Chapter 82 — In which they have a nightmare (7)

The guard jumped when the door suddenly opened in the middle of the night.

Her heart jumped to her throat again when His Excellency appeared at the doorsteps.

“… Yo-Your Excellency, is something wrong?”

Amara turned his gaze to her.

Because he didn’t have any make-up, the dark circles under his eyes were plainly visible.

The guard caught herself thinking that they seemed to be darker than before, when Amara’s tranquil voice brought her back to reality.

“I’m going to visit Hall of Silence.”

“Ah, of course. Let me accompany you on your way.”

“Yes."

Amara nodded, bowing his head slightly in the motion.

An expression of gratitude.

It was such a small motion it could be easily missed and ignored, but those who lived in the Universe Temple for a long time came to learn it was how the Saint, who was restrained by strict customs and surveillance, was saying ‘thank you’.

Because he couldn’t show it any other way.

‘He is always so considerate…’

Even now, he was deliberately slowing down his steps, as if he remembered that she twisted her ankle a few days ago.

Though she already healed thanks to her god’s support, as their authority in healing was small, it still hurt slightly.

She was sure that she never showed it, but did the Saint notice?

Perhaps it was natural. He was the Saint after all.

‘But why are you going to the Hall of Silence?’

She knew that he sometimes visited them when something upsetting happened, or he was deeply worried about something.

‘It’s a good place to think but… it’s also such a cold place and the meals aren’t delivered there…’

His Excellency was already quite thin… if not for the physical training, wouldn’t his bones be already showing…?

Perhaps, the guard would be pleased if she knew that her god and others were voicing the exact same concerns as her inside of Amara’s head.

*No sleep and now no breakfast?*

*That’s what they call unhealthy spiral.*

*… This one might be a god of starvation, but this one would rather wish if our Am stays away from this one.*

*Dear Am, dear Am, those foolish gods of warmth might have been in the wrong about trying to put your favorite blue robe on fire, but it’s not a reason to torture yourself...*

*Yes! Yes! We were wrong! We were completely, utterly wrong, even if we never did anything of what that cold liar is saying! Kind Am, pretty Am, please don’t lock yourself up in the cell...*

‘I’m not planning on anything like that in the first place.’

*Why are you going to those cold, starving, lonely, quiet halls…?*

‘To get something.’

*What? What is our Am getting today?*

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‘… Something which doesn’t exist.’

*… Void? Is our Am getting void?*

*No, no, void obviously exists.*

*No it does not. It’s void.*

*Listen to yourself, how can ‘void’ not exist? It has four letters.*

The topic of conversation derailed quickly.

Amara suppressed a sigh and just headed to his destination.

Earlier tonight, he used an opportunity of the cloudless night and performed a tracking ritual using the moonlight reflected in the pond.

The ritual needed an object related to a person he was seeking, but thankfully he had that origami fox, which he didn’t know where it came from, but was certainly useful for his task.

As a result, the fox ended a bit soaked (but thankfully Amara managed to complete the ritual without destroying it) and Amara obtained a revelation.

The one he sought was in the Hall of Silence.

Therefore, he was heading there in the middle of the night under the excuse of being troubled by something so much he couldn’t sleep.

Finally, he stopped in front of a heavy door, carved with numerous holy symbols.

“I’ll wait here.”

The guard bowed.

She couldn’t go any further, as she wasn’t going to contemplate.

Amara nodded slightly and then put his hand on the door.

In his head, he asked a certain group of gods:

‘I ask for permission to talk in the hall.’

*Permission granted.*

The gods agreed easily and then fell silent again.

Amara really liked them.

They were very simple beings.

Creak.

The holy symbols flashed and then the door opened.

Amara stepped inside.

The Universe Temple wasn’t just a simple temple.

It was entire architectural complex that could actually contain a small town inside.

There were many special areas inside, like this one.

The Hall of Silence.

Containing the relics of quite a few gods related to silence and blessed with the power of numerous others, it was perhaps the quietest place on this land.

When Amara walked through its stone corridor, his footsteps made no sound, and even if one tried to listen to one’s heart, they wouldn’t be able to hear a thing.

In this place, even an unbeliever would be affected.

After walking through the labyrinth of stone for a minute, Amara finally found his target.

“Laven.”

A child curled up in the corner raised his eyes and blinked in surprise.

“Older Brother Amara.”

A shiver went down Amara’s spine.

Being the youngest for most of his life, he couldn’t get used it.

He suppressed the urge to run away and sat down beside Laven, roughly throwing the shawl he was wearing over Laven’s shoulder.

“What did you do?”

“… Is it okay to talk?”

Laven hesitated as he looked in the depths of a dark corridor.

There were spying eyes there.

But Amara nodded.

“Only I have permission to talk. So only the people I’m talking to are permitted to hear me.”

Even lip-reading was impossible.

Trusting him, Laven no longer hesitated.

“When I noticed that bastard heading to your room, I took out a bottle of wine I stole before and used it to make a commotion.”

Amara suppressed the urge to press his temples.

“You didn’t drink any, right?”

“No.”

“Good. Children shouldn’t drink.”

“I wasn’t going to. Alcohol tastes terrible.”

“… I’m not going to ask how you know how alcohol tastes.”

Amara looked at the opposite wall and changed the topic.

“Did the gods tell you what I’m doing?”

“No… They were only able to tell me when you would be in danger and need help.”

“I see…”

Actually Amara wasn’t sure until now if Laven was really hearing voices of gods or was it some other ability that helped him save Amara’s skin two times already.

Once, he hid the stone used to alter the holy formations before Rasin was able to find it.

And now, the second time, he distracted Rasin, giving Amara time to teleport back.

He thought it might be a case, because of how the gods acted around Laven or about his actions, but ability to hear gods was so rare that he doubted it was truly it…

“… Are you not going to ask me?”

“What?”

Amara wasn’t sure what Laven was suddenly talking about.

“About who I am for example.”

Ah… It was indeed a sensible question, but…

“… No, not now.”

“Why?”

“If I learn it now, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to control my expression… or emotions. And there are eyes around.”

“… I see. I understand. Is it also the reason why you’re avoiding me?”

“….”

Amara wasn’t able to answer that.

After a moment of true silence.

“You should head back. Spending an entire day here should be more than enough for a punishment.”

“… That bastard said I should stay here until he fetches me.”

“I have a higher authority than him, right? Don’t worry about it.”

Though only in name, Amara was the highest authority in Purplus.

He could overthrow any punishment if he wished.

Laven hesitated for a moment, as if he didn’t want to leave, and then finally bowed lightly in goodbyes and headed towards the exit.

Amara was left alone.

In this place, even the constant chatter of gods became quieter.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

*Help… Please help...*

Suddenly, a very quiet voice reached out to him.

Amara recognized this voice.

A long time ago, it was a very powerful god, but now they were almost completely forgotten.

But what were they asking for…?

*… Believer… In danger...*

‘In danger?’

The god didn’t speak any further.

They didn’t have any more power to interfere into this world.

But Amara didn’t give up.

Because if the god was able to speak to him, it meant that he possessed the clues to this riddle.

‘You said something about Rubrun…’

When Amara was considering if Seven was sent by Rubrun, it was the god that told him that Rubrun wasn’t involved.

‘Then the believer must be related to Rubrun…’

But Amara didn’t know anyone from Rubrun… Unless you included the Archmage’s family.

Though he didn’t know them personally, he knew their basic profiles…

It would be enough… Then someone from Archmage’s family would be in danger…?

The moment when Archmage’s family could be in danger and Amara already knew about it and was suspecting there would be an incident…

There was only one option.

‘Something will happen during the coming-of-age ceremony of the Lesser Lord…’

Amara fell into thoughts.

It seemed that he would have to make some changes to his schedule… Because there might be a need for him to take action in two weeks.

*~*~*