Kyrie was not found anywhere in Clementz Castle. Gray and Neveah were, of course, accompanied by the Legend. He wanted to run away, but he never had a chance. And even in that short time, Gray realized that the name of 'Kyrie' was almost universal to the Legendary Lord.
Gray recalled what happened after the tsunami.
[Let's go to Orim for now.]
The Legendary Lord said so. It was a city located further inland from Clásico.
'You mean Orim City? But Kyrie, to the sea.......'
Gray's words received a pathetic look from the Legendary Lord.
[Yes, Kyrie is amazing, she knows how to climb all the ice walls.]
'.......'
[You will tell me where to go after the orim. Right, Gray Buchanan?]
Just thinking about the bloody eyes he showed him at that time brought goosebumps in his arms.
When the morning dawned, Gray had already left the hall on the first floor of the inn, and got up as soon as Nathaniel came down.
"Good morning, Your Grace!"
Nathaniel looked back at Gray without showing a sign of surprise. Gray deliberately smiled a little.
"It's a cold day, were you okay all night? It's not a very good inn, haha!"
Nathaniel looked at him indifferently and said something.
[Are you crazy?]
"No! It's just that I'm excited to be with the Legendary Lord from the myths that I've been hearing since I was a kid."
Gray nodded and led him to a quiet table. The Legendary Lord had a gloomy face. Gray groaned and opened his mouth.
"Haha... so, the schedule..."
It was like a flash of light in his blue eyes. Gray flinched slightly. His words became more cautious.
"It's better to go after Kyrie right now, but I'm still Kyrie's older brother."
As soon as Kyrie's name came out, Nathaniel's eyes softened noticeably. To the extent that Gray, who was watching him, became unfamiliar with him.
[So?]
"I think it would be better to give her time rather than to pursue her too soon."
[Relax.]
"It's not that I never knew!"
[Yes?]
"That way, you can catch her when she is careless!"
[And?]
The smile of the Legendary Lord was getting deeper and darker. A stream of sweat ran down his back.
'Now it's the judge's board.'
Gray smiled as brightly as possible, but not too cheerfully.
"I have so much to tell you! Aren't you curious about what Kyrie was like?"
It was words that came out somewhat desperately and without thinking. However, to his surprise, it seemed that he had listened to Gray for the first time. The blue eyes were distant and deep.
[How was she?]
Gray, who didn't really expect him to react, quickly rummaged through the memory drawers.
"She was wearing a veil...... She was very thin."
[I've been feeding her.]
"I don't think she was washing well."
Legendary Lord said nothing, though with a look of disapproval.
"Fortunately, I don't think she had a cold. It's pretty cold, and that's good."
[It's good to hear what Leshaux says.]
"Do you mean the Lord Protector?"
[Go on.]
He didn't seem to want any other topic involved in Kyrie's story. Gray recited every aspect of Kyrie that came to mind to take as much time as possible. Even how long her bangs were and where there was a thin cut on her hand. Of course, except for the little punch he did to Kyrie.
The Legendary Lord seemed satisfied with just such a story. He smiled, looking heart-stoppingly beautiful, when Gray said, "Sometimes her hair looks silver under the moonlight."
[That's my favorite color.]
"Really?"
[To be exact, I started liking it because it's Kyrie's color.]
His eyes touched Gray's right eye as he said so. Not only now, but throughout the conversation, he stared persistently into Gray's eyes. Gray shield away, trying not to look awkward.
"However, I don't know if you know......."
[She said she couldn't do it.]
"......Are you all right?"
[Of course]
The Legendary Lord, who answered without any hesitation, reversed his words after a while.
[Maybe that's better.]
Crazy guy, Gray tried to produce a fresh smile.
"I guess you miss her a lot."
The Legendary Lord, who had been listening to everything Gray said, stopped answering. He was staring at Gray. Gray was taken aback by the atmosphere in which the bubble seemed to burst.
[Of course.]
His heart was moved because it felt as if the Legendary Lord who said that was dying every minute while sitting.
[Perhaps more than you think.]
Gray was stunned. For that matter, he looked pretty calm now.
The Legendary Lord seemed to know what Gray was thinking. A faint smile appeared on his beautifully crafted lips. Now he looked lofty and lonely, like a temple that had been abandoned for far too long.
[To you, I look very calm.]
"To be honest, yes...... Wouldn't it be easier to find someone sooner if you order someone or post an official announcement?"
[But what if some rookie boats even harm Kyrie?]
"These people who grew up listening to the myth of the Legendary Lord from birth? That would be very rare."
[It's not uncommon.]
The Legendary Lord lowered his eyes.
[Or, while running away in a hurry, she might stumble to a mountain somewhere and die in the blink of an eye. The possibility of death is everywhere.]
But it willcertainly be very rare. If even the rarest possibility was scary, it was certainly not at the level of simply 'loving' Kyrie. Gray asked abruptly.
"Your Grace, is this the first time something like this has happened?"
The Legendary Lord replied as if Gray was asking something strange.
[Only those who have been burned by fire know that they are afraid of fire.]
"But Kyrie is an adult. Besides, I'm not saying she's my sister, but she's pretty stubborn. She isn't one to die that easily...."
[I know how fragile you all are. Sometimes you go out casually and come back as a corpse, picked up and die from an insignificant disease.]
"No, not so much...."
[Your self-confidence is like a sandcastle, barely taking shape, always on a meager, such meager basis.]
"......."
He is a transcendent, so there is no other way for Gray, a human, to say otherwise. He was just guessing it's nothing. Gray felt burdened by the blue gaze that continued to follow him, but he asked the part he wanted to ask the most.
"Then, if Kyrie even dies... What will happen?"
Gray swallowed unconsciously as he asked this question.
Is he going to run away with anger? Destroy the continent? Will he kill all humans? Either way, something terrifying is going to happen.
I'm sure it will.
But Nathaniel's answer wasn't anything Gray expected. He stared at Gray for a very long time, with eyes that felt the weight of time that no human could catch, and then spoke quietly.
[I'll be sad. Very sad.]
***
The Legendary Lord went somewhere, saying he had business to attend to. He didn't forget to give Gray some jewelry he didn't know where it came from.
Gray sat, dazed, in front of a table rolling on jewels. Before he knew it, Neveah came slowly and stood next to him.
"Master."
"Huh? Ahh."
"Did you finish your story?"
"Well, maybe it is, isn't it?
"How was it?"
"How was it? Well, how should I word it?"
Gray recalled a man as beautiful as an ancient god with a charming smile. He was calmer than he thought, stronger than he thought, and.......
"Difficult."
Words popped out like a holler. Neveah tilted her head with her hands behind her back.
"What are you talking about?"
Gray frowned.
"I don't think I'm good at expressing myself. I've never done anything like this before."
He shuddered as he recalled the eyes of the Legendary Lord, who was chasing his eyes to the point of horror.
"What should I say? Yeah, he's a guy anyway, don't you think it's embarrassing to be so honest about your feelings? Even more so with age."
Gray put his hands together and put his chin on his thumb as if he were praying.
"I thought he'd threaten or tell me what would happen if he didn't find Kyrie. How is the political landscape, how is the land?"
"Wasn't it?"
"No, I don't."
Gray let out a grin.
"To be so honest, to say it's going to be sad, it's so, like......."
He felt pure.
Gray closed his lips. Does that make any sense? No, he is the Legendary Lord, a mythical creature, and he must have everything. But does it make sense for such a person to say, 'I'll be so sad if she dies'?
Gray's shoulders are stretched out. He felt like he was in and out of a bad fantasy.
"......I don't know. What the hell is he?"
***
Gray then began observing the Legendary Lord carefully. He also learned how to find the Legend that sometimes disappears. He was generally at a high and deserted place.
"Your Grace."
[Just add 'nim'.]
"Thank you for your generosity."
Gray approached him, answering deftly.
"What were you looking at?"
[Nothing special.]
Gray looked at Nathaniel alternately in the direction he faced. They were located in a park with high ground in the center of Orim City. Thanks to this, the low walls at the end of the city were clearly visible. The early morning foggy city was as cold as a sheet of ice, but normal.
Gray turned his head after finding no signs.
"We've been searching the village all night."
[Tom?]
"He says he's never seen Kyrie."
Nathaniel was silent. Gray looked him in the eye and said carefully.
"Can't you find it with your power?"
[It's like a miracle.]
"You mean the veil. Haha, then Nathaniel is at least a God......?"
Nathaniel turned his head at the inquiring words. Glass-clear eyes stared at Gray.
[Are you curious about me?]
"Haha, well, rather than that–"
[I don't want to recommend it. Study the others.]
Gray shut up. He moved his tongue in his mouth instead of his fingers, and jutted his neck out like a turtle.
"It's Kyrie."
[Where did she go?]
Hiccup.
I'm glad to hear that. Gray kept his smile on his face.
"Of course I'll let you meet her! Before that, I think I can give you a good suggestion."
[Suggestion?]
Nathaniel asked back in a strangely funny voice. Gray nodded his head.
"Yes, in a few more days to the west, there's a place called the 'Great Library of Phronois', would you like to go?"
[I don't think Kyrie will be there.]
"It's my own idea."
[It's your turn to tell me what you're thinking.]
"I've been thinking about it in many ways......."
Gray spoke and posed as a guide with his hands. Nathaniel began to move slowly. Gray glanced back for the last time. He belatedly realized that Nathaniel was watching a purple flag flying in the distance.
"Why don't you give her something she likes and lure her out? There's a lot of rare first editions in Phronois. Kyrie likes books......."
Nathaniel stopped walking down the stairs for a while. And turned to Gray.
[Buchanan.]
The atmosphere changed dramatically. Gray noticed that he was going to bring up something else.
"Yes."
[Have you ever been in the study of the family?]
Gray's eyes became round.
"Only the head of the household can enter the study of the family head. It's not my place yet......."
Nathaniel's blue gaze gently stayed with Gray and then fell.
[Yeah, it looks like it.]
What 'looks like' does that mean, Gray chose not to ask. He didn't feel like answering.
Nathaniel began to walk down the stairs again as if that was enough. Gray followed suit, not knowing why his own head was waddling like everyone else when he went down the stairs and was simply elegant.
[So, Buchanan, you know where Kyrie is going, but you're taking some time off.]
The conversation is back on track.
'How do I know where Kyrie will go, frankly.'
But if he shows it, he'll die instantly. He had to act like he didn't have those thoughts, as if it would last forever. Gray smiled as innocently as he could.
"Even hunters sometimes need a break. In the meantime, Nataniel can tell you something about Kyrie that she doesn't know. How do you like her?"
Nathaniel, who had just stepped down the stairs of the park and stepped on the pavement of the street, turned back. He stared at Gray, the aura somehow frightening. Nathaniel is far bigger than Gray, who is 5.9 feet tall, and Gray feels the pressure of a rare difference in physical condition.
"......Sir Nathaniel?"
Gray's eyes trembled. Then Nathaniel seemed to smile a little. At that moment Gray felt that some decision had been made inside the Legendary Lord.
[Right.]
"......."
[I don't like what you're saying, but there are a few things that are right.]
"Oh, yes!"
He strangely accepted it easily. Gray was not happy. The Legendary Lord obviously knows he doesn't know Kyrie's destination. He also knew that he was avoiding answering. Nevertheless, he was still passing on his deftness.
'Why?'
Even though Gray was looking stupidly at my face, Nathaniel met the gaze in silence. Gray felt strange. And he realized something belatedly.
'No, not me...... my eyes.'
Gray's blood turn cold, and the expression disappeared from his face. Come to think of it, Nathaniel never looked away from Gray's eyes from the moment he met him.
'Because my eyes are purple like Kyrie's.'
He was, so to speak, filling his thirst for Kyrie by looking at the living purple eyes. Gray clenched his molars.
'Crazy bastard.'
His neck became stiff without realizing it. And yet he didn't dare blink.
Nathaniel smiled faintly at the sight. He seemed to have noticed what Gray had just realised. But neither will say it out loud.
Gray asked after a long, quivering sigh.
"When you find Kyrie...... what are you going to do?"
[I didn't expect you to ask such a thing.]
The two began to move naturally again.
"Why did Kyrie run away from you?"
[She must have been scared.]
"She is afraid?"
[Since she cried so beautifully]
"Did you do something?"
[Hmm. A little bit of a prank?]
It was a mischievous tone. Gray deliberately made a big gesture and responded mindlessly. It's more like he wanted to shake off his fear a while ago.
"What a strange thing! She ran away. It's the kind of job anyone would want."
[She wouldn't have suffered like this if she knew how to think that way.]
There was a moment of silence.
"Excuse me, what do you like so much about Kyrie?"
The two turned the corner where the streetlights were built toward the inn. A citizen who found Nathaniel in the distance was suspicious of his eyes and was seen disappearing with crab steps. Nathaniel looked for a long time at the passerby moving away. Gray followed his gaze late. The clothes of the passerby were purple. Gray closed his mouth with a twinge of goosebumps.
[I've never thought about it.]
"But isn't there a trigger for everything?"
[That's true.]
Nathaniel sank into the contemplation for a moment.
[Well, the fact that she is good at jokes? Surprised when touched, trembling, but saying everything she has to say, innocent words that seem to be ignorant of the world, and taking good care of her dignity on the outside.]
Nathaniel, speaking of Kyrie, somehow seemed amused. Gray had realized that Nathaniel was very merciful only on the subject of 'Kyrie', so he asked with some ease.
"Didn't you notice any other decent women besides Kyrie?"
[First of all, the 'decent' people didn't wake me up.]
"So... who wakes you up is important, right?"
It was a rather significant question. Nathaniel replied meekly whether he knew it or not.
[Usually, people who live long can't change their mind easily.]
"Why is that?"
Nathaniel paused for a moment. He was looking beyond a glass display case on the street. Gray found a purple women's hat which had a wide brim inside the display case, and calmly turned away. Soon Nathaniel started walking again.
[I can't forget]
What? Gray did not ask. Nathaniel's words continued like music.
[We live long, we feel distant as if it was yesterday, we don't usually die, and each one is close to a new species. No blood ties, no colleagues, no family. It just exists, and you don't know, too long a time is enough to dull the ego.]
"Well, what does Kyrie mean......."
[In the meantime, imagine a beetle, a butterfly, a bird, calling your name, whatever is buried in your memory.]
Gray's mouth opened small. He felt a sense of distance that was hard to describe from Nathaniel. At the same time, his smile as he recalled Kyrie was so beautiful that his heart felt a little pained.
[Then you'll probably want to keep it near you at all costs. You can hang my name.]
"By all means... you mean...."
[By all means.]
Nathaniel spoke softly. Before he knew it, the cane in his hand tapped the floor once. Gray shook his shoulders as if he had woken up.
"However, Your Grace......."
[Kyrie will eventually accept it. As did Vallabriga and his predecessors.]
His attitude was arrogant, but Gray curiously felt a faint sense of urgency there. So he gulped down the words that were coming out of his mouth.
***
Rattling, rattling. The wagon ran along the mountain path. Kyrie opened the cover over the carriage window and looked outside. The sea was not visible. Rather, the wagon was heading further inland.
"It won't melt naturally, will it?"
The man sitting across from Kyrie talked to her. It was a very fat foreign gentleman with a brown mustache and gray eyes. No, he was more of a scholar than a gentleman.
"The ice wall."
He patted his mustache and said again.
"It's the power of the Legendary Lord, isn't it? I'd like to see him in person."
His words sounded very cute because there was an excessive 'ㅇ' pronunciation at the end. Towards Kyrie, who still hasn't answered, the man smiled, pulling his mustache short on both sides, like pulling a bow tie.
(TL/N: in hangul 'ㅇ' has no sound but if u add any vowel to it, it will have a 'ng' sound. So the author is perhaps trying to say that the person speaks with an 'ng' sound at the end.)
"Don't worry too much. I've heard from Dr. Hartwood. With me, I told you, didn't I? Please call me Dr. Poe. Anyway, Epo and other researchers who know the situation will help."
Dr. Poe was talkative. After learning that Kyrie couldn't speak, he diligently moved his mouth as if he couldn't tolerate even a little silence.
"I'm glad we arrived early. I'd say it's a miracle that we could meet."
"......."
"You know, Aldrelm is a city of scholars who study the end of the world. That is, they are not interested in others, so rest assured, my lady."
Kyrie avoided eye contact without saying a word.
The carriage was headed for Aldrelm. It's the west side of the continent. It is also a place where scholars who study the end gather. She couldn't have wanted to go to such a place, but there was no other way.
As soon as Kyrie came out of the secret passage underground, there was an ice wall that soared high in the sky. There was no way to get past it, and the search party gradually narrowed the siege. It was truly a miracle to be able to meet Dr. Poe, whom Zhenya Hartwood said had sent.
She thought Nathaniel might be the sender, but the idea quickly went out of her mind. Nathaniel wouldn't have touched what Cesar was doing, so he wouldn't have touched what Zhenya was doing. Moreover, he was very careful not to let Kyrie's name be known to the provinces.
"Have you ever been to Aldrelm?"
Kyrie blinked slowly because it was not polite not to react at all. Fortunately, Dr. Poe was a person who understood that kind of gesture.
"You're Dr. Zhenya Hartwood's daughter. Have you heard about her research?"
Kyrie shook his head slightly. He looked disappointed for a moment, but soon snapped his mustache twice and grinned.
"I wish I had time to introduce you. Dr. Hartwood is the best in this field."
At that time, Dr. Poe's voice was occluded by the sound of another wagon approaching. It was the murmur of the people. Kyrie grabbed the veil without realizing it.
"Oh, we've arrived in Aldrelm."
Dr. Poe slightly lifted the window cover. She could see a city full of low buildings. The wagon stopped at the back door of a huge sand-colored building outside Aldrelm. It seemed that a monastery was being improved and used. Dr. Poe got off the wagon first, and then winked with his hand out.
"I don't have a title, but I'm a noble man. Not as high as Buchanan though."
Kyrie, who got off the wagon, looked around nervously, holding Dr. Poe's chubby hands. Dr. Poe smiled and led her inside.
When she entered the building, she found an atrium overrun with scholars. It meant everything was incredibly messy. Just then, a man walked across from her. He was a young man with shaggy green hair and his face was full of freckles. A weak smell of alcohol came as he approached.
"Dr. Poe?"
"Ho, Jerome! That's great."
Kyrie quickly hid behind Dr. Poe. A young man named Jerome blinked.
"Is that a guest?"
"Yes, Jerome. She's Dr. Hartwood's daughter."
"Then Buchanan's..."
"Right, Dr. Hartwood asked us to keep it a secret, so you'll keep it a secret, won't you?"
"Of course. Hehe..."
"Come on, miss? Show me your face. Jerome was originally a stable keeper in the lower village, but we hired him as a servant. He'll help you from now on. Since there are no female servants in this building, I'll ask for your understanding."
Kyrie sighed softly. She walked slowly out of Dr. Poe's back as she brought down the veil. Jerome opened his eyes like a man who was shot in the heart.
"Wow...?"
Kyrie quickly covered her face again. Dr. Poe clapped his hands twice.
"Now, now, have you seen the face, Jerome? Jerome will serve you from now on. But you'd better not drink during the day, Jerome. If Gerald scolds me again..."
"I'll try. I have to try."
"All right, all right, all right! Jerome, she can't talk because of the psychological shock, so let me give you a pen and paper..."
Dr. Poe began to chat and moved on. Meanwhile Jerome's eyes did not fall off Kyrie. Kyrie walked, trying to ignore the blatant gaze.
Her room was assigned to the highest point of the tower, which connected the monastery's main building and the cloud bridge.
"It's a little old, but there's everything that's needed..... No one uses this room. If you need anything, you can ask Jerome."
Kyrie looked around the room, which wasn't very spacious. One bed, one window, one desk and one closet.
Jerome handed her a pen and paper. Kyrie scrawled the handwriting right away.
「How much do you know about the Legendary Lord?」
Dr. Poe was surprised with a chubby cheek when the story of Legendary Lord came out before the request related to her life.
"You are indeed Dr. Hartwood's daughter! In fact, we don't know much.."
「Didn't my mother tell you anything else?」
"When it comes to the lady, all I've heard was to take you to Aldrelm. So why don't you follow her plan first?"
Kyrie's pen stopped. She didn't understand it at all. There must have been a reason if Jenya even made her do it on purpose. As Kyrie's expression subsided, Dr. Poe fidgeted and tugged at his beard.
"Lady? Don't worry too much. Relax for now. There you go! Would you like to take a look at our research?"
「Can you show it to others?」
Dr. Poe looked disappointed.
"Are we still others?"
He quickly reached out to Kyrie while she agonized over his answer. Kyrie held the doctor's hand reflexively.
"Shall we go?"
Dr. Poe led Kyrie without a second thought.
Dr. Poe guided her to a large auditorium. The walls were full of maps, memos written in Algiers (Al-Ise or Algaise), Tilka idioms, and unidentified murals. The floor was faster to find parts that were not covered with paper.
"Come on, come on, come on in! Come on in!"
Dr. Poe spoke in a highly excited tone, then leaped into the room. Looking around carefully, Kyrie suddenly found a painting hanging on the wall.
It was a strange picture. From a corner of the painting, black spread out, and people who looked like small dots were running away from the black. Kyrie approached the painting, swept the picture with her fingers without realizing it. It was black with some persistence. She can feel the intention of the person who drew it.
"It's a pretty picture, isn't it?"
Before she knew it, Dr. Poe came near her and asked. Kyrie hesitated and picked up the pen.
「Is this the end?」
"That's pretty much it. I don't know what it is."
Kyrie's eyes glued to the painting. By all appearances, the 'black thing' in the painting was similar to Nathaniel. With his shadow, which sometimes moves as if it were alive.
The question that had been buried has resurfaced.
'What the hell is he?'
She knows Nathaniel is a very powerful being. But she didn't know anything about who he was. It's not that she didn't mean to ask, but Nathaniel showed signs that he didn't want to talk.
'Should I have asked?'
"There's only one, but there's something similar about past murals."
Dr. Poe drew another painting and showed it to her. Something persistent, creepy black, and people who run away.
「It's not just one time?」
'No, this has happened many times in history. Don't you know the legend?
「If something like this comes up again, will people all die?」
"Ho. Surprisingly not."
Kyrie's head turned at the unexpected answer. Dr. Poe looked excited.
"Civilization couldn't have improved this much if that had happened, of course!"
「So there's a way? How do you get away from this?」
"I can't give you a definite answer because it's not in the literature, but there are some theories."
Kyrie's eyes got bigger. The pen in her hand moved as if it were flying.
「What's that?」
Dr. Poe pulled on his mustache and shrugged.
"It's not a very difficult strategy. These secrets are supposed to be hidden in fairy tales, proverbs, or folktales. It's... ..."
It was a moment when Dr. Poe's mouth opened.
"Dear Doctor."
Jerome called out from a distance.
"It's time for the other doctors to come back, is that all right?"
Dr. Poe jumped from his seat without speaking.
"No, you can't! You're in trouble too, aren't you?"
"Ah...."
"Come on, let's go! I'll explain to the people that my guest is staying, so you'll be able to rest well."
Dr. Poe pushed Kyrie like a nudge. Thanks to this, Kyrie had to leave the auditorium without hearing the next word.
"I'm going to go greet people. I'm a little busy with the upcoming academic conference. Jerome will show you around!"
Dr. Poe said that and then moved like a fat goose and disappeared.
Jerome was the only one left. Kyrie hid her discomfort and wrote to show him.
「You can go back to work alone.」
Jerome smiled awkwardly with a red face, perhaps because he was drunk.
"No...I'll take you there."
He seems to be stubborn. Kyrie headed for the assigned room without saying a word. Jerome followed suit. He was silent for a while, but he called Kyrie by the time she climbed the stairs of the tower.
"Well, Buchanan...nim?"
Kyrie turned her head.
"Do you need anything? What do you want to eat in particular...."
「I'm fine.」
"I'm going to get the cows the day after tomorrow, do you like beef or......."
Jerome hiccuped as he finished speaking. Kyrie shook her head with a cold look. Fortunately, the room was just around the corner. As the spiral staircase was almost over, Jerome raised his voice a little more.
"I'm always on the first floor of the main building, so if you're bored...... at any time. I mean, even at night, hehe."
「That's not gonna happen. I need you to leave me alone.」
Kyrie responded with the utmost dignity and then shut the door in front of Jerome, who looked disappointed. She sighed. Staring down from fatigue, she immediately narrowed her brows.
The lock was outside.
"......."
She didn't hear the sound of retreating footsteps outside for a long time. Kyrie stayed still for a while, holding the doorknob. It was not until a long time later that she heard the sound of footsteps going down the stairs, along with the sound of tongue clicking.
Kyrie waited a long time before carefully climbing down the tower. And hid in a pile of straw in the barn she saw on the way. The frosty straw smelled like horse manure, but only then could Kyrie fall asleep.
***
Dr. Poe ordered Jerome to call Kyrie as soon as the morning broke.
"Dr. Poe is calling."
「I'll be there soon. Wait downstairs.」
Kyrie scrawled, a little irritated, because he opened the door right after knocking.
「Next time, you can only enter when I give permission.」
Jerome just grinned.
Kyrie went down the tower after carefully putting on the veil that now felt like a part of her body. She was a little startled because she had not known he would call in the morning. Because it was very rare for scholars to wake up in the morning.
After entering the auditorium, she realized that they had not woken up early in the morning, they had only not slept yet. Dr. Poe, who had more hollow eyes than yesterday, smiled at Kyrie.
"I would like to introduce myself. Should I do it first? I am Salamis Poe, studying the apocalypse!"
There were two more people on both sides of him. Among them, a thin, clown-like man glared at Kyrie and said.
"Are you Buchanan?"
Kyrie nodded.
"Well, you've come all the way here."
"Oh, Gerald!"
"Miss. Buchanan, I'm sure your ears are fine. Did you hear that? That's my name, though. But please call Dr. Seward, not Gerald. It's better if you don't call me at all."
It was blatant hostility, but she didn't feel so bad. Dr. Seward frowned at Jerome, who was still standing near the door.
"Dr. Poe, can you fire that drunkard now? It's bad luck to see that face in the morning."
Jerome flinched. Dr. Poe covered Jerome with a huge body and beckoned him to go behind his back.
"However, Jerome is doing very well, Gerald."
"I'm sure he is. It's a day or two when he drinks everyday and you're in a bad mood and barely finish your day before it's over?"
"But...."
Dr. Poe began to look sullen with a gentle sheep-like face. Dr. Seward looked exasperated,, and then a white-haired woman who was sitting next to him without a word stepped forward.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Buchanan. My name is Margaret Hawksong. We are studying 'the End'."
「It's Kyrie Buchanan. Nice to meet you.」
"You're welcome."
There was no goodwill in her manner, but there was courtesy. When Kyrie nodded and was greeted, Dr. Hawksong clapped her hands twice to distract Dr. Po and Dr. Seward, who had been arguing until then.
"We're here to have a serious talk, aren't we, folks?"
"What serious discussion."
"Gerry, you're sensitive due to lack of sleep. Let's get it over with and go to bed."
Dr. Seward grumbled and shut up. Perhaps it was Hawksong's role to calm him down, Dr. Poe stepped up again.
"I'm sorry I didn't show you my face, miss......, by the way, Dr. Hartwood's message is for the three of us alone."
"The damn woman."
"It also means that I am somewhat aware of your situation. So we're going to help you."
"I don't feel like it."
"Gerald!"
Dr. Poe shuddered and stared at Seward, but Dr. Seward snorted.
"Are you going to cry again?"
"How dare you say that!"
Dr. Poe let out a scream. Dr Hawksong only drank tea while watching them.
The three were like people who sacrificed their social skills and gained intelligence and high education. Kyrie moved her pen on the paper without saying a word.
「I have to cross the sea to the North Continent.」
Fortunately, everyone stopped what they were doing when the note was placed in front of them.
"The sea, hmm."
"Quite a large area is frozen right now. I would have given anything to see it freeze with my own eyes! It would take a lot of power to freeze that ocean. It's definitely the Legendary Lord."
"I want to look at the sea. If that large area is frozen, the ocean currents would have changed. Isn't that right, Dr. Hawksong?
"I guess so, Gerry. But considering that the person who created it is the Legendary Lord, it may not surprisingly affect the current."
"Why don't you stop by the north coast after the conference? Come to think of it, I've heard there's some kind of apocalypse around there."
"Gerald, how could you...... a great idea!"
Kyrie watched them from the side. They, as professors do, returned to the original subject after a number of miscellaneous talks.
"You must go to the western end, right?"
「Western End?」
Dr. Poe nodded.
"There is an excellent wizard in the village of Libra at the western end. They're very famous around here."
"You have to take the benefit of the doubt, yes."
It seemed to be a good plan, considering Dr. Seward's mild acceptance with folded arms.
Then, Dr. Hawksong coughed gently.
"But isn't there the biggest problem?"
"Problem?"
"The people of Old Ciudad and Fort Ducaine are looking for you. That's pretty hard, too."
Kyrie's heart sank with a thud. When a problem that she didn't want to think about was on the cutting board, her whole body felt like it was contracting.
"I'd say the two families turned completely with the Legendary Lord."
"I don't know what they're thinking. Was the relationship between Buchanan and Old Ciudad and Fort Ducaine so bad?"
Kyrie looked down at the paper with gloomy eyes. The edge was wrinkled because she unknowingly clenched her fist..
「It's not like that.」
The eyes of the three turned to Kyrie's penmanship.
「No, it's because two family heirs died trying to get me out of the capital.」
Surprised by the faces of the three doctors. Kyrie thought they were surprised at what she said. But Dr. Seward asked back with a glum look.
"What are you talking about? Didn't the investment king of Maria Old Ciudad and Fort Ducaine enter the palace?"
'What?'
Kyrie's head was lifted. Dr. Seward kicked his tongue at Kyrie, and Dr. Hawksong opened her mouth instead.
"Because we are far from the capital, we're not sure what is going on, however, the two successors are said to be residing in the palace. Perhaps because you have been on the run, you didn't hear the news. That, coupled with the fact that news stopped coming from the capital for a while. But this is the latest we have heard..."
「They are alive?」
Her writing was almost illegible because of her rushed scribbling. Dr. Poe looked at Kyrie with pitiful eyes.
"I think so. If the heirs of the two families had died at the same time, the country would not have been so quiet."
Kyrie's hand clenched the pen tightly. Her heart was filled with indescribably.
They're alive.
They are alive.
She felt like crying. She knew she had a strange look on her face, but she couldn't control her emotions. The three doctors, even Dr. Seward, slipped away from her.
Then, Dr. Poe wriggled his chubby caterpillar-like fingers and shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, folks, how about this?"
His voice was bright enough to change the mood at once.
"We're going to attend an academic conference at the Great Library of Phronois soon. So what about the miss accompanying us?"
Dr. Seward immediately got up in a rage.
"Dr. Poe, do you think this is a children's prank? Accompany us?!"
"Gerald, she's Dr. Hartwood's daughter."
"But not Dr. Hartwood herself! No, even if she was herself, it would be ridiculous!"
Dr. Hawksong, who was watching the situation at that time, raised her hand gently.
"Gerry, why don't you listen first?"
"Dr. Hawksong!"
"Go on, Salamis."
"Thank you, Margaret. I honestly don't think there's a safer way."
"There must be no political intervention in the hall of intelligence! It's dangerous to even accept it like this, accompanying us? You really don't expect this to happen? I'm telling you, he is the Legendary Lord. You're a scholar, you don't know how powerful he is!"
"Dr. Hartwood was convinced that the Legendary Lord would not touch her territory, or us. I believe in her judgment. Besides, you know the atmosphere of the conference? I'm sure the streets will be noisy if it's the last day....."
"Dr. Poe!"
Dr. Poe poked out his lips with a slightly coy look.
"If you really want to disagree, write to Dr. Hartwood yourself."
Suddenly Dr. Seward made a strange noise. He wiggled his chin like a broken doll, muttering in a hoarse voice.
"No, I-I don't think so....."
"Dr. Hartwood will love Gerald's letter."
"Well, I don't think......."
"She'll love it."
"Don't stress it!"
"What's Gerald's idiot index right now?"
"Stop it!"
But when Zhenya Hartwood's name came out, Seward seemed to have lost his will to refute, and Hawksong seemed unwilling to intervene in the first place. Dr. Poe, who looked around the audience, curled his hands and shook his shoulders.
"Then go to Phronois with the lady, and then move slightly away to Libra...... 'Unanimous'!"
***
As the academic conference was just around the corner, doctors became busy. They either walked around the hall like sleepwalkers, poured coffee into the pot, or tried to drink ink. Kyrie came to observe as she worked next to them. The lights in the room didn't go out until dawn. Looking at the swaying candles and the darkness outside the window, Kyrie was lost in thought.
「What are you going to present?」
"The End of the world. We are mainly related to history. Other than that, there's a variety of magic, science, and so on."
「I don't know what it's like to study the apocalypse.」
Dr. Poe replied. His white, plump cheeks were steeply shaded by the lanterns.
"The End doesn't just happen once in history. I'm sure he'll show up again. That could be tomorrow or right now."
「Usually aristocrats learn that 'End' is just a metaphor, and that it was hostile forces, famine, disease, etc. Did I get it wrong?」
"I wouldn't say it's particularly wrong."
Dr. Poe leaned back. Because of his weight, the chair he was sitting on made a terrible sound, covering the sound of grasshoppers from outside.
"Even the academic community didn't focus on what The End was at first. We had thought that the founder, Vallabriga Orewinbridge, was just exaggerating a little to elevate dignity."
「So?」
"Several traces were discovered, and the academic world was turned upside down! You know about the ancient times, don't you?"
「Not as much as you guys, but a little bit. I know it was a time of great prosperity in many ways.」
"Right, a lot of unfamiliar technology was able to figure this out. Even in those ancient times, there are some signs warning of The End."
Kyrie put on a surprised look. She had never learned such a thing despite being taught by a great teacher, Gervannis, who was even recognized by Zhenya. Dr. Poe smiled at Kyrie.
"You don't have to know. The Orewinbridge dynasty is rather rare to record, perhaps because it was founded after The End. As you know, a little..."
「You're talking about the branch. Founder designated many books as forbidden books, collected them in the royal library, and burned the rest.」
"Yes, that's why scholars don't like the founder very much."
"Vallabriga was a madman."
Dr. Seward barged in. He was frowning, rubbing his forehead to see if the problem was solved.
"I'm sure he was afraid of something. Otherwise, there's no reason to do such a thing."
The 'something' he's talking about is probably Nathaniel.
Kyrie fell into thought. She heard Vallabriga woke Nathaniel up in the ice to defeat The End.
'But if Nathaniel is the apocalypse, what kind of apocalypse was he before he woke up?'
It is unlikely that Nathaniel hurt others by using his limbs in the ice. He's a man who kills someone without hesitation, but doesn't feel much enthusiasm for it. This always boils down to one thing.
'What the hell is he?'
"So, if you've heard anything from the Legendary Lord..."
Dr. Poe implored furtively. She thought he actually wanted to inquire about this from the beginning. Kyrie shook her head, hesitating. She didn't know if she could tell others about the founder.
"Is that so..."
Looking at Dr. Poe, sullenly fiddling with the corner of the paper, Kyrie moved her pen and asked.
「So you guys actually want to talk to the Legendary Lord.」
"It would be great if it were possible."
The answer this time came from Dr. Hawksong. She was transcribing something until the day before yesterday, and said, pressing the bridge of her nose with glasses on it.
"I've already asked the Lord Protector to cover it a few times, but he never never responded. There are two survivors of that time, however we can't hear them. It's sad for a scholar."
Doctors were sullen and silent like a seven-year-old child who got banned from having the cake that was in front. Kyrie, who saw her, blinked motionless, then got up and approached Dr. Poe's desk.
「Can you lend me your scissors?」
"Scissors?"
Dr. Poe asked back curiously.
"Here it is, but..."
The pair of scissors was carefully handed over to Kyrie. And, to everyone's surprise, she grabbed her own hair and snipped it off.
"Ahh!"
Dr. Poe leaked out a scream. Kyrie placed her cut hair on an empty sheet of paper.
「Show this to Lord Protector. He'll probably allow you to uncover it. I don't think he will tell you everything, but it'll be better to meet him.」
Anyway, when this hair is delivered to Leschaux, it will be after she disappears. Nathaniel wouldn't even notice it because of the power of the veil. The eyes of the three doctors were wide open. Even Dr. Seward seemed embarrassed.
"N—no, doesn't hair matter to a noble?"
「It's not even my neck. It'll grow back.」
"Yes?"
「Do you not like it?」
"No way!"
Three doctors shouted at the same time. Kyrie gave a weak smile.
「My mother forced me to. However, trying to hide someone from the Legendary Lord is not something I usually do with courage, so please consider it my own sincerity.」
Dr. Poe was the first of the three to respond. He buried his face in the palm of his hand.
"How sweet of you! Finally, there's progress in the research!"
"Amazing."
"Can I ask you a little bit about the market?"
Dr. Seward sneaked in. Kyrie smiled and moved her pen to write a letter.
「This is Kyrie Buchanan. My apology will still be valid, right? If you don't mind, I'd like you to tell the people who deliver this letter the story they seek.」
When she folded the note and handed it over, Dr. Seward's mouth wriggled. She felt like he was holding back his smile. With a softer look on his face, Dr. Hawksong turned to Kyrie.
"We've got more than we can do for you."
「It's nothing.」
"You don't realize it, Miss. Buchanan, but you've given us a tremendous opportunity."
Her eyes glimmered behind her eyeglasses.
"From Phronois to Libra. I'll do my best to help you. Is there anything else you need?"
Kyrie, who was about to shake her head, stopped moving. Her eyes turned to the pictures on the wall.
'Is Nathaniel really The End of history?'
Kyrie clenched her fist and hesitated.
「This may sound funny, so please don't laugh. By any chance, The End... Can he die?」
"Oh."
Dr. Hawksong replied calmly with her shining olive-colored eyes.
"Of course."
Kyrie was speechless for a moment.
「Of course?」
Dr. Hawksong shrugged.
"Don't all the people of Trevereum grow up learning that 'the three heroes have defeated the apocalypse?'
「Wait a minute.」
Kyrie blocked her from speaking. She needed to dig deeper. Suddenly, it occurred to her that Zhenya had sent her to Aldrelm for this moment.
「Not with heroes, but with the power of ordinary people.」
"Are you assuming that Vallabriga Orewinbridge isn't even a wizard?"
「Yes, only by the power of ordinary people.」
Dr. Hawksong became worried, holding her chin.
"...In fact, we suspect that The End is something that cannot be killed with pure human strength."
「What do you mean?」
"You can't kill death or love, can you? We think that's what 'End' is."
After the last words, she hesitated a little and added.
"To be more honest, all you have to do is avoid it."
「Dr. Poe thinks the same, too. Is it possible to avoid it?」
"I'm not sure yet. It's just a hypothesis."
「Please tell me.」
Dr. Hawksong calmly examined the reactions around her. Dr. Poe was dozing off in front of his desk, and Dr. Seward was listening to the story with interest while repeatedly teasing the pen. The pen point concealed the sound of grasshoppers and wind that rang quietly at night.
Margaret Hawksong sighed.
"If I may say so..., he probably won't open the door."
She raised her eyebrows and took off her glasses and she then put them down on the desk.
"First of all, I have to tell you the beginning of how we came to this conclusion. This hypothesis started with the idea that The End is a tangible but ideological existence."
Dr. Hawksong searched through the piles of paper on her desk and began to look through them.
"You know, especially the ideological threat, people don't say it directly. In order to keep children from going to the water, they would say that there's a demon in the shape of a horse living in the water."
Kyrie quickly hit the nail on what she was about to say.
「That's what you mean by how to avoid The End.」
"Exactly."
Dr. Hawksong lowered her voice significantly. Just in time, the grasshoppers stopped crying for a while. She was appalled for no reason. Kyrie clenched the veil tighter without saying a word.
"We explored a lot of traces. Additionally, I've sorted out a few stories that are too suspicious to be just a warning to ticks and intruders."
Kyrie held up her pen, somehow feeling like a thief digging into the tomb of a dead king.
「For example?」
"For example... Let's see..."
Dr. Hawksong put her finger on her lips and looked out of the window.
"Don't open the door to anyone beyond the window."
Kyrie's body was shivering. Dr. Hawksong did not notice. Her appearance showed the mature comfort that only old people could have, but Kyrie's hands began to tremble.
She had a sense of déjà vu. A very strong sense of déjà vu.
"If someone you don't know calls your name, don't answer."
Dr. Hawksong's words followed. Now Dr. Seward also stopped his pen and was listening to her story.
"Don't go where even animals and insects don't live."
Kyrie recalled Nathaniel, who was always driving the calm, as if drawn by some great force. When he showed up, both insects and birds held their breath.
Kyrie's face was filled with confusion. She even looked at Dr. Hawksong with suspicious eyes. When she heard Dr. Hawksong's explanation, it was as if she knew Nathaniel and warned her of his presence.
"Don't pick up something on the road, or if there's an unusually cold place in the middle of the day, quietly avoid it... There's a story like that."
After speaking, Dr. Hawksong put her glasses back on her nose.
"Traditionally, in order for such 'unhappy' things to interfere in the realm of the living, they must obtain permission from their owners. Whether it's the door of the heart, the gate of the house, or the window."
Finally, Kyrie jumped out of her seat. One epiphany struck her in the head like a wall. She found the identity of the déjà vu that she had been feeling.
'MarryAnne knew.'
Her whole body felt cold because of the goosebumps that crept up to the back of her head. She recalled what happened in the first town, Hercula, where she met Nathaniel. In the village, MarryAnne had already told her everything.
'Did it happen to talk to you?'
'Not really. I just felt like I was eyed on.'
'Did you open the window for it?'
'I didn't do it because you told me not to go out.'
'Did the lady make a loud noise?'
'I stayed still. I've only seen it.'
'Then, you'll be fine!'
She was right. And Nathaniel, too, has already told her everything.
[I'm Nathaniel. People here call me the 'End']
Kyrie staggered. The sudden realization poured one after the other. The purpose of the attack on MarryAnne in Hercula was not because of MarryAnne. He was trying to get her to open the window. It was obvious why he appeared in Clementz Castle because he hated protocol and ceremony. It was to be "invited" by the owner of the estate.
'That's why he was slow to find me.'
It was weird, actually. His pursuit was slower than Kyrie had expected. So she was nervous the whole time. She was wondering if he was up to something else. However, it wasn't the case.
'That's why he needed the power of Old Ciudad and Fort Ducain. That's why he kept Maria and Laura alive.'
Kyrie's mouth opened. She covered her mouth with trembling hands. There was a time when she wondered why a man as big as Nathaniel, mixed in with humans, was named the Legendary Lord. In the past, she thought he was just enjoying himself like a wolf in sheep's clothing, but that wasn't it.
'Cause it's comfortable. The authority of the Legendary Lord guarantees countless invitations and permission!
After all, he was always showing himself as he is.
"Are you all right, miss? Wake up, Salamisi!"
"Hmm?"
"What's the matter?"
Before she knew it, the three doctors talked about this and that, however she couldn't hear them. Kyrie kept thinking about Nathaniel with a blue face. She had a hunch that she should not miss this clue.
'Think!'
Kyrie closed her eyes with her fist clenched.
'Nathaniel is dead. Yet, The End has appeared again and again. Why did he show up? Nathaniel doesn't kill people for no reason. Something stimulated him...'
She paced around her seat, chewing on her dry lips. The doctors did not reach out to her anymore. They seemed to notice that she was digging into a very important clue. Kyrie shook her head like a madman, not caring about their reaction.
'No, Kyrie Buchanan! You don't have to think too far into the past. Nathaniel won't change! What could possibly provoke the current Nathaniel?'
Kyrie's steps stopped. If it was the present-day Nathaniel, the answer was too obvious.
'...It's me.'
Kyrie breathed in.
How did Vallabriga last? He went mad at the thought of Nathaniel coming to kill him. He was obsessed with Nathaniel until he died, and could not escape. It was the same look Nathaniel wanted from Kyrie.
Obviously, Nathaniel would have been satisfied. If he wished, he would eat the little bird he wanted from head to toe.
'So it didn't have to be The End of Vallabriga.'
Now, Kyrie could tell the starting point for him to go berserk as Leshaux had said.
'If he doesn't have you, The End will come...'
She felt a sense of resilience. It was too clear what that meant.
Crossing the sea? What good is that? It was impossible to volunteer in the first place where no one knew. He held the entire continent hostage, and Kyrie could never stand by.
'Checkmate.'
Kyrie laughed in vain.
Now that she realized it, there was only one way left. It had already been decided which way to choose. Someone had to do it, and that someone was herself. She couldn't let everyone get killed.
Kyrie approached the window and looked up at the sky with trembling eyes. Soon her lips, which had been closed, opened.
"Even though there isn't... It's as if there is."
If there was, it was as if it would last forever.
Kyrie's eyes were blurred.
After all, he and she were meant to be. Either obey or be forced to obey.
*****