The Uneternal Funeral (1)
Flame magic or ice resistance wasn't needed. The dragon scales wrapped around Jurchen's arms were a shield that only those born of his race could possess. He ran through the hail of frost, using those flawless scales as his companion. Whoosh—. Eclipse, riding on Jurchen's back, suffered no harm thanks to that overwhelming defensive power. If dangerous icicles flew at them, he swatted them away. Even if he couldn't deflect them all, they would shatter upon hitting the scales.
'In-incredible….' So Eclipse couldn't help but tremble. She didn't know. Even Jurchen, with such superior abilities, rarely stepped forward unless it was for an elf girl. How absurd it was that he was now devoting himself wholeheartedly for just one man.
"Now's the time, down!" Jurchen, who had approached without hesitation, threw Eclipse toward Karalin as soon as she came into view.
"U-ugh!" Eclipse flew through the air. But she had innate sense of direction and athleticism. Though flustered, Eclipse stepped in midair and dashed toward Karalin. Then, in the storm. The figure of a woman clutching and tearing at her face as her mind crumbled came into view. Karalin was scattering frost everywhere without realizing it.
Whoosh—! "Grand Duchess! It's me, Eclipse!" Eclipse shouted. "P-please calm down and accept what Yohan left behind!"
"………Ah." And when Eclipse appeared before her, the frost began to subside for a moment. The surroundings fell quiet briefly. Now was the only time to speak.
"Yohan left this for you, my lady!"
"……Yohan?" No. It was probably hearing that name that made her stop. Eclipse didn't know what was going on from beginning to end, but she made up words for her. "If something happens to him. He asked me to deliver this to you…."
"Peony…." But. Surprisingly, when the lady saw the peony, her confusion and shock seemed to calm somewhat. Was this some kind of medicine to steady the mind? It was just a harmony.
Karalin blankly accepted it, then looked around…. She began to slowly realize what she had done.
"…Th-this—." It was a mess. It felt as if this was what the world would look like if eternal winter came. Even if Eclipse could use flame magic. If she had entered here without any defensive measures, she couldn't have withstood the full output of Vitagarte's frost. If it weren't for Jurchen's appearance boasting top-class defensive power. There might have been another casualty after Yohan. The awl-like icicles embedded in the surrounding bricks proved it.
Seeing that, Karalin was shocked. "What… what have I done…."
"Ah, it's fine. Everyone is safe for now, my lady." But despite the devastation, as she said, no one was injured. So for Eclipse, it was truly fine. The lady regaining her senses was more important to her than almost getting hurt.
But something felt off around them. Eclipse looked around. "…But where are the two of them?" Realizing it, Jurchen and Cryan's figures were nowhere to be seen. Had they left her with this task and disappeared without a trace? This was… Though she was flustered, there was nothing she could do now that they were gone. Rather than searching for the two who had vanished, getting Karalin out of this rain seemed more important right now.
Situation resolution. Eclipse escorted Karalin, who looked unable to even walk, to the dormitory.
***
"Ugh, that bastard Cryan!" Smack—. Smack smack—. In truth, Jurchen's business wasn't with Karalin. It was with Yohan. And now, he had come to Cryan, who was most closely connected to Yohan. While Eclipse delivered the item to Karalin. Jurchen snatched Cryan from the sky and ran toward a place where Karalin and Eclipse couldn't see. Smacking Cryan's buttocks slung over his waist.
"…Jurchen. This kind of behavior is troublesome."
"Nice and firm."
"Haa…." But Cryan only muttered in a listless, displeased tone, as if he had no energy to respond. As someone with weak strength, Cryan knew well that resisting would be meaningless. Magic power? Jurchen had just shown his defensive power. It probably wouldn't work at all. So Cryan asked. "Explain why you're spanking me first. It's ridiculous enough as it is, but I have my pride too, so suddenly doing this makes me angry. Very much."
Jurchen stood him up at those words and, grabbing his shoulders, spoke. It seemed like a rough explanation would suffice. What else could be the reason he had sought out Cryan again? "Yohan."
"What about Yohan."
"He didn't die, right?"
"What are you saying." It was all just speculation. Was this based on facts or intuition? But regardless, Cryan, who had no intention of saying anything, only muttered dryly, wagging his tail. But he could only bluff so much. This ruffian knight had already come to him with certainty.
"I'll bet my family and your balls that he didn't die. You know something about him. Don't you?"
"Rubbing a dead man's balls won't produce anything. I was just stopping the young lady from going berserk, I'm distressed too." But at Cryan's words. Jurchen snorted while stroking his beard.
"Hey. Even if I seem like I live recklessly, I'm not stupid."
"Is that so? I've never once said you were stupid."
"Well, I have evidence right here without going far." He whispered in a small voice so it wouldn't leak out, though confidently. Tapping his temple. "I saw and remember everything. The moment Yohan died, you came to deliver something to the lady as if you were prepared, didn't you?" What he pointed to with his finger was Cryan's bag. If he hadn't known at all, why would that be there? That was clearly the context.
"In a situation where a trusted knight died. A peony, and even a harmony—if it were me, I'd want to smash it…."
"……Tch."
"I don't expect that seeing it would make her snap back to her senses with a 'poof—'. But you did it." Had he really seen that far? Knowing this might happen, he had acted quickly to avoid being caught, but Jurchen seemed more persistent and observant than expected. Well, it wasn't incomprehensible. It was behavior befitting someone who had come to stir up the whole ship for revenge after being betrayed by his uncle.
"But you're not close enough to the lady to know that giving her that would bring her back to her senses, are you? Then there's only one answer." He wiggled his finger. He had already decided everything. "You received orders from Yohan."
"I didn't."
"Lies. How could you not have received them after setting up this whole scheme? There's no way he wouldn't have thought of something after making things this bad." There was evidence that made evasion difficult. Cryan, judging that hiding was awkward in the face of such firm conviction, twitched his eyebrows ever so slightly. But that reaction was enough for Jurchen.
"You're doing fun things without me again. You guys."
"……Are you a pervert, really? Why are you following us around like this?" Cryan blurted out without realizing it, too angry. But Jurchen wasn't the type to care about such things, so it was fine.
"I want to ask the opposite. In the Bruised City, we all sucked hell together, so why did he trust and employ only you? Well, I admit I'm not someone to be trusted." Jurchen slightly extended his hand and said. "Anyway, if you guys are going to do something fun, include me too."
"I don't even know what you're asking to be included in."
"Let's go like we did in the Bruised City. You don't have to tell me everything about the matter, just give me something to do. It seems like it'll be fun."
"How bold. What exactly is fun about this? How can you help without knowing everything?" At Cryan's sharp tone, Jurchen laughed heartily.
"Thinking like that makes you third-rate."
"Are you first-rate then?"
"Yeah. This isn't fun? You're not as sharp as me, huh." Good heavens. What an ego this dragonkin had. His confidence that his intuition was never wrong shone so brightly it almost seemed like a delusion.
"Let's admit what needs admitting. If this world is a story world, Yohan is like the protagonist. He's stirring things up everywhere doing things we can't understand."
"Oh my, now you're just babbling…."
"If possible, I'd like to split open that guy's head and read it once. Then, time would melt away for several nights…." But that wasn't possible. Jurchen smiled. "That's why I'm saying let's do it like last time in the Bruised City."
"What are you trying to say."
"In the Bruised City, we just followed Yohan as his attendants without knowing anything from start to finish. Only after all the incidents ended did we piece together the puzzle and finally understand his foresight, right?"
"…Well, yeah."
"Let's go with that feeling. That felt pretty fun, like I became a supporting character in a mystery novel." Cryan thought. Where on earth were such crazy people born? He didn't want any scraps either. The reason Jurchen was clinging to them was solely because of this. As he said, wasn't he saying he wanted to live this reality as if reading a well-crafted mystery novel, purely for entertainment? Cryan's mind couldn't understand him no matter how much he thought. But it couldn't be helped. Jurchen was that kind of guy.
"The Yohan I saw was cautious but bold. It's quite paradoxical, but that's the kind of guy he is. So he must have cautiously chosen you and boldly told only you all the facts." Though he felt slighted, Jurchen crossed his arms and looked down at Cryan. "So if you want to follow Yohan, boldly employ me too. You saw it in the Bruised City, right? I'm not a trustworthy guy, but if you actually use me, you won't regret it."
…Well. If he said that much, how could he tell him to get lost now? If Yohan hadn't said anything, it would be different. But if a reliable and useful guy had figured out the plan and come to join, he had said to consider recruiting him after careful judgment—. So Cryan shrugged and said.
"…Then it's a funeral."
"A funeral…?"
"He said the young lady Karalin would have calmed down enough with the gift just given. So now what needs to be done is Yohan's funeral…." His eyes gleamed slightly. "Since we don't know what might happen, we need to intercept Yohan's coffin at the end."
"…Pfft, pfft. Crazy. Why?"
"I told you not to ask. If you said you'd help, shouldn't you just shut up and follow?"
"Kahaha, that's right! Good, good. I'll follow you. This body will!" And Jurchen felt a sense of bond beyond certainty. 'As expected, my eyes weren't wrong. These crazy bastards!' It was the moment he exclaimed in admiration, immersed in exhilaration.