Episode 21. Tears of Bercheria
Timothy stood outside the castle with several knights, waiting for someone.
The knights, though dressed in their full uniforms, looked somewhat disheveled and chatted a short distance away.
"When will they come?"
Lacrahan's castle majestically divided the border between Periat and the North.
The North had a remarkably unique structure.
Surrounded by rugged valleys and rugged mountains, it could almost be considered a separate space.
There were only two ways to penetrate the North: first, with the Emperor's permission, to use a portal.
Second, through this entrance.
It was the only way to cross the mountains and valleys from the border with the Empire and into the North.
Normally, it was impenetrable, only opening under the watchful eye of the knights. Therefore, even if war broke out in Periat again, the North would be protected separately.
This was precisely what Lacrahan had intended when he built the castle.
As Timothy stared boredly down the street, an ant scurried before his eyes.
He watched quietly, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a towel-wrapped biscuit. He'd gotten it from Mrs. Morgan, intending to give it to the children he encountered along the way.
Timothy snipped off a corner of the biscuit and tossed it in the ant's path.
The unusually small ant, seemingly busy on its way, stumbled upon the piece of biscuit Timothy had tossed and wiggled its antennae noisily.
"You're just a newborn, aren't you?"
Timothy crouched down and began to seriously observe the ant.
The knights were preoccupied with a conversation about a young woman they'd recently met in the village.
The ant, crawling in search of the biscuit, scurried around to grab it, then lifted it up.
But as soon as it did, it was flattened by the biscuit.
"Oh dear."
As the ant struggled, unable to get up, Timothy glanced behind him.
Seeing the knights still engrossed in their conversation, he gently placed a hand on the ant.
"Wow,"
A soft light emitted from beneath his palm, and the ant grew in size.
Timothy, as if nothing had happened, placed both hands on his crouched knees and observed the ant.
The ant, now twice as large, jumped up, picked up a biscuit, and proudly continued on its way.
Timothy watched the scene with a pleased expression until the ant disappeared from sight.
"Huh? Butler. I think I see a person over there."
Timothy stood up and looked at a figure walking toward the end of the path, kicking up a thin cloud of dust.
Even from a distance, the man, with a tall and slender build, was approaching at a pace neither too fast nor too slow.
"His hair is really red."
Just as the knight had said, his blazing red hair flowed elegantly around his shoulders.
Timothy smiled and placed both hands neatly in front of his belly button.
He was now on his way to greet the Prince of an empire, representing the Grand Duke.
It was time to be polite.
The knights regrouped and stood behind him.
Timothy turned to the knights and said,
“Laurent Cranston Aaron.”
He pronounced the man’s name accurately.
“That is the Prince’s full name. Prince Laurent Cranston Aaron, the only son of Emperor Giancarlo of the Der'Ansis Empire, was protected by the sea god, Belofeye. Please remember this.”
“Yes, butler.”
Everyone focused on Laurent.
Even the way he walked possessed an elegance that was second nature. It seemed to demonstrate the bearing of a nobleman, not something learned through education.
He was a man of a different breed from the disciplined and upright Lacrahan.
“Butler. They say the Prince is connected to the sea god. Is that true?”
“Hey. How do you know that, butler?”
“What doesn’t the butler know? He’s been in the imperial family for a long time, and all the famous nobles have passed through his hands. He's also from a very famous noble family. Isn’t that right, butler?”
Timothy smiled perfectly.
“It’s true that the Prince is connected to Beloveye. They’ve been like that for generations. It’s a nation with a special relationship between the Emperor and their guardian deity.”
Meanwhile, Laurent had already approached them.
“It’s an honor that the Prince of the beautiful empire has come all the way to the north.”
Timothy bowed politely, but then asked, feeling a sense of emptiness behind him.
“Excuse me, Prince Laurent. Where are the other knights?”
“Ah. You mean the knights who will protect me?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Timothy folded his hands and waited for a polite answer.
Laurent chuckled and pointed to the green lizard on his shoulder.
“Here it is. My knight’s name is Owl.”
He then playfully wiggled his eyebrows at Timothy.
“He doesn’t eat much, so don’t worry.”
“Pfft.”
The knight standing behind him couldn’t help but burst out laughing, then straightened his face and lifted his chin.
“Hahaha.”
Laurent let out a delightful laugh and nodded to Timothy.
“Enough with the greetings, would you please guide me inside? I’m itching to meet the war hero I’ve only heard about.”
Timothy bowed, still wearing a polite smile.
“Then I will guide Prince Laurent to the domain of His Highness the Grand Duke of Lacrahan.”
Mrs. Morgan personally loaded the wagon with food and came to Bercheria.
The plates were so full that the venison he had asked her to deliver was almost invisible.
“It’s a special treat from His Excellency the Grand Duke. Venison steak, and oh, this raspberry pie is my specialty. It’s so tender and delicious.”
Mrs. Morgan, raising her plump fingers to express the flavors lingering in her mouth, looked incredibly lovely, even if her expression was exaggerated.
“And actually, there was something I wanted to tell you.”
Bercheria looked at her with wide eyes.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Mrs. Morgan suddenly walked over to the wagon and hugged Bercheria tightly.
Bercheria’s body froze in surprise, her hands frozen in mid-air. Mrs. Morgan held Bercheria tightly in her plump, soft arms.
“Um...”
“Thank you for saving my life.”
“Ah.”
Mrs. Morgan remembered the moment when she fell into the water.
Bercheria, who was in the library with Lacrahan, happened to look out the window and saw Mrs. Morgan hanging precariously from a tree.
Lacrahan ran to rescue her, but to her exceptionally sharp eyes, the scene was utterly precarious.
Then, when the branch snapped, she leaped forward without a second thought. She didn't think anyone would see her, nor did she think that using her strength might damage her body. She was only focused on saving Mrs. Morgan.
"Don't worry,"
Mrs. Morgan said, gently stroking Bercheria's back.
"I haven't told anyone, and I won't."
She had saved Mrs. Morgan so that others wouldn't find out, but she hadn't expected her to notice.
Mrs. Morgan hugged Bercheria even more tenderly.
"The young lady who saved the children and saved me is like an angel descended from heaven."
Tears welled up from Bercheria's frozen eyes.
Bercheria lifted her hand, which was resting on Mrs. Morgan's arm, and brushed away the clear water droplets that had fallen from her eyes.
The moisture clung to her fingertips felt strange, as if it wasn't her own.
Even though her mother had occasionally interrupted her, Bercheria was able to navigate the Awakened's memories and carry out her daily activities without a hitch.
However, emotions remained difficult.
Reading the Awakened's memories felt like reading an unkind book, leaving her unable to grasp what she had felt and acquired within them.
"Why am I crying?"
Mrs. Morgan released Bercheria and cradled her tearful face in her hands.
"I think I know why you're crying."
"Why?"
Mrs. Morgan smiled.
"It's because you're loved."
"Love?"
"Yes. You sensed my sincerity."
Since the loss of Bercheria, the goddess of weather, and the subsequent war, the North has been overflowing with people who have lost their families.
Some have lost their parents, others have lost their children.
Few have managed to protect their families.
Mrs. Morgan was one of them.
"People don't grieve because they lack love. It's only after they've received it that they realize how desperately they've been thirsting for it."
Even as she listened to Mrs. Morgan's story, tears continued to flow from Bercheria's eyes.
“Don’t panic. These are good tears.”
She hugged Bercheria and patted her.
“Oh, dear. The food is getting cold. Let’s hurry and eat.”
Mrs. Morgan patted Bercheria on the shoulder and set down the plates from the wagon one by one.
“I’ll take care of it, so just wait there for a moment.”
While Mrs. Morgan served the food, Bercheria walked to the window and stared blankly at the scenery outside.
In this unusually peaceful landscape, a strange man stood there, staring at her.
Bercheria couldn’t believe her eyes for a moment.
The man had an outward appearance she’d never seen before in the North.
Her room was on the second floor, and the man wasn’t far away, so she could clearly see his features.
Red hair and eyes of the same color.
Just as Bercheria’s blond hair stood out among the dark-haired Northerners, the man’s red hair was distinctive enough to be recognized from afar.
Bercheria, who discovered the lizard the red-haired man was carrying next to his handsome features, looked startled.
“What is that?”
At the same time, she felt something sparkle and shine on Lauren’s hand.
A flash of light erupted from Bercheria’s eyes as she gazed at the lizard.
“What’s in it?”
She rubbed her eyes and raised her head. The lizard she had just seen now looked completely different.
“So cute.”
The sight of the small lizard clinging to the man’s shoulder and turning its head here and there as if to admire it was utterly adorable. They were completely oblivious to the existence of the divine creature.
When Beloveye transformed into a lizard, he had thoroughly concentrated his power, so no one could detect his true presence.
As Bercheria stared blankly, Lauren brushed back his red hair and slowly walked towards her.
Timothy stood outside the castle with several knights, waiting for someone.
The knights, though dressed in their full uniforms, looked somewhat disheveled and chatted a short distance away.
"When will they come?"
Lacrahan's castle majestically divided the border between Periat and the North.
The North had a remarkably unique structure.
Surrounded by rugged valleys and rugged mountains, it could almost be considered a separate space.
There were only two ways to penetrate the North: first, with the Emperor's permission, to use a portal.
Second, through this entrance.
It was the only way to cross the mountains and valleys from the border with the Empire and into the North.
Normally, it was impenetrable, only opening under the watchful eye of the knights. Therefore, even if war broke out in Periat again, the North would be protected separately.
This was precisely what Lacrahan had intended when he built the castle.
As Timothy stared boredly down the street, an ant scurried before his eyes.
He watched quietly, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a towel-wrapped biscuit. He'd gotten it from Mrs. Morgan, intending to give it to the children he encountered along the way.
Timothy snipped off a corner of the biscuit and tossed it in the ant's path.
The unusually small ant, seemingly busy on its way, stumbled upon the piece of biscuit Timothy had tossed and wiggled its antennae noisily.
"You're just a newborn, aren't you?"
Timothy crouched down and began to seriously observe the ant.
The knights were preoccupied with a conversation about a young woman they'd recently met in the village.
The ant, crawling in search of the biscuit, scurried around to grab it, then lifted it up.
But as soon as it did, it was flattened by the biscuit.
"Oh dear."
As the ant struggled, unable to get up, Timothy glanced behind him.
Seeing the knights still engrossed in their conversation, he gently placed a hand on the ant.
"Wow,"
A soft light emitted from beneath his palm, and the ant grew in size.
Timothy, as if nothing had happened, placed both hands on his crouched knees and observed the ant.
The ant, now twice as large, jumped up, picked up a biscuit, and proudly continued on its way.
Timothy watched the scene with a pleased expression until the ant disappeared from sight.
"Huh? Butler. I think I see a person over there."
Timothy stood up and looked at a figure walking toward the end of the path, kicking up a thin cloud of dust.
Even from a distance, the man, with a tall and slender build, was approaching at a pace neither too fast nor too slow.
"His hair is really red."
Just as the knight had said, his blazing red hair flowed elegantly around his shoulders.
Timothy smiled and placed both hands neatly in front of his belly button.
He was now on his way to greet the Prince of an empire, representing the Grand Duke.
It was time to be polite.
The knights regrouped and stood behind him.
Timothy turned to the knights and said,
“Laurent Cranston Aaron.”
He pronounced the man’s name accurately.
“That is the Prince’s full name. Prince Laurent Cranston Aaron, the only son of Emperor Giancarlo of the Der'Ansis Empire, was protected by the sea god, Belofeye. Please remember this.”
“Yes, butler.”
Everyone focused on Laurent.
Even the way he walked possessed an elegance that was second nature. It seemed to demonstrate the bearing of a nobleman, not something learned through education.
He was a man of a different breed from the disciplined and upright Lacrahan.
“Butler. They say the Prince is connected to the sea god. Is that true?”
“Hey. How do you know that, butler?”
“What doesn’t the butler know? He’s been in the imperial family for a long time, and all the famous nobles have passed through his hands. He's also from a very famous noble family. Isn’t that right, butler?”
Timothy smiled perfectly.
“It’s true that the Prince is connected to Beloveye. They’ve been like that for generations. It’s a nation with a special relationship between the Emperor and their guardian deity.”
Meanwhile, Laurent had already approached them.
“It’s an honor that the Prince of the beautiful empire has come all the way to the north.”
Timothy bowed politely, but then asked, feeling a sense of emptiness behind him.
“Excuse me, Prince Laurent. Where are the other knights?”
“Ah. You mean the knights who will protect me?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Timothy folded his hands and waited for a polite answer.
Laurent chuckled and pointed to the green lizard on his shoulder.
“Here it is. My knight’s name is Owl.”
He then playfully wiggled his eyebrows at Timothy.
“He doesn’t eat much, so don’t worry.”
“Pfft.”
The knight standing behind him couldn’t help but burst out laughing, then straightened his face and lifted his chin.
“Hahaha.”
Laurent let out a delightful laugh and nodded to Timothy.
“Enough with the greetings, would you please guide me inside? I’m itching to meet the war hero I’ve only heard about.”
Timothy bowed, still wearing a polite smile.
“Then I will guide Prince Laurent to the domain of His Highness the Grand Duke of Lacrahan.”
***
Mrs. Morgan personally loaded the wagon with food and came to Bercheria.
The plates were so full that the venison he had asked her to deliver was almost invisible.
“It’s a special treat from His Excellency the Grand Duke. Venison steak, and oh, this raspberry pie is my specialty. It’s so tender and delicious.”
Mrs. Morgan, raising her plump fingers to express the flavors lingering in her mouth, looked incredibly lovely, even if her expression was exaggerated.
“And actually, there was something I wanted to tell you.”
Bercheria looked at her with wide eyes.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Mrs. Morgan suddenly walked over to the wagon and hugged Bercheria tightly.
Bercheria’s body froze in surprise, her hands frozen in mid-air. Mrs. Morgan held Bercheria tightly in her plump, soft arms.
“Um...”
“Thank you for saving my life.”
“Ah.”
Mrs. Morgan remembered the moment when she fell into the water.
Bercheria, who was in the library with Lacrahan, happened to look out the window and saw Mrs. Morgan hanging precariously from a tree.
Lacrahan ran to rescue her, but to her exceptionally sharp eyes, the scene was utterly precarious.
Then, when the branch snapped, she leaped forward without a second thought. She didn't think anyone would see her, nor did she think that using her strength might damage her body. She was only focused on saving Mrs. Morgan.
"Don't worry,"
Mrs. Morgan said, gently stroking Bercheria's back.
"I haven't told anyone, and I won't."
She had saved Mrs. Morgan so that others wouldn't find out, but she hadn't expected her to notice.
Mrs. Morgan hugged Bercheria even more tenderly.
"The young lady who saved the children and saved me is like an angel descended from heaven."
Tears welled up from Bercheria's frozen eyes.
Bercheria lifted her hand, which was resting on Mrs. Morgan's arm, and brushed away the clear water droplets that had fallen from her eyes.
The moisture clung to her fingertips felt strange, as if it wasn't her own.
Even though her mother had occasionally interrupted her, Bercheria was able to navigate the Awakened's memories and carry out her daily activities without a hitch.
However, emotions remained difficult.
Reading the Awakened's memories felt like reading an unkind book, leaving her unable to grasp what she had felt and acquired within them.
"Why am I crying?"
Mrs. Morgan released Bercheria and cradled her tearful face in her hands.
"I think I know why you're crying."
"Why?"
Mrs. Morgan smiled.
"It's because you're loved."
"Love?"
"Yes. You sensed my sincerity."
Since the loss of Bercheria, the goddess of weather, and the subsequent war, the North has been overflowing with people who have lost their families.
Some have lost their parents, others have lost their children.
Few have managed to protect their families.
Mrs. Morgan was one of them.
"People don't grieve because they lack love. It's only after they've received it that they realize how desperately they've been thirsting for it."
Even as she listened to Mrs. Morgan's story, tears continued to flow from Bercheria's eyes.
“Don’t panic. These are good tears.”
She hugged Bercheria and patted her.
“Oh, dear. The food is getting cold. Let’s hurry and eat.”
Mrs. Morgan patted Bercheria on the shoulder and set down the plates from the wagon one by one.
“I’ll take care of it, so just wait there for a moment.”
While Mrs. Morgan served the food, Bercheria walked to the window and stared blankly at the scenery outside.
In this unusually peaceful landscape, a strange man stood there, staring at her.
Bercheria couldn’t believe her eyes for a moment.
The man had an outward appearance she’d never seen before in the North.
Her room was on the second floor, and the man wasn’t far away, so she could clearly see his features.
Red hair and eyes of the same color.
Just as Bercheria’s blond hair stood out among the dark-haired Northerners, the man’s red hair was distinctive enough to be recognized from afar.
Bercheria, who discovered the lizard the red-haired man was carrying next to his handsome features, looked startled.
“What is that?”
At the same time, she felt something sparkle and shine on Lauren’s hand.
A flash of light erupted from Bercheria’s eyes as she gazed at the lizard.
“What’s in it?”
She rubbed her eyes and raised her head. The lizard she had just seen now looked completely different.
“So cute.”
The sight of the small lizard clinging to the man’s shoulder and turning its head here and there as if to admire it was utterly adorable. They were completely oblivious to the existence of the divine creature.
When Beloveye transformed into a lizard, he had thoroughly concentrated his power, so no one could detect his true presence.
As Bercheria stared blankly, Lauren brushed back his red hair and slowly walked towards her.
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