* * *

“It’s done.”

After reading the letter several times, I let out a sigh of relief upon confirming there were no mistakes.

Although the letters were uneven, pieced together from various sources, the meaning was clear.

I briefly considered adding more details about the situation beyond just a warning, but time was short.

The wedding, which would serve as the backdrop for the main event, wasn’t far off.

Considering how long it would take for the letter to reach the capital, it needed to be sent immediately.

Besides, if it’s Kaindel, even this much would be enough.

My role was simply to alert him to a potential future danger.

That was all.

After shaking the letter to ensure the pieces were firmly attached, I pulled an envelope from the drawer.

Sliding the neatly folded letter inside, I felt a weight lift from my chest.

The needles of guilt that had been pricking my conscience vanished instantly.

Writing the letter by hand would have been risky.

Kaindel had taught me to write, so he’d easily recognize my handwriting.

That’s why I had no choice but to use cut-out letters from gossip rags to compose it.

Naturally, the sender’s identity would remain anonymous.

I planned to send the letter through several intermediaries to obscure its origin, avoiding any direct connection to the temple.

An enigmatic letter, its sender and origins unknown.

That was the intended impression.

I hoped Kaindel would take it seriously, investigate the letter’s source, and eventually uncover the danger awaiting him.

If he did nothing, the fault would be his alone.

I had shared what I’d overheard; there was no need for further meddling.

Especially when it came to Kaindel, this was as far as I wanted to go.

No more entanglements.

Though… I might already be too involved.

I chuckled quietly as I sealed the envelope.

“It’ll be fine.”

With the cut-out letters and anonymous sender, even Kaindel wouldn’t guess it was from me.

Even if he figured out it came from the temple, he’d struggle to link it back to me.

I’d purposely kept the message concise to avoid leaving any trace.

I trusted Kaindel’s personality.

He despised the temple and hated unnecessary complications.

He’d likely try to uncover the sender only after resolving the issue—or not at all if he deemed the contents untrustworthy.

Besides, what were the odds he’d find me here in the temple?

---

I was mistaken.

Kaindel, whom everyone unanimously deemed crazy, might be far more unpredictable than anyone thought.

Failing to account for this was my greatest blunder.

---

The sky looked like it had a hole punched through it.

The stormy clouds loomed, casting a deep gray over everything.

“It’s raining hard.”

Raindrops pounded against my umbrella, the sound morphing into a steady rhythm as they splattered and rolled off.

An unexpected summer downpour.

Fortunately, I’d brought an umbrella, sensing the sky might open up.

The rain, now going strong for over thirty minutes, showed no signs of stopping.

Without the umbrella, I’d be drenched by now.

I quickened my pace, glancing at the bag slung over my shoulder.

I had just returned from an errand in town for Nathaniel.

A book he’d ordered a month ago had arrived, and I’d picked it up on his behalf.

While I was out, I took the opportunity to buy my own supplies—ink, paper, and even a new pen with a built-in ink reservoir.

It intrigued me.

I couldn’t wait to try it when I got back to my room.

But as I reached the temple’s front gate, I halted abruptly.

“…”

Leaning against the outer wall, seated without an umbrella, was a familiar figure.

His disheveled state wasn’t as bad as a vagabond’s, but it was close.

Clothes soaked and hair plastered to his forehead, his vacant stare betrayed an intensity, as if lost in deep thought.

His expression drew me in.

There was something unsettlingly familiar about it.

Was he lost?

The rain blurred his outline, but as I blinked, his figure became more distinct.

Soon, his form was unmistakably clear.

“Ah…”

Golden hair. Green eyes.

Eyes that held the summer sky within them.

My breath caught.

My stomach churned.

The bag slipped into a puddle, but I didn’t move to pick it up.

Clutching the umbrella tightly, I stood frozen.

It was Kaindel.

The man seated before the temple, looking far worse than when I’d last seen him a year ago.

His sleeves were haphazardly rolled up, dirt smeared from who knows where.

He hadn’t even bothered to wipe the rain off his face.

That expression—it finally clicked why it felt so familiar.

“Did you come to pick me up?”

“Yeah. You said you didn’t have an umbrella.”

His current expression was identical to the one he wore five years ago, the day I went to pick him up in the rain.

Perhaps that’s why I instinctively stopped.

‘Ha.’

I suppressed a bitter laugh.

Unlike back in Aiden Village, this time his appearance didn’t shock me.

I’d considered this worst-case scenario the moment I sent the letter.

I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but here we were.

Ever perceptive, Kaindel had come straight to the temple after receiving my warning, disregarding the danger entirely.

Though I didn’t expect him to wait like this.

I observed him from a distance.

There was no way he’d recognize me—not with my robes, mask, and even my distinctive gray hair dyed black.

Even Harilson, my buddy, had failed to recognize me at first.

Let’s walk past him unnoticed.

Resolving myself, I picked up my bag. Just as I was about to pass him at a neutral pace, Kaindel spoke.

“Wait… wait a moment…”

“…”

“Ha…”

I debated ignoring his call and walking away.

But the prolonged hesitation left me uncertain.

How could I avoid arousing suspicion?

Keeping my inner turmoil hidden, I turned to him with a composed gaze.

Kaindel was staring at me with an intensity that bordered on desperate.

His eyes swept over every inch of me, as if trying to see through the mask.

His disheveled face was a mess of raw, unfiltered emotion.

“Why… no, who are you?”

In an instant, he sprang to his feet and strode toward me.

Then, he roughly grabbed my defenseless wrist.

No, he almost did.

Just before I pulled my hand away, he clenched his fist and lowered it, as if restraining himself.

His movements were careful, like someone afraid they might shatter what they touched.

“…What’s your name?”

After quickly composing his expression, he followed up with a proper question.

Kindel managed to pull up the corners of his mouth in a strained smile.

It was a poor attempt, the twisted expression on his face clashing completely with his forced grin.

The water streaming down his cheeks made it impossible to tell if it was rain or tears.

The rain poured with such intensity, it seemed determined to wash everything away—even the darkest parts of the world.

I remained silent for a moment before taking out the paper and pen I had bought earlier.

If I spoke, Kindel would recognize who I was.

So, I deliberately altered my handwriting, writing slowly and carefully.

Rather than feign ignorance and invite further questions, it was better to give him the answer he sought and put some distance between us.

[My name is Ein.]

“Ein… Ein… Ein.”

I almost wrote Isaac.

Kindel repeated the fake name I had hastily invented several times, then slowly rubbed at his eyes.

Ein, Ein, Ein, Ein, Ein, Ein.

He muttered my false name like someone who had lost their mind.

Suddenly, his lips twisted.

The gentle façade he wore disappeared.

“Ein… Ein… Ahaha.”

A hollow laugh escaped from between Kindel’s lips.

The large hand that had been covering his eyes spread open, revealing piercing green eyes that gleamed through his fingers.

Slowly, his hand, still dripping with rain, ran through his soaked hair as he raised his head.

With an unreadable gaze and a slightly altered expression, he spoke again.

His demeanor had returned to its earlier kindness, but there was something unsettlingly cold about it.

“Are you… a priest?”

* * *