#14 Crossroads (5)
There was a moment when I unconsciously made up my mind that I had to think brightly.
For Elric, this was the case now.
“You look beautiful.”
“… thank you.”
“Your swinging skills seem to have improved more than before. Oh, of course, I am not saying that you are not normally beautiful.”
Tyria is prettier than usual today.
The elegant atmosphere of the dress that matches her with the fresh color makeup is especially noticeable.
After all, would it have been better to enlist those humans as maids rather than knights?
No, thinking of Wolyeong, who would have done maid work while wearing mask-level makeup, that’s just awful.
Elric imagined a funny scene after another, but the smile didn’t come to mind.
In other words, it meant that my mind was dizzy.
“Then let’s go.”
Tyria took her hand.
Elric nodded all winter and climbed into the carriage.
Dalgrak.
As the wagon departs the mansion, the fields are full of green.
It is the season of rice planting, so the colors that make you forget the previous winter are starting to fill the whole area.
I felt a sense of difference.
It was a strange feeling as if only he was isolated from this scenery.
“The ceremony will begin as soon as we arrive at the plaza. And the cold will be over as quickly as possible. This is to quickly reduce the confusion that will arise today… .”
Tyria’s words did not come into my ears, sorry.
Elric mechanically nodded and thought for a second.
‘What am I doing?’
It was questionable to repeat.
Are you really trying to become the lord of Weibin?
For what? To turn a blind eye to war? Wouldn’t that be running away after all?
no. is that bad?
Leaving everyone and heading to the battlefield is also an escape.
It means abandoning Tyria and running away like 10 years ago.
I think the answer is wrong no matter which one you choose.
There was a sense of estrangement that deepened as time went on.
Elric Portman and Kasha were very different people.
Even though they have the same body and the same mind, their identities seem to be at each other’s poles.
It was a moment that made him frown.
“Godfather, we have arrived.”
The carriage stopped.
Elric, who came to his senses only belatedly, laughed at the crowd outside the window.
“… There must be a lot of people.”
“All guests came to see the inauguration ceremony. The inn was also full, and there were people sleeping on the street.”
As she said, from the moment you enter the village, it is packed with people without a chance to set foot.
The only place in Elric’s life that so many people were drawn to was the battlefield and the middle of the Imperial Capital.
Looks like the inauguration has really begun.
For some reason, Elric came over and scratched the nape of his neck.
The itchiness deepened.
“egg plant.”
what was the order
As soon as the ceremony begins, he will go up and begin his speech.
Then, it will end with receiving an edict in front of the princess who came as an envoy of the kingdom.
There is still confusion, but there is no turning back now.
Elric took a deep breath and headed behind the podium.
“I’m ready!”
The vice-captain of the Seolyeong Knights said.
Yes, his name was Ricky.
“Good job.”
Hitting him on the shoulder, Elric then raised his arm and looked at Tyria.
she crossed her arms
As it was, Elric headed up the podium.
“Waaaaa!!!”
There was a shout for the space to leave.
I felt dizzy because of the people who were crammed in without even a chance to set foot.
As I bowed my head slightly to say hello, the cheers grew thicker.
Elric stood in front of the loudspeaker on the podium and glanced at Tyria.
She was nodding.
I guess that means you can start
Eyes on the speech on the podium.
Take a deep breath and breathe as gently as possible.
“Nice to meet you. First of all, I would like to say thank you to those who came here.”
speech began.
*
He mechanically recited the speech.
The speech written by Tyria was full of clichéd and cultured words, so there was no pressure to read it.
Loud cheers erupted at several parts of the speech, but to be honest, Elric wasn’t paying attention to the text of the speech, so I couldn’t tell where they were cheering.
Anyway, after the speech, the princess came up to the podium.
“You, Portman’s Baron Elric, obey the King’s command.”
One day, when she was still wandering the battlefields of the West, a young princess whom she had only seen in newspapers opened up an edict with a dignified expression.
Elric knelt with Tyria.
“I accept the king’s command.”
As she spoke, she lowered her head, and the princess read the edict in a powerful voice.
It was a document made up of all sorts of rhetoric about the delegation of the lordship.
It might be boring, but no one felt that way.
Actually, I had to do that.
It would be the first time for Wibin’s people, as well as most of the people who came to see the king’s order, to actually see the king’s orders, so this scene might be a bit strange.
Isn’t it rare to have such an inauguration ceremony in front of all the villagers in the first place?
However, Elric was in a position where her words could not be listened to just curiously.
“… Honey, does Baron Elric of Portman swear to dedicate himself to the well-being of his people as the lord of Wibin?”
The question posed was heavy.
By giving this answer, you will be able to confirm your choice at the end of the crossroads, so hesitation naturally comes to mind.
Tyria whispered softly because she couldn’t answer right away.
“house owner.”
Elric felt attention being drawn to him.
As the hesitation continued, people with doubts began to appear everywhere.
Should I say this is fortunate?
“… yes.”
Even in the form of being pushed, Elric was able to spit out an answer.
“With this, I declare that Portman’s Baron Elric has become Lord of Wee Bin!”
“Waaaaaa!!!”
Loud cheers and applause pour in.
Only then did Elric raise his head and see the princess smiling confidently.
She reached out and Elric kissed the back of her hand.
“I wish you well in the future. Baron Portman.”
“I am honored to be able to contribute to the kingdom.”
Speaking of which, my chin loosens up.
With this, everything is over.
Yes, since the covenant was made in front of the king’s edict, there was no turning back.
Look, Tyria has a pretty bright face too.
I mean everything ended well.
My heart was still stuffy, but this feeling would subside someday.
It was the moment when I stood up and looked at the crowd while reassuring myself.
“… !”
Elric’s body stopped.
It was because I met a certain man’s eyes in the crowd that had gathered like a swarm of ants.
‘Master… ?’
White, loose hair, and eyes full of emptiness.
An older man who stands out even more because he is taller than others and is wearing ragged clothes.
Now, the one with such a strong presence that it was surprising to find him was staring at Elric exactly.
*
I wanted to run straight towards him.
13 years.
Realizing that the teacher I hadn’t seen for 13 years, since I was 11, was here today, and I can’t help but feel sorry for myself.
It was an impossible situation.
“Now let’s go to the banquet hall.”
Elric had a big schedule of a banquet with nobles today.
The teacher, who had exchanged glances once before, turned around and disappeared.
He must have moved slowly in the crowd, but I couldn’t follow him with my eyes.
To the extent that the teacher is mistaken that he may have seen a mirage.
In the meantime, the question that comes to mind is that.
How did the master come back here again?
Did you come to hear about your inauguration?
If so, why do you just look at it from afar instead of looking for it yourself?
The reason why I came to check that the disciple has grown well is… .
‘… no.’
It can’t be.
Elric prided himself on knowing his teacher’s temperament quite well.
Although I don’t know their names or origins, what I learned while living together was that they definitely existed.
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He did not move for emotional reasons.
He always gave purpose to all his actions, even at the moment of parting.
If he had hanged himself on his private affection, he would have taken himself back then.
Even if it wasn’t for that, he would have told me a little bit about where he was going and when he would come back.
Still, he didn’t do anything.
So, returning today must have a purpose.
I didn’t come to see myself from afar.
then,
‘It must be that we need a place to talk.’
it’s obvious where
Since that distant past, there was only one place to meet the master.
“Gazoo, are you okay?”
In the middle of the banquet hall at Yubin Street, where soft music was playing, Tyria whispered a question.
Elric finally woke up.
Eyes were focused on me.
Lost in his thoughts, he seemed to have forgotten that the banquet was in full swing.
Struggling to smile, Elric averted their gaze.
“It’s okay. I just got a little dizzy from meeting so many people today.”
When did the banquet end?
It should last another hour or two.
Elric was thinking about that.
Tyria pursed her lips.
Behind the lips that were blocked by anxiety, one word disappeared without being able to come out into the world again.
‘Have you seen it?’
Elric didn’t know.
It wasn’t enough to see the teacher on the podium.