciding on physical transformation like that, Jes came running with rabbit eyes. It was quick footwork for an elderly man with white hair. Jes, who had come running like that, grasped both of Rou’s hands and sobbed. Before the two humans could shed tears again, Rou hurriedly changed the atmosphere.
“I’m hungry.”
“Oh my! Of course you are, having been unconscious for three days. I was short-sighted. I’ll hurry and prepare food that’s easy to eat!”
“Please do.”
The two people prepared breakfast for Rou as if they had been waiting. To be honest, the inside of his throat was parched and stinging, and his whole body still felt heavy as if soaked in water. The soft soup smelled savory, but Rou struggled to swallow it.
Two pairs of pitiful eyes followed along as if cheering Rou on every time he swallowed a spoonful of soup.
