Pitiful Souls (3)

Despite everything that had happened, even though I, with my generous heart, had extended a helping hand to escort him back to his room out of goodwill, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince stubbornly refused even that gesture. He went off somewhere on his own, as if fleeing from my very face.

Truthfully, I had already sensed, albeit faintly, that Abel harbored feelings of jealousy and envy toward me. Being the perceptive person I am, I could tell simply from the way Abel, forever shrinking beside Lord Rexas, looked at me. Yet Abel had never once voiced the full extent of those feelings. After all, no matter what, he was still the heir to the North. By comparison, I was nothing more than a servant who stubbornly clung to the side of the exiled Grand Duchess's daughter. The difference in our stations was obvious to anyone, and there should never have been any reason for him to admit such feelings. That was only logical.

So when he began openly complaining in such a heated, miserable manner after unexpectedly starting his regency, I truly hadn't expected it. He claimed he had tried his best, but in my eyes he never had. He had always trembled with desire for that seat. Now that he finally sat there, all he did was whine. It was so very like Abel.

'Right. That's why I don't feel a shred of pity for him.'

If anything, I felt a petty sense of satisfaction. Yet when I actually confronted him like this, something about it… might have felt good. The revulsion lasted only a moment. Once I had vented, a refreshing clarity washed through me.

It was afternoon, the final year I would spend in Vitagarte drawing to a close. Seeking to savor the lingering emotions in my heart, I wandered quietly through the royal castle in search of Lady Karalin and the others.

The view of the training grounds beyond the glass windows. And beside it, the heir's study hall, its lights now extinguished.

"………Ah. Over there."

As I stood blankly staring at the place tied to so many memories, an extremely low voice spoke beside me.

"Yohan—."

"…My lady?"

Even when the neatly arranged blue hair entered my sight, it was not the lady I had been looking for.

"Wrong. It's Gorgo."

"Ah, my apologies, Lady Gorgo. Please forgive my rudeness."

"No, no. Even I think we look similar."

During this rare homecoming, Lady Gorgo, who seemed to be in just as good a mood as we were, had come looking for me. She had said she wanted to fully take in the changed scenery of the castle after returning. Aside from helping slap Shagalor's cheek, she had been busy wandering everywhere. Before I could even offer a greeting, she asked, as if curious about what I was looking at.

"That is the heir's study hall."

"Was it here three hundred years ago as well?"

"Of course! When my brother Goyal had a son and chose an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠heir… we needed a place to teach martial arts and scholarship. I built it together with the laborers of that time."

"Oh my, I had no idea such a thing happened…. As expected, you are living history."

"Hah, that's the Lord of Steel for you. You recognize exactly who I am. …Still, hmm. Its form has changed quite a bit now."

"Is that so."

"By the way, why were you staring at it?"

I wondered if there was any need to explain, but then realized there was no reason not to. So I simply recalled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a memory from long ago.

"At the very back of that study hall, there is a spot where the heir's name from that era is engraved on a runestone and hung like a plaque."

"That's right. It was a runestone obtained as tribute when we subjugated the Weber family, who later became counts…. My brother Goyal liked it so much that he hung it there. Looks like it became a tradition."

"Yes. Quite an ancient tradition, isn't it? Anyway, when the lady was still young, the three characters of 'Karalin' were still clearly written there…. Then one day, someone removed it and hung up a new plaque. On it was the name of the current Crown Prince."

"………Wait. When Karalin was still the heir?"

"Yes. It happened when Lady Abel was four years old. At the time she was not yet the heir, yet an official child who had not even gone through the proper procedures took the official tablet."

"That was crossing the line."

Lady Gorgo placed one hand on her hip and nodded in agreement.

"Even so, there was nothing we could do. At the time, they were in the process of changing the succession to the Crown Prince, and it was already certain that Lady Abel would become heir within a few months anyway."

"Had everyone already turned their backs? Was there no punishment at all? Hah, the North really has gone to seed."

"No. There was punishment. However, one of the maids claimed it was just 'a prank' and the matter was dismissed. That maid cried and begged for her life, then left the castle half-paralyzed after a severe beating. Only the heavens know the real truth."

"Good grief."

"That alone was infuriating enough, but Lady Abel then said something utterly thoughtless. 「Mother says I need this seat more now that I'm studying. And since my sister is a girl, she doesn't need to study anymore.」"

"Really? What fine kingly material."

"After hearing that, the lady cried a great deal in her room. To make sure no one saw her like that, I stayed awake outside her door all night."

At that, Lady Gorgo only patted my back vigorously, as if angry.

'Urgh….'

It felt like my back was caving in, but I supposed this was her way of cheering me up.

"Well done, you strong thing!"

"Suddenly…?"

"If Abel said that, it was obviously Shagalor's scheme that got pinned on someone else."

"You think so?"

"Yes. Seeing that child after coming here, I can tell. I can't even imagine how vicious she must have been in her prime, really…."

With that, Lady Gorgo reached out to pat my head, then gave up when she couldn't reach even on tiptoe and instead brushed my forearm. It was not romantic in any way—just a grandmother gently stroking her grandchild.

"I felt it clearly. There's a reason that cat-like child only acts spoiled around you, isn't there?"

"A-acting spoiled…. What do you mean? She has never done such a thing."

"Karalin is lucky to have the Lord of Steel."

"…Is that so."

"After suffering such humiliation, how reassuring it must have been for her to have you, who would never abandon her…."

"………."

Well, I knew exactly what would have happened if I had not been there. Without me, the lady would have fallen to the demonic army, her mind corrupted by the Sixth Sword Gorgo standing before me now, reduced to a subordinate. She would have come to shatter the North that had inflicted such cruelty upon her. In the end, unloved by anyone, she would have died pierced through the heart by Eclipse's sword while being called the hideous Blue Witch.

Thinking that, fate truly was ironic. In all twenty-one previous timelines of this world, things had unfolded that way. Yet simply because I was directly by her side…. The Gorgo who should have become a subordinate returned alive to become a mentor, and Eclipse, who should have killed her, became a friend.

With that thought, everything clicked into place. I now had a clear reason why I must not die.

"…There is something I would like to ask you, Lady Gorgo."

"Say anything."

"What do you intend to do from now on?"

"What do you mean, what?"

"I mean whether you will remain here. In my opinion, you have no reason whatsoever to go down to Sigmund right now."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. As the North's legend and its very embodiment, it would only be reasonable to think you might stay and help deal with any demonic army that may appear in the future."

Lady Gorgo rested her chin on her hand and pondered deeply. She seemed to have plenty of thoughts, but wanted to convey them as smoothly as possible. Well, I wished she would not bother. I could not tell her what to do anyway. Her will was what mattered most.

"…I don't know. At first I did intend to. When you offered to bring me to the North, my heart raced so wildly I thought I would go mad—"

But what Lady Gorgo said was this.

"Yet once I actually came here, I don't see any reason to stay."

"Is that so…?!"

"…Yes. There isn't much here that I recognize."

Lady Gorgo awkwardly grasped one arm with her hand.

"The castle, the city…. Everything seemed like an evolution of what I knew, but when I dig into the reality, the roots have all changed. In that sense, it might actually be harder to adapt."

"Even so, no matter how much it has changed, this is still the land you tried to protect. That is why you went to the Academy, taking responsibility for the defeat, isn't it?"

"No. What I wanted to protect was not the land, but the people."

"The people…. I think I can understand that."

When I nodded in agreement, Lady Gorgo gave me a cute smile.

"I only wanted to protect my brother Goyal and his people. Now that I've awakened again and want to protect their descendants, I find I don't like their faces?"

"…Oh my."

"Abel and Shagalor, I want to hit them both. Rexas is the same for encouraging and overlooking all of this. Right now, the people I do like are all in the capital."

"That means…."

"I'll go back with you all. That should be fine, right?"

"Of course, Your Highness!"

"Besides, if I stayed here…."

With that, Lady Gorgo turned her head toward the audience chamber.

"It would be a burden on Rexas, and a great threat to Abel becoming the 'good king.' Even if they praise me as a hero on the surface, how frustrated they must feel inside."

Interpreting her meaning was not difficult. It was the conclusion I had always thought of and tried to instill in Lady Karalin.

'You all figure it out among yourselves.'

That was her thought. How could she only say things that suited my tastes so perfectly? There were many reasons, but it seemed I had become somewhat likable to Lady Gorgo.

"By the way, Yohan."

"Yes, my la— I mean, Lady Gorgo."

"Were you looking for our Karalin?"

"How did you know…?"

"You're either eating, sleeping, or with Karalin. How could I not know?"

"…Ah, well. I won't deny it."

"Karalin is currently outside the castle, directing the distribution of relief supplies. I thought she left a message, but I guess not?"

"Ah, aah…. Is that so. Then she must have left one. However, today has been so busy that I haven't had a chance to check."

"Because of Grespara's incident…. I heard the report, so I know well."

"I was planning to see the lady and the others briefly, then head straight to the interrogation room where Grespara is being held."

When I nodded and said that, Lady Gorgo placed a hand on my back as if wanting to link arms.

"Good. Then leave that one's interrogation to me, and would you go fetch Karalin, whose return time is approaching?"

"I can do it if you entrust it to me. But why me…."

"Oh come on. Go if I tell you to go. Even when I spoon-feed you, you complain."

…Well, thinking about it, there was nothing wrong with it. Originally I had planned to find Lady Karalin and then interrogate Grespara to decide her fate, but…

'…Wouldn't it be much better if the Sixth Sword did it rather than me?'

After hearing from Lady Gorgo, I thought it might be more effective than doing it myself.

"Yes, then. I leave it in your hands."

With that, I entrusted Lady Gorgo with the detailed information I wanted extracted and headed toward the royal stables.

***

The reason Karalin was doing this was simple. Though this visit was short, the purpose she had set when speaking with Yohan was… to shape public opinion for the sake of a "distant future return," wasn't it?

She had heard that Abel was acting as regent in place of his ailing father, but that meant nothing to Karalin. Her heart was simply filled with the desire that, until the return in just a few days, even one more person might look back at her. So Karalin used her personal slush fund—originally from Shagalor's coffers—to shower relief goods on the cities around Fralbert that had suffered the flames of war.

And the traces of war she could see with her own eyes… still deeply scarred every village on the outskirts of the castle. Burnt fences, walls crumbled beyond recognition, and lines of limping wounded soldiers…

"…O God, please watch over the North."

Seeing all of that, even Karalin, who had visited the North with calculated intentions, could not help but let those words escape her lips.

After hearing Yohan's words, she had thought it no longer mattered that she was no longer the heir. Yet feeling this heavy sense of responsibility again… might be proof that she had not forgotten the past. The worry she had voiced to Yohan, saying "I don't know if I can do well," had been nothing but needless anxiety.

Therefore, Karalin now acted from the heart. Wishing to feed even one more person, she wore a blue cloak among the lines of people, personally carrying relief goods and embracing each person. She recited spells praying for recovery from illness.

"Y-Your Highness the Grand Duchess—!"

"Lady Karalin, what brings you here…!"

"Oh my, you don't have to do this. You'll catch the illness…!"

"I won't catch it."

Except toward Yohan, she was someone who spoke little and rarely showed expression. Even now, she carried out all these actions with a stiffness that could almost be called emotionless. Yet Rexas, Abel, and Shagalor had never done anything like this. So it was obvious how the residents would see her.

The benevolent mother. The hope of the North. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠exiled star.

Wherever her hand reached, old women who remembered the past wept, and soldiers gripped their spears once more. Without anyone telling them to, some knelt and kissed her forehead, even murmuring that "Vitagarte has not abandoned us."

"………."

At those words, Karalin only lowered her head in reply, yet even that silence carried great meaning.

Just then, from the entrance of a nearby village came the sound of hooves and the heavy friction of iron. Anyone from the North would recognize the one making that sound.

"The Lord of Steel! The Lord of Steel has come!"

The cavalry nearby wore silver armor draped with blue cloth according to Northern custom, but the man standing alone in black armor before them was impossible not to recognize. After all, every title used to describe him included the word "black."

Anyway, Yohan appeared on horseback, stirring up dust. Behind him followed a strict mobile force holding high the banners of the tiger and violet. And the moment she saw that sight, Karalin's usually cold expression suddenly softened, as if she had not expected Yohan to come.

"Y-Yohan—!"

"My lady, I'm sorry…. Because of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the incident in Mihelrn, I went to rescue them and couldn't follow you."

"Ah, from what I heard it was a major incident. Still, you're not hurt anywhere, are you? I believe you wouldn't have been injured, but… I was worried…."

"As always, there are no problems. With you here, there is no way I would return injured."

"U-uh-huh…. I see—. But here, I would have been fine alone. Why did you come?"

"It is almost time for your return, so I came to escort you. I do not wish for any strange beings to lay hands on your person."

"Hands, you really…."

And when that ice-like lady suddenly relaxed her expression and beamed… the residents let out sighs of admiration in an instant. Faces that had been exhausted regained vitality more than before. Though no one shouted anything, one could notice them murmuring softly. And the content of those murmurs need not be described.