After a stretch of peaceful days, night quietly fell. In the pitch-black sky, only a faint trace of the moon could be seen.
His gaze climbed upward along the night sky. The higher it went, the brighter that clear glow became, as if it could pierce through the clouds.
When his eyes finally reached a corner of the treetop canopy, the full moon was hanging there lazily.
Nolan walked along the red carpet of the Empyrean Manor until he reached the end.
He stopped before the window and looked up at the sky again, only to find that the moon had already vanished.
In its place were drifting clouds, lazy and loose, like a group of mischievous children hiding the moon inside the dark sky.
Nolan stood quietly by the window and gazed outside.
The lights in Melina's room next door had already gone out, leaving it pitch-black. Only the lamps of the manor shone through the windows, illuminating the scenery outside.
In the past, the two Empyrean had lived underground, where the Haligtree's drainage system flowed. Those waters were the bane of corruption, but now they had both moved above ground.
Along the corridors of each floor, Glintstone lamps shone one after another, lighting the shadowed corners and filling the entire manor with a warm glow.
The Cleanrot Knights and Golden Needle Knights on night watch patrolled back and forth through the corridors, their footsteps echoing through the silent night.
Suddenly, the sound of greaves striking the floor reached the knights' ears. A gust of night wind slipped into their collars, sharpening their senses, and the moment they turned their heads, they bowed.
They raised their eyes, yet it was as if they had seen nothing. Their bodies turned back quietly without the slightest hesitation, treating that figure like a ghost they were meant to overlook.
Using her lord's authority to spare herself unnecessary trouble, Malenia crossed the attic hall and made her way with ease to the other side of the manor.
She disturbed no one. With only a slight wave of her hand, the knights acted as if they did not see her.
Malenia did not deliberately search for that distinctive room. Instead, guided by instinct, she walked straight in its direction.
Before she even reached it, she could already sense a familiar presence drifting from the depths of the darkness.
It was a scent she knew far too well, and it made her heart beat a little faster.
Following that presence, Malenia gently pushed open the door.
She had moved as softly as she could, but a faint sound still escaped, breaking the silence in the room.
Inside, a man stood quietly by the window with his back to the door.
Hearing the sound, Nolan slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Malenia at the doorway.
Their eyes met in the dimness, and the moon outside seemed to appear especially for that moment.
It peeked out from behind the clouds, spilling bright moonlight into the room and illuminating the two figures standing face to face.
"Still awake?" Nolan paused, then turned fully and held out a hand, inviting the striking red-haired woman over to the window.
"I believe I told you before. My sleep is different from everyone else's. Peaceful slumber has nothing to do with me," Malenia said, slowly stepping forward.
"That's true. When you sleep, you tend to lie down for a year or half a year at a time. You should have had more than enough rest by now."
"That is thanks to you." Malenia walked to the window and looked at Nolan beside her.
"As for you, sleep is when a living being is at its weakest. What you should be doing now is protecting yourself. At the very least, you should close the doors and windows instead of worrying about other things."
"Come on, this place is guarded by knights so tightly that not even water could leak through. Don't you trust them?" Nolan glanced at the door that had been opened so easily and spread his hands.
The door had not been locked at all. To anyone else, it was practically wide open. But he did not think that if someone could kill him, a single lock would be enough to keep him safe.
"Besides, I don't think I'm the one who most needs protecting here."
"You subdued Borealis?" Malenia placed both hands on the windowsill. She did not lean against it, only braced herself stiffly as she looked at the man beside her.
"More or less. At the very least, that fellow is being obedient for now." Nolan nodded.
"How strong is it? I've heard its stories, but I've never fought it myself," Malenia asked.
As a warrior, it was only natural for her to take interest in a long-famous powerhouse. In the Lands Between, she still counted as one of the younger ones.
"Comparable to a Demigod. About the same as Mohg. You can spar with it when you have time, but don't go for the kill. I only just appointed it as the Flying Dragon Knights' Captain."
"Mohg? I heard you killed him. How does it feel to kill a Demigod?"
Malenia spoke coldly. She had no fondness for the older brother who had once almost taken Miquella and Trina from her.
"Same as you. A child who never grew up." Nolan thought for a moment, then said, "Why are you looking at me like that? You don't really think acting mature makes you an adult, do you?"
"Do you still remember when I was learning the Waterfowl Dance Sword Style? When you tested me, I beat you, and then you threw yourself into Trina's arms to act spoiled."
"I didn't lose. You were the one lying on the ground in the end."
"That's because you fought unfairly. We agreed to compare swordsmanship only. I already had my sword at your neck, but then you used the strength of a Demigod."
"A childish argument. Boring." Malenia's face seemed to flush slightly as she turned her head away.
In terms of pure technique, this man truly was above her. Without crushing him with greater strength, she could not win.
This was a dark chapter in Her Highness the Valkyrie's past, but only three people had been present then... no, four.
It was her older sister who had suggested the duel. Her older brother did not have such a playful nature, though he had indeed been watching from within that body.
And even though she had lost, she had still received her older sister's comfort, so victory or defeat did not matter in the slightest.
"You're right. So in the end, I'm not that different from you two. We're all children who never grew up." Nolan leaned back against the windowsill and turned his head slightly to look at the Valkyrie's face.
"But children who never grow up cannot always cling to the past." Malenia folded her hands together, fingers interlaced, and her straight back bent slightly.
"That's true. Children should imagine the future instead. But from the look of it, neither of us is a normal child."
Nolan imagined the tall Valkyrie hiding in the arms of the petite Saintess and could not help letting out a quiet laugh as he shook his head.
Malenia merely turned back without speaking, leaning by the window as she quietly watched Nolan.
Nolan seemed to realize that Malenia had accepted his point, because at that moment, she did not refute him.
The room was quiet for a while. The atmosphere was hard to describe. It had been a long time since the two of them had looked at each other this calmly.
But a moment later, just as Malenia was about to say something, she suddenly failed to suppress a pained expression. Her relaxed brows drew together slightly.
"Time... it has been a little too long. Is it the effect of the bloom?"
Beside her, Nolan saw the expression on her face change from pain to calm in an instant.
The Valkyrie did not like showing weakness in front of others. She was an indestructible blade.
"And you chose right before the battle begins. I think I know why you came to find me tonight."
Nolan sighed and stepped forward, asking, "How long have you been enduring it?"
Malenia was quiet for a moment, then suddenly reached out, her movement as practiced as ever.
"Hey, hey, can you not be so rough? I'm a Lord, you know! If someone sees this, where am I supposed to put my dignity..."
Nolan was helplessly grabbed by the collar by the Demigod, and as always, lost the ability to keep speaking.