Ch. 8: Sacred Dust (MOON)
After returning to the castle, Lucien spent a great deal of time looking for a solution to the spreading of the forbidden grounds that was choked with miasma…-.
Lucien: "…"
Even though the birds gathered for him on the balcony, his heart wasn't into feeding them…
OO: "Lucien…are you alright?"
Lucien: "…!"
I called out to him in concern, but I saw how I'd surprised him as his shoulders shivered.
At the same time, the birds all took to the sky.
OO: "I'm sorry, I scared them off."
Lucien: "It's fine…"
OO: "Is it alright if I'm here with you?"
Lucien: "Yeah…"
I slowly walked up and looked to his face as I stood beside him.
Seeing his profile, I thought that Lucien looked even more gaunt than he had before.
Lucien: "How unlucky. Micaela is away in another country…"
OO: "Micaela?"
I asked for clarification, tilting my head at the first time hearing the name.
Lucien suddenly looked at me in surprise.
Lucien: "…Micaela is my younger twin brother."
OO: "Oh I see."
I never knew he had a brother, and I've never seen him act like this…
Lucien: "I need to report on the issue of the forbidden grounds. If Micaela knew about it, I'm sure he'd be able to come up with a solution right away."
Lucien said it so assuredly, and I could see how much he relied on his younger brother.
OO: "Your brother sounds very reliable."
Lucien: "…yeah, he's very important to me."
Lucien?
He was showing one of his rare smiles, but for some reason that smile seemed tinged with a sadness that made my heart ache.
Did something happen with his brother…?
Lucien: "But we don't have the time to wait…I have to do something alone."
OO: "Eh…?"
Pledging his decision, Lucien calmly closed his eyes.
Lucien: "The sacred dust should work to stop the encroaching miasma-filled swamp. I'll scatter it from the sky."
OO: "Sacred dust…?"
Lucien: "It's one of the magic tools of this country, passed down from generation to generation. It has the ability to control the strong miasma."
OO: "You're doing it alone…? It would be better if someone could help you."
Lucien: "No, I can't do that."
At that time…-.
Servant: "That's right Lord Lucien! Please reconsider!"
The servant suddenly appeared from wherever they had been hiding and listening to our conversation.
Lucien: "You…"
Servant: "I've heard that even after your wings turn black…people who have been hit by the miasma again become sick. Please…"
Lucien: "…still, I have to do it. I don't want anyone else to become like me."
Servant: "…Lord Lucien."
I wondered if the servant could sense Lucien's firm resolve, because they hung their head in defeat.
OO: "Lucien, let me help too."
Lucien: "No. I told you. Even though you don't have wings, I can't say for certain that being struck by the strong miasma won't have a negative effect on you."
OO: "Then I'm the same as you. Please…two is better than one, so I'm sure we'll be able to finish quickly."
Having made the same decision as him, I firmly took my stance.
Lucien: "Fine, but please, don't push yourself."
Lucien let out a short sigh of defeat…-.
…
……
And so…
Lucien: "You ready?"
OO: "Yes…!"
We stood before the forbidden grounds, bags stuffed with sacred dust in hand.
Lucien: "…let's go."
Lucien lifted me up, and then I was soaring into the sky…-.
That sky was overcast and gloomy.
We quickly reached the proper elevation, and my body shivered in the cold air.
Lucien: "…scared?"
Lucien looked down at me anxiously.
I can't let him worry about me…I was the one with the unreasonable request to come after all.
OO: "I-I'm fine!"
Lucien: "…I see. You're strong."
The faint smile on his face sent a bolt of electricity through my heart…-.
Then we arrived just above the blackened forest.
Is that the miasma…?
Black, stagnant air hung in the sky above the depths of the forest.
Lucien: "It's become pretty thick… OO, the dust."
At Lucien's prompting, I pulled a handful of dust from the bag and lightly threw it into the sky.
There…-.
The dust shone and sparkled as it reached the cloud, and the black miasma it touched disappeared immediately.
Lucien: "Alright, good…let's keep going."
Lucien and I continuing to scatter the sacred dust… dispelling the miasma until evening…-.
…
……
Somehow, the two of us were able to survive the miasma, and the sacred dust had been a success.
OO: "With that…everything should be fine now, right?"
Lucien: "Yeah…thanks."
Good…!
The two of us stood at the edge of the forbidden grounds, smiling at each other.
At that time…-.
Little Girl: "Ah…"
A lone little girl was looking at us, and I wondered if she'd come to the forest.
Lucien: "You're…"
Seeing Lucien, the little girl's face drained of color…
Little Girl: "Black wings…s-scary!"
Lucien: "…!"
She ran away in fear.
OO: "Ah…wait!"
Lucien grabbed my arm as I went to run after her.
Lucien: "It's fine. She should get away from this place quickly."
OO: "It's not fine! I'm sure she just misunderstood…-"
Lucien: "…it's alright."
The grip Lucien had on my arm was strong.
And I couldn't say anything in the wake of that strength.