episode_0127

“Eriel… my daughter…”

“Father…?”

What situation is this? Suddenly, someone broke the door of the room we were in and came in. When I looked closely, I saw that it was someone I knew.

Grand Duke of the North. Heart of steel, frozen sword, etc. Lord Frost, who had all kinds of nicknames, appeared before our eyes.

“…Archduke of the North? Why are you here…”

“Is this the Grand Duke of the North?”

“Yes. This person is the Grand Duke of the North.”

“…Hiccup.”

Everyone was startled by the sudden appearance. It was the same for me and I was so shocked that I couldn’t stop hiccuping…

“Father. How can we… Ah. Did your uncle say that?”

“That…that’s-!”

“That aside. Why did you come to see me?”

“Daughter…! You’ve been missing for several days and I haven’t heard any news from you. How can you not find it as a father…!”

“That’s… I’m sorry. I have something urgent to do.”

Oh…what is it? Suddenly it feels like I’m watching a drama. I tried to hold back the hiccups and watched the exciting scene.

“It doesn’t matter since you’re safe… but what about these people here…?”

“It’s been a while. Grand Duke of the North.”

“…Vice-captain Seris? Why do you…”

After a brief greeting with Seris, the Northern Grand Duke looked at everyone in the room, but when he turned to me, he stopped.

He blinks as if he has seen a ghost, shakes his head, and then his complexion turns pale.

“…Deacon? No… that can’t be possible.”

“Father. That person… is right.”

“Eriel. That really doesn’t make sense…”

The Grand Duke of the North tried to speak as if he were denying reality, but could not continue. This is because there was a smile on Ariel’s face without a trace of worry.

The reason is… I think I can roughly understand it. I remember Ariel saying that she hasn’t been able to smile even once since I left, and that she lived because she couldn’t die.

Because she suffered every day, blamed herself, and lived a broken life. It must have been an unbelievable reality for the Grand Duke of the North, who was looking at his beloved daughter.

“…are you really…?”

“Yes. The savior who saved me… and my butler. Venice is correct. Even though it looks smaller… I’m sure.”

“…..You.”

“Uh…hello…how are you?”

The Northern Grand Duke’s eyes began to shake violently. The pillar that holds up the empire and the master of the North can’t believe he is shaking like this…

He was deeply distressed about something, and then he did something that surprised everyone present.

“….I’m sorry. I’m really… sorry.”

“eh…? Wow…why are you acting like this all of a sudden…!”

The person with the highest status in this country, excluding the emperor, bowed his head and apologized to me, who was just an ordinary person!

“I didn’t know your sacrifice… and just criticized you. I’m so… so sorry.”

“Ah…no! That…stop it…!”

“Father…”

“……”

“What is it? What on earth is going on?”

“Hoo… Is this your first time seeing something like this?”

In a place where everyone was shocked, I was the only one who had to sweat hard to stop him, who kept his head down and didn’t even think about lifting up.

***

“…things like that happened…”

We talked about the people we had experienced so far.

The Grand Duke of the North looked in disbelief the whole time he was listening, but he seemed to believe it because there were as many as five witnesses.

He sat down in a chair, covered his face with both hands, and let out a deep sigh. I think there are a lot of things that come to mind.

“Still… I’m so… glad you’re alive. I’ll say it again. I was really… sorry. Thank you.”

“Yes… I’m fine.”

The last time I saw him, his face was as strong as a strong shield that seemed indestructible, but now he was all too human.

Still… a lot of the worry and concern on his face has disappeared. Isn’t that what happened?

“…Venice. Can I ask you one thing…”

“Yes…? What if I can do it…?”

“Please stop by our territory… just once. I will use all my strength to treat you.”

“Ah…no, you don’t have to do that…”

“It’s because I… am so sorry. Aren’t you the hero who saved Ariel and our territory? Please.”

It was such a sudden request, but his face was so sincere. It was a bit difficult to refuse.

Well, I didn’t care, but shouldn’t they ask their doctor?

“I….”

“I’m fine anywhere. If I’m with the leader.”

“I’m going to my house so it doesn’t matter.”

“…if only you.”

“Hehe..”

However, it seemed like they had already made their decision before I could say anything.

I don’t think you’re giving me too much power, but… I’m asking you this much, so there’s no reason not to go.

“Yes… Frost Estate, I will go.”

“Thank you so much. The time is… right now, okay?”

“Yes..”

Although it was sudden. Isn’t there a saying that you should remove the horns of an ox as quickly as possible? It would be nice if I could go there quickly.

We immediately began to leave the restaurant, following the Northern Grand Duke, who had a kind smile on his face.

“….ugh.”

“What’s wrong?”

“That…that. I’m so sad to leave here…”

A sigh escaped me without my knowledge. I’ve never eaten such a delicious meal in my life, and I’ve never had anything that moved me to tears.

I was so sad to leave this restaurant… I was a little, no, very sad.

“….Captain! If you wish, you can only eat here every day, for the rest of your life…!”

“Puhuh… You can come anytime if you want, don’t worry.”

“What a dog… Hmm.”

“You seem to like it quite a bit?”

Although I complained a little. They gave me hope again, saying I could come back.

…okay! I can come again next time…! Even if it’s not here, there are plenty of amazing restaurants in this world!

-…What, isn’t it Archduke Frost?!

-oh my god…! If I ask you for an autograph, will you do it?!

-I…I’m crazy! The Grand Duke of the North even has Vice-Captain Seris and Ariel Frost!

Roaring Roaring-

As soon as we left the restaurant, what greeted us were two large, flashy automatic carriages and people chatting with their mouths open as they saw us pop out of the restaurant.

Oh, by the way, the payment at the restaurant was made by the Grand Duke of the North. At first glance, it seemed like the value of the meal we ate was over 100 gold coins, which made me dizzy.

“Everyone, please get on. This old man… will fall for it right away.”

“Wow… that’s crazy! This is an automatic carriage!”

“Hmm… this is okay.”

“Get on board, Venice. ruler. Hold my hand.”

“Yes…yes…”

“Hmm… You definitely have some age, right?”

We were all crammed into a large automatic carriage, and the Archduke of the North boarded another automatic carriage.

Ugh-!

As if the driver had turned on the engine, a rumbling sound rang out and the automatic carriage began to run quickly.

What was interesting was that even though the speed was very fast, similar to that of a car, the vibration was hardly felt.

The fast-moving automatic carriage leaves the central city of the empire and begins to run across the plains. The scenery seen outside the window changes rapidly.

“It’s home. It hasn’t been that long, but it still feels like it’s been a long time.”

“I have never been to Frost Citadel…”

“Wow… Are we going to the heart of the North, the place I’ve only heard about?”

“….North. It’s been a while.”

Me too… It’s been a while since I’ve been to the North. Since my second time as an alter ego, I have never been to the North…

North… it was a nice place. Although it was extremely cold and my body was shaking, it was such a beautiful place that it seemed to match the harsh cold.

Honestly, I feel that way even more because winter is my favorite season out of the four seasons.

Spring, summer, and fall are a bit different because there are a lot of bugs that I hate the most. The fact that there are a lot of bugs only in the summer is a thing of the past, right?

In the winter, not only are there no bugs, but standing in a cold place until your breath blows and then lying down in a warm place or eating warm food is truly paradise.

“…Venice. Maybe… we’ll meet Cale and Pria too. Are you okay?”

“Yes… they didn’t do anything wrong. It’s all my fault…”

…Kale and Pria. It must have been quite a while since I haven’t seen them either.

Honestly… I was a little scared. I thought that even if I met them again, the heartbreakingly painful words would not return.

You can’t blame them. Because not all situations were good, and it was all my choice. Still… there were a lot of things I was afraid of after coming into this body.

“…don’t say that. I don’t know what your expression looks like right now?”

“Captain… Please don’t do that. Please…”

“Don’t do that. It’s so… sad.”

“…….”

Their reaction was unusual. I looked at the women who were sad again as if they were a patient who was about to die, then turned my head and looked at the window.

My face is briefly reflected in the sparkling window. My face… no matter who looked at it, it was the face of someone who looked resigned and sad.

“My…why do I make this kind of expression…s-sorry! Please don’t mind… hehe…”

I spoke to them with a smile, trying to lighten the suddenly damp atmosphere as if we were in a mourning house.

“You really…. sniffle.”

“Please…don’t do that…I feel like my heart has been pierced…”

“Huhhh…”

“….don’t do it. Please..”

In fact, perhaps it was poisonous to them, as soon as they saw my face, they frowned and couldn’t hold back their tears.

In the end, the inside of the stylish automatic carriage became a sea of tears, and I sacrificed myself to soothe them…