Chapter 49
49
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"Did you have a good trip?"
Beatrice sprang up with a delighted expression as I entered the room.
A long list of gifts, seemingly just finished, was spread out on the desk.
Father chuckled at the sight of it.
"The gift list seems especially long this year."
Beatrice proudly replied as if all the gifts were for her.
"Isn't it thanks to Your Highness's procession with the Celestial Steed? There were many citizens in the plaza that day who were moved to tears."
Father also said with satisfaction.
"I took a walk with the Celestial Steed just now. The Princess will be able to participate in the procession sufficiently every year."
Father soon greeted me and left the room.
Beatrice put on her gloves with a happy face and rolled up the list she had written.
"I'm going to deliver the list to His Majesty the King. Would you like to come with me?"
Actually, I was still thinking about the Priest of the Sun I had met a little while ago.
I was belatedly curious if he knew about the red bird in the book.
"...Your Highness?"
I was so preoccupied that I could only answer when Beatrice called me for the second time.
I quickly shook my head and said.
"My legs hurt from walking with the Celestial Steed. I'll just play with Yan."
Beatrice seemed to highly value Yan's baby-sitting skills these days, and she often left Yan and me alone in the room for long periods.
Of course, there were maids waiting outside the door.
"Yes, Your Highness. Call me if you need any help."
"Uung."
I called Yan only after Beatrice left.
"Yan, about that priest earlier."
Yan flew to the window, seemingly conscious of the maids outside, but listened to me.
"His eyes... didn't they seem like he couldn't see?"
Yan nodded without making a sound.
'Then he wouldn't know about the picture in the book.'
Moreover, asking him would be impolite.
'The attendant who came with him seemed young and inexperienced.'
As I was thinking that, Yan unexpectedly said.
"I'll be back in a bit."
"Uung?"
Yan rarely left me alone in the Main Palace without a special reason.
When he stayed in the detached palace, he went in and out to show his face in the Main Palace.
"Ah, it'll be quick."
Yan urged impatiently.
"Where are you going? I won't treat you if you get hurt."
"I won't get hurt...?"
Yan said coldly and flew out the open window.
"Tch."
Even after being left alone, I kept thinking about the Priest of Shamash.
'Father will be visiting Troyne soon...'
Even if the Priest of Derato I saw earlier knew about the red bird, there would be a limit to the answers a four-year-old Princess could hear.
'...Let's just wait for Father.'
Once I made up my mind, I became concerned about the vanished Yan.
'Where did that guy go?'
I couldn't wait for Beatrice and opened the door to call one of the maids outside.
"I, wanna be carried."
When I stretched out my arms, the maid carefully picked me up.
"Wanna, look out the window."
I looked out the window for a long time, but Yan was nowhere to be seen.
After Noah left, the Priest of Derato slowly rose from his seat.
He groped the desk with his palm to find the wall, and then groped the wall to move sideways.
'I am always indebted to the Baha High Priest.'
It had been that way since the first time he saw him.
He would never be in a position to offer anything to the High Priest, but he only felt sorry as the debt he could not repay kept increasing.
'I wonder why he is going to the Temple of Shamash...'
Judging by the fact that the High Priest was moving himself, it must be a very important matter, but he felt frustrated because he had no information.
'I want to be of help at least once...'
As Derato was moving like that, his fingertips finally touched the window.
It was when he pushed open the slightly opened window a little more and felt the cool autumn breeze.
He suddenly seemed to hear a voice from outside the window.
"...Priest of Shamash."
Noah was absent, of all times.
There had always been attempts to tease him after he lost his sight, so Derato did not move rashly and only pricked up his ears.
'The outside is empty. This is the third floor.'
As he thought that and remained silent, the voice that had called his name disappeared.
'To hear hallucinations because I'm a little tired from the journey, I'm ashamed before God.'
Derato reproached himself and reached out to close the window again.
But then he heard a voice again from outside the window.
"I have something to tell the High Priest."
The fingers holding the window frame trembled.
Derato suddenly became afraid and thought about closing the window, but soon changed his mind.
'I have to listen...'
There should be no one in Derato's world who would dare to play such a big prank on the High Priest.
He groped the window frame as if to confirm.
'Nothing, there's nothing.'
When he reached his hand out the window, the autumn breeze gently tickled his palm.
Derato swallowed hard and opened his mouth in dismay.
"Wh-who are you, may I dare ask..."
The voice outside did not reveal its identity.
"Just tell the High Priest. Shamash stands by Ea's side, so the Temple must follow that will."
The voice was resolute yet leisurely.
Derato's invisible eyes blinked aimlessly.
'There is no one in this land of Ruelle who would dare to make such a jest in the name of God.'
Suddenly, he regretted his lost sight so much.
'It's a chance to see God... at least the messenger of God.'
Even when he lost his sight at a young age, he was grateful to the God who did not take his life.
Knowing the care of the God who brightened his eyes with the scent of flowers in spring and the sound of pine breeze in autumn, he was unbearably greedy at this moment.
Derato hesitated but opened his lips.
"Noble messenger... If you allow it, would you grant me the honor of seeing you, even for just a moment?"
He deserved to be scolded for daring to test the divine power of God.
But the owner of the voice chuckled softly.
"That is not the power my Father has granted me. The one who will open your eyes has already come to this land, so you must simply wait and wait."
Derato's dim eyes widened.
'...It's Kashian.'
The son of the Sun God Shamash, the demigod Kashian.
He was the only god among the continental gods who had a recorded appearance in this land.
However, because the God did not wish to leave his name, the Temple of Shamash erased all records of him and secretly passed them down only among the priests.
'To meet such Kashian is the greatest honor one can receive in this land...'
Derato's lips parted on their own, and he recited the prayer of promise.
"On that day, the flames of Shamash will burn the fields..."
A chuckle was heard again from outside the window, and he said the prayer backwards.
"You willingly become dry grass and cover the sandy land."
Derato knelt down, shedding hot tears.
"...I willingly become dry grass and cover the sandy land."
It was okay to no longer see his figure.
In the hot silence, Derato trembled and shed tears for a long time.
Noah Finnan returned to the room after a long time.
'Oh, the royal palace is so vast.'
The people of the royal palace were as kind as he had expected.
However, it was difficult to find the person they were talking about in the place they were talking about.
After sending the letter with many twists and turns, the sunset was falling outside the window.
"I'm back..."
Noah closed his mouth at the sight of Priest Derato kneeling and praying, about to greet him.
Traces of tears that had not yet dried were evident on his profile, which was almost sacred.
'How can he be so devout?'
He was ashamed of himself for being excited about meeting the noble royalty in the splendid royal palace.
Noah quietly knelt behind Priest Derato.
As he was about to put his hands together to pray with him, Priest Derato called him.
"Noah."
"Yes, Priest."
Derato asked slowly, in a slower tone than usual.
"Is the window in front of me open?"
Noah quickly looked up at the window.
He wondered how he could have the window open when the weather was chilly.
"I will close it."
As he hurriedly tried to get up, Priest Derato stopped him.
"No, leave it open."
"It's cold, Priest."
When Noah hesitated, standing awkwardly, Derato said.
"Just leave it open and answer my question."