Rudis was worried. As they moved through the village center, she kept thinking something might happen because of her. She worried anxiously, but fortunately people were gathered in front of the general store.

Thanks to that, Rudis could quietly head to the lord’s castle while avoiding people’s gazes.

They arrived at the lord’s castle. When they reached the massive castle gates, her breath caught once again.

Rudis slowly looked up at the castle walls. The atmosphere seemed cut off from the world. Now that she had regained her memories, this place felt completely different.

The lord’s castle looked like it had been moved directly from the castle where Kaires once stayed. No, it was exactly the same as her old memories.

Only one thing had changed. The majestic height of the castle walls, so different from before, seemed like Kaires’s deepened solitude. It was Kaires’s sadness and the wounds he had received because of her.

Rudis naturally became solemn. Seeing Rudis fall silent like this, Kaires led her somewhere.

“…This place is.”

Where Kaires stopped was a place she had visited before. It was the prayer room.

The prayer room was still beautiful. Light filtered softly through the long stained glass windows stretching along the ceiling. Fragments of light in red, blue, and gold wove patterns across the floor. But this place felt empty somehow.

Despite being called a prayer room, there were no sculptures including divine statues. Instead, in the middle of the prayer room stood a massive white wall alone. Like a sacred altar left blank with nothing carved on it.

Kaires quietly positioned Rudis in front of that pure white wall. Then he said quietly.

“I always thought you were here and prayed…”

At that moment, Rudis realized why there wasn’t even a single common divine statue in this space called a prayer room.

The object of Kaires’s prayers in this place wasn’t a god.

This space had been created solely for her from the beginning. A place made for the one person he hoped would return after a long wait. Here, he had prayed not to a god but for Rudis.

The moment she realized this fact, everything looked different. Light entering through the stained glass scattered and spread softly along the walls.

When Rudis took a step forward, multicolored light scattered like flower petals beneath her feet. She seemed to be standing in a flower garden made of light.

“I wanted to make you a flower garden… Can you see over there?”

Following Kaires’s fingertip, Rudis’s gaze rose. In one corner of the prayer room, in a barely visible spot, sat a box that didn’t match the space. And that box was full of blooming flowers. 

The very flowers Kaires had given her today. Those flowers that had once bloomed commonly on the streets long ago, but could no longer be seen anywhere now.

“You… grew these here?”

When she asked in disbelief, Kaires answered quietly.

“I thought they were common flowers, but they were difficult to grow.”

Flowers that bloomed commonly on roadsides. However, they didn’t grow easily in this place. In this place lacking both light and wind, they would wither while trying to take root, rot at the roots even when replanted, and fail to grow properly even when shoots emerged.

Flowers finally bloomed after a long time and countless failures. Kaires slowly looked down at those flowers.

“Even flowers that bloom easily and commonly are difficult to make bloom artificially. Maintaining that light and protecting life is hard. They’re not as beautiful as before and their form has changed too… Still, I thought these flowers were you.”

Rudis couldn’t say anything. The years Kaires had endured, the space he had protected, and the single flower that had bloomed here and been placed in her hands. All of this had been for her.

“Whatever you do, I’ll help you. If you want to return to the world where you originally belonged… I’ll still help you. So you can stay wherever you want to stay. I don’t know the method, but if you want it, I’ll find it. Maybe I already know…”

It was so like Kaires. To wish for her happiness even while giving up what he wanted.

“I won’t force you.”

“…”

“So will you tell me? Whenever you want to leave. This time, so I can at least say goodbye.”

From his trembling fingertips, Rudis realized that Kaires was standing before her in his most honest form ever.

The man who had hidden his expression behind curtains. The man who had been thoroughly principled. The man who had once tried to confine her was now trembling with fear while saying he wouldn’t hold onto her, that he would respect her choice.

That fact shook Rudis’s heart more intensely than anything else.

Rudis quietly lifted the flower she was holding. Then carefully, she tucked it behind Kaires’s ear. His slightly reddened ear tip caught her attention.

When Rudis whispered softly, Kaires’s eyes changed. With desire more vivid than anything else.

* * *

What have they been gathering there since yesterday?

The next morning, after leaving Kaires at the castle saying he had things to do, Rudis was heading home when she stopped walking at the sight of people crowded in front of the general store. The unusually noisy atmosphere instinctively made her tense.

“It’s not open today either.”

“What? Then this is real? I thought it was a joke.”

“So does this make sense? The general store closing! And indefinitely at that?”

People who saw the notice posted in front of the general store were agitated and murmuring. Everyone looked serious. Word came out that store owner Thomas had been missing for over a day.

“What on earth is going on. Where’s Thomas?! Has anyone seen Thomas?”

“He hasn’t been seen since yesterday.”

Even with people’s shouts demanding to know the situation, there were no proper answers. Several people struggled to peer inside the general store.

“He might be inside.”

Someone who had been muttering like that while peering through the store’s door crack suddenly cried out in shock.

“Inside… there’s nothing! Really nothing. The shelves are completely empty!”

People became even more agitated. The general store sold various items, but the biggest problem was food. If their stored food ran out, there would be no way to solve their immediate meals. Only Rudis farmed.

Occasionally there were those who were self-sufficient in their yards, but most only grew items to present at harvest festivals or maintained decorative gardens. Moreover, it was winter now. No one had a way to urgently obtain food.

“Hamerd, do you have any bread left?”

“Hmph, does that make sense? It’s been ages since Rudis brought flour, so there couldn’t be any bread left.”

“Then, then, right! What about the tavern?”

“That’s been closed for ages. Don’t you remember?”

People couldn’t hide their anxiety and whispered among themselves. The tavern Xenon ran had also been closed for several days. With the only place selling food gone, the villagers fell into panic.

“At this rate, we might have to starve starting today. What do we do…”

“This is all because of Rudis. If Xenon hadn’t been bewitched by that witch, we wouldn’t be starving like this!”

In an instant, all arrows pointed toward Rudis.

“This is definitely Rudis’s doing too.”

At the sound of her name, Rudis hesitated and turned her gaze. Her eyes met Meilin’s, who was glaring at her from among the people.

“There’s Rudis!”

That single phrase became the trigger. People instantly rushed toward Rudis.

“She’s bewitched even the lord and now plans to starve us all to death. While she’s filled her warehouse with food! We need to drive out Rudis right now and take the food from her warehouse!”

At Meilin’s shout, people were murmuring and agreeing when suddenly someone broke through the crowd.

“D*mn fools.”

The one who appeared with rough curses was the complainer, old man Luther.

“Have you all really gone crazy? Don’t you remember at all? You’re not thinking about what you received and ate. Even if Rudis is a witch, if you received and ate something, you should have some conscience!”

No one expected Luther, who usually only complained, to step forward so fiercely. When the most unexpected person took her side, Rudis bit her lip. 

Actually, Grandpa Luther always had many complaints, but he was someone with deeper affection than anyone. He was just clumsy at showing it outwardly. The fact that he was stepping forward like this now meant that what Rudis had been doing all this time was never in vain.

At that moment, another voice rang out through the silence.