I suddenly woke up.
When I opened my eyes, it was deep in the darkest part of night. As I quietly rose, I saw Xenon and Samuel sleeping in the corner with bedding roughly spread on the floor.
At the edge of the bed, Mori and Jigor were positioned just as they had been before falling asleep.
What was strange, however, was that they were all soundly asleep.
Given the rustling sounds of my movement, someone should have opened their eyes, yet the surroundings remained utterly silent.
"That..."
I had parted my lips thinking I should wake someone, but then closed them again.
Somehow, this silence felt artificial. This was, how should I put it...
"Febrin Monastery."
It was similar to the atmosphere I had felt when encountering the ghost that visited in the middle of the night.
Could it be that a ghost had appeared this time as well? Belladia Castle was a place long abandoned, so it wouldn't seem strange if a ghost did appear.
After slipping out of bed and looking at the sleeping figures, I quietly stepped outside.
Though it was the middle of the night, the moon was bright and cloudless, making it easy to look around.
Nadab was beside the door, and like the other Durahans, seemed to be asleep.
"Is anyone there?"
I spoke abruptly into the empty air on the off chance, but no answer came back.
'Was I being too sensitive? Should I just go back inside and finish my sleep?'
I stood idly at the door, pondering, then turned my gaze without purpose. As I absentmindedly observed the empty inner castle grounds, I suddenly realized something.
'Where is Soana?'
All the Durahans were within my sight, yet Soana was nowhere to be found no matter how much I looked.
Soana might have taken a perch somewhere high like a hawk, but...
'It doesn't seem like her personality to stay apart when everyone else is here together.'
Upon noticing Soana's absence, what little drowsiness remained completely vanished.
I habitually fingered my bracelet, hesitated briefly, then took decisive steps forward. The inner castle was small, so it shouldn't take long to look around.
I walked examining the barren ground by moonlight, but sensed no presence anywhere.
'Is she really just up somewhere high?'
As I circled around the main tower with my head tilted in puzzlement, I felt a burning sensation in my hand.
"Divine power?"
My hand, which had been perfectly fine when I opened the duty room door, was now emitting a brilliant green light.
The meaning of this was all too clear.
"Soana!"
My voice echoed loudly through the silent inner castle courtyard.
"Soana! Where are you?"
Soana, having reclaimed her head, had to be nearby. This surging power, as if demanding I grant her rest immediately, proved it.
As I looked around the dark surroundings while pacing, my gaze landed on a corner.
At first glance, it appeared to be just a black shadow, but when I focused my eyes and stared, I could tell it was a small building.
Beyond the open door lay only darkness, yet instinctively I sensed something beyond it.
After surveying the surroundings and confirming no one was about, I slowly headed toward it.
As I approached, the building's form became clearer. It was neither an ordinary stable nor soldiers' quarters.
"A chapel?"
Though its detailed decorations differed from a typical chapel, the overall form was that of a chapel.
'Come to think of it, Soana was originally a priestess of Birth.'
There was no need to hesitate further. As I stepped inside, something made a crunching sound beneath my feet.
What I dimly saw at my feet were broken wooden chairs.
It wasn't just my immediate area that was in disarray. The chapel interior was a complete mess, as if someone had thrown a tantrum.
'Did a battle take place here?'
Hobgoblins had appeared even in the outer castle. There was no guarantee the inner castle would be devoid of anything.
'Could it be that Birth hid something here?'
I had been fiddling with a broken piece of wood when I abruptly stood up. Right after that, I discovered the stained glass directly ahead.
The moonlight poured in abundantly, making the multicolored glass sparkle and shine.
I stopped in my tracks and quietly gazed straight ahead.
"...Soana?"
I saw the back of someone kneeling and sitting while gazing at the stained glass.
There was no need to confirm the face. That was Soana.
"Just when exactly did you reclaim your head?"
Soana, who had been sitting bathed in the moonlight streaming from the stained glass, slowly rose to her feet.
As she stood, the air inside the narrow chapel rippled.
Black smoke that had been indistinct in the darkness formed concentric ripples centered around Soana.
Each time that happened, the sound of wood splitting could be heard. Presumably, this was the culprit that had turned the chapel interior into such a mess.
That was the black energy I had consistently seen from Durahans who had found their heads.
'For the energy to be this dense...'
I frowned without realizing it. Just how long had it been since she reclaimed her head?
"Captain."
"Are you alright?"
"Of course I am alright. Though I may appear somewhat... unstable to you."
Not somewhat, but extremely unstable.
Yet the voice she addressed to me remained perfectly calm and composed.
"If you'd found your head, you should have sought help from someone and woken me."
"As a priestess, I have undergone extensive training. Waiting was not difficult for me."
Soana said with a faint smile. Standing in the darkness, she was an aged woman with deep eyes that reflected the passage of years.
However, her straight posture and elegant face were charming enough to make one forget her age.
"You came sooner than I expected."
"Do the other Durahans know you've reclaimed your head? Have you greeted them?"
"They do not know."
"Why didn't you tell them?"
I tilted my head, unable to understand.
Instead of answering my question, Soana only smiled gently.
With both hands neatly gathered in front of her, she fell into thought for a moment, then turned to look at the stained glass.
"I did not stay by the Captain's side, and I failed to fulfill that duty. Behind my back, as I left my post and prayed in this place, the traitor's sword flew at me."
Was she saying this now to confess her sins? If she expected me to criticize that behavior, she had sorely misjudged the matter.
"Well."
I drawled out my words, crooking my lips askew, and murmured as if to myself.
"I don't think the past Captain's expectation of you was for you to protect himself."
Surprised by my words, Soana raised her eyebrows and asked back.
"Do you happen to remember that time?"
"No."
My memory was not clear. In certain places or situations, I would merge with them surprisingly well, but soon I would adopt a detached attitude as if observing someone else's affairs.
For instance, right now I stood in a more observer-like position than ever. The opposite of when I had witnessed Tristan's death and shed tears.
"I don't remember, but I simply guessed that since the past Captain took you in to care for the other knights, your duty would naturally be connected to that."
Soana, who had been listening to my answer, narrowed her eyes and smiled. It was like the face of a teacher looking at a clever student.
She shifted her gaze, which had been fixed on me, once more.
"The part that received the most attention when this chapel was built was that stained glass."
It was a stained glass filled with moonlight. A woman in prayer was depicted large, and unlike the rest of this old and weathered chapel, this part showed almost no traces of time.
"It appears so."
"The Captain personally designed it."
The past Captain apparently had many talents. Not only did he liberate all the world's living beings, but he even lent a hand in building a small chapel like this.
"He put such care into building it, yet whenever he visited the chapel, he would always inform me of his intention to visit beforehand. If the door happened to be closed, he would knock. Knocking to enter a chapel—quite an adorable action, wouldn't you say?"
"Should I knock and enter now, even at this late hour?"
"There is no need for that. I never wished for such a thing."
Soana let out a low laugh, then breathed a murmur like a sigh.
"This chapel is not a space for the gods. It is a space solely for me."
"So it was essentially your quarters."
"No one else was permitted such a space. I thought that perhaps it stemmed from my origins. Unable to mix freely with the other knights due to my inadequate standing, I assumed this personal space was provided as consideration."
At first glance, it was a plausible conjecture. Since Soana was originally a priestess who served Birth, perhaps she was kept separate, disguised as consideration because she couldn't be fully trusted.
But I didn't think that had been the past Captain's intention.
Judging by what I had heard of her actions through the Durahans' accounts, the possibility was greater that preparing such a space for Soana had been a choice purely for Soana's sake.
Of course, that didn't mean I felt inclined to defend the past Captain and speak on his behalf, so I remained silent.
Soana did not wait for my answer and murmured quietly.
"He did not demand loyalty from me..."
"From the past Captain?"
"Neither in the past, nor now."
Well, I knew all too well how meaningless forced loyalty was.
Still having nothing to say, I simply watched her quietly, and Soana walked slowly toward the stained glass.
"Now I have finally realized the proper will I should possess. I am simply glad that here in this place the past you prepared, I can ask the present you for rest."
It was then.
Crack.
A faint sound like cracking came from somewhere.
"I am a priestess who watches over you. To create an unbiased scale, I have measured and observed your will."
Soana, standing upright facing me, brought both hands neatly together.
"Now I will choose. With my own complete will, I will place everything I have witnessed upon the scales."
"Right now, at this moment?"
In this dark night, without even saying farewell to the other Durahans?
Soana, understanding the meaning contained in my question, nodded. A bitter smile formed on her face, cast in deep shadow from having her back to the pouring moonlight.
"My role is finished."