Chapter 10
Finally, he slowly began to stroke my hair.
…What is this? Is he treating me like a dog this time?
Just as I frowned at his inexplicable behavior, he suddenly muttered in a low voice:
“…Smaller than I expected.”
Huh?
I pushed his hand away from my head, pouting.
“Smaller? I’m still growing!”
Then Callios chuckled and asked,
“How old are you?”
“I’m seventeen. I could probably grow another span here, too.”
I firmly believed that Lizzy Swan’s growth plates hadn’t closed yet!
But it didn’t seem like Callios agreed with me.
“Hmmm…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Ignoring my question, Callios murmured, “Seventeen…” and this time started walking along the wall by himself.
Really.
He’s only fifteen and already taller than me, huh?
…Well, what could comparing myself to the tall male protagonist accomplish?
I smoothed out the messy hair he had ruffled and pouted.
At least it’s a relief. It seems he hasn’t completely given up on life.
Just the fact that someone who was always lethargic showed this much motivation gave a small glimmer of hope.
As time passed, the signs of spring grew stronger.
Even without seeing it, I could tell that colorful flowers had bloomed all over the mansion, warming the skin with their presence.
The fragrance of flowers filling the ducal estate even lifted the spirits of the working maids.
Because of this, Head Maid Melissa had to come check on them almost every ten minutes.
“Daydreaming out the window again! Can’t any of you stay focused?”
Even after being scolded, the maids, unable to contain their excitement, would giggle secretly as soon as Melissa left.
They all seemed happy.
But the liveliness vanished the moment you stepped into the west corridor on the second floor of the main building.
Windows tightly shut.
The walls exuding cold.
A deathly quiet atmosphere.
It felt as if spring had passed by everywhere else but left this place untouched.
“Master?”
Arriving at Callios’s room, I poked my head inside the silent interior and called for him.
But there was no response.
Where had he gone this time?
I stepped back into the corridor to look for Callios.
Ever since he had learned to walk in the dark, he had devoted himself to training every single day.
Thanks to that, his walking skills improved quickly, and he could now move freely along the west corridor of the second floor on his own.
Lately, he had been eating properly when meals were brought, so his previously frail frame was gradually returning to normal.
Compared to the lifeless, barely-breathing corpse he once resembled, the difference was remarkable.
“Master, where are you?”
I walked slowly down the corridor, calling for him.
“Eek.”
I stopped for a moment when something brushed against my staff.
Reaching out, I felt someone’s back.
Though slightly more filled out now, I could still tell it was Callios by his still-thin frame.
“Master? What are you doing standing here?”
“I was just walking along the corridor… I remembered there used to be a painting around here.”
I faintly heard the sound of Callios gently brushing the wall where the painting hung.
“A painting?”
Cautiously, I reached toward the wall as well.
Soon, I felt the canvas and the texture of dried paint beneath my fingertips.
As I carefully ran my hand across the painting, I realized how large it was.
It must have covered nearly the entire wall.
I had passed by this spot countless times, yet I had never realized such a large painting was here.
“What painting is it?”
Curious, I asked.
“It’s The Judgment by the painter Marius Carian.”
“Oh, the title sounds grand. But what does it judge?”
“What does it judge? Heretics, of course.”
“Heretics?”
“It’s a story from the Bible. The God of Light, Rodin, saved the world from the God of Darkness and judged him and his followers.”
“Oh…”
“That reaction… Is this your first time hearing it? …You haven’t read the Bible even once in your life?”
Uh… I haven’t.
…If I say that, will the temple come for me?
Well, in the original story, when Helene awakened as a saint, the names of the God of Light and the God of Darkness did come up a few times.
‘I just skimmed over it since it wasn’t that important.’
“I can’t read books.”
“You can hear the Bible being read during worship.”
Ah, excuses won’t work here.
“Sometimes… you act as if you came from another world.”
“Another world? I was born and raised in this empire!”
Startled by his sudden comment, I quickly changed the subject.
“Ahem… Anyway, I’m curious about the painting. I wish I could see it too!”
Callios remained silent for a moment, then suddenly grabbed my hand.
“W-why are you holding my hand…?”
“Just wait.”
He suddenly took a few steps forward, pulling me along with him.
Then Callios lifted my hand toward the painting.
“Around here… this is where the God of Light, Rodin, is.”
He began to carefully explain the painting to me.
“This is where the sun is. Rodin sits above the clouds, wearing shining golden armor, looking down below.”
“Is he handsome?”
“…….”
“Oh, sorry. I won’t interrupt. Please continue.”
“…And around here…”
After moving my hand toward the lower right of the painting, Callios guided it to the bottom part of the canvas.
“This depicts Karax and his followers sinking into the mire.”
“Karax?”
“…You don’t mean you don’t know who Karax is, do you?”
His suspicious tone made me quickly explain.
“Oh, I’ve heard the name! But I don’t know the details. I’ve never been to the temple…”
“Karax is the God of Darkness,” Callios said.
“He is the complete opposite of the God of Light, Rodin. He was displeased that humans built temples, offered sacrifices, and praised Rodin alone.”
“Hmmm, that would make him angry.”
“So Karax appeared to humans and demanded they worship him as they did Rodin. But humans, afraid of his darkness, all ran away.”
Hmm… he must have looked pretty bad if they ran the moment they saw him.
“Angry at this, Karax used his followers… ah, he called them ‘heretics.’”
“Heretics.”
“Yes, Karax used the heretics to steal Rodin’s light. Then he hid it deep underground, plunging the world into darkness.”
“Oh, what happened next?”
“A war broke out to reclaim the light. At first, Rodin, deprived of light, was overwhelmed….”
I heard Callios’s hand brushing slowly over the painting.
“Rodin secretly went underground with his daughters and sons, reclaimed the light, and turned the tide. Then he captured Karax and the heretics and trapped them in the mire. This painting depicts that moment.”
“So Karax and those… heretics are still underground?”
“Yes. They are said to wander in eternal darkness. It’s God’s punishment.”
“Oh, this is fun! I love these myth stories!”
“Myth?”
“Yes, I like hearing stories about myths or legends! Can you tell me more?”
Sigh…
Callios suddenly let go of my hand and sighed.
“You… just now, if you said that in front of others, you could be punished for sacrilege.”
Ah! This world still worships the God of Light!
I quickly shut my mouth, glancing nervously at Callios.
He wouldn’t report me to the temple, would he?
“Ah, it’s just that you told the story so interestingly! I mistook it for a childhood fairy tale!”
I forced a fake laugh, trying to cover my slip of the tongue.
“See! Nowadays, no one steals the light or locks anyone in eternal darkness… that doesn’t happen anymore!”
“…Why not?”
