Chapter 91 – Burying

The early morning mist crept in from outside the window. I woke up earlier than usual and quietly looked at the blurred world. Even then, Saya fell into a deep sleep and showed no signs of waking up.

It seemed like I would be asleep for another hour or two. When I heard that certainty, I carefully got up from the bed.

It was rare to go out alone at dawn like this except when I was on an island. It’s not a nostalgic memory at all, but I had to pack my backpack because of an old habit. I sneaked out of the house in that state.

There was no definite destination. It just came out instinctively. But after meeting with me, a series of goals came into my mind.

Then, naturally, I had a will and the way to go began to appear in front of me. I fixed my backpack and then slowly moved on. No footprints were left on the hard soil.

“Haaa…”

The concept of walking through elven lands with a human body was still awkward. Even though they live in the same land and breathe the same air, I thought that their world was a little different somewhere.

It’s hard to put into words exactly, but I’ve probably felt the same way all day. That must have been the driving force that allowed me to walk around all day yesterday. Eventually, led by some elves, he returned home at the end of the night.

It was hard to understand at first, but when I walked, I felt like I could understand how he felt. The world of the elves, shrouded in slow fog, was very mysterious, so I didn’t get tired of just walking through it. No matter how much I reminded myself that it was the same as the old world, I couldn’t help the feeling of incongruity that kept rising.

It felt like I was in a dream world. Just like the day I ran to get my medicine for the day.

…

It was not a pleasant memory, so I quickly brushed it off and raised my head. Then the village of humans that I passed yesterday came into sight.

Outwardly, it was not too different from other elven lands. However, since humans, not elves, live there, rather than being mysterious, I felt our unique pessimism.

Besides, there seemed to be quite a few people in this town who woke up early in the morning like me. There seemed to be quite a few people who lost their sleep at dawn in the shock of the destruction of the world.

As soon as I entered the village, I was able to make eye contact with many people. I bowed my head to them as a sign of greeting, but few accepted it. Even in this situation, they showed an exclusive attitude toward the appearance of strangers.

Maybe that’s why there was a little error. I passed people by and said hello to the end. Then, for the first time, a woman looked at me and nodded in front of her.

“…”

“…”

I slowly stopped her and looked at her. But her woman’s gaze was not at me, but over her shoulder.

Then, the road that humans walked yesterday with flowers came into view. As if the woman was urging me to walk there, she looked that way all the way.

I started walking along the road as if possessed by that gaze. The flat road led to a hill before I knew it, and a fairly steep slope welcomed me.

“Whoa…”

Sweat was pouring down his cheeks, and his breath hung from his chin. It may have been that my stamina was low, but the backpack on my back was heavier than I thought. Even so, I climbed the hill to the end without giving up halfway.

Then, through the mist, a field of flowers came into view.

At first glance, it was a flower garden. However, when I looked closely, not a single flower had taken root in the ground. They were all broken and offered by someone else, or tied up in bundles and swaying in the wind.

Only then did I realize that this place was a tomb. But the inside of the tomb is probably all empty. It’s just a place of remembrance made by humans for those who left.

I passed the tombs one by one and repeated the owner’s name.

“Nick.”

…

“Eren.”

…

“Esther.”

…

“Eng…Gel.”

Not all names were written on the proper tombstone, so it took quite a while to read. Even so, there was only one reason for this arduous work.

Because I don’t want names I know here. That was all. I called another name with that subtle tension in my heart.

“Eri…”

…

“Hmm…”

However, the name was so badly damaged that it was difficult to properly recognize it. That said, I don’t think it’s a name that can be overlooked, so I looked at the tomb for a long time. And once again, the engraved name was called.

“Eri…”

“Erina Anbert.”

“…”

Just then, I heard the voice of a woman right next to me. At that moment, I already had an intuition of what kind of face I would face, and slowly raised my head.

And I met the eyes of the woman I had seen earlier in the village once again. The woman who looked through her fog bore a striking resemblance to a girl whom she had seen many times before.

It was Roselia, of course. I said hello to the second survivor of the Anbert family, whom I finally met.

“Hello Miss Anbert.”

“…”

“You’re the daughter you said came with Duke Anbert.”

“Then you are that girl named Rope.”

Rumors go pretty fast. As I stared in silence, she turned her gaze back to the grave. And she opened her mouth again in a hoarse voice.

“This is my mother. She made a tomb the day I came here. But strangely, it keeps getting damaged. I feel like I have to take care of it from time to time, so I come here every day.”

“Because there are so many people who have a grudge against the Anbert family.”

“I know. And maybe you’re one of them.”

“…”

“…I don’t mean to criticize, so please don’t make that face.”

“No. That’s not it, I just…”

I feel like I’ve never met someone from the Anbert family who I can talk to. Instead of saying that, I brought up another story.

“I just… Thought that I would meet the eldest son of the Anbert family here. I heard that he was the one who received the pattern.”

“Your rumors are fast too. You’re right. It was my brother who received the pattern. But in the end, it came to me.”

“That…”

“If I have to tell you in advance, I didn’t steal it. I’m naturally weak, so I’m not good at fighting like that. Rather, Rogeria, who is five years younger than me, is good at that.”

“Then how did you get the glyph?”

“It has something to do with my mother. That’s why I made the tomb.”

She bitterly bit her lip. It was visible that she was in pain, but the story continued nonetheless.

“As I said, I was weak from the time I was born. My personality was very timid. That’s why I must have been a sore finger to my mother. I received undeserved love and grew up not like Albert. “

“So Sir Ann Berthe gave the emblem to her eldest son. But did Lady Ann Berthe not accept it?”

“It’s similar, but a little different. There is no parent in the world who would oppose the idea of ​​saving their son. No, but my mother thought that we should give one of us our father’s emblem as well. The difference of opinion turned into a quarrel, and like Anbert, a struggle led to.”

“…”

“That ugly struggle continued until we reached the port. I didn’t like it and said I would give up, but my mother took me to the end. Did I look so sorry?”

Her gaze wandered through the air as if searching for her memories. I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but her eyes seemed to be slightly reddened.

“You already know the outcome. Mother won the struggle and blackmailed her father into forcing me to hand over the glyph. And before I had any other thoughts, he sent me aboard an elf ship. That’s why I was able to come here.” .”

“Wait a minute. But that’s a little strange. Then how did the duke get here?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“No way…”

“I came here because I stole my brother’s pattern. I don’t know how he did it, but it wasn’t a pleasant way at all.”

Suddenly, her voice trembled with anger. I couldn’t bear to speak and just looked at her side profile.

“My father keeps saying in front of people that I’m trying to kill him. And it’s true. How can I forgive him. He’s the one who did that.”

“Yes… I guess.”

“Of course I can’t forgive myself either. I’m standing here stepping on the corpses of my family anyway.”

“That…”

“I can’t stand it because it’s a sin to be alive. In fact, there are many times when I hate myself more than my father.”

I couldn’t bear to add any words. The heart of the person carrying the weight of the dead was just as heavy. Despair that no one could possibly fathom would become her burden for the rest of her life.

A deep sigh escaped through the air. As she stared at the sky, she looked back at me with a slightly calm expression.

“But when I come here, I feel a little lighter. I feel that I have to live even to remember the dead. That’s why I keep coming here. Of course, my father never came.”

“I can’t come any more now.”

“Then it’s more fortunate. So how about you? Is there someone you want to commemorate?”

“I…I was only brought here by your gaze.”

“I see. But for some reason I thought you would need a place like this. Sorry, I was too lazy.”

“No. It’s okay. Although I don’t know who to commemorate…”

…

At least I needed a place to put an end to this long journey.

I walked by the grave in silence and stopped looking for an empty seat. Then she glanced at me and asked in a cautious voice.

“Do you need flowers? I brought some. I’ll give it to you if you need it.”

“No. I have mine.”

“I see. Then I hope you find peace in your heart. Lope…Kun.”

“Yes. Then…”

“…”

“I hope you are at peace. Miss Anbert.”

For the first time, Anbert bowed his head to me. I also bowed my head this time. Then he waited for her to walk away and set her backpack on her back on the floor.

At that moment, my body trembled at the feeling of relief and futility. It seemed that the weight of the backpack was heavier than expected. After all, there’s only one load inside. I carefully pulled out the flower sticking out through the zipper.

Then the sword that had been together for a long time appeared under the dim sunlight. Although the teeth were missing and the blade was damaged in places, the feel of the handle was the same as before. Hard, heavy, and A strong feeling as if it would always protect me.

But there was too much blood on its surface.

So it seemed like it was time to let go.

When I made up my mind, I held the sword in reverse and raised it high into the sky. Then he plunged the blade deep into the pulsating heart of the earth.

As I dug in little by little, a subtle trembling was transmitted through my whole body. I also thought that if I was careless for a little bit, the memories of the past would flow endlessly from the corner of my eyes. Then, when the sword finally went all the way in, I paused for a moment. And he etched that feeling into his heart for a long time.

“Ha…”

The heart finally came out as a breath. I slowly got up and stared at the sword on the floor.

At first, I thought it would be the end of my work so far. But after seeing it, I didn’t think that would happen. There was no way that everything would disappear peacefully just by sticking a lump of iron into the ground.

Still, it could be a starting point. Having once ripped through childhood with this sword, now it was time to sew up the shattered reality to become an adult.

…

Or not. Or become a father

“Hmm…”

Just as she laughed awkwardly at the joke she came up with, she heard her voice from behind.

“Lope!”

“…”

Apparently, he couldn’t stand the momentary gap and went looking for me. I don’t know if I followed her by her smell or by her traces, but now, wherever I went on this earth, there seemed to be no way to escape from her.

So I decided to just embrace him. I no longer had the strength to run away.

As I slowly turned around, I saw her in the distance. Her bright yellow hair shone like clear sunlight, dissolving the fog. To me, it was like the dawning of a new dawn.

But no matter how much she ran like that, it seemed that she would fall down soon. That’s why I moved my step little by little, and when I finally came into sight, I handed over the same morning greeting as always.