TLVGAJ 45

~Chapter 45~

【This stop is Harmen. The train will depart after a five-hour stop.】

“Yaaawn. It’s already the last travel stop.”

Sophie yawned as she got off the train and stretched.

Feeling the gentle wind blowing across the platform, I nodded quietly.

“…Yeah. Time really flies.”

It felt like the past month had passed in a flash.

Being suddenly dropped into the novel I was reading, traveling by train.

Meeting the male leads on the train, visiting destinations, and meeting new people.

Eating the food I had wanted to try in my past life, and making memories with the people around me.

…And now, the last stop of the journey.

I lifted my head to look at the writing on the platform.

<Welcome to the Kingdom of Harmen.>

The Kingdom of Harmen.

This was Eric’s hometown.

It was the country next to the Hashit Empire, where Eric served as a Holy Knight.

It was also where Albert and Eric had grown up together as children.

‘For a last destination, it feels oddly familiar…’

Harmen was the homeland of the late Empress Soet, and had always maintained a close friendship with the Hashit Empire.

Because it was close to the Empire, travel by carriage was easy, and the people of both countries interacted often.

Maybe that’s why, unlike the other destinations, it felt familiar — like visiting a neighboring town.

Still, since it was the last trip, I wanted to end it well.

When I turned my head, I saw a man standing quietly.

It was Fabian Alfonso, who had stayed by my side until the very end.

I smiled at him.

“Then, shall we go, Fabian?”

It was the start of the last trip on the Ramier Express.

The kingdom was ordinary.

Overall, it felt similar to the Hashit Empire, but somehow warmer and calmer.

We had a simple meal in the city and toured the capital’s streets without difficulty.

If there was a difference between Harmen and the other countries we had visited, it was that it didn’t remind me of any specific country from my past life.

It seemed like it was a country purely invented by the author, rather than based on a real place.

“We’ve pretty much seen the whole city. Hmm… We still have some time. Would you like to visit the temple?”

After our quick tour, Sophie checked the time and suggested it.

The Harmen temple was quite famous on the continent.

It was said the goddess Irene, whom the kingdom worshipped, had been born there.

Because of that, many people came to Harmen on pilgrimages.

Hmm.

Since I was traveling, I couldn’t skip the temple…

Besides, the Hashit Empire and Harmen worshipped the same god. From Irene’s point of view, visiting the temple was meaningful as a kind of pilgrimage.

‘Honestly, I’m a little worried about running into Eric there…’

But since it was the last trip, I wanted to make the most of it and finish it well.

I smiled at Sophie.

“Sure, let’s go.”

And then—

“My Lady?”

As expected(?), I ran into Eric as soon as we arrived at the temple.

“…Eric. Long time no see. Hahaha.”

I scratched my head with an awkward laugh.

Still, meeting him this quickly was a bit embarrassing.

Looking into his black eyes that were fixed on me, I spoke.

“Have you been well?”

“…I’ve been fine during my travels.”

It really had been a long time since I saw Eric.

After I told him about my terminal illness, I had asked him to keep his distance, and he really had stayed away.

I hadn’t expected someone as friendly as Eric to avoid speaking to me even once.

It must have been his way of showing consideration.

So I was both thankful and a little guilty for being cold toward him.

Wearing silver armor over his large frame, Eric looked at me with an unreadable expression.

His gaze shifted to Fabian standing beside me.

But without saying anything about it, he looked back at me.

“Are you here to tour the temple?”

“Yes. I heard many people come to the Harmen temple for pilgrimages. Since it’s where the goddess was born, I thought it would be meaningful to see it.”

“…Our temple is quite famous. It is indeed the birthplace of the goddess Irene.”

Eric smiled.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll show you around. Please follow me.”

“This is the well where the goddess Irene is said to have been born.”

Eric explained to us.

“The water here has healing power. When the saint, who is the incarnation of the goddess, is born, the well fills with water. When she passes away, it dries up. During the time it’s dry, it’s said an age of darkness will come.”

The temple was bustling, filled with people on pilgrimage.

In front of the well where the goddess was said to be born, crowds gathered, listening to the priests or praying.

Sophie peeked into the well and asked Eric:

“It looks full right now. Does that mean the saint has been born?”

“The saint is born once every hundred years. But her powers as a saint only appear after she turns twenty, so she may not even know she’s the saint yet.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Finding and protecting the saint is one of our Holy Knights’ duties.”

‘…Right. Emily still doesn’t know she’s the saint.’

Eric was reciting the novel’s setting exactly. I nodded.

Emily learned she was the saint in the middle of the original story.

Right now, somewhere in this world, Emily was living without knowing anything, waiting for the story to begin.

For some reason, the sight of the full water felt like proof of Emily’s existence, and I felt strange.

When I made a slightly odd expression, I noticed Eric looking at me.

I smiled.

“…The temple in the Hashit Empire felt big and luxurious, but the Harmen temple, though smaller, feels much more meaningful and fulfilling. I’m glad I came.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m touched you think of our temple that way.”

Eric smiled in response.

I had thought so the whole time — I preferred this place to the temple in the Hashit Empire.

Even though it was smaller, it felt more significant.

And Eric being the Holy Knight protecting such a temple…

I could see where his tendency to value small things came from.

As I was lost in thought while touring the temple—

‘…Huh?’

I spotted someone and tilted my head.

It was an older man. I pointed toward him and asked:

“Eric, who is that?”

“Oh, that’s the High Priest.”

Eric looked where I pointed and answered.

“He’s worked as a priest here for a long time. Recently, the former High Priest passed away, and he took over.”

“I see…”

I tilted my head.

Something felt off. He stood out strangely, almost like an important character in the novel.

But I couldn’t remember exactly who he was.

Had the High Priest of Harmen ever played an important role in the story?

I searched my memory of the novel, but nothing came to mind.

I twitched my eyebrows and kept looking at him for a while.