375. Lena Ep – Journal

The corridor was longer than I expected.

Also, it was more luxurious than I had anticipated, making Reriana completely forget her situation as she was led by Santian into the corridor.

“What is all this?”

“I don’t know either.”

The corridor was filled with statues.

As if proving the passage of time, they crumbled in various places, yet they took on different poses, injecting life into the corridor buried in the years.

However, embarrassingly, nearly all the statues were naked.

With male and female anatomy on full display, they stood proudly without a hint of shame, causing the boy and girl passing by to turn beet red.

Reriana thought she should say something.

“T-this isn’t a big deal. There were times when the human body was regarded as beautiful. That’s just art, right?”

“…So, Princess, you must be quite used to this.”

“Y-yeah!”

As they walked down the corridor, Reriana pretended to admire the statues. Inadvertently, she discovered there was a hierarchy among them.

Based on their gestures, gazes, and appearances…

“Looks like the higher you go up.”

The rows of statues formed a sort of family tree.

One could see who was whose daughter or son. But Reriana noticed there was a strange regularity to it all.

Family trees are usually drawn around the head of the household.

If you start marking the second sons or married daughters who didn’t inherit the family, the list would go on forever.

But this was a bit unusual.

The statues were arranged with those who inherited the family name at the forefront, yet sometimes a woman was mixed in there.

Of course, it’s not unheard of for a woman to inherit a family name. It just happened too frequently here, making her tilt her head in confusion.

Anyway, after walking for a while, the relay of statues came to an end.

The corridor, adorned with stone, transformed into a distinct passageway, and sitting in a prominent chair was a man who seemed to be an ancestor of all the statues they had seen so far.

However, although it was referred to as a man, it was actually hard to tell whether this figure was male or female.

This statue was the only one dressed.

It looked masculine, yet there was a hint of femininity to it as well. Considering the repeating pattern from before, it confused her into thinking this time ought to be female.

At that moment, Santian pointed.

“There’s a door over there.”

“Let’s go in. Inside, there should be proof that you’re a descendant of the Raono family.”

There was a door on the chair. Reriana and Santian walked past the androgynous figure and opened the door.

With a screech of rusty hinges, an ancient room appeared.

It was furnished enough that it could be called someone’s office, it felt like a space suffused with traces of life, but, of course, dust was plastered all over.

Reriana and Santian engaged in behavior typical of those sneaking into someone else’s office. They hurriedly scanned through cabinets and drawers before approaching the desk. There, a stone book lay waiting.

In amazement, Reriana wet her fingertip with saliva. She attempted to flip the pages with her moistened finger, but to her surprise, the pages wouldn’t budge. No matter if she used saliva or tried with her fingernails, they didn’t move at all.

“It won’t open.”

“I’ll give it a try.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not that it’s heavy; it just won’t open. It must not be a book… huh?”

“I opened it!”

When Santian opened the book, it simply flipped open as if it were made of paper.

Unable to hide their excitement, Reriana and Santian settled down eagerly. Reriana sat on a chair, and Santian stood beside her, flipping through the pages.

Then they quickly realized it was someone’s journal.

/ βαδιλεἰας Ακἰυνεν 2 Μαιου. οι υπηρἔτες αυξἦθηκαν. Η πὄλη μεγαλὦνει, και μἔσω του αδερφοὖ μου, παρακἄλεσα τον βασιλιἄ ὄτι θα ἦταν καλὖτερα ναομαστεἰ η πὄλη «Όρβιλ». Ο καιρὄς εἰναι καθαρὄς. Η αστρονομἰα εἰν αι σταθερῆ. επαίνεσε ο Λεἰ’υσια. /

Each page was marked with dates in the kingdom’s calendar, and the blend of personal stories with official matters was apparent.

To help Santian, who didn’t know the ancient language, Reriana read it aloud.

“On the 2nd of May in the reign of Akiunen. A servant has appeared. The city is growing, and through my older brother, I advised the king that it would be better to name this city ‘Oberg’. The weather is clear. The astronomy is stable. I received praise from Lady Leisia.”

“Is that a big deal?”

“No, it’s huge! My lady. I can’t turn the pages. Start from the front, please.”

Santian Rauno flipped through the stone pages with ease.

Why is it that I can’t flip them, but he can? Wondering this, I caught a glimpse of the writing on the very first page and could guess the reason.

/ Baneka’s diary! Do not read! /

/ Baneka Rauno, missing her older brother Banun. /

The handwriting looked like that of a child next to elegant script, the latter surely written later, and this served as a hint.

The owner of this book was the famous Baneka, and her last name, Rauno, pronounced the same as Santian’s.

Reriana nodded.

‘It seems Santian Rauno really is a descendant of Banun Raono.’

The pronunciation was slightly different, but this seemed like a reasonable mistake carried through time.

Moreover, the fact that only Santian could flip the pages served as special evidence.

Deciding to read a bit more, she continued.

/ Autumn. I received a gift. I love Brother Leonel so much. Sister Leisia received one too. /

The first page contained trivial content.

There were traces of a girl shyly writing and then erasing,

/ ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟπΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩ. αβγδεζηθικλμνξοπρσςτυφχψω. I don’t want to do this. I wish I were smart like Sister Leisia. I hate my brother. /

The next pages contained messy handwriting practicing spelling.

It seemed that she quickly learned the ancient language that was used during the Acai Kingdom era, as several months later, she began to use advanced vocabulary that was hard even for Reriana to understand.

Fortunately, Reriana was able to read the text’s meaning even if some words were unknown, thanks to the context.

/ Summer. The number of followers of Brother Leonel has increased to thousands. My brother is too busy to take care of me. Sister Leisia is busy too. I feel lonely. /

/ Hot summer. Something’s floating in the air. When I asked my brother, he said he couldn’t see it. What a fool. /

/ I can now create wind. /

/ People look at me strangely. Someone said it’s because my blood is mixed with another race. Of course not. There can’t be any filthy hybrid blood in me. No way! /

/ Autumn. I might get executed. A trial is coming soon. Sister Leisia suggested we hold a trial. I hate it. /

/ Trying to take away my pen… %^#%$&^ /

/ In the autumn when the leaves fell. I won the trial. Brother Leonel defended me, and Sister Leisia stated in law that this should not be condemned. I was appointed as a priestess. But I know this power isn’t inherited from the gods. This is merely a use of divine providence. I named this ‘sorcery.’ /

/ Summer. Brother Leonel has decided where we will live. It’s a place with a big lake. Brother Banun has started getting people to build a village. Sister Leisia has been staring at the sky all day. /

/ June. I don’t want to see my brother so excited, but it’s a happy day. He has received a surname. Rauno. It means noble person. I can’t agree with that. The lake has flooded. He told me to offer a prayer. It would be quicker to just stop the rain. /

/ October 13. The village is overwhelmed with too many people. There is a food shortage. Theft is common. /

/ October 25. Brother Leonel is going on an expedition. The village will be taken care of by Brother Banun and Sister Leisia. I decided to follow them. /

/ Brother Leonel is acting strange. There’s something inside. This must be a mistake. /

/ December 20. We returned to the village. Everyone welcomed the food taken from other races. Not a single one of us has died. Brother Leonel hasn’t said a word. /

/ January 11. We decided to treat Brother Leonel as our official leader. To differentiate, we will call him by a different name than the leaders of surrounding tribes. There was a suggestion for ‘king.’ Today, twenty-five people froze to death. Sister Leisia is weaving cloth this time. /

/ February 1. The red moon has risen. Brother Leonel has come out for the first time in a while. He held a speech in front of the villagers. He claimed that those who have dedicated themselves to the village should be respected through generations. I disliked seeing Brother Banun’s smug look. My shoes were worn out, so I threw them away. /

/ February 19. I went to the lake. Why do I look like this? It’s so annoying that people confuse me with Brother Banun. The weather is getting warm. /

/ February 29. I’m scared. Is it a sign from the gods for our village? May the red moon’s darkness hurry away. /

/ March 1. Brother Leonel ascended to the throne. Brother Banun became a noble, and Sister Leisia was to be called princess. Construction began to demolish the village walls and build larger ones. /

/ What did I do to deserve such trouble? I was just trying to help. /

/ March 9. I reconciled with my brother. I was told never to do that again. But what am I supposed to do? People come to me and ask questions. /

/ March 21. The expansion of the village is in full swing. While we were at it, land was allocated for our Rauno family. I tried to visit Brother Leonel, but they say the king doesn’t meet anyone. Why? /

/ April 7. Enemies have invaded. Brother Leonel went out alone to stop them. It seems the citizens are getting lazier. I obtained a small amount of honey. /

/ April 19. Our village has grown so large that it’s hard to call it a village anymore. Outsiders call our village a city. I think we need to name it. I should think about it. /

/ April 20. Sister Leisia promulgated a new decree. Everyone under the king is equal before the law. This seems like a problem. Brother Banun seems to agree with elevating Brother Leonel. /

/ In the reign of Leonel, on April 23. This has become unnecessarily long. I don’t like it. Honorifics have emerged too. Ugh. I’ll start checking the constellations from now on. /

/ On May 2 in the reign of Akiunen. A servant has appeared. The city is growing, and through my older brother, I advised the king that it would be better to name this city ‘Oberg’. The weather is clear. The astronomy is stable. I received praise from Lady Leisia. /

/ I seem to have made another mistake. /

/ On May 10 in the reign of Akiunen. From tomorrow, I won’t have to check the constellations. I’m angry. /

/ It’s not that I did that for selfish reasons. The city has grown, and since land is left over, I just surveyed a bit more generously. /

/ On May 30 in the reign of Akiunen. Discussions regarding the class system are intense. This, after all, clashes with the equality before the law that Lady Leisia advocated, creating controversy. I never expected that obtaining such vast land would lead to these problems. The weather is getting hotter. /

/ You bastard. I’m going to kill you. /

/ On June 5 in the reign of Akiunen. I reconciled with Brother Banun again. He promised never to read my journal again. I decided to write about Lord Leonel with utmost respect. It’s annoying. /

/ On June 14 in the reign of Akiunen. The controversy has been resolved. It has been agreed to enshrine in law that there are nobles under the king, and nobles must dedicate themselves for the common people. How long will Princess Leisia and Brother Banun decide national affairs by themselves? It would be better for them to marry quickly for the sake of the city. The new shoes I obtained last time have worn out. So I threw them away. /

/ There’s nothing I can do. /

/ On July 1 in the reign of Akiunen. I handed over the position of priestess to someone else. Like Lord Leonel, I intend to stay indoors. /

/ Even amidst her busy schedule, Sister Leisia often called for me. It wasn’t for anything else, just to share old stories, but her intentions were obvious, unlike her. I advised her to confess first if that’s the case. It’s funny to ask how she could do that. If she could talk to me, surely she could to my brother. I look so much like my brother that you can’t tell us apart! /

/ It’s becoming increasingly unbearable to be caught between the two of them. I’ll have to force them to confess somehow. Where did I put the honey I obtained last time? I should mix in some shepherd’s purse too. /

/ On the grass, herbs flutter. Under the stone, two pebbles. Wishing for the establishment of the Oberg Royal Palace. On September 15 in the reign of Akiunen. /

/ Sister Leisia drank. But that foolish idiot didn’t. /

“Princess?”

Reriana, who had been reading Baneka’s diaries in chronological order, halted.

The handwriting had become a confusing scrawl, as if Baneka had written it in a rage.

After that, it seemed Baneka hadn’t kept the journal for a while.

The sections where the writing became legible shifted to past tense, and the style changed drastically. It seemed like she filled in memories of past events rather than recording daily happenings.

Reriana cleared her dry throat and began reading again.

/ In the reign of Akiunen, in October. Brother Banun, you were heartbroken and didn’t go out to work. Governance has come to a halt. Lady Leisia, who took the potion, was not in a situation to work either. At that time, I was angry as well. I remember I killed a servant. /

/ On a day in October in the reign of Akiunen. Lord Leonel came to our house looking for Brother. Since there was no servant, I went to open the door. I think I shouldn’t have done that. I fed the potion to Lord Leonel, who Brother refused. /

‘What?’

From the point where Reriana read that the king had taken a potion, she didn’t read it out loud. Telling Santian, who was eager to know the content, to wait, she urged him to turn the page. Santian, with a sullen face, flipped to the next page.

/ Lord Leonel has died. I alone knew what was happening in the palace. The gods must have cursed me. As payment for that, I have lived this long. To become the wife of Duke Astroth, I mean. /

/ In the second year of Akiunen’s reign, perhaps in September. Lady Leisia gave birth to a child. The world was astonished, and the gods, enraged, tore the heavens apart and descended. Lord Leonel fought with all his strength. However, he could not stop the gods from taking Lady Leisia. Brother Banun, only then did you come to find me. /

/ “Yes, Brother. I gave the king the potion.” When I said this, you shouted at me. But I had given you the chance. Lady Leisia could have loved you. Everything could have worked out. You would have married Lady Leisia, and I could, well, have married Lord Leonel as I dreamed. It turned out similar in the end. Now that I think about it, I didn’t expect you to have that courage. If that was the case, you should have confessed sooner, I grumbled. /

/ Lord Leonel left to retrieve Princess Leisia, and Brother Banun chased after him, plunging Oberg into chaos. I never imagined that my resemblance to you would help. I did what you told me not to do. Brother Banun, I reassured the people by pretending to be you. By day I lived as a man, by night as a woman. You, Lady Leisia, and Lord Leonel vanished, but Duke Astroth returned. /

/ Duke Astroth is now gone. That is why I am leaving this writing behind. To warn my husband, who will surely return someday. That demon… /

Reriana was taken aback and swallowed hard.

/ … I desperately crave you, Lady Leisia «you» and Lord Leonel. I hope to possess «you» and Lord Leonel and to be born again. Please be careful and do not let him break the cycle buried in ‘Astro Mountain.’

Lady Leisia. I admire you.

Having no way to atone for the sins I owe to you and my brother, I will only offer this excuse. Please just convey my regards to Brother Banun. f- Baneka. /

‘What does this even mean?’

Reriana blinked rapidly.

She was surprised that the «words» written in the book seemed to point at her. However, the book appeared to have made a mistake in identifying its addressee.

Calling her Leisia.

She was Reriana.

While things were amusing, they had nothing to do with her, so Reriana tore her gaze from the book. Just as she was about to tell Santian that she now knew he was a descendant of Banun Raono.

“Ah!! Sister!”

Santian threw himself at Reriana. He tried to protect her as he wrapped around her, but a giant hand enveloped Reriana, sending Santian flying away.

Blood flowed from the boy’s head as he flew like a detached kite.

“Gyaaak!!”

On the other hand, Reriana screamed.

Ignoring the ground and being dragged up, a giant with its face split in half loomed before her. The giant gazed at her lustfully and shouted.

– Leisia! You’ve returned!

No matter how much the deity plays with time, if he can just get his hands on Leisia and Leonel, it would be worth a shot.

If he could just sever the cycle buried in Astro Mountain…!

Revitalized Duke Astroth let out a cry of joy. The rooftop of the Orville Royal Palace burst under the soundwave of his exclamation.

1) A record of daily events. Or such a book.

2) 祈晴祭, a ritual performed during continuous rain to pray for clear skies.