Chapter 15 - Seven Days and Nights of the Midnight Sun - 2

The seven days and nights of the midnight sun arrived without any warning.

No five-colored radiance rose into the sky. No voices of the gods rang throughout the world.

The night that should have come simply did not.

And that alone shook the continent.

* * *

In the heart of the Grand Temple, Bera saw that every apostle had gathered except Abundance and Love, who had been away on assignments for several years. He bowed his head to Bargo.

"I apologize for being late."

"So you've come."

Bargo's somber gaze pierced Bera, very slowly, as though trying to read something within him.

Bera met that gaze without looking away and spoke.

"I will be on my way."

"... Can you handle this?"

"I believe waiting any longer would be a waste."

Their gazes clashed. The atmosphere was sharper than ever.

Their conversation had gone straight to the point without any preliminaries because of what Bera had told Bargo three days earlier.

A traveling party accompanied by holy knights. Someone he had to protect. A woman.

Now that the seven days and nights of the midnight sun had begun, Bargo could not fail to realize whom Bera had pledged to protect.

How had he known? No question born of that curiosity was put to Bera.

Just as Bera had expected, Bargo merely remained silent and watched him.

In one corner, Rohan, who had been warily watching the tense exchange, asked the twins a question.

"Hey, twins. What's with those two? Have you heard anything?"

"I am sleepy. But the sun is not setting. I cannot sleep."

"I am good at staying awake."

"... Right. Impressive."

Rohan let out a sigh at the twins' irrelevant answers. Then Trebo, who had been watching from a step away, spoke.

"Lord Bera, will you be all right on your own?"

"It's not as though you're going. Besides, I'm taking Sir Norn, so I won't be alone."

"That's true, but..."

"Just look after things here."

Having brushed aside Trebo's concerns, Bera looked at Bargo again.

"I will head east immediately."

"... Very well."

"Please station holy knights near Horden's border in advance. There is a strong possibility we will be in the midst of a pursuit when we cross it."

"... I will."

"Then I will be on my way."

With that, Bera gave a brief bow of his head, turned, and left the Grand Temple.

* * *

Bera headed through the temple's northern exit and returned to the cabin where he lived to begin his preparations.

He left his sacred armor behind, since it would draw attention. He girded himself with a plain sword, as free of ornament as possible, and concealed his rosary beneath his clothes.

Once armed, he exhaled softly, calming the pounding within his chest.

Then he turned his thoughts once more to the route he would take.

'About four days.'

That would be enough to reach his destination.

He felt no anxiety that someone else might find the Saintess first.

No group could discover her sooner than the Holy Empire.

There were Rohan's divine powers of guidance. Through him, the Holy Empire could learn the Saintess's location directly from the gods.

That was why the Holy Empire had found her first in his previous life, and why Bera had waited for this day.

'Remeo territory.'

A small rural territory in southeastern Horden.

The Saintess, Renée, was there.

His hand tightened unconsciously around the sword hilt. His eyes lowered, and a heavy breath escaped his lips.

'... At last.'

He was going to meet her.

After an entire lifetime, and another four years spent beyond it, he was finally going to meet her.

Bera felt those emotions saturate his entire being, thick and clinging. Then he opened his eyes wide and shook them off.

'There will be time for sentiment later.'

He could indulge in it after meeting her.

Steeling himself, Bera threw open the cabin door and stepped outside without delay.

Beyond the open doorway stood Norn, who had already finished his preparations and returned to wait for him.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

Bera glanced at Norn as he gave his brief reply, then looked ahead again and began walking.

His steps felt strangely light.

* * *

Throughout the four-day journey to Remeo territory, Bera walked with his heart in turmoil.

At some point, his mind became so full of thoughts of Renée that he could think of nothing else.

More precisely, all the feelings he had kept firmly suppressed had burst forth at once.

He had always admonished himself that there would be plenty of time for sentiment after they met, that for now he needed to prepare to welcome her. But with the moment of their meeting finally approaching, even that had become impossible.

No matter how hard he tried to calm himself, his merciless thoughts carried on, excited all on their own.

'You... '

What sort of person would she be at fourteen?

As she had told him, did she resent the Supreme God for taking away her light? Was she living with her heart mired in that bitterness?

Was she, as she herself had claimed, a beauty who made people fall in love at first sight? Or was she an ordinary country girl?

Her inner nature would be too lovely for words, but would the personality layered over it be prickly? Or lively?

She who had walked steadfastly on her own even in the gutter... was she still unable to walk alone?

As those thoughts surfaced, Bera's eyes began to take on a vacant look.

It had happened countless times over these four days.

That expression, which looked almost foolish at a glance, was one he had never once shown in the Holy Empire—so much so that Norn was startled to see it. And it was an expression that only Renée could bring out in him.

No matter how ruthlessly he resolved to steel himself, no matter how he tried to hide in the mire, she thrust her dazzling light before him and left him utterly weak. Only she could bring that look to his face.

"... Lord Bera?"

Norn spoke as their destination came into view.

But Bera did not hear him and continued walking in a daze.

"Lord Bera?"

Norn called again, but once more Bera failed to hear.

Another train of thought had filled his mind.

This time, he was thinking about himself.

Despite all his tireless efforts, he was still lacking.

He had resolved to acknowledge those shortcomings and carry them as his burden for the rest of his life. Yet now he worried that she might find them unwelcome, and those thoughts began to crowd his mind.

Would his inadequacy appear ugly to her? Still so young, would she be unable to accept the wicked man he remained?

Bera gave a sudden start at the thought. As Norn watched him with an increasingly peculiar expression, a voice called out.

"Who are you?"

It was a middle-aged man driving cattle at the village entrance.

Only then did Bera come to his senses. He raised his head to look at the man.

He had gray-white hair and a distinctly kindly face. Beneath sleeves rolled high against the increasingly hot weather, his forearms stood out.

Faced with a man who plainly belonged to this farming village, Bera composed his expression and asked a question.

"Does a girl named Renée live in this village?"

"Hm? Ah, yes. Kobeau's daughter. She lives over there, in the house with the red roof."

Bera followed the man's pointing finger.

Just as he had said, a house with a conspicuous red roof stood in the distance.

At the sight of it, Bera felt his thoughts begin to overflow again. He clenched his fist to shake them off and replied.

"... Thank you for telling me."

"Take care, now."

With that reply, the man resumed driving his cattle and went on his way.

Bera took his eyes off the departing man and looked at the distant red-roofed house. His lips moved.

"Would you mind if I went alone?"

"Not at all. I will wait here."

"Thank you."

He lowered his head slightly in thanks for Norn's consideration, then set off.

The moment he did, the steps that had felt light ever since his departure grew heavy.

* * *

After dragging his heavy steps to the house, Bera stood before it feeling as though he could move no farther.

The thought that had struck him just before arriving returned: Renée might reject him. The light that had once shone upon him might no longer do so.

He had to knock on this door. He had to go and welcome her now.

Yet his feet would not move, and he remained there for a long time.

TAP.

A sound broke into the stillness—a dull sound, as though something had struck against something else.

TAP.

Bera raised his head toward its source.

TAP.

... And felt every thought freeze.

TAP.

A girl was approaching, tapping the ground with a cane. She was young, only just beginning to take on a womanly shape, with the baby fat still lingering on her face.

TAP.

Her gait was terribly awkward. Every painstaking step seemed precarious, as though she might fall at any moment.

TAP.

Yet her appearance drove a single concept so deeply into his mind that all of that faded into insignificance.

Beauty.

Would this be the result if that word were molded into human form?

He did not mean the beauty one saw in someone of the opposite sex. It was something more fundamental: the very concept of beauty that constituted her.

TAP.

Her pure white hair rippled like the first snow on a winter day. Her blue eyes, gazing into empty space, did not move at all, but their stillness brought to mind a moment preserved and shining.

Yes, that was how it had to be described. Revealed beneath the bright sun, those eyes worked a spell that enchanted anyone who saw them.

TAP.

It was Renée. He knew at once. It could be no one else.

Though her appearance was different, though her size was different, though he had not yet heard her voice.

TAP.

Wasn't the oath engraved upon his soul telling him so, burning more fiercely than ever?

TAP.

As Renée drew closer, he faltered and unconsciously stepped back. The grass rustled beneath his foot.

"Who's there?"

A clear voice rang out.

At its sound, Bera's body went rigid.

"... Is someone there?"

His lips pressed shut.

His gaze followed Renée's figure endlessly.

Bera thought that she had spoken the truth. The beauty she had boasted of was indeed astonishing.

Yet even as he thought that, he realized that one thing she had said must have been wrong.

What people felt upon seeing her was probably not love, but awe.

Even Bera, who had traveled all across the continent and met people of every race, had never seen anything like it. That was the nature of Renée's beauty.

While he continued thinking in that daze, she spoke again.

"... No one's there?"

A slight frown crossed Renée's face.

"That's strange..."

She tilted her head to one side. Bera finally spoke, his voice still tinged with bewilderment.

"... I'm here."

"Eek!"

Renée jolted, a sound like a scream escaping her lips.

Her face filled with alarm. Then she turned her head in a direction slightly off from where Bera stood and asked,

"W-who are you?"

She was asking who he was.

Bera opened his mouth to answer, then stopped as something suddenly dawned on him.

Looking back, he had never told her his name in his previous life.

This would be the first time he gave her his name.

Only after an entire lifetime, and four more years beyond it, could he finally tell her.

At that realization, he suddenly felt something within him tighten as never before.

It was not unpleasant. He did not know whether this was the right way to describe it, but even as his throat closed up, there was nothing disagreeable about the feeling. A pleasant constriction—that phrase came naturally to mind.

His lips moved.

As his uncontrolled emotions caught his breath again and again, he barely managed to force out a word.

"Bera..."

But he could not finish, and his words broke off.

He had to speak, yet the feelings welling up inside made it difficult.

He took a deep breath, moved his lips again, and managed to form the words once more.

"My name is Bera."

It was not enough.

That single sentence did nothing to ease the constriction.

Countless sentences began to whirl through his mind.

There were words he had collected over the past four years. Words he had wanted so badly to say when they met again.

This time, I have come to take you with me.

I have traveled through such a long stretch of time to meet you.

I have come to fulfill the oath on which I staked my life.

So now, you need fear nothing.

... He had prepared words like those, but all of them felt strange.

Growing flustered, Bera moved his lips for a long time. He did not know how to say it, or what words would satisfy him.

He offered a gesture of respect she could not even see, and barely managed a single sentence.

"... I've come to escort you."

Those were the graceless words he uttered.