Chapter 305 - 303 : Dream

Chapter 305: Chapter 303 : Dream

Max began explaining in a low voice.

As he spoke, two figures emerged from the nearby passage.

One took up a position near the mouth of the lane to keep watch, while the other crouched beside Max and used a small piece of charcoal to sketch a rough layout on a broken board.

Arthur studied the markings.

The outer wall.

The service entrance.

The guarded approach to the ruined temple.

Max pointed out a narrow route used by workers transporting supplies between the Church’s storehouses and the restricted grounds.

A delivery was scheduled for that evening.

His companions had spent days learning its schedule.

They knew where the carts stopped.

They knew which stretch of the route passed beyond the busiest streets.

They had even obtained enough discarded work clothes to make an attempt at blending in.

Arthur listened without interrupting.

The longer Max spoke, the less impressed he became.

At last, Max finished explaining the plan.

Arthur looked up from the rough sketch.

"That’s reckless."

Max folded his arms.

"It can work."

"Those aren’t the same thing."

"We’re not planning to walk through the front gate and announce ourselves."

"No. You’re planning to get close enough that if one guard asks the wrong question, you’ll have nowhere to run."

Max’s mouth tightened.

Arthur glanced toward the children again.

"Are you sure you’re not trying to die and leave me responsible for all of them?"

Max’s expression twitched.

"I’m rather fond of being alive."

"Your plan suggests otherwise."

"This isn’t the first time I’ve done something dangerous."

Arthur looked at the axe strapped to Max’s back.

"I’d gathered that much."

Max crouched and wiped part of the charcoal sketch away.

"We know the risks."

Arthur watched him for another moment before asking, "When?"

"This evening."

Max glanced upward.

The narrow strip of sky between the rooftops was still bright.

Several hours remained before nightfall.

Arthur rolled his shoulders.

"Then there’s time."

Max looked up at him.

"For what?"

"Do you have somewhere I can sleep?"

The question seemed to catch everyone in the lane off guard.

One of Max’s companions turned to stare at Arthur.

Max blinked.

"You want to sleep?"

"That’s usually what people mean when they ask."

"For a man who’s entering a restricted temple tonight, you seem awfully relaxed."

"For a man who’s entering a restricted temple tonight, I’d prefer not to be exhausted."

Max studied him for a moment.

Then he gave a small shrug.

"Of course. I can find you somewhere."

He paused.

"But I can’t promise the sort of comfort you’re used to."

Arthur’s expression barely changed.

"I’ve slept in worse places."

───────────────

The room was at the rear of a narrow building overlooking the courtyard.

Max pushed the door inward.

It dragged against the floor before opening far enough for them to enter.

There was no bed.

A worn blanket had been spread over the cold stone floor, with a handmade pillow resting at one end. Uneven stitches crossed its faded fabric.

The walls were cracked.

Near the ceiling, a patch of plaster had fallen away, exposing the old supports beneath.

A small window admitted a thin shaft of light.

It also let in a draft.

Max stepped aside.

"Still want to sleep?"

Arthur surveyed the room once.

Then he crossed it.

Without answering, he lowered himself onto the blanket and stretched out.

The pillow was lumpy.

The floor was hard.

Neither bothered him enough to complain.

He pulled his hood back and closed his eyes.

Max watched him from the doorway.

For a moment, it seemed as though he might say something.

Instead, he shook his head.

"I’ll wake you before we leave."

Arthur lifted one hand in acknowledgment.

The door scraped shut.

Footsteps retreated down the corridor.

A moment later, the System spoke.

[ Why are you trusting him so much? ]

Arthur shifted slightly, finding a position that put less pressure on his shoulder.

[ He could report you while you’re asleep. ]

’He’s not lying.’

[ How can you be certain? ]

’Just a feeling.’

A pause followed.

Then the System spoke again.

[ I cannot believe you’re trying to sleep somewhere we could be attacked at any moment. ]

Arthur exhaled.

’I’m not trying to sleep. You’re preventing me from sleeping.’

[ Host. ]

’I need a clear head for whatever is inside that temple.’

The room smelled of old cloth and dust.

Beyond the wall, he heard a child laugh.

’I don’t even know whether the blessing is there. We have a ruined temple, some missing people, and a suspicious baptism ceremony.’

His thoughts grew quieter.

’For all I know, I’m shooting an arrow into the dark.’

[ You are right about that. ]

’Then let me rest before I miss.’

The System offered no reply.

Arthur’s breathing gradually slowed.

The faint sounds of the courtyard blurred together.

At last, sleep claimed him.

───────────────

Arthur opened his eyes.

The room was gone.

There was no cracked ceiling above him.

No blanket beneath his body.

No afternoon light filtering through the window.

He stood in darkness.

For a moment, he couldn’t tell where the floor ended or how far the space extended.

Then he looked down.

A hand lay near his boot.

Small.

Motionless.

Arthur’s gaze traveled along the arm.

A child lay beside him.

A girl wearing ragged clothes.

He recognized the tear near her sleeve.

She had been holding a piece of fruit in the courtyard.

Arthur stopped breathing.

Slowly, he lifted his head.

Bodies covered the floor.

Some lay alone. Others had fallen against one another, their limbs tangled in the darkness.

Men.

Women.

Children.

Too many to count from where he stood.

The air was cold.

There was no movement.

No sound.

Arthur took one step forward.

Then he noticed the broken crescent.

Max lay among the dead.

His scarred face was turned toward the ceiling, his eyes open and empty.

One arm rested across the body of a small boy, as though Max had tried to shield him.

Arthur recognized the boy, too.

The one who had asked for food.

A chill crept down his spine.

’No.’

He looked farther into the darkness.

More familiar clothes.

More small faces.

The children who had crowded around Max.

The ones who had argued over toys.

The ones who had cheered when the food appeared.

All of them lay motionless.

Arthur stepped backward.

His heel struck something.

He froze before looking down.

"System."

No answer.

The silence seemed to deepen.

"System."

Nothing.

Arthur’s fingers curled into fists.

His gaze searched the darkness for movement, a doorway, or anything that might explain where he was.

Then he felt it.

Someone was standing behind him.

Arthur turned sharply.

A woman stood only a few steps away.

He hadn’t heard any footsteps.

He couldn’t remember seeing anyone standing there before.

She was simply there, as though she had been waiting for him to notice her.

Long, dark-blue hair fell over her shoulders and down her back, catching a pale light that had no visible source.

Her skin was flawless, almost luminous against the surrounding darkness.

A flowing gown followed the graceful line of her shoulders and waist before falling in soft folds to the floor. She was tall and elegantly formed, with a stillness that made the fabric around her seem untouched by the cold.

She should have been easy to see.

Yet Arthur couldn’t make out her face.

He narrowed his eyes.

The harder he tried to focus, the less certain her features became.

Her face wasn’t hidden by a veil or swallowed by shadows.

It was simply beyond his ability to perceive.

Arthur planted his feet firmly.

"Who the hell are you?"

The woman didn’t move.

Arthur’s gaze flicked toward the bodies.

"Did you do this?"

Her head turned slightly.

Not toward him.

Toward the children.

When she spoke, her voice was soft.

Yet it reached him with such clarity that the silence surrounding them seemed immense.

"My children..."

Arthur’s jaw tightened.

"Save them."

He stared at her.

The woman lifted one hand.

Her fingers trembled.

"Save them, and I’ll give you what you came here for."

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

"The blessing?"

She didn’t answer.

Instead, her voice changed.

The softness remained, but beneath it lay an urgency that made Arthur’s skin prickle.

"Do not let them be eaten."

Arthur went still.

"What?"

The darkness around her began to shift.

He took a step toward her.

"What are you talking about?"

Her outline grew faint.

The pale light caught in her hair began to fade.

"Wait."

Arthur reached out.

"Eaten by what?"

The woman disappeared.

Arthur’s eyes snapped open.