Episode 12. Time to Answer
On the outskirts of Lacrahan Castle, a small child was running briskly through a dark, eerie forest.
It might have been scary for a child to walk alone, but he continued forward without hesitation.
“Huff, huff.”
Arriving at the appointed location, the child smiled brightly upon discovering someone already waiting there.
“Master!”
A woman stood alone in the darkness, then turned to the child.
Only her bright red lips, outlined in an arc, stood out on her face, hidden in the shadows.
The child lifted his chin, looked up at the woman, and upon seeing that smile, smiled brightly.
Then, he released his hand and took a step away from the woman.
Born an orphan and deprived of affection, all the woman had granted the child was a single hug.
The child swallowed hard, as if trying to catch his breath, and with bright eyes, began to speak.
“I saw her, and she's definitely blond and has golden eyes.”
The child smiled innocently.
“The Grand Duke was visiting a guest just a moment ago, but now he’s gone out with her.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“Yes. I saw with my own eyes His Highness the Grand Duke riding into the forest.”
“The forest?”
“Yes, the forest over there.”
The child extended a finger, pointing to the eastern forest.
Looking across the night sky, a tall tower rose far in the distance from the hazy mist.
“The Tower of Bercheria.”
The woman stroked the child’s head, then pulled out two silver coins, glittering in her palm.
“Here, a gift. You’re a clever child.”
“Wow!”
The child joyfully accepted the coins.
“Go to the castle and bring back more information, and I’ll give you more gifts.”
“Thank you!”
The woman nudged the child on the back, and the child bowed and retraced his steps with even more excitement than when he came.
Not long after the child disappeared, a magnificent carriage stopped in front of her.
The woman climbed into the door opened by the coachman, sat down in the chair, and looked out.
The view of the tower in the distance was quite a sight.
The coachman sitting at the front of the carriage asked quietly,
“Where should I take you?”
The woman smiled and answered,
“The Tower of Bercheria.”
The carriage burst through the forest and began to speed toward its destination.
“Just stay by my side. Until I regain all my lost abilities.”
Bercheria let out a nervous breath after speaking.
The fact that someone other than her mother was in the place where she had lived her entire life was hard to adjust to, even when she saw it again.
“Just being by my side brings back your abilities?”
“Yes.”
Lacrahan stared at her silently.
His gaze was deep and clear, with a hint of slyness.
She had noticed it before, but the man had a rather peculiar gaze.
Most people in the North had black eyes, but it wasn’t like they would feel the same way every time their eyes met.
Gazing at such a serene gaze, she felt strange.
A strange illusion, as if her thoughts were being sucked into that man.
The gaze, seemingly piercing through everything, suddenly lightened, sparkling as if light were within it.
Perhaps her appearance with him would appear quite peculiar.
Their eyes, like darkness and light, were starkly different.
“If you hesitate at all, remember this: it’s not me you’re helping, but your people.”
“...!”
Bercheria said and walked to the edge of the tower.
The round base of the tower was so narrow that it was only a few steps to reach the other end.
The only silver lining of living here was that, sitting on this precarious railing, she could see the entire landscape outside.
Perhaps even her mother didn’t know this.
Humans would view gods by their own standards.
“Oh, and there’s one more thing I didn’t tell you.”
Bercheria stood on the railing and turned to him.
The wind rustled her hair.
“What?”
“About how to get down from this tower.”
Lacrahan's eyebrows twitched.
An ominous feeling gripped him.
"Perhaps..."
The sight of her, who had never once shown any reluctance to give in, was choking him, as if her breath was caught in his throat.
He cleared his throat and continued.
"Do I have to give you a definite promise to help you before you can go down?"
Bercheria narrowed her eyes and smiled meaningfully.
"Yes, that's right."
"Ha... So you were planning this from the beginning."
Lacrahan had never had a choice.
He just hadn't known it until now.
Bercheria had planned everything from the moment she left the castle.
She would meet Muha, who only appeared at the border between night and dawn, and use the strength she had regained thanks to Lacrahan to ascend the tower.
And to return, she absolutely needed Lacrahan.
That man was standing here because of Bercheria's need.
"No one has ever toyed with me this much before."
Even though Lacrahan finally realized he was being manipulated by Bercheria, he neither expressed anger nor displeasure.
...He simply had a complex expression.
Bercheria's lush, golden hair swayed in the wind, rippling like waves.
It was a beautiful sight to behold.
If one's heart remained unmoved by the sight of a goddess so beautiful that he was blind, then they must have vision problems.
Or, like Lacrahan, they were closed-minded.
People simply assumed he preferred books to women, or that his standards were too high.
But Lacrahan's reasons were more complex and profound.
Until the very moment he went to war, he had never doubted that he would build a happy family like his parents.
A beautiful mother, a respected father, they were as natural to him as breathing.
But after the war, his world was turned upside down. His mother, once overflowing with love, was now a dried-up, mummy-like corpse, waiting for him.
His father, once so strong, had been cut in two by an enemy sword.
The last thing he saw was his beloved brother's right wrist, still clutching his sword.
Since then, Lacrahan had distrusted the weak.
Those who couldn't defend themselves would eventually be destroyed by someone else.
When the dark men who survived the hellish battlefield confessed that they would stay by his side until death, Lacrahan realized where he belonged.
His sole purpose in life was to protect all who followed him in the North.
He ignored the marriage proposals that came in every day.
He held no interest in any woman.
Fragility frightened him.
"Lacrahan. It's time to answer now."
Those who awaited his care filled Lacrahan with a chilling sense of insecurity.
"As I said before, your answer is an unconditional yes. You have no other choice."
"What will you do if I refuse?"
Bercheria answered with a strained expression, her eyes devoid of any humor.
"I'll push you off the tower."
Lacrahan finally burst out laughing at the seemingly pointless answer.
Bercheria was a strong goddess who ruled over humans.
Even though she was trapped in this narrow tower and frustrated, she still rose up and tried to use him.
That reckless stubbornness. That tenacious determination to survive.
“I like it.”
Lacrahan liked it.
Bercheria would deceive anyone and do anything to reclaim her position.
And Lacrahan would do anything to protect his people and the North.
“Then let’s do it this way. If we’re going to do it, let’s do it properly.”
Even if it meant breaking his taboo, it wouldn’t make a difference.
Ultimately, they were both doing it for their people.
“Let’s give it a try.”
Lacrahan sat on the railing and nodded, and Bercheria took her place in front of him.
The two faced each other against the backdrop of a star-filled night sky and the full moon known as Pluvioz.
“Tell me. How can I, with you by my side, restore your power?”
“I don’t know the exact details, but...”
Bercheria pondered quietly.
Her first encounter with this man was in a warehouse that had caught fire.
“That’s when my first strength returned.”
“In the burning warehouse.”
“Yes.”
Their eyes met.
Bercheria had thought her nerves had become numb from living alone for so long, but the man who strangely captured her gaze was strange. The sight of Lacrahan, who had come to find the children wearing nothing but a wet cloak, showed no fear at all on his face.
“The Grand Duke will come for us.”
“Sister, do you know His Highness the Grand Duke? He would never leave us like this, so don’t worry.”
Even as the fire spread and the warehouse was on the verge of collapse, the children had no doubt that Lacrahan would save them. She wondered who the Grand Duke was, what it was that made them rely on him so naturally.
It was a sight so unfamiliar to Bercheria, who had never relied on anyone in her life.
On the other hand, she felt foolish for the children to have such blind faith that it would never come true.
Unable to speak, she couldn’t convey her feelings.
“He won’t come. No human being would sacrifice their lives for another."
She was the only one who could save the children.
So she risked her life and summoned all her strength.
But it didn't rain.
Perhaps it was only natural, since the first ability her mother had taken away was the ability to control the weather.
All she could do was create moist air for the children to breathe.
Then he appeared in the warehouse, and the moment their eyes met, she felt, to her surprise, a surge of power from somewhere deep within her.
Like a dam opening.
Unable to handle the surging power, she had lost consciousness for several days, but when she awoke, her body had been transformed.
"Just meeting eyes brings back strength...? Then shouldn't you have regained all your strength by now?"
Suddenly, Lacrahan's face drew closer to hers.
Bercheria's shoulders shook at the sudden movement.
"We've looked at each other like this dozens of times. Isn't that right?"
As his sharp features filled her vision, Bercheria's expression froze for a moment.
Her golden eyes slowly traced the area around Lacrahan's eyes.
On the outskirts of Lacrahan Castle, a small child was running briskly through a dark, eerie forest.
It might have been scary for a child to walk alone, but he continued forward without hesitation.
“Huff, huff.”
Arriving at the appointed location, the child smiled brightly upon discovering someone already waiting there.
“Master!”
A woman stood alone in the darkness, then turned to the child.
Only her bright red lips, outlined in an arc, stood out on her face, hidden in the shadows.
The child lifted his chin, looked up at the woman, and upon seeing that smile, smiled brightly.
Then, he released his hand and took a step away from the woman.
Born an orphan and deprived of affection, all the woman had granted the child was a single hug.
The child swallowed hard, as if trying to catch his breath, and with bright eyes, began to speak.
“I saw her, and she's definitely blond and has golden eyes.”
The child smiled innocently.
“The Grand Duke was visiting a guest just a moment ago, but now he’s gone out with her.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“Yes. I saw with my own eyes His Highness the Grand Duke riding into the forest.”
“The forest?”
“Yes, the forest over there.”
The child extended a finger, pointing to the eastern forest.
Looking across the night sky, a tall tower rose far in the distance from the hazy mist.
“The Tower of Bercheria.”
The woman stroked the child’s head, then pulled out two silver coins, glittering in her palm.
“Here, a gift. You’re a clever child.”
“Wow!”
The child joyfully accepted the coins.
“Go to the castle and bring back more information, and I’ll give you more gifts.”
“Thank you!”
The woman nudged the child on the back, and the child bowed and retraced his steps with even more excitement than when he came.
Not long after the child disappeared, a magnificent carriage stopped in front of her.
The woman climbed into the door opened by the coachman, sat down in the chair, and looked out.
The view of the tower in the distance was quite a sight.
The coachman sitting at the front of the carriage asked quietly,
“Where should I take you?”
The woman smiled and answered,
“The Tower of Bercheria.”
The carriage burst through the forest and began to speed toward its destination.
***
“Just stay by my side. Until I regain all my lost abilities.”
Bercheria let out a nervous breath after speaking.
The fact that someone other than her mother was in the place where she had lived her entire life was hard to adjust to, even when she saw it again.
“Just being by my side brings back your abilities?”
“Yes.”
Lacrahan stared at her silently.
His gaze was deep and clear, with a hint of slyness.
She had noticed it before, but the man had a rather peculiar gaze.
Most people in the North had black eyes, but it wasn’t like they would feel the same way every time their eyes met.
Gazing at such a serene gaze, she felt strange.
A strange illusion, as if her thoughts were being sucked into that man.
The gaze, seemingly piercing through everything, suddenly lightened, sparkling as if light were within it.
Perhaps her appearance with him would appear quite peculiar.
Their eyes, like darkness and light, were starkly different.
“If you hesitate at all, remember this: it’s not me you’re helping, but your people.”
“...!”
Bercheria said and walked to the edge of the tower.
The round base of the tower was so narrow that it was only a few steps to reach the other end.
The only silver lining of living here was that, sitting on this precarious railing, she could see the entire landscape outside.
Perhaps even her mother didn’t know this.
Humans would view gods by their own standards.
“Oh, and there’s one more thing I didn’t tell you.”
Bercheria stood on the railing and turned to him.
The wind rustled her hair.
“What?”
“About how to get down from this tower.”
Lacrahan's eyebrows twitched.
An ominous feeling gripped him.
"Perhaps..."
The sight of her, who had never once shown any reluctance to give in, was choking him, as if her breath was caught in his throat.
He cleared his throat and continued.
"Do I have to give you a definite promise to help you before you can go down?"
Bercheria narrowed her eyes and smiled meaningfully.
"Yes, that's right."
"Ha... So you were planning this from the beginning."
Lacrahan had never had a choice.
He just hadn't known it until now.
Bercheria had planned everything from the moment she left the castle.
She would meet Muha, who only appeared at the border between night and dawn, and use the strength she had regained thanks to Lacrahan to ascend the tower.
And to return, she absolutely needed Lacrahan.
That man was standing here because of Bercheria's need.
"No one has ever toyed with me this much before."
Even though Lacrahan finally realized he was being manipulated by Bercheria, he neither expressed anger nor displeasure.
...He simply had a complex expression.
Bercheria's lush, golden hair swayed in the wind, rippling like waves.
It was a beautiful sight to behold.
If one's heart remained unmoved by the sight of a goddess so beautiful that he was blind, then they must have vision problems.
Or, like Lacrahan, they were closed-minded.
People simply assumed he preferred books to women, or that his standards were too high.
But Lacrahan's reasons were more complex and profound.
Until the very moment he went to war, he had never doubted that he would build a happy family like his parents.
A beautiful mother, a respected father, they were as natural to him as breathing.
But after the war, his world was turned upside down. His mother, once overflowing with love, was now a dried-up, mummy-like corpse, waiting for him.
His father, once so strong, had been cut in two by an enemy sword.
The last thing he saw was his beloved brother's right wrist, still clutching his sword.
Since then, Lacrahan had distrusted the weak.
Those who couldn't defend themselves would eventually be destroyed by someone else.
When the dark men who survived the hellish battlefield confessed that they would stay by his side until death, Lacrahan realized where he belonged.
His sole purpose in life was to protect all who followed him in the North.
He ignored the marriage proposals that came in every day.
He held no interest in any woman.
Fragility frightened him.
"Lacrahan. It's time to answer now."
Those who awaited his care filled Lacrahan with a chilling sense of insecurity.
"As I said before, your answer is an unconditional yes. You have no other choice."
"What will you do if I refuse?"
Bercheria answered with a strained expression, her eyes devoid of any humor.
"I'll push you off the tower."
Lacrahan finally burst out laughing at the seemingly pointless answer.
Bercheria was a strong goddess who ruled over humans.
Even though she was trapped in this narrow tower and frustrated, she still rose up and tried to use him.
That reckless stubbornness. That tenacious determination to survive.
“I like it.”
Lacrahan liked it.
Bercheria would deceive anyone and do anything to reclaim her position.
And Lacrahan would do anything to protect his people and the North.
“Then let’s do it this way. If we’re going to do it, let’s do it properly.”
Even if it meant breaking his taboo, it wouldn’t make a difference.
Ultimately, they were both doing it for their people.
“Let’s give it a try.”
***
Lacrahan sat on the railing and nodded, and Bercheria took her place in front of him.
The two faced each other against the backdrop of a star-filled night sky and the full moon known as Pluvioz.
“Tell me. How can I, with you by my side, restore your power?”
“I don’t know the exact details, but...”
Bercheria pondered quietly.
Her first encounter with this man was in a warehouse that had caught fire.
“That’s when my first strength returned.”
“In the burning warehouse.”
“Yes.”
Their eyes met.
Bercheria had thought her nerves had become numb from living alone for so long, but the man who strangely captured her gaze was strange. The sight of Lacrahan, who had come to find the children wearing nothing but a wet cloak, showed no fear at all on his face.
“The Grand Duke will come for us.”
“Sister, do you know His Highness the Grand Duke? He would never leave us like this, so don’t worry.”
Even as the fire spread and the warehouse was on the verge of collapse, the children had no doubt that Lacrahan would save them. She wondered who the Grand Duke was, what it was that made them rely on him so naturally.
It was a sight so unfamiliar to Bercheria, who had never relied on anyone in her life.
On the other hand, she felt foolish for the children to have such blind faith that it would never come true.
Unable to speak, she couldn’t convey her feelings.
“He won’t come. No human being would sacrifice their lives for another."
She was the only one who could save the children.
So she risked her life and summoned all her strength.
But it didn't rain.
Perhaps it was only natural, since the first ability her mother had taken away was the ability to control the weather.
All she could do was create moist air for the children to breathe.
Then he appeared in the warehouse, and the moment their eyes met, she felt, to her surprise, a surge of power from somewhere deep within her.
Like a dam opening.
Unable to handle the surging power, she had lost consciousness for several days, but when she awoke, her body had been transformed.
"Just meeting eyes brings back strength...? Then shouldn't you have regained all your strength by now?"
Suddenly, Lacrahan's face drew closer to hers.
Bercheria's shoulders shook at the sudden movement.
"We've looked at each other like this dozens of times. Isn't that right?"
As his sharp features filled her vision, Bercheria's expression froze for a moment.
Her golden eyes slowly traced the area around Lacrahan's eyes.
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