Ch.387Episode 15 – Life is Beautiful

# “Brother Jerry.”

“Hmm? Why are you calling me so suddenly?”

I glanced at the living room while asking Brother Jerry.

“Why is Mother here?”

There, the lady of the Nostrum household, Madam Grace Nostrum, was present.

Brother Jerry replied nonchalantly.

“Why? Parents don’t need a special reason to visit their children. Don’t frown so much.”

He nudged my side with his elbow and smiled. I glared at him as if looking at something disgusting.

Then Brother Jerry suddenly asked me this question.

“Is it still awkward? Seeing your parents.”

“It’s not exactly like that…”

“Then what?”

“…”

Not knowing how to answer, I wasted time before finally sighing softly and speaking.

“Yes.”

## Episode 15 – Life is Beautiful

Unhappy families are unhappy for different reasons, but happy families are happy for similar reasons.

No worries, good health, harmony. If this defines a happy household, then the Nostrum family could also be called happy.

If there’s one thing lacking in such a household, it would probably be the distant relationship between parents and children.

“…It’s a good family, I admit. No one is sick. We didn’t grow up as troublemakers under strict parents. Everyone grew up healthy, studied well at the academy, and never caused our parents any grief.”

The Nostrum family was quite a decent household.

Being a civil servant family, they never had to worry about business failures or investment losses, and with parents in high government positions, they were never looked down upon for their status.

The healthy children were generally obedient. Though they occasionally quarreled over trivial matters, they never truly troubled their parents.

It was truly an enviable family.

But even happy families have at least one minor issue.

“…But honestly, even I can see that our parents weren’t perfect. Don’t you think so too?”

“They certainly weren’t home often.”

I nodded at Brother Jerry’s question, which he asked with a suppressed laugh.

In my childhood memories, the Nostrum household always consisted of four people: the eldest son Jerry, sister Adela, myself, and the youngest, Aila.

I have no memories of our parents.

Well, I understand. It must have been difficult for high-ranking civil servants to make time just to see their children’s faces. Even if they had time, traveling between their workplace in the capital and the family home in the provinces would have been burdensome even for adults.

But a child’s heart is pure, innocent, simple, and straightforward.

The relationship between parents and children in the Nostrum family was always lukewarm.

“That’s why the four of us always stuck together. Remember that time? When Aila was 7 and called the nanny ‘mom,’ and the nanny was shocked.”

“When she was told not to call her ‘mom,’ she cried her eyes out.”

“You remember. That was really awkward.”

The eldest son laughed heartily, recalling the youngest’s embarrassing past.

It’s been over 20 years, but whenever that memory is mentioned, Aila still blushes and makes a fuss about stopping. I know this well because I often use it to tease her.

Suddenly reminded of past memories, I looked up at the night sky.

“She threw a tantrum, asking why she couldn’t call her ‘mom.'”

Aila particularly liked the nanny who doted on her like her own daughter. The nanny took devoted care of the youngest, who was physically weaker than her siblings.

As evident from the youngest’s case, the Nostrum children preferred the household staff over their parents.

Perhaps because of this, the relationship between parents and children in the Nostrum family was not just lukewarm but awkward.

Though it’s much better now, I remember there were many trials and errors at first. The parents couldn’t keep up with their growing children year after year, and the children could hardly understand their mom and dad. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant time for me either.

An adult mind trapped in a child’s body. Although I wasn’t a mature adult, dealing with three children who whined about missing their parents was mentally exhausting, like serving two sets of parents—something I’d never want to do again.

“But it’s good that she doesn’t call her ‘mom’ now. The relationship between Mother and Aila has grown much closer. Father too, of course.”

“Yeah.”

“Mother and Father tried hard to get closer to their children. Well, when they gave a toy as a gift to a son who had entered middle school… hmm.”

“Which birthday was that? When you were twelve?”

“Thirteen. Second year of middle school.”

“Oh my…”

“But we got through the thirteenth birthday safely. People can make mistakes, you know.”

Fortunately, time solved the problem. If things had gone slightly differently, the family might have fallen apart.

The emotion of love transcends time and space, pulling people together, and the parents’ efforts to get closer to their children finally bore fruit after a long wait.

With one exception.

I maintained silence for a while. From here on, it might be a bit embarrassing to discuss while sober. Such trivial concerns followed, and Brother Jerry was still sitting beside me.

“Is it still hard for you to face Mother?”

“Hmm, a little…? I should say it’s awkward.”

“I know, you’ve always been like that since you were young. Finding it difficult to approach our parents.”

I didn’t know it was still the case.

Brother Jerry added.

“Don’t hate our parents too much. I’m not defending their prioritizing work over family as the right choice. But you should start opening up too. You can’t stay awkward with them forever.”

“I should.”

Someday.

I swallowed the rest of my words.

“Right. Just do better from now on. Mother took time off work because you came back. Spend some time with her.”

“…”

“Though Mother and Father don’t say it, they’ve been secretly waiting for your return. So go talk to her first.”

They’ll like it.

I listened to Brother Jerry’s words with an indifferent expression.

“Anyway, let’s end this gloomy talk here. Let’s go inside. Father and Aila will be here soon, so wash up and get ready. And just in case…”

“What now?”

“Since Mother is here today, don’t fight with the youngest.”

Brother Jerry’s warning made me laugh involuntarily. He acts like I always fight with Aila when we meet.

Of course, he’s just joking.

“You and Sister should do better. The eldest son should take care of the parents, not push it onto the younger siblings.”

“Aren’t you their son too? By the way, I heard Aila is going on a business trip?”

“A business trip? Her?”

Brother Jerry, who brought up Aila, nodded.

“The youngest works for a trading company, right? She said she has something to do with a foreign company regarding imports. She’ll be living abroad for a few months…?”

“What? Aila still hasn’t paid back the money she borrowed from me.”

“Didn’t she pay you back for the suit you took last time?”

“No, not that. The money she took when I was a lieutenant. The money I was saving to buy a car.”

“Huh…? You still haven’t gotten that back? She’s got a job now and earns a decent salary. Besides, Aila isn’t the type to take money and pretend not to know… you know that.”

“…”

I didn’t hear the rest.

“Hey, hey, Adela! Adela!”

“What!”

“Catch him, quick, catch him!”

As I rushed out of the townhouse to ambush the youngest, the eldest son and daughter jumped out to physically defend her, and Mother summoned the youngest daughter to restore family order.

That day, Aila received three knocks on the head.

*

As with all advice, life doesn’t change dramatically just because you’ve heard it.

Even the best advice is useless if not put into practice. This is a true proposition that the new Pope, who emphasized love and peace, has personally demonstrated over the past five months.

Brother Jerry’s words were indeed not false. Led by the lady of the Nostrum household, Grace Nostrum, followed by the head of the family, Charles Nostrum, and the civil servant family’s youngest daughter Aila, they all arrived at the townhouse one after another.

Everyone gathered in one place, delighted that their son had returned from abroad after a while (more precisely, he had rarely returned home in the past four years).

Of course,

“My daughter? You borrowed money from your brother? What’s that about?”

“Uh, Mom…”

“Come with me, you little minx.”

“Ah, ahhh! Mom! I, I can explain everything! Ah, Mommm-!”

There was a minor commotion as Mother grabbed the youngest daughter’s ear and dragged her to the basement (the townhouse basement is a storage room), but I know nothing about it.

Probably.

Anyway, with the whole family gathered, it naturally became lively. Only after Mother, who had fattened up the youngest daughter’s bones and flesh, and Aila, whose soul had been sucked out, returned could we have dinner together.

Perhaps because it was a fine day after a long time? The night sky was clear.

The breeze was cool, and the laughter of the neighbor’s children could be heard faintly.

A barbecue party was in full swing in the townhouse backyard.

“It’s been a while, Fred!”

As I was returning after using the bathroom as an excuse to check if there were any messages from the company or colleagues, I heard Father’s energetic voice calling me.

The high-ranking Treasury official was grilling meat. On the grill, raw meat with a vivid red hue was being massaged with salt and pepper, turning over, while the red-hot charcoal underneath licked at the meat like a caged beast.

The master of the Nostrum household, Charles Nostrum, looked at me excitedly, holding tongs.

“It’s been five months. Have you been well?”

“Yes. And you, Father?”

“I’m always fine! But personally, I’m more worried about your mother than myself. The royal court is known to be a harsh place to work, you know?”

Charles asked in a lowered voice, as if implying, “Don’t you think so too?” It was also a subtle request to take his side.

Fortunately, the Treasury official who attempted improper solicitation was struck down.

The royal lady-in-waiting, who had been laughing and chatting with the diplomat, rushed over like a tiger and punched the Treasury examiner in the chest.

With a thud! and a groan, the scream echoed across the backyard. After the bone-deep physical blow left its lingering effect, Charles Nostrum hugged himself with both arms, trembling and not knowing what to do.

“What are you telling the child?”

“G-Grace… still as strong as ever…”

“Jerry. Your father seems drunk. Please escort him.”

“No, we haven’t even opened the bottle yet, what- Ah, yes. I understand, Mom.”

After quickly dealing with Father who was gossiping about the royal court, Mother took the tongs in his place. And as she transferred meat to my plate, she began to chat.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Abas. You were in the northern part of the Kien Empire, they say.”

“Yes, I was.”

“How did you end up in such a place?”

The smell of meat, which usually seemed normal, felt particularly unpleasant today. I waved off the additional meat that Madam Grace was offering.

“It was agreed that I would go to the north.”

I answered as if it were no big deal.

“From the beginning?”

“Yes.”

After the coronation, the Church officially announced to the world that demons had appeared in the northern part of the empire.

Although the announcement was delayed due to the Kien Empire’s request to help with “domestic stabilization” as the northern conflict wasn’t fully resolved, the imperial army successfully reclaimed the northern territory two months ago with the successful spring offensive operation led by Military Governor Mikhail.

The achievement of driving out the demon race and reclaiming territory seems to have given the imperial government peace of mind.

The Church announced that demons had been operating in the north, and the imperial government acknowledged this by releasing more accurate evidence.

Thus, the existence of demons reappeared before the public. It was an event that hadn’t occurred for centuries.

Now, citizens worldwide know what happened in the northern part of the Kien Empire. While classified information has been buried deep in storage, everyone knows that demons who burned down several cities were annihilated by our hands.

The problem is,

“…You were in such a dangerous place?”

My parents found out too.

“Are you alright, Fred? I heard that’s where demons appeared.”

“If I wasn’t alright, I wouldn’t have come back. Nothing happened, so don’t worry.”

“Are you sure nothing happened?”

I answered indifferently while cutting my meat.

“The city where the demon appeared was in the north. I was in Novo Nikolayevsk, which is further south.”

“Novo Nikolayevsk is the capital of the northern region. I heard the empire’s Grand Duchess lives there. But from what I know, there was also a disturbance there…”

“That very Grand Duchess appeared and completely incinerated the demon.”

I still remember it.

Blue flames pouring down like a waterfall. The flames came down, down, and engulfed the demon.

The blue flames consumed the demon as it struggled like something trying to escape from a swamp.

The steam rising from the flames, which stuck to the skin like hot tar, looked just like smoke flowing from dry ice. The heat was intense enough to melt the steel frames of the collapsed ruins, but the area around us who fought in those ruins remained intact.

More precisely, only the area around us where blue butterflies had landed was safe.

Although I was quite annoyed that she took all the credit for what we had worked hard to defeat, the protagonist who took the demon’s life that day was indeed Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna.

I’m absolutely not saying this because I received money, precious metals, or antiques from the Grand Duchess as a reward for fighting the demon. I was simply using the Grand Duchess’s name to prevent my parents from worrying.

I enthusiastically promoted her.

“The one hit by silver bullets in the heart was engulfed in blue flames, and when the night sky was dyed blue, the demon fell. The same happened to the other monsters.”

“Is that really the end of it? The Grand Duchess caught the demon?”

“Of course.”

Fortunately, Madam Grace Nostrum seemed to believe me. Her shoulders, which had been tense with worry that her child might have nearly died, relaxed with relief.

“That’s a relief then. But Fred, why did you come to the townhouse today?”

“Ah, I’ve been living in the townhouse lately.”

“You have?”

“Yes.”

Since the news of the demon’s annihilation was announced to the world, the Military Intelligence Service began to consider how to handle my status.

I was already known as Camilla’s colleague and diplomat, and now I was also famous as one of the six protagonists who beheaded the demon… Despite being an official cover, I had become so famous that even the higher-ups didn’t know how to handle me.

That’s when Clebins, the head of the Military Intelligence Service’s Domestic Affairs Department, suggested:

Moving my residence from the vulnerable official residence to an official building. He meant sending me to the official building where generals stay.

Honestly, I was skeptical whether it was possible to assign an official building to a young man who was still wet behind the ears, but surprisingly, just two days after the proposal, Leoni ordered me to move out of the official residence.

Clebins proposed, and Leoni accepted. With two of the only three generals in the Military Intelligence Service agreeing, getting approval from the head of the Military Intelligence Service, the Chief, and the Minister was instantaneous.

Of course, they said they would give me an official building, not that they would give it to me right away.

Making plans without first checking whether conditions are favorable or not is the same for armies around the globe and in this neighborhood.

Anyway, the Defense Ministry official said they would do their best to let me know when there was a vacancy in the official building, but they avoided answering my question about the specific timeline. But what could I do? When they say jump, I jump.

So I’m currently living in the townhouse, eating and sleeping while waiting for the move-in order that will come someday.

At the same time, I’m also praying for the nameless general who is vacating his room for me and looking for a new house to move into.

Mother, who had been fidgeting with her neatly folded hands, lowered her gaze with a seemingly sad face.

“We were completely in the dark about this.”

It seems that my brother and sister hadn’t told them. I had assumed they already knew.

I was just enjoying the flavor of the sausage, with juice bursting with each bite of my molars, while sitting at the table with Mother, who was asking if anything special had happened in the empire and the Church.

“Ahem, ahem. Grace?”

“What is it, dear?”

“Those questions are good, but… I have something I’d like to ask first.”

Father, who had been dragged away by the eldest son on Mother’s orders, subtly joined the conversation.

Wait, where did he come from? I didn’t even sense his presence.

“Sauce.”

“…”

I had my younger sister bring the sauce. Adela’s special sauce, made by mixing various types of cheese, pepper, finely chopped vegetables, cream, and other ingredients, had a unique flavor that even I, who had traveled all over, had never experienced before.

Aila, who had returned after being scolded by Mother, obediently brought the sauce. As I was dipping the meat generously in the sauce, taking a bite, and raising my middle finger toward Aila, Father, who had been whispering with Mother, cleared his throat.

“Ahem! Fred? Can we talk for a moment?”

“Yes. What is it?”

“Well, your father has something he wants to ask you.”

“Ah, yes…”

Mother, who was standing by her husband’s side, chimed in.

I felt an indescribable uneasiness at the sight of the two people who were strangely in sync. You know that feeling, right? When you can tell “something’s about to happen” just by looking at someone’s eyes, without them saying a word.

“…Go ahead. Whatever you like.”

I moistened my throat with carbonated water, feeling a strange anxiety.

“So when are you going to marry the Saint?”

Pfft-!

I spat water all over the table. It was an even stronger stream than when I sprayed water in front of my CIA friend’s house.

I couldn’t stop coughing, as if water had gone down the wrong pipe. I shook violently, and Sister Adela, who was eating next to me, pounded my back with her fist. By the way, Aila, who had been eating in the direction I turned my head, had long since fled like a cat drenched in water.

However, there were others who actually got drenched.

“…”

“…”

My parents, who were soaked with the carbonated water their son had been drinking, said nothing.

The expensive tailored suit that was said to be popular among high-ranking Abas officials, and the dress that was custom-made for Mother for their last wedding anniversary, were completely soaked. They looked just like drowned rats.

Even in this situation, the carbonation was so strong that bubbles were still rising from the water pooled on the table.

“…”

A terrible silence fell over the barbecue party scene.

The only sounds were the occasional exhaust from passing cars and the footsteps of neighbors walking around the building.

Brother Jerry, who had gone to get more charcoal in case it wasn’t enough, came out to the backyard and tactlessly blurted out:

“Why is everyone so quiet?”

“…Brother.”

“Oh, Fred.”

Please shut up.