Memories by the Winter Lake
I don't know how to comfort a crying child. Across both my past life and this one, not a single child has ever been part of my existence. Too much time has passed for me to learn such things. Still… I think I can at least understand the anxiety of being left all alone. For a fragile child like this, I figured a simple change of scenery would do more good than empty words of comfort.
“You said you wanted to see the royal palace, right?”
“………Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Then shall we go see it together?”
At my words, a faint flush of color returned to Anella’s previously downcast face. Though she wasn’t a particularly small child, my own large frame meant she fit neatly against my chest when I carried her. Following the young lady’s request, I held Anella securely in my arms and walked slowly through the palace grounds at night.
I had no particular destination in mind. I simply let my feet wander wherever they pleased. Yet somehow, they kept leading me toward places filled with memories of the young lady, which made me smile faintly.
“…Whoa.”
“How about it? The lake is quite beautiful, isn’t it?”
“I’ve… never seen anything like this in my life, Your Excellency.”
It was the grand winter lake inside the palace. Along its edges, transparent carp occasionally poked their heads above the surface before vanishing again, their scales flashing with light. I saw this sight every day and felt nothing, but compared to Anella’s burned-down village, it must have seemed like an entirely different world. She could probably stare at it all day and never grow tired.
With her small mouth hanging open, she asked, “Your Excellency! Are those fish really alive?”
“They are. They’re called the lotus kings. When winter ends, the ones that survive always bloom lotuses on their backs… Aren’t they beautiful? The lotuses glow along with them.”
“Really?! Have you seen it too, Your Excellency…?”
Of course I had. This was a place steeped in memories of the young lady and me. Back then, she hadn’t been the cold ice princess she was now. She had been a lively, mischievous girl.
‘Whoa, Yohan…! Look at that! The lotus bloomed!’
‘Indeed, my lady. It is beautiful.’
‘I want one… Catch it for me!’
‘As you command.’
Splash—
Even though the young lady had told me to jump in, I dove without the slightest hesitation that any normal person would have shown. The maids had caused quite an uproar when they saw me trying to catch the carp. I was a strong swimmer, so there was never any real danger, but the guards who couldn’t swim had come running, armor and all, convinced I was going to drown.
‘I nearly got scolded by His Majesty because of that… The young lady cried and begged him to punish her instead, saying it was all her fault.’
How could I ever forget that?
“……That’s what happened.”
When I recounted the story in a casual, matter-of-fact tone, Anella finally broke into a bright smile.
“Pfft, pffuhaha—!”
“I’m glad you found it amusing.”
“That story just now… No one outside the palace knows about it, right?”
“Correct. Even most people inside the palace don’t. Many of those who lived here back then are gone now.”
“…That’s amazing.”
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, reflecting the glowing carp beneath the lake’s surface. In the darkness, she finally looked alive again. Seeing that, even I felt the corners of my mouth lift slightly.
Just then—
“Senior Yohan—!”
From afar, a familiar voice called out to me. It was Hilken who had raised her voice, but beside her stood Hawk, walking with an awkward gait.
‘Awkward…?’
“Where are you coming from?”
“……If you knew, it would be troublesome, Senior. Hehe.”
When I stopped and waited with a hook raised above my head, Hawk quickly stepped in to steer the conversation away before it could go anywhere strange.
“…After helping my sister pack her things, I just felt a bit drained, Your Excellency—! Hey, why do you have to say things that cause misunderstandings, Hilken…!”
“Well, that’s how it is. We heard from the young lady that we’re departing tomorrow, right? …I couldn’t possibly carry all the heavy luggage I prepared back home by myself, so I asked my brother for help—.”
“Ah, I see…”
As I nodded, Hilken peeked over and looked at Anella in my arms.
“Oh? Who’s the kid?”
Unlike Hilken, who knew nothing about the situation, Hawk was already aware. He frowned and whispered to his sister.
“She’s a child from Mihelrn. The one who survived the village Grespara tried to wipe out.”
“Ah, I see.”
Hilken’s ever-present smile vanished. She approached Anella, gently stroking her head as she spoke.
“Hello. I’m Hylkenbesta, Senior Yohan’s junior knight. People call me Hilken.”
“…Ah, hello.”
Anella seemed shy and uncomfortable speaking with other knights, so she kept her face half-buried against me while looking up at Hilken. But Hilken’s smile was so genuinely gentle that Anella quickly relaxed.
Hawk, watching this, seemed to have something on his mind. He approached me with a fierce expression.
“Your Excellency. What’s going to happen to Grespara?”
“She’ll be executed in the northern style. After committing such atrocities, she doesn’t deserve to live.”
“When?”
“Right after we leave. It wouldn’t be proper to hold a public execution while we have guests. So that’s the decision.”
After what happened with Abel, things had grown somewhat awkward between us, but Abel had still discreetly informed me of the outcome. When I relayed this to Hawk, he smiled with satisfaction.
“…I’m glad. We can’t let that bastard repeat the same tragedy and keep living in this world.”
Anella glanced up at me and asked, “Um… Your Excellency. Do these two know the person who did those terrible things to my village?”
Since it wasn’t my place to answer, I simply shrugged. Hawk and Hilken exchanged glances, and Hilken carefully replied.
“We also lost our family to that group.”
“……Yes?”
“…It was a long time ago. We lived in a mountain village just like you. One night, everything ended beneath a streak of light that fell like a shooting star. Fire rained from the sky, the fields split apart… Our home, our family—everything burned. They were strong people, but there was nothing they could do.”
Hawk added, “We only survived because the village elder used his abilities to hide us. The one who did that to us was a man named Vincent… He’s the master of Grespara, the one who hurt you.”
“Bad… bad people…”
Anella didn’t yet have the words to curse them properly, so she simply called them bad people. It was heartbreaking to hear.
Then Hawk suddenly said to her, “But Anella, don’t think about taking revenge for your village yourself.”
“…Hey, Hawk. Why would a child like her even think that?”
“I made the same vow at her age and walked this path. I understand her bottled-up anger better than anyone.”
But his words weren’t a threat—they were meant as comfort. Hawk simply declared his resolve.
“……The group that harmed your family. I’ll hunt them down even if I have to walk to the ends of the sky. So leave everything to me. You just need to grow up healthy, without worrying about anything.”
It was the typical mindset of a vengeful man who had already stained his hands and intended to handle everything himself. Yet somehow, I felt I carried the same fighting spirit now.
Based on the information Gorgo had extracted and given me… Vincent, who couldn’t bear to die, seemed to be targeting me. Grespara hadn’t come here to trigger the Mihelrn episode like in the original story. She had come after confirming intelligence that I was here, intending to capture me after ignoring the report.
‘So now that things have come to this, I have to face him too. I need to strike first before he attacks.’
Thinking back, Grespara’s actions were rather amusing. If she had learned I was here and wanted to kill or capture me, she should have brought Vincent along. Why hadn’t she?
‘Even among themselves, they couldn’t agree? What a mess. While Grespara was doing this, the others might also be searching for me.’
On second thought, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. Grespara had always been known for her childish nature in the original story. She had approached without properly understanding who I was, thinking killing one human wouldn’t be a big deal, only to be thoroughly defeated. She had been wary of her sisters stealing the credit if she reported the intelligence.
But she hadn’t known that her actions would lead to her own death. It was already too late for regret.
After organizing my thoughts, I spoke to Hawk.
“Hawk. If you’re done talking, I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it, Your Excellency?”
“Come with me. On the way to the academy.”
“………What?!”
His eyes widened dramatically. Despite having the same sharp eyes as Hilken, he looked genuinely shaken.
“Why are you so surprised? It’s only natural.”
“I’m, busy, no, what?”
He seemed to have never imagined such a proposal. He stammered as he asked again.
“After torturing Grespara, we got the expected information. Vincent is searching for me. He’s been stirring up trouble all over the place, centered around the capital.”
Despite his flustered appearance, at my calm revelation, Hawk’s eyes began to sharpen like a hawk’s.
“I’ve heard plenty about your character from Hilken, so I won’t ask you to keep following us… but let’s work together until we eliminate Vincent. How about it? It would be good for this child, and for you too.”
“…But there’s one thing that concerns me—”
“If it’s about your sister’s safety, don’t worry. Hilken will be coming with me anyway.”
“That’s not the problem. I don’t want my sister to be in danger… If you’re taking me, then my sister shouldn’t be involved in this…”
When I gestured with my chin toward Hilken, she blew a puff of air into her beloved brother’s ear.
Whoosh—
“Brother?”
“Ack, you startled me, you gasbag—”
“I’m… not that weak.”
Hawk no longer had any reason to worry. Hilken, who had grown under my guidance, had likely achieved far more than he could imagine. Trying to overprotect her now would probably be more of an insult to the current Hilken.
In the end, he had only one thing he could say.
“…Haa. Understood. Let’s go, then.”
“Good.”
And just as we were finishing our conversation—
“Um… Your Excellency!”
“…Anella?”
Still in my arms, she spoke up.
“I, I, I also—”
“……….”
“Take me with you too…”
Along with those simple yet desperate words.