By Zephyria “Hey, hey! Go a little slower!”
On one side of the hallway leading to the north of the castle, Signe’s voice echoed.
It was because she was in the middle of a sudden game of tag with the Divine Beast. Had she moved about 300m away from Leonardo? The flame-furred lump he had left behind suddenly raised its head and sniffed. Then it started running towards somewhere.
She thought it would protect her, but instead of matching her pace, it ran off on its own, so Signe reflexively chased after the Divine Beast. It wasn’t because she was scared of being alone, absolutely not because she was scared. What if she got lost or sucked into another space?
Because of the vague fear that had struck her, she ran at full speed even though she was wearing unaccustomed combat boots. As a result, she didn’t even know where she had come, let alone being a ‘turtle on a train,’ and she ended up facing a shady backyard.
“Huff… huff.”
She had prided herself on being in good shape, but after spending the night repeating the mysterious march, she tasted iron in her mouth. One or two of the pins that had been fixing her beret had fallen to the floor, and now it was about to fall off while running unless she pressed it down hard.
Signe dragged her trembling legs again and grabbed the wide-open window frame. She had definitely seen it jump over here, but she had no idea where it had gone.
“Why is it so fast….”
Scanning her surroundings, she found a door leading outside not far away. It was already half-open, but it was stiff and didn’t move well. When she put her weight on it with her combat boots and pushed hard, the weeds underneath were crushed, creating a gap that was passable.
The strange thing was that even though the door had been open all this time, there were no traces of external elements such as soil or plant spores invading the inside. But she didn’t have time to think deeply, so she went out into the slightly dark garden in search of the Divine Beast.
“Fox? Is it a fox? Where are you?”
The small backyard was densely covered with moss. The structure was much more complex than the place where she had first opened her eyes. If the place presumed to be the central garden was at least warm and dry, the backyard was so eerie that the stone slabs erected here and there looked like tombstones.
She wasn’t very afraid of people, but as Signe, who was superstitious, it was the place she least wanted to approach. What if she got cursed for stepping into a place like this?
As a result, she became sensitive to even the smallest sounds.
Rustle―
Lowering her upper body in tension, she flinched as she passed by a pillar.
“W-what was that?”
…Ah, it’s the sound of fallen leaves. She awkwardly touched her neck and rolled her eyes.
Signe, who had been peeking around the yard, discovered a classical pavilion with benches facing each other under a round ceiling and approached it.
Even though the Divine Beast had become smaller, it was still about the size of a pony, and it was a mystery where the creature, with flames fluttering from its fur, had disappeared to in an instant. She wondered if it had gone somewhere else in the meantime, but Signe, who needed a break, dragged her drooping body and sat on the long stone bench. The coldness of the stone cooled her heated body and loosened her stiff shoulders.
“Should I just go back first….”
“That’s a good idea too.”
An echo returned to her voice as she muttered to herself. Signe’s eyelids widened in an instant and she turned her head to the side. A figure was sitting at the end of the bench she was sitting on.
It hadn’t been there a moment ago… They say your body stiffens when you’re too surprised? Signe stopped breathing and only moved her lower jaw.
The other person was a man, and he was wearing a medical mask and a hat. The slender eyes revealed between them were like a snake.
The man unfolded his crossed legs and smiled.
“Originally, people like us aren’t supposed to come in here.”
The Divine Beast, who had been moving with Leonardo, suddenly stopped. It pricked up its ears and looked around as if searching for something, then sniffed. Then it stepped on the carpet on the slippery floor again and busily ran somewhere.
Even with its short legs and small body, its movements were as agile as when it had nine tails. Leonardo, with his hands in his pockets, slowly followed behind the Divine Beast, looking around.
“Do you even know where you’re going?”
At his question, the Divine Beast only stopped in its tracks and looked back, then went in one direction again. Leonardo didn’t ask any more questions and left it to go as it pleased. The Divine Beast is an existence that maximizes the senses with the power of magic by borrowing the shape and characteristics of animals. Whatever it’s chasing, it will find clues faster than a human like him.
Rather, he was more concerned about the internal structure, which felt familiar as he went inside. Leonardo narrowed his eyes and rubbed his throbbing forehead.
‘It’s similar to the Carseil Palace.’
The magnificent interior made of gold, plants, and light. It was like a simplified version of the Emperor’s residence, which he had last seen a few years ago. It wasn’t strange since the owner of this palace was also an Emperor. However, it wasn’t a very good memory for him, so he felt a subtle sense of rejection.
The Imperial Palace holds the legitimacy of power and rule by continuing its long history and tradition. Therefore, the interior decoration method of the Carseil Palace, which harmonizes light and nature, has been continued to this day as a symbol of the Imperial Palace. But to see it in a castle estimated to have been built centuries ago. It was a part that could be inferred that the taste was passed down from the first Emperor.
Kkiung, kkiing―
Around that time, the Divine Beast, who had stopped, whined at Leonardo. It scratched the floor in front of a certain door with its front paws. It meant to open it.
“What’s there?”
Leonardo, who had approached without much thought, looked up at the large door that the Divine Beast was circling around. The height of the door alone was more than three times his height. The texture was wood with a dark brown color, but it looked as solid and heavy as an iron door. The droplet pattern engraved on the surface harmonized with the antique design of the doorknob.
After hesitating for a moment, Leonardo reached for the doorknob to open the door.
And at that moment, an unusual current suddenly spread through his arm and throughout his body.
‘…!’
Startled, he immediately took a step back and grabbed his hand. A chill that felt like his skin was being cut and goosebumps ran down his spine. A force that seemed like it shouldn’t be touched, whether it was magic or someone’s thoughts, was felt from beyond the door.
‘It’s cold.’
His instincts strongly warned him not to approach. If he made a mistake, something strange might stick to him again. Anyway, this is the space of a deceased person who possessed powerful Magic Power during their lifetime. It wasn’t a good idea to rashly rummage around.
The shop owner had also told him to avoid doing anything that would incur resentment.
“I don’t think we should go in here. Is that guy here by any chance?”
The Divine Beast, who had been scratching the floor, stopped its actions and suddenly tilted its head. Then it turned in another direction and ran on. It sometimes wagged its tail and waited. It seemed to be following him.
It’s his Divine Beast, but sometimes it’s so unpredictable that he can’t understand its intentions. Leonardo let out a silent sigh, but followed it at a faster pace than before. He glanced back at the door he had almost entered a moment ago, but it was only for a moment.
He passed through a corridor with an arched ceiling, and went up and down a short slope to adjust the difference in height. The road was like a maze with similar backgrounds repeated, but there were subtle differences in each space. The light coming in gradually became closer to vertical from an oblique angle. Just as he had a feeling that he had reached the due south, a vast hall with a pure white radiance, like something out of a classical painting, unfolded.
A space with one entire wall made of glass windows. The light pouring in in a straight line inside dazzlingly illuminated the golden decorations of the interior. An alien sound of water was heard from the gaps where marble pillars and golden candlesticks were regularly lined up. When he wondered why, there was a waterway at the edge of the floor along the wall of the hall that formed a curve.
It was an artificially created indoor waterway. A calm stream of water was flowing in the waterway, the depth of which was unknown, like a stream that embroidered the earth. It’s a mysterious structure. To put it in perspective, the temple-like space that unfolded before his eyes was like being surrounded by a lake.
The Divine Beast fearlessly jumped into the middle of that small lake, onto a remote island.
‘How did they make something like this.’
Leonardo took each step with pure admiration. It was a space where one could feel the affection of someone who had transcended a thousand years, who had put effort and consideration into the architecture. It was nothing short of a marriage proposal to the King.
However, the purpose of this hall was unclear. If he had to guess, it seemed to be meaningful to enjoy the scenery outside the window, as the huge glass window, the grandfather clock, and the plush sofa were facing each other in the front. As if to prove that his prediction was correct, the scenery unfolded beyond the sunlight was a picture-perfect combination of the fields and the ripples of the lake that he had been wandering through, and the small Station of Beginning and End.
Leonardo stared blankly at the scenery. There was no fog. Even though he was indoors, it had a clear three-dimensionality as if he was standing in the middle of a vast field. With the addition of the cool sound of the artificial waterway, this place was a space that contained both the Romang Castle and nature and the earth.
Kkiung―
Then, he heard the Divine Beast’s cry and turned his head. There was a fairly large sculpture in one corner in front of the window. It climbed on top of it and sat down.
It was difficult to recognize the shape at first because it was covered with a square glass screen, but soon he realized that it was a model that precisely reduced the size of this castle.
The main castle, located under a semi-circular roof that encompasses the intricately intertwined buildings and gardens. On each side, cylindrical towers and watchtowers were evenly erected along each direction. The entire structure was rising as if floating from the ground, and the pilotis-style support method that emptied the space below seemed to resemble something.
“This is….”
There was no room for doubt. Just as the last phrase written in the memo flashed through his mind, a steam-spewing iron horse crossed the landscape at a high speed from the station visible in the distance. The long train entering the station passed under the pilotis of the model according to the appropriate perspective. Finally, the two elements meshed together like one being.
Leonardo recited in a choked voice.
“A turtle on a train.”
At that moment, the ringing of the huge grandfather clock, enough to vibrate the entire hall, announced 4 o’clock. The end of the pendulum that was swinging inside the wooden case and ringing the bell. Something connected to it fell down with a clattering sound.
Leonardo, who had reflexively flinched, looked at the grandfather clock next to the sofa. Inside the glass case of the clock, the carved canary doll moved from side to side as if telling him to look here. It had a white note in its beak.