Chapter 128 - 11-2
One year after the victory of Siddim, the two mages continued their journey.
Perhaps philosophy is something grown through walking. Alf Cedar had many thoughts, and he resolved to undergo training in order to attain liberation from the filthy desires of humans.
—I shall renounce the charms of women.
Alf declared.
"Renounce? You're a virgin, aren't you?" Laje Jink's eyes widened.
"True," Alf nodded solemnly. "I think it's necessary for me to have the awareness of being Sensei's disciple. Once the war ended, every single one of them started fooling around with women. Don't they feel sorry for the soldiers who died? Isn't it weak? I despise it. I've made my decision."
"Have you now?"
"I have. If I cannot love, I shall live purely." The enlightenment Alf had attained manifested naturally as a smile on his lips. "I aim for solitude. It's not that I can't do it with women. I can tell people that I voluntarily don't, right?"
"I see," Laje said. "I'm surprised you landed in such an unexpectedly low place."
The two arrived at a town in the east called Sandale. It was a post town along the highway. It was noon, and the town was crowded. The mages took a table at a restaurant with an old-fashioned dignity.
"Old man, two of whatever's in season! And if you've got mustard, hit it hard!" Alf raised his hand.
"Coming right up!"
The proprietor brought the food with a friendly manner. "Two bitter melon porridges, sorry for the wait!"
It seemed there was no mustard. It contained ginger and chicken. It was beyond delicious.
"Old man, check please! That was damn tasty."
While praising the food, Alf placed the copper coins he received from Laje on the counter.
"Thank you! Come again!" Suddenly, the proprietor's gaze shifted to the space behind Alf. "...Hey, old man, you can't come in here."
Following the proprietor's gaze, a pitch-black old man, recognizable as a beggar at a glance, had just staggered through the doorway. With unsteady steps, the old man approached. He clung to Alf's long robe as if collapsing.
"Wa-he, wa-he," the old man said, opening and closing a toothless mouth.
—I was waiting.
That seemed to be what he wanted to say. Alf exchanged a look with Laje.
"We finally meet, old man Nezumo," Alf put on a scary face. "We searched for you for quite a while. Let's head outside. I have something to discuss."
"He-fu. He-fu."
The old man's words were indistinct. Judging by his appearance, he was so aged that it was a wonder he was still alive. Alf shook his head.
"Old man, are you hungry?"
"Ha-he?"
Alf called out toward the kitchen.
"Old man, if you've got any fish that'll build some strength, simmer it up! And bring a bottle of sake too!"
"Coming right up!" a spirited reply bounced back.
The old man smacked his lips while eating the simmered eel and drinking the sake.
"Hafu..." He finished eating in an instant and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Elder, the Great King has passed away, and the war is over," Laje began to speak. "Ness D. Syllabus, whom you tormented, died in battle, and normally, there may no longer be any reason for us to take each other's lives."
"Hau."
"There is just one curse that we absolutely must have you undo."
"That's right," Alf said hesitantly. "I don't really have much interest in women anymore, you see."
Alf had been cast with a curse by the Three Sages that made the faces of women appear as old people.
In Nezumo's pale-ink colored eyes, intelligence was already nowhere to be found.
"Fu-ge fu-ge. Fu-ge fu-ge."
Saying this, the old man pointed to his own head.
Without hesitation, Alf stood up, reached across the table, and placed his hand on the old man's head. With that, he understood. Inherit, inherit. That is what Nezumo had said. From the palm of his hand, knowledge entered Alf's head with rapid momentum. What had the three—Manam, Persa, and Nezumo—been thinking? What had they learned? What had they entrusted to that war? He felt as if he had seen the future. He felt as if he had seen the universe. He felt as if he had received some kind of mission.
When he suddenly noticed, the old man had breathed his last. Alf sat back in his chair.
"Laje, I've inherited the old men's knowledge."
"That is..." Laje suddenly became excited. "You've received something good. What did you inherit?"
"No," Alf inspected what had entered his head. "It's nothing but junk. The old men combined this junk in ways that suited them to create their own logic—the old men were trying to save the world."
"From what?"
Alf silently shook his head. He didn't quite understand. If he had to put it into words, it was from the "uncertainty of the future." Alf tilted his head in confusion alone.
Bishop Kabel Kofie resigned from the seat of Bishop of Siddim after the war. Thinking logically, such selfishness would not be permitted. However, the history of the Roma Church was old, and it wasn't as if there were no precedents. Listing health problems as the reason, and stating that he would become a mere monk after his resignation, he wrote to Archbishop Kyle VIII.
He thought he would be asked to stay at least once. Bishop Kofie was granted his resignation quite easily. Without waiting for a successor to be decided, the Bishop left the city of Malfa.
He was a man who had been involved in an evil act that would make even a demon hesitate—drawing Kosa people into Siddim to sever the royal lineage—and had furthermore thrown away that objective halfway to defy the will of the Church. Having gone from a Bishop to a mere monk, Father Kofie naturally had thoughts about himself. The Bishop felt an obligation to redo his training.
The Bishop had received a letter from the Nekrat family. It said that Princess Faura of the Nekrat family and Young Master Udoh of the Renne family in the Villen territory were to marry. Countess Guendolin Nekrat of Carossa was apparently searching for a clergyman to perform the marriage ceremony. Guendolin was the consort of Urgil, who had been her friend.
I plan to become a mere monk, but if it pleases you, this humble monk...
When he sent a letter saying this, a reply came back saying "by all means."
Father Kofie had become quite obese, and his physical strength had declined. Even so, he set out with enthusiasm. Father Kofie walked and rested, rested and walked, gradually regaining his strength. Now, the only one he could rely on was himself.
—I will live by my own power.
The Father found gratitude in this. He could not expect the help of others. When that is the case, a person becomes desperate. That desperation gives birth to a sense of the comical. The more foolish and comical a person was, the more Father Kofie felt grateful; he had a paradoxical personality. Being able to be earnest must surely be a part of human divinity.
That said, desperation and earnestness were miserable for the person themselves.
No matter how much he walked, he could not arrive at Carossa. Moreover, how lonely it was to live by one's own power. Father Kofie tripped and fell in a certain town. No one lent a hand. It was so miserable he was on the verge of bursting into tears. Just then,
—Marvel Boony.
That name jumped into Father Kofie's ears. Father Kofie forgot his misery and stood up. On the street, there was a young knight. A black-haired man with a smirking air. Covering one eye with his bangs was likely a bit of affectation.
"That's the name, but would you happen to know her? She's not quite as much as you, but she's quite a beauty,"
The knight was speaking to a merchant girl carrying a basket, while brushing back his bangs.
The girl, while brushing an apple against the shoulder of her clothes, brushed him off with a "I see."
"I don't know anyone like that, but I wonder."
"Oh, those look like delicious apples. I think I'll have one," the knight said cheerfully.
"One? You have a companion with you, don't you?"
"Ah, that's right. Then I'll take two."
The girl, without saying a word, suddenly turned her eyes toward Father Kofie.
"Would you like some too, Father? You must be thirsty, right?"
Before Father Kofie could answer, the young knight spoke. "What a thoughtful person. Very well. Monk, please let me perform an act of merit. Miss, I'll take three of those nectars."
"If you call them nectar, pears would be better. That would be truly thoughtful. Your cheeks will fall off from the deliciousness."
"Hmph."
Whether he was a fool or a great man, the knight paid a sum that wasn't cheap. "Thank you for your business," the girl said with a smile and went on her way.
"Now, Monk. They say your cheeks will fall off." The knight was smiling even at Father Kofie.
"You have performed a good act of merit." Father Kofie received the pear. "The woman you are searching for..."
Starting to speak, Father Kofie fell silent. Thinking about it, there was nothing he could tell him.
Just then, a man who seemed to be the knight's companion arrived. A man with a good presence, with long grey hair mixed with white. He had a build like a standing bear. Father Kofie had seen this man in the city of Delroy. He was a man who had acted as a shill for Bugis during his street preaching. He should have been acting together with Yugis Nekrat.
"Hume, I've got something good."
The dandy knight tossed the pear. The bear-man caught it deftly and brought it straight to his mouth.
"Hey, Monk. Do you need something?"
Judging by his appearance, he didn't seem to have much faith, and the bear-man spoke in a tone that did not betray that expectation.
"I was treated to a pear by this knight-dono," Father Kofie answered. "While we are at it with the merit, how about this? Would you not take this humble monk to Carossa? I am unfamiliar with the way."
"Hmph," the young knight snorted,
"Carossa, huh," the middle-aged bear-man said as if muttering. "I don't particularly mind. We have a purpose, but no destination. Carossa. Very well, let's go."
The bear-man was a swordsman named Hume Razor.
The dandy knight introduced himself as Lucifont Nela.
Both were searching for a woman. Hume for the missing Princess Lucy. Lucifont for Marvel Boony, who had brought a great fire to the city of Maslow.
—I will find her, even if it takes my whole life.
Lucifont strained himself so.
When a man—or perhaps a woman—becomes serious, how much can they achieve in a lifetime? Though there is luck and misfortune, a person can advance to a place beyond their own expectations. These two seemed to spend that precious thing called life on the search for women.
Father Kofie had acquaintances among those women. He knew that the goals of the two would likely not bear fruit. However, he did not say so.
—I will say nothing.
For that purpose, Father Kofie had practically cast away the seat of Bishop.
"Why is the Monk going to Carossa?"
The swordsman named Hume Razor was an easygoing man.
"The Princess won't be found," Father Kofie said, ignoring the question.
"I don't mind if she isn't found. I just want to be with the Princess. So, why is the Monk going to a place like Carossa?"
"There is a wedding. I must preside over it."
Travel companions were a blessing for Father Kofie. After all, the two were considerate of him. He could persevere with just that. Father Kofie's steps became lighter.
It happened in the town called Sandale. Hume, who had been searching for a restaurant, shouted from the middle of the street.
"Hey Monk, it's your turn. Seems there's a dead person."
"Let's see, let's see, this humble monk shall perform the burial."
Having completely regained his former tone, Father Kofie headed toward the storefront of a cheap restaurant with an old-fashioned dignity. Indeed, an old man was lying in the road. Pushing through the gathered onlookers and approaching, Father Kofie was surprised. It was an old man with a terrible face. The complex wrinkles looked like the patterns of a heretical cult. It was a face he remembered.
—One of the three old men.
Paren Cathedral in the city of Malfa.
At that time, Kofie, who was a Bishop, had welcomed them to the cathedral.
"This old man is surely..."
"It is Nezumo, Your Eminence," said a man in a scholar-like long robe standing by the old man's corpse. "I am Laje Jink, a disciple of One-Eyed Zarko. I listened to Your Eminence's sermon in Delroy."
"This humble monk has resigned as Bishop. Yes, it was Nezumo. You are Zarko's disciple? Ah, I see. The story connects. That famous mage Zarko was aiming for the lives of the three old men. There was one more disciple, wasn't there?"
As he was saying this, that disciple arrived. He came running with his legs pigeon-toed, leaning forward and clutching his crotch.
"Laje! Laje!"
It was Alf Cedar. His face was so lovestruck it was unsightly.
"I took a lap around town! This town is amazing, it's full of women! It's a dream town!" he was delirious on the street in broad daylight. "It's overflowing with sex appeal! I didn't know that half the world was this lovely, glamorous, sexy, and smelled this good!"
With the face of the happiest man in the world, he was saying things that were utterly foolish. Bishop Kofie, who loved fools, felt energized. Alf shouted again.
"Hey, isn't that Lucifont!"
"Hmph, I've been found. I didn't want to be thought of as an acquaintance."
"Ah! It's the Bishop-sama!" Alf couldn't settle down. "Ah, I knew it. I thought it was strange."
Looking at Father Kofie's dirty monastic robes, Alf reached his own conclusion.
"I thought there was no way you were the Bishop of Siddim. I mean, you weren't even a priest? But well, that look is better. It suits you."
Father Kofie laughed aloud. "I'm happy. Those might be the happiest words I've ever heard."
The city of Samodiva in the Carossa territory was busy. After being excited by the victory, they grieved over the sudden death of the Young Master, and now it was the wedding of the lord's daughter. However, this celebration made the people of the Carossa territory feel truly relieved.
The Nekrat family was the pride of Carossa, with a lineage dating back to the founding of Siddim. That noble house had been on the verge of extinction. Then, Udoh Renne, a hero of the war with Kosa, came as a son-in-law. He would carry on the Nekrat family name.
On the day of the wedding, it could be said that the city of Samodiva gathered all the major faces of the east. The Skyner family of Count Belgau, the Skyner family of the Ganlord territory, the Danforth family of Marquis Kraff, the Dravar family of Count Saranti, the Androsh family of the Rhythmdale territory, the Danforth family of Count Dint, and the Renne family of Count Villen.
The one performing the ceremony was the former Bishop of Siddim, Kabel Kofie.
The sense of patriotism in Carossa was heightened. The people were able to believe that the Nekrat family, and thus Carossa, were indeed something great, a territory of some standing. The feast lasted for three days. Those three days might have been a precious moment where the east became one.
It might have been the first time Haider Skyner hated Yugis Nekrat when he heard the news of his death. He thought it was unfair. He thought it was unforgivable. However, he knew he had to forgive.
The first time he met Yugis was at Kraff. Haider was eleven, or around that age. From the start, Yugis was, so to speak, candid.
"There's a boar ravaging the fields. Let's hunt it together," he had invited.
—I'm scared.
Haider felt he had also been candid. Yugis had already confirmed the boar's appearance and explained how small it was and how easy it would be to hunt. The Nekrat family had already assigned an attendant to Yugis. It was Dash.
One moonlit night, the three of them slipped out of Adaberta Castle in Kraff.
As they lay in wait where they could see the fields, the boar appeared.
It was large. It had a height that reached an adult's stomach. It was like a monster. Yugis suddenly fired an arrow from a short bow. The arrow missed. The boar didn't seem to notice the arrow had been released. It snorted and dug the ground with its tusks.
"Haider, draw your bow."
Haider drew the bow, feeling like he wanted to cry. Yugis pinched the part where the bow and arrow crossed and made some kind of fine adjustment. "Alright, release the string."
When the string of the short bow was released, the boar let out a terrifying scream. It seemed to have been in a herd, as the surrounding boars scattered. Yugis took a club, leaped upon the boar that wouldn't stop screaming, and beat it to death. Haider's arrow was pierced into the boar's heart.
The boys looked down at the prey.
"We did something pitiful," Yugis said.
Despite having killed it themselves, that was indeed the feeling.
Soon dawn broke, and the villagers gathered.
"You've done well."
Haider was surprised to be thanked by the adult farmers. The villagers butchered the boar, and the three watched the whole process.
This was likely Haider's first step into the world. The world was cluttered and full of contradictions. To say it was "to protect the farmers" was a pretty phrase, but what had to be done was bloody. However, it is only through bloody acts like the butchering of a boar that humans can have meat.
Starting from that night, the boys went on adventures day after day. Beside Haider, there were always Yugis and Dash.
With Yugis's death, it felt as if that strong bond had been suddenly severed. Haider grieved. Yugis had left Haider with the strength to endure that grief.
What kind of person was Yugis? A man who searched for what could be done, made a plan, and executed it. He felt like a man who had polished only those functions. He was a man of execution who thought, if I do this, that can be achieved, so I will do it. If Yugis had said, "Tomorrow let's fly in the sky," the young Haider might have agreed, thinking, "Ah, so we're flying."
Haider Skyner married Friedia Bell as planned, and named his first son Urgil. This was to show both internally and externally that the east was not ashamed of Urgil Nekrat.
Haider and Raslaf of the Dravar family in the Saranti territory played out a somewhat ugly political struggle, competing for hegemony in the east. Haider was plagued by Raslaf Dravar throughout his life. Raslaf included Kashu Coil and Zett Mengel among his vassals and even founded something called the Eastern Navy.
However, it never became a war. It was likely the fruit of having spent their childhood together at the "School for Kings."
"I wonder what Yugis would have done with this situation if he were alive."
Haider and Raslaf often had such conversations when they met.
"I think he would have turned his troops toward Saranti."
"No, I think Ganlord was the one in danger."
Only at times like that, the two laughed together, returning to their childhood.
Regardless, if it were Yugis, he would have raised an army. On that point, their opinions coincided. Even as civilization progressed, the barbarity of politics did not change. If the east could not become one, he would have stirred up a wind and drawn in those around him, believing that a winner should be decided quickly.
It was in his early thirties that Haider was formally granted a peerage and enfeoffed with Ganlord. He organized his position by enfeoffing Tosha to the Bell family and Rhythmdale to the Androsh family, and formed a proud feudal bond with the Danforth family of Marquis Kraff. He attended the royal capital accompanied by Cloden and Udoh.
Haider Skyner maintained and developed Ganlord well. In the royal capital, he became one of the great politicians strong in debate. He was a theorist and a realist, not hesitating to dip his hands into corrupt compromises and calculations. However, in the end, he cherished his ideals. He undoubtedly achieved the restoration of the east, which had been the boys' cherished wish.
There was also a magnificent cathedral in the city of Samodiva, and the guests attended the ceremony dressed up.
As the saying goes, "clothes make the man," and the formal wear of the long-limbed Udoh Renne was imposing. The formal dress of Faura Nekrat also enchanted the attendees. The reason Faura's attire was black was not because of her brother's mourning, but was a tradition of the Nekrat family. Bathed in countless gazes, the moisture in Faura's eyes sparkled like scattered stardust.
—In sickness and in health...
Father Kofie, who was proceeding with the ceremony, wore simple monastic robes. Since he possessed the qualifications of a priest, he could have appeared in more magnificent clothing. However, in the north, there was a folk belief that marriages witnessed by a poor monk last longer. No one looked displeased.
The groom and bride, who had a difference in height, exchanged a somewhat awkward kiss. Music began to flow through the cathedral, and amidst a storm of applause, the groom and bride began to walk down the central aisle. This would lead straight into the banquet.
Udoh Renne found it strange that he felt happy. At first, he had not been keen on this marriage proposal.
After being rescued by the Siddim army, Udoh reunited with Yugis. The two rejoiced at their reunion with tears.
—Carossa is indebted to you.
Yugis had said earnestly. "It was to save Villen," Udoh explained. Yugis did not accept that.
"You are indebted. It's not something anyone can do."
After that, Udoh received a letter from Yugis.
I am happy to hear that you have feelings for Faura
It had started with such a topic from the first line.
Faura was honest and healthy. She could spin thread. She could do needlework.
Since she is still young, it might be better to wait another two years or so before her maidenhood is taken
Even such things were written.
In this war, excluding the Princess, you are the primary hero. Faura is an inadequate younger sister, but she is the greatest treasure our house can offer. It would be the honor of our house if you would take her
Udoh had wanted to decline.
To be frank, the social standing of the Nekrat family was considerably higher than that of the Renne family. The Renne family was a tiny house, as if hastily created as a branch of Ganlord. In short, they were not a match. Although Princess Faura was lovely, he doubted if she would fit with a man who smelled of fertilizer like himself. If they married, it would be like marrying from a palace into a pigsty; it would be pitiful. Princess Faura would likely suffer.
However, circumstances changed when Yugis was killed.
The Nekrat family plummeted, once again facing a crisis of survival.
—That's just too much, isn't it.
Yugis, Carossa, the Nekrat family, and Princess Faura were all pitiful. He thought that such misfortune should not be allowed.
Udoh fought that war while imagining himself returning to agricultural research in Villen. In truth, he didn't want to leave the soil of Villen. But more than that, something like a sense of chivalry had been stimulated. If there was anything he could do, he wanted to be of help. Considering the situation in the east, the Nekrat family should indeed survive.
Though there was confusion at first, Udoh eventually grew accustomed to the Nekrat family. He had heard that adopted children suffer, but perhaps because Consort Guendolin was full of worldly wisdom, his relationship with Princess Faura remained good throughout his life.
As was the case with Urgil Nekrat, Udoh Nekrat also attended the royal capital. Udoh served for a long time as the general of something called the Eastern Sister Army in the city of Malfa. The use of "Sister" implied that this army followed the legitimate lineage of Princess Lucy's Siddim army. The naming was by Haider.
The hero Udoh, who had once made the Kosa army dance to his tune, had a secret. In the royal capital, he was secretly creating a vegetable garden. Faura understood this hobby. On the contrary, Faura's skill in landscaping the flower garden was superior.
The mages came to Carossa together with Father Kofie and the others.
The lean mage Laje Jink, who would later manage the Northern Mages Association, met with Raslaf Dravar, the next head of Saranti. Laje had served as a political advisor to Saranti. He formally resigned from this. The war was over. Also, together with Hume, he reunited with Godly Curier, a knight of Dint.
Lord Curier, who was already famous as a master swordsman, had further raised his name in this war. The current Curier had a warm face appropriate for his age. He was earnestly advising Hume Razor to "stop searching for the Princess."
Alf was busy.
First, regardless of anything, there was Hem's big brother. Hemrik, the hunter of Dint. In Samodiva, banquets were being held everywhere; it was practically a festival. When he went to the castle, he unexpectedly reunited in the castle courtyard with General Udoh, the protagonist of the banquet.
"General! On this occasion—" Alf knelt and offered his congratulations.
"Isn't this Alf! You're alive!"
Since the General opened his arms, Alf, who was good at acting spoiled, leaped at Udoh.
"General, I'm really happy. If things had gone badly, you had a face that looked like you'd never be able to marry in your whole life."
Suddenly, Alf turned his eyes to the bride beside him and was surprised. "General, with that face, such a beauty? Aren't you being too bold?"
Udoh laughed.
Consort Faura was also smiling gently. "You are the mage-sama who saved my Big Brother's life, aren't you?"
Alf bowed his head deeply. In truth, he wanted to say: you say he saved Yugis, but I wonder. He felt that Yugis's face showed the signs of someone who would die young. Rather, wouldn't it have been kinder not to save him?
—No, I can't say for sure.
Looking at General Udoh's happy face, he couldn't decide. If he had died, he couldn't have kissed such a lovely princess. If he lived even a little longer, circumstances change. Physiognomy and fate are not things to rely on.
Ness, One-Eyed Zarko, and even Sadel, the Kosa person he met in the south, had their possibilities cut off by death. That's why Alf could not forgive the three old men. If that was the case, then... was there justice in ending the lives of the three old men?
There is one thing he can say.
Inferring from the knowledge inherited from Nezumo, the three old men feared the future. They were trying to converge and determine a future that sought to scatter indeterminately, in order to stabilize the world. It could be called an overly bold ambition. People simply strive for better results. The future cannot be manipulated.
—Just one step ahead is darkness.
Alf thought that he must accept this anxiety. Mages tend to get carried away and perform things like future prediction. That is merely putting the scream of intuition into words; it doesn't mean the future is determined to be so. It is a mere personal monologue. One cannot know what lies ahead. To decide and attempt to determine this exceeds human ability. A challenge to dominate the future will always fail. Rather than being defeated by Alf, the three old men were destroyed by the scale of their own ambition.
—In the end, nothing is known.
Alf took this positively. Not knowing meant that one could not definitively say it was a mistake. Bad things might actually be good things, and good things might transform into even better things. After all, one doesn't know. It means one can continue to hold expectations. This "not knowing" must surely be the gospel of God.
Alf also reunited with the young master of Dint. Cloden Danforth.
When Cloden introduced his wife, Alf was surprised once again.
"Young master, isn't this unfair?"
Cloden's wife didn't seem like a person of this world. She was beautiful like crystal.
"Krisina-sama," Alf felt a dazzle and lowered his face. "Since I am a mage, I have seen the Queen of Spirits in a forest lake. Krisina-sama is ten times more beautiful than that spirit."
"You are quite skilled for someone so young."
In the shadow of a roofed gazebo, Krisina smiled faintly. "I wonder what you would say if you were to behold the Princess's face."
Because Krisina was so beautiful, Alf lost his train of thought. Then, a flash of inspiration descended.
"Princess Lucy is alive even if she is dead. Hm?"
"My," Krisina's eyes sparkled. "You can understand my thoughts, can't you?"
"No, sorry." Alf had no intention of blurting out things about the Princess.
Just then, a throat-clearing sound echoed.
"Yo, Alf." Turning around, the young master Cloden had a troubled face. "There's something I have to tell you. It's about Hem—"
"Uwa, Young master—"
Alf wanted to concentrate on Young Master Cloden's story. However, he was distracted when he found a whitish shape over the Young Master's shoulder. "Young master, can it wait until later?"
Alf spat into his palm and smoothed his hair. Everywhere he looked there were only beauties, but this beauty had a chance with Alf. Beyond the Young Master was the figure of Rusary Striga. Today she was not wearing armor. She was in brilliant white female attire. She was so attractive it made his chest tighten.
Alf ran over nimbly and knelt at Rusary's feet.
"Big Sister, congratulations on the victory."
"Alf, huh. I heard you fulfilled your mission. —Come."
He followed her, heart pounding. Rusary was heading toward a place with no people. There, Alf heard from Rusary that Hemrik had died in battle. Big Sister explained carefully how splendidly Hem's big brother had fought. Alf took out the short sword from his pocket. Hem's big brother had lent this short sword to Alf to create a pretext for reuniting alive.
Once again, he no longer understood. Hemrik died. Big Brother didn't seem like a person who would die. But he died. For some reason, he couldn't believe it. Even if he died, he felt that Hem's big brother had not disappeared.
Not knowing is the gospel of God. He had just boasted such a thing a moment ago. However, the "not knowing" of a person's death has a weight and sadness that cannot be handled easily.
When he heard that Yugis had been killed, Cloden Danforth thought, he got us.
—That guy escaped!
He had intuited it so. In other words, he must have faked his own death and escaped somewhere with Princess Lucy.
This optimism remained strongly in Cloden's mind. Perhaps because of that, even after he found out he was truly killed, Cloden strangely could not realize Yugis's death.
—Sorry, Cloden.
The Yugis in his imagination had both hands intact, controlling the horse's reins with one hand and holding Princess Lucy with the other arm. With a wicked smile on horseback, he would look back at Cloden.
That guy left me behind, Cloden thought. Sometimes, Cloden would imagine that he was doing well with the Princess in some forest or in a foreign country whose name he didn't know.
It could be said that Cloden Danforth succeeded as a politician even more than Haider. After all, he lived a long time. After Haider and Raslaf passed away in succession, he lived for nearly forty more years, remaining active even after passing ninety.
Where Cloden excelled was when he came to the royal capital with his wife, Krisina.
Krisina Danforth returned to the detached palace and became a lady-in-waiting to Queen Yumeria. Krisina and Queen Yumeria had not gotten along until then. At first she was bullied, but eventually, Krisina displayed her talent.
Krisina showed she could cleanly settle every single trouble the Queen brought in. She extended a helping hand to troubled ladies-in-waiting and maids, gradually gathering trust and building a hidden power. The Queen eventually recognized Krisina and began to dote on her. A situation had been created where nothing progressed without Krisina. Krisina became the ruler of the detached palace, never emerging from the shadows. She exerted a giant-like influence and was secretly feared.
This was not Krisina's original purpose.
As long as her eyes remained red—the color of Krisina's pupils—she would not let the Princess's memory fade. Krisina plotted to remain in the detached palace as long as possible as a living witness. By interviewing Euryas's contemporaries, Nona, Kiara, and Yugis's attendant Dash, Krisina tried to grasp the outline of Her Highness Luchentin. She wanted to pass down the stories of the Princess.
She thinks she wanted to be by the Princess's side. She also thinks it was good that she wasn't. What bravery that Princess had shown. Why was that? Krisina wanted to know. She felt she understood. She felt she didn't. In the end, she didn't know.
—The Princess is not dead.
The Princess is a mystery. As long as the Princess's mystery is not solved, the Princess does not die.
"Back when Yugis and Haider were around..." Cloden would say the same things to the young people,
"Back when the Princess was here..." Krisina also occasionally brought up Princess Lucy to lecture her own daughter.
Cloden and Krisina watched the changing eras as a team, fulfilling their duties as the last founding members and heavyweights of the east. They spent a happy old age surrounded by many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
There was a jester performing street arts, teasing the groom, Udoh. It was masterful. The jester placed a large imitation gold coin on his palm and offered it. When Udoh tried to take it, the gold coin vanished in a flash.
The jester produced the vanished gold coin from Udoh's hair or his back. Each time, Udoh would fluster and panic. The young nobles were clutching their stomachs and laughing loudly.
"How pathetic, Udoh," Haider egged him on.
"He's wide open, wide open!" Cloden was rejoicing, almost bouncing.
Udoh tried to snatch the gold coin pinched by the jester with the seriousness of a knight. Even that failed, and the gold coin rolled down the jester's arm.
The young people gave a great cheer.
"He's outclassed!" Zeal Androsh pointed at Udoh and laughed.
The jester toyed with Udoh thoroughly, and finally offered the gold coin to the bride. Faura timidly took the gold coin, and the jester acted exaggeratedly surprised, which served as the punchline.
Father Kofie watched the scene from a short distance. He was remembering his youth. Even Paishal Anavis and Urgil Nekrat had frolicked like that when they were young. Aram Danforth, who had a grumpy face a bit further away, was the spitting image of Laiel Gilmond. Suddenly, his eyes met those of Countess Guendolin in the gazebo. Perhaps Guendolin was thinking the same thing, as she gave a small nod.
Tired from the banquet, Father Kofie intended to head to the count's cemetery alone. He thought he would mourn Yugis.
"Father Kofie," Alf followed him. "I have a few questions."
Alf spoke of life and death. He didn't seem to know if there was a clear difference between them.
Everyone dies. If that's the case, couldn't the difference between the living and the dead be considered a matter of time? In other words, isn't it just a matter of whether it's early or late?
"You're saying the living and the dead are ultimately the same?"
"That's it. Dead, but not dead. I wonder if such a thing exists."
"Interesting."
"I want to hear Father Kofie's opinion."
The cemetery was behind the church within Naimeny Castle. Naimeny Castle was an old castle. A dilapidated, dim castle. As for its cemetery, it had an eeriness that made it seem as if the dead might actually return. However, the fact that it was well-cleaned left a good impression. There was a sculpture of a monster called a Kyurgoi, and beside it was a stone bench.
The monk and the mage sat there.
"You don't want to make the death of the physical body the issue, do you?" Father Kofie began to speak. "If humans were formless things that didn't possess a physical body, then that might be fine."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that the physical body is important. When you heard that One-Eyed Zarko died, what did you do?"
"I cried."
"That, I believe, is death."
"You mean emotion?"
"I mean recognition."
That day—.
The day before Great King Geraha took a spear to the stomach and Siddim won.
At that time, Kabel Kofie, who was still the Bishop of Siddim, sprained his foot. He had stepped on a grass root and twisted his ankle.
The Bishop had been on the road along the Barkov River, heading toward Famana.
"Your Eminence, what are your intentions..."
The irritation of Marvel Boony, who had escaped Maslow with him, seemed to have reached its peak. Even before then, Bishop Kofie had been dragging Marvel down by begging for food or demanding rest.
"Were you not going to meet the Commander-in-Chief of the Siddim army?"
"No, it's fine..." As he moved his ankle, a sharp pain shot through.
He couldn't continue speaking due to the intense pain.
Though Marvel seemed exasperated, she did not abandon the Bishop. She was likely a believer at heart. Since there were no figures on the road, Marvel lent her shoulder to the Bishop and descended from the road to the embankment. A windmill hut was a short distance away.
After seating the Bishop inside the hut, Marvel said,
"Please wait here. I'll find a village and borrow a horse. I'll also try to seek alms for food."
"Marvel!"
The Bishop called out to Marvel as she was about to leave.
"I'm sorry. Let's stop this war."
Marvel Boony looked as if she had been struck in the chest. She said nothing. Her eyes had a pained color. She simply ran away.
Marvel did not return. She did not return for one night.
The windmill wailed with a sad voice. It was a windmill that pumped water from the Barkov River. The sound of the bucket hitting the water's surface was also noisy. Foolishly, the Bishop's swollen ankle's pain receded while he cooled it with water. The Bishop, who had prepared himself to be unable to sleep due to the noise and pain, had fallen asleep before he knew it.
Until around noon the next day, the Bishop was in a strange peace. Wind that never ceased no matter how much it blew, river water that never ceased no matter how much it flowed. No matter how long he waited, Marvel did not return. The windmill turned. The weather was fine.
Though it had been cold in the morning, it became a serene warmth as the sun rose high. A small boat tied to a barge on the river was making noise as it rubbed against a stake. Bishop Kofie was on the verge of dozing off.
Then, a soldier on a white horse arrived. Despite wearing a cloak, he was lightly equipped. The soldier dismounted by the river. Looking at his build, Bishop Kofie gasped.
In the windmill hut, there was a piece of wood whose use was unknown. The Bishop used the piece of wood as a cane and left the hut. As Bishop Kofie approached, the white horse was startled and fled.
"Her Highness Luchentin..."
The Bishop flipped up his hood.
"Bishop Your Eminence—why?" Princess Lucy turned a terrifyingly beautiful face toward him.
At this time, the sound of horse hooves striking the earth was thundering.
—Is it Marvel?
Bishop Kofie thought.
The Bishop could not believe that meeting Princess Lucy at this place was a heavenly arrangement or a complete coincidence.
Was it not Marvel's arrangement? It would be faster to bring the Princess than to take the Bishop. Had she determined that somewhere? Reflecting on it later, it was a mistake. The Princess had happened to come. He couldn't believe it was a complete coincidence. Surely, divine will had been at work.
The one thundering the horse hooves was Yugis Nekrat.
He must have been chasing the Princess.
Yugis stopped the horse and dismounted as if rolling off. The Princess, for her part, ran forward as if repelled. The two embraced straight on without hesitation.
At this time, the war had not yet ended. The army's Commander-in-Chief and the chief of staff were abandoning the battlefield to embrace. It was a beautiful encounter, but right beside them, the killing continued. Lives were being consumed. Amidst that, they were touching skin. Combined with that sinfulness, the embracing princess and knight emitted a scorching impression, which the later Father Kofie remembered. Of course, at that time, Bishop Kofie didn't think that far.
—Ho ho.
He felt an amusement. He only thought that when one is young, one truly blossoms.
The two spoke of something. What the Bishop could hear was Princess Lucy's,
—Our kingdom.
And so on. And Yugis's clear voice.
"I won't let it end. Even if the war ends."
With a haunting look in his eyes, Yugis held Lucy tight. It was the eye of a man who had lost himself in affection. Troublesomely, the forcefulness a man shows the woman he loves may sometimes resemble the cowardly violence of lust.
Princess Lucy gently pushed Yugis back.
With that, Yugis froze.
The Princess lightly moved behind Yugis.
Bishop Kofie held his breath. In the air, there was a woman rotating magnificently. Leaping, rotating her body horizontally, increasing power with centrifugal force, the woman wielded a short sword.
The short sword accurately pierced the Princess's chest.
It was a matter of a single instant. It was an instantaneous event that did not allow for accusations such as "he should have taken the necessary action." It was Marvel. Marvel, intending to take down Yugis, had probably, unexpectedly even to herself, plunged the short sword into the Princess's heart.
Marvel's eyes flew open in astonishment. That expression immediately distorted with anger.
What expression did Princess Lucy have?
Marvel, in her monastic robes, was faithful to the ruthlessness the Church had instilled. Groaning, she pulled out the short sword and leaped back, distancing herself from the Princess. Blood clung to the blade, drawing threads, and scattered into the grass.
The Princess collapsed without a sound. Yugis tried to support her but could not. It was as if Yugis noticed for the first time that he had no left arm.
Bishop Kofie looked at Marvel. Marvel had the face of a frightened child, as if terrified by what she had done.
"Marvel..."
As is the nature of a clergyman, Bishop Kofie felt a pull toward the one seeking salvation. He locked eyes with Marvel's bewildered face, which had lost its sense of mission. Suddenly, Marvel fled with the agility of a lower animal.
—How foolish.
However, the most foolish person in this place must have been the Bishop, who had continued to mock people and make them laughingstocks in his heart. Misunderstanding something, he had stepped forward claiming he would bring peace, and without knowing Marvel's objective, he had lent a hand in the achievement of her objective. It was likely at this moment he decided to resign as Bishop.
"Your Eminence," Yugis was laying the Princess's body down.
Yugis seemed to think it natural for a Bishop to be beside the death of royalty.
"A prayer for the repose of the soul."
The Bishop prayed as told. After finishing the prayer, he closed the Princess's lips, which had completely lost their redness, and closed her eyes, which had lost their light.
"Yugis."
Yugis Nekrat was pale, but his expression was resolute.
Carrying the Princess on his shoulder with one arm, he walked toward the barge on the river. Yugis laid the Princess in the small boat that had been tied to the barge. He untied the mooring and entered the river.
Yugis carried the small boat to a place where the water reached his stomach. He seemed to be speaking to the Princess in the small boat for a while. Eventually, he let go of the small boat and left it to the current. The small boat rode the current and was soon far away.
"Yugis."
The Bishop looked at Yugis, who had returned dripping with water.
"Your Eminence, please return to the north. If you follow the road, you will encounter someone."
"But—"
"Let's keep this as our secret."
"Secret?"
"You must not tell anyone about this."
Smiling weakly, Yugis blew a finger-whistle.
Mounting the horse that had approached, Yugis went south.
In an instant, the Bishop was alone again.
—Self-preservation?
The Bishop at that time could not understand the meaning of Yugis's final words. Was he trying to escape the responsibility of not being able to prevent the Princess's death? Or was he trying to protect Bishop Kofie from a responsibility issue? Or was he confused?
—What? What is he thinking?
However, the Bishop kept his mouth shut.
He did not speak of this grave matter. He remained silent. Even when victory in the war was decided and the world began to fuss over Princess Lucy's whereabouts, he continued to maintain his silence.
Even after dredging the bottom of the Barkov River, the Princess's body was not discovered.
Yugis had won the gamble.
The Bishop, who had returned to the city of Malfa, came to understand this. He didn't admit it. It wasn't something easily admitted. What Yugis did was even worse than playing with the royal body. To not return the body to the royal house—what was this? He had robbed the Father, the King, of the opportunity to bid farewell to his daughter. Or the people. All the people who had memories of the Princess. Moreover, in a form that left a half-hearted hope of survival.
Could there be such cruelty?
Was the Princess's body, placed in the small boat, carried to the Northern Inland Sea? Regardless, it wouldn't have been strange for it to be found at any time.
The Princess's hideously bloated drowned corpse might have washed up somewhere. A rotting corpse whose skin was pecked by fish and birds. There was a danger that the transformed figure of the beautiful Princess Lucy would be exposed to curious eyes. The recklessness of risking that danger was also criminal. In general, the Princess herself must have been greatly inconvenienced. The Princess must have wanted to be buried in the royal tomb. She surely wanted to be buried properly.
What right did Yugis have to commit such an outrage?
Was it not an unthinkable irreverence? Was it not an extraordinary disloyalty?
Still, Bishop Kofie did not speak. He kept the secret and became Yugis's accomplice.
Why, the Bishop asked himself. Perhaps he had felt that Yugis's outrage was interesting.
Alf, sitting on the long bench, had a stray cat on his lap. He was frequently scratching the cat's body with his finger. The dancing loose hairs seemed to glisten.
Father Kofie knelt before Yugis's grave.
—It looks like you'll win the gamble.
Yugis's final plan was likely an attempt to eternally preserve Princess Lucy, her achievements, and the glory of the people.
The impact Princess Lucy gave to all of Siddim must have been great. She was a princess of the royal house. A delicate princess had led the entire army of Siddim. Moreover, she had achieved the overwhelming, transcendent feat of repelling that Kosa. A royal princess who was nothing more than a young girl.
No word other than "miracle" could be found.
Father Kofie had met with the Chancellor, Gilma, in the royal capital. He had a face that looked utterly troubled. Such a giant war achievement risked turning Princess Lucy into a monster. Even if she herself had no such intention, those around her would not leave her alone. For Gilma, his job must have been to shave off and diminish the Princess's achievements even slightly.
If the Princess were alive, Gilma would have apologized deeply to her and proceeded with that.
Even if she had passed away, he would have proceeded with that.
But what about being missing? Along with the Princess's whereabouts, the whereabouts of the giant achievement also became unknown. For Gilma, he first had to start from confirming the Princess's life or death. In the meantime, all of Siddim was preoccupied with the topic of the Princess. Princess Lucy had left the hands of the Malfa leadership and become the property of the people. No matter how the Malfa leadership tried to undervalue the war achievement, the evaluation of Princess Lucy that had spread could not be overturned. The Princess came to live among the common people.
However, the giant war achievement and the shocking disappearance might both eventually be settled as a part of history. The Princess might have been buried in time and forgotten.
But in Yugis's malice, there is now a legend called the "Daughter of Siddim."
I won't call it a malicious hijacking of a legend. However, when people tell the legend of the Daughter of Siddim, can they refrain from adding the story of Princess Lucy as an episode?
—Long ago, during a national crisis of this country...
A girl who appeared gallantly, conquered the barbarians, and then left for somewhere.
Princess Lucy had been turned into a legend. She had become the newest guardian deity of this country. The girl named Lucy continues to live among the people. If things go poorly, she might survive even after the royal house perishes.
That was Yugis's plan, and also his loyalty.
Having finished the mourning, Father Kofie stood up.
"Did I keep you waiting?"
Alf's face, who seemed to have been lost in thought, looked a bit more mature.
"What will Father Kofie do from now on?" Alf said while stroking the cat.
"I intend to continue traveling with Lucifont. There is a woman I want to save."
"Is that a sexy story?"
"No, I wonder."
Marvel certainly had a thick skin, Father Kofie thought. It would be pitiful if no one put in the effort for her. Father Kofie had that responsibility.
"What will you do?"
"Me?" Alf felt bashful. "I can't really say it to a practitioner."
The Father laughed. That would be fine too.
The voices of young nobles were approaching. They seemed to be coming to visit the graves. They still have a long way to go. That is also fine. May you be with the Princess. Father Kofie prayed. For as it has been until now, the Daughter of Siddim will continue to warmly heat the hearts of the people of this country.
Daughter of Siddim — End