[Completed] Fantasy Novel [Chiaroscuro of the Dawn] ep. 28 "Chapter 4: Drop the Stone, Raise the Star"

Departure

Steam rose softly in the light streaming into the ancient temple.
A sweet and tangy, heart-melting aroma filled the room.

"It's a wild strawberry crostata, enjoy."

Michele's voice as he held up the plate was unusually proud, which was very fresh to Chiaro.
However, the crust was baked to the color of a golden wheat field, and the jam peeking through sparkled red like rubies—a result worthy of a masterpiece.

Chiaro, of course, as well as Gigi and Toto, looked happy, but Scuro's way of being moved was exceptional.
His clear eyes were glistening, and he sat politely, biting his lip.
When Chiaro smiled and said, "I'm glad," he nodded, forgetting even to put on his usual tough act.

"I haven't baked in a while, so I struggled quite a bit. Back in the day, you used to get mad at me for not having enough butter, Scuro."

Chiaro stuffed his mouth with the crunchy crust and the flowing jam, puffing out his cheeks as he said, "It's delicious!"
The twins were licking the crust little by little, very seriously.

And as for Scuro, the moment he took a bite, he rubbed his eyes and said,

"Yeah... it's the absolute best!"

He said this with a smile so wide his eyes and mouth seemed to touch.

It was certainly delicious, but Chiaro thought that perhaps Scuro's own creations, with their abundance of butter, were more luxurious.
Surely the difference in the amount of butter reflected the difference in the circumstances in which they were raised.

The chirping of skylarks could be heard from the window, and a soft breeze blew in. This tea party on a fine spring day was, in fact, a farewell party for Chiaro and Scuro. It was held here at their request, as they preferred to enjoy it in the familiar ancient temple rather than the palace, where there were always eyes on them.

Once their stomachs were full, Gigi and Toto gave them palm-sized cards, saying, "A present!"
They had drawn their own faces on them, and of course, there was one for Scuro as well. Scuro seemed to catch on immediately, but Chiaro tilted his head, asking, "What's this?"

"It's a holy card. Gigi and Toto said they wanted to give you a parting gift, so I thought, why not something to protect you on your journey?"

"There's such a thing? It's cute, and I'm so happy! But it makes me laugh a little to hear the two of them called 'holy'."

When the twins complained, asking why, Michele smiled and said, "Let me put the finishing touches on it."
He drew the long, thin triangle that was the symbol of the Os Sacrum Church on the cards with his finger and offered a sincere prayer.

"May you be blessed, and may you be safe."

Since the coronation, Michele had been busy day and night steering diplomacy and domestic affairs.
It was in the midst of all that that Chiaro and Scuro had brought up the idea of going on a journey once spring arrived.
Of course, Michele's stance was that it was out of the question for children to go on a journey.

However, their resolve was firm.

"I only knew this ancient temple, and I thought I'd be fine as long as I could be with Nii-ni forever. But, Nii-ni, did you know?"
"The night sea ripples as if it's wearing a net of light. You don't realize how truly transparent spring water is until you stick your feet in. Walking on rocky terrain is incredibly hard, and I got muscle aches in places I never knew could hurt! After experiencing things like that, I wanted to go to even more places."
Michele shook his tired face from side to side.

"No, Scuro. I'm sure the adventure was wonderful. But someone who wants your life could appear at any moment. You're safe in the palace."

"I know, I'll build a garden for you, Scuro, so you can walk around freely. Sometimes I'll invite an opera troupe, and you can have playmates other than Chiaro—no, that's not what I mean. I understand... I'm truly sorry."
Chiaro's heart ached at the sight of Michele kneeling on the floor, covering his pale face with both hands. Scuro must have been even more pained.

However, he did not back down.
"Nii-ni. I don't want to kill time; I want to see the world. I want to know the world and find what I can do for the new era."

Michele stared at Scuro as if praying. It was no longer clear which of them was the one pleading.

"What you can do? Scuro, I won't let you use the power of transmission anymore. There is meaning in not leaving the seat of Lilith's successor vacant; that is enough."

"Do you really think I can go on without using my power? Do you really think my existence won't leak from the current College of Cardinals? Even the Emperor was assassinated in the palace—can you really say I'm absolutely safe?"

"...No matter how many millions of times I apologize, it only causes you more pain."

Scuro gently shook his head at Michele, who hung his head like a broken lily.

"Nii-ni, you know, I don't regret having the power of transmission. I just want to take responsibility for the power I've obtained."

"I don't want to be told what to do by others, and I don't want to be pushed around by the power; I want to think properly and use it. To do that, I have to become stronger than the power itself."
"He who possesses power must hold the reins and never allow the master and servant to be reversed, is that it?"

Chiaro and the others looked at each other in surprise at Michele's murmur. That was because it was a line they had heard from Lilith on the Ogre Island.

Although they had reported to Michele that they had gone to Ogre Island, they had kept the fact that they met the goddess a secret.

They thought that Lilith, who hated humans, would not want it known that she was still alive.
"It's one of the old teachings of the Os Sacrum Church. Why are you both looking so surprised?"

They both shook their heads vigorously.

"No, it's nothing! Um, Nii-ni. Please send us off with peace of mind. It's possible that the outside world, where people don't know my face, is safer than the palace!"

Michele stood up and hugged Scuro with tears in his eyes.

"It was I who needed to become independent. Scuro, I'm going to be lonely."

"I'm not! I'm not lonely at all! Well, maybe just a tiny bit, but I'm definitely not lonely!"

Chiaro couldn't help but wipe his eyes as he watched Scuro say such incoherent things while clinging to Michele so tightly he seemed to be digging into him.

After releasing Scuro from the long embrace, Michele turned to ask Chiaro.

"Chiaro, are you really sure?"

Just as Scuro had been raised confined in the temple, Chiaro had been bound to Ogre Village, and no matter how much he longed for the outside world, he was in no position to hope for a journey.

However, everything he had learned and experienced since being invited to the Papal Court had given a tangible reality to the longing for the outside that had been vague until then.
"I want to know more about Ogres and humans. Humans who can do terrible things to Ogres seem closer to demons than Ogres themselves, but I don't know yet if all humans are like that."

"To prevent tragedies from repeating, I want to observe what humans are, and I want to think of a way to create a world where Gigi, who has horns, and Toto, who doesn't, can live with smiles. Of course, together with you, Michele."
Chiaro continued to Michele, who was welling up with new tears.

"Besides, when I told Gigi and Toto that I wanted to go on a journey, they said, 'It's fine because Michele is here!' Oh man, I finally had my big brother role taken away from me."

He meant it as a joke, but Michele said with straight eyes,

"I think you know, but both of them love you more than anyone."

That was true; Chiaro knew.

He knew that Gigi had been comforting Toto, who was crying in secret, with a voice that sounded like he was about to cry himself, saying, "Big brother won't forget us, so it's okay. Let's let him go."
Michele smiled sadly and said, "I cannot get in the way of the greatest expression of love those children have for their big brother," and hugged Chiaro tightly as well.

"I love you too," he added in a whisper.
Chiaro looked around at the tea party scene once more.

Since becoming Pope, Michele had always worn a somewhat tense atmosphere, but today his face was relaxed enough to melt.
Gigi and Toto were also in high spirits, their round cheeks looking like ripe tomatoes.

Scuro, who had been as aloof and stiff as a plaster statue when they first met, was now patting Chiaro on the shoulder and laughing as his best friend.
They were enjoying sweet treats and fragrant coffee with the people they loved most.

The present, which he couldn't have imagined half a year ago, felt like a dream, and suddenly his vision blurred.
Michele, who seemed to notice, started to say something, but Scuro cut him off energetically, saying, "Nii-ni! Make sure to pack us a cherry crostata for tomorrow, and a pistachio one too!"

Everyone laughed at Michele's grumbling, "Good grief, I guess I'll be pulling an all-nighter tonight." Scuro gently rubbed Chiaro's back as he wiped away his tears.
A soft breeze combed through his hair.

The busy chirping of the skylarks reminded him of the way a silver water surface flickered.
Everything in the gentle scenery looked like it was sparkling, and Chiaro couldn't stop his tears of happiness.

The morning of their departure was calm, with a pale blue sky stretching out.
In the bushes surrounding the ancient temple, daisies, called Margherita in this country, were swaying.
Chiaro, who had come to the temple roof with Scuro, raised his voice as if to break the lovely scenery on the ground.

"Wait, what? That thing where you clung to Michele-san saying 'I'm not lonely at all'—was that acting!?"

Scuro put his index finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet. His expression showed no remorse at all.

"It wasn't acting, it was a performance! A tsundere character like me shines the brightest when what I say and what I do are contradictory, you know. After all, I definitely want to be cute in front of Nii-ni!"

"I'm... cringing right now. How can you reveal that with a smile!?"

Just as he was shaking Scuro, telling him to give back his tears of emotion, Michele arrived with the twins.

"Oh my, you two really get along well."

"Michele-san... actually, Scuro was act—"

"Whoa, whoa! Nii-ni, did you bake the crostata for us!?"

Michele nodded and handed over a large oil-paper package. Both of them cheered.

"Yes! Thank you, Nii-ni!"

"It's still warm. I have to keep an eye on it so Scuro doesn't snack on it."

Scuro pouted, saying, "I wouldn't do that," while patting his backpack, which was bulging with crostata.

"Chiaro, please take care of Scuro. And you, too, please rely on Scuro."

"Yes! I realized something. I think I can be selfish when I'm in front of Scuro."

When he first came to the Papal Court, Michele had told Chiaro, "It would be better if you were a little more selfish."
At the time, he hadn't understood the true meaning, but now he did.

"Being able to be yourself is the best, isn't it?"

Michele's eyes widened, and he laughed, saying, "I'm glad, you've really become strong."

"While you two are broadening your horizons, I intend to learn and devote myself to the happiness of the people. However, there are things that are hard to see just by sitting in a chair."
"When you return, please tell me what you saw on your journey, the figures of the people living there, and their worries and hopes."

Feeling that he was truly a good Pope, he replied, "Yes!"

"But please, don't do anything reckless. I will send you my blessings every day. Because I love you."

"I heard that a hundred million times yesterday, so I'm fine! I love you too, Nii-ni."

When the twins asked, "What about Gigi?" and "What about Toto?", Scuro rubbed his cheeks against them, saying, "Of course I love you guys, you little clingy ones."
In the midst of this, Michele gave a faint, bitter smile toward Chiaro.

"It's a bit late to say this, but I wish I could have spoiled you more too, Chiaro."

"Then, now! Please spoil me now!" Chiaro said, spreading his arms.
He seemed a little shy, but he wrapped Chiaro in his large frame.

"If you come back early, I'll hug you even tighter."

"In that case, maybe I'll just come back tomorrow."

As Chiaro replied to the joke with another joke, Scuro pulled him away.
Chiaro thought Scuro was just jealous that Michele was being taken, but to his surprise, Scuro spread his arms toward Chiaro and pouted his lips, saying,

"Hmph!"

"Huh? W-what does that mean? Are you telling me to hug you?"

Scuro made the sound again.

"I don't get it! What Michele-san and I were doing was a goodbye hug, you know? Scuro and I are going to be together from today on, right?"

"What's that supposed to mean! Do you hate me that much! Hmph!!"

When Toto muttered, "He's jealous...", Gigi also nodded, saying, "He's jealous, isn't he?"

"I see, it's complicated to feel the end of child-rearing."

"What? Don't look so sentimental, please do something about this! Oh, Scuro, don't come over here."

Just as a chase seemed about to start between the two, a cry like a fire alarm went off.

Toto? Chiaro crouched down, but there was no sign that the sobbing, with shoulders shaking, would stop.
"Oh man, Toto, you can't do that. We promised, right? That we'd see them off without crying."

Gigi, who said this, already had rabbit eyes.

"It's okay, Gigi and Toto, you don't have to hold it in. Thank you for crying for your big brother. I love you both... somehow, big brother is starting to cry too~"

Perhaps influenced by Chiaro, Gigi finally started sobbing as well.

As he was gently patting their backs, Scuro hugged them all, including the twins. Furthermore, it became a big deal when Michele covered them from above, wrapping all five of them up.
The twins cried out dramatically, "I'm going to get flattened!" and "I can't breathe!"

Scuro said, "Ugh, ah, my breakfast is coming up!" and everyone laughed while patting each other's shoulders.
Before long, the hippogriff Pii-chan descended onto the roof, bringing the scent of the forest with him.

Chiaro and Scuro had chosen an air route for their journey. Their first destination was across the sea.
Straddling Pii-chan's back, who was starting to grow his summer coat, the two waved to Gigi, Toto, and Michele.

"Nii-ni, don't overwork yourself! And you little ones, look forward to souvenirs!"

"Michele-san, please take care of Gigi and Toto. Everyone, be happy."

Toto lowered his eyebrows anxiously, and Gigi puffed out his cheeks.

"Being happy is weird. Big brother, you're coming back in the summer, right?"

"Ahaha, that's right. I'll be back soon!"

Everyone, be happy.

It was a phrase that came naturally, but remembering that his mother and father had left those same words behind, his chest felt warm.

Now that he was in a position to wish for it himself, he could understand how much his parents had loved him at that time, and the desperation of the wish he couldn't help but make.
And that blessing would continue to be poured out without interruption from here on out.

A tailwind blew.
Pii-chan purred happily and soared into the sky.

First, let's deliver the crostata to the lonely goddess.
I wonder if she will like the cherry jam that Scuro and I boiled down last night. I hope the crust that I kneaded with Michele has a good texture.

After sharing the joy of eating delicious food with the people he wanted to see smile, where should they go next?
Beyond many mornings and nights, a world yet to be seen awaits. (The End)