Since it came to mind, Ries decided to put everything in order. He had lost much, but he had gained just as much new information.
First, the truth behind the Calamity that Sefiut had ended. Human greed, the ruin of an entire race, wrath born of divine favoritism… and from that, the Calamity that swept through the Empire. It was a hidden history he’d never been able to uncover, no matter how much he questioned Sefiut or dug through old books—yet the High Priest had told him the story.
Second, the divine blessing said to dwell within his body. Greus, the High Priest, admitted it was thanks to that blessing that he had seen straight through Ries’s identity. But that wasn’t all. He’d told Ries the tale of “a girl who had received too much of the god’s love.” A girl who had lost her most precious thing, only to forget it entirely… He’d called it an extreme example, but that only meant it wasn’t impossible. That faint unease lurking deep inside kept snagging at Ries’s steps.
And that led to the third discovery. The headquarters of the Church of the Sea God in the capital held a way to uncover the true nature of a god’s blessing. Greus had personally invited Justyn and Ries there. Once the schedule was arranged, they’d make the visit. Perhaps not every mystery would be solved, but at least some questions might finally find answers.
There’s still far too much I don’t know.
The words Greus had spoken came back to him.
“To compare the gaze of mere creatures with that of the gods is utter nonsense.”
Beings one could neither understand nor dare to try to understand—that was how Greus described his god. For a man of his position, such words had seemed strange, but now Ries realized there was no more fitting description.
Why had a god blessed him? Because he was a Beastkin? But Ries hadn’t been born one. He’d simply woken up one day to find himself trapped in the body of a cat.
Could even that be the god’s will?
The more he thought about it, the more his head ached. The longer the days passed without a single convincing answer—
The sound of frantic footsteps jolted him out of his thoughts. A knight came sprinting from the ducal castle’s front gate, drenched in sweat, face drained of color. He skidded to a stop, spotted Justyn, and blurted out without even lowering his voice:
“Th-The Crown Prince…! …has arrived!”
He dropped his volume at the end, but too late—everyone had already heard. The priests preparing to leave, the servants carrying their luggage—every one of them froze on the spot. So did Ries.
…What did he just say?
He doubted his own ears. He shifted out of his sitting posture, flicked a hind paw against his ears, but nothing changed.
“…What?”
Justyn’s reaction was no different, his voice heavy and stunned as he echoed the question. The reply came at once—not from the knight, but from behind him.
“Late with the announcement, are you! While out on inspection, I happened to pass through your territory, so I thought I’d drop by. My, it’s been too long, Duke!”
The voice was vigorous, brimming with energy, laughter booming behind it, the spirited neigh of a horse filling the air.
“…It’s been a long time, Your Highness.”
“I’m glad to be welcomed by you, Duke. I half-wondered if you were deliberately keeping news from me.”
“……”
“Imagine it! After suffering under endless work, I finally carve out some time to visit the ducal mansion, only to be told you’d gone down to your domain!”
Justyn fell silent. Their conversation became one-sided, the Crown Prince talking animatedly by himself.
“I was nearly heartbroken, but when else should I use my boundless magnanimity, if not now? I’ll forgive you gladly. In return, you’ll have to spend some time watching my swordsmanship.”
The man’s shamelessness was thicker than Ries had expected. He dismounted in one smooth leap. From far off, Ries thought he heard faint cries: “Your Highness! You can’t abandon your carriage like that…!”
Above Ries’s head came the sound of a sigh—Justyn’s, without doubt.
“…Why come without a word of notice?”
“Hahaha! Do you think I don’t know you? If I had, you’d have found some excuse to keep me out of the castle!”
“……”
Ries stared, dumbfounded.
What kind of bizarre self-awareness is that supposed to be?
The Crown Prince laughed, brushing his horse’s mane before calling to a servant.
“You there. Take Langton to the stables. He’s not troublesome, it’ll be easy enough.”
“Ah, y-yes, sir…!”
The servant rushed off, sparking ripples of movement among the rest. After all, this wasn’t just anyone—it was the Crown Prince himself, the Empire’s next emperor. The highest seat of power.
No matter how sudden the visit, even a Duke couldn’t turn such a man away. Servants hurried toward the castle to spread word, the courtyard emptying in moments.
Which only made the priests in the corner stand out all the more. The Crown Prince’s golden eyes caught sight of them, and his gaze lit when he recognized the High Priest among them.
“Oh, what an unexpected meeting… May the Sea embrace us. I never thought to see you here, High Priest.”
“I greet Your Highness the Crown Prince. We had just concluded our duties and were about to depart, so pay me no mind.”
“Hah, still calling yourself old. Your humor hasn’t changed. There isn’t a soul in the Empire who would dare treat you lightly.”
The two regarded each other. Had they not been the very pinnacles of power, Ries might have found the exchange pleasant. But the priests nearby turned pale, and soon the Crown Prince’s gaze slid to the ones beside the High Priest.
He scanned them one by one, then stopped—his eyes catching on a young woman with striking pink eyes, like a budding blossom. She startled, quickly bowing her head like the others, but it was enough to spark his interest.
“Hooh.”
He rubbed his chin, then asked,
“Curious indeed. I can’t recall a time the High Priest left the temple for reasons other than service pilgrimages. May I ask what—”
“Your Highness. Allow me to guide you inside. This way.”
Justyn cut him off, blunt and direct.
The Crown Prince chatting with the High Priest, their exchange sounding far from simple—only for the Duke to break in so abruptly? Anyone would have wanted to turn tail and run. Ries certainly did. But he couldn’t abandon his master, so instead he twitched and fidgeted, glancing nervously up at him.
Wasn’t that a little too obvious? He won’t be charged with blasphemy for this, will he?
Ries flicked nervous glances between the two men.
“Hahahaha!”
The Crown Prince burst into laughter.
“Who would’ve thought I’d live to see the Duke cut me off mid-speech! What a curious feeling. Very well, since you’ve asked, I’ll indulge you.”
“……”
“But in return, you’ll have to choose the places most likely to pique my interest. If you can’t, then we’ll settle it with a sparring match!”
He wasn’t offended in the slightest. If anything, he looked delighted. Ries realized one thing for certain: the Crown Prince was impossible to pin down. At least he seemed to like Justyn. But before Ries could breathe a sigh of relief, the prince pointed at him.
“On one condition: bring that cat along too. I hear he’s your pet? To think the stiff Duke dotes on an animal—I must see it for myself!”
Ries swallowed hard.
“…Forgive me. Stay with me for a while,” Justyn murmured.
He didn’t sound pleased, but he wasn’t about to refuse. So Ries let his tail droop, quietly allowing himself to be carried. Held carefully in Justyn’s arms, Ries watched him turn back to the High Priest.
“I won’t be able to see you off. My apologies.”
“No need to apologize, Duke.”
Though the farewell had been disrupted, the High Priest only shook his head. He did, however, stress one thing:
“Simply remember the promise we made last night.”
“…I won’t forget. Please return safely.”
That promise from the night before—Justyn nodded without hesitation. Ries, listening, suddenly turned his head, cheeks prickling with an odd heat.
And when he turned, his eyes locked with the Crown Prince’s.
“…Meow…?”
Golden eyes, dazzling like sunlight on the sea, fixed on him. Clearly, the word promise had stirred the prince’s curiosity. Ries could already see the trouble ahead. Without doubt, the prince would dig relentlessly.
Poor master. Out of pity, Ries patted Justyn’s arm with his paw.
Justyn finished quickly, asking the servants to see the priests off and offering his last farewells. Watching, Ries finally felt a little breathing room—enough to look at the situation more objectively.
“……”
And then heaviness settled again.
The High Priest yesterday, the Crown Prince today?
What was this, some kind of contest to see who could suffocate Justyn more?
How had these powerful men managed to time their arrivals so perfectly, one after the other? Truly, misfortunes never came alone.
The whirlwind of events, the Crown Prince’s cheerful grin—together they scattered everyone’s attention.
And so no one noticed the young woman’s gaze fixed firmly on Justyn… and on the Crown Prince at his side.
Her nails dug crescent-shaped marks deep into her palm—the same hand that had miraculously healed only yesterday.
