Only then did Edgar see his daughter.
Christa, who was running wild with reddened eyes and gasping for breath, slowly caught her breath while clasping hands that were still not trembling.
"Why..."
No, there is no need to even ask.
At this moment, there was only one thing certain.
If he hadn't come, or if he had been even a little late.
Richard is dead.
In Christa's hands.
That alone was an undeniable truth.
***
“Cough!”
Merchen vomited blood.
It was what happened the moment the poison syringe was injected to induce demonic transformation after the three-day extermination had ended.
If the transformation into a demon proceeds immediately after being poisoned, it does not turn into a Ratan like before.
“Prince!”
Vania hurriedly ran to him.
Mirror Eye - The Fountain of Purification
Merchen, whose expression had finally relaxed, staggered weakly and leaned against Vania's shoulder. A shocked Vania wiped the blood from Merchen's mouth with her sleeve.
Nike was convinced as he looked at it.
Currently, there is a problem with Ratan.
It is in a state where it has been damaged to the point where it cannot even transform into a demon.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Vania, Merchen, Ryan, and even the Belzers all looked at Nike at once.
Emergency situation: Lost Ratan!
Their eyes look as if asking how to solve this.
Cover Ratan's carrier with a cloth and have him return. It will be obvious if it's empty due to the horse's speed, so fill it with rocks equal to Ratan's weight.
"Ugh!"
"All right!"
The Belzers moved to set up the mobile cage.
Merchen, who was standing being supported by Vania, asked Nike with an expectant expression.
"Look here, then did the monster disappear forever?"
"No, I'm sorry to say, but that probably isn't the case. I see it as simply recovering from a blow. If it were capable of annihilating itself if things went wrong, it wouldn't have taken such a risk and caused such a commotion in the first place."
Merchen's expression turned sullen.
"Shall I take the Prince?"
Ryan got attached. It was a question that implied it was a bit difficult.
Merchen that wasn't in the procession coming to the subjugation site, but suddenly appeared in the returning procession.
Just looking at it, it looks suspicious.
Furthermore, if Ratan is really in a recovery period, there is no telling when he will be able to transform into a demon again.
In Merchen, if it gets hurt, Ratan is bound to pop out whether it wants to or not...
- Argh. You little fly!
Didn't you realize this with absolute certainty this time?
That crazy monster is a being that no one but Vania can control, and one that cannot be predicted when or how it will run wild.
"Merchen, you come with us. Vania needs to take control if anything unexpected happens."
"Huh? Really? You're saying you're going to take the Prince with you for your next schedule?"
Ryan frowned.
"A pilgrimage to ancestral graves?!"
That is right. Nike must now go to finish the rest of his pilgrimage. Wasn't that also why he brought Vania along?
An essential custom of a royal marriage is where the couple-to-be visits the estate managing the ancestral shrine to pay their respects to deceased members of the imperial family.
Nike, who had experienced it for the first time at the first pilgrimage site before the subjugation, let out a sigh as he recalled the ceremony, which was conducted in a rather old-fashioned manner.
"It can't be helped."
***
Ryan left the subjugation site first.
Merchen ended up following us, and I actually felt more at ease this way.
Merchen, who had always lived safely inside Belzer Castle and within the territory, because he always had to worry about becoming a demon.
To think that he, who hadn't engaged in any outside activities for such a long time, suddenly has to travel across the continent from the West to the East?
And that too, without him being able to control the Ratan?
Huh. It doesn't make sense.
I feel at ease only when he is by my side. I received a promise from Nike that he would safely take him to Belzer once we finished our schedule.
However, we also needed a reason to explain to the outside world how Merchen came to join us...
"M-Merchen is Ratan?"
Reiner, Nike's subordinate and best friend, blinked blankly.
"If you don't want to believe it, don't. Actually, you don't have to believe it. Just match your stories and say that Merchen was here as an attendant for the Princess's pilgrimage to the family tomb."
The smart Nike wrote the script.
However, since at least one helper was needed, Reiner was chosen.
Rainer, who had been staring at Merhen with his mouth wide open, swallowed hard.
"Keep your mouth shut."
Reiner nodded with a frightened expression at Nike's warning.
"Yeah, yeah, right..."
***
With Rainer's help, we were able to send the Imperial Knights back first and minimize the number of eyes watching.
The second pilgrimage destination on that path was the estate called Kreshman.
To ensure the peaceful rest of the spirits, the cenotaphs were all located in a rural area with beautiful mountains and water. However, the temples housing the portraits were incongruously large and not splendid.
"Your Highness!"
As we stepped out of the carriage, the imperial attendants waiting at the temple entrance gathered before us. The chief attendant of the Crown Prince's palace breathed a sigh of relief and spoke.
"There has been a significant delay."
"The subjugation operation dragged on. But I still came straight here."
Nike pointed to his armor, meaning that he had not even been able to change clothes, and said.
"Thank you for your hard work. How would you like to organize the entourage this time?"
Access to the Temple is strictly controlled for outsiders starting from the entrance, and during ceremonies, only four people are allowed to enter, consisting of a married couple accompanied by one attendant each.
The escorts are usually knights who can provide protection.
So last time, Rainer went in as Nike's attendant, and another knight went in as my attendant.
"That is..."
As expected, the imperial family members were all looking puzzled as they glanced at Merhen, who had gotten out of the carriage with us.
"The Princess's uncle said he wanted to attend the ceremony as an attendant during the pilgrimage to the ancestral shrine, so I brought someone who was waiting at a nearby estate."
“Oh, is that so?”
Phew~ Fortunately, everyone fell for Nike's natural lie.
The four of us—Nike, Merchen, and Rainer—easily entered the cenotaph.
And from here on.
'Shhh.'
I put my index finger to my lips toward Merchen.
Merchen nodded.
'Honestly, I shouldn't say this, but it's a really old-fashioned custom.'
One of the many ironclad rules in the temple.
You must not speak.
This was because it strictly forbade acts that disturbed the rest of the spirits.
'Where are the ears of a dead person~?'
It’s an absurd thought, but honestly, it’s an annoying rule, so I can’t help it.
I was so embarrassed when I said the wrong thing at the pilgrimage site the first time, and everyone glared at me.
We headed toward the cenotaph very carefully, barely making a sound with our footsteps.
The ancestral shrine building housing the portrait of the royal family appears only after going quite a distance further in from the entrance.
When the single door opened, we had to enter the long, narrow passageway in a single file.
Nike, me, Merchen, and Rainer entered cautiously in that order.
After walking for a while, a luxurious and vast interior soon appeared, and the nine waiting tomb keepers bowed.
We also greeted each other.
'Phew, I can't do this a second time."
A spine-chilling silence.
A solemn atmosphere.
The cenotaph caretakers dressed in pure white from head to toe.
It was said that those who took pride in serving the royal family's orders and made it their lifelong profession entered the temple at a young age and cultivated their bodies and minds in isolation from the outside world.
One of the nine who appeared to be the manager gestured with dignity, and soon two managers were assigned to each of us.
They will help with washing, dressing up, and changing clothes.
For reference, while ceremonial robes vary from one burial site to another, there was one thing they all had in common.
The fact that it is disgustingly flashy and complicated.
I know because I've tried it once.
It took me over an hour just to get dressed...
***
Merchen, the Prince of the kingdom of Farnese that fell 600 years ago, could not help but shake his head at the empire's stuffy traditions, which seemed stuck in the past.
Hey, visiting an ancestor's grave during a royal wedding is a basic requirement, but he never imagined they would adhere to such a strict custom.
He can't open his mouth.
No frivolous gestures allowed.
Even the attendants, who merely came to serve the royal family, had to wear such elaborate ceremonial robes.
‘Is this right?’
After being washed, Merchen, who had been dressed up by two attendants for 40 minutes, felt a little puzzled.
"Excuse me..."
...Are the attendants' clothes supposed to be this flashy, too?
Merchen, who wanted to ask, eventually swallowed his words at the sight of the two caretakers turning pale and trembling as soon as he opened his mouth.
I shouldn't ruin Vania's once-in-a-lifetime royal wedding...
***
I was itching to die preparing for the first ceremony, but the second one was bearable.
Nike paused at the caretaker's signal that preparations were complete.
He silently asked, mimicking the motion of running his hand up and down his face.
I remember that the groom's wedding attire included a veil, so it meant whether he would put it on.
The managers shook their heads.
‘Isn’t it here?'
I liked it much more than the first memorial site. I also liked that the ceremonial robes were relatively simpler and that there was no stifling veil.
Then.
The moment he came outside, at the caretaker's guidance and faced Reiner wearing the exact same outfit as himself.
It was only then that I felt strange.
'Why are you wearing the groom's clothes?'
'Isn't that a formal robe for an attendant?'
The two talked with their eyes.
Soon, a presence was heard from beside me.
Someone wearing a splendid robe came out of another room wearing a veil.
As soon as he saw it, Nike realized that the attire was the groom's robe of the Kreshman family.
Then, who has ever worn my groom's clothes?
I know without even lifting the veil.
It must be Merchen.
"..."
Brain freeze for a moment.
A catastrophe occurred.
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