Siren Lullaby

「.......Wake up. You can't fall asleep now.」

A pitiful woman's voice was heard in the hazy consciousness. It was a voice she had never heard before, but somehow the voice sounded familiar to Iran.

'Si…..Ren?'

Then, a more desperate voice was heard.

「You're not perfect yet. If you stay like this, your soul will be separated again.」

'My soul will be separated?'

Delphi had told her that she and Siren share the same soul, but their soul got separated. She couldn't understand exactly what she meant, but it seemed clear that she probably meant that she couldn't live here any longer.

'What am I supposed to do then?'

「Accept me. That way you can remain intact.」

'How can I accept you?'

Iran couldn't quite understand what she was saying. Aren't I already one with Siren?

「I'm you, and you're another me.」

'I've heard that before.'

「Now, accept it. You're Siren. She has the most beautiful voice above anyone.」

'You want me to admit that…… I'm Siren?'

The woman's voice reminded Iran of what she had said.

'My name is Seo Iran, not Siren.'

'My name is not Siren. I am..!'

This all happened because I denied that I was a siren? So, if I admit it, will I be able to become intact?

Normally she would have asked more questions about the situation, but right now she didn't have the spirit to collect her thoughts. Iran murmured as if possessed by the woman's voice.

'......Yeah. I'm Siren. We share the same soul. I accept.'

Though it took very few words, Iran began to feel her body getting lighter.

In the gradually brightening space, she heard the voice’s last few words.

「Sorry…… And Thank you……」

* * * *

Shwaa—!

Iran slowly woke up to the sound of heavy rain.

The warm sun was still shining down where she was sitting. But when she turned her head and looked to the side, the puddle, which had dried up before she went to sleep, was now filled with water.

She was bewildered for a moment because she had not yet regained her consciousness, but then her eyes widened at the impossible phenomenon.

"What… is going on here?"

Heavy rain in the middle of the sunny weather. She had never seen or heard of anything like this.

'Rain? But it wouldn't rain like this, would it? The sun is still shining.'

Surprised, Iran looked towards the light coming from the ceiling. However, it was difficult to understand the exact situation just by looking at the light through a small gap. She wanted to take a closer look, but her body wouldn’t move as she pleased.

'Maybe it's because I've been in a cold place for a long time.'

Her body was heavy, as if she was wearing a cotton robe that had been drenched in water. Her head felt a little fuzzy.

Iran tried to regain strength by telling her body to get it together. Right then, the firmly closed stone door opened slowly, and a familiar face walked into the stone chamber.

A man with sharp reddish-brown eyes and dark red hair. It was the man who brought Iran here.

'What else are you going to do?'

Iran unconsciously shuddered at the man with a menacing gaze who was striding towards her. Still leaning against the wall of the stone chamber, she instinctively raised her head at the strange atmosphere that filled the room.

The reddish-brown eyes, which were full of life when I first saw him, now contained confusion rather than anger. The man looked down at her for a long time with a stiff face and finally let out a deep sigh and said.

"It has been confirmed that you are the woman under the protection of God Mare. So you can come out now."

'Huh?'

Iran's eyes have widened unknowingly. It wasn't because of what the man said.

'Just now, I can understand what he's saying, right?'

She thought she might have misheard it for a moment. However, looking at the man's face looking down at him, it seemed that she understood him perfectly.

'What the hell is going on here?'

Iran was puzzled. In an instant, the contents of the dream she had a little while ago came to her mind.

'Accept me. That way you can be intact.'

'Is it because I accepted Siren's existence?'

I don't know what's going on, but if we can communicate with each other, I will be able to explain properly.

Just as Iran sighed in relief and struggled to get up, a large hand suddenly appeared in front of her. The owner of the hand was, of course, the man standing in front of her.

'Oh, I see. I'm sure you don't think it's going to work.'

(This refers to the fact that Rubros thinks that Iran still doesn't understand what he's saying.)

Iran, who had been looking at the man with wary eyes for a while, gently reached out to him. Since she found it difficult to move her body at the moment.

As the warm body temperature seeped through the touching hands. She felt a sudden chill that she had not felt before until a while ago. Small cramps began to form in her hands and spread to her arms, legs and lips in an instant causing her body to shake.

The man's brows slightly distorted when he noticed her condition. He lowered his gaze, and examined every part of her body, from her pale blue lips and convulsing limbs. He kicked his tongue as if the situation displeased him.

"......I can't."

She murmured quietly, he removed the black cloak that was tied around his shoulder and wrapped it around Iran's body. Then he bent down, put his hand behind Iran's back and knees, and lifted her up.

"—?"

Surprised, Iran tried to push him away, but the man clamped her body tighter and spoke in a discontent tone.

"Don't struggle. It will be difficult to move your body properly in your current state anyway."

Iran simply stopped rebelling when he sounded as if he knew her condition. Then he picked up her body once more and walked out of the stone chamber.

Her body, which had been completely frozen, slowly melted as a warm body temperature transmitted into her body while trapped in his tight arms. With each step he took, there was a puddle that was adding to the vibrations.

'I'm not….. supposed to sleep yet…..'

However, her consciousness betrayed her will. She quickly sank to the bottom of the water.

* * * *

"I can't believe she really was a woman protected by the God Mare….."

The Emperor, who heard about the situation from the high priest, said with a sigh.

Looking down at the high priest who was bowing his head in front of him, he asked.

"Is it the exact revelation of God Mare?"

"It is….."

The high priest trembled slightly as he recalled what had happened in the temple a while ago. It was not a revelation. Rather, it was more like anger and reprehension.

After imprisoning the woman in the Chamber of Judgment, the High Priest, along with the other priests, headed to the temple located just above the Chamber of Judgment.

It was to seek an answer from the God Mare about the woman's identity and whether she was guilty of any sins.

Of course they didn't pray expecting an answer. Those who worship the god knew best that Mare rarely gave an answer through the 'Chamber of Judgment’.

However, since the woman was already detained by the emperor, he had to at least try and find an answer.

The high priest bowed his knees in front of the high altar at the center of the temple and offered a solemn prayer.

"God Mare, who protects the sea of Ethel and the Orca Empire. Please listen to our insufficient and foolish prayers. Look down upon your Lamb….."

The high priest's prayer continued for about 10 minutes. In the quiet temple, only the high priest's prayer voice was ringing.

"God Mare. We hope that you will give us the right answer and lead us to the right path."

Even after the high priest's prayer was over, only silence filled the temple for a while.

After praying and meditating for a while, the High Priest gave up and got up with the intention of trying again. But at that moment, a majestic voice resounded throughout the temple.

「Who dares judge the child of God?」

It was a voice that felt overwhelming to the point that his whole body trembled.

The priests looked in amazement at the voice that sounded close to a roar. Among them, only the high priest immediately recognized that it was the voice of God and hurriedly straightened his posture.

"God Mare. Is she really the child of God?"

Then the low-pitched voice was heard again.

「I've already given you an answer once. But all of you didn't believe it.」

At those words, the body of the adjutant, who was kneeling next to the high priest, trembled. It was none other than the Deputy Minister himself who accidentally dismissed the wrath of the God Mare as a coincidence.

The voice of the God Mare continued in an angered tone.

「If you try to test me with something like this again, you will pay the price.」

Even after Mare's voice disappeared, the priests could not even stand up for a while. In particular, the Adrenal Coffin was trembling with his head nailed to the floor of the temple.

* * * *

After the High Priest had resigned, the Emperor, reclining on the chair in the office and reflecting on his words, suddenly remembered what had happened on the terrace a while ago.

After hearing from the High Priest that the woman was protected by God, Rubros groaned with a depressed expression on his face.

The emperor looked back at Rubros and ordered him in a low voice.

"The innocence of the woman has been revealed, so go ahead and get her out. Being imprisoned in a cold stone chamber with a fragile body, she must be very badly injured."

Rubros answered with silence and walked down to the basement of the Judgment Room.

The Emperor, who watched his back walk away, switched to a lamentable voice.

"..... You must have mixed feelings. I'm sorry, Ru..."

* * * *

Iran, who was carried into a guest room by Rubros, has been unconscious for a long time. The Imperial doctor rushed to her after receiving a call. He checked her heart and gave orders to the maid.

Ruvros was observing the whole process from a distance. After the doctor finished examining her heart, he asked.

“…...Why is she still unable to come to her senses?”

"She's in a temporary state of hypothermia. Fortunately, the symptoms aren't severe, but she's losing a lot of stamina. It would be better to take off her clothes and cover herself with a warm blanket to raise her body temperature quickly. The room temperature should be higher than it is now."

Soon the maids brought thick blankets and wrapped them around the bedroom where she was lying. Then the maid lowered the canopy, blocking the view from the outside, and quickly removed the clothes she was wearing. The other maid put a lot of firewood in the fireplace and started a fire.

As time passed, the warm air began to flow to the point where it felt a little warm.

After confirming it, the imperial doctor gave instructions to the maids again.

“When the patient wakes up, give her warm water to drink. If she has no issues swallowing, feed her warm food such as stew to warm her stomach. We need to help her regain her stamina. If you massage or rub her skin to raise her body temperature, do it with care, as it may be harmful to the patient."

"Are you not prescribing any medication?"

In response to Rubros question, the Imperial doctor bowed his head and said.

"There is no cure for hypothermia. All we can do is help the patient regain her stamina on her own."

"Is that so…"

At that time, there was a breath of surprise from the maid who was checking Iran's condition by the bedside. Rubros and the Imperial doctor's eyes widened as they looked towards the bed wondering what was going on.

The body of the woman lying on the bed surrounded by blankets was glowing blue with heat.