I awoke abruptly.
When I opened my eyes, it was the dead of night. As I quietly sat up, I saw Xenon and Samuel, who had spread bedding in a corner and fallen asleep.
At the foot of the bed, Mori and Zigore were positioned just as they had been before falling asleep.
However, the curious thing was that they too were sound asleep.
Given the rustling sounds I made, one would expect someone to open their eyes, yet the surroundings were utterly silent.
"Um..."
I parted my lips, thinking I should wake someone, then closed them again.
Somehow, this silence felt artificial. It was like...
"Febrin Monastery."
It was similar to the atmosphere I had felt when encountering the ghost that visited in the middle of the night.
Could it be that a ghost had appeared this time as well? Veladia Castle was a long-abandoned place, so it wouldn't be strange if a ghost did appear.
I slipped out of bed, looked over the sleeping figures, and quietly stepped outside.
Though it was the middle of the night, the moon was bright and there were no clouds, making it easy to see my surroundings.
Nadav was by the door, but like the other Dullahans, he seemed to be asleep.
"Is anyone there?"
Just in case, I spoke abruptly into the empty air, but no answer came.
'Was I being overly sensitive? Should I just go back in and get some more sleep?'
As I stood vacantly by the door, pondering, I turned my gaze aimlessly. Staring blankly at the empty inner castle scenery, I suddenly realized.
'Soana?'
All the Dullahans were within my sight, but no matter how I looked, Soana was nowhere to be seen.
Soana was a hawk, so she might have settled in some high place...
'But she doesn't seem the type to separate herself from everyone else like that.'
Upon realizing Soana's absence, what little drowsiness remained completely vanished.
Habitually fiddling with my bracelet, I pondered for a moment before resolutely taking a step. The inner castle was small, so walking a full circuit shouldn't take long.
Relying on the moonlight, I walked, scanning the parched ground, but I sensed no presence anywhere.
'Is she really just perched somewhere high?'
Circling around the main tower, tilting my head, I felt a burning sensation in my hand.
"Authority?"
A brilliant green light was flowing from my hand, which had been perfectly fine when I opened the door of the duty room.
What this meant was all too clear.
"Soana!"
My voice echoed loudly through the silent inner castle courtyard.
"Soana! Where are you?"
Soana, who had regained her head, must be nearby. This power, surging as if urging me to grant her peace immediately, proved it.
As I paced, glancing around the dark surroundings, my gaze fell on a secluded corner.
At first glance, it was just a dark shadow, but when I focused my eyes, I could see it was a small building.
Beyond the open door was only darkness, yet I instinctively felt something was there.
After checking that no one was around, I slowly headed towards it.
As I approached, the building's shape became clearer. It wasn't an ordinary stable or soldiers' quarters.
"A chapel?"
Although the detailed decorations differed from a typical chapel, its overall form was that of a chapel.
'Come to think of it, Soana said she was originally a priestess of Birth.'
There was no need to ponder further. As I stepped inside, something beneath my foot crunched and broke.
Dimly visible underfoot was a shattered wooden chair.
It wasn't just my feet that were a mess. The interior of the chapel was in complete disarray, as if someone had rioted.
'Could there have been a battle here?'
Hobgoblins had appeared in the outer castle, after all. There was no reason to assume the inner castle would be free of anything.
'Could it be that Birth hid something here?'
Fiddling with a broken piece of wood, I suddenly straightened up. Immediately after, I spotted the stained-glass window directly ahead.
Moonlight streamed in, making the colored glass glitter and shine.
I stopped in my tracks and stared straight ahead.
"...Soana?"
I saw the back of someone kneeling before the stained-glass window.
There was no need to confirm the face. That was Soana.
"When on earth did you get your head back?"
Soana, who had been sitting there bathed in the moonlight pouring from the stained glass, slowly rose.
As she stood, the air inside the narrow chapel rippled.
Black smoke, not very noticeable in the night, emanated from Soana in concentric circles, creating ripples.
Each time, there was a sound like wood splitting. It seemed this was the very thing that had wrecked the chapel's interior.
This was the black energy I had consistently seen from Dullahans who had regained their heads.
'For the energy to be this dense...'
I frowned unconsciously. How long had it been since she regained her head?
"Captain."
"Are you alright?"
"Of course I am. Though I must appear... somewhat unstable to you."
Not somewhat, but very unstable.
Yet, the voice she directed at me was remarkably calm and composed.
"If you got your head back, you should have asked someone for help to wake me."
"I am a priestess with a body long trained. Waiting was not difficult."
Soana said with a faint smile. Standing in the darkness, she was an elderly woman with deep-set eyes that spoke of the passage of time.
However, her upright posture and noble face were so charming they made one forget her age.
"You came even sooner than I expected."
"Do the other Dullahans know you got your head back? Have you greeted them?"
"They do not know."
"Why didn't you tell them?"
Unable to understand, I tilted my head.
Instead of answering my question, Soana only smiled brightly.
She, who had been lost in thought for a moment with her hands neatly folded in front, looked back at the stained glass.
"I did not guard the Captain's side. I failed to fulfill that duty. While I was away from my post, praying here, the sword of a traitor flew towards my back."
The reason she was saying this now—was it to confess her own sin? If she hoped I would chastise her for that action, she was sorely mistaken.
"Well."
Drawing out the word, I twisted my lips and muttered as if to myself.
"I don't think the past Captain's duty for you was to protect him."
Perhaps surprised by my words, Soana raised an eyebrow and asked in return.
"Do you remember that time?"
"No."
My memories were not clear. In some places or situations, I assimilated surprisingly well, but soon I would adopt an observational attitude as if it were someone else's affair.
For instance, here, I stood in a more observer-like position than ever before. It was the complete opposite of when I witnessed Tristan's death and shed tears.
"I don't remember, but since the past Captain took you in to care for the other knights, I merely guessed your duty must have been related to that."
Listening to my answer, Soana narrowed her eyes and smiled. It was like the face of a teacher looking at a clever student.
She shifted her gaze from me for a moment.
"When this chapel was built, the most effort went into that stained glass."
It was the stained glass filled with moonlight. A large image of a praying woman was depicted, and it was the only thing in this old, aged chapel where one could barely feel the traces of time.
"It looks like it."
"The Captain designed it herself."
It seemed that past Captain was quite talented. Not content with freely liberating all living beings in the world, she even lent a hand in building a small chapel like this.
"Even though she took such care in building it, whenever she visited the chapel, she would always first send word to me of her intent to visit. And if the door happened to be closed, she would knock. Knocking before entering a chapel—isn't that an adorable action?"
"Should I knock and enter even now?"
"That won't be necessary. I never wished for such things."
Soana, who had been chuckling softly, let out a sigh-like murmur.
"This chapel is not a space for a god. It is a space solely for me."
"Essentially, it was your quarters."
"No one else was granted such a space. I thought it might be because of my origins. That perhaps, being an insufficient vessel to mingle freely with the other knights, she had prepared this private space for me as a consideration."
At first glance, it was a plausible guess. Since Soana was originally a priestess serving Birth, it was possible she wasn't fully trusted and was set apart under the guise of consideration.
But I didn't think that was the past Captain's intention.
Judging from her actions as I've heard through the Dullahans so far, it was more likely that preparing this space for Soana was a choice made purely for Soana's sake.
Of course, I didn't feel compelled to defend the past Captain or speak on her behalf, so I remained silent.
Without waiting for my answer, Soana murmured quietly.
"She did not force loyalty upon me..."
"The past Captain?"
"Both past and present."
As for me, I know full well how meaningless coerced loyalty is.
Still having nothing to say, I simply watched her quietly. Soana slowly walked towards the stained glass.
"Only now have I realized the proper will I must hold. I am merely glad that in this place you prepared for me in the past, I can now seek peace from the present you."
It was then.
*Crunch.*
A faint sound, like something cracking, came from somewhere.
"I was a priestess who watched over you, striving to create an impartial scale by gauging and observing your will."
Standing upright and facing me, Soana neatly folded her hands.
"Now I will choose. With my own will alone, placing everything I have seen upon the scale."
"Now, immediately?"
This dark night, without even saying goodbye to the other Dullahans?
Understanding the meaning implied in my question, Soana nodded. With her back to the pouring moonlight, a bitter smile touched her face, now cast in deep shadow.
"My role is finished."