There was a moment when I subconsciously decided that I had to think brightly.
For Elric, it was now.
“You’re beautiful.”
“… thank you.”
“It seems like their skills have improved more than before. Oh, of course, I’m not saying that your wife isn’t always beautiful.”
Tyria is prettier today than usual.
The fresh-toned makeup and elegant dress that matches her style especially stand out.
Would it have been better to have those people as maids rather than knights?
No, thinking about Wolyoung working as a maid while wearing mask-like makeup is just as terrible.
Elric tried to imagine funny scenes, but even so, he couldn’t smile.
In other words, it meant that my mind was dizzy.
“Then shall we go?”
Tyria came holding my hand.
Elric nodded and got on the carriage.
Rattling.
As the carriage leaves the mansion, the fields are full of green.
As rice planting is in full swing, colors that make us forget about last winter are starting to fill the place.
It felt foreign.
It was a strange feeling, as if I was alone in this scenery.
“The ceremony will begin as soon as we arrive at the square. And the ceremony will be over as quickly as possible. This is to quickly reduce any confusion that may arise today… .”
Unfortunately, Tyria’s words did not go well to my ears.
Elric nodded mechanically and suddenly thought.
‘What am I doing?’
What I was repeating was a question.
Are you truly trying to ascend to the position of lord of Yubin?
For what? To turn a blind eye to war? Isn’t it ultimately about running away?
no. Is that bad?
Leaving everyone and heading to the battlefield is also just running away.
This means abandoning Tyria and running away like 10 years ago.
I think whichever one you choose is the wrong answer.
The more I did this, the more the feeling of disparity grew.
Elric Portman and Kasha were very different people.
Even though they have the same body and same mind, their identities seem to be at the extremes of each other.
It was a moment when I was deeply impressed by him.
“Matriarch, we have arrived.”
The carriage stopped.
Elric, who came to his senses only belatedly, laughed at the crowd of people he could see outside the window.
“… “There are so many people.”
“They are all guests who came to see the inauguration ceremony. “I heard that the inns were full and there were people sleeping on the streets.”
As she said, from the moment you enter the village, it is packed with people, leaving no space for you to step foot.
In Elric’s life, the only place where so many people gathered was the battlefield and the center of the imperial capital.
Looks like the inauguration ceremony has really begun.
For some reason, Elric felt uncomfortable and scratched the back of his neck.
The itchiness became more intense.
“egg plant.”
What was the order?
As soon as the ceremony begins, he will go up and begin his speech.
And it will end with the royal decree being received in front of the princess who came as an envoy of the kingdom.
There is still confusion, but there is no turning back now.
Elric took a deep breath and headed behind the podium.
“We are ready!”
The vice-captain of the Seolyeong Knights said.
Yes, his name was Ricky.
“Good job.”
Elric tapped his shoulder and then slowly raised his arm and looked at Tyria.
She crossed her arms.
Just like that, Elric headed up to the stage.
“Waaaaaa!!!”
There was a shout for the space to leave.
I felt dizzy due to the crowd of people with no room to move.
As I slightly bow my head in greeting, the cheers become louder.
Elric stood in front of the loudspeaker on the podium and glanced at Tyria.
She was nodding.
That means you can just get started.
Focus your attention on the speech on the podium.
I took a deep breath and spoke as softly as I could.
“Nice to meet you. “First of all, I would like to say thank you to everyone who came here.”
The speech began.
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*
I recited the speech mechanically.
The speech that Tyria wrote was full of clichés and sophisticated words, so I didn’t feel pressured to read it.
There were loud cheers at some parts of the speech, but to be honest, Elric wasn’t paying attention to the speech, so he couldn’t tell which parts they were cheering at.
Anyway, when the speech was over, the princess came up to the stage.
“You, Baron Elric of Portman, carry out the king’s orders.”
One day, when she was still wandering the battlefields of the West, a young princess whom I had only seen in newspapers unfolded a royal decree with a dignified expression.
Elric knelt down with Tyria.
“I obey the king’s command.”
As she spoke and lowered her head, the princess read the edict in a powerful voice.
It was a document made up of all kinds of rhetoric about the delegation of permanent residence.
It might be boring, but no one felt that way.
In fact, it had no choice but to be like that.
For many of the people of Weibin, as well as most of those who came today to see the king’s orders being issued, this is probably their first time, so this sight might be a bit surprising.
In the first place, wasn’t it rare for such an inauguration ceremony to be held in front of all the villagers?
However, Elric was in a position where she could only listen to what she said in a curious manner.
“… So, does Portman’s Baron Elric, as the lord of Wibin, pledge to dedicate himself to the well-being of his people?”
The questions asked were heavy.
By giving this answer, you are confirming the choice you made at the end of the crossroads, so hesitation will naturally arise.
Tyria whispered softly as she could not answer right away.
“house owner.”
Elric felt attention being focused on me.
As the hesitation continued, doubters began to appear everywhere.
Should I call this fortunate?
“… yes.”
Even in the form of being pushed around, Elric was able to give an answer.
“I hereby declare that Baron Elric of Portman has become the lord of Wivin!”
“Waaaaaa!!!”
There are loud cheers and applause.
Only then did Elric raise his head and see the princess smiling confidently.
She stretched out her hand, and Elric kissed the back of her hand.
“Please take care of me in the future. “Baron Portman.”
“I am honored to be able to contribute to the Kingdom.”
As I say this, my jaw relaxes.
This is all over.
Yes, since we had made a covenant in front of the king’s edict, there was no going back now.
Look, Tyria also has a pretty bright face, doesn’t she?
That means everything ended well.
My heart was still tight, but this feeling would eventually subside.
It was a moment when I stood up and looked at the audience while encouraging myself.
“… !”
Elric’s body stopped.
It was because I made eye contact with a man in the crowd of people gathered around like a swarm of ants.
‘Master… ?’
White, loose hair, and empty eyes.
An old man who stands out even more because he is taller than others and wears shabby clothes.
Now, the person with such a strong presence that it was surprising to have found him was staring directly at Elric.
*
I felt like running straight towards him.
It’s been 13 years.
When I realized that my teacher, whom I had not seen for 13 years since I was 11 years old, was here today, I couldn’t help but feel sad.
However, it was impossible to do so.
“Now let’s go to the banquet hall.”
Elric had a big schedule left: a banquet with nobles today.
The teacher, with whom we had exchanged glances before, turned around and disappeared.
He seemed to be moving slowly in the crowd, but I couldn’t follow him with my eyes.
The teacher was so confused that he had seen a mirage.
That’s the question that comes to mind.
How did the teacher come back here again?
Did you hear about his inauguration ceremony?
So why do you just look at it from afar instead of looking for it yourself?
The reason I came to check that my student has grown well is… .
‘… no.’
That can’t be possible.
Elric was confident that he knew his teacher’s personality quite well.
Even though I don’t know their names or origins, what I learned from our time together definitely existed.
He did not move for emotional reasons.
I always gave purpose to all my actions, and that was the same at the moment of separation.
If I had been hung up on personal affection, I would have taken myself then.
Even if that wasn’t the case, he would have told me at least a little bit about where he was going and when he would return.
Still, he didn’t do anything.
So, returning today must have some purpose.
He didn’t come to see himself, even from afar.
then,
‘I guess it means we need a separate place to talk.’
It is obvious where it is.
Since the distant past, there has been one place to meet the teacher.
“Matriarch, are you okay?”
In the middle of the Weibin Street banquet hall, where soft music was playing, Tyria quietly asked.
Only then did Elric come to his senses.
All eyes were focused on me.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I seemed to have forgotten that the banquet was in full swing.
Elric barely smiled and looked away from people.
“It’s okay. “I just got a little dizzy from meeting so many people today.”
When did the banquet end?
It will continue for another hour or two.
Elric was just thinking about something like that.
Tyria pursed her lips.
Behind my lips blocked by anxiety, not a single word was able to come out into the world.
‘Have you seen it?’
Elric didn’t know.
It wasn’t just seeing the teacher on the podium.
romance, fantasy,
