Chapter 243: I Seem to Have Become a Crybaby, Rast
Ding ling, ding ling~
In the emerald-green courtyard came the crisp ringing of a wind chime.
The soft autumn sunlight filtered through the dense branches, casting dappled shadows across the courtyard.
From far beyond the courtyard, one could faintly hear the cheerful laughter of Starfall University students, walking in twos and threes after finishing their lessons.
Of course, for Shiltina—who had just returned from a Nightworld expedition and was now finally enjoying a rare holiday, spending her afternoon tea in the courtyard of Starfall University—
What she cared about more than anything at this moment was the person sitting with her at this tea table.
...
From across the table came the sound of steady breathing.
Perhaps it was because the autumn sun was too warm, perhaps because the breeze sweeping through the courtyard was so unusually gentle...
Or perhaps it was simply because, after surviving the near-death ordeals of Nightworld and Historical Echoes, just being within Starfall University’s grounds alone gave one a great sense of safety.
The black-haired boy had somehow drifted to sleep, leaning back on the wooden chair. By his side, the tea in the porcelain cup was still bubbling hot.
Contrary to Shiltina’s usual impression of him, Rast’s sleeping posture was unexpectedly well-behaved. He curled quietly against the chair-back, obedient and peaceful, like a cat nestled in its own little den.
Seeing this, Shiltina did not attempt to wake him. She simply propped her chin with her hand, gazing at his sleeping face.
Awake, Rast gave people the feeling of being elusive, as if everything were always within his grasp. At the beginning, she had not noticed it, but the deeper she came to know him, the clearer it became—his spirit was unfathomable, like a pitch-black abyss devouring all things, even light could not escape.
But asleep, his features appeared far more youthful. His face was not defined by sharp lines but softened with a touch of innocence—so much so that one might even call it… cute.
Following a sudden impulse rising in her heart, Shiltina reached out and gently caressed the sleeping boy’s cheek. She whispered in voiceless self-murmur:
“I will always watch over you.”
“So, you must never leave me.”
As though gaining great comfort from her touch, a faint smile appeared on the boy’s sleeping face.
Ding ling, ding ling~
The golden-tinted stillness quietly flowed in the courtyard of Starfall University, within the warmth and tranquility of late autumn’s afternoon tea.
“Such a time…”
“If only it could last forever.”
Shiltina heard the sound of her own wish—her heartfelt longing for this tea party in the courtyard to stretch on, forever and ever.
And indeed, such a small wish should not have been difficult to realize.
As long as they could always return safely from each Nightworld expedition, or one day completely clear Nightworld, then she and Rast would have many more such idle afternoons in the years to come—until the end of time, until their hair turned white.
Ding ling, ding ling~
With the ringing of the chime swaying from the treetop, the hourglass of time quietly dripped away.
As though trying desperately to grasp the slipping sands, Shiltina once more reached out her hand, wanting to touch the boy sleeping in front of her... trying to draw from the warmth of skin-to-skin contact a sense of security against time’s passing.
But in the next moment, her hands fell upon emptiness.
The black-haired boy who had been napping at the tea table a moment ago vanished.
He disappeared like a phantom, leaving only faint fragments dissolving into mist.
A surge of dread suddenly welled up in Shiltina’s heart.
At some point, the warm afternoon sunlight had vanished, replaced by a dark red sunset heavy with oppression. The crimson afterglow fell like a curtain at the end of a play—darker, heavier by the second.
Silent darkness swept in, devouring the once-peaceful courtyard, along with the entirety of Starfall University. In the distance, the spire of the great library was swallowed into the black.
Shiltina rose abruptly into the chilling wind, calling the boy’s name, trying to find him in the ever-thickening darkness—yet no response came.
The world seemed to shatter like fragile glass, breaking into countless crystalline fragments beneath the tide of darkness.
Ding ling, ding ling—
The last thing swallowed was the swaying chime.
The world became pitch black.
Only Shiltina remained, left to face the lonely and suffocating void.
...
Shiltina jolted awake on the soft bed.
Sensing through her spiritual power as a transcendent that it had merely been a nightmare, she did not immediately rise.
Instead, she kept her eyes closed, trying to return to the dream—to grasp the emotions she had just felt there.
But nothing came.
What filled her sight was a wide yet simple room, unadorned save for unfinished documents on the desk and the components of a knight’s uniform.
This was the chamber of Shiltina—the Empire’s First Princess, Holy Sword Wielder of the Stars, and the next Empress.
“Elder Sister, today is the freshman entrance ceremony of Starfall University. Dean Silver wishes to invite you, as the representative of the fourth-years, to deliver an opening address to the new students who came because of their admiration for you.”
“The royal household—military documents, I’ve placed them in the usual place. I’ve already filtered and handled the unimportant ones. Only those requiring your personal decision remain.”
“And also—”
Outside the door, Ophelia’s voice paused briefly.
“Today… is also the day you are scheduled to go to the hospital, to see him.”
Having said that, she left.
Only Shiltina remained, standing before the tall mirror, staring at her reflection.
The intelligent clock beside the mirror displayed the date—
Summerflower Calendar, Year 996, September 1st.
It had been exactly two years since the day of her unfinished wedding, and since Rast’s battle with the Gravekeeper Quasi-Angel.
Shiltina gently reached out, wiping away the streaks of dried tears on her cheeks in the mirror.
“I seem to have become a crybaby—”
She smiled faintly at her reflection.
“Rast…”