DLRV 5

Samuel did not disappoint the temple’s expectations.

He found me far too easily, so the temple, trusting in his abilities, would surely open the gates and return the strict inspections to normal. The easing of city inspections was welcome news for me.

As if to confirm my hunch, the random inspections on the streets were nowhere to be seen. Now I could find a supply wAgon to sneak out on—or anything else. My options had increased.

Now I could find a supply wagon to sneak out on. Or anything else. My options had increased.

As I fiddled the temple’s treasure around my neck, I calmly sorted out my thoughts. I could take it off and momentarily divert Samuel’s attention.

The problem was that I wouldn’t have much free time and needed to get out of the city quickly. Contacting a back-alley broker to find a carriage or horse would take too long.

Honestly, I thought there might be a hole in the city walls somewhere, but the walls were guarded too tightly. Should I look for an underground passage instead?

As I considered several alternatives, I reached a food market. Surprised by the unexpected location, Samuel, who had been quiet all along, spoke.

“Are you going to cook for yourself?”

“Why? Do you think I’ve never gotten my hands dirty?”

Actually, I’d never cooked before. 

But I was confident in my ability to pretend to be familiar with anything. As a member of the Roam family, I should be able to deceive everyone, just like my mother’s dramatic act of falling ill due to missing her daughter.

“You don’t have to do such a laborious task.”

“It’s a hobby.”

I picked up a basket of acorns and casually looked up. A bird, looking like a dot, was circling in the high sky. I casually shifted my gaze to the market stall.

“…I wonder if the meat at this shop is fresh.”

I went to several butcher shops,  searching for fresh meat, dripping with blood.

Samuel seemed puzzled by my strange behavior, but it was too trivial to question, so he didn’t stop me. Perhaps he genuinely thought I was seriously interested in cooking.

My hands had the power to produce the worst results in anything, but that had never been known back in Roam. 

The handkerchief I gave Maxell was made by the most skilled embroiderer, but everyone thought it was made by me.

I heard Lilia was very handy; she was known for her talent in housework and simple handicrafts, often giving handmade items or snacks to her acquaintances. The handkerchief Maxell used was also Lilia’s work.

Lilia was a woman who was the complete opposite of me in many ways.

Although she came from a fallen family, she became friends with a low-ranking nobleman and moved to the capital. By chance, she caught the eye of a mediocre count who supported her, and by further chance, she secured an invitation to an imperial banquet. 

Her life seemed to be filled with accidental luck, in contrast to my life, which had been meticulously planned from birth.

“Resurrected One?”

I snapped back to attention at the soft call. The butcher, who had wrapped the raw meat still dripping with blood, stood awkwardly, looking at Samuel. I was about to take the meat from his hand, but Samuel reached out first.

“Let me carry it for you.”

He seemed to think I was hesitating because I was reluctant to take the meat myself.

 I was about to take the meat back from him, but then I reconsidered. It was heavy and smelled bad, and I didn’t really want to carry it. Since he was mistaken and willing to help, there was no reason to refuse.

“Then let’s return to the room.”

“Aren’t you going to cook today?”

“Yes, I’m too exhausted from buying the ingredients.”

“Are you planning to leave the raw meat in the room?”

“Why?”

“Of course, a small room filled with raw meat would stink to high heaven. The meat would also go bad and might even spoil.”

It was only natural that my actions were completely incomprehensible to him, having seen me go to such lengths to get fresh meat.

However, I had no intention of explaining. In fact, I secretly hoped he would misinterpret it in another way.

“Are you afraid I’ll use it to cast some kind of evil spell?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You know as well as I do that it’s impossible. Evil things delight in fresh life—what could you do with dead meat?”

As I muttered casually, a cold emotion settled on Samuel’s face. It wasn’t scary at all.

“I’m just doing it to make you suffer. I’m tormenting you, right now.”

“This?”

“Yes. I plan to serve you a dish made from that meat.”

I had gone to dozens of butcher shops to find fresh meat I didn’t even need, only to deliberately spoil it and serve it to you. I wanted to torment you. My words were easy to understand; anyone who could understand language would recognize the malice in them.

I stared at Samuel, hoping to see a hint of disgust on his face. His gray eyes remained calm.

“God sends trials in various forms. Submission is only natural for his servants.”

“…Just go away. I want to rest.”

Oh, I’m tired.

As if my emotions were clearly reflected on my face, Samuel asked with a hint of puzzlement.

“If tormenting someone consumes unnecessary mental energy, is there any need to do it on purpose?”

“Are you asking me why I’m tormenting you?”

“Yes.”

“Evil is evil; there’s no grand reason for it. Haven’t you heard of my reputation? I was famous for being vicious.”

“Since you’ve become a resurrected one, you can leave behind whatever name you had in the mortal world.”

“Like you?”

My sarcastic mood vanished, replaced by a cold chill.

Samuel didn’t answer my question. I knew he would affirm it even if I didn’t ask, so I continued walking without slowing down, replying in an indifferent tone.

“I’m not someone who has devoted myself to the temple.”

“But you are the Resurrected One.”

I felt a wave of nausea. While I intended to leave behind my worldly name, it wasn’t because I was a resurrected one.

“My name isn’t Resurrected one, Sir Samuel.”

Immediately after saying those words, I felt a slight regret. I wondered what I was doing trying to have a conversation with a fanatic who accepted even incomprehensible evil as a trial from God. Judging by his mentality, he probably didn’t even know my name.

“God…”

“If you keep proselytizing—”

I stopped walking, having been looking straight ahead the whole time. I gave Samuel a serious warning, nodding toward the bag  in his hand.

“God will bestow upon you the hardship of eating raw meat.”

Samuel fell silent.

Even he, it seemed, didn’t want to eat raw meat dripping with blood. Thanks to that, the journey home was a little quieter. It was the first time his faith had been somewhat useful.

***

The night air was chilly. With the window open for over an hour, the room had cooled down to the same temperature as outside.

I had hung raw meat on the windowsill and was waiting. Was it too much to hope that the bloody scent would reach the high sky?

I glanced out the window, wary that instead of attracting the creature I was hoping for, some useless animal might be lured in. A large, dark shadow flapped its wings and flew in.

[Annelie!]

A squirrel nibbling on an acorn jumped onto my lap in surprise. I stroked the squirrel’s back with my fingertips and looked towards the window.

When I saw the white head of a bird poking suddenly through the window, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“You’re late.”

At my reproachful whisper, the eagle flapped its wings.

[Were you waiting for me, Annelie?]

“Yes.”

I nodded obediently, and the eagle’s fierce eyes turned to me. Its glaring eyes made it look angry, but in fact, the eagle was quite gentle. Although it had attacked the squirrel, it hadn’t tried to do so again since I started giving it raw meat.

[How did you know I had arrived?]

“How could I not?”

I chuckled at the unexpected question. After all, the bird had been calling my name while flying through the entire sky.

[You heard me?]

“Yes.”

Even though I knew  was the only one who could hear that voice, I was anxious about whether anyone else might hear it. It was so awkward that I kept involuntarily turning my gaze toward where the eagle’s cry could be heard.

“Did you come back to help me?”

[Annelie gave me raw meat! Thanks to you, my babies are growing well!]

The father eagle appeared in front of the temple courtyard to find food for its chicks.

The eagle’s particular gratitude was due to the fact that I had provided food for its chicks, ensuring they wouldn’t go hungry.

… Even a beast knows how to care for its young like this.

Forcing down the sudden realization, I leaned closer to the eagle’s head.

“Do you have a plan?”

[I told a friend of mine!]

The eagle proudly cocked its yellow beak.

A friend?

[He said he could carry Annelie.]

“What?”

In my astonishment, my voice involuntarily rose. Immediately, I clamped my mouth shut and glanced at the door, holding my breath for a moment.

Samuel was probably still out there. Biting my tongue, I lowered my voice and asked again in a whisper.

“Is there a bird that big?”

[Yes!]

His confident eyes told me he wasn’t lying.

“When will it be possible?”

[Well, my friend needs to be in a place where he can grab Annelie.]

Of course, a bird big enough to carry a person couldn’t be met in a narrow alley.

“Then, is the central square of the city a good place?”

Taking a deep breath and lost in thought, I glanced at the door. I need to get rid of Samuel as well.

Fiddling with the magical artifact around my neck, I suddenly looked down at the squirrel sitting on my lap. There really wasn’t a more nimble creature than this one.

“Alright, this is our final plan.”

The squirrel, hugging its acorns, looked up at me with a bewildered expression. Meeting its gaze, I smiled.

I could see my face faintly reflected in the clear eyes of the squirrel.