The Boy and Winter Island (05) 022
Rakatus Manor was bustling from the morning hours. They were preparing to bid farewell to a certain boy who had become so familiar that prejudices of class had long since shattered.
The peculiar relationship that had begun with Everchan, Schultz, and the squire Dus. The boy who had boldly spoken his mind even before the family head. He had incurred a tremendous debt upon the illustrious name of Rakatus. Among all who bore that name, there was none unaware of the adventures between the boy and the girl. And now, as the time of parting arrived, that gulf felt all too real.
Amid the hurried manor servants scurrying about, the boy and girl remained in a room that was still serene. The scene unchanged from when he first arrived. The young maids, led by Emma, pricked up their ears, straining to guess what lay beyond that door. Would some whisper of conversation leak out? What words were passing between the two? The girls spun their fantasies, squealing with delight. And among them, Emma reigned supreme. Behind that closed door lay tales of a world unknown to them—a thrill far too tantalizing for girls in the bloom of youth.
Eliana showed no sign of leaving Kalen's embrace. She had always been clingy, but now that their parting was certain, it was worse than ever. Yet even that was no longer possible.
"You'll come back... right?"
"Yes."
"Mm... If you don't, I'll come find you..."
"..."
Every time her anxiety flared, she asked the same thing. It left Kalen feeling a touch dizzy. Still, Eliana had been isolated for years. She'd shake it off soon enough, so there was no need to hold back now.
How much time passed like that? Sensing it was time to go, Kalen rose from his seat. Eliana no longer looked his way. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass window in the wall, he had seen the carriage Everchan had provided being readied.
Kalen offered various words of advice and encouragement before turning to leave the room.
"Kalen."
It was Eliana's call that halted his steps. Her tone felt different from usual—somehow more solemn.
Having stopped Kalen, Eliana walked slowly toward him. One clumsy step at a time. When she finally reached him, her cheeks were flushed red.
"Kalen."
"Yes, Lady Eliana."
Her hands were clasped behind her back, as if hiding something. He hadn't noticed when they'd been sitting together on the bed. A parting gift, perhaps, flashed through his mind.
"You're my bodyguard, right?"
Strictly speaking, no. That deal had ended when he returned from Winter Island. Kalen debated whether to tell the truth.
"It's fine. For now, I'll settle for that."
Eliana continued slowly. Incredibly slowly. Whether she was deliberately dragging it out, Kalen couldn't say—he wasn't an omniscient god. But he knew she was trying her utmost not to slur her words.
When Eliana trailed off or paused, it was her effort to speak precisely. To avoid that, she had no choice but to slow her pace. Kalen waited calmly, as always.
"This... is a thank-you gift."
"Ah."
"I don't think I've ever called it a gift before..."
Kalen murmured softly. What Eliana held out was utterly unexpected. In her small cupped palms lay the brooch her mother had given her on her birthday early in her illness—the one emblazoned with the Rakatus crest.
"Why give this..."
"My world isn't there anymore."
Eliana smiled shyly and took another step closer, clutching the brooch. From point-blank range, she grasped the chain connecting Kalen's left-eye monocle to his ear. Not too long, but not too short either.
She opened the brooch's needle loop and slipped it onto the chain. The brooch was small to begin with, so it didn't feel out of place. If anything, the now-ordinary monocle gained a distinctive flair.
"Mm. Now, with this... you have to keep your promise... to come back... right?"
Remembering when Eliana had explained the brooch's meaning, Kalen... soon let it go.
"This is a letter the squire boy Dus asked me to deliver... This is one from the maid Emma... I have no idea why I'm running errands for the household staff."
"Thank you."
Seeing off the carriage fell to Dekaum Rakatus. He had volunteered, saying he had something to say.
"Did you greet Father?"
"Yes."
"Hm."
Dekaum handed over all the assorted requests he'd received secondhand, then paused.
"No, better to hear this directly from the elder when you return."
"The elder?"
"Yes. You'll find out when you get back."
Dekaum offered an awkward smile—the height of courtesy toward a guest and benefactor.
"Safe travels. I said it before, but thank you again for saving Eliana."
"Yes."
With that brief exchange, Kalen boarded the carriage. Dekaum Rakatus watched it recede into the distance, then glanced at his own hand.
"Hoping we meet again."
His self-muttered words rode the wind far, far away.
Blamia truly seemed distant from the grandeur of a Grand Archmage. Having stayed at Rakatus Manor for a time, Kalen felt the contrast keenly.
He lived alone with Sinat—or rather, in a mere cabin. There hadn't even been servants before Kalen arrived. Having once lived as head of a grand ducal house, the inconveniences must number more than one or two.
But it was a cabin. Nobles were typically associated with splendor and ostentation. They filled their homes with art and left the dirty work to hired help. Staying in a top-tier noble house like Rakatus only amplified that.
Recalling the manor's scenery, Kalen quietly traversed the fields toward the remote cabin. The sight felt familiar yet somehow strange, drawing a wry chuckle from him. His life had begun on the streets, without even memories of his parents' faces. Shaking off thoughts of hunger, he soon arrived at the cabin.
"Kal...? Kalen?"
A fresh girl's voice called from behind at that moment. Before Kalen could turn reflexively—
She pounced—
"Kal!!"
Fresh in voice, but it was her bodily scent that tickled his nose, not words. A familiar figure nestled in his arms.
"How long are you going to cling like this?"
"It's my choice~ Right, Kal?"
"...Yeah."
Polite speech had stuck to his tongue. Feeling a bit awkward, Kalen lowered his head slightly. Months in that environment had washed away habits from the cabin life, like blood or flesh sloughed off by the wind. The formal address he'd used with Eliana nearly slipped out to Sinat too.
It wasn't so strange, really, but Sinat hated polite speech.
"Ah, right. Do you know how long I've waited for my friend?"
"Sorry. Things got tangled up."
"I know you're sorry. So, as penance, two extra hours?"
"...Sure."
If Eliana's looks evoked a clear blue sky, Sinat's could be likened to the night sky. Kalen felt that anew. Her indigo hair fell gracefully. A girl with a fresh yet mysteriously alluring charm. Especially recalling her smile on that sunset hill, she wasn't exactly bubbly.
"But Kal, what's this?"
At the question from his chin area, Kalen looked down again. Sinat was fiddling with the brooch on his monocle chain.
"I was gonna praise you for wearing your monocle and staff properly, but isn't this the Rakatus crest? Why do you have it?"
"The lady gave it to me as thanks."
"What?"
Sinat wriggled free, propping herself up to shove her face into his.
"Why would she give that to you? The family crest?"
"Just a thank-you gift."
"Kal, no one hands over a brooch stamped with their family crest just for thanks. And this looks like high-end stuff too—"
"You gave me a staff. You even made it yourself."
"..."
Sinat started to retort, stopped, then turned and leaned her head against his back.
"Hmph. Well, you get it."
"Am I invisible?"
As Sinat sheepishly pulled back, Blamia grumbled from the side.
"Sorry, Master."
"Forget it. Granddaughter brat and disciple brat—raising either's a waste. Just go off and set up house together."
He grumbled, but there was no edge to his voice. Kalen knew that well, and the familiar sensation lifted his spirits. He did seem worn out. His ears were tired, but his heart was easing.
Home. Kalen had always thought he had no such thing. People usually called their birthplace home. But that place never felt like it. This did, instead. With Blamia and Sinat. Not a place, but people. Kalen's home lay with them.
"Ow."
Yet she clearly wasn't planning two full hours, as Sinat tried to rise and yanked her hand back.
"What?"
"Huh? Nothing."
When Kalen sensed something off and asked, Sinat hurriedly hid her hand behind her and brushed it off. But Kalen had seen. The nail on the hand she'd hidden was scraped raw, crusted with red scabs nearly to the quick.
Injured studying magic? Given Sinat's personality, she'd probably been careless. Hiding it like that suggested embarrassment. Kalen decided not to pry into her black history.
"Anyway, glad you're back, Kal! Now I can finally hang out with my friend!"
Sinat stretched grandly, grinning as she hugged the still-seated Kalen again. It was her usual way of showing affection, following her words.
Then—sting.
Kalen turned at the sudden prick on his neck.
"What?"
"Something stung. What'd you do?"
"Huh? Nothing? Static?"
Her plausible explanation convinced him. When he turned, Sinat's grin was unchanged—if she'd messed up, she'd look flustered. Probably just static, as she said. Kalen let it go. He was too tired to dwell on minutiae.
Kalen quietly closed his eyes. He savored the abundance of friendly embraces upon his return. Regrettably, locked in their hug, he couldn't see Sinat's expression just then.