A translucent rainbow that had been soaring into the sky suddenly ceased its ascent.
“Huh?”
The girl, who had been merrily playing under the square’s fountain, stopped in her tracks with a puzzled expression.
She blinked in dismay. Her dress, which had been soaking wet just moments ago, was now dry and fluffy.
The water that had pooled at her feet had also vanished, as if it had never been there in the first place, nowhere to be seen.
—
“Kyaaa!”
A noblewoman, enjoying a boat ride while having breakfast, screamed and grabbed onto the boat’s side as it began to rock violently, causing sandwiches and coffee to fall to the floor.
“Smith! What’s happening? Why are we going down?”
“I don’t know, gasp.”
Kooooh. The sound of water draining echoed ominously as if signaling the end of the world.
The moss-covered walls of the lake, now resembling the entrance to hell, slowly revealed themselves.
“Save me, Smith!”
“Aaaah!”
The two, having missed the chance to jump off, clung to each other and screamed.
“Ugh!”
“Aaah!”
The seemingly endless fall ended with a tremendous shock. Smith quickly got up from where he had lain. He then looked around in horror.
“This is…”
It was the bottom of the lake. Surrounded by limp waterweeds, moss-covered rocks, and fluttering fish.
“Aaah!”
A fish flapped into the boat. He managed to throw it back out. Then, feeling weak in the legs, he collapsed.
“The water in the lake, it’s gone.”
“O Goddess…”
The lady by his side, shivering, eventually fainted.
“Anita! Anita! Come to your senses!”
He clutched his limp wife and cursed towards the blue sky.
“Is there nobody to save us!”
—
“Lastly, we shall now bless those who are about to walk the path of priesthood.”
At the High Priest’s declaration, the prospective priests hurriedly knelt before the dais. The High Priest briefly recited a prayer praising the Goddess and then stepped down from the dais.
A boy in blue ceremonial robes hurriedly brought over a brass bowl. The High Priest washed his hands in the water within and arrogantly declared.
“This holy water is a grace bestowed upon us through the Holy Grail of Rosantine. You must not forget the blessing of this holy water and dedicate your lives to the Goddess.”
“We receive the will of the great Goddess.”
The young priests bowed deeply. Their families, watching from a distance, teared up with pride.
“Now, from this moment on…”
The High Priest couldn’t finish his sentence. The holy water in the brass bowl was diminishing. The face of the boy who saw the same turned pale.
“High Priest, the, the holy water is…”
Staring blankly at the empty brass bowl, the High Priest dipped his hand in.
The touch of dryness, devoid of any moisture, paled his face as well.
The boy staggered back.
Clang! The brass bowl rolled on the floor with a sharp sound.
The startled congregation rose to their feet. The High Priest, who had been staring at the fallen bowl as if turned to stone, quickly knelt down. He hastily touched the carpet.
His eyes filled with terror. The holy water, it was gone. Not a trace of moisture remained on the red carpet.
—
The High Priest hurriedly headed to the main castle.
Already, the area in front of the castle was crowded with people. All were chaotically talking amidst shock and fear.
“Suddenly, the water in my cup vanished. Without a trace!”
“The water reservoir is empty! It was full just yesterday!”
“There must be a problem with the Grail! We must see the lord!”
Despite the tremendous uproar, the castle gates remained firmly shut. Knights who had received orders from the lord in advance had locked the doors from the inside.
“Why won’t you open the gates? Why not!”
“It’s clear the lord is hiding something from us!”
“Open up! Hurry and open it!”
The people began to get more agitated. The fear of losing water overnight in the middle of a desert was what drove them to this state.
The High Priest, gritting his teeth at the scene, quickly formed a hand sign.
He gathered all the divine power within his body and released it in one explosive burst. A white light briefly filled the area in front of the castle before disappearing instantly.
Silence fell upon the surroundings.
“Gasp, pant.”
The priest, clutching his collar, gasped for breath.
Towards the crowd staring at him in horror, he screamed with all his might.
“The door must be broken down. Everyone, move!”
—
Thump, thump! The heavy sound echoed as the wooden door shook. The lord’s subordinates trembled in fear.
“Lord Louis, is this really okay? Aren’t we going to be beaten to death by the people?”
Thanks to Ahwin pouring his divine power all night, Louis, who had awoken sooner than expected, clenched his fists tightly.
His complexion was pale, but his eyes were filled with resolute determination.
“We have no choice. This is the only way to retrieve the Grail.”
Crack! The wooden door began to splinter.
“Kyaaaa!”
The maids screamed in terror and collapsed. Louis hurriedly helped them up.
“We don’t have time for this! The castle gate will be broken soon! You must hide now. Hurry!”
—
Boom! Finally, the castle’s door was shattered.
Angry people poured in like a herd of bison. Without hesitation, everyone rushed towards the lord’s office.
“The lord is not here!”
“Go to the garden! The Grail is there!”
The High Priest’s voice rose high.
Following his command, everyone rushed towards the garden to check the state of the Grail.
But, the Grail was gone.
All that remained was a dry pond and an empty pedestal.
“O Goddess…”
Someone murmured in a trembling voice. Some, losing strength in their legs, sat down.
The High Priest’s face contorted terribly.
The Grail that had protected Rosantine for hundreds of years had disappeared.
—
Riding at full speed, the lord glanced at Ahwin.
[In a few hours, all the water in Rosantine will disappear. The panicked people will all chase after you. Then, blame all the disasters on Tenua, who stole the Grail.]
Last night, Ahwin had said this while treating Louis.
Without a second thought, the lord decided to follow Ahwin’s words.
It was the only way to retrieve the Grail stolen by Tenua and to repay the favor.
There was no reason to hesitate.
That’s why he ended up escorting the diplomatic delegation, even though it wasn’t part of the original plan. Yet, he still harbored doubts.
‘Will everything really happen as Lord Ahwin said?’
The disappearance of all water in Rosantine at once. It was a tremendous event, barely manageable even by Josephina.
The lord gripped the reins tightly, trying to reassure himself.
‘I have to believe. Being the Wing of the Goddess, he must have plans beyond my imagination.’
—
The mastermind behind the plan, Leticia, was currently in dire straits.
She had never imagined that riding a horse at full speed would be so exhausting.
Every jolt from the galloping horse struck her body with a heavy impact, which was the biggest problem.
Even without moving a hand while on the horse, she found herself breathless, her breath reaching her throat. Recalling Dietrian’s warning not to open her mouth, she clenched her teeth with all her might.
Noticing Leticia’s condition, Dietrian urgently whispered to her.
“You need to relax your body.”
If that were as easy as it sounded, she would have done it already. Leticia tightly closed her eyes and just gripped the horse’s mane.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally arrived at the spring. Dust swirled around as dozens of knights on horseback gathered.
“Haah, ha.”
Leticia, still clutching the horse’s mane, could not move, only gasping for breath.
Dietrian quickly jumped down from the horse and helped her dismount.
As soon as she did, he pulled her staggering body towards him.
“Leticia, this way.”
Leticia almost collapsed into his arms, unable to stand properly as her legs gave out. Dietrian quickly lowered his stance to catch her.
“Lean on me, Leticia.”
Dietrian positioned her cheek against his shoulder, checking her complexion as Leticia closed her eyes and gasped for breath, then licked her dry lips.
“Water.”
“Just a moment.”
He slung her limp arm over his neck and slipped his arm under her hamstrings. Then, he lifted her in one motion and headed towards a nearby tree.
After seating her against the tree, he opened a water bottle. He carefully tilted it against her lips.
So exhausted was she that initially, Leticia couldn’t properly drink the water. Clear water dripped down, wetting her front.
But then, as if it were a elixir of life, she began to gulp it down eagerly.
The taste of the water was so sweet that she emptied the bottle in no time.
Seeing this, Dietrian quickly went to refill the bottle at the spring.
Leticia blinked. Gradually, her blurry vision came into focus.
‘I thought I was going to die.’
Claiming to know how to ride a horse would have been disastrous.
Had she ridden alone, she wouldn’t have managed the speed and would have fallen off long ago.
Shortly, Dietrian returned.
Once again, she leaned into him and drank the water like a baby bird, gulp by gulp.
As the cold water entered her system, she came to her senses. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pressed his lips to her forehead.
“You’ve endured a lot.”
“Feels like I’m going to die.”
“For a first-timer, you’ve held up well. Some can’t withstand the shock and collapse as soon as they dismount.”
He said this with a very tender voice. At those words, Leticia felt a prick of conscience. After a moment of silence, Leticia whispered.
“It wasn’t my first time.”
“What?”
“I’ve ridden a horse before.”
Dietrian blinked.
“What?”
“I know how to ride. I’ve never ridden this fast before, though…”
“What do you mean by that…”
Embarrassed, Leticia couldn’t look him in the eye. With no other option, she quietly burrowed into his embrace.
Dietrian looked at her with a puzzled expression.
‘Ridden a horse before?’
But, why?
Confused, he quickly recalled their earlier conversation.
Come to think of it, she never directly said she couldn’t ride.
He had assumed so on his own. Of course, she hadn’t corrected his misunderstanding either.
‘Why…’
With a bewildered feeling, Dietrian’s eyes suddenly widened as he looked at her.
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