[That fool Dasha… He couldn’t even say a proper goodbye.]
The sound of Soana and Nadav quietly comforting the sniffling Zigore reached my ears.
Some of the Dullahans sat in stunned silence, while others gazed thoughtfully at the distant Veladia Castle.
Looking around at those Dullahans, I slowly turned my gaze.
The edge of the cliff where Dasha had stood was empty. Wrapped in green power, he had turned to a handful of ashes and scattered in the wind.
As if throwing his own body to the wind.
‘……Dasha.’
He was a man with a pale complexion, slightly prominent cheekbones, and thin cheeks. A knight with a somewhat sensitive impression and thin lips.
The Dasha I faced in the final moment had regained his true form as the tenth knight of the Round Table.
Not as a Dullahan, but as a proud knight of the Round Table, he had obtained the rest he desired.
“The weather is turning.”
A low voice came from behind me as I stared blankly at the cliff.
Glancing back, I saw Samuel staring at the spot I was looking at with a somber face.
“If it rains, it will be dangerous to move.”
As he said, the clear sky had become thickly overcast with clouds at some point.
After checking the sky, I slowly moved my lips.
“Did you kill Dasha here?”
“……Yes.”
I understood why he had become my guide.
The knights needed to retrieve their heads, and those heads were at the very places where they were killed.
Samuel was the one to take me there on behalf of the knights who had lost their memories.
Was it the goddess’s punishment, forcing him to face the betrayal he himself had committed?
“Let’s go now.”
I took a heavy step. The Dullahans, who had been mourning in their own ways, also collected themselves and prepared to depart.
I considered putting them back into the subspace, but decided against it.
Our destination was right before us anyway, and the other Dullahans would soon retrieve their heads as well.
I wasn’t worried they might go berserk upon regaining their memories along with their heads.
‘The desire for rest would come before anger towards a traitor.’
Just as Dasha, who had knelt before me and pleaded desperately, had done.
* * *
We passed a downhill path several times more dangerous than the ascent.
Fortunately, thanks to Xenon’s magic, we didn’t find ourselves in any dangerous situations. Unlike during the climb, there were no plant monsters blocking our way either.
It almost felt like an implication that from now on, I should only use my power for the knights of the Round Table, which was unpleasant… but I decided to think positively, since it was true that the lack of obstacles made our travel speed faster.
‘No, is thinking positively about this the right thing to do?’
My heart fluttered as I looked at the approaching castle. At this rate, I would suddenly come face-to-face with the places where the Dullahans were killed.
I wished Samuel would at least give me a hint about the locations beforehand, but he kept his lips tightly sealed and only guided us.
The patches of blue sky that had been visible earlier were now gone, replaced by ashen clouds tightly covering the castle.
[By the way, that little Lizardman somehow ended up coming all the way here.]
As if trying to somehow change the heavy atmosphere, Tristan deliberately opened the conversation with a cheerful voice.
Zigore, who was sitting hunched over with Nadav’s mane firmly gripped in his claws, lifted his head slightly at those words.
[Ganik, you get thrown all the time, yet your shell hasn’t cracked.]
[How strong is this guy’s grip! He’ll never drop me. Besides, he doesn’t even throw me these days! He’s become so dignified!]
Ganik, who was today also in the form of a sea turtle being held by the little Lizardman, retorted in a serious voice.
Perhaps realizing they were talking about him, the little Lizardman interjected, slapping his tail down.
[Kyua… Bua…!]
His booming voice was slightly different from the usual incomprehensible babble he shouted. Ganik, who likely understood it first, stretched his neck and looked up at the little Lizardman.
[Ayaya!]
I thought he would only make incomprehensible strange noises forever, but it seems he is learning to speak after all.
Some time ago, when Ganik was curious about the growth speed and process of Lizardmen, I asked Xenon about it.
Xenon, who had looked into the materials at the Magic Tower, explained that the period when Lizardmen are hatchlings is very short.
Physically, they become adults in three years, and mentally, they leave infancy behind in one year.
Considering that the little Lizardman we took in couldn’t communicate when we first met, he was probably less than a year old at the time.
But considering the period he was held captive in the village and the time he’s spent with us, it was about time for him to start speaking.
In fact, starting to speak now was rather late.
Given that he no longer cuts off his tail and offers it outright like before, and shows appropriate discretion, his mind might already be somewhat mature.
[Kyuaanyang.]
[He just said “No”! You heard it, right, Captain? Huh?]
No, it wasn’t that accurate.
Without even waiting for my answer, Ganik began boasting to the other Dullahans in an excited voice.
[My efforts in teaching him to speak have paid off! He’s saying he won’t throw me!]
Was that what he said?
Though no one agreed, Ganik, alone in his emotion, showered the little Lizardman with praise. He was truly like a proper parent now.
Encouraged by Ganik’s praise, the little Lizardman chattered something.
Of course, it wasn’t a proper sentence, so in the end, it was no different from shouting loudly.
Under normal circumstances, I might have scolded him for being noisy, but right now, this clamor was preferable to a quiet atmosphere.
So I just let them chatter.
[Ganik, if you spoil the kids too much, they’ll develop bad habits!]
[So that’s why you have no manners, Zigore.]
[What?]
“Everyone seems to have regained their spirits.”
Xenon, who had been quietly watching without interrupting, subtly started a conversation.
Although he couldn’t understand the dialogue, he seemed to have roughly grasped the atmosphere from the noisy animal sounds.
“Yes.”
It must be sad to part with a comrade so suddenly, but at the same time, since that comrade obtained the rest he most desired, we should congratulate him.
The Dullahans quickly understood and accepted Dasha’s situation. They probably also have a premonition of the partings that will follow.
“Are you alright, Lady Anelli?”
“Dasha wasn’t a Dullahan I had been with for long either.”
Rather, he was a troublesome worry, always on edge wondering when he might go berserk.
It was surprising that in his final moment, he met his end so meekly and properly.
At my words, Xenon made a subtle expression. Then he looked back at the Dullahans chattering among themselves.
“Will the other Dullahans also disappear like that?”
“Of course, the other Dullahans will also find rest.”
“……I see.”
Xenon looked like he had a lot on his mind.
“Why that expression?”
“It’s nothing.”
Xenon, who had been watching the Dullahans for a while, lowered his gaze to the ground.
“I think I understand why you have no regrets.”
“We can’t know if the rest for the other Dullahans is death or not.”
“But it seems Lady Anelli already thinks so.”
……Well, because if it were me, I would wish for that.
“They waited for me for a very long time. They must be very tired.”
Xenon nodded quietly as if understanding my words. Then he abruptly changed the subject.
“Do you remember?”
“What?”
“I said I’d hold your hand when you’re scared.”
Xenon, who showed a faint smile, shrugged his shoulders.
“I thought you might have forgotten.”
Staring intently at Xenon, I recalled a memory I had forgotten.
Not the memory of the day he said he would hold my hand, but another memory.
The nightmare I had due to the Rusalka’s final attack. I don’t know why it suddenly came to mind.
“As I said then, there’s nothing to be scared of.”
“That’s a relief then.”
I withdrew my gaze from him and stared at the castle, which had suddenly drawn much closer.
The day was cloudy. It seemed it would rain soon.
A very heavy and thick downpour.
* * *
*Flash*, Lilia opened her eyes and gasped roughly for air.
Her heaving chest was soaked with cold sweat.
Clutching her throbbing head, she sat up and remained dazedly seated on the bed for a long while.
‘A dream…….’
She had a dream. The dream she so desperately wanted.
‘Why?’
Lilia’s face contorted with confusion.
It was the usual foresight. The foresight she read showed Maxel, huddled and trembling in a place much shabbier and more dilapidated than now.
And even the sight of herself abandoning Maxel and running away to save at least her own skin.
The problem was what came after.
“The page was torn…….”
The back page was torn. Judging by the traces, there must have been content about what would happen next, but she couldn’t find the torn page, so she also couldn’t know the rest of the story.
Lilia gripped the blanket with both hands.
Even if the content was cut off in the middle, the book itself had never appeared damaged like this before.
A more ominous premonition than when she foresaw failure swept through her entire body.
*Thud.*
“Lilia!”
Lilia, who had been sitting blankly, sharply raised her head. Maxel, who had been haggard and gloomy for days, entered the bedroom with a rare brightness on his face.
“Did you hear? They say people to escort us are coming soon!”
“People to escort us?”
“Yes! It seems that merchant group head you introduced did a good job!”
Looking at Maxel, filled with hope for the first time in a while, Lilia recalled the dream she had just had.
Maxel sitting in a place even shabbier than here now, with a haggard face.
Should I run away?
‘I think there was a back door in this building.’
Seeing Lilia’s deeply serious face, Maxel encouraged her, saying we just need to endure a little longer. But Lilia’s expression did not ease.
She wouldn’t have had such a dream for no reason. Was it a sign to run away immediately?
……But she didn’t know what came next.
‘What if I run away and an even worse situation unfolds?’
The next page definitely existed. It was just torn, so she couldn’t know the content.
And Lilia was only anxious about the fact that a definite future existed and she didn’t know it.
“Lilia, get ready quickly. It’s time to leave this cramped building!”
Lilia, who was about to say something to Maxel, closed her lips. She didn’t have the courage to run away relying on an uncertain future.
So she pushed away Maxel, who was urging her, and lay down again. She desperately tried to fall asleep again.
To know the torn page.