episode_0028

“What is it? Why are they so silent?”

Siron frowned.

When I stuck my head out and looked around, I couldn’t find anyone offering even a word of encouragement to the person who came out.

‘It’s a bit disappointing.’

I didn’t really want to make a fuss like cheers, but the way they all looked down at people with serious faces was a bit unnerving as a person who was experiencing it.

Even though Lucia and Hugo have grim faces, I don’t know why even Encia, who is usually oblivious and fussy, has such a hard expression.

If Siron had known her, she would have rushed over, smiled brightly, and offered him some cocoa.

“Seu-eup, people feel embarrassed.”

Siron ignored their gaze and pulled himself out onto the ice.

The succession ceremony is not over until we reach land.

Just like when we set off, we were worried that the ice might collapse, but fortunately, that didn’t happen. Nothing happened until Siron reached the sandy beach.

However, I felt very uneasy. Every time I moved my body, grains of sand emitted their presence between my wet clothes and skin. I couldn’t wait to soak in the warm water.

Finally,

Crossed the lake and reached land.

Judging from the fact that there hasn’t been any criticism yet, it seems like the cheating wasn’t caught.

“Poetics. Are you okay?”

As Siron was experiencing a pleasant sense of accomplishment, Lucia spoke to him.

I thought there would be a commotion because of the loud noises, but I don’t know what happened to make Lucia separate from the group. I guessed that he was probably worried about the affection he had built up over the years.

Shiron looked down at Lucia and answered.

“If you ask me if I’m okay, the answer is obvious. It’s so cold that I feel like I’m going to rummage around.”

“… … no. Not that one. Hands.”

Lucia gestured to Siron’s hand, and Siron followed her gaze and lowered his head.

“Hand…? What is this?!”

At the end of the line of sight was a mangled hand.

Not only were they covered in blood, but their fingers and the backs of their hands were tattered, as if something sharp had passed over them. They were in such a miserable state that I didn’t even know why I didn’t notice them.

‘What’s wrong with my hand?’

Is it because I was conscious of the injured area? The slightly tingling sensation started to get hotter. It wasn’t just the pain I thought it would be from being soaked in cold water for a long time.

The recoil shattered the ice, which was like shredded glass. If you think about it, it was natural. The strength of ice that will not leave a single scratch even if you hit it with your fist is stronger than glass.

Siron swallowed his saliva and stared at the wound.

The frail body, which was not yet very durable and had not yet mastered self-defense skills, started sending violent signals to the brain as if pleading for its life.

Siron gritted his teeth and looked away from the wound. I felt like I was going to lose consciousness because of the pain running up my arm.

“Poetics. Does it hurt a lot?”

“Don’t talk…”

Isn’t the pain conveyed through the frowning expression? Siron looked at Lucia with resentful eyes.

*

“All passed. Thank you for your hard work.”

The succession ceremony is over.

Yuma said, looking at the three children.

“But for some reason, no one likes it. It would be nice to show a purely happy expression.”

Yuma knew the reason deep down, but he didn’t bother to talk to the children.

“That’s it. Can you go home quickly? The words are long.”

Siron, who had his hand bandaged, spoke nervously.

Now it was Yuma, the one-horned sacred keeper, not Yuma, the maid, but Shiron had no time to worry about such trivial matters. My hands burned as if they had been touched by heated iron, and cold sweat broke out.

Shiron thought he had endured a lot until Yuma arrived. Now that I’ve reached my limit, my personality has naturally become harsh.

For that reason, Siriel, who is standing next to Siron, is unable to properly express her joy because she is watching him.

“I also want to rest quickly!”

“That’s right. Please treat my brother quickly.”

Lucia and Siriel raced to talk to Yuma.

In fact, Siriel wanted to hug her cousins and jump up and down.

However, even though I was filled with overwhelming emotions and my heart was pounding, I did not dare to take action. Still, the bloody fist that broke through the ice cannot be forgotten in her mind.

“Treatment has already been done. Look carefully. Didn’t you apply ointment and wrap a bandage? If you are qualified enough to pass the succession ceremony, your resilience is also different from that of ordinary humans. You’ll probably feel better soon if you rest well for a few days.”

“… … That’s right.”

Siriel smiled awkwardly at Yuma’s answer. I felt a tingling gaze coming from next to me. It was as if they were asking why I was making it longer by saying unnecessary things. She regretted saying it for no reason.

However, it didn’t matter to Yuma whether Shiron silently scolded the other cousins or not. Yuma just smiles at his proud children.

There have been only a handful of times in the past 500 years that a succession ceremony has been completed without a single person being left behind.

“Then, the carriage is ready, so please come here.”

“It’s nice because it’s comfortable. Do you really command carriages like this?”

“No. An exception was made because there were injuries that normally would not have occurred. ah. Maybe a precedent will be set by Master Siron, and in the future there will be children who intentionally get hurt in order to return home comfortably.”

Yuma smiled brightly at Shiron, but Shiron answered without smiling.

“This is the last succession ceremony.”

“… … okay. I will engrave it deeply in my heart.”

“You just need to know.”

Shiron passed by Yuma, who was smiling with his hand on his chest.

Lucia and Siriel got on the carriage first. The two were sitting in the same direction, and on the opposite side there were three layers of cushions for Siron.

Siron laughed at their kindness.

“When did you take care of all these things? If you’re going to do it, don’t do it like this. Lucia. Pick up the cushion.”

“… … why? Should I remove the cushion?”

Are you not going to accept the consideration given to me? Lucia stretched out her mouth and sat down on a cushion.

Siron sat down in his seat and raised his arms up.

“Put the cushion here.”

“Okay.”

Since his hands were wrapped in bandages and he couldn’t cross his arms or put them down calmly, Shiron was planning to put a cushion under his arm instead. Lucia quickly understood Siron’s intentions.

‘I’m sick and have to do something. These guys are all kind.’

I got a little seasick from the rattling carriage, but

Siron was able to look at Lucia with a satisfied smile.

Looking at her expression, her face seems full of worry. The pain still hadn’t gone away, but seeing her restless face like this somehow made me feel better.

“… … Are you feeling better now?”

Perhaps because Siron’s expression had faded a little, Lucia was finally able to speak. She couldn’t take her eyes off Siron’s hand the whole time.

“No, it’s not okay. I feel like I’m going to rummage in pain.”

“Does it hurt that much?”

“Uh. This is the first time since I was born that I have felt this much pain.”

“But why are you smiling?”

Siriel, who was watching the conversation between the two, asked a question. Siron suddenly realized that he was smiling at his young cousin’s question.

“… … Hehehe, you passed the succession ceremony. After going through that hard time, of course I should smile.”

Shiron chewed his tongue and wiped the smile off his face. I couldn’t answer that it was because it was fun to see Lucia, so I just made it up.

“You know.”

As if relieved by Siron’s relaxed expression, Siriel leaned forward with her eyes shining.

“Can I ask one question? I kept wondering about something.”

“… … What is it?”

Siron opened his eyes and looked at Siriel.

‘Are you really trying to ask me how I escaped?’

Of course, it’s not that there isn’t an answer ready for that. Siron composed himself and said, if you want to ask a question, ask it.

“Are you two siblings?”

However, something completely unexpected came out of Siriel’s mouth.

“… … Why do you think that?”

“No. Just.”

Siriel looked at Lucia and Siron alternately with her clasped fingers.

“The two have nothing in common. look. Lucia has red hair, but Siron has black hair, right? The eye color is completely different, black and golden.”

“Well, that is!”

Lucia joined the conversation between the two, looking embarrassed.

Suddenly the conversation returned to a heavy topic. It was indeed an element that the child might have doubts about, but something was not right about the situation right now.

As Lucia knew, Siron’s mother died when he was very young.

I didn’t want to ruin the mood by bringing up the story of Siron’s deceased mother. The mood has finally cleared up…

“Me and Lucia have different mothers.”

But while she was thinking, Shiron answered first.

“Ah! That’s why you don’t call me oppa!”

“… … .”

“I thought it was somehow strange! Because both wives are competitors. Yes, it was like that too!”

Siriel nodded and smiled as if she understood. However, there was no way for her to know that their mother was already dead and no longer in this world.

Lucia wanted to silence Siriel, who had said something that hurt Siron. And I looked at Siron’s feelings. I was so nervous that Siron might get hurt.

As expected, Siron narrowed his eyes and glared at Siriel.

“What are you misunderstanding? My mom is dead.”

Lucia could not lose and spoke to Siriel.

“My mom is dead too!”