Chapter 3: Aria’s Prologue (2)

“The stars are especially bright tonight.”

“They are.”

Lucia and I stood atop the cathedral’s North Observation Tower, the tallest of the four.

We weren’t supposed to be here. We’d get scolded if the nuns found out. But… well, it might be the last time we saw this view, so a little indulgence was acceptable, right?

Unlike my previous world, the sky here was dominated by stars, outnumbering even the clouds.

“That’s the Thousand Star.”

“When did you learn that?”

“A nun told me.”

Lucia pointed to a particularly bright star.

The Thousand Star. A cliché story, but… Legend said that after the first war between the Goddess and the Demon God, which ended in the Goddess’ victory, she created a star to symbolize the hero who fought for her. Thus, the name, for its brilliant light.

A symbol of the Goddess’ love for humanity. The day it faded would mark the end of the world. A portal to the heavens where the Goddess resided…

Numerous theories and rumors, both in this world and my past life, surrounded the star, but its true nature remained unknown. Even in the original story, its significance was never fully explained.

‘Which one is true? We don’t even know which hero it symbolizes.’

‘Pointless to dwell on it.’

It wasn’t something I needed to worry about now. It was just a star, shining brighter than the others.

Thirty minutes passed. Lucia, sleepy, leaned against my shoulder. I silently stroked her hair.

“Mmm… I’m the older sister…”

“Yes, yes~ I know.”

Lucia puffed out her cheeks, displeased with being treated like the younger sibling. She tried to look upset, but it only made her look cuter. Like a hamster with its cheeks stuffed full of food.

“Sister.”

“Hmm…”

“Would you be sad if I disappeared?”

“What? Are you going to leave me, Aria?”

Lucia looked at me, surprised. Our faces were close, too close, but I ignored it. She was probably just sleepy.

“I won’t be by your side forever.”

“Both of us will have to live our own lives someday. And when that happens, we might not be together.”

Lucia fell silent, as if shocked. After a moment, she hugged me tightly, finally collecting her thoughts.

“Whoa, this is a bit much…”

“You can’t go! I won’t let you!”

“…”

She buried her face in my neck. I felt her warmth. This felt… strange, between sisters, but I decided to let it slide.

“Listen to me, Aria.”

Her voice was serious. Her breath tickled my neck as she spoke, but I couldn’t afford to be distracted.

“You are my only sister, and the person I love the most.”

“I appreciate you thinking that way.”

I hadn’t had parents in either of my lives. Or rather, I didn’t consider the people who gave birth to me as parents. They abandoned me, so they didn’t deserve the title.

The only family we had left was each other. Lucia was precious to me, just as I was to her.

“So please don’t disappear on me. I’ll do whatever it takes to stay with you.”

“…Okay.”

I hoped that someday, she’d understand my choices. I could only hope.

Darkness had fallen. While Lucia slept soundly beside me, I remained awake, looking out the window.

Empty streets. Magic tools illuminating the paths. A familiar sight, but tonight, it felt unusually quiet.

Most of the city’s forces had been deployed to suppress the Demon King worshippers. Not just our city, but a joint operation involving eight cities. Even the usual night patrols were absent.

‘Perfect opportunity for a robbery.’

Attacking a castle while the main army was away was a classic tactic. I’d read something about it somewhere…

Of course, the lords weren’t fools. They would have left a minimal force behind. But that force could only maintain order and buy time. They’d expected a short expedition, so there was no need to leave a large garrison.

But they didn’t anticipate one thing.

That this was all part of the demons’ plan.

Gather the cities’ attention and forces in one place, then attack the undefended cities. Use the Demon King worshippers as bait. A large-scale rebellion by the worshippers, whom the Empire and Church were eager to suppress? There was no better lure.

The clock read 10:50 pm.

‘Ten minutes left.’

In ten minutes, the demon army would launch their full-scale invasion. Most of them would be low- to mid-ranking demons, not a major threat, but I couldn’t be complacent.

The real problem was the higher-ranking demon likely leading them. A demon powerful enough to infiltrate the human world, kidnap Aria, and raise her within the Demon King’s army.

‘That requires considerable authority. At least a high-ranking demon, worst case, a Legion Commander.’

The original story never explained how Aria was kidnapped, so I could only speculate. And even then, I wasn’t sure. If a high-ranking demon or a Legion Commander was involved, there wasn’t much I could do.

‘No, maybe I could handle a high-ranking demon?’

Defeating them would be impossible, but escaping might be feasible.

“Hehe… Aria…”

“…What kind of dream is she having?”

Lucia stirred, murmuring my name. A small smile played on her lips.

I chuckled.

“She’s such a child sometimes…”

Hard to believe this girl would become the Saint.

‘Three… no, two minutes left.’

Instead of getting up, I lay down and hugged Lucia.

“…Warm.”

How much time had passed?

‘10, 9, 8… 2, 1… Now.’

The clock ticked to 11 pm.

KABOOM!

A distant explosion echoed. Soldiers shouted, civilians screamed. Chaos descended upon the city.