Episode 9
As soon as I saw the black coffin in the distance, the reality hit me hard.
‘The father I knew… might have died in front of that labyrinth.’
I was holding back my tears when I suddenly felt a soft sensation on my cheek.
“Theo?”
A small hand, like a maple leaf, gently tapped my cheek.
He didn’t seem to understand the situation, but it looked like he could tell from my expression that something was wrong, as his baby face looked incredibly sad.
“Theooo.”
I bit my lip and hugged Theo tightly. Next to me, Aunt Masha dabbed at her tears, letting out a sigh filled with sorrow.
“You know, our dad is gone now.”
“Buuu…”
“The kind, gentle, hardworking, yet humble dad, who was perfect in every way, is gone… He’s left us…”
Goodbye, Dad Alec… It was fun while it lasted.
Please rest in peace for a moment and hurry up to regain your memories and come back to life.
“Oh my! What are we supposed to do with these poor children? Alec, whyyy!”
Aunt Masha collapsed onto the coffin, sobbing. Even the lower-ranking priest watching us wiped away his tears.
“Oh, God. Please, have mercy on these poor… poor children. Sob. It’s a humble offer, but our temple, sniffle, can arrange the funeral proceedings for you.”
I could no longer hold back the tears welling up and raised my voice, crying openly.
“Th-thank you…! Please make it as grand as possible…”
“Alec, Alec! Who will bring back our cat now?”
Sobs. Even the cat detective… wails.”
Once I started crying, I couldn’t stop. Just then, my fingertips brushed against an unfamiliar magic force as they lay loosely in the basket.
[Hey, hey, now. Look. That guy isn’t your dad…]
It was the voice of a plant that had been inside the herb pouch. It seemed to speak to me through the last bit of magic left in its roots.
[The man in that coffin is just an herb gatherer who lived alone in the mountains… Geez. Well… at least it’s fortunate that someone’s giving him a proper funeral.]
The voice, full of disbelief, trailed off and soon disappeared.
“Goodbye, Dad…”
“Oh, Alec, oh no!”
Sob “Our temple will… handle the funeral arrangements… Sob!”
“Waaahhh!”
Even Theo, who had just been pouting, finally burst into tears, turning the entire room into a chaotic mess.
***
“What the…”
A man, hidden behind a pillar.
Kalec let out a sigh, almost involuntarily.
“What’s wrong with her?”
His brow furrowed deeply as he watched the scene unfold. He had pulled his robe’s hood low and used the hem of his garment to cover his face and head.
‘Why is she crying like that?’
In the distance, he could see the back of her head, shaking as she wept, tears and snot running down her face.
She was wailing for her “dad,” and the sorrow in her voice was overwhelming.
“Daaad! I’m here!”
Yesterday, she was calling me her dad.
‘I’m not dead, you know.’
Kalec’s expression twisted in disbelief.
It seemed like she was just acting to fit the situation, but her tears were so sorrowful that even his fingertips tingled just from watching her.
“Hah, what a…”
Leaning against the pillar, Kalec gazed at the child’s tears with a complicated expression, laced with self-deprecation.
Yesterday, Lirin had stormed out, looking like she’d return at any moment.
Since she had the ring, Kalec had no choice but to open the mansion doors for her if she came back.
But she didn’t return.
Not in the late afternoon.
Not in the evening.
Not at night.
Not even at dawn.
Even when the morning sun rose bright and high.
Until now.
Kalec twisted his lips into a smile.
“Such a tiny thing, but her skills are impressive. She actually managed to track me down and make me look like this?”
At that moment, someone lightly tapped his shoulder.
“Excuse me, sir. I’m sorry, but you’ll need to take off your robe while inside the main temple.”
It was a passing priest.
Kalec was the most famous figure in the capital, with all his actions drawing attention. He had come to the temple incognito, avoiding a situation that could become troublesome in many ways.
As he covered his face deeper, he mumbled.
“…I have an unsightly scar on my face.”
“Oh, I see. I apologize. May the gods watch over you.”
“Thank you for your grace.”
Kalec habitually smiled but then paused.
‘What is this?’
Strangely, the lie came out smoothly.
He wasn’t the type to lie to avoid a situation or to wear a fake smile deceitfully. But now… it felt as though he had hidden his identity many times before.
‘And…’
He stared at his gray robe. It was a cheap fabric he wore to disguise himself as a pilgrim.
‘It feels oddly comfortable, like my own skin.’
Startled by the thought, he recoiled.
What was this? Feeling accustomed to such rags? Me? Someone born and raised as a noble?
“……”
He recalled the unassuming man he saw in the visual sphere yesterday.
‘Damn it… What? Alec Valt? What a joke.’
He clenched his fists tightly.
It seemed that his body’s memories were lingering.
‘Judging by appearances, it looks like he used that magical artifact.’
He hadn’t missed what was shown in the visual sphere yesterday. Adding the strange habit of fiddling with his ears, it was certain.
‘The magical artifact that changes appearances is something even the wizards of the Magic Tower know little about. How did I get my hands on it?’
Such an artifact was only obtainable by someone of a high rank, like the Master of the Magic Tower.
‘I’ll need to retrieve it and confirm it.’
His sharp eyes narrowed.
The ear cuff was tightly clenched in one of Lirin’s crying fists.
Even while sobbing, the child hurriedly opened her turtle shell backpack, put in her earrings and keychains, and zipped it shut. Then she strapped it across her stomach.
She must have instinctively sensed danger.
‘…Looks like I need to take that creepy bag first.’
But snatching it from a child would be somewhat beneath him.
‘I’ll persuade her, take the ring first, and figure out where that artifact came from.’
I am Kalec Wintervalt.
There has never been a time when I couldn’t achieve what I set my mind to.
Unaware that he was already being thoroughly manipulated by Lirin, Kalec arrogantly lifted his chin.
“Your Excellency, I didn’t expect you to be here.”
Ruska, having belatedly spotted Kalec, approached quietly.
Kalec coldly turned away from Lirin’s tear-streaked face.
“Sigh. Ruska, wait until the funeral is over, then bring those kids to the mansion.”
“Understood.”
As Ruska responded, he suddenly tilted his head in confusion.
“But… whose funeral is it?”
Kalec frowned and spoke.
“…Mine?”
“……”
After a brief silence, the secretary calmly adjusted his glasses and, with a rare expression of excitement, said,
“I’ll offer my condolences.”
Has he lost his mind?
***
I stepped out of the temple with swollen eyes.
‘Ah, I was really sad, but I feel somewhat relieved.’
Even though I pretended otherwise, I must have been more confused and exhausted than I realized.
Anyway, after crying my heart out, I felt a little lighter.
“Lirin?”
As soon as I left the temple, a long shadow fell in front of me.
“Yes? Who… ah.”
I blinked my heavy eyes and looked at the man.
It was the secretary who had stood near my father yesterday.
He was dressed much more plainly than when I saw him at the duke’s residence, almost like a commoner. And behind him stood a modest carriage.
“I believe you know why I’ve come. Shall we go straight away?”
Oh, as expected.
‘I knew Dad would be anxious because of the ring.’
I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. Then, with wide, sparkling eyes, I confidently lifted my head.
“Let’s go!”
Recovery complete!
The man raised his eyebrows slightly and handed me some documents.
“Very well. Please sign here, indicating that you’ve boarded the carriage.”
“What?”
His glasses gleamed as he pushed them up with a flick.
“It’s my principle to always leave evidence when conducting business. I ask for your cooperation.”
Ah, he’s the type of boss who changes the rules a lot…
“Alright, fine.”
With a scribble, I wrote my name messily.
“Could the person standing beside you, um… potato bread? Please sign as well.”
At those words, Theo, who was holding my hand tightly, puffed out his cheeks.
Because of his round and adorable features, people often referred to Theo as a potato, a honey bread, a chestnut, or… something not quite human.
“I’m not bread, I’m Theo…”
“Oh, I apologize.”
Theo dipped his finger in ink and left a hasty mark on the paper. Then, as an act of revenge, he wiped his finger on the man’s pants.
Smart, just like my brother.
“L-Lirin? Who is this man?”
At that moment, Aunt Masha, who had been quietly observing, couldn’t hold back any longer and asked.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
