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“Yes, understood.” (??)

A young man from the Hou Household bowed his head, mounted on a horse with a shovel strapped to the saddle, and led me down the indicated path, leaving me behind. Since he also served as a bodyguard, he carried a long sword on his waist.

Approaching the entrance once more, the head maid stood by the side of the doorway, bowing deeply as I arrived. Standing beside her was a girl still in her growing years.

“Welcome back, my Lord.” (Head Maid)

“Welcome back, my Lord.” (??)

“Who’s this?” (Yuri)

I asked while looking at the girl. She looked back at me with a nervous expression.

“She’s an apprentice maid brought from the main residence.” (Head Maid)

“I see.” (Yuri)

The head maid must have needed some rest, so they brought her along as an auxiliary member. However, she was still around ten years old, very young. The head maid stepped closer to me and whispered in my ear,

“She’s a very good-natured child. Carol-sama seems quite on edge around me… I thought she might relax a bit with her.” (Head Maid)

‘Ah, I see. She’s truly attentive.’

“I’m counting on you.” (Yuri)

As I lightly placed my hand on the girl’s shoulder and said this, she responded in a soft voice…

“Yes.” (??)

I opened the front door and stepped inside. The familiar layout, hearth, furniture… it was all a nostalgic sight. It felt like my spirit was being drawn in.

‘It’s been quite a while.’

Behind that door over there would be Luke’s study, long unused. Behind that door over there would be the marital bedroom with a large bed that hadn’t been used in ages. Inside the bedroom, there should be a very rustic bed that Luke crafted with logs cut to fit the legs, assembled by his own handiwork. Maybe now it’s being used by the head maid and the girl.

In the kitchen, which was immediately visible upon entering, there was a stove that Suzuya always used. Although the exhaust was directed through the chimney, a bit of smoke would sometimes leak out from gaps, so whenever Suzuya cooked, there would always be a faint smell of smoke.

Stepping onto the stairs leading to the second floor, I noticed that the boards had been replaced, with fresh signs of repair here and there. Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered a slight creak when going up the stairs. It must have been a problem they addressed and fixed.

Opening the door that used to be my room, I saw Carol lying on the bed, looking towards me.

“…Hey, it feels like it’s been a while.” (Yuri)

“Yeah, thanks for coming.” (Carol)

Carol’s cheeks, as she spoke in a hushed voice, seemed a bit worn down in these past ten days or so. Nonetheless, whether genuinely happy to see me or not, she showed a smile. Carol had her back against a bedding resembling a slope, with plenty of cotton-filled futon covering her chest down to support her upper body slightly raised. From that position, she could probably see well out the window.

She must have seen me arrive. Outside the window wasn’t a hectare of blooming colorful flowers, but rather a pastoral landscape spread out reasonably.

“…So, how are you feeling?” (Yuri)

I asked while sitting on a backless round chair. This would normally be used by the head maid and the girl. Since there were no chairs with wheels, a round chair was convenient for tasks that required changing directions while seated.

“…Not bad. The air here is nice.” (Carol)

“Well, that’s good.” (Yuri)

A hint of sea breeze entered.

Even at the school, there was a slight mix of city smells, but compared to that, the air here was refreshing in itself.

“And it’s very quiet. Yuri grew up here, huh?” (Carol)

“Yeah. Until I was eight, it was my room. I had it touched up a bit.” (Yuri)

However, there was no nostalgia. The floor had been replaced, the walls repainted, and the windows swapped for large glass ones. Pure white plaster, freshly hewn flooring. Even the bed had changed from a small one for children to one for adults. The only things familiar were the pillars and the ceiling.

“I like it. It’s a perfect environment for resting.” (Carol)

“Yeah, I think it’s better here than at Karakumo. Over there, things are… tense and on edge.” (Yuri)

“I see… Thank you for considering that.” (Carol)

After saying that, Carol briefly smiled before her expression turned serious.

“And… what happened to the royal capital?” (Carol)

She asked, sounding concerned.

‘She’s been here, so she probably hasn’t received any news.

In fact, Carol’s whereabouts are generally kept secret. She’s discreetly protected by a trustworthy family, but even the family head there has been instructed to keep it absolutely secret. Essentially, if anyone under my command were to investigate something I’ve told them not to, it would be a bit like committing suicide. If my subordinates were to do so, they would be questioned about their reasons for investigating and could even face charges of breach of trust.

That leaves only the head maid as a point of contact, but she isn’t actively gathering information like Myaro. She’s focused on taking care of Carol, so she likely only knows what little she hears. And even if she does hear something, she’s not one to blurt it out.’

“The battle ended five days ago. It was mostly bloodless.” (Yuri)

“…Please don’t lie to me.” (Carol)

‘She suspects I’m lying. Well, saying it was bloodless might be exaggerating a bit.’

“I’m not lying. We bypassed the Second Army and attacked the Queen’s Castle Island with eagles. The First Army also responded and fought there. If that place had fallen, the Second Army would have had nowhere to retreat and fortify. Then it would have been over. But there was no direct confrontation.” (Yuri)

“So, are you saying you captured the royal capital without shedding blood in just ten days?” (Carol)

“There was only the Second Army there.” (Yuri)

“Haha… Impressive. To take what no one else has in just ten days.” (Carol)

She seems somewhat incredulous.

“The situation was different from before. Up until now, there was a queen in the royal capital. No one was willing to risk their lives to defend the empty throne.” (Yuri)

‘There was Carya though. But because of those flyers, no one recognized her as queen. The coronation was a big mess, with lots of arrests, and I heard that a man who threw eggs at Carya was publicly executed.’

“Oh… Mother…” (Carol)

“…She passed away.” (Yuri)

“I see…” (Carol)

Carol’s voice showed no surprise, as if she had already prepared herself for this news.

“Her state funeral was held within ten days. Since it was overseen by Witches, the ceremony was done properly. There’s no rush to do it again, so for now, it’s settled.” (Yuri)

“Okay… that’s fine then. If there are any issues with the epitaph on the gravestone, please have it corrected…” (Carol)

“I intend to redo the gravestone. The cause of death… it’s not accurate.” (Yuri)

‘The gravestone itself wasn’t elaborate. After all, crafting an expensive gravestone would take more than a few days. It seems they thought it best not to reveal anything prematurely by preparing the gravestone in advance. For the time being, since the number of worshipers never stops, I have just scratched off the inscription and left it as it is.’

“Alright, please do that…” (Carol)

She looked dejected after hearing the news. That’s why I didn’t want to tell her. But I couldn’t just keep it from her. Even if I told her not to worry and focus on recovery, she would inevitably be troubled by it.

“Oh, by the way, what about Carya…? What happened to Carya…?” (Carol)

‘Ah… she’s worried about her after all. She’s her sister. It’s hard to say.’

“She took her own life.” (Yuri)

When I said that…

“I see…” (Carol)

Carol responded, looking down.

“I went there myself to convince her. Well… she caused a lot of trouble, but I didn’t want her to suffer needlessly, so I gave her medicine to pass peacefully. I don’t think she suffered much.” (Yuri)

“…Thank you for being considerate.” (Carol)

“Well… I don’t know about that…” (Yuri)

‘I still wonder why things turned out this way with Kalya. I’ve even thought about whether things would have been different if I had spoken kindly to her from the beginning. But I suspect that would have only led to more misunderstandings and deeper resentment when I eventually dismissed her. So, should I have just married Kalya? That would have been impossible. I couldn’t dedicate my life to serving a woman I didn’t even love. There’s no clear answer to what I should have done differently.’

Carol gripped the sheets tightly, tears silently streaming down her face.

‘She’s your sister after all.’

I rose from the chair and sat by the bedside, gently embracing Carol’s shoulders.

“I’m sorry… Why did she…?” (Carol)

“Her innocence was a crime in the eyes of the royalty. The Witches who exploited that is no longer here. They’re all dead… we’ve finished them all.”  (Yuri)

I said, stroking her head gently, and gradually, Carol’s sobbing subsided.

“I’m sorry… Yuri got caught up in all of this… I’m sorry, for your parents…” (Carol)

“It’s alright.” (Yuri)

‘It was my fault. My happiness comes from the people I care about. I didn’t want to lose them, so I tried to protect the New Continent.’

I held Carol close, wanting to feel happiness. I lived for that happiness. Carol couldn’t be protected as a pawn of the New Continent. So, I thought I would fight this time. I was about to marry for the convenience of having a child and fighting…

I couldn’t see anything.

“There’s still joy left. As long as you’re here.” (Yuri)

“Yeah… that’s right. I have to give birth to a healthy child.” (Carol)

Carol said resolutely, rubbing her noticeably protruding belly. Seeing her composed, I released the hand that had been on her shoulder.

Slowly sliding my palm down her back, I retracted my arm. She had become thinner. Carol’s shoulders were once covered in resilient muscles honed at the school of Knights. Now they felt slightly thinner.

“Hey, so how is the royal capital now?” (Carol)

She seemed concerned about the royal capital after all.

“Myaro is handling things well. When it comes to Witches, there’s no one better than Myaro.” (Yuri)

“I see… that’s good to hear.” (Carol)

“I’d be lying if I said I’m not busy… I’ve cleared my schedule for today. I’m staying here tonight.” (Yuri)

“Is that so? You don’t have to force yourself…” (Carol)

Carol said hesitantly.

“It’s not that. The Hou Household army is almost entirely in the capital. We held the funeral there, but… no burial…” (Yuri)

“I see…” (Carol)

Carol seemed to understand.

‘It’s about my parents. This country does not have a culture of cremation, and burials cannot be postponed indefinitely.’

“We buried them in the Hou Household’s ancestral graveyard yesterday. Keep it a secret. It’s an empty coffin, and I’m actually going to bury them near this house.” (Yuri)

“Eh?!” (Carol)

Carol exclaimed in surprise, then coughed lightly.

*Cough* *Cough)

I was surprised.

“On the opposite side of this house, there’s a hill. We used to climb up there as a family. The view was spectacular, and you could see both Father’s ranch and this house… and in the distance, you could see the wheat fields.” (Yuri)

That place was created by Rook for Suzuya’s sake. Rook could see magnificent views flying on his eagle, but Suzuya, who protected the house, couldn’t. Within the hills surrounding the ranch, Rook chose a spot near the house with a good view, had the top stripped bare by loggers, and built a convenient road for easy access. All of this happened before I was born. During my childhood, we often went on picnics as a family.

“Father never ended up receiving a knighthood, and Mother wasn’t from a noble family… so they couldn’t be interred in the Hou Household’s graveyard. That’s where I decided to bury them.” (Yuri)

That was my decision. Without anyone’s help, I ordered two coffins from Karakumo’s coffin shop, secretly replaced them before the burial ceremony, and buried the empty coffins. I nonchalantly loaded them onto the carriage and joined reliable men from the Hou Company. Today, I came here as the coachman. The men believed a lie that this was the grave of fallen comrades, unaware that this was my old home.

“So, what about that cargo…?” (Carol)

“Well… it’s a bit hard to explain…” (Yuri)

Two bodies were riding in the carriage that was tied up in a place that could be seen from this window.

“I see…” (Carol)

“That’s why I need to go… I should be back by dinner.” (Yuri)

I wanted to finish the burial today. Digging a hole deep enough to avoid being dug up by wolves or wild dogs, and it would be tough to do it even with three people.

“Got it. Well then… please give my regards to Father-in-law and Mother-in-law.” (Carol)

“Yeah, I’ll tell them.” (Yuri)

With that, I left the room.

—

“Huh… Is this okay?” (??)

“Yeah.” (Yuri)

My two employees and I were covered in sweat and mud as we dug a large hole. It was deep enough now, about the height of a person. Exiting from the slope we had made, we carefully lowered the coffins from the slender single-horse carriage with three of us working together.

“Take it slow. Don’t drop it.” (Yuri)

Carefully, we laid the coffins down in the hole.

“Now it’s good. Let’s start filling the hole.” (Yuri)

I grabbed a shovel and began filling in the hole. After a considerable amount of time with the three of us working together, the sun was starting to set.

“We have quite a bit of soil left.” (??)

“Let’s make a mound over the grave. It’ll sink anyway.” (Yuri)

I wasn’t familiar with burial customs. It might have been better to pack the soil down with our feet, but I felt resistant to trampling over the area where they lay.

“Is this it then?” (??)

“Yeah, you can head back now. Thanks for your hard work.” (Yuri)

With extra pay in their pockets, the two of them would likely find a decent inn and enjoy some good drinks afterward. They offered a token prayer before the mound of soil.

“We’ll take the carriage back.” (??)

“Yeah, thank you.” (Yuri)

As planned, the men rode off with the carriage and horse.

I gazed at the beautiful landscape bathed in the sunset. Not bad. It was a tranquil scene.

“How do you feel, Father? I thought you’d find this place more peaceful. When we visited before, you seemed a bit bored. The view here is much nicer than that cemetery.” (Yuri)

I spoke to Rook without restraint. There were only the three of us here.

“Mother was very formal at that cemetery. When you take a break and came here, she was really in such a good mood…” (Yuri)

Tears overflowed from my eyes uncontrollably. No one was watching. There was no one here but me. The tears streamed down endlessly.

“I… Raised by a father like that, abandoned by a mother… Raised and loved by you both… For the first time, I realized what true parent-child love is like… But I couldn’t do anything like a proper son… I thought finally you both would have a real child, but because of me, it turned out like this… Mother, what should I even say to apologize…” (Yuri)

The one I needed to apologize to was already sleeping beneath the soil.

‘How did it all end up like this…’

“I’m sorry…” (Yuri)

There was no end to the apologies I needed to make. But I couldn’t just not apologize. With tears flowing, I continued to apologize.

‘How much time had passed?’

The sun was setting, and the sky was darkening.

“I’ll come back soon. I’ll bring the gravestone next time.” (Yuri)

I moved away from the grave and mounted the horse. Carol was waiting for me.