Episode 8. Secret Meeting in the Night
While she was trapped in the tower, losing her strength one by one, the humans, too, were living in excruciating pain.
“It’s only been ten years since the three-year war ended. I thought we finally found peace, but here you are again.”
Lacrahan’s voice, its sharpness now as clear as the rain that had almost stopped, was gone.
“I won’t help you unless I understand how you lived and why I must protect you.”
Bercheria looked up at Lacrahan with wide eyes.
She seemed to gather her thoughts for a moment, then suddenly blurted out something unexpected.
“Do you have a vehicle?”
“What are you talking about?”
“A horse, or a carriage, or something.”
“Of course I have one, but where are you going at this hour?”
Lacrahan followed Bercheria and gazed out the window at the pitch-black landscape.
“Some things can only be seen at this hour.”
Bercheria turned and walked toward the door.
“Follow me. The sooner you hurry, the higher your chances of meeting me.”
“Ah.”
Timothy yawned, his mouth wide open, in the middle of the hallway.
Since he’d been wearing tight clothes all day, he’d been deliberately opting for loose-fitting pajamas that looked like they’d fall off at any moment.
“Am I old? Why do I have to use the bathroom so often these days?”
As he stumbled along, Timothy suddenly saw Lacrahan and a blonde woman in the opposite hallway.
“Huh?”
He craned his head to look, but there was no one there anymore.
It was the end of a horseshoe-shaped hallway, so even if he ran fast, he’d never be able to catch up.
While she was trapped in the tower, losing her strength one by one, the humans, too, were living in excruciating pain.
“It’s only been ten years since the three-year war ended. I thought we finally found peace, but here you are again.”
Lacrahan’s voice, its sharpness now as clear as the rain that had almost stopped, was gone.
“I won’t help you unless I understand how you lived and why I must protect you.”
Bercheria looked up at Lacrahan with wide eyes.
She seemed to gather her thoughts for a moment, then suddenly blurted out something unexpected.
“Do you have a vehicle?”
“What are you talking about?”
“A horse, or a carriage, or something.”
“Of course I have one, but where are you going at this hour?”
Lacrahan followed Bercheria and gazed out the window at the pitch-black landscape.
“Some things can only be seen at this hour.”
Bercheria turned and walked toward the door.
“Follow me. The sooner you hurry, the higher your chances of meeting me.”
***
“Ah.”
Timothy yawned, his mouth wide open, in the middle of the hallway.
Since he’d been wearing tight clothes all day, he’d been deliberately opting for loose-fitting pajamas that looked like they’d fall off at any moment.
“Am I old? Why do I have to use the bathroom so often these days?”
As he stumbled along, Timothy suddenly saw Lacrahan and a blonde woman in the opposite hallway.
“Huh?”
He craned his head to look, but there was no one there anymore.
It was the end of a horseshoe-shaped hallway, so even if he ran fast, he’d never be able to catch up.
“Must I be mistaken?”
He adjusted the light he was holding and was about to head to his room when he met Madam Morgan, yawning from the opposite direction.
“Do you go to the bathroom, too, Master?”
“Yes. And Mada. Morgan?”
“Oh my. As I’m getting older, I keep having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.”
“By the way, did you see His Highness just now?”
Mada. Morgan's chubby cheeks shook.
"No? Why would the Grand Duke be walking down the hallway at this hour of the night?"
"That's strange. I'm sure he was going somewhere with that woman."
At Timothy's words, Mada? Morgan held her stomach and laughed.
"Butler. Are you saying the Grand Duke would run off with a woman in the middle of the night? Oh, that's ridiculous. Don't you know he doesn't even look at women?"
"Oh. Well."
That was true.
Right after the war, Lacrahan, who was of marriageable age, sometimes received two marriage proposals a day.
But Lacrahan had no intention of marriage.
More precisely, he had no interest in women at all.
That remained the same even ten years after the war.
"Butler. Don't worry and go to bed. The Grand Duke is with a woman at this hour. Hahaha. I'd believe you if you said you saw a piece of wood dancing."
“Well, His Highness the Grand Duke, who treats women like stones. A secret meeting at this hour of the night? Hahaha.”
The two laughed heartily, as if they were still dumbfounded by the thought.
A quiet forest, a desolate silence descended. A horse with glossy black fur galloped through the middle of the forest.
‘Our destination is the longest and highest tower in the forest. It’s the place humans call Bercheria’s Tower.’
Some call it the Tower of Darkness. A place shrouded in fog 365 days a year, and not a single person passes by.
A long tower, covered in moss, its original form now unrecognizable. The tower, where Bercheria was said to reside, was designed so that no one could climb it.
There was no entrance or exit.
Densely planted trees, spaced evenly, surrounded the tower like a nest, blocking the approach.
No one knew when or by whom it had been built, but one thing was clear to everyone: the tower was built this way solely to keep humans out.
But foolishly, people couldn't leave the tower alone.
Periodically, those who attempted to climb it would appear, but never once did they succeed.
At some point, when the price of curiosity returned in death, people lost interest in the tower. As time passed, the path leading to the tower became overgrown with weeds as tall as a person, and even then, with the protective aura gone, it was little more than a ruin.
"Here!"
Lacrahan's steed galloped along the rough road.
He tightened the knot of his cloak again.
The movement caused Bercheria's shoulders, hidden beneath the fluttering cloak, to flinch. The only thing that revealed her unusually small stature was her long, blond hair, blowing in the wind.
Bercheria's wavy hair repeatedly struck Lacrahan's cheek.
"..."
His eyes narrowed as the hair clung to his cheek, slapping, slapping.
He could bear the hair, but what was truly distressing was the strong body odor, dizzying.
Lacrahan urged his horse on, recalling a passage from a book he had once read.
Each god selects an Awakened according to their own preferences.
Among them, Bercheria valued scent.
She sought out the most beautiful and fragrant human before imbuing them with her powers.
Bercheria's powers resided in the most fragrant person on this vast continent.
So, it was right to assume this was this woman's unique scent.
A dreamy yet unique scent.
It was so strong that once you smelled it, you couldn't forget it.
'It makes people feel strange.'
As the forest thickened and the horse's gallop slowed slightly, Bercheria turned her head to check on Lacrahan. Noticing her windblown hair clinging to his face, she gently reached out and brought her head forward.
Lacrahan quietly watched, his gaze down, as Bercheria tidied the hair that had been hitting his cheek.
"They say all weather goddesses are born with their own unique scent, and I guess that's not wrong."
Bercheria slowly turned her head forward again.
"People say it's a blessing, but it's actually a curse."
"A curse...?"
"I don't think that's important right now."
"What?"
Bercheria took his chin in her hand and turned his head towards her.
Lacrahan's dark eyes widened.
A gigantic condor lay curled up in a deep sleep before his eyes.
“Muha...”
A condor, three or four times the size of a human, was a rare bird of prey.
Furthermore, the creature before him seemed to be nearly the size of a house.
“Its name is Muha.”
“What?”
“Muha. I named it.”
Bercheria’s eyes sparkled as she dismounted, muttering something incomprehensible.
As she walked forward, she appeared smaller.
Because of her diminutive stature, one of the condor’s talons seemed to be about the same size as Bercheria's.
Lacrahan, encountering the existence of a divine beast he had only heard of before, was stunned, then frowned.
He leaped from his horse and quickly reached behind Bercheria, grabbing her arm.
“Why all of a sudden... Ugh!”
Lacrahan quickly covered Bercheria’s mouth.
“Keep your voice down. What are you going to do when the divine beast wakes up?”
His face became grave.
“Don’t you know condors eat people? You could die! Stay away, and keep your voice down. Do you understand me?”
Lacrahan warned her with his eyes, urging her to be quiet, before removing his hand from her mouth.
Then Bercheria sucked in a deep breath and shouted,
“Muha!”
Lacrahan placed his hand on his forehead and sighed deeply.
Perhaps this woman was mad.
Dozens of divine beasts were said to inhabit this forest, but condors were among the most dangerous.
They fed on carrion, and while they didn’t cause much trouble if left undisturbed, they were ferocious creatures, ready to kill or eat anyone they came across if something they didn’t like happened.
He adjusted the light he was holding and was about to head to his room when he met Madam Morgan, yawning from the opposite direction.
“Do you go to the bathroom, too, Master?”
“Yes. And Mada. Morgan?”
“Oh my. As I’m getting older, I keep having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.”
“By the way, did you see His Highness just now?”
Mada. Morgan's chubby cheeks shook.
"No? Why would the Grand Duke be walking down the hallway at this hour of the night?"
"That's strange. I'm sure he was going somewhere with that woman."
At Timothy's words, Mada? Morgan held her stomach and laughed.
"Butler. Are you saying the Grand Duke would run off with a woman in the middle of the night? Oh, that's ridiculous. Don't you know he doesn't even look at women?"
"Oh. Well."
That was true.
Right after the war, Lacrahan, who was of marriageable age, sometimes received two marriage proposals a day.
But Lacrahan had no intention of marriage.
More precisely, he had no interest in women at all.
That remained the same even ten years after the war.
"Butler. Don't worry and go to bed. The Grand Duke is with a woman at this hour. Hahaha. I'd believe you if you said you saw a piece of wood dancing."
“Well, His Highness the Grand Duke, who treats women like stones. A secret meeting at this hour of the night? Hahaha.”
The two laughed heartily, as if they were still dumbfounded by the thought.
***
A quiet forest, a desolate silence descended. A horse with glossy black fur galloped through the middle of the forest.
‘Our destination is the longest and highest tower in the forest. It’s the place humans call Bercheria’s Tower.’
Some call it the Tower of Darkness. A place shrouded in fog 365 days a year, and not a single person passes by.
A long tower, covered in moss, its original form now unrecognizable. The tower, where Bercheria was said to reside, was designed so that no one could climb it.
There was no entrance or exit.
Densely planted trees, spaced evenly, surrounded the tower like a nest, blocking the approach.
No one knew when or by whom it had been built, but one thing was clear to everyone: the tower was built this way solely to keep humans out.
But foolishly, people couldn't leave the tower alone.
Periodically, those who attempted to climb it would appear, but never once did they succeed.
At some point, when the price of curiosity returned in death, people lost interest in the tower. As time passed, the path leading to the tower became overgrown with weeds as tall as a person, and even then, with the protective aura gone, it was little more than a ruin.
"Here!"
Lacrahan's steed galloped along the rough road.
He tightened the knot of his cloak again.
The movement caused Bercheria's shoulders, hidden beneath the fluttering cloak, to flinch. The only thing that revealed her unusually small stature was her long, blond hair, blowing in the wind.
Bercheria's wavy hair repeatedly struck Lacrahan's cheek.
"..."
His eyes narrowed as the hair clung to his cheek, slapping, slapping.
He could bear the hair, but what was truly distressing was the strong body odor, dizzying.
Lacrahan urged his horse on, recalling a passage from a book he had once read.
Each god selects an Awakened according to their own preferences.
Among them, Bercheria valued scent.
She sought out the most beautiful and fragrant human before imbuing them with her powers.
Bercheria's powers resided in the most fragrant person on this vast continent.
So, it was right to assume this was this woman's unique scent.
A dreamy yet unique scent.
It was so strong that once you smelled it, you couldn't forget it.
'It makes people feel strange.'
As the forest thickened and the horse's gallop slowed slightly, Bercheria turned her head to check on Lacrahan. Noticing her windblown hair clinging to his face, she gently reached out and brought her head forward.
Lacrahan quietly watched, his gaze down, as Bercheria tidied the hair that had been hitting his cheek.
"They say all weather goddesses are born with their own unique scent, and I guess that's not wrong."
Bercheria slowly turned her head forward again.
"People say it's a blessing, but it's actually a curse."
"A curse...?"
"I don't think that's important right now."
"What?"
Bercheria took his chin in her hand and turned his head towards her.
Lacrahan's dark eyes widened.
A gigantic condor lay curled up in a deep sleep before his eyes.
“Muha...”
A condor, three or four times the size of a human, was a rare bird of prey.
Furthermore, the creature before him seemed to be nearly the size of a house.
“Its name is Muha.”
“What?”
“Muha. I named it.”
Bercheria’s eyes sparkled as she dismounted, muttering something incomprehensible.
As she walked forward, she appeared smaller.
Because of her diminutive stature, one of the condor’s talons seemed to be about the same size as Bercheria's.
Lacrahan, encountering the existence of a divine beast he had only heard of before, was stunned, then frowned.
He leaped from his horse and quickly reached behind Bercheria, grabbing her arm.
“Why all of a sudden... Ugh!”
Lacrahan quickly covered Bercheria’s mouth.
“Keep your voice down. What are you going to do when the divine beast wakes up?”
His face became grave.
“Don’t you know condors eat people? You could die! Stay away, and keep your voice down. Do you understand me?”
Lacrahan warned her with his eyes, urging her to be quiet, before removing his hand from her mouth.
Then Bercheria sucked in a deep breath and shouted,
“Muha!”
Lacrahan placed his hand on his forehead and sighed deeply.
Perhaps this woman was mad.
Dozens of divine beasts were said to inhabit this forest, but condors were among the most dangerous.
They fed on carrion, and while they didn’t cause much trouble if left undisturbed, they were ferocious creatures, ready to kill or eat anyone they came across if something they didn’t like happened.
“You really have a knack for driving people crazy, don’t you!"
Lacrahan snatched Bercheria’s hand and roughly lifted it. He hadn’t trusted her from the start. Just because she asked him to come here in the middle of the night, he followed her without a second thought.
“Your Highness, do you have any ulterior motives for that woman?”
Why did Wyatt's voice suddenly pop into his head in this tense situation?
"Shut up, Wyatt."
"What?"
This was absolutely not selfish. It was simply a noble struggle to save the people. Lacrahan slung Bercheria over one of his broad shoulders.
“Don’t struggle. If you don’t want to die.”
“Ugh!”
And he started running.
Behind him, running at full speed, he saw the condor just waking up.
“Hold on tight!”
Kkaaaak!
The condor’s massive wings spread wide as if they would cover the sky.
Muha let out a scream-like cry, looked around, and spotted the two people fleeing along the road.
The condor, whose eyes were gleaming, opened its mouth wide as if it was interested, and poked its head out toward them.
Just then, its huge beak followed closely behind Lacrahan.
“Damn it!”
Lacrahan threw Bercheria’s body into the thick grass growing right next to him.
And then, in a snap.
His body was swallowed by the condor’s mouth.
“Don’t struggle. If you don’t want to die.”
“Ugh!”
And he started running.
Behind him, running at full speed, he saw the condor just waking up.
“Hold on tight!”
Kkaaaak!
The condor’s massive wings spread wide as if they would cover the sky.
Muha let out a scream-like cry, looked around, and spotted the two people fleeing along the road.
The condor, whose eyes were gleaming, opened its mouth wide as if it was interested, and poked its head out toward them.
Just then, its huge beak followed closely behind Lacrahan.
“Damn it!”
Lacrahan threw Bercheria’s body into the thick grass growing right next to him.
And then, in a snap.
His body was swallowed by the condor’s mouth.
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