UNDER DIVINE PROTECTION,
THE BEING THAT STEADFASTLY GUARDED HUMANITY'S DAYS OF PROSPERITY: THE WORLD TREE.
AND THE FAMILY THAT GUARDED THAT WORLD TREE FOR GENERATIONS.
THE MARQUISATE OF FLANKER.
THEY WERE NOT BOUND MERELY BY THEIR PEERAGE AS MARQUISES,
AND WERE RESPECTED ABOVE ALL OTHERS IN THE WORLD.
UNTIL THEIR SOLE SUCCESSOR...
FELL INTO A DEEP SLUMBER AFTER AN ATTACK BY AN UNKNOWN ASSAILANT.
FROM THAT DAY ON, USING THE DIVINE POWER PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE IMPERIAL LINE,
THE EMPEROR PUT THE MEMORIES OF THE MARQUISATE OF FLANKER TO SLEEP AMONG THE CITIZENS OF THE EMPIRE.
ALL TO PROTECT THEM AND THE WORLD TREE UNTIL THE DAY HOUSE FLANKER RETURNS.
NOW, EXCEPT FOR THOSE CLOSE FEW...
WHO SWORE TO PROTECT HOUSE FLANKER...
NO ONE IN THIS EMPIRE REMEMBERS THE EXISTENCE OF HOUSE FLANKER.
...BACK WHEN I WANDERED SEARCHING FOR HER,
I THOUGHT THAT IF ONLY SHE WOKE UP,
EVERYTHING WOULD RETURN TO THE WAY IT WAS.
BUT NOW, I AM NO LONGER SURE.
WHETHER THE PRESENCE DWELLING WITHIN THAT AMNESIAC BODY...
IS TRULY THE SOUL OF THE PERSON I ONCE KNEW,
OR IF SOMEONE SEIZED IT TO USE HER.
GRAND DUKE, I KNOW YOU ARE MORE DESPERATE THAN ANYONE RIGHT NOW.
EVEN SO, THIS TIME...
WHY NOT HOLD ON TO A LITTLE MORE HOPE?
NOT ONLY HAS A NEW LEAF SPROUTED ON THE WORLD TREE,
BUT DID SHE NOT ALSO RECALL THE NAME 'FREYA' ON HER OWN?
I BELIEVE THAT ALONE IS REASON ENOUGH TO HAVE HOPE.
...FREYA.
-IT'S DANGEROUS. COME DOWN AT ONCE!
KADRIAN, YOU DUMMY!
HOW IS IT DANGEROUS WHEN YOU'RE RIGHT HERE WITH ME?!
YOU'RE GOING TO PROTECT ME ANYWAY!
RIGHT?
PLEASE, THIS TIME...
GRANT ME THE CHANCE TO DO SO.
OH, THERE'S A GARDEN LIKE THIS INSIDE THE TEMPLE?
THEY DON'T CALL IT THE HIGH TEMPLE FOR NOTHING-IT REALLY IS VAST.
HMM... IT'S BETTER MAINTAINED THAN I EXPECTED.
DO THE PRIESTS TAKE CARE OF IT THEMSELVES?
WAAAH, IT HURTS! IT HURTS!
HUH?! WHAT'S THAT?!
WASN'T I THE ONLY ONE HERE?
AM I REALLY GOING TO DIE? NO, I DON'T WANT TO! I WANT TO LIVE...
I THOUGHT I'D SURVIVE IF I MADE IT TO THE TEMPLE, BUT WHO KNEW THERE'D BE A PSYCHO HERE...
...IT SOUNDS LIKE A CHILD'S VOICE. WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?
OH, WOE IS ME, I'M DYING! I'M REALLY DYING HERE!
OVER HERE?
WELL, WITH A VOICE THAT LOUD, AT LEAST IT WAS EASY TO FIND.
JUST WHO MANAGED TO GET HURT IN A PLACE LIKE-
THAT VOICE... A HUMAN?! A HUMAN?!
STAY BACK, HUMAN!
I'M NOT DEAD YET! COME ANY CLOSER AND I'LL CLAW YOU TO PIECES TOO!
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS FURBALL?
THIS LITTLE GUY WAS THE ONE TALKING THIS WHOLE TIME?!
I MIGHT BE WOUNDED, BUT... HUH? YOU SEE THIS?!
MY CLAWS PACK A MEAN PUNCH!
CAN THINGS LIKE THIS ACTUALLY HAPPEN IN A PLACE FILLED WITH DIVINE POWER?
BUT WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE IT'S DYING...?
Meooww?!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! HOW DARE YOOOUUU...!
HOLD STILL FOR A SECOND!
I NEED TO SEE WHERE YOU'RE HURT.
IT'S IN BAD SHAPE. WHO ON EARTH COULD HAVE...?
HUMAN! IF YOU TRY TO ATTACK ME LIKE THAT 'PRIEST' DID, YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH IT!
WHAT, A PRIEST? THEN I'D BETTER QUIETLY SLIP AWAY FROM HERE-
AH, HERE YOU ARE, BUTLER.
TO THINK YOU WOULD WANDER THIS FAR INTO GOD'S GARDEN...
WHAT WERE YOU DOING HERE?
UGH, OF ALL TIMES, WHY DID THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE PERSON HAVE TO SHOW UP NOW?!
I MUST BE CAREFUL.
'YOU'RE ONLY ACTING THIS WAY BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW HOW THE PRIESTS WILL SEE IT.'
I CAN'T GIVE THEM ANY REASON TO FIND FAULT.
WELL, I WAS JUST TAKING A WALK AND BEFORE I KNEW IT-
MEOOWW~!
OH, THERE WAS A CAT HERE?
ACK!
I WAS DRAWN IN BY THE CRIES OF THIS CAT.
GOODNESS, IT IS BADLY HURT.
YES, IT SEEMS TO HAVE RUN AWAY AFTER BEING TORMENTED...
AND FROM THE LOOK OF IT...
IT APPEARS SOMEONE AMONG THE PRIESTS MAY HAVE BEEN MISTREATING IT.
I GUESS PROBING HIM WAS A FAILURE...
PLEASE STAY LIKE THAT FOR A MOMENT.
MEOW?!
H-HUH?
WORLD TREE BE PRAISED! IT DOESN'T HURT AT ALL NOW!
So this is the power of the High Priest...!
I am glad to see it has recovered.
HOW COULD A CAT, SUCH A SACRED PRESENCE IN THE TEMPLE, HAVE GOTTEN SO INJURED?
A SACRED PRESENCE?
YES. IN THE PAST, ONE OF THE BEINGS WHO GUARDED THE WORLD TREE
WAS A FELINE DIVINE BEAST SAID TO HAVE MULTIPLE LIVES.
COME TO THINK OF IT, THEY SAY THAT FELINE DIVINE BEAST ALSO HAD BLACK FUR,
SO PERHAPS THIS LITTLE ONE IS A DESCENDANT OF THE DIVINE BEAST.
TO HELP SOMEONE LIKE ME, YOU ARE A TRULY GOOD HUMAN!
WHOA, WAIT! THE ONE WHO HEALED YOU WAS THE HIGH PRIEST!
BESIDES, NOW THAT I LOOK AT YOU, YOU RESEMBLE MY FORMER MASTER. I LIKE YOU A LOT, MEOW!
GOOD HUMAN! NICE HUMAN!
MY GOODNESS!
THAT LITTLE ONE HAS TAKEN QUITE A LIKING TO YOU, BUTLER.
I MAY HAVE SAID YOU COULD WANDER AS YOU PLEASED...
...YET YOU PICKED UP SOMETHING JUST LIKE YOURSELF.
You have arrived, Your Highness.
...INDEED, YOUR HIGHNESS.
HMM...
IF THAT CAT TRULY HAS A CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE BEAST...
Ack, be careful!
Meow!
YOUR HIGHNESS.
IF IT PLEASES YOU, WOULD YOU CONSIDER TAKING THAT CAT TO THE GRAND DUKE'S MANOR?
WHAT?
THERE IS NO ONE TO CARE FOR IT AT THE TEMPLE,
AND IT SEEMS ESPECIALLY ATTACHED TO YOUR BUTLER.
IN MANY WAYS, STAYING BY THE BUTLER'S SIDE SEEMS BEST FOR IT.
WOULD THAT BE ACCEPTABLE?
NO WAY, WOULD THE GRAND DUKE REALLY AGREE TO SOMETHING LIKE THIS SO EASILY?
HE'S NOT THE KIND OF PERSON MOVED BY SENTIMENTAL APPEALS IN THE FIRST PLACE!
YES, I SHALL DO THAT.
IT WORKED?
BUTLER, GIVE IT A NAME YOURSELF.
ARE YOU TRULY TAKING IT WITH YOU, GRAND DUKE, YOUR HIGHNESS?
WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU, GRAND DUKE?!
COULD IT BE THAT HE ACTUALLY LOVES CATS?
A NAME... WHAT SHOULD I CALL YOU?
MEOW?
RIGHT.
SINCE THE PATTERN ON YOUR FOREHEAD IS SO UNIQUE, HOW ABOUT 'BYEOL-I'?
HAVE A SAFE JOURNEY HOME, THE TWO OF YOU.
IT WAS WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU AFTER SO LONG.
WE WILL VISIT YOU AGAIN SOON.
OF COURSE, ANYTIME.
IT SEEMS IT FLED TO ESCAPE A GROUP OF TORMENTORS...
FROM THE LOOKS OF IT,
IT SEEMS THERE WAS SOMEONE AMONG THE PRIESTS WHO TORMENTED IT AS WELL.
...HMM.
I SUPPOSE THIS MATTER WARRANTS A CLOSER LOOK.
This chapter tells the forgotten history of the Flanker Marquisate, which protects the World Tree. After the sole heir was attacked and fell into a deep sleep, the Emperor used divine power to put everyone's memories to sleep. While the Grand Duke doubts whether the being in the body that lost its memory is the real Freya, the sprouting of a new leaf on the World Tree and the remembering of the name Freya give hope. In the temple garden, a wounded talking black cat is found, the High Priest heals it, and the Grand Duke allows the cat to go to the mansion with the butler.
