Chapter 64

The book was heavy and cumbersome, so Elena quickly set it on the desk to avoid dropping it. Its once deep brown cover was faded, and the worn leather seemed ready to crumble. Hastily scrawled letters adorned the top. 

Sacred Scripture? Elena carefully turned the pages, examining the book’s contents. Although unsure, she believed it recorded something about a god revered in Terra Demorte.

“Cura, do you know what Bazak is?” she asked.

Cura, who had been browsing the library’s shelves, turned. “Bazak? You mean the Earth God, Bazak?”

“The Earth God?” Elena queried.

“Yes. He’s worshiped by the White Fox Tribe.”

Elena tilted her head, puzzled. “Terra Demorte isn’t primarily an agricultural region. Why do they worship an Earth God?”

Cura took a book from the shelf and approached Elena. “Winter here is long, isn’t it? Compared to other regions, their growing season is shorter, and it’s a harsh environment for animals. I believe that’s why they worship the Earth God. The remaining White Fox Tribe in Terra Demorte still meticulously observes the Sabbath annually.”

“What’s the Sabbath?” Elena asked.

“It’s the Earth God Bazak’s day of rest,” Cura began. “It’s said to be the one day of the year when Bazak neither blesses nor curses. On that day, they abstain from all activity so that Bazak can rest.”

“Sabbath…” Elena murmured. The word lingered on her tongue, stirring something within her. Torches, people, the acrid smell… As a cloud of smoke seemed to rise in her mind, it vanished, replaced by a wave of dizziness.

Elena grasped the desk and sank into a chair.

“It’s almost the Sabbath anyway… Lady Elena!”

Startled, Cura tossed the book she held onto the desk and rushed to Elena’s side.

Gently holding her shoulders, Cura examined her expression. “What’s wrong all of a sudden? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, it’s nothing. I just felt dizzy for a moment.” Elena closed her eyes and pressed her palm against her forehead.

“Shall we return to your room? I told you not to push yourself too hard, but you’ve been constantly on the move,” Cura said.

Elena leaned on Cura’s support as she helped her up, holding onto her arm and waist.

“I’m sorry,” Elena apologized.

“Oh, there’s nothing to apologize for,” Cura replied. “I’m just concerned about you overexerting yourself. Besides, if His Grace were to find out… well, you know how he is.”

Elena forced a smile. “Could you put this book back on the shelf for me?” she asked, pointing to the book she had been reading.

“Yes,” Cura replied, picking up the book.

As she walked toward the bookshelf, flipping through its pages, she suddenly stopped.

“Lady Elena,” Cura called.

Elena watched silently as Cura turned back toward her. Her bright, inquisitive eyes were fixed on Elena, as if something had piqued her curiosity.

“What is it?” Elena asked.

“You asked earlier about Bazak, didn’t you?” Cura replied.

“Yes,” Elena confirmed.

“How did you come to ask about Bazak?” Cura inquired.

“How?” Elena repeated, her gaze drawn to the book Cura held.

“Did you perhaps see it in this book?” Cura suggested.

“Yes,” Elena replied. “Why?”

“Really?” Cura exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Elena said. “Is something wrong?”

Elena was confused by Cura’s repeated questioning.

“No, it’s just… this is an ancient manuscript,” Cura explained. “And the writing here is in an ancient language.”

“An ancient language?” Elena asked.

“Yes, ancient. There are only a few people in the entire Baruchella Empire who can read this. But you said you read it?”

Elena was at a loss for words.

Indeed, the writing in the book wasn’t exactly letters—it was more like ambiguous drawings. She couldn’t recall where she had learned to read such unusual script. While flipping through the pages, she had been able to read it without any difficulty.

She hadn’t realized it was an ancient manuscript or that it was written in an ancient language, so she hadn’t found it strange that she could read it.

Elena was confused. It was frustrating not knowing what kind of life she had lived in the memories she had lost.

Until now, she had been so focused on caring for Hazel that she hadn’t had time to ponder how the days had passed. She had only dwelled on the fact that she had lost her memory, without reflecting on her past life.

For a few days after Hazel left, she had been fully occupied by Kennard, leaving her unable to do anything else. Even though all her plans to leave this place and regain her memories had been in vain, she had forgotten everything while with Kennard.

“Elena?” Cura approached, gently touching her arm, seeing her lost in thought.

“You don’t remember, do you?” Cura asked.

“No,” Elena muttered.

“Don’t push yourself too hard to remember. Perhaps when your body and mind feel more at ease, your lost memories will naturally return,” Cura said, smiling softly in an attempt to comfort her.

However, Elena could still see the unease in Cura’s eyes. Seeing Cura’s expression made Elena feel even more confused about herself.

“Maybe…” Elena whispered, turning toward the wide-open window.

A gentle breeze caressed her cheeks and hair, softly blowing in. She closed her eyes, trying to forget Cura’s expression and the overwhelming thoughts swirling in her mind.

As the sunlight and wind brushed against her face, she began to feel calmer.

Then, she opened her eyes again and looked down at her hand resting on the windowsill. Her skin was still pale, and the scars remained, but her complexion had acquired a slight pink tint, and her skin had softened significantly.

Have I ever felt this peaceful before? she wondered.

A body scarred, immune to poison, capable of reading an ancient language, and with no clear knowledge of her origins.

Who was I, really? Elena mused, absently gazing out of the window.

Unlike the view from her bedroom, the study didn’t offer a view of the grand gardens or the castle’s greenhouse. Instead, she saw a small, unfamiliar garden and a series of tall towers rising beyond a fountain.

From the terrace of her and Kennard’s bedroom, she could see dozens of towers perched atop the castle.

The towers varied in size and height, and they all had large windows. However, one tower caught Elena’s eye. It was different from the others, with only a small window at the top, just big enough to fit a person’s face. Even that window was barred with iron.

For some reason, Elena couldn’t take her eyes off it and stared intently at that particular tower.

“What’s wrong?” Cura approached the window and peeked out, following Elena’s gaze.

“Is something there?” Cura asked.

The tower was too far away for Cura to tell what Elena was looking at.

“No, it’s just… it’s my first time seeing outside from this direction,” Elena replied.

“This area is part of the castle’s bend, so it makes sense you’ve never seen it before. Oh, that reminds me. That’s the training ground over there,” Cura said, leaning out further and pointing at a spot outside.

Elena leaned forward to follow her gaze. “Where the knights train?” she asked.

“Yes,” Cura confirmed.

Beyond the garden and the dense forest, which had hidden it from view, Elena could now see a tall wooden fence. Just then, she noticed a group of knights walking toward the direction of the training ground.

Cura’s eyes lit up, and she turned to Elena. “Elena, do you want to go there?”

“To the training ground?” Elena was surprised and looked down at Cura. She wondered how quickly Cura had forgotten her earlier admonition about walking around too much.

Cura was now looking up at Elena, her eyes full of childlike mischief. “Remember, you said you wanted to see the transformation process, didn’t you?”

Elena slowly nodded. She had seen Kennard transform into a black wolf and had watched other knights in their wolf forms as they ran through the forest. But she had never witnessed the actual transformation process or how they returned to their human forms.

Even on the day they were attacked by the White Fox Tribe in the forest, her consciousness had been fading, and she hadn’t noticed Kennard’s transformation.

“Are we even allowed to go there? What if we interrupt their training?” Elena asked.

“I used to go there sometimes to watch before you arrived. The knights don’t mind, but my brother always got really angry about it,” Cura replied.

Cura leaned toward Elena, as if sharing a secret, even though no one else was around. “And… today, neither my brother nor the Grand Duke is around,” she whispered.

She straightened up again, grinning with a look that reminded Elena of Serin. “You won’t get a chance like this again! Or do you want to ask the Grand Duke to show you himself?”

“How could I do that?” Elena waved her hands dismissively, stepping back. She had never even considered doing something like that.

“So let’s go! I’ll ask the knights to show us the transformation,” Cura said.

“But still…” Elena hesitated.

Cura grabbed Elena’s arm and began pulling her out of the study. “Just a moment,” she said, then glanced down at the book she was holding and quickly ran back into the study.

She rushed around the bookshelves and carefully placed the book back in its original spot. Elena absentmindedly watched as Cura put away the scripture she had been reading.

The two words, “Sacred Scripture,” seemed to leap off the cover and imprint themselves in Elena’s mind.

“Now, let’s go,” Cura said, returning to Elena’s side and closing the study door. Elena finally blinked her eyes.