Episode 2. The Prey That Left the Nest
The woman slowly stood up.
Her slowness was frustrating, as if she didn't care about the urgency of the situation.
Lacrahan had never been overwhelmed by anyone before.
But for the first time in his life, he couldn't move a finger because of that small woman.
The woman tore her gaze from Lacrahan and looked up at the ceiling.
Between the gaping, blackened ceilings from the fire, glimpses of the peacefully twinkling night sky and stars flickered past.
A heavy sound, like the howling of a beast, echoed from the sky.
And then the rain began to fall.
The rain they had been longing for.
The woman slowly stood up.
Her slowness was frustrating, as if she didn't care about the urgency of the situation.
Lacrahan had never been overwhelmed by anyone before.
But for the first time in his life, he couldn't move a finger because of that small woman.
The woman tore her gaze from Lacrahan and looked up at the ceiling.
Between the gaping, blackened ceilings from the fire, glimpses of the peacefully twinkling night sky and stars flickered past.
A heavy sound, like the howling of a beast, echoed from the sky.
And then the rain began to fall.
The rain they had been longing for.
"Rain, rain!"
"Oh my. Heaven helped."
"Rain! It's finally raining!"
It was a torrential downpour, as if the sky had opened up.
Lacrahan threw off the cloak he had been supporting with his strong arms.
He brushed away the wet hair that obscured his vision and looked at the woman.
In the pouring rain, the woman stood staring at him, not a single drop wet.
Her blond hair, flowing down her shoulders as if covered by a transparent film, shone like the sun.
The woman, who had been staring intently at Lacrahan, suddenly collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut.
“...!”
Her body, about to crash to the floor, gently landed on his arms, which had rushed to her urgently.
“Haa.”
Her narrow, golden eyes blinked slowly at Lacrahan before quickly becoming trapped behind drooping eyelids.
“Hey! Come on!”
As the strength completely drained from her slender body, the rain, as if it had been waiting, began to drench her body.
“I said I was going to see my sister for a moment? ”
“Oh, I told you not to bother her.”
“I said I won’t bother her!”
"Oh my. Heaven helped."
"Rain! It's finally raining!"
It was a torrential downpour, as if the sky had opened up.
Lacrahan threw off the cloak he had been supporting with his strong arms.
He brushed away the wet hair that obscured his vision and looked at the woman.
In the pouring rain, the woman stood staring at him, not a single drop wet.
Her blond hair, flowing down her shoulders as if covered by a transparent film, shone like the sun.
The woman, who had been staring intently at Lacrahan, suddenly collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut.
“...!”
Her body, about to crash to the floor, gently landed on his arms, which had rushed to her urgently.
“Haa.”
Her narrow, golden eyes blinked slowly at Lacrahan before quickly becoming trapped behind drooping eyelids.
“Hey! Come on!”
As the strength completely drained from her slender body, the rain, as if it had been waiting, began to drench her body.
***
“I said I was going to see my sister for a moment? ”
“Oh, I told you not to bother her.”
“I said I won’t bother her!”
“You punk? Who told you to roam the castle freely? Do you think you’ll get in trouble for running around like that?”
“Who are you, sir!”
Just hit me, will you tell His Highness the Grand Duke?
On a drizzly afternoon, the castle of Lacrahan was bustling with activity for the first time in ages.
The commotion seeped into the small room where the woman lay.
Her brow furrowed slightly as she slept on the white bed.
Rain dripped down the small window, casting shadows on the bed below.
“Hmm.”
Her eyes twitched restlessly beneath tightly closed eyelids, as if she were having a nightmare.
Her pale face, with its prominent nose and red lips, was a rare sight in the North. Her blond hair, tangled beside the pillow, was also a rare sight.
“I told you I was just going to check on my sister for a moment?”
On a drizzly afternoon, the castle of Lacrahan was bustling with activity for the first time in ages.
The commotion seeped into the small room where the woman lay.
Her brow furrowed slightly as she slept on the white bed.
Rain dripped down the small window, casting shadows on the bed below.
“Hmm.”
Her eyes twitched restlessly beneath tightly closed eyelids, as if she were having a nightmare.
Her pale face, with its prominent nose and red lips, was a rare sight in the North. Her blond hair, tangled beside the pillow, was also a rare sight.
“I told you I was just going to check on my sister for a moment?”
Oh, really. Melissa, Josh, stop!
There was a thump, and the door swung open as if it were going to shatter.
The loud noise caused the woman’s eyelids to flutter and flutter.
“Sister!”
Tatiana smiled brightly as soon as she saw the woman lying on the bed.
"Sister, are you still sleeping?"
Tatiana was waving excitedly and walking towards the bed when a large hand grabbed the back of her neck.
Tatiana's freckled cheek twitched.
"Oh, really! What an ugly old man!"
She turned her head sharply, dangling in the air, and unexpectedly saw a handsome face.
"Your Highness!"
Tatiana spread her arms wide and hugged Lacrahan tightly.
Lacrahan patted her back with a smile.
"Wow. This kid is really reckless. Hey, man. Is the Grand Duke your friend? Don't hug him so recklessly."
Most of the knights living in the north were comrades who had fought alongside Lacrahan.
Even after the war, they followed Lacrahan and settled in the north.
"It's okay. Leave her alone."
Lacrahan gently dissuaded his knight and walked into the room.
Tatiana, still clinging to his waist, turned her head and stuck her tongue out at the knight, teasing him.
The bear-sized knight finally burst into laughter at the sight.
"I told you, you're a reckless brat."
He closed the door, and the commotion died down.
"Sister!"
As Tatiana tried to run back to bed, Lacrahan tapped the child's small head with his hand.
"Shhh."
Lakrahan stroked Tatiana's hair as she stared intently up at him, then nodded toward the bed.
Tatiana blinked and asked,
"Would my sister hate it if I woke her up now?"
Lacrahan smiled, pulling his smooth lips together.
"She seems quite tired."
"Then how long will she sleep like this?"
"Until she's completely exhausted. That's what adults do."
"Ah."
Tatiana nodded, stood on tiptoe, and this time, tiptoed toward the bed.
Lacrahan's smile deepened as he watched her.
A pleasant dimple formed in his cheek as he leisurely walked toward the window.
Meanwhile, Tatiana settled on the edge of the bed.
When Lacrahan turned, Tatiana pressed her finger to her lips, as he had done just moments before.
His dark eyes lingered for a moment on the woman lying on the bed before returning to the window.
Below the window, the warehouse that had been on fire loomed, its bones exposed and abandoned.
Four days had passed since the woman appeared there.
It was a long time to wait for someone to fall asleep.
Lacrahan, his gaze fixed on the warehouse, called out to the child.
“Tatiana.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Would you like to tell me again what happened in the warehouse?”
“Again?”
Lacrahan nodded, urgingly.
That night, when the warehouse caught fire, he had heard the entire story from Tatiana.
But even after that, he asked the child about the situation once a day. He also asked the other children.
He considered that no matter how intelligent a child’s memory, it could be distorted by emotions.
It was also a story too unbelievable to begin with.
“I was sleeping at the time. Then Melissa woke up and kept crying. She said she needed to go to the bathroom.”
Until then, the children had been wandering the village, living a nomadic life.
Lacrahan, who had gone down to the village, found them begging, gathered a group that day, and brought them to the castle.
Until they could find a place to stay together, the warehouse was their temporary home.
“So Melissa and I went outside. We didn’t know where the bathroom was, so we went into the forest to do our business, and this girl was hiding behind a tree.”
Tatiana was a clever child, and while the words and sentences changed slightly, the story was exactly the same.
There was no fabrication.
“Some adult is hiding in a tree and spying on us. Isn’t that hilarious?”
“Yeah.”
Lacrahan stared at the woman lying there with a pale face for a moment.
“When I got closer, she was shivering from the cold. She didn’t have any shoes... I thought her mother had died, just like us.”
Tatiana led the woman to the shed.
“And then the fire started.”
The sleeping children all woke up and gathered in the same spot Lacrahan had first found.
“The fire was burning so fiercely that we thought we were all going to die. But then my sister hugged us tightly and...”
Lacrahan’s hands tightened.
“It made it rain.”
It was an unbelievable story.
If the children hadn’t all given the same account of the situation, he probably wouldn’t have believed it.
“My sister kept looking up at the sky, then at us, then back again, looking anxious, and then Your Highness the Grand Duke arrived.”
The ceiling collapsed behind her.
The fresh air rushed in, fueling the fire, but soon a torrential downpour began.
If it hadn’t rained, the children wouldn’t have survived.
Furthermore, it was impossible to imagine how much more extensive the damage would have been if the fire had spread to the castle.
“But why does it keep raining outside while my sister is sleeping like this?”
“I don’t know. Should we ask her when she wakes up?”
There was a thump, and the door swung open as if it were going to shatter.
The loud noise caused the woman’s eyelids to flutter and flutter.
“Sister!”
Tatiana smiled brightly as soon as she saw the woman lying on the bed.
"Sister, are you still sleeping?"
Tatiana was waving excitedly and walking towards the bed when a large hand grabbed the back of her neck.
Tatiana's freckled cheek twitched.
"Oh, really! What an ugly old man!"
She turned her head sharply, dangling in the air, and unexpectedly saw a handsome face.
"Your Highness!"
Tatiana spread her arms wide and hugged Lacrahan tightly.
Lacrahan patted her back with a smile.
"Wow. This kid is really reckless. Hey, man. Is the Grand Duke your friend? Don't hug him so recklessly."
Most of the knights living in the north were comrades who had fought alongside Lacrahan.
Even after the war, they followed Lacrahan and settled in the north.
"It's okay. Leave her alone."
Lacrahan gently dissuaded his knight and walked into the room.
Tatiana, still clinging to his waist, turned her head and stuck her tongue out at the knight, teasing him.
The bear-sized knight finally burst into laughter at the sight.
"I told you, you're a reckless brat."
He closed the door, and the commotion died down.
"Sister!"
As Tatiana tried to run back to bed, Lacrahan tapped the child's small head with his hand.
"Shhh."
Lakrahan stroked Tatiana's hair as she stared intently up at him, then nodded toward the bed.
Tatiana blinked and asked,
"Would my sister hate it if I woke her up now?"
Lacrahan smiled, pulling his smooth lips together.
"She seems quite tired."
"Then how long will she sleep like this?"
"Until she's completely exhausted. That's what adults do."
"Ah."
Tatiana nodded, stood on tiptoe, and this time, tiptoed toward the bed.
Lacrahan's smile deepened as he watched her.
A pleasant dimple formed in his cheek as he leisurely walked toward the window.
Meanwhile, Tatiana settled on the edge of the bed.
When Lacrahan turned, Tatiana pressed her finger to her lips, as he had done just moments before.
His dark eyes lingered for a moment on the woman lying on the bed before returning to the window.
Below the window, the warehouse that had been on fire loomed, its bones exposed and abandoned.
Four days had passed since the woman appeared there.
It was a long time to wait for someone to fall asleep.
Lacrahan, his gaze fixed on the warehouse, called out to the child.
“Tatiana.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Would you like to tell me again what happened in the warehouse?”
“Again?”
Lacrahan nodded, urgingly.
That night, when the warehouse caught fire, he had heard the entire story from Tatiana.
But even after that, he asked the child about the situation once a day. He also asked the other children.
He considered that no matter how intelligent a child’s memory, it could be distorted by emotions.
It was also a story too unbelievable to begin with.
“I was sleeping at the time. Then Melissa woke up and kept crying. She said she needed to go to the bathroom.”
Until then, the children had been wandering the village, living a nomadic life.
Lacrahan, who had gone down to the village, found them begging, gathered a group that day, and brought them to the castle.
Until they could find a place to stay together, the warehouse was their temporary home.
“So Melissa and I went outside. We didn’t know where the bathroom was, so we went into the forest to do our business, and this girl was hiding behind a tree.”
Tatiana was a clever child, and while the words and sentences changed slightly, the story was exactly the same.
There was no fabrication.
“Some adult is hiding in a tree and spying on us. Isn’t that hilarious?”
“Yeah.”
Lacrahan stared at the woman lying there with a pale face for a moment.
“When I got closer, she was shivering from the cold. She didn’t have any shoes... I thought her mother had died, just like us.”
Tatiana led the woman to the shed.
“And then the fire started.”
The sleeping children all woke up and gathered in the same spot Lacrahan had first found.
“The fire was burning so fiercely that we thought we were all going to die. But then my sister hugged us tightly and...”
Lacrahan’s hands tightened.
“It made it rain.”
It was an unbelievable story.
If the children hadn’t all given the same account of the situation, he probably wouldn’t have believed it.
“My sister kept looking up at the sky, then at us, then back again, looking anxious, and then Your Highness the Grand Duke arrived.”
The ceiling collapsed behind her.
The fresh air rushed in, fueling the fire, but soon a torrential downpour began.
If it hadn’t rained, the children wouldn’t have survived.
Furthermore, it was impossible to imagine how much more extensive the damage would have been if the fire had spread to the castle.
“But why does it keep raining outside while my sister is sleeping like this?”
“I don’t know. Should we ask her when she wakes up?”
“Yes! By the way, does Your Highness know her name?”
Lacrahan let out a small gasp and laughed.
“Let’s ask her about that too when she wakes up, okay?”
“Yes!”
Tatiana sang, swinging her short legs under the bed.
Lacrahan leaned against the windowsill, lost in thought.
“A woman who brings rain...”
He had never heard of anyone in the empire with such powers.
“She must be a witch.”
After the war, Emperor Gerard had arrested and imprisoned all those who could use magic.
The so-called witch hunt has begun.
Having won the war with difficulty, the Emperor nip any buds that might have glimpsed his throne.
Witches and some nobles were among them.
'If you try to use rain magic, they'll come for you immediately.'
Most of the witches imprisoned in the imperial basement disappeared as ghosts.
That's the nature of dungeons.
It was a place where no one could survive.
"Tatiana. You haven't told anyone about this, have you?"
Lacrahan let out a small gasp and laughed.
“Let’s ask her about that too when she wakes up, okay?”
“Yes!”
Tatiana sang, swinging her short legs under the bed.
Lacrahan leaned against the windowsill, lost in thought.
“A woman who brings rain...”
He had never heard of anyone in the empire with such powers.
“She must be a witch.”
After the war, Emperor Gerard had arrested and imprisoned all those who could use magic.
The so-called witch hunt has begun.
Having won the war with difficulty, the Emperor nip any buds that might have glimpsed his throne.
Witches and some nobles were among them.
'If you try to use rain magic, they'll come for you immediately.'
Most of the witches imprisoned in the imperial basement disappeared as ghosts.
That's the nature of dungeons.
It was a place where no one could survive.
"Tatiana. You haven't told anyone about this, have you?"
"Of course. I would never."
Tatiana shrugged her shoulders, and Lacrahan ruffled the child's thin hair.
"Good, Tatiana."
In the northernmost border, a drizzle fell.
A magnificent carriage was parked beneath a tall tower shrouded in fog.
Inside the carriage, a woman sat on a chair, and another knelt respectfully on the floor.
The woman on the chair waved her fan, saying,
"The prey has finally left its nest."
Her crimson lips drew a smooth line beneath her black veil.
“Well, then what should we do now?”
The woman sitting on the floor replied, wiping away her cold sweat.
“Well, we have to go catch it.”
“Oh.”
As the hand holding the fan reached forward, the woman sitting on the floor trembled.
At that sight, a small laugh erupted from within the veil.
“You’re still so stupid, even after all this time.”
“Th-then how...”
The fan tapped against the woman’s forehead and fell away.
“What if we chase after it and it escapes?”
“Huh! Th-that...”
The woman sitting on the floor grabbed the hem of her skirt that had fallen under the chair and pleaded.
“I don’t want to go to the dungeon again. Please spare me. I don’t want to live on bugs and rotten water, sob, sob.”
“Don’t cry. I cherish you so much.”
The woman lifted the fan and slammed the hand that was holding onto her skirt, knocking it away.
“Take this.”
The woman sitting on the floor politely extended both palms.
A pair of small earrings landed on them.
“What are these?”
“Parallel butterflies.”
“...Yes?”
Long ago, before the gods who inhabited this land moved into space, they scattered their belongings throughout the land.
Over time, these objects acquired unique abilities, and whenever humans discovered them, they named them and revered them as sacred.
Parallel butterflies.
While wearing these earrings, one could transform into any person they encountered.
They were among the most precious of divine objects.
“Are you giving these to me?”
“Hmm. I don’t know.”
The woman smiled, waving her fan.
“The prey that has left its nest will soon begin to awaken.”
“Then, what should we do?”
“Don’t worry, my child.”
The butterfly, having realized how beautiful it is, will soon take flight.
It will fly and fly until it finds a vast field of flowers in full bloom.
“Our prey will probably find the prettiest flower and gently alight on it.”
The woman's hand cupped his trembling cheek.
"Now, think about it. If we crush and trample that beautiful flower, how will the butterfly feel as it watches?"
"Ah..."
Self-destruction.
The butterfly will tear off its wings and give up its will to live.
"Yes. That's how you catch your prey, my child."
The woman holding the fan's eyes were blazing with madness.
Tatiana shrugged her shoulders, and Lacrahan ruffled the child's thin hair.
"Good, Tatiana."
***
In the northernmost border, a drizzle fell.
A magnificent carriage was parked beneath a tall tower shrouded in fog.
Inside the carriage, a woman sat on a chair, and another knelt respectfully on the floor.
The woman on the chair waved her fan, saying,
"The prey has finally left its nest."
Her crimson lips drew a smooth line beneath her black veil.
“Well, then what should we do now?”
The woman sitting on the floor replied, wiping away her cold sweat.
“Well, we have to go catch it.”
“Oh.”
As the hand holding the fan reached forward, the woman sitting on the floor trembled.
At that sight, a small laugh erupted from within the veil.
“You’re still so stupid, even after all this time.”
“Th-then how...”
The fan tapped against the woman’s forehead and fell away.
“What if we chase after it and it escapes?”
“Huh! Th-that...”
The woman sitting on the floor grabbed the hem of her skirt that had fallen under the chair and pleaded.
“I don’t want to go to the dungeon again. Please spare me. I don’t want to live on bugs and rotten water, sob, sob.”
“Don’t cry. I cherish you so much.”
The woman lifted the fan and slammed the hand that was holding onto her skirt, knocking it away.
“Take this.”
The woman sitting on the floor politely extended both palms.
A pair of small earrings landed on them.
“What are these?”
“Parallel butterflies.”
“...Yes?”
Long ago, before the gods who inhabited this land moved into space, they scattered their belongings throughout the land.
Over time, these objects acquired unique abilities, and whenever humans discovered them, they named them and revered them as sacred.
Parallel butterflies.
While wearing these earrings, one could transform into any person they encountered.
They were among the most precious of divine objects.
“Are you giving these to me?”
“Hmm. I don’t know.”
The woman smiled, waving her fan.
“The prey that has left its nest will soon begin to awaken.”
“Then, what should we do?”
“Don’t worry, my child.”
The butterfly, having realized how beautiful it is, will soon take flight.
It will fly and fly until it finds a vast field of flowers in full bloom.
“Our prey will probably find the prettiest flower and gently alight on it.”
The woman's hand cupped his trembling cheek.
"Now, think about it. If we crush and trample that beautiful flower, how will the butterfly feel as it watches?"
"Ah..."
Self-destruction.
The butterfly will tear off its wings and give up its will to live.
"Yes. That's how you catch your prey, my child."
The woman holding the fan's eyes were blazing with madness.
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