At the Moment of Sleeping, Perhaps I Am

The soaring flames stained the night sky crimson, while the town, already riddled with devastation, echoed with suppressed sobs.

People walked through the ruins, searching for separated loved ones. Many more wore numb expressions as they knelt on the ground and wept before the shattered limbs and remains.

Mottled, ancient parchment drifted on the wind and landed before Gordon.

"Mom, where's our home?"

"Our home... it's already... sob, sob, sob...!"

"Why? Why would the gods do this to us? What did we ever do wrong?"

"It's... it's... it's all your fault! If you hadn't brought that child here, how could Elegia have become like this!"

Smack!

Bright red splattered across the black cloak, the smashed tomato particularly conspicuous. Shanks lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Faced with the fury of Elegia's people, he had no intention of defending himself. He also understood just how much grief this sudden tragedy had filled their hearts with.

"That's right. This is all our fault. The Red Hair Pirates did this. It has nothing to do with Uta."

His deep voice rang through Elegia's skies. Shanks raised his head, his gaze resolute.

"Please, this is all the pirates' fault. It has nothing to do with her. She's only a child. That's all."

At that moment, everyone who met Red-Hair's gaze unconsciously loosened their grip on whatever they held, lowering their heads in silence.

"Actually, this isn't Uta's or their fault either. We truly loved that child's singing..."

"But if we don't blame them, then who are we supposed to hate? Sob, sob, sob..."

The flames burned fiercely. Amid the nearly deathly silence, a gentle, calm voice rang out once more.

"Since the sealed sheet music has appeared, why don't we make a deal, King Gordon of Elegia?"

Gordon, who had carefully put away the