Chapter 215 - <22>
From the dark room covered in obsidian, through a bright white space, and after experiencing a strange sensation of floating for a while, they emerged into pitch-black darkness.
Until now, the insides of buildings, the strange white corridors, and the forest within the structure had all been bright, so being suddenly thrown into the night's darkness, their eyes couldn't adjust, and they could see nothing.
From the light leaking from the door they had just come through, they could barely make out that they were at the entrance to a forest, but they had no idea how they had ended up inside one.
"What is this place?"
At the utterly unexpected sight, Ritz couldn't help but murmur. When he cautiously took a step out of the white room that had transported them, the white space sank into the ground without a sound. It was as if it had never been there at all.
With the white light gone, the three were left with only the light of Sara-chan, who had been following them on her own. They stood there for a while, as if abandoned, looking around in a daze. Looking up at the sky, a full moon hung there.
What was astonishing was the number of stars visible.
Innumerable stars twinkled in the sky, more than he had ever seen before. He had never seen such a starry sky in his life.
As they stood there in a daze for a while, their eyes gradually adjusted. With that, the scene spreading out before them slowly came into view.
What spread out before them seemed to be a well-tended garden. Beyond it, a forest was visible. But looking behind them, he was surprised. It was a sheer cliff. Below the cliff, a series of mountain ranges shone with a stark white light under the moon.
Even though it was summer, there was snow on the mountain range below the cliff.
He gave it a quick look, but he couldn't see a single mountain higher than where they were. What was going on, when just moments ago they had been fighting in the Great Temple of Darkness with a great mountain range at their back?
"…It seems we're at the summit of the great mountain range."
After a while, Edward murmured that.
"But then it should be cold."
Franz replied in confusion. Having ridden the flying ship, he had learned that it gets considerably colder the higher you go. Into the ears of the three bewildered men came the low, slow call of a bird. This sound was likely a type of owl. Owls are common birds in Yuresla, but it was hard to imagine one being at the summit of the great mountain range.
"There might be some kind of mechanism."
As Edward said that, he stood at the very edge of the cliff and tried to reach his hand out beyond it. But his hand didn't extend; it moved as if touching something.
"There seems to be a transparent wall. This must be how they're keeping out the cold."
But it didn't look like anything was touching Edward's hand. He instinctively stood next to him and reached out his own hand to check. There was indeed some kind of transparent wall. Glancing at his feet, he saw that snow had piled up on the other side of where the transparent wall seemed to be.
On this side, soft green undergrowth was growing. What a difference.
"So this is the god's domain…"
A place at the summit of the great mountain range, yet not cold, and without even snow. This mysterious sight was surely a fitting abode for the Spirit Kings and the Goddess.
Murmuring with a sigh, Ritz gazed at the garden spreading out in the darkness with his now-adjusted eyes. A stone-paved path stretched straight ahead from this spot. It was as if it were inviting them to come this way.
And in this darkness, it didn't seem possible to proceed in any other direction. If this was the god's domain, perhaps they wouldn't be deceived.
"Shall we go?"
He asked Edward and Franz, and they both nodded.
Silently, for some reason, the three of them walked along the stone path under the moonlight. The single path eventually entered a forest where the moonlight was blocked. Sara-chan, who had been walking at the rear with Franz, was prompted by him to walk at the front.
In the forest, the sounds of animals moving about could be heard everywhere. Small animals, birds, and insects seemed to be living here just as they would on the ground. The night forest was filled with the presence of small creatures.
If they had come here without having survived the difficult situation until now, and without having seen the scenery below the cliff just moments ago, they would have been under the illusion that they had returned to the surface.
But the pain throughout his body told him that this was no dream.
Leaving the forest, they came out into a well-tended garden illuminated by the bright moonlight. A vegetable patch, an orchard, and flowers were lined up in an orderly fashion. It was a scene far too human to be called a god's garden.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw that hemispherical object moving among the plants. He watched the object cautiously for a while, but it showed no sign of attacking them. It was probably acting as some kind of guard.
Beyond that was an area surrounded by a high hedge. With nothing to stop them and no voice to question them, they pushed open the iron gate attached to the hedge.
There, a normal two-story house, of a style that could be found anywhere in Yuresla, stood alone. Soft light spilled from the windows. It was a very ordinary house, the kind from which the aroma of a warm meal might drift at any moment.
"The god's domain… for what it is, it's so… quaint, you could say…"
He had been quite on guard, but the utterly ordinary scene left him rather bewildered. Looking around, he approached the house and peeked into a pond slightly off to the side of the front. Several beautiful red and yellow fish were swimming there. They seemed to be well cared for, as they were plump and round.
"What a letdown."
He murmured, and Edward, beside him, gave a wry smile.
"It is. It's far too modest."
"Taisha and Kuchiba have probably never seen this sight."
"Why do you say that?"
"If they saw this, they wouldn't be able to revere the god's domain. It's too ordinary."
His murmur turned into something like a complaint, but Edward laughed.
"No doubt about that."
"Don't you think so too?"
He called out to Franz, who had been strangely quiet for a while. Franz had stopped far behind the two of them, his mouth agape as he stared up at the house before him.
"Hey, Franz?"
After waiting for a while and seeing no movement from Franz, he walked over and gently shook his shoulder.
"What's wrong? Are you alright?"
He asked, and Franz, still with a stunned expression, looked back and forth between Ritz and Edward and murmured.
"This is Master's house."
"Well, of course it is. The god is your master, so that's a given."
He couldn't help but retort, and Franz shook his head.
"That's not what I mean!"
"Then what is it?"
"This is exactly like Master's house in Saradio! It's the house where I lived for five years!"
"Wha—"
Prompted by Franz, he stared intently at the house before him. Now that he mentioned it, he recognized this exterior.
"It certainly is…"
"Ah…"
As if an idea had struck him, Franz opened his shoulder bag and took out Orphe's letter. After a moment, he sighed.
"So when he said the house in Saradio is no more, he meant he moved the whole house here."
"The whole house!?"
"The whole house! From the color of the house I remember to the state of its wear and tear, it's exactly the same!"
As Franz shouted, as if in response, the door to the house opened without any warning. The warm light from inside the house spilled out from the entryway.
He gasped and stared. A man's face peeked out from the door.
Brown, curly hair that fell well below his shoulders, sleepy black eyes, and a long robe that somehow didn't suit him…
The man opened the door with a leisurely motion and lit a torch that was placed at the entrance. Then he slowly descended the few steps of the house's entrance and raised a hand lightly toward them.
"Franz, welcome home~"
"…"
Orphe smiled at the speechless Franz.
"Just kidding."
His playful gesture and words were no different from the Orphe they had met in Saradio.
"M-M-M…"
As Franz struggled for words, Orphe tilted his head and smiled softly.
"Calm down, Fra~nz. A hasty thief makes little profit, you know?"
Those words made Franz snap. Enveloped in an aura of anger, he slowly approached Orphe.
"Is that how someone who issued an assassination order on his own disciple should act…?"
"Haha… Franz, calm down, calm down…"
Orphe backed away timidly. It was the exact same situation as when Orphe had bought a pile of junk and been coldly scolded by Franz. But Franz's anger was far stronger this time. Finally, still silent, Franz stood in front of Orphe, his hand grabbing Orphe's collar.
"How can I be calm about this?!"
"Sorry, Franz! I-I can't breathe…"
"Sorry isn't good enough!"
"I'm going to die~"
"I almost died several times!"
"But, but, I threw you a lifeline, didn't I?!"
"What, how, where did you throw a lifeline?!"
"I showed you the way to Taisha, didn't I?!"
At that, Franz's grip loosened. The freed Orphe coughed, but quickly recovered.
"That was about all I could do. I was supposed to leave you all to die, after all."
In response to his quiet but firm tone, Franz took a breath and stared back at Orphe.
"I am the god who protects the order of this world, you see."
"Master…"
Orphe gently placed a hand on the shoulder of the now-frozen Franz.
"Well, anyway, I'm glad you're alive."
At his sigh-filled words, Franz looked up.
"But Taisha… he's dead."
"Yes. I know. Taisha stayed true to himself until the very end."
"Taisha was your right-hand man… he respected you so much… and you're not sad?!"
At his strained words, Orphe smiled sadly.
"…Of course I'm sad. But you see, I decided to protect this world, no matter the sacrifice."
Orphe, who said so dispassionately but painfully, looked down with a twisted expression.
"But people are weak, Franz."
"Master?"
"I'm selfish. So selfish… that I do irreparable things. Because I have the power to change the world, I end up thinking it's okay to use it a little for myself, wishing to see a happy dream. Even though that should never be allowed."
Slowly raising his face, Orphe, for some reason, looked straight up at Ritz. His usually sleepy eyes were open, harboring a deep intellect in their clear brown depths. Those eyes were undoubtedly the eyes of Artis Ozmand, whom he had met in the 'Infinite Nightmare'.
As if noticing Ritz flinch for a moment under that piercing gaze, Orphe returned to his usual sleepy expression.
"It's been a while, Ritz-kun. Are Karl and Ciela doing well?"
"Ah, yes. They're fine."
He answered, bewildered, and Orphe smiled.
"That's good to hear. If Moegi isn't well, I'd feel responsible, you know."
They were casual words, but with that single phrase, he realized that Orphe knew everything about Ciela's parents and Kuchiba. It was indeed the god Orphe who had allowed his mother Ciela, also known as Moegi, to escape to Yuresla.
In that case, did that mean this man was Anna's real father? As he stared at the gently smiling Orphe, Orphe tilted his head.
"What is it?"
"About Anna's father…"
"Let's talk about that later."
Without changing his expression, Orphe cut off Ritz's question flatly, but with an air that brooked no argument, and turned to face Edward. A flash of irritation rose up in him, but remembering that piercing gaze from before, he suppressed his anger.
He had made it this far. There would be plenty of time to question him.
"A pleasure to meet you, Hero King Edward."
Saying so softly, Orphe extended a hand to Edward. Despite the complex emotions he must be feeling, Edward calmly took that hand.
"It is an honor to meet the omniscient god."
At the faint sarcasm, Orphe smiled.
"I am just a man playing the part of a god."
Smiling sadly, Orphe urged the three into the house.
"We can't just stand here talking, so please come inside. Franz, could you prepare some tea? I bought a large quantity of the finest black tea leaves in Saradio. I won't be going down to the surface for another hundred years, you see."
His feet stopped at the casual remark. But Orphe calmly guided the three.
"It must have been tough, right? You haven't even had dinner."
At the quiet but definitive statement, Franz asked softly.
"…Were you watching?"
"Yes. Everything from the moment you entered the Tower of Prayer. There's not a single place from there to here that I can't see."
Urging the speechless Franz, Orphe entered the house. They followed wordlessly. Eventually, they were led to the reception room he had entered for the first time on his last visit.
"Franz, the kettle, pot, and cups are all in the usual places."
As they entered the room, Orphe said that, and a soft voice responded.
"You can't do that, Artis, working him so hard. Franz is the most tired of all."
At that soft voice, which he hadn't heard in two weeks, time seemed to stop. Slowly, he looked around the room, and there stood Anna, clad in a white one-piece dress, her long red hair down, with a gentle smile on her face.
"Anna…"
His voice was hoarse as he called her name.
I wanted to see you.
How much he had worried, how lonely he had been—none of it could be put into words.
But Anna, who would normally have thrown herself at him in a situation like this, simply turned to him with a faintly sad smile and averted her gaze.
At that gesture, which seemed to reject Ritz, he was frozen.
His slightly outstretched fingers froze along with him as he stood there, rooted to the spot. In his place, Edward was the first to recover from his surprise and approached Anna.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes. I'm sorry for making you worry."
With a smile, Anna bounced her head in a bow.
"I see. Well, that's good."
Unlike her usual self, the surprisingly mature Anna left even Edward at a loss. Franz wore a blatantly suspicious expression. As an awkward atmosphere filled the room, only Orphe sat down in a chair in the reception room as if nothing were amiss.
"Ooh, hot milk. And scones, too."
Orphe said that and freely picked up a cup of hot milk.
"As expected of Anna. You're so thoughtful."
"Not at all. Ark prepared it."
"But you were the one who gave the instructions, weren't you?"
"Well, tea at this hour isn't right. They said you'd be hungry, but it's already the middle of the night."
"Well now, I was just thinking of having Franz make me some tea."
Happily spreading honey on a scone, Orphe gestured for them to sit. Without understanding what was going on, he took a seat.
Warm steam rose from the hot milk before him. It seemed to have just been made. Orphe and Anna both seemed to have known that the three of them would arrive right at this moment.
Unable to bear his hunger and thirst, Ritz found himself grabbing a scone and taking a bite. It was faintly salty, yet sweet. A simple taste. It went well with the warm milk. Looking over, he saw that Edward and Franz also had cups in their hands.
Come to think of it, since their last dinner at Taisha's house, they had been shoving bread and preserved food into their mouths while steering the ship or keeping watch, and had never had a chance to eat calmly.
When he had settled down a little, Anna asked Franz cheerfully, just as she always did.
"Can I treat your wounds?"
Still bewildered, Franz nodded, and Anna silently placed her hands on his various scrapes, healing them. When the healing was done, she nodded at Franz's thanks and next healed Edward's wounds.
"What have you been doing since we were separated?"
To Edward's gentle question, Anna smiled faintly.
"I've been studying a lot of things."
"Studying?"
"Yes."
"What kind of studies?"
"…Various things."
Anna said that and gave a vague smile. It seemed she didn't want to say any more. But noticing the shadow-like thing within Anna, he grew anxious. What in the world had happened?
After healing Edward's wound, Anna stood next to him.
"Could you take off everything from the waist up?"
Bewildered by the slight distance between them, he answered as normally as possible.
"You seem to know where I'm injured."
He had meant it as a joke, but Anna looked troubled.
"Yes. I know. I'm sorry."
"…No, you don't have to apologize."
"It's pretty bad, isn't it? Let me see it properly."
"Yeah."
She was being distant. But he didn't know why. He couldn't figure out what had put that troubled look on her face, so he didn't know how to respond.
Ritz was bewildered, but as Anna's hand was placed on the pain in his back and the pain gradually subsided, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
His body, which had been feeling feverish and heavy, gradually became lighter. More than anything, just the gentle touch of Anna's hand filled him with a soft, warm happiness. Eventually, Anna's hand moved away.
"You should be fine now. But you should definitely rest well tonight."
"Yeah. Thanks, Anna."
He turned around and met Anna's nearby face head-on. From her expression, even though she tried to hide it, he could see that Anna wanted to see him just as much as he did.
And yet, the reason for the sadness in Anna's face as she cast her eyes down with a pained expression was unknown to him. Not knowing what to do, he grabbed her hand and roughly pulled her toward him while still seated. Anna stumbled into his arms. As he held her warm, slender body close, he let out a deep sigh without realizing it. He pressed his lips to her flowing hair and whispered, enveloped in her sweet scent.
"I'm glad you're safe."
"Ritz."
Her voice trembled as she softly called his name. Not knowing the cause of that trembling, he tightened his arms around her in confusion.
"I missed you."
He held her tightly and said so, and Anna's body shivered in his arms. The trembling vibrations passed through her whole body.
"Anna?"
Bewildered by her unusual state, he loosened his arms to look at Anna, and Anna, too, raised her face and stared back at Ritz. Instantly, tears welled up in her large green eyes.
"Eh…"
Confused, the next moment he was forcefully pushed away by Anna. Not knowing what to do, he was unable to move. Spilling large tears, Anna trembled alone and backed away from Ritz.
"Anna, did I… do something?"
He asked in what he knew was a pathetic voice, and Anna hugged her own trembling body tightly and shook her head violently.
"No, it's not that…"
"Then… why…"
Bewildered, he reached out his hand again and touched her hair, but Anna's face twisted as she held back her tears, and she brushed his hand away and ran off. Understanding that he was being intensely rejected, he couldn't chase after her.
In the silent room, Orphe slurped his milk loudly. He couldn't help but glare at the insensitive Orphe. He stared at him silently, as if asking what he had done, but when Orphe looked up, he returned the cup to the table without flinching at Ritz's glare.
"She already knows everything. Everything she wanted to know."
Saying so, Orphe smiled sadly. At that expression, which seemed to have understood everything, Ritz threw away the respect he had been paying Orphe as Franz's master and stared him down.
"What did she find out?"
He interrogated him, and Orphe slowly raised his face from his milk cup and met Ritz's gaze directly with those piercing eyes.
"Everything."
"What do you mean, everything?! What's weighing on her mind!?"
As he pressed on while looking back into those bottomlessly deep and clear eyes, Orphe quietly announced.
"I warned you, didn't I? That knowing the whole truth is not necessarily a happy thing. But that child still desired the truth."
"So!"
Frustrated and impatient, he slammed his hand on the table and stood up. But as if nothing had happened, Orphe smiled calmly.
"It's already late. You all are tired, so you should rest. Tomorrow will be a day of rest, so go take a look around this garden."
"How can you be so carefree?!"
He snapped at him, but was at a loss for words when Orphe met his gaze head-on. Those eyes were telling him not to ask any more. He couldn't stand up to those eyes, which held a power more terrifying than Edward's. As he sat down silently, Orphe quietly looked up at Ritz.
"When everyone is prepared to hear the truth, I will tell you the truth that Anna learned."
"The truth that Anna learned?"
"Yes. It is Anna's story, my story, and… your story, Ritz-kun."
"My… story?"
Before the bewildered Ritz, Orphe stood up. The plate in front of Orphe was now empty, and his cup was empty too.
"Sara-chan can sleep by the fireplace. Franz, your room is the same as before, so you know where it is, right? Ritz-kun and King Edward, you'll be using the guest room together. Franz, you know where the guest room is, right?"
After saying all that in one go, Orphe smiled and opened the door to the room.
"Well then, good night."
Before they could get a word in, the door was closed. Edward placed a hand on the shoulder of the dejected Ritz.
"We have no choice but to rest. We've made it this far. We still have plenty of time."
"…Yeah."
Their first night in the god's domain passed in bewilderment and confusion.