160 – Sending off
As the convocation day approached, an uninvited guest called busyness came into our peaceful daily life. The person who goes there doesn’t really think anything of it, but seeing the people around him become even more upset makes me think that, after all, all places where people live are the same.
“Why are you taking a handkerchief, an hourglass, a telescope, a piece of charcoal, and whale oil?”
When Siron raised a question mark while looking at the items lined up on the table, Lucia added strength to her voice by pointing to each item with her finger.
“How useful is this? You don’t know, but other than making a fire, when you run out of food, you can feel much more comfortable just by putting it in your mouth and chewing.”
“…Yes, whale oil.”
“Oh, and it’s a good idea to bring cheesecloth as well. You never know what will happen to this place.”
Although the notice clearly stated that there was no need to bring unnecessary luggage since supplies would be provided by the logistics department, Lucia tried to give Siron anything she could, like a parent trying to take care of a son leaving for a distant place.
Since it was awkward and tiring to refuse a pure favor that came from worry, Siron put the items he had brought with him into his bag with a familiar touch.
Siron muttered without looking at Lucia.
“You must not secretly follow me.”
“…I’m not a kid. How could that be possible?”
“You followed Siriel because she was a child, right?”
Siron raised his gaze and stared at Lucia. Lucia was unable to make direct eye contact, perhaps because she had discovered that she had been secretly thinking of Siriel as a child.
“I used to be a kid. But I don’t think I am anymore.”
However, surprisingly, Lucia gave an honest answer. I thought he would say no, but he may have achieved mental growth, but he accepted Siron’s jokes quite flexibly.
“So. Don’t worry about anything else and focus on taking care of yourself. No matter how close to the Devil’s View is like your front yard, there might be an unexpected accident.”
“Lady Lucia is right. There might be an accident that even the young master doesn’t know about?”
Encia helped Lucia’s worries. Shiron looked at the blond maid who had been worried for a while with a puzzled face.
“What are you doing all of a sudden? You make me anxious.”
“Yuma-sama said that the number of Demonic Beasts crossing the mountain range has increased.”
“Only the numbers? The strength.”
“I don’t know for sure, because most of the demonic beasts that come across the mountain range are those that came from the demonic realm. Still, I think the quality level has improved to some extent as the number has increased.”
“The problem is not the witch.”
Encia wasn’t the only one who helped. Ophelia, who was watching the situation from the side, also spoke sternly.
“You have to be careful of people, young master. The person you sleep next to. Your comrade who uses the same water as you and washes up with you. You should never think of them as comrades you can entrust your back to!”
“…Never? Comrade?”
The words to be careful of people and comrades gave him goosebumps and an unpleasant feeling, but Siron decided to listen to her more.
“Yes! They said the demons coming over have become stronger, so some units will definitely be wiped out and there will be more people injured.”
“…”
“Then, at some point, it will inevitably reach a situation that cannot be controlled. The situation will become desperate, there will be situations where people do not receive the ethical treatment they deserve, and people who are under a lot of pressure from their surroundings may make extreme decisions. “
“…Is it something like mass suicide?”
“I think there will be a more dangerous situation than that.”
Ophelia continued speaking with a shadow forming on her face.
“There may be people who try to use you as an outcast. People who try to use their comrades as bait for the approaching enemies and take care of their own safety… I have seen many such people over the years.”
“You can’t trust humans! Trust us!”
“Okay, so don’t be rude.”
Siron was tired of the two maids’ whispers.
It’s not that Shiron didn’t have the same concerns as them during this convocation. That’s why I met Victor, and even though it was uncomfortable to be in the same place as him, I endured it in silence.
‘Are people more dangerous?’
Siron thought about the background of the area he was going to in the future.
A hewn cliff.
heavy clouds.
curled up body.
and purple eyes.
‘Although it’s true that it’s dangerous.’
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t take them. The Expeditionary Force is always accompanied by a large number of Paladins and Priests. Even when I was living in Lucerne, how much care had I taken to hide the marks on the soles of my feet.
[Do not worry. Now I am here!]
Shiron was conscious of the small hand pulling her collar.
“If you worry about people around you, something unlucky will happen.”
Shiron grumbled and tried to shake off his complicated thoughts.
“I’ll give you a vacation. You can go to Dawn Castle or see your father.”
“…secretly following you?”
“Do you want to keep dreaming?”
“No, I just knew what it felt like.”
‘You mean do both?’
The two, understanding Siron’s intentions, received a bag of money from him.
*
A few days later.
Siron stood in front of the main gate of the mansion, being seen off by everyone. Siriel, who I thought would cling to me, cry and make a fuss. Hugo and Eldrina also came out to see off, but they did not make a fuss and maintained a solemn atmosphere.
Siron, feeling puzzled by this, asked cautiously.
“Why are you all so sick? Is anyone going to die?”
“Have I ever received a loud send-off when I went on an expedition?”
Hugo stroked his plump chin and spoke in a solemn voice.
“The process of sending children, lovers, and spouses to the battlefield must be heavy and serious, even solemn.”
“What ritual is this?”
“It’s not such a superstition, it’s a clear fact. Those who made a fuss usually received a cold body or met the person they sent away with a single line of words. On the contrary, if they were sent out for a drink, there was a high chance of them returning safely. It was high.”
After hearing Hugo’s explanation, Siron nodded silently.
As he said, Hugo and everyone else never made a fuss when sending Siron off. Seeing that even Siriel quietly smiles, it seems that it is not for nothing.
“Things went wrong.”
Eldrina spoke briefly to Siron. Don’t tell them to have a nice trip or that you’re sorry you couldn’t attend the engagement ceremony.
Eldrina always sent Hugo on expeditions like this, and even today she never broke that unwritten rule.
“Ice cream when you come.”
Although it was a culture she did not understand, Lucia decided to obey.
‘No matter how much you think about it, isn’t it right to just say goodbye and have a nice trip?’
Lucia held back what she wanted to say and turned her back. I was worried. So, to bring back old memories, I helped him pack his things and gave him advice.
Lucia, who returned to the annex, swallowed her saliva and looked at the stairs.
The maids also went on vacation, and Siron was away from home for a long time to respond to the summons.
“…”
The only person in there right now is Seira, who didn’t even see Shiron off because she was taking a long nap.
‘What do we do?’
Lucia was worried about Seira. The thought of living alone in a separate building from now on makes me feel sick to my stomach.
And then… there was someone walking towards me, stretching. Seira, dressed as a nun, rubbed her eyes and yawned lazily.
“Uh, are you leaving already?”
“…I’m just coming back from seeing you off.”
“Hmm, I see.”
After answering briefly, Seira snapped her fingers a few times and headed outside. It was a blink of an eye. Before she knew it, there was a bouquet of white flowers in her arms.
‘My skills haven’t rusted.’
From noble mtl dot com
Lucia followed Seira, pretending to be a curious girl. A huge stone monument erected in Siron’s backyard. When I first saw it, I wondered what the hell was going on, but now that I thought about it, it seemed like it wasn’t such a bad thing.
An elf dressed as a nun put her hands together in front of the stone monument. Every morning, Seira prays in front of Kylie’s tombstone. Just seeing that scene made Lucia unable to oppose Siron’s decision.
*
“Wow, look at the scary atmosphere.”
The arrived train platform. Siron spat out in disgust.
The young people who were supposed to wait in order and line up were nowhere to be found, and even though they were not drunk, there were only sloppy things that created a gloomy atmosphere.
[Hero. Is that okay? There are no soldiers and it is full of people.]
‘…I guess the empire has collapsed before I know it.’
Where the promised point is.
As we walked deeper inside, the situation became more serious.
half.
It was the ratio of people tied up with ropes.
At first glance, they were not young people who had responded to the summons. Among those who appeared to be well past the age for conscription, some had large scars on their faces, and others had hollows around their mouths as if they had not taken care of their teeth.
For a moment, I felt like I was screwed. Siron felt a heavy tap on his shoulder.
“It’s a coincidence that we met in a place like this.”
“…Captain?”
In the direction I looked back, there was a familiar-looking middle-aged man wearing white gauntlets.
Captain of the 2nd Division of the Castle Mace Knights. Malleus Garibaldi. He didn’t look at Shiron, who looked surprised, and smiled.
“Don’t call me captain. In this expedition, I’m not in a position to lead any group. The captain… He’s the crown prince who will lead these people.”
“…who are they?”
“Are you surprised? There are some tough guys out there.”
Malleus rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“The unit you, I, and the crown prince belong to is a unit made up of criminals only.”
“…her.”
“His Majesty’s Edict. I think you know what this means.”
“Do you mean to go to the front lines?”
“yes.”
Malleus prayed for the peace of the crown prince who had not yet arrived.