That melody from last night's northern sky still lingered in Viola's chest. That melody——something difficult to call either sound or sensation, something that had reached directly into the center of her heart. Without a name, it remained there still. Walking through the prayer halls, Viola recalled it again and again. It wasn't sadness. But certainly, her chest tightened. (Will it come again tonight?) That was when she thought it. From down the corridor, the maidservant Lina came running at full speed. Holding her skirts with one hand, her feet pattering against the white marble of the hallway. Only Lina would run like that through the corridors of the Seraphina Cathedral. "[excited]Lady Viola! Something terrible! The city——the city is in an uproar!" "[gentle]Calm yourself. What happened?" "[excited]The Hero is coming! Since this morning, citizens have been gathering in front of the cathedral, and now the main street is packed with people!" Viola approached the window. The sound of the street was indeed different. Not the usual morning bustle. A higher, surging sound——cheers that rose like a wave——came from beyond the stone walls. From the direction of the market, too, came shouts of jubilation. Viola had no memory of Soleil ever stirring like this. For the approximately 120,000 people living in the royal capital of Soleil, the word "Hero" held special meaning. The Holy Sword Carrion——that blade of white silver wrapped in pale light——had been drawn by only twelve people in all of history. Two years ago, it was drawn again. For the first time in 150 years. From that day, the entire nation had been in ferment. A Hero possessed the authority of a general of the realm and carried the mission to slay the Demon Lord——for the people, it was the moment when the continuation of myth began to move before their eyes. Viola placed her fingertips on the window frame and gazed down at the street below. Small figures filled the main avenue. All facing the same direction. Toward the great gates of the cathedral. --- From the second-floor gallery of the great hall, Viola saw it. A horse stopped before the great gates. The young man riding it lowered his feet from the stirrups. Golden hair caught the morning light——the reflection was so sharp that Viola narrowed her eyes for a moment. He was tall. Dressed in traveling clothes with white silver as the dominant color, the sword at his waist gleamed faintly in the morning sun. The knights around him parted to make way. The citizens' cheers swelled like a wave. Viola watched from above. Her emotions remained quiet. She was receiving the fact that "the Hero has come" in her mind. Her chest remained flat. She simply thought: is this the person said to save the world? Lina, standing beside her, whispered softly. "[whispers]Amazing... I've never seen anyone so beautiful..." Viola said nothing. --- The formal ceremony began one hour later. The great hall——the widest space in the Seraphina Cathedral, with its high ceiling and white stone pillars stretching endlessly——held nearly 200 priests and handmaidens in formation. Five members of the Elder Council sat on the elevated platform at the front. Elder Baldus, the chief, was at the center. Seventy-eight years old. The white-haired priest maintained his posture perfectly straight, his gray eyes quietly surveying the great hall. The Ceremony of Betrothal Vow——a man who would propose to the Saint must make his vow publicly in this great hall. The Saint's love was not a personal matter, but a matter of state, of the world. Viola knew this. She had always known it. And precisely because of that, she already understood that her own will existed nowhere in this ceremony. Viola stood before the altar. Within the sleeves of her white robe, the stigma on her right palm was faintly warm. The great hall's doors opened with a heavy sound. The young man entered. Seen up close, his impression was slightly different from what she had perceived from a distance. Eyes of transparent azure. A brightness as though perpetually bathed in sunlight——but those eyes now looked only at Viola, with an intensity that left no room for doubt. No hesitation. Even with all 200 people watching, he treated them as if they were air, walking forward with his gaze fixed only ahead. The young man came before Viola and knelt on one knee. "[serious]Lady Saint" It was quiet. But his voice carried. That low voice reached throughout the entire great hall. "[serious]I want you to travel with me. To defeat the Demon Lord and save the world. For that——I need your power" The great hall fell completely silent. In that moment. Something in the depths of Viola's chest jumped violently. Her heartbeat skipped——an irregular rhythm. She had unconsciously pressed her right palm to her chest. Her body was hot. Why. She didn't know. Before she could process the meaning of his words, her body had reacted to those unwavering eyes. In eighteen years, no one had ever looked at her like this. Not a man her own age. Without hesitation. As though the answer had been decided from the very beginning. (What... is this?) Before she could search for an answer, Baldus's voice resonated through the great hall. "[serious]Hero Rei. I have received your Betrothal Vow. The Elder Council... approves this" Applause erupted. The priests bowed their heads in unison. The ceremony proceeded. Viola remained standing, watching Baldus's profile. Approval. He had said it with a face of inevitability. But she understood, dimly. That was not pure approval. The Elder Council was attempting to align themselves with the political power of the Hero. A calculated move to counter the threat of the Demon Lord. Her own will existed nowhere in this ceremony. And yet. Rei slowly raised his face. His eyes turned toward her once more. Her chest jumped again. --- In the afternoon, Baldus granted her half a day's leave. Viola understood that too was a political calculation. By having the Hero and Saint move together in public view, the morale of the citizens would rise. She could read the Elder Council's intentions. But permission was permission. When Viola stepped through the great gates of the temple, her feet hesitated slightly. The sensation of the stone pavement was different from that of the corridors. Slightly rough, uneven. Small chips marked where carriage wheels had worn it away. The sky was vast. Without the temple's ceiling, the sky was so large, she thought. The scent of spices and baked goods carried on the wind. Somewhere, children's laughter. Everything was dazzling, a little frightening, and her heart stirred restlessly. "[gentle]Are you alright?" Rei spoke from beside her. His tone was different from the great hall. Low, but soft. "[gentle]...Yes. I... haven't been outside very often" "[surprised]Very often?" "[serious]Only a handful of times. The Elder Council's permission is required. For any outing" Rei said nothing for a moment. She saw something complex pass across his profile. Not anger. But something being held back—— "[serious]Let's go" He said it shortly and turned forward. The path to the banks of the Mylene River passed through the central market. The market, with its roughly 120 stalls, still bustled past midday. Colorful fabrics, mountains of vegetables, the sound of the blacksmith's hammer, the fishmonger's calls——everything came at once. Viola slowed her pace and took each sight in. The sensation contained within the word "market" that she had read in books. As though she had turned a page and found herself inside it——there was something strange about that. At one of the stalls, small ceramic birds were arranged in a row. White, round, simply made. Viola's feet naturally stopped before them. "Do you like it?" "[gentle]I thought it was beautiful" Rei handed a silver coin to the stall keeper. "I'll take this," he said. His tone brooked no argument, but the keeper looked pleased. The white bird rested in Viola's palm. The ceramic was lighter than expected, and cool. "[serious]Accept it" "[surprised]...But I have nothing to give you in return" "[serious]I don't need anything. I wanted to give it to you. That's all" Definitive, without hesitation. Viola wondered if this was how he always spoke. --- The café was right beside the river. The Mylene River——a tributary of the continent's longest river, flowing near the royal capital——turned golden as evening approached. That color was visible from the window seat. What Rei ordered were baked goods, with the scent of honey and spices. Viola stared at them for a while after they were placed on the table. "Won't you eat?" "[gentle]...I shall" She took a bite. Sweet. Warm. The faint sting of spices came after. Before the word "delicious" could form, her cheeks had already softened. Her eyes narrowed. When she realized it, Rei was watching her face. He wasn't smiling. But he was clearly pleased. "[gentle]...What is it?" "[serious]Nothing" "[serious]You were watching me" "[serious]...I thought your smile was beautiful. That's all" There was a pause. Viola stood holding the baked good, unable to speak. Something moved in the depths of her chest. Different from the great hall. Quieter, a warmth that seeped in gradually. She had been complimented on her smile many times before. But never like this——as though he were looking at something precious——she didn't think she had ever been told such a thing. Outside the window, the river's surface began to turn red. For the first time, Viola watched the same color of sky beside someone else. The ceramic bird in her right hand was still cool. --- On the way back, as the temple drew near, one of Rei's knights caught up from behind, running. He seemed to be one of his companions, a young man with an easy manner. "Lady Saint, thank you for your company today! Was there anything inconvenient during our outing?" His voice was without malice. His smile was natural. Viola was about to answer when—— Rei quietly stepped in front of the knight. "[cold]Don't speak so casually" His tone was completely different from before. Low and cold. A voice with emotion stripped away. The knight froze for a moment. "...Y-yes. My apologies," he said, stepping back. Viola looked at Rei's profile. He was protecting her, she thought first. She certainly received it that way. But the coldness in his eyes——left a small snag in the corner of her heart. The knight had done nothing wrong. He had simply spoken to her. Yet those eyes were as though he were looking at an enemy. (He was... protecting me, wasn't he?) Viola told herself this. But the question did not fade. Rei was already facing forward. Walking as though nothing had happened. --- At night. When Viola went to the rear garden of the temple, the moon was out. The white stone pavement glowed with a bluish tint. She had come to this place last night too. The same moon hung in the same place. Viola strained her ears toward the northern sky. It was quiet. The melody that had gripped her chest so tightly last night did not come tonight. Beyond the wall of twilight——in the direction of the Noir Wasteland, there was only darkness. A few stars were visible. The wind was slightly cold. That was all. (It doesn't come) For some reason, that was a little lonely. Viola looked down at her right palm. The stigma glowed faintly. It was not raging. Throughout the day, her power had been calm. When she received Rei's gaze in the great hall, when she ate the baked good by the river——the stigma had not jumped. Rather, it had been stable. She wondered if that was the answer. Not suppressing emotion, but——her power settling because someone was beside her? Yet at the same time, she felt loneliness that the melody did not come tonight. The tightness in her chest last night and that jump when she saw Rei's eyes today. Both were real sensations. Both truly felt. And yet, her body knew they w