IRKUA - Chapter 3



Rune was greatly embarrassed.

This development was not expected.

"Why? Why...?"

"I told you. I went through a lot on the battlefield."

"Does that have anything to do with divorce?"

"It doesn't matter. Very, very many."

After repeatedly emphasizing this, Drial sent the divorce note to the wind. The divorce note floated in the air and was sucked into the fireplace that had been lit to remove moisture.

Drial looked at the burning divorce note without hesitation and then turned his back on Rune. He felt confused eyes following him.

"You said you understood that I hate you, right? I understand you now too, Rune. The reason you had to choose me as your husband out of all my brothers."

Rune's gaze slightly wavered.

The reason why Rune Helid had to choose Drial Stein as her husband.

It was a secret that only Rune knew.

Rune, embarrassed, chased after Drial. Drial opened the door without waiting for Rune. Rune urgently grabbed the door that was about to close.

"... Wait a minute, Drial! On the battlefield...!

"Don't tell me."

"You understand me? what do you mean?"

"Literally."

Drial shot a light blast of wind at Rune with a grumpy expression. A cold wind swept across Run's face.

The moment she closed her eyes in shock, she heard the door close in front of her. She quickly opened the door, but Drial was nowhere to be seen.

The wind that had lost its owner rippled blue in the empty hallway. Rune stared at the empty hallway and made a vain expression.

"... Because of what happened there, he understands things like me."

***

"What kind of person is he, my Lord?"

The child who was following the gardener and arranging the cut branches asked cautiously.

An elderly gardener sitting on a ladder looked down at his grandson. The child was embarrassed when his grandfather looked at him asking why he was curious about such a thing.

"He seems like a kind person. He knows the names of all the servants."

"Yes, my Lord, he is a sweet and funny person. Rumor has it he's been like that since he was young. He is a consistent person."

The gardener, who carefully explained the drill to his grandson, cut off the offending branches.

The servants who were pulling weeds from the flower beds seemed to have noticed the child's curiosity and started chatting.

"He's a very strong wind spirit, right? You know what a wind spiritist is, right? So, unlike other high-ranking people, there is no formality. He is good to people like us."

"That's right. It's been that way since ancient times. You can think of him as being as kind as a spring breeze to people other than his wife."

The child opened his eyes wide at those words.

"Why? Madam is a good person too... While trying to protect Arhon, she lost the baby... Everyone knows."

"We know. I am always grateful to Madam... But do you know what kind of person the Wind Spiritist is?"

The child thought deeply about the servant's question while holding the basket.

"He is free, romantic, loves travel and adventure, and like the Spirit King of the Wind, he cannot come to his senses when he falls in love... What else could there be?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Yes?"

The child who did not understand the meaning asked back.

The servant who was about to explain in detail suddenly closed his mouth. Drial was walking in the garden.

Those who discovered the Lord belatedly showed courtesy by taking off their hats.

The old gardener hurried down from the ladder. The gardener greeted Drial on behalf of those who work in the garden.

"Congratulations on your return, my Lord. I'm so glad you came back safely."

Drial smiled at the gardener's polite attitude and patted his shoulder.

The gardener raised his lowered head at the gesture saying that it was not possible.

"The garden is pretty. It's going to be a lot of work in the summer."

"It's a place that Madam cherishes, so I'm taking care of it with joy." 

"Hmm.."

When the gardener mentioned Rune, the servants looked closely. Originally, Drial hated anything related to Rune.

He was worried about what would happen if the Lord ordered the garden to be plowed, but surprisingly, Drial didn't say anything.

He just looked at the garden sparkling greener as if welcoming the coming summer.

The garden looked nice and looked like it had been carefully maintained, but there were no flowers anywhere.

Although it was refreshing, there was a strangely calm atmosphere. The entire garden looked like a graveyard.

"My Lord, did you come to the garden to see the baby...??"

The gardener, who had been standing in silence, cried out.

Only then did Drial come to his senses and draw a stereotypical line on his lips.

"Can you guide me?"

"Of course."

The gardener gestured to his grandson who was far away.

"This is my grandson. He will take you to the bottom of the tree."

The child nodded his head and took the lead.

Drial gave a wink to those working in the garden, as if to encourage them to do their best, and followed the child.

"Kid, what's your name?" 

"It's Theanon."

"Hello, Theanon. How old are you?"

"I'll be six years old after my birthday in a month."

"But you're as proud as a ten-year-old."

The child was embarrassed by the Lord's praise. Drial stroked the child's round head.

"How long have you been working at the castle?"

"It's been a year now."

"Isn't work difficult?"

"It's hard, but I like that everyone is friendly. The maids sometimes provide me with food."

The child chattered in a cheerful voice. Drial followed the child's shadow and scanned the garden, which had been created like a small forest.

As the summer breeze passed through the lush trees, the leaves rustled like musical instruments. It was a good place for the wind and birds to stay.

Drial, who had been looking at the swaying sunlight and shadows, turned his gaze. There was a tall tree at the end of the garden.

He tilted his head back a little to see the top of the tree. It was a tree that had not been here until Drial in inherited Arhon, which he did not want.

“Theanon.”

Drial's gaze rested on the top of the tree. The sky was so blue that it stung his eyes.

"Rune..."

“Ma’am?”

"Does she come here often too?"

"She comes almost every day. Dawn or morning, around that time. It was like watching the sunrise from here."

"Yes?"

The child looked up at the Lord at the slow response.

When news arrived that his father and uncle had died while fighting the frost giants, his grandfather had an expression similar to Drial's.

Why can't adults cry out loud when they're sad?

The child standing next to Drial pointed to a tree.

"Grandpa said he buried the baby's coffin there. Sometimes my grandfather also offers flowers under that tree."

"I see..."

Drial patted the child on the shoulder.

"Thanks for the guidance. I'll go alone from here."

The child greeted Drial properly and ran down the path he had walked.

The sound of light footsteps quickly moved away, but Drial did not move from his seat. He just stood there looking at the tree.

While he was standing there for a while, he heard someone calling from behind. Lares, holding a bouquet of agapanthus, approached.

"It bothered me that you left empty-handed, so I came to see you at the risk of being rude."

Lares handed him a bouquet of flowers. Drial smiled slightly and shook the bouquet.

"Thank you. I didn't even think about a bouquet."

Drial, who was fiddling with the flower petals, looked back at Lares.

"This is my first time seeing you. What's your name?"

"It's called Lares. I settled in Arhon three years ago and am helping Madam manage the Lord's castle."

"You were a great person. I'm sorry I didn't notice right away."

Lares laughed at Drial's taunt.

The two people stood side by side and looked at the tall tree.

"The manager seems to be quite old. How did he end up in Arhon? There are more monsters than people here, so it's not a good place to live."

"After hearing the story of Lady Rune, who fought and won against a black dragon to protect the residents, I came from afar to see her face and wonder what kind of person she was."

Lares glanced sideways at Drial. Drial was still looking at the tree. This person was just as good at managing facial expressions as Rune.

But Lares noticed that Drial was sad.

The wind surrounding Drial rippled like a tsunami. The only people here who could read the flow were Rune and Lares.

Lares looked away, feeling fortunate that the wind had changed.

"I decided to live here because Arhon, despite its reputation, is quite a decent place to live. As you can see, I am so old that I have no family."

"It looks like Rune is quite good at managing the territory."

"Madam, she is so wonderful as never before. It's enough to make the stupid Lords of the East jealous."

Lares was happy as if bragging about his daughter.

Arhon is the territory closest to the eastern demarcation line. The demarcation line refers to the boundary line that separates areas where people can live.

Beyond the dividing line, monsters he had never even imagined were infested.

So, Arhon suffered enormous damage every time a monster wave occurred. It was considered a miracle that the territory was maintained.

When Drial returned riding the dragon, he couldn't help but be surprised to see Arhon in the sky.

It was difficult for Arhon to grow because he was used as a shield for the East every time a monster wave occurred.

After repairing the castle walls and controlling the epidemic caused by the corpses of monsters, there was a hole in finances.

A place where permanent residents run away at night, and soldiers sell their weapons because they have no money to pay taxes... Arhon was such a land.

However, as Lares said, Arhon, which was notorious, grew into a full-fledged city.

Drial tilted his head back, imagining the times when Rune had struggled alone to protect Arhon.

"Do you know how many people were sacrificed when the black dragon attacked here? I want to know the names of those who lost their lives. It's been three years, but as a Lord, I want to write a memorial letter to the bereaved family."

"My Lord, you have a kind heart. But there is no need to write a letter. Because no one died in Arhon."

"No way. At least one person died."

One of them was Rune and DriaI's baby.

A wind carrying a certain emotion blew low in the garden. Drial buried his face in the agapanthus bouquet he was holding.

"If it is true that there was no damage to the permanent residents, then Rune is truly amazing. I barely managed to protect myself on that battlefield..."

Of Drial's eight brothers, one went missing on the battlefield, and six were killed. Drial was the only one known to have survived.
He wanted to somehow send back home those who fought with him, but he lost too many people.

Drial, who was reminiscing about the war, pulled his head back to expose his neck.

When the smell of blood and ice came to mind, his calm face distorted. Even though he was standing under the bright sun, he felt like he was trapped in the dark.

The brothers who begged him to kill them, a corpse that wouldn't collapse no matter how many times it was cut, bright blue blood that caused hallucinations...

However, Drial had an expression on his face as if he had never been in pain.

Drial turned around and returned the bouquet to Lares. A habitual smile appeared on his face.

"I gave it to you as best I could, but I'm sorry. If it's okay, put it there for me."

Lares silently stared at Drial's retreating figure.

The bouquet he prepared with a light heart was as heavy as a piece of iron.



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