Vol 2 Chapter 10 (1/2)

Chapter 10

Light Beyond 2 ~ Chapter Ten ~

Yuna watched the changing scenery as she sat on top of a horse, supported by Asyut

She never expected that she would leave out of the gates in the sao, did Feeling a strange connection, Yuna sighed in wonder That sigh, in the blink of an eye, disappeared behind them

Yuna and Asyut were on a horse that was galloping on a continuous straight road; the tere heading to the orphanage that Celiastina used to live at in the past

Yuna and Asyut both kne dangerous it was to leave the city orries about the , but this was soh it was unreasonable, they officially left the royal palace secretly

Asyut had arrived at theirhad happened, he only s i said, for Asyut – as always busy – it must have been quite hard for him to leave his work and slip out of the royal palace When she thought about that, she could only hold hih esteem

But still, it honestly o out It had also been a while since she rode a horse like this Yes, ever since that night when she first woke up as Celiastina, at a loss at the bottom of a cliff, and was saved by Asyut–

(A lot of time has passed since then, huh)

That night was the start of everything

She had wondered why Asyut had been angry when he saved her When she tried talking to him, he replied with cold words and ht, he fir on the horse

(My “time” should have already ended in thatsince then)

Now, she was sure that if she spoke to Asyut behind her, no entle voice Tireat change to Yuna and Asyut’s relationshi+p It s that she couldn’t put into words

When she swayed on the horse, the scenery changed dizzingly

The scenery that was seen in the distance, approached quickly, and then once again becaht were far away, flew by all too soon

Yuna didn’t speak to Asyut It was hard to raise her voice against the cutting wind and, above all, she felt like the right thing to do was not to say anything Asyut also didn’t speak to Yuna And Yuna was thankful for that

The horse continued running as it was

They passed through people on the streets and country roads There was nothing around thee they were heading to even existed Before she knew it, Yuna started to fall into a doze Her lower back hurt because of being unused to riding a horse, but she felt coh that the pain becaainst Asyut and felt a greater sense of security wrap around her

“Lady Celiastina, I can see it”

After a while, Asyut spoke up Yuna, who had been coainst Asyut, woke up from the vibrations of his voice She twisted her body to adjust her position and then, when she looked at the spread out scenery in front of her again, a gasp slipped out

Before they went down a gentle slope, a large building with gates could be seen Beyond that, on the other side, was a scattered village and then, even further, a thick forest seemed to stretch out

–Ah, what a nostalgic sight

Her younger self ht in the past The only things left in her i on the walls and the small storeroos were revived for the first ti

“It looks like that big building, huh”

“Yes, most likely”

It was the saled all over the wall and the iron gate was also rusty

The horse’s speed gradually slowed as Yuna and Asyut approached the building What if it had already becoht passed her mind, but it immediately turned out to be a needless fear

On the other side of the gate, children could be heard

That also gave her cohter was mixed into their voices

“It looks like… people are here”

Yuna secretly took in a deep breath to calh to be painful She got down from the horse with the help of Asyut and felt the solidity of the ground beneath her feet that she hadn’t felt in a while She still felt like she was floating and swaying but, by the tiates, her body’s sensations returned

“Let’s go in”

Asyut placed his hand on the iron gate; the gate raised a rusty screech, as if hating being opened And, as if surprised by that noise, the excited voices of the children which they had just heard went silent all at once

When they entered the orphanage’s courtyard, there were about five children beside the gate ere frozen The youngest was a girl around three or four years old, and the oldest was a boy around eleven or twelve years old Everyone looked at the intruders who caazes that were permeated with clear wariness

“Um, hello”

Yuna spoke in an unassu manner When she did, the children corrected their posture as if struck So that she wouldn’t frighten theently beside the children She sht

“I’m sorry for how sudden this is, but could I interrupt for a moment?”

The children looked at each other at a loss

“Who are you people?”

A boy, who looked to be the oldest a them, opened his mouth He observed Yuna with caution but, soaze wavered

“In the past, I used to be taken care of here The person behind ht me here”

“–You were here… in the past?”

“Yep It’s been such a long tiht I’d drop in for a visit”

“But you’re not one of this generation’s people, right? Because I don’t know you Are you froeneration before?”

While petting his s to him, the boy threw out even eneration” and “generation before”, so she unconsciously looked back at Asyut behind her Asyut, who caught her look, shook his head to show that he didn’t understand either

“This orphanage closed once, and so the people before that are called the “generation before””

The boy guessed Yuna’s question and gave a simple explanation

“This is the first tieneration before came back here”

Yuna couldn’t find her words and si an explanation, she couldn’t understand the situation So, after Celiastina left this orphanage, so really did happen

“U if we could meet the director”

The boy nodded and then called for all the children beside him to stand up

“Everyone, we’re going to the director Let’s race to see who gets there first”

With those feords, the children who had been nervous and stiff returned to being excited The boy watched everyone run off with fun and then turned back to Yuna and Asyut

“Please wait a bit”

Yuna nodded and then slowly stood up Looking at the backs of the children ere sucked into the building, a s happen in the past at this orphanage? Or perhaps nothing happened?

There were a ton of things she wanted to ask and wanted to know But, could those answers be found here–

The asn’t that long

In a short a, which had kept silent, slowly opened again with a dull sound

A face peered out froray-haired woman who looked someorn

The nized Yuna, her eyes, which were behind glasses, opened wide and her breath caught She was frozen as if time had stopped only around her but then, in the next instant, she sprang over to Yuna

“Ah, ahh…… Cella! It really is you!”

The wo to Yuna like she would collapse While that was being done to Yuna, she could only look down at the woman without words She looked like the years had taken quite a toll on her, but Yuna knew this person During the period Yuna cae The worabbed Yuna’s pale arms and sobbed

“You’ve become so beautiful I’”

Apologies spilled out as if a da what those apologies were for They came here specifically to seek those answers

–As she thought, so happened here in the past

“It’s been a long tih I don’t know if I should say that”

The woman’s eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at Yuna, who opened her eness at the way Yuna spoke as if she were a stranger However, unfortunately, the present Yuna didn’t knohether to be happy or sad at this “reunion”

“I apologize deeply for our sudden intrusion I aht, Asyut Rothenlukia Due to some complicated circumstances, Lady Celiastina and I have come here We would like to have some time to speak with you”

Asyut, who seemed to decide that the situation should be temporarily calmed, broke in

“The First Holy Knight… Lord Asyut”

The wo and hard look at him It looked like her mind could not keep up with all these unexpected events happening at the sa between Asyut and Yuna, she tried her hardest to find the source of the confusion that had suddenly fallen on her When Yuna and Asyut waited patiently for her next words, the woain her presence of mind

“Please excuse the sorry state of this place and all the disordered rooms but, if you do not mind, please come inside”

Aardly, she returned that answer

“Then, we accept your hospitality…… Incidentally, you are…?”

When Asyut asked this question, the woman looked up at Yuna with hope in her eyes It felt like she was relying on Yuna to really not treat her like a stranger However, Yuna didn’t have the answer And so, she could only lower her eyes in silence

“My nae”

Kazloered in a voice that held disappointment

“Though… I don’t have those qualifications”

Her sad smile immediately disappeared when she turned her back to them

The orphanage was enorant

Thoughcorridor they continued down held the warmth of people, and Yuna looked here and there as she followed Kazlow There were a nu the walls and, between those, there were dried flowers casually placed In several places, there were silly posters saying “Don’t run in the halls” and “Make sure to greet people” Everything she saw ic

The drawing room they were shown into was built better compared to the halls outside Still, of course it wasn’t the same as the ones in the royal palace Were the crooked textiles on the walls made by the director and children? To Yuna, this was a lovely atht backbeside her it must have been a fresh experience

“So this is the place where Lady Celiastina grew up”

“Mm”

The director, Kazlow, told them she would prepare tea and left her seat Unable to be caled some words with Asyut

“We rode the horse only for a little while, and yet this place is completely different from the royal capital, huh”

“That’s true It’s not that the royal palace is unpleasant, but the atmosphere in the country allows you to relax It feels like the flow of time itself is different”

“It’s very calm here, and time just passes”

Yes, calentle time passes

From the , the excited voices of the children could be heard again They were healthy voices, with no traces of gloom

“–Did so really happen here? In this warm place?”

Asyut glanced at Yuna

“Considering how Miss Kazlow reacted when she saw us at the beginning, I believe so happened here However, it’s true that it’s hard to iuilty past But even if ti”

Ah, yes, Yuna was easily convinced It was uns were different since the time Celiastina spent here in the past Perhaps there weren’t even any traces of the past But, if it coless to find an answer froe had coood direction

“I apologize for the wait”

Kazlow reappeared with a flustered voice

“There aren’taround”

Kazlow apologized as she poured the tea But her motions were fa the the ti the tea

“Miss Kazloould like to keep the fact that we came here, and the conversation that ill have, secret”

“Alright”

Kazloho took a seat facing them, nodded solemnly

“As you can tell, by the two of us co here alone, we have a topic we don’t want publicized”

“I understand”

Receiving Kazlow’s clear response, Asyut gestured at Yuna to continue

“Kazlow, to be honest… I don’t have any memories… of the time I lived here”

In the end, after some hesitation, Yuna broached the subject If she could, it would have been best to confess that she and Celiastina were completely different people, but of course that was the one thing she couldn’t do Kazloas thrown into disorder and, above all, Asyut was listening next to them

“It’s not just the time I lived here I don’t have any memories except for very recent ones”

“Amne… sia…?”

Yuna nodded slowly Kazlow’s eyes widened with shock

“How… in the world?”

“I had an accident at the royal palace and lost consciousness When I woke up, I couldn’t re”

“Right now, you still can’t re?”

“Yes”

Kazlow shrunk away, as if afraid It felt like she had caught a glimpse of an extreme confusion, but Kazlow kept her mouth closed

“And so I want to know about the past I believe the days I spent here at this orphanage were very significant to me I came to visit today to see if I could hear about it”

“……”

A heavy silence filled the air

“But”

When Kazlow opened her mouth next, her voice had become somewhat low

“Aren’t the et back?”

“No, I’m sure they are precious”

Yuna stubbornedly clung on, but Kazlow did not seem enthused

“Kazlohat kind of life did I have here? Won’t you talk about it? Even a little bit at a time is fine”

“……”

There was a great disparity between Kazlow’s sunken expression and the bright voices of the children that could be heard from outside The silence conveyed clearly that, if possible, she didn’t want to talk about it

But Yuna couldn’t withdraw

“Kazlow, please”

“…… It must be very difficult to have lost your memories But I believe there are pasts which are better left unremembered Your life here is one of those”

“You’re saying ht then”

“Yes, that’s right That’s why I want you to have only the enjoyable and gla in the royal palace”

“I cannot do that”

Yuna decisively denied that

“None of the days I spent at the royal palace were glamorous or fun I was hurt in the royal palace and, above all, I personally hurtaway froinning of everything”

“…… Cella……”

Kazlow met Yuna’s eyes with hesitation Her eyes were red and shook as if she were about to cry soon

“Far froe was extremely painful Do you still want to know?”

“Yes, please tell me”

Yuna displayed absolutely no hesitation She wanted to show Kazlow that she hadn’t cos

“…… That’s right, it’s your past I’m not the one who should decide what to do with it”

Kazlow looked down and released a sigh

“I understand Then, let us talk I’m not sure where I should start but, ah yes, won’t you co I’d like you both to see”

Following Kazloho seemed to stand up to throw off her doubts, Yuna and Asyut also stood from their seats There were deep wrinkles carved into the side of Kazlow’s face They looked more like wrinkles that had appeared froe Yuna felt like she had been a much happier and lively woman in the past It seemed that the past here wasn’t painful to just Celiastina She was sure that it was the same for Kazlow herself

When Kazlow opened the door of the drawing roo what happened, peered over at the other side of the door There stood several children who looked at each other with aard faces

“Ohwith everyone?”

“Director-teacher”

One of the children looked up at Kazlow clingingly

“Teacher, did so happen?”

“What do you mean?”

“Because, teacher, e said that a big sister from the past came, you were really surprised and ran to meet her”

“Ah, I’m sorry That would surprise you all, huh”

Kazloly crouched and stroked the heads of the children Yuna couldn’t see anything but her back, but she was sure Kazloas sently because the childrens’ stiff expressions loosened little by little

“It’s not that so ti sister Can you all play ast yourselves?”

“‘K-‘Kay”

Is everything really okay? The small eyes see away

“Hey, couests Let’s go already”

The young boy who received Yuna and Asyut at the beginning appeared around the corner of the hall and pushed the childrens’ backs He was still far fro the children at the orphanage

“What’s with that, Ruth, you were the one who asked us to cos out”

A precocious young girl pouted and protested The young boy, as called Ruth, turned red and raised his voice

“Stupid! Don’t say extra things!”

“It’s not extra”

“Shut up”

With a red face Ruth turned to Yuna and the others and bowed his head before leaving the place with the children, looking like he was carrying theed looks and smiles with the other two She felt like the tension in their feelings eased by a little bit

Brought by Kazlow, the three of thee

The greenery was overgroith s here and there There were also trees here with rare fruit It was not cleanly ns of hu wild

Yuna enjoyed the sound of stepping on grass while she squinted her eyes against the sunlight filtering in through the trees This backyard hadn’t changed much She ree, she spent the majority of her time here

“As you can see, this place is sunny, and so it’s a favorite place for all the children”

As Kazlow said this she walked directly to the wall of the building The as covered by a gentle green vine plant, whose sht pink flowers seemed to flon from the top like lace

“–This is…”

Yuna caught her breath when she looked up at the plant It was like a waterfall…… But, could this be–

A young Cella was always by herself here, crouching Because she wanted to take care of the plants she was alone and didn’t join the circle of friends

“Do you remember?”

Kazlow stared intently at Yuna with hope in her eyes

“…… To think it grew to be this big”

At Yuna’s unconscious murmur, Kazlow nodded happily

“Furtherh it’s an asiatic jasmine”

“I-Is that so”

“Is this a special plant?”

Asyut, as unable to see the conversation, opened his mouth reservedly

“This asiatic jasmine in and of itself is not special; it’s actually the model of what it should look like But the flowers of an asiatic jasmine only bloom for a short period of time in a year And this is not the season for it”

“You know a lot, Cella –But”

Kazloly looked up at the wall in front of theic eyes

“This asiatic jas all year round It’s al”

“Still?”

“Yes, it has never withered once Because it received your blessings”

“My… blessings…”

“That’s right Your blessings as a saint I’m certain this is your ability”

–No way! Yuna shook her head reflexively, because she knew Saint Celiastina’s ability should be a the “death” of those she connected with And it was actually due to that power that many people died

“What do you mean?”