Chapter 54
An irresistible force pulled Meloni away.
Why did I have to pass out right before the finish line? Why?!
If only she had held on a little longer, she could have killed Katarina.
But she hadn’t seen that moment. And that’s when she realized—it was because she had used too much power and lost consciousness.
Do you pass out if you overuse holy power?
Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with regret.
She should have learned properly at the temple during those five long years.
As she dwelled on her regrets, the scent of grass drifted from somewhere. A pleasant breeze brushed against her body.
This feels just like the dream where I met that woman last time.
Wondering if she might meet the mysterious woman again, Meloni snapped her eyes open.
An endless sky stretched out before her. She hurriedly sat up and looked around, but the woman was nowhere to be seen.
“Where am I…?”
Then she noticed an old castle standing directly ahead. When she turned around just in case, she saw a desert—and beyond it, another castle, identical to the one before her, like a twin.
Except for the absence of the woman, it was exactly the same as the dream she had before.
She stood up and looked up at the castle.
“It feels familiar.”
Not just because she had seen it in a dream.
It was strangely familiar—so much so that it felt as though she had once lived here.
Why? I’ve only seen this castle in a dream.
She had never seen it anywhere else.
She didn’t know this scenery.
So why did it make her feel nostalgic?
“…That’s impossible.”
She let out a small, incredulous laugh and approached the wall. When she absentmindedly reached out and touched it, she flinched at the cold sensation.
Why did it feel so vivid if this was a dream?
Deciding to look around a bit more, she walked to the left. Before long, the castle’s entrance came into view.
“It’s open?”
As if inviting her in, the door stood wide open.
If this had been anywhere else, she would have hesitated. But this castle strangely drew her in.
It’s just a dream—what could possibly happen?
She ignored the lingering cold sensation on her fingertips and stepped inside.
Even in daylight, the interior of the castle was somewhat dark.
The moment she entered, a bitter feeling washed over her. Meloni hesitated, then lifted her head.
“It doesn’t feel unfamiliar.”
She closed her eyes briefly.
It felt as though this castle had always been filled with people—bustling, busy crowds. Children running around cheerfully.
And then—
Saintess!
At the sound of someone calling out, she snapped her eyes open.
“Who’s there?!”
She looked around, but there was no one—only dust-filled emptiness.
This dream was so vivid that she desperately wanted to wake up.
Yet her feet moved on their own, carrying her up to the second floor. As she climbed the stone stairs, a wide corridor and tightly closed doors appeared.
Just where is this place?
Pressing her lips together, she walked toward the brown door directly in front of her.
She placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it—it opened without resistance.
Should I open this… or not?
Overwhelmed by a strong premonition that she had to, Meloni flung the door open.
Inside was utterly ordinary—a room no different from those found in any other castle.
A large bed, a vanity with a mirror to one side, and a tea table with a sofa in the corner.
Without thinking, she moved toward the terrace. When she opened the door, she could see the desert stretching far into the distance.
“Two stones…”
She sat down on a chair on the terrace.
She gazed at the distant view. It felt as though she had done this before, long ago.
Did I… sit here and look at those stones?
That couldn’t be true.
This was her first time here, and she had never seen those two massive stones before. What nonsense.
She stood up, about to go elsewhere.
“Hello?”
At some point, the woman from before was standing in the doorway.
Pale green hair that seemed to embody nature itself, and golden eyes shining like the sun.
The moment Meloni met those golden eyes—so similar to her own—she jumped to her feet.
“You—who are you?!”
She rushed forward and grabbed the woman by the shoulders. Their heights were similar, and Meloni used all her strength.
She was strong—this should have hurt. Yet the woman continued smiling brightly.
“Calm down.”
“It was you, wasn’t it? You brought me here again—into this dream!”
“That’s right.”
“Haah…”
There was no warmth coming from the woman—only the sensation of grasping something intangible.
Along with the cold feeling she had sensed when touching the castle wall earlier.
This place was a dream, yet not a dream.
Irritably releasing the woman as if tossing her aside, Meloni rubbed her face repeatedly with one hand.
“This is so annoying…”
Even after muttering that and looking up again, the woman was still there.
“What are you?”
“I’m sorry. That’s something I can’t tell you right now.”
The woman walked past Meloni and headed toward the terrace. When Meloni followed, she saw the woman sitting precariously on the railing.
Meloni reached out instinctively, afraid she might fall—then stopped.
Somehow, she was certain the woman would never fall.
A breeze blew from somewhere. The woman’s beautiful green hair swayed like leaves.
“So?” the woman asked.
“So what?”
“What do you think of this place? Tell me your impression.”
Is she crazy? Bringing her here out of nowhere and then asking for her thoughts?
It wasn’t even worth answering.
Just wake me up already.
When she had been trapped in a nightmare before, what had she done?
Eliminate the cause with my own power.
Then all she had to do was kill the woman in front of her.
What would happen if she pushed her off?
As Meloni stared at her face and reached out—
“Trying to kill me would probably be impossible,” the woman said.
“…How do you know that?”
“Because it’s obvious.”
The woman hummed softly, swinging her legs.
“I know you well.”
“Then tell me—what exactly are you?”
“Hehe.”
“Sabina?”
“You know that’s not it, yet you still ask.”
The woman turned to face Meloni. Now that they were face to face, Meloni could observe her more closely.
The more she looked at her, the stranger she felt.
This castle was familiar—but so was this woman.
“Why do you keep calling me here? It feels like you appear every time I use holy power.”
“That’s right.”
The woman answered readily.
“I’m never supposed to interfere. But given the circumstances…”
She shrugged, then bent her knees, hugged them, and lowered her head.
“I don’t have much choice.”
She muttered words Meloni couldn’t understand. Unsure how to react, Meloni only moved her lips silently.
“If you don’t use holy power and just keep it sealed, I can’t appear.”
“But I used holy power to make silver bullets, and you didn’t show up.”
“That doesn’t even count as using it.”
“…So I have to draw it out with all my strength?”
“No.”
The woman shook her head.
“When you use it freely. When you let it flow as you please.”
She stepped down from the railing, approached Meloni, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
There was no weight at all.
It really was a strange dream.
“You’re going to keep using holy power from now on. And every time you do, I’ll call you here.”
At the woman’s confident declaration, a hollow laugh escaped Meloni.
Now that she knew why the woman appeared in her dreams, all she had to do was stop using holy power.
But the woman clearly knew that—and yet she remained unconcerned.
Which meant Meloni would inevitably face situations where she had no choice but to use it.
“I appear for you. And for him.”
“For me? And who is ‘him’?”
“I can’t tell you yet.”
The woman shook her head and smiled beautifully.
“Just remember this one thing.”
She gently brushed Meloni’s cheek with her hand.
At first, Meloni had felt repulsed by her. Now, strangely, she felt at ease.
Why was that?
This woman feels just like…
The warmth and kindness of a saintess.
After losing her parents and arriving at the cathedral in a dazed state, the saintess had hugged her again and again, gently comforting her.
It felt just like that.
Her chest tightened, and she felt like she might cry.
“Are you… a saintess?”
At Meloni’s question, the woman simply smiled—her smile deepening ever so slightly.
That alone was answer enough.
“Well then, today’s meeting has gone on long enough. It’s time for you to wake up.”
Tap—
The woman pushed Meloni’s shoulder lightly. Once again, a powerful force grabbed Meloni and pulled her backward.
“Meloni, please take good care of him.”
The words—whose meaning she couldn’t grasp—echoed in her ears.
