#150

Cullen spent a day burying Kia. Everyone gathered their strength to dig a grave large enough for Kia’s body. Ulli brought the flowers Kia had loved, and Arne buried a shard of glass from their teacher, which Kia often played with, alongside her.

The remaining party of three was small. Though he had started alone, Cullen had somehow grown accustomed to the presence of the other four.

Presence was a fearsome thing. It approached silently when filling a void, making its value unknown, yet left a terrifying emptiness when it disappeared. For Cullen, who had experienced so much loss, this very void was agonizing.

Still, it was fortunate that neither Lasano nor Kiyen had died.

The anger he felt at Lasano’s betrayal and his palpable absence were of a different nature. When the one who possessed the ability of High Priest, along with a twisted sense of humor, disappeared, it felt hollow.

And that wasn’t all. The one he loved, cherished, and relied on most was not by his side. Cullen himself had sent her to the palace.

Though he thought it was the right decision, Cullen regretted it sporadically. He knew that even if he could turn back time, he would still send Kiyen away, yet the lingering regret remained.

But it would be alright. It was Kiyen, after all, and she would have saved Helen from danger. He would only know the exact details of what happened once they reached the Imperial Palace. All the party could do was head to the palace as quickly as possible. Cullen prayed they were safe.

“Now it’s just us.”

Ulli said, sitting by Kia’s grave and placing flowers on it. Arne was praying beside her. Cullen, looking at him, asked,

“Do you still believe in the goddess, Arne?”

Experiencing the existence of a god was different from believing in her. Cullen couldn’t understand the goddess at all; rather, he only felt the cruelty of the divine. Arne finished his prayer. Looking at Kia’s grave with a sad face, he said,

“I don’t think you have to believe in a god to pray. I just… prayed that if Lady Kia is reborn, she will live in a happy place.”

“It seems like it would be happier not to be reborn.”

Ulli said with a pessimistic tone. Arne smiled sheepishly at her and replied,

“Then… I hope she is happy in the sleeping world. Laughing among the forests and flowers she loved, and with beings who cherished her, would be even better.”

Arne’s words briefly warmed his heart. Ulli seemed to feel the same, as she looked at Arne with reddened eyes and let out a small laugh.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Arne. Otherwise, I might have lost my humanity again.”

“I agree.”

When even Cullen chimed in, Arne smiled shyly. He took a deep breath and said cheerfully,

“Shall we depart now? We need to get to the Imperial Palace quickly!”

Ulli and Cullen exchanged glances. They needed to discuss Lasano’s actions a bit, but Cullen decided not to rush Arne for now. He nodded silently and stood up, but Arne stopped him.

“Before we leave, I’ll tell you what else I know. What Lord Lasano discussed with Lady Kia.”

Arne brought up Lasano first. Ulli looked at him with surprised eyes.

“Is it alright to say?”

Ulli asked, as if confirming. Arne smiled.

“Of course. My affection for Lord Lasano is separate from his wrongdoings. I don’t know what you two will decide regarding Lord Lasano’s actions, but I’ll tell you everything. I didn’t hear much either. When I awoke from being trapped in memories, Lord Lasano was already leading me away. He was stronger than I expected. To drag me away like that…”

Arne deliberately mixed in a joke. The word “memories” prompted Ulli to ask,

“Arne, did you wake up on your own? That’s amazing. If Kia hadn’t come to get me, I might have remained trapped.”

Ulli’s bitter voice echoed. Arne, looking flustered, gently comforted her.

“It was like that for me too. I was trapped on the day my family all died. I couldn’t bear it, thinking they all died because of me… but when I remembered Lord Kiyen and Lord Cullen, who saved me, I felt better.”

He smiled sweetly and looked at Cullen.

“Thank you again.”

“I did nothing. If it weren’t for Lord Kiyen…”

And if Lasano hadn’t been there, the matter of Exion Territory wouldn’t have been resolved. He had also been trapped in nightmares the moment he grabbed his sword after falling into the cave.

“You can’t be perfect alone!”

At that moment, Ulli patted Cullen’s back and said,

“It was like that for me too. I thought I could handle everything alone. But it’s okay to help each other in difficult situations. That’s what people do, right?”

Arne agreed with her words.

“Yes. I’m glad I have colleagues like you.”

Arne also smiled. A faint warmth spread through the heart that had been devastated by the events at the goddess’s temple. Cullen looked at them alternately and then smiled together. Guilt still welled up over Kiyen’s situation, but smiling was better for each other than just dwelling on it.

“Yes, I… am also glad to have colleagues. So please, don’t die.”

Cullen earnestly implored. Ulli and Arne nodded.

“You too!”

“That’s right. You’re always the most dangerous, Cullen.”

“Now that Kiyen and Lasano are gone, we really have to be careful. We don’t have multiple lives.”

Ulli said that, then made a sound of exertion and packed her belongings.

“Let’s go, then. It’s quite far to the Imperial Palace, isn’t it? The Imperial Palace is in the center, close to the north, and this east is the end of a needlessly wide continent.”

“It will probably take… two months?”

“If we travel continuously without incident, it seems so. I don’t go there often, so I don’t know.”

“It probably will. It took us months to come down, and just getting from Exion Territory to the Imperial Palace takes a week. Roughly speaking, that’s about right.”

Even though it was something he knew, Cullen’s heart sank. Kiyen had left with the words to come as quickly as possible, but for him, who couldn’t use magic, there were limits no matter how fast he hurried.

The fact he hadn’t realized for a moment hit him, and Cullen’s expression darkened. Though he tried to hide it belatedly, it was already evident.

“Let’s go as fast as we can. If we reduce our sleeping time, we might be able to get there in a month and a half.”

“I’m fine too, so hurry. It’s an urgent situation.”

Seeing his expression, Ulli and Arne said. Though he felt a sense of urgency, he had no choice but to acknowledge his limits, so Cullen relaxed his expression instead of making them anxious.

“Yes. That should work.”

He turned his head towards the north and earnestly wished. As Arne said, prayer is something you can do even if you don’t believe.

Please, let nothing happen to Kiyen and Helen.

In his life, Cullen, who had never earnestly wished for anything other than his own death and revenge, wished for hope for the first time that day. Hoping the goddess would grant his request, just once.

The three moved forward quickly. They passed through the forest Kia had restored and several ruined territories. They deliberately avoided the coast near where they had lost Gale. They felt it would waste time if they stopped there.

The route they chose was through the County of Linden. It was the only place in the east that was intact.

Since it was on the way, and they needed to stop by the territory to prepare for winter, everyone agreed. Ulli had been silent for several days since hearing the name Count Linden. Without bothering her, who seemed lost in thought, Cullen and Arne quietly made their preparations.

Meanwhile, autumn was fading. The autumn leaves, which had begun to disappear in an instant, fell as fallen leaves.

As they got closer to the north, the weather grew sharply colder, and they tightly wrapped themselves in all the clothes they had. About two weeks away from the temple, they encountered signs of human activity. However, it wasn’t in the way they had expected.

The place, which seemed to be a small village, was completely devastated. Broken walls and houses were visible everywhere. Instead of repairing the collapsed structures, people had built makeshift huts and settled in the open spaces. Someone who spotted Cullen’s party poked their head out from a hut and shouted,

“We have nothing! P-please, just pass by.”

“We’re on the verge of starving to death as it is. Please save us…”

As they all pleaded in unison, Ulli seemed taken aback. She looked around and whispered to Cullen,

“This is a place I know. It was an ordinary village not far from the County… What could have happened?”

“It looks like it was attacked.”

The village itself was in chaos, as if war had broken out. Cullen called out to the people in a calm voice,

“We mean no harm, so we are looking for someone who can come out and explain what happened. If we can help in any way, we will, so please tell us.”

Even after hearing Cullen’s words, the people didn’t come out immediately. Ulli joined in.

“It’s true. We came to help. This person here is a priest.”

She nudged Arne, and only then did someone emerge. It was a woman with a haggard appearance.

“…Do you promise? In the name of the goddess?”

Cullen nodded, though his expression was skeptical at her words.

“I swear.”

“…Since you swore, you don’t seem like bad people. Royl, come here. Let’s explain together.”

Before she could call him, someone who had already approached and was warily watching the party came forward. The man who appeared from behind her had a face full of colorful bruises. Royl, as he was called, looked at the party with anxious eyes, then moved to stand in front of the woman, sticking close to her.

“You’re really not bandits, are you?”

“Bandits?”

Arne asked, his eyes wide. The woman replied,

“Don’t you know? Where did you people come from? The east, and the entire continent, has been turbulent lately. Many people are shouting that the world is ending, and everything is a mess due to the successive disasters. Even merchant guilds can’t trade properly…”

The young man named Royl added,

“Except for Duke Refellon’s territory, all the territories are in disarray. We don’t know what happened, but refugees are wandering from the fallen Duke Renon’s territory… and Demonic Beasts are rampant here.”

Arne wore an expression of someone hearing this for the first time, and the woman clicked her tongue as if she couldn’t believe it.

“You really didn’t know? You’re lucky people. The day before yesterday, bandits stole all our winter provisions. Royl tried to stop them somehow and ended up like this.”

Royl burst into indignation.

“If we continue like this, we’ll be frozen to death. What is the Imperial Palace even doing…”

Ulli asked.

“Isn’t the County of Linden closer than the Imperial Palace? According to protocol, you should ask them for help.”

At the mention of the County of Linden, Royl exchanged glances with the woman. Other people who had been listening from their huts also emerged, murmuring.

“You really don’t know anything, do you?”

The woman wore an expression of distress. Seeing her darkened face, Cullen asked,

“What happened?”

“I shouldn’t speak of ill omens…”

As the woman hesitated, Royl stepped forward and said,

“It’s over anyway. Let’s just say it. We can’t expect help from the County of Linden. He wasn’t that kind of noble to begin with… but… the Count died recently.”

At that, Ulli’s eyes widened. With an expression of disbelief, she pressed close to Royl and asked with a sharp tone,

“What did you say?”

Royl flinched and stepped back. The woman blocked him and answered instead,

“The County of Linden is ruined. The Demonic Beasts that were rampaging along the southeastern coast all came up to that place.”