“I want to go back. Let’s just leave. The High Priest must have some plan, that’s why he’s staying quiet like this. He is the representative of the god himself; would he let us die? Come on, let’s go.”

Salina’s desperate plea took the edge off Maris’s spirit. Maris gripped Salina’s hand firmly and, as she began to walk, spoke to Layla.

“Let’s go, Layla. This isn’t the time for this place. Let’s leave it as a last resort.”

“I’ll look around the area a bit. There might be some clue.”

“Don’t waste your effort. Since no one comes around the temple at night, there won’t be any danger, but there’s no harm in being careful. Take a quick look and come back soon.”

“Yes, I will.”

Reassured by Layla’s spirited reply, Maris led Nihil and Salina and headed back toward the temple. Only after they disappeared did Layla turn around and survey her surroundings with a deflated expression.

“If only I could get past Mount Aurelia, I could reach the neighboring village.”

She swept her gaze over the dim surroundings with eyes full of lingering longing. Far in the distance, the temple’s mysterious seven sharply rising spires were visible. They were beautiful and lofty, at odds with the eerie surroundings. Layla was absently turning her head when the sudden sound of a presence nearby froze her entire body solid as a stone.

Had her friends who returned to the temple come back? That would be fortunate, but until now, there had been no other sign of anyone nearby. The surroundings were as quiet as if a mouse had died. She creaked her head toward the direction of the sound, and her gaze locked directly with that of an unbelievably handsome man.

In that instant, a cool, refreshing breeze blew in from somewhere, sweeping across Layla’s slender body, lingering at her fingertips before fading away. Her body felt strangely feverish, and even her mind was hazily stirred.

The realization that she was not alone in the dark mountain made her shoulders draw in. The person facing her still had not taken his eyes off Layla even once.

She had not noticed because of the man who had appeared so suddenly, but at some point a thick fog had settled in, dense and low. Having been chosen as a Saint at age seven and moving about around the temple ever since, this was the first time she had seen such heavy fog. This mountain was famous for its steep terrain and ravines, but fog did not settle here.

The surroundings were so thick with fog that nothing could be made out, yet strangely, the man before her was as vivid as if he stood right before her nose. It was fortunate he was not a frightening beast, but she still needed to be wary of a stranger.

She watched him without taking her eyes off him, on guard, and the gaze that met hers was sharp. His ash-grey eyes moved slowly upward from the tips of her feet, as if licking some intimate and hidden place. When they finally stopped, with a snap, on Layla’s blue eyes, it felt as though her entire body was being devoured by him. It was a strangely unsettling sensation she had never felt in her life.

The man, who had been watching with relentless intensity, finally took a step. Each time he closed the distance in one swift motion, the scent of cool winter rain seeped in through her nose. As if responding to that fragrance, a fresh, grassy scent like summer rain drifted from her own body.

“Ha…”

The man, who had caught Layla’s personal scent, let out a low groan as his prominent throat bobbed slowly up and down. It was the rough groan of a man she had never heard in her life. Before she could even hide her bewilderment, their gazes became entangled again without her realizing it.

The first thing that came to mind upon seeing him was a pure white snowfield. Mysterious platinum-blonde hair and ash-grey eyes that could bewitch a person.A height so tall she had to crane her neck, and a body sturdy and solid, as though cloaked in dark energy. A sharp jawline, a nose chiseled high, and beautiful features that filled his face and made it impossible to look away.

Beyond his unbelievably and astonishingly handsome appearance, the irresistible sense of authority emanating from the man suppressed Layla in an instant. Unable even to resist, she meekly lowered her eyes. Disconcertingly, the handsome man stopped right in front of her. Beneath her downcast gaze, she could see his jet-black leather shoes.

He had finally closed the distance and come close, so she had expected him to at least say something, but only a spine-chilling silence descended. When Layla could no longer bear it and barely managed to lift her head, she met the eyes of the man who had not taken his gaze off her even once.

Unlike his relentless stare, no emotion whatsoever could be read in the expression with which he looked at her. Unlike her flustered self, he showed not even a trace of surprise. His overbearing manner and mysterious appearance reminded her unmistakably of someone.

The High Priest, about whom rumors were rife.

Surely not.

At night, the faithful and the villagers did not enter the temple grounds, and the same was true of Mount Aurelia. In that case, the likelihood that he was a priest was high, and since he was a stranger she had never seen before, the only person who came to mind was naturally the High Priest. There was no priest here that Layla did not know, other than him.

Would she have appeared rude? Since he did not even press her with questions, her mouth was growing drier and drier. Her will to escape the crisis swelled up fully, and instinctively she began searching for a way to survive.

This area was right next to the Lenitas shortcut, so she must not be seen. He might have seen her come here together with her friends.

She must not let her own mistake cause her friends to suffer as well.

She was just about to make up an excuse that she had come out for a night walk and was on her way back to the temple, when a foreign voice pierced into her mind. It was a terribly low voice that drove itself roughly into her consciousness.

“Go back.”

Layla flinched and trembled. The man had clearly not moved his lips at all, yet an irresistible command had been issued into her mind.

Who said that?

Right now, in these surroundings, there was only herself and him. Without pressing her further, he only watched with relentless intensity and did not approach. His gaze, which pushed into her entire body with shameless persistence, was unsettling.

Layla ran back toward the temple as if fleeing, driven by the cold that pierced her entire body. She could not even muster the courage to look back. She should have recognized it from the moment people began gossiping about him. He was not an ordinary person like herself.

Layla focused all her nerves on her feet so as not to trip on a stone and ran in a daze. She felt that if she hesitated even for a moment, he would come after her immediately. She still felt as though his persistent gaze was clinging to her.

***

The next day, she had expected a summons from the High Priest, but there was no sign of anything from him. Having safely escaped the crisis, she let out a sigh of relief.

The ripple effects of the war had driven away the faithful who used to visit the temple, and the days that had once been bustling had grown so slack they were becoming tedious. When she had been forced to trudge through assigned tasks, all she had wanted was to run away, but now that there was nothing to do, this too was unbearably dull.

As Layla trudged toward the back courtyard of the temple carrying a laundry basket, someone thumped her shoulder repeatedly. Her shoulder stinging, she turned around with a sour expression to find Maris.

“I called out to you and you didn’t turn around. What were you thinking so hard about while walking? Did your shoulder hurt?”

“Mm-hmm. It really hurts.”

Layla made a show of holding her shoulder with practiced exaggeration, and Maris giggled. She glanced around once and then observed Layla carefully. She whispered as if sharing a secret.

“Did you find anything out last night?”

Layla hesitated for a moment over whether she should mention that she had met a stranger who might be the High Priest. She had not found out anything definite about him, and it was nothing more than speculation. Besides, she did not want to make Maris worry about her. Worries were already piling up one by one. On top of that, she had had a brief encounter with him, but he was clearly not someone it would be good to get entangled with.

Layla judged it was too soon and gave a light shake of her head. She planned to tell her friends after she had found out enough. Maris let out a long sigh.

“I overheard the priests talking just now, and apparently, today was a lull. They said they couldn’t figure out what the Fortuna royal knights were scheming. It seems like today is the perfect time to check out the Lenitas shortcut. What do you think? We need to find a way to survive before the Fortuna royal knights push right up to our doorstep.”

“You’re right, let’s go back again tonight.”