Chapter 64



“Looks like you’ve wrapped up your chat. How was it?”

As I stepped out of the room with Berod, Adrian peeked her head out as if she had been waiting.

I always think this, but her movements were nothing like those of a woman who couldn’t see.

But Adrian is a saint. There are things she can only do with divine power, and she can see what ordinary people cannot.

I pondered the question for a moment, but it was a bit embarrassing to say it directly to Adrian.

I know she has feelings for me that are close to affection, but it’s still far from romantic.

There’s no need to mention that I was warned I’d get hurt if I accidentally touched on that.

“I didn’t say much. He just asked me a few questions about myself.”

“Lord Berod can be a bit suspicious. But it seems he didn’t yell at you like before.”

Seeing Adrian smile with relief, I awkwardly smiled back.

While he didn’t yell at me, I still felt the pressure of his energy the whole time I was in that room.

Would she get angry if I told her that? I was a bit curious about Adrian getting angry, but I nodded in agreement.

Since I regard Berod like a father, there’s really no need to bring up anything negative about him.

I just wanted to avoid running into Berod frequently.

Unlike the paladins and priests here, I thought it would take a long time to gain their support.

Since Berod was just behind the door, I lightly grabbed Adrian’s arm and hurried my steps.

“Uh-oh?”

“Let’s go together for now. Don’t we need to finish our earlier conversation?”

I felt a bit rushed, but I thought Adrian would understand.

If I talked to Berod too long… my impression of the paladin might worsen in many ways.

#

Adrian chose the rooftop as the conversation spot instead of a room.

Just like when I first came to the Moon Tower, a cool breeze gently brushed against my cheek.

I liked this kind of wind.

It was cold and dry without any sign of rain, refreshingly cooling my chest for no reason.

Now that we were at the tail end of winter, I naturally moved closer and draped my coat over Adrian’s shoulders.

“It seems like you always wear thin clothes. Is it because your divine power keeps you warm?”

“Oh… it’s not that. It’s just a habit of mine.”

“No one would like it if Adrian catches a cold. You should be a little more careful.”

If she caught a cold while we were together, my image would likely take a hit.

Aside from that, there was also the problem of feeling uneasy if she wore such thin clothing.

As I covered her with the coat, Adrian looked at me with a gentle smile and replied.

“Aren’t you cold, Robert? It’s warm here compared to the North, I suppose.”

“I think that’s part of it. After all, it’s much colder there.”

“What’s the North like? I’ve heard it snows a lot, but I’ve never been there.”

“I haven’t seen it.”

To describe the North… the first thing that comes to mind is Adele’s face.

Of course. Every time I think of the North, she’s the first person that pops into my head.

Given our deep connection and the fact that I’ve been racking my brain lately to find a way to prevent Adele’s death.

Beyond that, nothing much comes to mind until suddenly, the bell that rang to announce the New Year popped into my head.

Since it’s something that doesn’t exist in the Center, it might actually be a characteristic of the North.

“There was a big bell. It rang to announce the New Year.”

“Oh, if it’s in the North, you must be talking about the New Moon Bell. I’ve heard about it.”

“That seemed quite impressive to me. I was really busy during my time in the North.”

Adrian, who tilted his head at my comment about being busy, soon looked at me with a startled expression.

A white light began to seep from the coat I had draped over him, gradually wrapping around me.

For a moment I was puzzled by the warm sensation covering me, then Adrian sighed softly and continued speaking.

“I always think this, but it feels like you come back injured every time I see you.”

“…I couldn’t help it this time. Her Highness the Princess was in danger, wasn’t she?”

“Still, you seem to have more scars now. Come here.”

As I approached him, slightly intimidated by his serious tone, Adrian reached out his hand toward my chest.

The divine power that had been spread throughout my body gathered together, and I felt a tingling sensation along with a slight itch at my wound.

“Stay still. I’m erasing the wounds that haven’t completely healed.”

“You really don’t have to do that…”

“It makes me uncomfortable when you come back all hurt, you know.”

Flashing a bright smile, Adrian lifted his gaze toward me and added,

“Are you feeling a bit better now?”

“…Yes, I’m okay.”

Whenever I face such pure kindness without any ulterior motives, it makes my heart feel oddly uneasy.

After all, I had the thought from the beginning that I could utilize my connection with the Saint, and now it felt like my own muddiness was fully revealed in her clarity.

Miragen was my lover in my previous life, and Adele was someone who had reached a similar level.

But Adrian was different.

She was someone I had bizarrely never met in my previous life,

And considering that I hadn’t prioritized meeting her, it was like forging my first friendship with her in this life.

Since I had never interacted with a woman like her before, I was often awkward when dealing with Adrian.

For instance, when I saw her smile, I couldn’t figure out how to respond.

I simply smiled lightly and managed to reply somehow.

As if touched by moonlight, her blond hair flowed white in the wind.

When it mixed with the dark night sky, it felt just like looking at the Milky Way.

Whenever it overlapped with the moon, it felt just like seeing the Milky Way.

Like the afterimage of the hazy moonlight, my gaze momentarily drifted, enchanted by the shattering white light.

“Miragen was really worried. They said you hadn’t woken up for three days.”

“It was due to a lack of stamina. I wasn’t seriously injured.”

“How exhausted must a regular person be to faint for three days? So, I prayed as well. That Robert could wake up a little faster.”

She smiled gently with her hands clasped, appearing slightly embarrassed by her own words, her face turning a bit red.

I thought Miragen might have told Adrian, but it seemed she had shared more than I expected.

Hearing that I’d fainted for three days made me feel somewhat embarrassed.

Just fainting after fighting an immigrant tribe—if it were the past, I couldn’t have imagined it.

“I suppose I’ll take that as a reason for waking up early. But didn’t you mention something about the south earlier?”

“Oh, right. Did you bring me here just to finish that conversation?”

“I know we’ll be going together, but I don’t know the details yet.”

Adrian, who pondered for a moment in silence, slowly continued speaking, his voice slightly excited.

“I’ll probably stay in the south for about a month or a month and a half. While we’ll be moving around the Temple of the Moon, we’re planning to seriously look into the issue of southern magicians this time.”

“That could be a bit dangerous.”

“If it were dangerous, I wouldn’t have brought Robert along. This time, it’s close to a sightseeing trip, just gathering definite evidence.”

“Sightseeing, huh… I don’t think that’s a bad idea.”

If I considered the free time that could arise under the pretext of sightseeing, it was actually better to move for this purpose.

I could find time to act alone, and above all, securing relics was one of my goals.

Avoiding the Order’s watchful eyes while gathering relics might pose a problem, but I was confident in stealth.

It seemed Adrian had quite a lot of expectations about this trip to the south.

Maybe it was because he had never been out this long before, but he seemed to like being with me.

I didn’t quite understand what he found appealing about me.

I hadn’t done much with her; the only thing was that she had read my thoughts.

As I stared blankly, I suddenly noticed Adrian’s hair flowing down and brushing against my cheek.

Carefully grabbing the strands of hair that were about to get sucked into my lips, I swept them gently behind her ear.

It felt so natural that Adrian didn’t say anything, but I suddenly realized it and hurriedly pulled my hand back.

“Ah… I’m sorry. Your hair was showing, and I did it without thinking.”

“I was a little surprised. I never thought your hand would reach.”

Miragen used to do that when she was in a similar situation, so I naturally reached out to Adrian as well.

As I apologized with a smile, Adrian, who had briefly looked at the direction my hand had gone, slightly parted her lips.

“…Did you do that to Miragen as well?”

For a moment, I was taken aback by the slightly dark voice, but then I tilted my head when I suddenly heard Miragen’s name.

It wasn’t the context in which her name should come up.

Just as I was about to ask again, Adrian smiled gently and shook his head, saying it was nothing.

“Well, I think you’ve changed a lot since last time. Seeing Robert now, thankfully, he doesn’t look as dark as he used to.”

“Is that so? I don’t think anything has changed.”

“No, it’s a bit more… what should I say? It might be better to say you look warmer. It seems like there’s a bit of warmth, rather than being dark and cold like before.”

When Adrian looks at me, it feels like he’s looking at a dead person.

As if I were someone who wanted death right then, it makes me worry for no reason about my desolate heart.

Didn’t I say that? It was true that my heart became much calmer after returning from the North.

But the comment about looking warm, well, I couldn’t easily understand that.

“When the heart is at ease, or when you have a crush, it tends to go this way. Do you have someone you like?”

“…I don’t think so.”

“Hmmm. I would think it wouldn’t be strange if Robert already had a lover.”

“He did.”

It was a reference to Miragen.

A life that I lived as a lover in a previous cycle but has now been extinguished by my death.

Although emotions became worn down over multiple lives, the fact that I could still live as a person was undoubtedly thanks to connections like Miragen and Adele.

But isn’t this life supposed to be the last?

Having feelings for someone was just a luxury, so I didn’t want to harbor any more affections.

Thus, I tried my best to keep my distance.

While maintaining a certain level of acquaintance, I ensured our hearts didn’t connect any further.

So that even if I suddenly disappear one day, they wouldn’t remember me.

At my words of having had a lover, Adrian flinched and then looked at me intently.

Her smiling lips had somewhat twisted, showing a hint of unease.

With her darkened expression, she cautiously continued.

“But now there isn’t one. There probably won’t be anymore.”

“Is that so?”

As Adrian murmured this, her hand touched my chest, and we remained in that prolonged silence, connected for quite some time.

As I could hear the distinct rhythm of my heartbeat, Adrian, looking back at me, quietly murmured.

“…It’s cold.”

Suddenly, the wind blew. Instead of the slightly cool breeze, it felt like a cold, biting wind cutting through my skin.

Even so, Adrian kept her hand on me, simply gazing at me in silence.

Was she talking about the cold?

Or was she referring to my heart?

Even as I vaguely realized the answer to that, I felt a desire to evade it a little.