Episode 35. Real Prause (完)
The inside of the coffin was decorated with flowers, and a parocco wrapped in soft cloth was placed in the coffin.
In this world, it is said that it is not common to put a body in a coffin and hold a funeral. Nobles did that, commoners didn’t.
In fact, my mother was also buried in a tomb, not in a coffin, but in a cloth wrapped around it.
“Hello for the last time. If I close the lid of the coffin, I probably won’t open it again.”
“…… Is Master all right?”
“I… ….”
When she showed an indifferent reaction that was no different from usual, Iris cautiously asked if she felt anything out of place. No matter how emotionlessly she has lived her entire life, she will never be sober when her parents are dead.
“…… I do not know.”
At my words, the atmosphere became solemn.
Do you think I’m still not accepting this situation properly?
I can’t say I accepted the situation until I shed all my tears, but I don’t think it’s wrong.
Even at this moment, I couldn’t figure out whether I should act as Prause or as a possessor.
“Thank you. Still. Because you cried for me.”
“No… It is.”
I hear whimpers from around me, as if I was emotionally charged with those words.
I can feel that the warriors want to cry loudly, but they seem to be restrained because they know that I want to cry more than anyone else.
I closed the lid of the coffin, thanking myself for the consideration.
“Where are you asking?”
“There is a cemetery next to the church. There…… I was thinking of burying it next to my mother.”
I know that Paroko suffered greatly in her heart because of her family.
I still remember how he cried every night for his wife.
I also remembered what she wanted to do with Prause after her death, what she wanted to say, and how she endured most of it and lived with guilt for the rest of her life.
The last consideration for him was to bury him next to his wife.
“Shall we go?”
I stroked the heads of the warriors who were still sobbing silently.
* * *
When we went to the church on the outskirts of town, there were more people than expected.
It was surprising that they did not evacuate despite the wartime situation. Did you think it didn’t matter since it was a town not too far from the capital?
Anyway, when the coffin was brought, the fact that Parocco had died had spread, and all of them were looking at me with sad faces.
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry…….”
“There was no one with the right personality as Parocco.”
“Even the sky is indifferent. How could he have taken such a good person?”
I listened to the villagers and slowly lowered the coffin in front of the priest. Thanks to the warriors, it wasn’t too heavy.
“I heard the story. Did you come with Parocco in the coffin?”
“…… Yes.”
Answered bluntly to the priest of the church. I wanted to talk kindly at this moment, but my expression management skill didn’t allow it.
“Is that so? Then, would it be all right if we had a funeral right away according to the procedure?”
“I was just going to bury it. Why didn’t you say anything, why are you doing this?”
“I have always been indebted to Mr. Parocco. I think doing this is the right thing to do for me who has been indebted to him until now.”
“… ….”
Somehow, the priest’s words made my heart choke.
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t feel sad about the way he leaves, so can you leave it to me?”
“…… Request.”
Under the leadership of the priest, he comforted Parocco’s soul so that he could have eternal rest by reciting unreasonable things from the mass of the other world.
The villagers silently listened to the priest and prayed for rest.
Although he lost his wife due to a wrong choice, he realized that Parocco’s kindness was not bad.
After the procedure, her coffin was moved to the cemetery for burial.
As I was about to dig the side of her mother’s grave with the shovel I brought, I thought for a moment when I saw her mother’s grave.
Come to think of it, I’ve never been here before.
It was a place he had never visited because it remained as a repulsive feeling in Prause’s memory. Although there was also a reason why she wasn’t even a real mother.
“… ….”
Parroco is…….
“Ha ha.”
Involuntarily, I let out a sigh at the prospect of becoming confused again.
…… Okay. For now, let’s think of Faroco as his father.
At least Parocco treated me as if he were his son. It would be okay to think of him as a father for the moment he spends.
“Let’s sell this place.”
“I will do it.”
Just as he is about to grab the shovel, Maria steps out.
She had no reason to refuse because it would cost her less time if she did it.
“Okay.”
Using magic, he dug up the ground in an exact square shape. It was about 2-3 meters long.
It wasn’t enough that he dug up the ground in an instant with magic, so the villagers were astonished when he floated it in the air. It wasn’t easy to see a wizard at the village level, so it was natural in a way.
“Is it okay if I put it in, Master?”
Maria whimpers but speaks with dignity.
“Yes.”
She carefully put the coffin into the tomb. She looked down at the coffin, which was seated without shaking, and then covered it with soil.
“Because it was a sudden funeral, there was no time to sell the tombstone. I will prepare a tombstone and make a tomb in a few days, so please wait a little longer.”
“I will pay for the tombstone.”
“It’s okay. It’s for Parocco, and we’ll do it for you.”
“…… Thanks. Thank you to all of you for coming here to hold the funeral together, even though you probably have work to do. I express my sincere gratitude.”
The expression management skill made my tone hard, but I bowed my head and thanked them sincerely. The priest and villagers laughed at my actions.
“What? I owe a lot to Mr. Parocco. You have to put everything aside and come.”
“Cancer! By the way He was the one who helped me when I was really having a hard time. Benefactor This is nothing.”
“… ….”
Listening to the heartwarming stories of the villagers, for some reason, my heart felt warm.
Father, you have never lived wrong.
People make mistakes and fail as they go through life.
As if my father died because of my complacency, as if I couldn’t save more people.
For me to resent my father would only be spitting in my face.
So I’ll say it clearly here.
[The skill [Expression Management] Is temporarily canceled.]
The hologram in front of my eyes comes to mind.
Then, tears began to flow as if the emotions that had been condensed were bursting. Feeling my throat choke, I slowly opened my mouth.
“Father, I will forgive you.”
It’s too late now, so Parocco won’t be able to hear it, but it was something I really wanted to say.
I… No, ‘we’ didn’t really hate you.
As if my feelings had been conveyed, in the end the unbearable warriors burst into tears. I was taken aback and comforted them until they stopped crying.
A considerable amount of time had passed by the time the warriors had calmed down. One by one, they left the graveyard and moved on to do their own thing.
I also bowed down looking down at the graves of my father and mother before leaving.
“I will come again. Father. Mother.”
Someday, by the time countless weeds grow on this pile of dirt, will I be able to escape from this nostalgia?
Now that I’m used to it, will I be able to smile and talk casually when my parents’ stories come up?
I don’t know if such a day will come, but I hoped it would.
* * *
The funeral ended in a less gloomy atmosphere than expected.
Bury well in the cemetery and return home.
Tina, who was walking alongside me, grabbed my hand.
“Tina…… ?”
“Teacher… ….”
Is it still difficult?
Well, even as a hero, he was still at an age where he couldn’t mature mentally. In that world, you are now a middle school student.
“Why do kind people die first?”
“Okay.”
“Will Master not die?”
“I will not die. I have no intention of dying.”
Even if I die, if Yggdrasil’s words are true, my life is guaranteed, so I don’t worry about death.
Of course, there’s a possibility that it’s not true, so I don’t intend to die lightly.
“I will believe you. Master, please stay with us for the rest of your life.”
“…… Okay.”
I stroked Tina’s hair as if to comfort her.
It was also my job to appease the other warriors who were jealous of him.
* * *
“… ….”
I tossed and turned over the blanket a few times before getting up. Damn, I can’t sleep.
“Today is also half a month…….”
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It’s really cunning. Both father and mother passed away on the day of the half moon.
I sighed and put on some clothes. In case the warriors wake up, I go outside and close the door as quietly as possible.
“Prause…… ? Where?”
When I turned around at the sudden voice, Ariel was sitting on the roof. Was she soaked in melancholy while looking at the moon?
“…… I just want to get some fresh air.”
“Really?”
She got up and landed lightly in front of me.
“Can I go with you?”
“…… Does not matter. As long as you don’t chatter.”
“Eh~ I’m following you to talk.”
I didn’t answer Ariel’s words and moved her steps. She said, “It’s chilly!” Says and follows.
The place the two of them went to was obviously Sekul’s famous hill. I came here because I felt that my worries were trivial when I faced the huge nature here.
“How are you feeling? Are you okay?”
“…… It is neither good nor bad.”
I leaned against a tree to greet the wind of the end of summer. It was quite chilly because it was at night.
“You are calmer than you think? I wish I could live a nonchalant life like Prause! Then I would be able to live without any worries or worries~!”
“Then live like that—”
“…… I said it once.”
It was an unexpected breaking ball. Where do you really come from?
“Are you kidding me?”
“It’s a pun. It’s kind of sincere too. That indifference gives us the power to make rational decisions in any situation. Ah, but I think you’re a little too sloppy.”
“…… Is that so?”
“Still, sometimes I think you have to show off. Then do you really get sick?”
“Is that an experience story?”
“…… Huh.”
Ariel took the seat next to me with a bitter reply. Lean your back against a tree. In that state, he remained silent for a while, and then slowly let go of his rhyme.
“I mean. To accept it.”
“… What?”
“It’s really, really sad, but I think it’s right to stop sending phasmas.”
I wondered if I was too hasty to come to such a conclusion, but it wasn’t good for me to talk on my own when it wasn’t my responsibility.
“I will never love someone again, but Phasma will remain in my memory for the rest of my life. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
Ariel said with a hint of laughter, but gradually it turned into her sobbing.
I patted her on the shoulder as I heard her sobbing next to me. Because that’s all I could do
“Oh, really…… I was trying not to cry. Receive comfort from someone who lost a loved one today. I’m sorry……. It must be Prause who really wants to cry.”
After Ariel pours out her emotions, she says, wiping her eyes.
“It doesn’t matter. All I did was listen to the story. Your heart must have been written because of me.”
“…… Then, when Prause wants to cry, tell me. I’ll listen to you all. As friends.”
I burst out laughing at the story of a friend.
“I see. Are you friends?”
“Yes!”
“I am very grateful for that.”
For some reason, I felt my heart lighten.
There were still things to think about, but I wanted to enjoy this feeling fervently for now.