It was the day after Abel had enjoyed his time in town with Kashe.
Abel was handed a letter.
The one who delivered it was the castle’s letter officer.
Since the Empire was technically at war, all letters were subject to inspection to prevent espionage.
The sender was Walter.
Abel quickly checked the contents.
It said since it had already been over three years since Abel began serving as a squire, it was about time he came back for a visit.
It also mentioned that he should come see his little sister, who was growing up well.
—Ah… I see. Has it really been that long?
I want to see Ayla and Walter.
And my little sister.
My new family.
To think I’d ever want to see my family…
What’s going on with me?
“Lady Ise, my father says he’d like me to come home. Would it be possible to take some time off?”
“A long vacation, huh? That would be difficult right now. Unless there’s a pretty strong reason. Like your own wedding or a parent’s funeral. Your hometown was Tenana, right? If you go by horse, it’s less than ten days round trip.”
“Yes. If I stay in Tenana for two or three days… it should be doable.”
“Let’s ask Sir Gatu. If we can create a pretext like claiming there’s a patrol mission in the Tenana region, then you wouldn’t need to officially apply for leave. Even if you did apply, we already know it’d be rejected.”
Abel was impressed by Ise’s quick thinking. Despite her usual “always ready for battle” mentality, she was surprisingly flexible.
What an amazing superior…
Whether a boss lets you take time off is a pretty important standard, after all.
“You’re surprisingly accommodating, Lady Ise.”
Ise replied with a rare smile.
“It’s a good thing to have a place to return to.”
“…Then, where is your place to return to, Lady Ise?”
“The House of Highwand gives me the chance to fight. If I had to name a place… it would be here.”
Abel felt a complicated emotion rise within him.
After all, despite being a knight, Ise had the appearance of one of the demon race and was often treated unfairly.
To begin with, most knights didn’t even offer her basic courtesies like greetings.
She was also never invited to training sessions or practice matches.
But that, apparently, had a reason: no one could beat Ise in training.
You’d think that would encourage people to challenge her anyway, but it seemed that losing to a non-human half-blood was considered an unbearable humiliation.
Knights and nobles were obsessively fixated on pride and appearances, so rather than acknowledge that Ise was stronger, they simply chose to ignore her.
With both overt and subtle forms of discrimination, it seemed the only place Ise truly belonged was the Highwand Knights. Though even there, she was never fully accepted.
That couldn’t possibly be the way things should be…
Abel couldn’t help thinking that. But the harsh reality was that it stemmed from national policy and social systems….things he had no power to change.
Later, when he explained the situation to Gatu, the man fully supported the idea.
He even told Abel he should leave immediately.
Abel asked Gatu to keep an eye on Walt’s meals. That said, Walt usually just wandered over to Pierre’s for food, so it wasn’t like anyone actually had to take care of him.
Still, just to be safe… If Walt didn’t get fed, there was a risk he could become aggressive.
Abel also made sure to report to the butler Keifard.
Though Keifard wasn’t a warrior, he had an unnervingly sharp presence. When Abel told him he’d be away on a mission, the butler briefly made a complicated expression.
Abel guessed it was probably about Kashe’s mood.
But Abel was a squire, and of course he knew that duty came first. So he said nothing more and simply gave a respectful nod.
“Abel. I’ll inform Lady Kashe on your behalf. Take care on your mission. And once you return, make sure to greet her first thing.”
“Yes, understood. Then, Master Keifard, this is Abel, setting out on duty.”
Keifard stood tall and sent him off with the solemn formality of a man seeing someone off to a life-or-death mission.
…Even though, in truth, this was just a trip back home.
But telling the whole truth wasn’t always the right choice.
Some things went more smoothly if left unsaid. This was one of those times.
And with that, Abel left the castle behind.
***
Abel and Ise rode side by side on horseback.
Gale was the faster of the two, but since it was a long journey, they paced themselves to avoid exhausting the horses.
If he remembered correctly, three years ago it had taken him six days on foot to get there one way.
He recalled that Rick had been with him then…
—Wonder how Rick’s doing now.
He hadn’t heard a single word from him.
From time to time, Abel would ask returning soldiers, those who’d come back due to illness or injury about Rick, but no one ever knew anything. Rick was just a nameless low-ranking soldier, after all.
There was no way to contact him. Nothing he could do.
And perhaps…
The unpleasant possibility of death in battle kept flickering through his mind.
If someone in a commanding position died, there would at least be an official notice.
But for someone like Rick who had no relatives, no connections, and had entered the army as the lowest of the low, it was all too common to just vanish without a trace.
Abel felt a heaviness settle in his chest, but there was nothing he could do.
Along the way, a light rain began to fall.
They kept moving, wearing cloaks made of oiled leather to keep dry.
It was nearly autumn, though the temperature hadn’t dropped much yet.
The rain made the air hazy and damp.
The atmosphere in the post town wasn’t good.
Strange-looking men loitered about.
Wearing rough clothing made from animal pelts and cheap leather armor, they carried spears and other weapons.
They didn’t seem to have any work, drinking from midday and playing dice games.
Fights seemed to break out often, too.
These men drifted into Highwand territory from who knows where, drawn by the proximity to the front lines. But they never actually made it to the central plains where the real fighting happened.
In reality, they were just wandering around aimlessly, hoping to stumble upon some profitable scheme.
Naturally, that led to a rise in crime.
That night, Abel and Ise stayed at a modest inn in the post town.
They shared a small private room.
It had nothing but two narrow beds.
They quickly went to sleep without doing any of the work a knight or squire would expect.
Ise, clearly focused on their mission, seemed to be making an effort not to create any unnecessary work.
Abel didn’t bring it up, of course…
Eventually, they left the main road, and the surroundings became unmistakably rural.
Bit by bit, the landscape grew more and more familiar.
After passing through a forested area, wide rows of farmland came into view.
They had arrived at the Tenana village.
“So this is where you were born, Abel?”
“Well… you could say that, yes.”
Abel could only give a somewhat half-hearted reply.
It was the place where he’d grown up, but somehow, it didn’t quite feel like his birthplace.
“I want you to go and greet them first, Abel. I’ll stay back so I don’t get in the way.”
“Lady Ise? There’s no need to be so reserved.”
“That’s not the point. You should talk with your parents first.”
Since Ise insisted, there was no reason to argue.
They arrived at the familiar stone-built clinic.
When Abel opened the door, Walter was in the back, in the middle of a consultation.
And then came the smell.
That distinctive scent of boiling herbs.
He had once smelled it every single day. Now, it stirred his senses the moment it hit his nose.
Ayla was preparing medicine, looking just as beautiful as the day they had parted.
Her long, golden hair was tied back like a horse’s tail.
She wore a plain white work coat with no trace of vanity, but there was still something inexplicably charming about her. Abel was struck again by just how beautiful a woman she was.
His gaze met his mother Ayla’s eyes that were as clear as the open sky.
In that instant, her face lit up in surprise.
And then, a radiant smile spread across her face.
She ran over and embraced him.
Her warm, soft chest smothered his face.
She smelled sweet.
“Abel! You’ve gotten so big! I can’t believe it!”
“You too, Mother… um, hasn’t your chest gotten even bigger?”
“Well, of course! I had a baby! I still breastfeed her from time to time.”
Not quite sure how to handle the long-overdue reunion, Abel ended up greeting Walter with a strangely formal tone.
Walter gave a slight nod and returned straight to his work.
He was a man who didn’t let personal matters interfere with his duties.
When Abel glanced around the examination room, he noticed an infant sleeping in a cradle.
His little sister.
Her name hadn’t been mentioned in the letter they’d received before.
“Mother. What’s her name?”
“I named her Sara. It’s the name of a migratory bird said to bring good fortune. They don’t live around here. It’s a bird from my homeland. They’re a beautiful shade of blue.”
“…Sara Ray, huh. That’s a wonderful name.”
Sara was sleeping with a healthy, rosy face.
It was such a strange feeling. Something he had never experienced before.
Family.
The family was growing…
A family could only grow if the parents truly loved each other.
Sara was plump and utterly cute.
Just having a little sister felt like a miracle.
Not wanting to get in the way of work, Abel stepped outside for a while.
Ise was waiting out front.
“Let’s rest at the house.”
Abel led Ise through the garden.
There it was. The house.
A familiar home, the place he was meant to return to.
The man at Abel’s core felt an overwhelming strangeness.
In his previous life, he had never once thought of home as a place to return to, or anything worth missing.
—Ever since childhood, I always hated it. That thing called home.
Home was hell.
Nothing good ever came from going back.
Shouting, beatings, endless complaints….never a single good memory.
Go home, and that bastard would be there, hitting me in the face without a word.
The reason was always something trivial.
Not taking out the trash in the morning, not washing a cup.
Any reason would do.
He just wanted to lecture me. And the lectures went on for two to four hours at a time.
And then the beatings…he loved hitting me.
That little man…
I always wished he’d die, wished he’d just die already.
In the end, I killed him.
He died easily.
He beat me so many times, but when I smashed him with a sake bottle and kicked him, he died just like that.
Because of that, I ended up spending most of my twenties in prison.
Living as a true failure.
That maggot. That piece of trash.
If I was going to kill him anyway, I should have made him suffer more first.
Once wasn’t nearly enough.
Suddenly, Abel felt someone’s eyes on him.
It was Ise, standing at his side.
“What is it, Lady Ise?”
“Just now, Abel…you looked so happy. But suddenly, your eyes turned terrifying. I wondered what had happened.”
—She noticed…
“Is that a rare joke? There’s nothing in the world that could frighten you, Lady Ise.”
“No, there is. Sometimes, Abel. You frighten me. Just for an instant, like just now.”
“Me? Scary? But why? You’re far stronger than I am.”
“That’s not it. …I feel as though one day you’ll do something that goes far beyond the bounds of common sense. As if you carry some kind of power or presence that could wipe out everyone around you. I can’t explain it well.”
It was rare for her to speak so slowly and with such hesitation.
“…I just remembered something unpleasant. About what family means.”
Ise seemed lost in thought.
“Do you dislike your family? Abel, your parents seemed like good people.”
“Ayla and Walter are the best. Honestly, they’re far too good for someone like me. It’s nothing. I’m just… a little messed up in the head. Sometimes it happens. Please forgive me.”
Ise said nothing more.
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