Chapter 183: Return (1)
Instead of taking the railway, they returned to the Empire via airship.
It wasn’t that commoners with blue blood and sickle cell were unheard of; rather, there was still much work to be done.
Piles of documents awaited them.
Eliminating all the demonic creatures didn’t signify the end of the expedition. Both Shiron and Malleus found themselves ensnared in ongoing paperwork throughout their return journey.
They were tasked with repetitive duties such as disbanding and reassigning units, coordinating with the knights for the next expedition, and deciding on the treatment of the newly introduced punitive squads.
Of course, Shiron and Malleus didn’t possess absolute decision-making authority, so they adhered to the procedures previously outlined by the civil officers.
Those among the troops in good condition saw their sentences reduced, while those evaluated unfavorably were not sent to the central prison but to a border prison instead.
This arrangement allowed all members of the unit to have their sentences reduced by three to five times the length of their service period.
Complaints about everyone being evaluated favorably were expected, but it was inevitable. Those who had lost their minds had already met violent ends, and it was impossible to send the dead as undead to the borders.
Among them, individuals like Jansen, who discovered their talents late, were notable.Although criminals, the process included not only a special pardon for those like Jansen, who had noble origins and could wield sword energy, but also an additional step of changing their nationality to Lucerne and starting as a knight’s apprentice, a prospect Jansen was content with.
“I’m worried because it’s a challenge at such a late age, but I’ll do my best.”
“How old are you?”
“I’m thirty-one this year.”
Shiron, before the possession, was a similar age to Cha Hyun-jun.
Shiron looked at Jansen with mixed feelings.
‘Didn’t he say his daughter, who couldn’t go to school, died…’
Sometimes, this world seemed light, yet it strangely meshed with reality, occasionally making one lose their mind.
Shiron sincerely hoped for Jansen’s success and comforted him by patting his shoulder.
“I hope… God’s… blessing is with you on your path.”
“Have you said your farewells?”
Malleus, who was loading the carriage, joined their conversation. To escort those newly dedicated to God’s path, he planned to leave Rien for Lucerne.
“We didn’t make such grand farewells.”
“To me, it seemed like a very touching goodbye.”
“I guess I’m quite sensitive for my age.”
“Don’t be too embarrassed by a joke. There’s still a lot of life left, and as long as you are a knight, it’s unlikely… you won’t meet again.”
Ha ha ha. After a few seconds of pause, Malleus laughed heartily and thumped Jansen on the back.
“Well, Shiron. You’ve worked hard. Thanks to your help, the work ended quickly.”
“Sir Malleus also worked hard.”
“I’ll stop by the imperial palace midway through, so you should rest now. I’d appreciate it if you could send my regards to Sir Hugo.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Shiron waved until the large wagon disappeared. Handing over the remaining work to a senior he liked wasn’t pleasant, but Shiron quietly accepted Malleus’s kindness.
During the trip from the border here, on the airship, Shiron didn’t sleep at all but devoted himself to handling documents. He also wanted to focus on his upcoming magical training and was not keen on delaying his work.
“Master Hero.”
As soon as Malleus was gone, someone grasped his hand. It was Latera. Her pronunciation was slurred because she was sucking on a large lollipop.
“Are we going back to the mansion now?”
“Not right away, I’m going to stop by the gift shop.”
“What kind of gift? Who is it for?”
“There are many people. There’s my great uncle, Lady Eldrina, and also Sir Johan, Lucia, Seira, and Siriel. Oh, why are there so many?”
Shiron counted on his fingers the number of people he had to buy gifts for. With so many people, figuring out what to buy was a headache.
But he had already decided on the gifts for Lucia and Siriel.
‘Lucia told me to buy ice cream, so that should do. And a bouquet of flowers for Siriel.’
Was he looking at flowers when he moved? Shiron felt the grip in his hand getting stronger.
Looking down in that direction, he saw Latera, smiling mischievously, which was not appropriate for her age.
“Hero, what about me?”
“Huh?”
Shiron couldn’t understand why Latera was acting this way. Latera tilted her head in response to Shiron’s puzzled look and then tilted it back.
“I also want a gift…”
“I bought you candy at the store yesterday. Surely that’s not enough?”
“Eating too much sweet stuff will rot your teeth,” Shiron said curtly, causing Latera to pout her lips.
“I won’t buy it even if you act upset. And, you’ve been sticking with me all this time, so why do you need a gift?”
For that reason, Shiron did not give gifts to Malleus or even to Victor, who had cheekily gone ahead to the imperial palace first.
For your information, Victor did not help with the paperwork on the airship, claiming he was not feeling well. He might have had a stomach issue, as he was in and out of the restroom for two days and was hardly seen.
‘What can you do if he’s sick?’
After receiving the bouquet, Shiron handed a gold coin to the clerk.
“Brother!”
As soon as he returned to the mansion, what he faced was a pale-looking Siriel. Without having informed them of his arrival, Siriel was the first to greet Shiron at the main gate.
“Have you been eating well? Your face has completely thinned out!”
“…Really?”
“Yes! Your cheeks have gotten so thin, you look poor. Let’s go inside quickly, I’ll ask the chef to prepare something!”
Dragged along by an irresistible force, Shiron, who thought he had grown stronger over the past year, realized Siriel had grown even stronger.
“Siriel, wait a moment.”
Shiron stopped an excited Siriel, who turned around without resisting the pull.
“Why? Aren’t you hungry?”
“It’s not that.”
This time, Shiron took Siriel’s hand. They were not headed towards the mansion’s main gate, where Siriel was aiming, but towards a garden where the buds were just beginning to bloom.
“Ahem… Siriel.”
“Yes?”
“Did you hear anything from Lady Eldrina?”
“Mother? Why mother?”
“Never mind.”
Shiron hadn’t managed to inform Siriel about the engagement over the past year. Realizing this, Shiron pulled out a bouquet of flowers he had hidden behind his back.
Siriel’s eyes sparkled, and she looked overjoyed.
“I thought you already had enough jewelry. So, I got you a bouquet instead.”
Shiron gazed at Siriel, wondering what the most handsome expression in the world might be.
But there was a problem.
Siriel looked so pretty after not seeing her for a year that it was hard to face her and talk. Siriel had always been a cute and pretty girl since she was young, but perhaps because of the long separation, the chubby childishness had gone, and she had blossomed into a fully mature lady.
Still, it wasn’t too bad that they couldn’t look each other in the eye.
Siriel bowed her head and turned away first.
“Th-thank you, brother.”
The boldness she used to show was gone. Receiving the bouquet, Siriel blushed and bowed her head deeply.
Hugo always brought a bouquet for Eldrina whenever he returned from an expedition. Having grown up watching such scenes from childhood, Siriel felt like the happiest girl in the world, even with just a bouquet.
Shiron took a deep breath and hugged Siriel tightly.
Siriel was startled but made a blissful face as she smelled the scent of flowers mixed with her brother’s love.
For a moment.
Shiron released the embrace upon feeling a gaze from the side.
“…Have you returned?”
It was Lucia.
Unlike the elegantly dressed Siriel, Lucia was in a martial outfit, steaming with heat.
As someone connected to the Immigration Bureau, Siriel knew in advance when Shiron would arrive, unlike Lucia, who had relatively less information and couldn’t help but be late.
How could she constantly wait for Shiron’s arrival? So, feeling Shiron’s presence during her sword training, Lucia hurried over as best she could.
“Lucia, come here too.”
Shiron approached Lucia with a slightly eased heart. Somehow, this straightforward girl was easier to deal with than Siriel.
“I’ll hug you too.”
“No, no need!”
Lucia gasped and stepped back from Shiron.
At her cold reaction, Shiron’s footsteps came to a sudden halt.
Lucia regretted her reaction.
“Ah, it’s not that I don’t need it. I’m just sweaty right now… it feels icky!”
“That can happen.”
Shiron nodded, feeling reassured.
Keeping an appropriate distance, Shiron reached into his pocket and pulled out an ice cream. Lucia, wiping her face with her sleeve, looked puzzled.
“What’s this?”
“You told me before I left. To buy ice cream.”
“…I’ll enjoy it.”
Lucia carefully accepted the ice cream Shiron handed her.
She was delighted that Shiron remembered what she had said a year ago and felt her face flush with warmth.
“It’s melon flavored…”
Murmuring to herself, Lucia turned her gaze away from Shiron. Whether by some magic, the ice cream hadn’t melted at all, quickly cooling her face.
“…”
Lucia sucked on her ice cream while watching Siriel, who was holding a bouquet.