We quickly said our goodbyes to the old man and soon left for the village.
There was only one place left. No further delay was allowed, or else it’d become something irreversible otherwise.
I silently nodded to Sir Leonhard’s suggestion of a forced march.
The journey that should’ve taken at most a day and a half to travel was quickly finished in half the time.
There were a few breaks in between, but most of the time we never got off the horse. My nausea-travel tolerance, which I thought was strong at one point, started to wane a little. Having travelled a bunch, I was pretty confident about my physical strength, but I might’ve been mistaken. Just clinging on to the horse with dear life was all I could manage, after all.
By the time we reached the village in question, it had already turned dark.
I was only a blob of jelly by then, and Sir Leonhard had to support me till the end. I’m sorry for having you carry extra luggage…
Sir Leonhard didn’t head straight into the temple right away but first took me to an inn.
Perhaps he thought it’d be dangerous to drag someone that needs long-term care like me with him, since at that point, I couldn’t walk without his support. Sir Leonhard knelt down next to my bed.
“I shall go alone and will be back in about an hour. Please never leave this inn, is that understood?”
Being reminded, I gave a small nod.
I was worried, even knowing that it’d be more dangerous if I went with him. Just thinking of him walking alone in the darkness wrung my heart out in pain.
Sir Leonhard smiled bitterly at the probably ugly face I was making. A big hand was then placed on my head.
“Please don’t worry. I promise I won’t do anything dangerous.”
“…Yes.”
I grasped my skirt and released my clenched lips.
“Please be careful.”
I intended to give him a smile, but that probably didn’t go through, because Sir Leonhard only made a troubled face as he left.
“Please rest your body as you wait for me. I don’t mind if you sleep a bit as well.”
The overprotective Sir Leonhard was worrying about me and not himself.
I didn’t feel like sleeping at all after seeing him off. Although my body was exhausted, even if I closed my eyes I still couldn’t sleep.
I got off the bed and wandered around restlessly for no reason. I then approached the window and gently pushed it open.
The freezing cold air gently stroked my neck as it entered the room.
When I looked down, it was completely pitch dark to the extent that I couldn’t make out anything. Only the faint glow of the houses through their windows and the smoke rising from their chimneys could be seen. I had no idea where the temple nor Sir Leonhard was at all.
Anxiety kept building up and up, trying to push everything else out of my head. The hands holding onto the window sill squeezed so tight they made the wood creak.
I’m scared. I’m just waiting here, but why am I so scared?
Whether it was when Lutz and Theo got kidnapped, or when I waited for Klaus to ward off the pirates, I had the same feeling. Even so, I never got used to it. The flow of time became strangely slow, and I could only realise my powerlessness through being only able to wait.
“…?”
In the corner of my eye, something moved for an instant.
I leaned forward in a hurry and squinted, but couldn’t see much in the dark. I had thought for a moment that Sir Leonhard had returned, but of course that couldn’t be the case. He would’ve borrowed a lamp from an inn nearby while giving an excuse such as ‘I forgot something.’
Could only be a dog or a cat, but what if it turns out to be a spy from Raptor?
When I thought that, my heart beat so hard that it hurt.
I promptly closed the window and ran towards the door.
But I stopped the moment before I was about to open it and could only hold onto the doorknob tightly.
Didn’t he tell me to wait?
What can I do chasing after him now? Never mind defeating the enemy, I can’t even protect myself. I’d only put him in unnecessary danger.
The best I can do right now is to sit tight and believe in him.
“…It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
I took a deep breath while repeating the same words.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.”
Sir Leonhard is strong after all.
He won’t lose to anyone. He will definitely come back to me.
“It’s-…”
The moment I repeated those words over and over again, the door suddenly rang.
A modest knock came as if trying to see whether I was awake. With the question ‘Are you awa-’ that couldn’t be formed in time, I immediately opened the door.
Sir Leonhard was surprised at how vigorously I burst out of the room.
“…Marie?”
The confused Sir Leonhard who called out to me seemed to be fine. He wasn’t injured anywhere.
With that assurance finally in my heart, I immediately lost the strength in my legs.
“Marie!”
Sir Leonhard caught me who suddenly collapsed. I shook my head to the gaze that thought I might be sick.
“I was just so relieved that I lost my strength.”
“…”
I took a deep breath, and power returned to my supporting arms.
“I’m sorry. I’ve made you worry, haven’t I?”
“No. It’s okay now that you’ve come back safely.”
When I gave a laugh, Sir Leonhard returned the favour, albeit awkwardly.
“By the way… How was it?”
“Ah.”
Sir Leonhard closed the door behind him and helped me stand up. He guided me to the bed before sitting me on the edge.
Since there were no tables or chairs in the room, Sir Leonhard remained standing. He turned back to me after contemplating for a little while.
“All in all, there was nothing there.”
My throat parched.
My heart started to beat faster and faster and sweat began oozing from my hands and palms.
“‘Nothing’… Does that mean someone already took it?”
I was so nervous that my mouth went dry and I couldn’t voice my question properly.
The worst possible outcome came to my mind and shook my body to the core.
I wonder why I didn’t hurry a bit more? Why didn’t I realise the sense of crisis?
It wasn’t merely a question of whether I was there on time. After all, the future of humanity—no, the future of the whole world—depended on it.
Despair was slowly painting my heart black.
However, in that darkness, Sir Leonhard shattered it with a short ‘No.’
“That’s not the case.”
“…? Then, what…?”
“There was no hidden room in the first place.”
“!?”
I was left stunned.
No hidden room? You mean, this one was also a dud?
All three places that were candidates had all been investigated. I didn’t know where else to look. To come this far only to return empty-handed. Is this one of those scenarios?
“And, like last time, there were traces of someone messing about in the temple. Even more, the trails were still fresh.”
“How do you know they are recent trails?”
“There was snow around the temple, so there were footprints. It was likely that they used torches for their search as well, since there was a faint smell of oil left behind.”
Like I thought, someone else is also looking for the same thing as us.
And that they very likely possess the same intel as we do.
“Would it be possible that they have the same intel… Was there any Raptor folklore that talked about the place where the Demon King was sealed?”
“…”
When I asked him, Sir Leonhard didn’t reply. Rather than ignoring me, he seemed to be in deep thought.
“Sir Leon?”
“I-I’m sorry. I was only thinking a little.”
What was Sir Leonhard thinking so hard about?
I wouldn’t know the answer to this question until later.
We quickly said our goodbyes to the old man and soon left for the village.
There was only one place left. No further delay was allowed, or else it’d become something irreversible otherwise.
I silently nodded to Sir Leonhard’s suggestion of a forced march.
The journey that should’ve taken at most a day and a half to travel was quickly finished in half the time.
There were a few breaks in between, but most of the time we never got off the horse. My nausea-travel tolerance, which I thought was strong at one point, started to wane a little. Having travelled a bunch, I was pretty confident about my physical strength, but I might’ve been mistaken. Just clinging on to the horse with dear life was all I could manage, after all.
By the time we reached the village in question, it had already turned dark.
I was only a blob of jelly by then, and Sir Leonhard had to support me till the end. I’m sorry for having you carry extra luggage…
Sir Leonhard didn’t head straight into the temple right away but first took me to an inn.
Perhaps he thought it’d be dangerous to drag someone that needs long-term care like me with him, since at that point, I couldn’t walk without his support. Sir Leonhard knelt down next to my bed.
“I shall go alone and will be back in about an hour. Please never leave this inn, is that understood?”
Being reminded, I gave a small nod.
I was worried, even knowing that it’d be more dangerous if I went with him. Just thinking of him walking alone in the darkness wrung my heart out in pain.
Sir Leonhard smiled bitterly at the probably ugly face I was making. A big hand was then placed on my head.
“Please don’t worry. I promise I won’t do anything dangerous.”
“…Yes.”
I grasped my skirt and released my clenched lips.
“Please be careful.”
I intended to give him a smile, but that probably didn’t go through, because Sir Leonhard only made a troubled face as he left.
“Please rest your body as you wait for me. I don’t mind if you sleep a bit as well.”
The overprotective Sir Leonhard was worrying about me and not himself.
I didn’t feel like sleeping at all after seeing him off. Although my body was exhausted, even if I closed my eyes I still couldn’t sleep.
I got off the bed and wandered around restlessly for no reason. I then approached the window and gently pushed it open.
The freezing cold air gently stroked my neck as it entered the room.
When I looked down, it was completely pitch dark to the extent that I couldn’t make out anything. Only the faint glow of the houses through their windows and the smoke rising from their chimneys could be seen. I had no idea where the temple nor Sir Leonhard was at all.
Anxiety kept building up and up, trying to push everything else out of my head. The hands holding onto the window sill squeezed so tight they made the wood creak.
I’m scared. I’m just waiting here, but why am I so scared?
Whether it was when Lutz and Theo got kidnapped, or when I waited for Klaus to ward off the pirates, I had the same feeling. Even so, I never got used to it. The flow of time became strangely slow, and I could only realise my powerlessness through being only able to wait.
“…?”
In the corner of my eye, something moved for an instant.
I leaned forward in a hurry and squinted, but couldn’t see much in the dark. I had thought for a moment that Sir Leonhard had returned, but of course that couldn’t be the case. He would’ve borrowed a lamp from an inn nearby while giving an excuse such as ‘I forgot something.’
Could only be a dog or a cat, but what if it turns out to be a spy from Raptor?
When I thought that, my heart beat so hard that it hurt.
I promptly closed the window and ran towards the door.
But I stopped the moment before I was about to open it and could only hold onto the doorknob tightly.
Didn’t he tell me to wait?
What can I do chasing after him now? Never mind defeating the enemy, I can’t even protect myself. I’d only put him in unnecessary danger.
The best I can do right now is to sit tight and believe in him.
“…It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
I took a deep breath while repeating the same words.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.”
Sir Leonhard is strong after all.
He won’t lose to anyone. He will definitely come back to me.
“It’s-…”
The moment I repeated those words over and over again, the door suddenly rang.
A modest knock came as if trying to see whether I was awake. With the question ‘Are you awa-’ that couldn’t be formed in time, I immediately opened the door.
Sir Leonhard was surprised at how vigorously I burst out of the room.
“…Marie?”
The confused Sir Leonhard who called out to me seemed to be fine. He wasn’t injured anywhere.
With that assurance finally in my heart, I immediately lost the strength in my legs.
“Marie!”
Sir Leonhard caught me who suddenly collapsed. I shook my head to the gaze that thought I might be sick.
“I was just so relieved that I lost my strength.”
“…”
I took a deep breath, and power returned to my supporting arms.
“I’m sorry. I’ve made you worry, haven’t I?”
“No. It’s okay now that you’ve come back safely.”
When I gave a laugh, Sir Leonhard returned the favour, albeit awkwardly.
“By the way… How was it?”
“Ah.”
Sir Leonhard closed the door behind him and helped me stand up. He guided me to the bed before sitting me on the edge.
Since there were no tables or chairs in the room, Sir Leonhard remained standing. He turned back to me after contemplating for a little while.
“All in all, there was nothing there.”
My throat parched.
My heart started to beat faster and faster and sweat began oozing from my hands and palms.
“‘Nothing’… Does that mean someone already took it?”
I was so nervous that my mouth went dry and I couldn’t voice my question properly.
The worst possible outcome came to my mind and shook my body to the core.
I wonder why I didn’t hurry a bit more? Why didn’t I realise the sense of crisis?
It wasn’t merely a question of whether I was there on time. After all, the future of humanity—no, the future of the whole world—depended on it.
Despair was slowly painting my heart black.
However, in that darkness, Sir Leonhard shattered it with a short ‘No.’
“That’s not the case.”
“…? Then, what…?”
“There was no hidden room in the first place.”
“!?”
I was left stunned.
No hidden room? You mean, this one was also a dud?
All three places that were candidates had all been investigated. I didn’t know where else to look. To come this far only to return empty-handed. Is this one of those scenarios?
“And, like last time, there were traces of someone messing about in the temple. Even more, the trails were still fresh.”
“How do you know they are recent trails?”
“There was snow around the temple, so there were footprints. It was likely that they used torches for their search as well, since there was a faint smell of oil left behind.”
Like I thought, someone else is also looking for the same thing as us.
And that they very likely possess the same intel as we do.
“Would it be possible that they have the same intel… Was there any Raptor folklore that talked about the place where the Demon King was sealed?”
“…”
When I asked him, Sir Leonhard didn’t reply. Rather than ignoring me, he seemed to be in deep thought.
“Sir Leon?”
“I-I’m sorry. I was only thinking a little.”
What was Sir Leonhard thinking so hard about?
I wouldn’t know the answer to this question until later.
