Chapter 169 – Funeral (1)

“What do you mean by erecting a statue of Fabian-sama?”

“I met the goddess in my dream yesterday.”

Wolf answered the nobles who asked him about his intentions. Everyone shut up when she heard the story of meeting the goddess. Wolf continued his explanation. The goddess is grieving over Fabian’s death. She said she should erect a statue so that his soul could ascend safely to heaven.

Wolf also had specific plans and blueprints. He had calculated how long it would take and how many workers he would need. The blueprints made by Wolf, who had no knowledge of architecture, were so perfect that the architects were tongue-tied.

This was no mere statue. According to Wolf’s blueprint, a quadrangular pyramidal structure was built, and the statue of Fabian stood on top of it. The inside of the square pyramid was hollow in the shape of a cylinder, and the entire roof functioned as a lid, allowing dozens of people to open and close it.

The hollow bottom of the cylinder was a structure that could light a fire. Since it was cylindrical, it was difficult to get out once someone fell into it, and the moment the roof was closed, the heat spread evenly inside and quickly turned into a steamer.

Looking at this structure, the architect said with a puzzled face.

“This is the first time I have seen a building like this. Is it a facility made to maintain the temperature inside the building? Or, do you have other intentions?”

Wolff did not deny the architect’s question.

“Okay. There are other intentions. The building was a statue comforting Fabian, and at the same time an altar. He had heard of the northern beasts. The guys who eat betrayal, they’ll do anything, so they asked for their lives to be saved, right? I intend to use them as laborers, then push them into that hole and burn them.”

“And, you’re putting a statue of Fabian-sama on it.”

“Isn’t that symbolic? Drek-Psy’s corpse is also up in the capital now. If I burn all the beastmen, I plan to push Drek-Psy’s corpse into the cylinder as well. All the evil in the north is reduced to ashes, and Fabian rises on top of it. This is also proof to the dead Fabian that we will continue to trample demons.”

The architect nodded his head with a puzzled face. It was because after hearing Wolf’s explanation, that cylinder looked more terrifying. Said Wolf.

“The day Fabian’s funeral ends. I will be digging the first shovel. Prepare the prisoners by then, and keep the details of the plan a secret.”

“All right.”

The architect has gone Wolf closed his eyes and redrawn the image of the goddess in his dream. She looked the same as before. She had a white smile, and was surrounded by light as bright as a rainbow, and her hair was also shining rainbow colors. She hugged Wolf and mourned Fabian’s death, and she told him what to do in the future.

Wolf wanted to do what she said.

******

Evan’s mansion received new news every day. The news of the death of Fabian, one of Hero’s party, reached Sofia first through the mailbox. She shouted the big news with a startled face, and Elena, who was casually dusting her windows, asked:

“What’s the matter? Was there a war?”

“Fabian is dead!”

When Elena heard that, she stunned and dropped her duster. Then she opened her eyes and said.

“Really? Fabian?”

Sophia held out the newspaper and said.

“That’s right! That Fabian is dead!”

Elena asked Sophia with a little puzzled look on her face.

“…But who is it? It’s a name I’ve heard somewhere.”

“Are you referring to that Fabian, one of the warriors?”

Rumia, who had come out of her drawing room stretching herself, was more surprised than Elena. Sophia nodded her head, and Elena exclaimed as if she remembered it.

“Ah. That’s him. How did he die?”

Sophia asked as if she was surprised to see Elena’s disinterest.

“Elena. You have no interest in these issues.”

“I’m not interested in anything that has to do with my madam. How do you know who Fabian is? Hero and the others are bad guys to us. Because my mistress was neglected thanks to her marriage to the Hero family in the home of Plancia. Well, he died well.”

Rumia took her newspaper from Sophia’s hand. Flipping through her newspaper, she said, rubbing her chin.

“It is said that he became friends with Imp Drek – Psy in the North. In a way, that’s a good thing for us. One of our worst nemesis, Hero, is gone, and the troublesome demon in the North is also dead. It’s like blowing her nose without touching her.”

“That’s right. That’s right. I think I died well too. All heroes are bad guys.”

As she said that, she swung the letter she was holding in her hand. Annoyed by the fluttering envelope, Elena gently held Sophia’s wrist and said,

“What’s this?”

“This? It’s a letter from the master’s name. The sender’s name is not written. Who sent it? Master, my mistress?”

“Evan!”

Elena screamed. Evan, who was enjoying his free time in the early morning, heard a voice calling him and woke up scratching her head. Isabelle was sleeping soundly, clutching Evan’s waist, and the caretaker, the mousetrap, had left for work early.

Evan handed Isabel’s hair and covered her with a soft blanket. Isabel’s body was full of traces of yesterday’s violent affair, and her bed was damp. Evan kissed her on the cheek of her Isabel and then said to Elena.

“What?”

“I have a letter addressed to Evan. And here’s the big news!”

“Big news?”

“Fabian is dead!”

When Evan heard that Fabian was dead, he shrugged his shoulders. In my vague memory, the names of Hero’s party faintly smudged. After blinking her eyes and nodding her shoulder with an insignificant face, she said:

“You died well. Motherfucking pups. But why did you die? Did you fight each other?”

“He said he made friends with Drek-Psy in the North.”

When Evan heard that, he covered his mouth and put on a puzzled expression. It was because he thought that he was talking too much to a person who died while doing a good job. Evan said as he received the letter.

“But where is this letter from? Is it a funeral invitation?”

“I don’t know. Isn’t that the woman the master hid?”

“Did you see me hiding a girl? I’m a real man, so when I meet a woman, I eat it on the spot and bring it home.”

“Is that a real man?”

“I call them that these days.”

Evan answered Sophia’s question like that. And he sat down on the sofa, opening the letter. Evan, deep down, expected this letter to be a love letter or something seductive.

The old yellow stationery smelled faintly of herbs.

Evan started reading the letter aloud.

[Evan. I’m heading north now.]

She read that far, and Evan’s face stiffened as he read the next content with his eyes. He looked around him with the corners of his mouth down and moved toward the room where Taffy was sleeping.

“Master? What? What is it about?”

“I will tell you later. There is someone who will read this first.”

Sophia heard that and nodded her head and moved away, and Sophia looked at Evan with her concerned eyes. Evan’s back was much weaker than usual.

Evan stroked Taffy’s coffin. With one light knock, the coffin wriggled and Taffy stuck her head out. She asked Evan with a face full of drowsiness.

“Evan. What happened?”

“I got a letter from No. 5.”

With that word, it seemed that sleep had escaped. Taffy pushed the lid off her coffin and snuggled up next to Evan. Evan leaned against her taffy and began to read her letter.

[Evan. I’m heading north now.

In this moment of getting on the carriage, I suddenly feel like I have to send you a letter

I write like this.

I haven’t learned how to write properly since I was young, so it feels strange to exchange writing like this.

There was no need for text between us. Because we always communicated in truthful words.

When you said you would succeed, there was a certainty that you would really succeed.

When I said I wanted to become a star, there was a dream as much as a star.

Evan. I’m still not sure if I’ve been doing the right thing all this time.

While working under the hero, he was always dishonest.

But while you face me, you confidently put love and justice in your mouth.

Evan. The moment you hear it. I became ashamed of myself.

Even when you become the pillar of an aristocratic family, you work hard for those old stories.

I was swinging my sword for infidelity.

If No. 13 is alive, and if someone else is alive, what kind of person would they see me as?

I was afraid of that.

Evan. Forgive me for not being able to go to you because of stupid loyalty and regret.

I haven’t learned anything, so I can’t think of anything other than this simple solution.]

The letter ended there. Taffy hugged Evan tightly with her tears in her eyes. Evan also stroked Taffy’s hair and carefully folded her letter.

“You bastard.”

Evan said so, holding back tears. Her eyes were red and the tip of her nose was twitching, but she tried not to look sad.

“What am I going to say just because you came? Sick.”

Bright sky.

A morning star twinkled and disappeared in the sunlight.