The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 28: Character Setting

If Lumian remembers correctly, this afternoon—March 30th—Pierre Béri was supposed to visit the church for his usual prayers. During the previous cycles, Lumian had encountered him with Raymond, and last cycle, he also ran into him in the village square at almost the same time.

But now it's already three or four in the afternoon!

"When did he go?" Lumian asked.

Marti thought for a moment and said, "About the time it takes to walk a mile."

In rural areas, where few people owned clocks, time was often described by specific activities or landmarks, such as grape-picking season or the time it takes to walk a mile. Of course, if the time was short and people could clearly perceive it, terms like "a few minutes" or "a quarter-hour" would be used.

A mile? That's not long... Lumian had thought Pierre Béri went to the church in the afternoon and hadn't returned yet.

In Cordu Village, a mile equates to one kilometer in the Intis metric system.

Bidding farewell to Pierre's mother, Marti, Lumian left the Béri house and walked toward the village square.

He wasn't sure if Pierre Béri had already been to the church earlier and was returning or if he had been delayed and was only now heading there.

If it was the first possibility, Lumian could sense an undercurrent of tension—Pierre Béri's frequent visits to the church to see the local priest were definitely unusual, indicating something ominous brewing.

If it was the second possibility, then there was a big problem!

Before Lumian and Auror, who retained their memories, could attempt anything, "history" shouldn't have deviated!

If there were differences, it might mean the cycle's rules hadn't been fully grasped by the siblings or that someone else could retain their memories.

Thinking of this, Lumian sighed and lightly slapped his face.

He had been too shocked earlier and forgot to ask if Pierre had been to the church in the afternoon.

This was important.

"Going back to ask now would be too suspicious. I'll have to subtly inquire when we drink later." Lumian quickly suppressed his frustration and strode toward the square.

Entering the church of "The Eternal Sun," he saw the local priest, Guillaume Béné, standing in front of the altar adorned with various sunflowers, speaking to a few people seated in the first row.

As Lumian passed through the door, Guillaume Béné fell silent, turning his gaze towards him.

Conspiring? Lumian smiled as he walked towards the altar, glancing at who was listening to the priest's "sermon."

He saw the shepherd, Pierre Béri, Pons Béné, the thug, and his henchmen, the priest's mistress, Martine Béné and Sibylle Béri, and a man who both surprised and seemed right to be there—Arnaud André, Naroka's youngest son, a farmer in his forties.

"Hey, Pierre..." Lumian greeted him with a broad smile, but paused midway.

The second half of his sentence was supposed to be, "Weren't you going to invite me for a drink? Why are you here?" But he suddenly realized that in this cycle, that arrangement hadn't yet been made.

That was something from the previous two cycles; this cycle, Lumian was meeting the shepherd Pierre Béri for the first time.

As Cordu's prankster king, Lumian reacted quickly and immediately adjusted his posture, facing the altar with arms outstretched: