Gateways to Casselonia Vol1( Light Novel )

Chapter 10

Demoralized was the village governed by the recently slain nobleman Sr. Maxwell who lived in a splendid manor house, now burnt to ashes, atop a small hill looking over his people. Demoralizing was also that nobody knew why this had happened in the first place, or whose idea was to infiltrate the estate to assassinate not only the lord and the lady, but as many people as possible with the two explosions taking place at the very end.

Different conclusions on who the identity of the culprit behind this horrendous plot, was on everybody's lips ever since the fire died down and gave time for detective work. Some villagers suggested it was an accident and the explosions were caused by all the alcohol in the wine cellar. This theory was ruled out because it didn't explain the lord's beheading and the arrow lodged in the guard's neck. Once more, the explosions had occurred on the second floor of the building and not the wine cellar located underground.

Another approach was proposed, stating that the lord and lady were mad individuals all along, and decided to take their own lives and burn down the house along with them, making it look like an accident. Those who mentioned this idea were met with an angry backlash from the rest of the villagers hurting from the mental and emotional wounds of having their gentle ruler and his wife die by such tragic means.

In the end, the village came to a final conclusion. Stating the cause to be that of the recent incidents involving bandits attacking unsuspecting merchants at night. They might've set their sights on the manor knowing well they'd be underestimated due to it belonging to a powerful lord. And what better time to do it during a holiday when things are generally more relaxed. That way of thinking became a double edged sword.

Everyone in the village felt a heavy burden of shame weighing down on their shoulders after arriving to this conclusion. Regrets of not taking any more safety measures when it came to safeguarding the village only made the atmosphere gloomier than before. Relying solely on lord Maxwell's reputation as a means for protection proved to be a fatal mistake.

Be that as it may, one suggestion that everyone in the village agreed on with no objections, kept going around like wildfire. Many didn't want to accept it, but the choices were few and less promising than the one at hand. The idea alone was convincing enough to give birth to a second one, which involved deserting the village forever in search for a new place to call home. This included the entire population that worked for the Maxwell manor, including the priest and nuns in the chapel. No one was to stay behind, the village's fate had been decided then and there.

But like any other statement, this one wasn't without a fine print. When they concluded that everyone should leave, they were excluding Sorata and Mizuki, ruling them as the exception.

The reason for this opaque verdict? Recalling an unforgettable but horrible experience a month's time ago that nearly drove Sorata to the brink of insanity, would later lend him a hand as to why.

"Am I dreaming...?" His calm, inner voice asked himself these same words a month ago while gawking at the gigantic castle shortly after arriving in Casselonia. No second thoughts were needed to answer that question. It was obvious that we wasn't dreaming any of it. Recalling the castle, he remembered when his and her world suddenly changed into a fantasy in the blink of an eye. He could replay that moment easily in his mind like a video on the net.

"Is this really happening...? I'm so close to her, kissing her smooth skin and yet...she's letting me." Sorata couldn't believe his own senses. The softness his lips were pressing on, that flower-like smell captivating every fiber of his being, those irresistible, soft moans she made every time he kissed her.

Sorata had never kissed a girl so passionately before, not even as a young boy when kids sometimes playfully peck one another on the face because of curiosity. You could say this was his first ever hands-on experience of such high degree with someone of the opposite sex.