Vol 2 Chapter 7 (1/2)

Chapter 7

Light Beyond 2 ~ Chapter Seven ~

The sky was high, Yuna thought

A clear, cloundless, blue sky spread out thisup Recently she realized that whenever she was thinking, or troubled, she found herself looking up at the sky; soht because she didn’t do this before Itthat hadn’t changed since her previous life, and looking at it naturally calmed her down

“Lady Celiastina, is so the matter?”

“Ah, no It’s nothing”

Aeneas was escorting her to the balcony that overlooked the plaza

The Cerest the many cereeneral populace to participate in and so, naturally, the people’s interest were high, and even through theshe could see that there was an overflowing amount of people today too

“Today it’s in the , huh The Cere”

Because she was able to see the evening sun right when it was setting on this balcony, Yuna always looked forward to this ceremony That’s why she felt a bit disappointed

“It is because recently there has been a very large a, there are floods ofAnd so it see this cere a period of time when everyone is busy, the croill also be somewhat relieved”

“They thought about it that much…”

Yuna was honestly surprised It’s true that there were a lot of people gathered at the cererown to such a scale as to require countermeasures

“I feel like I can understand the people’s feelings If I was a cole one Because Lady Celiastina alaves her hand with a s that they want to see you again and again”

Saying that, Aeneas s smile, with no hidden shadoas a ht this in her heart but because it was such an e line to actually say she kept quiet

“However, this rettable to them but I happened to overhear that the Ceremony of Display erous to have such a large amount of people in Lady Celiastina’s presence”

“Really?”

This was extre news to Yuna The Ceremony of Display was the only time where she could co to If even that was taken from her then Yuna would really lose contact with the outside world

“However, this may be unavoidable No matter how many physical searches are done at the entrances to the plaza, it is ier”

Aeneas concluded this with a serious expression

“Lady Celiastina, please come this way”

When they arrived at the balcony, the priests who had already put in order the preparations lowered their heads reverently It was a sight she always saw so she had gotten used to it, but if what Aeneas said was true then she ht soon lose this everyday scenery

At the prompt, she descended onto the balcony Loud cheers burst out

Every time sh

e stepped out in this ceremony, Yuna would first stare and take in all the people Of course she had feelings of wanting to respond to everyone’s e for people she knew fro in her heart telling her that she mustn’t look That’s why she would raise her head and face the setting sun to quiet her heart

However, just as she looked up fro sun was nowhere to be found Instead, the sunlight falling down froher place illuminated the people’s expressions more and more clearly

Yuna was slightly scared If she really did see so “Celiastina” any in this place as “Yuna”, a person who should no longer be in this world

She knew, just fro scared like that, that she hadn’t properly confronted herself yet

Yuna tried waving her hand with all that she had, as if shaking off her anxiety When she did so, the cheers of the plaza became even louder She had to smile from the bottome of her heart She had to deliver hope to everyone Yuna told herself that this was the ht now

At that moment

The people’s cheers suddenly changed to so an illusion like the ground beneath her feet was shaking, she inadvertently staggered What on earth happened? Although Yuna lost her balance, being taken aback, there was a hand that supported her fro close to her?

“Eh?”

Yuna’s surprised voice ed by cheers in the blink of an eye

On the other hand, Asyut walked up to Yuna’s side with a calm appearance and surveyed the plaza

“What a large amount of people”

That’s probably what he said It was a situation where she barelyimmediately beside her

Yuna, with her mouth still open, stared at the side of Asyut’s face Why did Asyut come to the Ceremony of Display? Up to now, he had never came to stand on the balacony with her In the first place, the Ceremony of Display was always done by Yuna alone

When Asyut raised one hand, the people’s cheers in response crashed against them like a wave Asyut never showed hireat celebration This younghis hand at them in an unexpected place like this Just that and it was an event that was like a drea women

Asyut looked at the plaza for a while before suddenly turning to Yuna and, with a tender action, took her right hand and raised it to his mouth

A soft, gentle kiss was dropped

Everything was done like a current Yuna couldn’t understand what happened in front of her

Waah! The people’s voices were deafening to her ears But then it turned into the sound of a distant world Only Asyut, as facing her, felt terribly close

“Occasionally, soood, isn’t it?”

This time she could clearly hear Asyut’s voice All of Yuna’s senses orking hard to capture every single action andcheers

“Asyut……”

It hispered Most likely, her voice didn’t reach hih thehis name His calm eyes invited her to continue

“Why?”

Yuna tried to recover her right hand, which was still taken, but his strong grip didn’t grant that

“Shall we return?”

Asyut leisurely led Yuna back to the roo her by the hand The cheers of the people still sounded but Yuna was unable to pay any attention to that

When they returned to the room and closed the balcony’s doors, quiet was returned to the place all at once

“I thought to have a short talk with you, Lady Celiastina, and so I came As I was already here, I went out to the balcony to look at the people but it seeize”

Yuna chose the moment when Asyut’s hold loosened to finally pull her hand back She shook her head to let him know that it was okay, but her cheeks were still hot

“We could speak here but…”

Asyut looked around the roo back, and the soldiers ere guarding them on the side started to prepare to withdraw

“Let us take a walk and, at the same time, I shall escort you to your rooreeable?”

“O-Okay”

Yuna, ouldn’t have refused, nodded but confusion and uneasiness swirled around inside her What did he want to talk about? Was it about The Record of Congratulations and Condolences? Did he want to ask her what she thought after reading it? Yuna probably noticed the same possibility that Asyut did in the record book But, she was a bit scared to say that in front of Asyut His loss of composure in the historical archive suddenly came back into her mind

“Um, Lord Asyut”

Aeneas, who had been standing to the side of the balcony, took a step forith a nervous face

“Let me escort Lady Celiastina”

“No, that’s fine”

“But”

“I said I had so to talk to Lady Celiastina about You must have heard that”

“…… Yes, it’s just–“

“You’re dismissed”

Asyut decisively pushed aside Aeneas’ words Hiswasn’t to the point of an order, but there was a pressure to his tone that made it hard to disobey

Aeneas did not reply He sank into silence but barely lowered his head and took one step back Yuna was the one who felt a chill at Aeneas’ reaction, which clearly showed that he did not accept this

“Shall we leave, Lady Celiastina?”

“Mm”

Following Asyut, who started walking, Yuna was led by that back As she passed Aeneas she sent hilance, and nodded to tell him that it was okay Aeneas watched Yuna leave with a pained look

“Aeneas appears to treat you with great care”

Exiting into the corridor, the first thing Asyut said was surprisingly about Aeneas

“Yes, that’s right He’s very nice”

Yuna, who thought that she would quickly be dumped with the topic on Celiastina, quietly let out a relieved breath She wasto walk soh now to think about walking beside hi speed a little

“He seeh”

“That’s not true He’s just worried about me”

Saying that, Yuna suddenly closed herthat Asyut’s invitation to Yuna was so that would cause worry to others

“He ht, hm For the people, and those in the royal palace…… and for you”

“I’ve never thought that way”

This was the truth It wasn’t that Aeneas couldn’t do it, or that she didn’t like Asyut It was that she didn’t have the right to wish, let alone the right to choose –It was not her, as here now, that really had a future

“You’re ain”

“Eh?”

At so intently at Yuna’s face

“The more I stay by your side…… the more I am unable to understand you”

What did he mean? Yuna turned over Asyut’s words in her head but she didn’t really understand what he just said She felt like asking what kind of face “that face” was, but the atmosphere didn’t seem to allow that

“Last night, you slipped out of your room alone, didn’t you”

Despite how Yuna orrying alone, Asyut changed the topic all of a sudden

“I received a report from Neisan”

Yuna stiffened, at a loss for words Not see to care about that, Asyut continued on in a quiet manner

“Please refrain from actions that will shorten my life This is not the first time that you suddenly disappeared This ti was settled but I was still quite alarmed”

“I’m… sorry”

Yuna said an apology in a quiet voice She was sure that there was a double ht now, she had slipped out of her rooht There she’d been found by Neisan and had to be taken care of by him And, especially in the latter’s case, she had been told sternly for a long time not to be alone with Neisan, and so there was no excuse to make

“The royal palace is not perfectly safe Especially from here on, you will need to be cautious It may make you feel stifled, Lady Celiastina, but you must exercise prudence”

“Especially from here on…?”

After hesitating a little, Asyut opened a serious mouth

“Presently, the faction that has adopted an anti-saint rhetoric has created an organization and is ”

Ah, Yuna raised her voice It immediately came to mind; the true identity of the “twisted and deterht There was no doubt that was the organization that Asyut was talking about right now

“Its core was formed from the people ere driven out of te royal palace Their opinions are already standing on their own and steadily growing larger Of course the royal palace does not intend to leave theate the is, to them, an unparalleled opportunity”

“What’s the aim of the people from the anti-saint faction?”

“To eliirl with the Holy Mark who is called a saint, and to consolidate the power of the priests to the royal family They are firm in their principle of a monarchical system And, in order to acquire a foothold toto overthrow the current saint first If Ifor your life Even if the loss of saint will cause a calamity, they believe it would be a trial for them to overcome”

I see, Yuna accepted Asyut’s words with a strangely calIt was natural that he was not the only person who held a grudge against Celaistina There were still many who hadn’t raised their voices, but ss

“There is no guarantee that there are not people within the royal palace that are in league with the anti-saint faction Therefore, please, be more careful than you have been up to now”

“Okay, I understand”

“…… However”

Asyut suddenly stopped walking Yuna copied hiht when he raised his head Before she knew it, she could see on her right side the courtyard that Linus and her had talked in late at night

Co in the daytime showed that it was a very ht have called it an inner garden instead The way the arden had been i corridors were familiar and it was buried as another part of the scenery

“Was it because I brought you The Record of Congratulations and Condolences that ht to speak with Lord Linus?”

“…… That’s…”

It was certainly one reason, but it wasn’t so that Asyut had to feel responsible for

“It was careless of me to have done that and involved you Particularly the Record of Congratulations and Condolences, which I needn’t have shown you”

“I asked you to tell h I’m sure that, even if you hadn’t shown ht have been late in noticing s”

Even now, she didn’t knohat to do with her own feelings, and it was hard to move forward But still

“Wait a little longer I’ll definitely find it”

The truth of the lost past

“…… Please do not do anything reckless”

When Asyut gave a soently scooped up Yuna’s right hand Asyut’s thuer

(Ah)

That was the ring Linus left with her Thinking that she would return it if she ever ht deeply about putting it on her finger A ring for self-defense, that was all it was, and yet she felt the urge to get rid of it froht

“Co after you Even so, sometimes I find it unbearable when I notice one side of you, you who I cannot understand…… But I’m certain that, from here on too, I will continue to run after you”

Yuna, caught by the heat of Asyut’s fingers, was unable to move for some time

The transparent jewel set in the center of the ring sparkled

Yuna, as spinning the ring around with her fingers and feeling that sensation, suddenly gripped the ring tightly at a thought

Asyut’s pained expression wouldn’t leave her head Before she knew it, she was always thinking of him

Yuna was sitting on the sofa in her own roo her knees

Whenever she was alone, she so her face into her knees, she tried hard to endure the loneliness This large and cold roo She couldn’t leave this place and she couldn’t stop being the saint She wasn’t allowed to like sos

The “loneliness” that she hadn’t been feeling recently was just now, in this moment, felt keenly When she asked her own heart why she was suddenly trapped by this anxiety, she noticed Celiastina’s shadow silently lurking there Ah, this was also Celiastina’s feelings Perhaps the past Celiastina had also sat on the sofa in this room and held her knees in the same way

(I’m sorry, Celiastina)

This body and life was not her own How many times had she told herself these words? And yet, Yuna’s mind was still unable to s this simple fact

The ie of the Goddess Rhodiani, which Ron had told her about, ca over her shoulder and searching for her own self One day it would catch up, and maybe it would take over this body entirely like some kind of demon

Yuna held the ring up, which she had been clenching, in front of her eyes

(Let’s see Linus again)

And they would continue the story about Celiastina which had been interrupted She was going to look for Celiastina’s past so that the Celiastina inside of her would not beco

As soon as she had her e that said “I’ll be waiting for the ring” So, Linus intended to continue the story too She couldn’t let this opportunity escape Yuna instantly started preparing to visit him

It’s been quite some time since she last visited Linus’ room

Whenever she came here it was mostly to make a request, and so naturally her body becaether and when she knocked on the door a light response ca her to come in

“…… Excuse me”

She timidly opened the door When she peered inside Linus, as sitting on a sofa, closed the book he was reading

“That was quick”

Sit, Linus said as he gestured at the seat facing him; Yuna did as she was told and also sat down on a sofa

“First, here’s the ring I borrowed, Linus”

“Aa”

When Linus accepted the ring, he se of his lips

“It seelad”

He was talking about using the ring to call for people if Neisan attacked her

“Or should I still lend it to you?”

“No, it’s okay”

“H you, his fiancée, wearing the ring another ave you”

He spoke as if he had seen so She tried to smile but her face was stiff

“What? You’re ain?”

“W-We didn’t fight I made a promise with Asyut That I will definitely find the truth about Celiastina”

Yes, today she wouldn’t let herself be hts, Linus’ laughing expression slowly tightened

“…… That’s right, you two have the right to know”

Saying that, Linus’ eyes suddenly had a dark color in them

“It is not a long story Nor is it a difficult one But, because it’s simple, it tells of how there is also cruelty in this world”

Yuna felt like she was being sucked into Linus’ deep eyes

“Let’s stop all deceptions or dodging There is also no need for an introduction You find this best too, right?”

“…… Mm”

Linus watched how Yuna nodded while holding her breath before he opened his ain

“The past suspicious deaths that happened frequently at the royal palace were, like the quiet whispers said, not tragedies caused by accidents –Everything was caused by the “ability” that Celiastina has as a saint”

“Ability……”

The saint’s special power Yuna turned over Linus’ words in her mind

She reht this topic up before The saints were bestoith various strange powers, and orshi+pped by the people for that reason However, she had still been left in the dark as to what power hid in Celiastina It seemed that saints who had the Holy Mark had some sort of ability, but what exactly was the relation between that power and Celiastina’s cruel behavior?

“Celiastina’s ability is…”

Her heart beat fast Not being aware of it herself, Yuna clenched her hands on her knees, gripping her one-piece dress

“A the “death” of those she has connected with”

Linus quietly stated

It was a tone that suppressed any emotions to the best of his ability

Yuna gripped the one-piece dress in her hands even harder Harder, and harder, uncaring if there would be wrinkles Other than that, her body didn’t est Linus’ words

–A the “death” of those Celiastina connected with

Yuna murmured those words once ood Her mind blanked, like it burst open, and she couldn’t think well She repeated the saain

So? Yuna wondered absently Fear? Anger? Sorrow? She couldn’t decide on any of theht have been revulsion

Yuna closed her eyes And she clenched her teeth, as if to bear the pain

Ah, so it was like that?

With that single phrase fro

Why the people around Celiastina died Why it was only the people who accompanied her and were close to her Why it was the people who Celiastina opened her heart to, when she had been stubbornly closed off when she was suddenly brought to the royal palace

“…… When did it become like this”

“Most likely from the start That’s how a saint’s ability works”

Contrary to Yuna’s hoarse voice, Linus’ voice was calm and did not break

“However, it seems Celiastina too was unaware of her own ability when she first came to the royal palace Of course, she realized it one way or another Initially, she was more cautious than needed about the people around her because, before she arrived at the royal palace, people ere close to her often died She was scared that the same would happen here and people would die”

Things had been hen she had been cautious But she opened her heart to those atched over her warmly, and at that moment–

(Why)

“By the time she was completely aware of it, two years had passed since she arrived at the royal palace At that time, Celia was in such a terrible state that I could not bear to see it She shut herself away in her rooe There was nothing we could do to stop her She wrecked the room, herself, and others How ht she finally stopped her ra like another person –Not her appearance, but her heart She died in that moment”

Yuna tried to iine the situation at that time, but was unable

“From then on, Celiastina behaved ruthlessly so that she would not connect with anyone”

In order not to kill people, she had to hurt the herself For a ti cold to distance herself fronear rattled dully, and continued its unstable rotations–

“Finally, Celiastina took the initiative and began to otten the very reason as to why she had distanced herself fro people There was only killing”

It ht have been a salvation to her if she had been coo crazy” The faint sanity inside of her ate into her heart more and more Why did it become like this? Why was she endoith this ability? For what reason was she born? For what reason was she still alive?

(That’s why Celiastina chose to end her own life, huh)

The last act from her sanity

However, in the end, the heavens would not accept even that

Linus nodded solemnly as his words continued

“If Celiastina will truly return, I have been wondering ill becoht? If not, then she will si is there in that”

Yuna tried to recall the events of that white world that she could no longer re about this ability Didn’t they say so time? Did they mean that it took time to reht

“…… But, even if that ability was removed…”

Linus muttered this and leaned back deeply into the sofa

“Let us suppose that Celiastina will return mentally stable At that tis as if nothing had happened?”

Yuna’s words were stuck

“Of course, the people around her will be doubtful that she changed, but that was a wall you overca as the person herself has the s accept her once again”

However there is another problem, Linus pointed out as he continued

“If her sanity returns, then I believe she won’t be able to bear the weight of the crimes she committed Celiastina killed too many people without reason That fact will not disappear, no matter what The more sanity a person has thetheir back to those crinorant face”

“That’s–“

“I’ve also thought that perhaps letting her sleep like this would be a happiness for her And, actually, for the people around us… and for you An optionlike this as Celiastina”

For an instant, the shock that stabbed into her chest caused Yuna to lose her words

To think that Linus would say those words He was the only person who knew that a separate person resided in this body, and he was the only one who had been negative to Yuna’s existence

“Linus, are you thinking that it’d be better for Celiastina not to return?”

“It’s not about s”

“Let s, Linus How do you feel? What do you think?”

“There are other things more is You worked hard and struggled alone and unassisted up to this point, can you really consent to leaving this world upon Celiastina’s return?”

“Stop, don’t say that!”

Yuna shook her head like a mute child

“Linus, you aren’t going to abandon Celiastina, right? That’s what I want to hear”