ODGD 40

ODGD

Chapter 40

Daybreak came.

It had been two days since Cardinal Ruben and his knights disappeared.

The priests had not ceased their prayers throughout the night.

Though the world seemed unchanged, it was not. The fear of death unsettled everyone in the Grand Temple.

The senior priests began to wonder how long they could keep the fact that Cardinal Ruben had been dragged to the demon realm and killed a secret.

A month? A week?

No, by tomorrow at the latest, rumors would spread to the royal family and the people.

The moment the Grand Temple became the target of blame and resentment was approaching rapidly.

“Sigh… we’re doomed.”

This incident with Ruben felt like the prologue to the destruction that was to come.

There seemed to be no hope at all.

But it wasn’t just Cardinal Ruben and his knights who had disappeared.

“What? Crescent didn’t return to the dorm last night?”

Only then did Aluin, the master knight who had just been briefed, show considerable surprise.

Meteor’s appearance was unusual. It looked as if he had trained all night without sleep.

“Yes. We searched throughout the night, but her whereabouts are completely unknown. Crescent is addicted to training; she wouldn’t disappear like this all of a sudden.”

Meteor felt his throat go dry.

Since yesterday, he hadn’t even moistened his throat once as he searched for Crescent. He had managed to find a few people in the village who claimed to have seen her.

According to the witnesses, Crescent had been cheerfully taking a walk.

But beyond that, no one had any idea where she had gone.

Where could she possibly be?

He had secretly inquired at her family home as well, but Crescent had not returned there either.

Would he be able to find her?

Or even… would she come back at all?

“Gah… even Crescent disappeared without a trace.”

Aluin let out a deep sigh.

But in a world like this, people disappearing without a trace was hardly surprising. Across the Empire, countless people vanished every day.

“Perhaps Crescent was also affected by demonic energy somewhere. She’s not the first knight to vanish like this.”

“….”

Meteor opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

He, too, suspected the possibility that she might have been affected by demonic energy. Yet he deliberately ignored it, not wanting to admit even to himself.

If Crescent were to die, her mother would fall into an indescribable despair.

Meteor didn’t want to even think about such a situation.

“Surely… that’s not the case.”

It was still too early to conclude she had been affected by demonic energy. Meteor thought this.

Crescent had already been swept into a high-level demonic energy incident and returned from the demon realm. For an eight-year-old to be struck by it again was something even the gods wouldn’t do.

So there was no way she had died because of it.

“For now, let’s wait. All we can do is wait.”

“…Yes. I’ll keep searching.”

Meteor bowed slightly and turned away.

Aluin said there was nothing to be done but wait, but that wasn’t entirely true.

He could still search without giving up.

Since the birth of his child, his mother had never stopped trying to have a daughter.

He knew better than anyone how disappointed and upset she had been all this time.

Now, finally—though not his real daughter, still a girl like a daughter—he couldn’t let her be lost so pointlessly.

Meteor left the temple building.

A stubborn determination welled up within him, and he clenched his fists.

“…Crescent. Just show up again. I won’t let you get away this time.”

Why should he, not even her nanny, have to constantly clean up after her? She would just disappear on a whim.

It was at that moment, when he stepped into the temple courtyard, that Meteor’s eyes widened at an unexpected sight.

A large crowd had gathered, all facing in one direction. He couldn’t see what they were looking at, obscured by the crowd.

‘What’s going on?’

Just as he began moving toward them, someone called out:

“Hah! Meteor!”

It was Lucas. He was smiling widely, as if his mouth were stretched to his ears.

“There you are! I was just about to come looking for you!”

“What’s going on?”

Why was Lucas smiling? Meteor felt a strange sense of unease. The temple was still filled with a somber, funeral-like atmosphere.

The answer came quickly.

“Cardinal Ruben has just returned! And all the knights who went with him!”

“What?”

“There! He fell in front of the temple!”

“!”

“Meteor!”

Meteor didn’t wait to hear more; he ran forward.

Grandfather had returned!

As expected, his grandfather was not someone who could be easily defeated by demons. His faith in him had been justified.

Meteor pushed his way through the crowd of jubilant people.

“Your Eminence, Cardinal—!”

He could not have shouted with more joy.

Then, the scene before him caused Meteor’s voice to falter.

Next to his grandfather and father’s joyful reunion stood a blonde-haired girl.

She was wearing her training clothes, smiling brightly as if nothing had happened.

It was Crescent.

Meteor wondered if what he was seeing was an illusion.

After searching for her all night, he thought he might be hallucinating.

If not… then surely…

“Ah! Meteor!”

Lucas had caught up to him just in time.

“There’s one more thing I have to tell you, don’t be shocked! Crescent was in the demon realm with the Cardinal too! How is that possible?”

“…What? Is that true?”

He had barely dared to imagine it, but indeed…

Lucas nodded to assure Meteor, who could hardly believe it.

“Yes. Everyone was so shocked. Crescent had been in a different place when she got caught in high-level demonic energy, but the Cardinal appeared there too! That’s why they came back together!”

“….”

Meteor felt dizzy.

Crescent had really been to the demon realm again.

Without him knowing, she had survived another brush with death from demonic energy.

Meteor was overwhelmed with a complex and strange mix of emotions. Yet Crescent smiled cheerfully despite enduring such a terrifying ordeal for the second time.

Now he should feel relieved.

But he didn’t.

A small knot of unease twisted in his chest.

What was this feeling?

It was a sensation he had never experienced before, hard to recognize.

He felt angry, yet also relieved, and a lump of emotion welled up in him again.

He wanted to scold Crescent, but she had done nothing wrong.

Thunk!

At that moment, someone bumped into his shoulder and charged forward at full speed.

“Crescent!”

“!”

Meteor nearly fell but quickly regained his balance. Adrian had already reached Crescent, standing directly in front of her.