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“Taking the train is never boring, as always.”

As we glided past cities and rural areas, with mountains and fields appearing, the panorama outside the train offered no chance for boredom.

In the dining car, I had a meal and enjoyed a cup of coffee made with hot water from a dispenser in the middle aisle. I also bought bento boxes, sunflower seeds, and nuts from the stewardess’s small cart.

Chatting with my older brother and sister, whenever I felt bored, I stepped into the corridor to smoke while gazing out the window.

After a full day on the bumpy train, we finally arrived in the West.

In stark contrast to the ancient city, the clean air of the relatively preserved nature in the West filled my lungs as I stepped off the train.

“I, the descent.”

Suddenly, someone whacked me on the back of the head. The force was so fierce I thought my eyes might pop out.

“What the hell are you hitting me for?”

“You suddenly wake up and start talking nonsense.”

“Don’t fight. Do you really want to argue here at the family home?”

“Does this look like a fight to you?”

Ignoring the quarrel between Older Sister Adela and Older Brother Jerry, I rubbed the back of my head and moved my luggage.

—

Episode 10 – Turn Northwest

The West of the Kingdom of Abas is a land with a history of twists and hardships.

It has bordered the straits and has been recognized as a strategic point since ancient times, home to many fishermen. However, unlike the prospering South that amassed wealth through trade between the East and West, due to its geographic closeness to the Mauritania Continent, the West remained relatively underdeveloped.

As the Eastern elves, nomads, and other tribes gradually expanded their influence westward, the West began to gain military importance.

The Queen ruling Abas at the time built a port in the West and improved the road network. Thanks to the royal insight, the West effectively acted as a bulwark against invasions over hundreds of years.

However, the long period of repeated invasions and wars ravaged the West. After the elves and nomadic tribes lost their supremacy, the West was neglected as it lost its military value.

Yet, when the heavens fall, a hole for escape surely exists.

There was a man who, under royal orders, rebuilt the ravaged West; he was none other than the ancestor of the renowned Nostrim Family, known as an administrator and architect.

—

After a full day on the train, we headed to the Nostrim Family ancestral home filled with history.

“Ah.”

On our way to the entrance of the mansion, we spotted a familiar person.

“Mom!”

“Oh, you’re here.”

Older Sister Adela ran joyfully into the arms of a middle-aged woman, who was carrying a load in both hands. It was a sight that a senior figure from a venerable family might cluck their tongue at, but the middle-aged woman did not scold her.

Because it was Mom.

The middle-aged woman, wearing a wide-brimmed hat adorned with decorations, gently patted her neatly coiffed daughter’s head.

Her previously expressionless eyes sparkled with a hint of shyness, and the softly folded wrinkles on her face told of the passage of time, yet created a peaceful atmosphere.

“Have you been well, my daughter?”

“Yes!”

Older Sister Adela chirped with a cute smile, babbling nonsense.

I pointed at her with trembling fingers.

“…What on earth did she just say?”

“Hey, Fred. What does ‘this’ mean to you? This.”

“Huh… Has the kingdom of Abas finally fallen? The Republicans will likely dominate the elections next year, damn it.”

“Refrain from political statements as a civil servant.”

The meticulous Treasury Department official cautioned me to maintain the political neutrality expected of public servants. Of course, I knew it was a joke and so did they, which kept the atmosphere light.

Older Brother Jerry patted my shoulder and joined in the conversation between mother and daughter.

“I’ve arrived, Mom.”

“Jerry! Our son. How’s life in the capital? I hear the Treasury is busy these days.”

“It’s always bustling in the Treasury. But nothing can compare to the royal family. How are His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen?”

“They’re both doing well. But you all look quite worn out.”

When the Treasury official shrugged, the Foreign Ministry official pouted.

“What difficult matters could the Treasury possibly have? Always nitpicking and not processing budgets properly.”

“If the diplomats wouldn’t use the embassy funds for personal affairs, maybe we’d grant requests more easily? Please, avoid unnecessary spending while abroad. Why are national funds being spent on golf and social clubs on weekends?”

“But that’s tradition. And do you think we just eat and drink? We have to meet with foreign diplomats on weekends, and there’s no way to cover that with our private funds.”

“I think that’s not tradition but corruption.”

“It’s for survival.”

They were causing a ruckus.

Whether they had some sort of curse that prevented them from being quiet for even a second, Older Brother Jerry and Older Sister Adela began to roast each other unexpectedly. This is why I avoided the family home. Family gatherings during holidays meant endless questions that drained my energy. What on earth were they so curious about?

Tsk! I small clicked my tongue and passed by them.

“It’s been a while, Mother.”

“Fred. You’ve come too.”

“Yes.”

I politely greeted my mother, whom I hadn’t seen in years. She welcomed me warmly, and that was the end of our conversation.

“…….”

“…….”

Silence hung in the air for about two seconds.

My mother smiled at her long-lost son, and I simply stood there, gazing at her.

What should I say?

“Have you been well lately?”

“Of course. I’m doing well. Did you get a new suit?”

“You recognized it.”

I nodded while looking down at the suit I was wearing. The one I used to wear was discarded after a terrorist incident, and the ready-made suits I had didn’t fit properly; most of them were altered.

As the months passed, I lost a bit of weight, making my suits a bit loose. So, I sent it to the tailor to get it adjusted.

By the way, the suit I was wearing now fit perfectly. Francesca had measured me by eye and placed the order. Like some master alchemist, her ability to take measurements was impressive.

I couldn’t accept such an expensive gift, so I tried to pay for it, but Francesca generously gave it to me as a reward for her efforts.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was taken aback later when I saw the price tag. It wasn’t some Huntsman suit; it was more than several months of a major’s salary for just one outfit.

This was clearly not just a simple gift but something I would have to repay later. Still, I didn’t refuse Francesca’s “kindness.”

Lost in memories while gazing at the suit, my mother suddenly posed a question.

“By the way, Fred. How have you been?”

I quickly retraced my thoughts.

Due to the nature of my job at the information agency, it’s hard to reveal my identity to anyone other than my parents. I couldn’t even say I worked for the information agency when meeting friends or relatives.

To assist those employees, the information agency creates scenarios to navigate situations. It doesn’t matter if you can’t memorize them. But if you show off that you’re an “information officer,” you’d get fired on the spot if caught. It would be a breach of confidentiality.

“Oh, I’m working for a seafood company in China lately. It’s a small company bringing fish caught in the Chinese seas into the country; it’s based in Dalian.”

“I’m in the research field. Just a marine-related research institute, um, it’s located in the countryside, by the coast.”

“I’m a journalist in the international section of a media outlet, so I travel abroad often. This photo here is from a trip with a war correspondent, and here’s my business card.”

“My college friend, who came here as an exchange student, is starting a startup in India, and I’m working there now.”

“I’m just a career soldier.”

A multitude of memories flashed by like a panorama.

The scenarios I mentioned to a friend I met in college, the one I shared with my high school teacher the first time I visited after graduation, the answers I gave my grandmother during holidays, the faux business card handed to the mother of a chance acquaintance, the lies I’d told my mom.

Whether on Earth or here, it was all the same.

In fact, the recent scenarios were increasingly detailed and elaborate. Now that my identity as a defense attaché was public, I could respond more thoroughly to persistent inquiries than I could before.

But even this got tiresome, so I sighed inwardly and admitted the truth.

“I’m doing fine, more or less. Recently, I’ve been working as an attaché at the embassy.”

“…Is that so?”

“The military is always like that. You know.”

I noticed my mother’s hands and realized something was off.

She was gently scratching her neatly trimmed nails with her opposite thumb. I knew it was a habit of hers that surfaced whenever something weighed on her mind—a kind of anxious behavior, similar to nail-biting.

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue softly and called out to my older brother and sister, who were still squabbling.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Could you stop fighting in front of Mother? You’re both grown adults; isn’t it a bit embarrassing?”

“What’s embarrassing is that you haven’t shown your face for three years—wait. Hey, Frederick! Where are you going?!”

“I’m leaving first. Take care of Mother.”

With that, I ditched my brother and sister and made my escape from the situation.

*

The Nostrim family mansion in the West is quite spacious.

Originally, the property belonged to a local prominent figure, but during the war, his entire family was wiped out.

The mansion remained relatively intact, but the relatives of the former owner had absolutely no intention of moving to the often-invaded West.

They renounced their inheritance, and eventually, according to law, the mansion was confiscated by the government to fund the reconstruction of the West through an auction.

The buyer at that time was none other than the founder of the Nostrim family.

This small, old mansion built in the 1700s weathered the war but, once in the hands of its slightly hipster founder, was completely remodeled.

As a true architect, he demolished the structure and built a modern mansion for the times.

Spacious, grand, and magnificent.

The mansion built in the 18th-century style was indeed impressive enough to make one feel a sense of grandeur just by looking at it.

My room was the second from the left on the second floor. I was assigned rooms in birth order, so right next door were Older Sister Adela’s room and “that brat’s” room.

I sat on the edge of my bed and surveyed the room I had returned to after so long.

“…….”

Surprisingly, the room didn’t feel nostalgic after years away. I didn’t reminisce about childhood memories when seeing the furniture that had my fingerprints on them. Instead, it felt oddly unfamiliar.

Lying down on the bed, exhausted from the long train journey, I found nothing had changed.

I felt the familiar texture of the blanket I often covered myself with during those so-called days and muttered absentmindedly.

“…Was my room this small?”

It’s hard to believe I spent twenty years here.

Now that I’m an adult and have stopped growing, it’s not like I got taller, nor could the mansion have been expanded in just a few years, so it must be just my perception.

I tossed my stuff aside and sprawled out on the bed. It felt uncomfortable, oddly more so than being on the farm.

As I lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling, I suddenly heard a knock.

*Knock! Knock!*

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, your brother.”

It was Brother Jerry.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Jerry entered, dressed in a gentleman’s suit like a true nobleman. Of course, he had removed the stuffy jacket and wore only the waistcoat.

“Why are you in formal wear at home?”

“It’s comfortable. I wear it all the time, so I end up wearing it at home too.”

“Oh, come on….”

The Treasury Department official grinned warmly. He brought over a chair, setting it down beside my bed before sitting comfortably.

“So, how does it feel to be home after a long time?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, how does it feel? It’s almost been five years since you were last here.”

Well, I pondered for a moment.

“Honestly, I’m not feeling much. It’s nice to be on leave, so that’s a plus.”

“Really?”

“But why are you suddenly asking such random questions?”

Jerry let out a light sigh.

“Your expression seems a bit down, and I thought there might be something wrong.”

“Oh.”

So that’s what it was.

I turned slightly and smiled at him.

“I thought you were asking something out of the blue. That’s just unnecessary meddling, you know?”

“How is that meddling? I’m your brother.”

“Isn’t it just like relatives prying during holidays? Honestly, you do sound a little old-fashioned when you do that, don’t you know?”

“You’ve developed quite the habit of talking back, haven’t you? I didn’t exactly leave you with Adela at the Academy for nothing.”

Jerry broke into a chuckle as he shook his head. There was a time when it was hard to find someone to take care of the kids; our busy parents had relied on Adela, who was still a minor back then and had absolutely no skills in babysitting.

“Do you remember that time? Aya got seriously sick, and with the servant out, when something came up at your maternal grandparents’ house, our parents and I left for a bit—Adela looked after you guys for days.”

“Oh, I remember. We ate pancakes for days.”

“As soon as we got back, Aya was crying, begging Dad to throw all those pancakes away. She used to say they were the best in the world, remember?”

I chuckled in response.

“She probably can’t eat those anymore. Even in the Academy, she ran away whenever anyone suggested pancakes.”

“Really?”

“Honestly, those weren’t even pancakes. They were burnt on the outside and undercooked on the inside.”

“Ah, got it.”

We reminisced about Adela’s embarrassing cooking days. If she had been listening, she might have covered her ears and begged us to stop.

After sharing some long-forgotten memories, Jerry, listening intently, suddenly brought something up.

“Fred, why didn’t you tell Mother earlier?”

“About what?”

“The Oracle.”

The Oracle—meaning the divine revelation received from the Cult.

That was about my selection as Camila’s companion.

Jerry continued, “You’ve become a hero’s companion. It’s been splashed all over the newspapers and news, so the rumors have spread far and wide.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“But I was wondering why you didn’t tell our parents.”

I gave a short response.

“Do they really need me to tell them? It’ll be on TV anyway.”

With what seemed like an off-kilter response, Jerry lightly scolded me.

“Still, it’s proper to tell them directly. Even if some time has passed, that’s the right way.”

“…….”

“Your parents would feel better hearing it directly from you rather than in the news.”

Of course, we would feel the same way.

Even as Jerry said that, I showed no particular reaction.

I could tell them I was now Camila’s companion whenever, but the things that happened during the process would make it awkward for more than a few people.

For instance, Cardinal Raphael, who has risen to the papal seat, or Director Petrus from the Inquisition. Priest Rebecca, Veronica, and Lucia, the Imperial Guard HQ, Francesca, Sophia from the National Security Agency, Leoni, and Colonel Clevenz…

The list wasn’t short. I couldn’t predict how a single wrong word could ripple out.

So I preferred not to bring it up first.

“Well, if it’s because of your situation, there are ways to handle it.”

“Such as?”

“You could fabricate a suitable story, or just not say anything at all.”

Like that would be easy.

Lying on the bed, I stared at the ceiling, contemplating for a while before letting out a deep sigh.

“Honestly, are you asking this because of Mother’s reaction earlier?”

“Yep.”

“…Got it. I’ll take care of that.”

“Sure. Your parents would want to hear your version too.”

Jerry smiled at me, giving me a gentle nudge. Since I hadn’t eaten properly on the train, his intention was clear: let’s find something to eat first.

Slightly hungry, I got up from the bed without a second thought and went out with Jerry.

And then,

“Huh?”

I bumped into someone.

 

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