Law.
“I’ll just read a little more!”
Before she could finish speaking, Ailus lifted her hand and snatched the document from her grasp.
“Please take care of your health—you are the future of our Demon Race.”
“…I understand.”
Darlian hesitated for a moment as she stared at Ailus’s red hair swaying in the dim light, then simply gave up trying to reason with her.
She never won arguments against Ailus anyway.
Besides, Ailus was standing there out of concern for her, which made it even harder to argue back.
“There’s a clear lake in the forest to the west. If Darlian-sama wants to bathe or wash up, you can go there. I’ve already instructed the soldiers not to approach.”
“Hmm.”
Darlian leaned back against the chair to relax for a moment.
After the dizziness from overthinking subsided a bit, she stood up and walked outside the tent.
The stars blinked, the crescent moon gently swayed.
Taking a change of clothes from the nearby rest tent, Darlian once again gazed up at the star-studded night sky, then used magic to lift her body, flying toward the western forest.
Rise.
The forest wasn’t very large, but it was somewhat famous nearby because of the lake hidden deep within.
Tirnano…
If she remembered correctly, that was the name of the lake.
She had been near here a long time ago.
Darlian flew slowly, the breeze fluttering her simple clothes noisily.
After just a short while, from her high vantage point she spotted the lake—calm as a mirror, shimmering with a pale blue-white glow.
“Hm?”
Just as she was about to reach the lake, a somewhat youthful voice, strangely familiar, suddenly reached her ears.
Without much thought, an exquisitely delicate young girl’s face appeared in her mind.
The face was as gorgeous and brilliant as the Milky Way on a deep night.
Unbelievably beautiful…
Hearing the voice, Darlian furrowed her brow thoughtfully, then chose to descend slowly and quietly to the ground.
Treading the rough muddy ground, Darlian pushed aside branches blocking her view.
The moon hung above the lake, spilling cool white light from the clear night sky, gently wrapping a small, tender figure in its glow.
Bathed in moonlight like a fairy, Finihiya sang a foreign folk song in her tiny, truly tiny voice.
That soft, whispered singing inexplicably calmed the heart.
Darlian merely watched from a distance.
If she stepped forward, she might shatter this solitary midnight world the girl had created.
Thinking this, Darlian even lightened her breathing.
“Moonlight brightens the sky~”
“Scattering beams that adorn the sea~”
“Whenever a shooting star falls from the heavens~”
She didn’t know how long she had gazed upon this peaceful scene, until a dry branch snapped beneath her feet with a “crack,” startling her back to reality.
As she shifted her weight, she had accidentally stepped on a fallen twig.
“Wh-who’s there?”
Though the crack was faint, in such a quiet night it seemed to ripple outward like tangible waves.
Seeing Finihiya, who was so frightened she had submerged her whole body in the water, exposing only half her head, Darlian—who had been about to leave quietly—hesitated a moment, then took a step forward and emerged from the forest.
“Don’t be afraid, it’s me.”
Darlian forced a smile.
She tried to make her tone and expression sound gentle.
“Da…Darlian!”
Hm?
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Finihiya’s voice sounded oddly hoarse and strained when calling her.
“What a coincidence, meeting you at this hour.”
“A coincidence…” Finihiya’s eyes revealed a subtle nuance before she submerged half her head again, blowing bubbles softly, “Why is Darlian-sama… here?”
Darlian slipped off her shoes and white socks, stepping barefoot on the gravel shore.
“Probably for the same reason as you—wanting to wash up.”
The cool lake water enveloped Darlian’s pale feet as she casually lifted her long skirt and strolled along the shore.
She suddenly stopped, as if recalling something.
“Were you satisfied with the cookies this morning, Miss Saintess?”
“Mm-hmm…”
Finihiya, still immersed in the water, mumbled a vague reply.
Looking at that delicate face, which naturally made one want to treat her like a doll, Darlian frowned slightly, feeling a strange emotion stir within.
She sensed something was off about Finihiya now, somewhat different from the poised and elegant demeanor she had displayed earlier that morning.
But exactly what was strange, Darlian couldn’t pinpoint.
In the end, she could only attribute this subtle feeling to Finihiya’s shy and timid nature.
After walking along the lakeshore for a while, Darlian glanced at the serene water, then brought her small hands behind her back and slowly untied the thin strings of her long skirt.
“Da…Darlian-sama, you… what are you going to do?”
A brief voice, tinged with panic, escaped from Finihiya’s cherry lips.
Darlian tilted her head slightly, glancing at Finihiya and answered in a flat, calm tone.
“Of course, I’m going to bathe.”
“N-no, you can’t.”
Finihiya’s unexpected words made her respond with a curious “Hm?”
“Why not?”
“…Because I’m still bathing.”
Finihiya’s voice grew smaller as she seemed to realize the unreasonable nature of her words.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared at her lips.
***
After looking around at the vast lake, she asked with a playful expression and tone.
“It’s so big—does Miss Saintess want to keep it all to herself?”
“…No, it’s not like that.”
Finihiya submerged her head deeper, hiding those gem-like sparkling eyes.
Her hair floating in the water looked like flowing strands of gold, stunningly beautiful.
Darlian noticed that the Saintess before her seemed surprisingly easy to tease.
Just as she was about to remove her clothes, Finihiya’s small head popped up from the water again.
“…Darlian-sama.”
“Hmm?”
“Could you please turn your body around?”
Turn around?
Darlian tilted her head in puzzlement but complied with Finihiya’s request.
As she turned, the gentle sound of lake water flowing came from behind her.
Just as she was about to glance backward, Finihiya’s sudden startled voice called out.
“Don’t… don’t look back. Wait a moment, it’ll be done soon.”
Bathed in soft moonlight, she heard the rustling of fabric behind her.
When Finihiya softly said, “Okay,” Darlian turned back around.