Eden mentioned that it was only a matter of time before we reached the Temple of Tunia.
It was seventeen days after leaving Countess Tocino’s estate. Snow suddenly began falling from the clear sky. In the next moment, thick clouds frighteningly covered the sky, making it eerily overcast.
“The snow falling this time must be ‘it’.”
As I spoke, Eden nodded in agreement before we urged our horses on. I pondered to myself as I rode that we had truly arrived at the perfect time.
At that time, Eden, who was riding side by side, shouted.
“The Emperor will return soon, right?”
‘No.’
My intuition whispered again.
‘They will think it will stop.’
I shouted loudly towards him, piercing through the sound of hooves.
“No!”
Somehow, my ears were deafening.
“The Emperor will only return in an almost uncontrollable situation! He must have thought the snow would stop by now!”
“Are you saying that because you know that Emperor well?”
Eden’s shout sounded distant as if coming from far away.
I retorted.
“No, it’s my ‘intuition’!”
Seemingly understanding what I meant, he rode ahead. The horse, worn out from the long journey, couldn’t pick up speed no matter how hard I urged it. Still, it didn’t matter. Before the snow piled up too much, we just needed to make it to a small village.
The snow fell heavily as if wanting to completely bury me from this world, turning everything white. In an instant, small and cozy patches of ice formed over my head and shoulders. While a few snowflakes melted upon touching my body, the ones that followed kept falling in the same spot, pressing me down with the weight of fallen comrades and holding each other’s hands.
I couldn’t feel my hands.
The sun was already setting when Eden and I arrived at the small village near the Temple of Tunia. Visitors were a rare occurrence in this place, so upon hearing the sound of hooves, the villagers raised their heads and looked our way, curious about the commotion.
As the horses trotted along with a white puff of breath, we stopped in the middle of the village. A middle-aged woman, likely the village chief, approached Eden and me. It seemed that she recognized Eden, perhaps unsurprisingly. Since the Temple of Tunia was relatively humble, they would call upon the paladins when anyone needed extra help, so it made sense.
“Eden?”
Eden nodded.
As the village chief’s gaze now turned towards me, I looked back at her with a face that was completely red from the cold.
“Who is this person?”
Eden responded shortly.
“A companion.”
Seeing him getting off his horse, I quickly did the same.
He spoke calmly and calculatedly, as always.
“I’ll give you two horses. Will you exchange them for a warm meal, winter clothing, and snowshoes?”
I gripped the hem of the dress tightly.
They certainly wouldn’t be at a loss in this deal.
While Eden negotiated with the village chief, I gazed in the direction of the temple. Even though it wasn’t clearly visible yet, it was definitely there.
‘Seraphina…’
My mouth felt dry, perhaps because I hadn’t had any water to drink for a whole day.
Eventually, Eden and I were treated to a meal at the village chief’s house. It was rustic and rough, but we devoured it quickly. Although our journey had been relatively smooth, it didn’t mean we hadn’t faced challenges.
After the meal, we put on warm clothes and shoes and resumed our journey.
The village chief bid me farewell, unaware that I was the Empress of Actilus. It seemed she couldn’t recognize me from the brief encounter we had before
From then on, the snow would begin to accumulate at an alarming rate, so there was no time to waste. Despite the fact that we rushed, it wasn’t just the horses that were exhausted. It had taken its toll on us as well. Despite teetering on the edge of collapse from fatigue, we had given away the horses in exchange for food to regain our strength. Nevertheless, drowsiness ensnared us after we had filled our stomachs… but falling asleep in this place was tantamount to courting death.
Dragging my leaden feet, I suddenly felt Eden grab my arm.
I looked at him.
With a bright red nose, he had taken hold of my hand and pulled me along.
A strange sense of kinship overcame me. It was a sensation I had never experienced before since I felt uncomfortable with his personality. Holding hands with Eden, I walked through the blizzard.
In an instant, the snow covered my feet and climbed up to my calves. Had I not worn snowshoes, my shoes would’ve been a complete mess of snow inside. As the sun had long disappeared beyond the horizon, in the distance, I spotted the light emanating from the temple, piercing through the darkness. That was the only light we could see.
My vision grew blurry.
‘…D*mn it, we are so close.’
No, although we were almost there, there were still mountains of things to do…
As I staggered, Eden held me tightly, preventing me from falling.
“We’ve arrived. We’re almost there…”
I knew it, too.
At that moment, I was unconditionally convinced that we would safely reach the temple. I was certain that they would have no choice but to treat me with utmost care. It was true that ‘intuition’ had helped me so much on this journey up to this point, but it was certainly different now. Something… felt different.
I moved forward, making sounds like animal cries.
Even though I didn’t see the distant light, Eden would probably be looking at it. Holding my hand and leading me, he would find the way and all I needed to do was take one step at a time.
As I told myself that, I focused my entire being on the tips of my feet.
‘Right foot, left foot. Then, right foot again…’
I didn’t purposely think about time.
I almost closed my eyes against the snow.
How much time had passed?
Eventually, when Eden came to a halt, the snow was already piling up to my knees. When I raised my head, atop the stairs leading to the temple stood the familiar face of the Archbishop. He looked at Eden and me alternately with a perplexed expression. Beyond the confusion, even a glimpse of fear could be seen.
Eden ascended the stairs, and I followed suit.
“I’ve returned, Your Holiness the Archbishop.”
He spoke with a subdued voice.
“Ah… ah, Eden. What are you doing? And the person beside you…”
“I’m the Empress of Actilus. We met during the last demon subjugation.”
I spoke hastily while the Archbishop had a bewildered expression as if he couldn’t grasp what was going on.
I tried desperately to put a smile on my frozen face.
“I have escaped from Actilus.”
“…Oh, my God.”
“Those who are blessed by mercy, please bestow upon me a place to stay and something to eat.”
The Archbishop closed his eyes tightly.
“God of Tunia.”
Upon hearing that, I collapsed in relief.
̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊
It was the next day when I woke up.
I found myself in a strange place.
It was a much better room than the one I shared with Raniero during the previous demon subjugation. The bedding was clean and soft, and there were no burn marks near the fireplace. In the sunlit room, there was a neatly arranged bookshelf with books. In addition, thick carpets were laid on the floor to prevent the cold from rising.
Using a room better than the one provided by the Emperor of a foreign country that came to help, the owner of this room must surely be highly regarded in the temple.
Considering all that, it was clear whose room I was in.
‘…Seraphina.’
I sprang up from the bed. And once again, I looked at the things I had already seen. Despite the fact that they weren’t extravagant, everything was meticulously in its place, well taken care of. It wasn’t simply because someone managed it this way. It was clear that the person using the room cherished the belongings and expressed gratitude each time they were used.
Gingerly rising up from the bed, I stood on the carpet.
‘There don’t seem to be any decorations.’
On one side, there were clothes hanging.
There were only a few outfits, all tunics made of pure white linen. I touched the tunic and the headdress hanging next to it before turning my gaze to the bookshelf. They were religious books. They might be similar items to what I had seen in the old sanctuary.
I couldn’t be certain, though.
The bookshelf had four compartments in total—three were filled with books, and the remaining one was filled with pens and ink and other writing materials. I wondered if Seraphina had a hobby of drawing since the inks were of various colors.
Aside from the books, that was the only luxury item visible in this room.
Looking at the ink-stained pen and the ink bottle, I absentmindedly picked up the thickest book. As I randomly flipped open up a page, there was a passage written at the top of that page.
Thus, spread mercy upon this land. Even if those who understand your intentions are absent, you must still do so as you please. For some, mercy becomes a force that attracts hatred, but in the face of that animosity, be merciful and forgive.
‘…This is called a sutra in my home world.’
I closed the book while indulging in futile thoughts.
It was that moment when I was about to search for another book, as it seemed that the scripture wasn’t quite to my taste…
Click.
The door opened.
I quickly pulled my hand away from the bookshelf.
“I, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… since no one was here…”
In my frantic state, I was unable to string words together while my mouth opened agape.
A woman with long, glossy black hair was looking at me. She possessed a tall and slender frame, perhaps even taller than me by a few inches. The deep black shade of her hair stood in stark contrast to her porcelain complexion, which held such a flawless texture that it almost emitted a faint bluish glow. Her lips, though petite, carried a plumpness while her jawline exuded a graceful contour.
There was nothing to fault with her appearance, and she was flawless in every aspect. However, the most captivating feature was her eyes.
Her jet-black, long eyelashes framed her eyes densely, which were perfectly almond-shaped. The eyes, with the purity of a dawn sky, had irises that were captivating like nothing else, drawing your gaze in. It seemed like the more I tried to describe them, the farther away it felt from reality, and I felt self-conscious about my expression.
The figure in front of me was more unrealistically beautiful than anything I had ever seen before.
A being before me flashed a sweet smile. It was a smile that could steal anyone’s heart.
“It’s alright.”
That was how I met Seraphina, the Saintess of Tunia and Raniero’s destiny.
̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊
Outside, the snow was falling heavily.
It was a day of severe snowstorms to the extent that even the fierce knights of the merciless God, Actilla, had to turn their heads away. The snowfall that suddenly fell from the dry sky piled up rapidly and clustered together, making the path they had intended to take utterly impassable.
Everyone waited for the commander’s decision.
With his golden hair fluttering, the young and beautiful man gazed at the long-obstructed path for a while.
“Retreat.”
It was a fateful decision.