Adandito returned to his room and turned over an hourglass. When all the sand in that hourglass had fallen, he intended to go to Siara’s room. Until then, he had something to think about.
The dream-like illusion he had seen earlier was something different from an oracle.
‘What was that exactly?’
He pondered for a moment and opened the scripture. The existence of the “savior” mentioned by Piasse was also written in the scripture. He skimmed through a verse.
[One day, as St. Giorgio was performing his duties, he faced a life-threatening situation. In the middle of the desert, with no one to ask for help, he questioned whether it was time for him to die. Then, an oasis appeared in the otherwise shadeless desert, and a woman walked out.]
‘You must not die yet.’
She dried his throat, filled his belly, and left. When St. Giorgio asked for her name, she vanished, saying to remember her as the ‘savior.’
There were other records about the savior as well. However, there was no detailed information about it. Every time it was recorded, the savior had a different appearance, manner of speech, and behavior. The only common point was that they were all women.
This gave rise to numerous rumors. Among them, the most plausible one was that the savior was a secretive being created by the Goddess Eora for the sake of the world.
Existing but not existing. It was said that the gods intentionally concealed their existence, so the temples did not delve deep into research.
Adandito, too, had some knowledge about the existence of the savior, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. However, due to the mysterious dream, he could no longer stay still.
‘Surely, Hierian also mentioned seeing a woman named Piasse in his dream.’
Did Hierian also know that she was the savior? Adandito absentmindedly tapped his desk. Suddenly, the content of the dream came to mind.
The four stones he conveyed to Piasse, were Hierian’s arms and legs.
In the dream, Adandito understood the situation very skillfully.
Hierian opened a dimension to help Piasse escape. The enraged Dianel cut off Hierian’s limbs and hung them on the gallows, then handed them to Adandito.
‘With these, open the dimension and retrieve Piasse.’
Adandito accepted Dianel’s proposal and used Hierian’s body to bring Piasse back to this world. Then, he concealed her in a deep and obscure place where no one could find her. The threat that Hierian would suffer if Piasse escaped was a bonus.
Piasse was greatly disappointed in Adandito for making Hierian a pitiful sight and even imprisoning herself. She refused to eat the food in protest, and even when forced to eat, she vomited it all out.
Eventually, Adandito knelt before Piasse. He promised to cooperate in restoring Hierian to his original state and vowed never to defy Piasse’s will again.
That was the content of the dream he had a little while ago.
It was just an illusion, but it felt unsettling for some reason.
“Piasse…”
Piasse, or maybe fiancée.
Maybe what the oracle said was not fiancée, but Piasse… Adandito mumbled softly, and then he noticed that all the sand in the hourglass had fallen, so he got up from his seat. He had been invited to a dinner and intended to arrive on time.
… As the old wooden door closed, a mysterious shadow of a cat outside the window flickered and disappeared.
* * *
Hierian was present at the dining table. He stuck out his tongue at Adandito in disdain. Then turned to Siara.
“Sis, aren’t you sick somewhere?”
“You should be asking yourself that question. You had a high fever yesterday.”
“I’m all better now!”
Then she glanced at Adandito again. Adandito remained indifferent and sat down. He unfolded the napkin and spread it on his lap. Then Siara used tongs to pick up a salad and placed it on Adandito’s plate.
“I asked the chef for a special salad. Since it’s for you, he used all kinds of ingredients to make it.”
At that moment, a hallucinatory voice echoed in his ears.
‘St. Giorgio, eat this. If you finish it, you won’t feel hungry for several days.’
It was a passage he had read in the scripture about the meeting between St. Giorgio and the savior he had seen a little while ago.
Adandito held his breath and gazed at Siara quietly.
Siara tilted her head, her bright yellow hair flowing down her shoulders. She was blindingly beautiful.
Adandito, who had been staring at her as if entranced, was truly mesmerized.
“…!”
As he stiffened, he heard Siara’s gravelly voice.
“Hierian, what are you doing?”
“This bastard is giving my sister a bad look.”
“This bastard, it’s Adandito.”
“Yeah, this bastard.”
The sound of Hierian bounding around and Siara’s laughter mixed with a sigh. After the commotion settled down, Hierian sat down dejectedly.
The tension that had made Adandito rigid, as if he were anticipating the usual scene, loosened. There was no need to play along with Hierian’s mischievousness. Adandito calmly began his meal.
Then Siara asked in a concerned voice,
“Adandito, are you okay?”
“No problem. Unlike others, even if my eyes are blind, I can still move.”
“You… Are you saying that for me to hear?”
“I have never pointed you out… Well, I guess you’re reacting because there is something that bothers you.”
As Adandito chuckled, Hierian became even more agitated.
“I’m never going to unblindfold you!”
“You have done it countless times. It doesn’t bother me at all.”
“You…!”
“Why are you at a loss for words? Are you feeling unwell?”
“That’s not possible!”
While Hierian shouted in frustration, snickering laughter was heard. It was Siara’s. Her thin laughter continued, bursting into loud laughter.
As a result, Adandito and Hierian sealed their lips as if they had made a promise. Adandito faced the undulating unease. He was worried about why she was laughing and what could be wrong.
Unable to see ahead, he became sensitive to Siara’s breathing and presence. It was as if he had become a dog that couldn’t help but try to please its owner. But to Adandito, it felt like a very natural thing. He focused his senses and observed Siara intently.
Amid his restless anticipation, Siara, who knew no bounds of tension, shouted,
“Adandito! I didn’t know you could laugh like that!”
“…”
“You looked so happy just now. I wish I had taken a picture. Ah… What a shame.”
“…A picture?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I misspoke.”
Then Siara started to calm down Hierian.
“More importantly, Hierian, yesterday, Adandito scolded those two in my place. It was a commendable thing, so let’s take off his blindfold.”
“Mm.”
When Siara asked, Hierian willingly removed Adandito’s blindfold. Adandito’s vision, which had been tinged with darkness, was once again illuminated as Siara’s face came into view.
She had her usual dazzling face, but her smile was even more radiant. No matter how he laughed, it could never match that smile. Siara was more beautiful than Piasse, whom he had seen in his dream.
And so, Adandito thought. It didn’t matter what that fantasy meant. As long as he could stay by her side like this, everything would be fine.
* * *
After finishing their meal, Hierian and Adandito were chased out of Siara’s room side by side.
“I’m going to sleep now, so you two can play. And while you’re at it, clean up the dishes on your way.”
Carrying plates full of dishes, the two of them inevitably headed toward the kitchen together. The conflict continued endlessly even as they did so.
“Because of you, I couldn’t sleep in the same room as Siara.”
“How old are you that you’re still throwing a tantrum like this? Above all, I’m sure I told you not to act cute in front of her.”
“Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?”
“She is an important person to me.”
“I received a vision too! She’s also important to me!”
At that moment, both of them froze in their tracks. Their strange gazes intersected, and Hierian smirked.
“Both of us received visions about Siara?”
“…That’s strange.”
Apart from when they fought against the Demon King, there had never been a time when Hierian and Adandito received visions simultaneously. And during a similar period, they both had dreams about someone named ‘Piasse.’
They didn’t know if there was any connection between them. After pondering, Adandito asked Hierian.
“…Hierian, the dream about that person named Piasse. Could you tell me more about it?”
“Why?”
“I also had a dream about that person. If you tell me, I’ll share the details of the dream I had as well.”
Hierian looked at Adandito with a displeased expression but eventually nodded.
“Fine.”
The two of them headed toward Adandito’s room. And they began to share their dreams from the past.
“As I mentioned before, I helped Piasse escape by opening a dimensional rift. After that, all I dreamt was of lying down on Piasse’s lap and falling asleep…”
“…I conveyed a stone made from your bone fragment to her.”
“Bone fragment?”
“When I deduced it, it seemed like you had lost a limb as a result of helping Piasse escape. The stone made from the bone fragment was your limb, and it seemed like Piasse could restore your body to its original state with it.”
“Did you, did you…… do such a gross thing?”
“It’s just a dream, isn’t it?”
Adandito’s breath, which had been calmly spoken, momentarily stiffened. He recalled something and had a peculiar look in his eyes.
“…Come to think of it, last time Dianel said something strange to me.”
“Something strange?”
“Yes. He said that even if the Administrator’s limb is severed, as long as they are still alive, they can control the magical pillar.”
“What?”
Hierian’s face turned pale with fear, and he tightly hugged his arms as he spoke.
“You, you… What were you planning to do to me?”
