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“The more I look, the healthier you seem. Did you work out again?”

“Ah, yes. Well…”

“As expected of the frontier lord guarding the north of this country. Hahaha.”

William’s father… that is, Aidan Ruelberta, who is Tristan’s grandfather, let out a hearty laugh. He was a man with such excellent social skills that it was hard to believe he was from the notoriously infamous Ruelberta family. With a warm smile, he spoke to Kyle, appearing far from the image of a villain.

Suddenly, Aidan bowed his head toward Kyle.

“Thank you for taking care of my sick son all this time, Sir Kyle. I, Count Ruelberta, express my gratitude to you on behalf of the family.”

“Not at all. There wasn’t much for me to do.”

From their conversation, it became clear that William had been frail since birth. He had been staying at the Northern Garden for long-term treatment due to frequent illnesses.

Indeed, William, sitting on the sofa in the reception room, looked thin compared to Aidan and Kyle. Though his height made him appear slender, even considering that, he was excessively thin and pale.

“…He stayed here for about three years.”

Facing the remnants of the past, Ariel stood still, muttering to herself.

“When he first arrived, William was in terrible condition. He would faint during walks and spent most of his time lying down. I thought he might really die… But then, Kyle reached out to him.”

Ariel looked at the tall young man sitting on the sofa, Kyle. Her eyes were filled with a faint longing.

“Whenever he had time, Kyle took care of William, a complete stranger. They would walk in the garden, ride horses, and tour the village together… And then, William’s condition noticeably improved. Later, he even recovered enough to learn basic swordsmanship from Kyle.”

“…Why?”

“Huh?”

“There’s no reason for Kyle to help William.”

The question suddenly popped into my head. Even in this era, the Ruelberta family’s notoriety must have been well-known. Yet, Kyle treated William kindly despite knowing this. Did he have some kind of weakness?

But Ariel cut through my doubts in one stroke.

“Because he saw his past self in William.”

“His past self?”

“Yes. Kyle said he was very frail in the past too. In his childhood, he desperately practiced swordsmanship to become healthy and overcame his weak constitution. So, he couldn’t leave William, who was in a similar situation.”

“……”

In other words… he felt a sense of camaraderie.

I carefully observed Kyle and William. At first glance, they seemed like an odd pair. Kyle, brimming with health, and William, as thin as a skeleton. Earlier, in the room, the two had seemed as close as brothers.

“From William’s perspective, Kyle is nothing less than a savior.”

“…I see. At least, that’s how it looks to me.”

“But… honestly, I felt a bit off. Kyle cared for William like a younger brother, but from what I saw, William seemed gloomy and unpleasant.”

Ariel shot a dissatisfied glance at William. It seemed she wanted to separate Kyle and William immediately. From her perspective, it was natural to view him negatively.

“What are you talking about? William’s improvement is all thanks to Sir Kyle. Without his active help, our family line might have ended.”

“…You flatter me, Count Aidan. But I’m curious, what brings you here today?”

“Of course, I’ve come to take my son back.”

“Father…? I still want to stay here.”

William flinched and looked up. Aidan spoke to his anxious son with a gentle expression.

“I understand your feelings, but didn’t you promise? You’d return once the preparations were complete.”

“The surgery you mentioned before…?”

“Yes. Finally, we can treat your body.”

Indeed, the Ruelberta family is a powerhouse with enough influence to reach the university hospital with their vast wealth. Aidan must have been working behind the scenes to cure William’s frail body.

“Don’t worry. Once you return and undergo the surgery, you’ll be healthy.”

“…Understood. If you say so, Father, I’ll undergo the surgery.”

“Good decision.”

“Count Aidan, so William is leaving this place?”

“That’s right. Thank you for everything. I don’t know when we’ll return, but… oh.”

Suddenly, Aidan turned to Kyle.

“By the way, I heard your wife is unwell.”

“Ah… news travels fast. Ariel has been resting since her health declined after giving birth to our first child.”

“That’s unfortunate… The poor medical facilities here won’t be enough. If it’s alright with you, how about receiving treatment at a hospital in the capital?”

“Huh?”

“I’ll arrange for the best hospital in the capital. William will soon undergo surgery there as well. What do you think?”

“That’s… quite sudden…”

“Don’t feel burdened. It’s a small token of my gratitude for taking care of my only son. Ah, and Sir Kyle, why don’t you come to the capital too? As a benefactor, I’d love to invite you to our mansion…”

“No… I…”

Aidan’s friendly demeanor as he persuaded Kyle made him seem like a genuinely good-natured person. How did such a man raise scoundrels like William and Tristan?

As I pondered this, William, who had been silent, interjected.

“Um… Father.”

“Yes?”

“Is it really necessary for Brother… I mean, Sir Kyle to come? Given his position, it’s difficult for him to leave this place…”

Huh?

For a brief moment, I felt something strange. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I sensed an unfamiliar ’emotion’ in Aidan’s expression.

Moreover, the message window flickered.

[You sense a trial within]

[Your sensitivity is at 10%.]

Before I could understand what it meant, Kyle responded.

“Understood.”

“Sir Kyle?”

“Since Count Aidan insists so kindly, it would be impolite to refuse. Besides, I’d feel uneasy leaving my sick wife alone.”

“Then…”

“Yes. I’ll go to the capital myself.”

“Oh… Good decision. Really, a good decision. Hahaha.”

Aidan’s cheerful laughter showed no trace of the ’emotion’ I had sensed earlier. What was that?

“Count Aidan, I truly don’t know how to express my gratitude for your generous offer.”

“No…”

Kyle’s words made Aidan shake his head and smile kindly.

“It’s I who should be grateful.”

*

“Disgusting. I have no interest in the past of such a madman.”

Luna pouted and grumbled, clearly growing annoyed.

We had peeked into William’s past through several doors. In those memories, William was a bookish, introverted man, nothing out of the ordinary.

Honestly, like Luna, I had thought William had always been a madman… but seeing him so normal felt oddly unsettling.

‘Your father, William, was a brilliant student.’

Myohail, who had been watching William with us, spoke to me through telepathy. Come to think of it, William had been Myohail’s disciple, like Mondri, before coming to the north. It must have been a short period, but he left a strong impression.

‘He had excellent adaptability. I wondered why, and it turned out he read many difficult books for his age. Not only that, but he seemed to understand most of them. If he hadn’t been cursed… if he had magic power, he might have become a renowned magician.’

Hearing Myohail’s words, I realized how differently people viewed William. The more I learned, the more questions I had about him.

The William I saw in the trial was a ruthless man. How did such a man become such a terrifying monster? Even William’s father, Aidan, seemed perfectly normal, making the Ruelberta family even more enigmatic.

“Stop. William.”

Turning around, I saw Kyle stopping William. William had been about to strike something by the window with his scabbard but paused.

“Remember what I told you? All life has value.”

“Brother. But this is just a bug.”

As William said, a small spider was hanging there. But Kyle shook his head.

“The value of life is the same for everyone. This spider has the same value as us.”

“For everyone?”

“Yes. All the same.”

Kyle pointed to his baby in the cradle. Ariel immediately turned her head. For her, the remnants of the past were both nostalgic and painfully distressing.

“Our baby, that spider, me, you—we’re all the same.”

“Hmm… Then what about demons?”

William’s question made Kyle pause. Then he spoke.

“…Yes. Even demons are no different from humans.”

In the common perception of the empire, demons are enemies of humanity and not considered equal to humans. Thus, Kyle’s statement was controversial.

Luna pretended not to hear, but she probably had. No matter how unruly the emperor was, she couldn’t easily criticize the husband of her loyal subject, Ariel.

Meanwhile, Ariel remained silent, her head turned. Could she really not have heard? No… upon closer inspection, she seemed to already know.

The Roelgreen family, who pioneered the harsh north and drove out monsters to build a castle for humanity. Their last head, Kyle, seemed more like a moderate or a pacifist. His beliefs weren’t inherently problematic. But his earlier statement could be interpreted as siding with demons.

Moreover, the timing was bad. Even if it was a remnant of the past, making such a statement in front of the current emperor, Luna… put Ariel in an awkward position.

An uncomfortable silence followed.

Ariel and Luna pretending not to hear.

Me watching them…

Wendy sensing something unusual.

As the past recollection faded and we left the room, Luna broke the silence.

“…That’s enough. Now I’ll choose.”

“Choose?”

“What else? I’ll choose the next door to open.”

Apparently, she wasn’t happy with me leading the way, so Luna began inspecting the doors.

I didn’t mind which door we chose, so I let her be.

After a while, Luna stopped in front of a door.

“Hmm. Good. I like this door.”

“…You like it?”

It was an old, shabby wooden door. Cracked and with a rotting handle, it looked dilapidated and dusty.

Well, everyone has their preferences. Respecting that, I thought. Maybe she has a taste for vintage things. I didn’t know Luna had such a rustic preference.

“What are you doing?”

“?”

“Why are you staring? Open the door.”

Of course…

Luna smirked as she ordered me. She had chosen the dirtiest door but had no intention of opening it herself. However, she was mistaken about two things.

“You want me to open this door?”

“Yes. Hurry up.”

First, I’m not her servant.

“What?! How dare you grab my hand?!”

“Yes.”

I casually grabbed Luna’s wrist.

“What are you doing?! Let go! Don’t touch me without my permission!”

“Permission? That’s amusing.”

Second, I’m Tristan, the most insolent man in this country.

“Wait, wait, wait?!”

“What are you doing?!”

“Opening the door.”

“What?! Why are you using my… Stop talking nonsense and open it with your own hand!”

“It’s the door you like so much. Why don’t you open it yourself?”

“No need! Let go!”

“Are you rejecting my goodwill now?”

“Yes! I reject your goodwill!”

“Sorry, but my goodwill can’t be rejected.”

“You crazy bastard?!”

As Luna began to struggle, I lifted her and tried to make her open the door with her hand. She screamed and resisted.

“Execution! I’ll execute you! You! I warned you! If you make me touch that filthy door, I’ll execute you!”

The emperor’s death sentence. Essentially, a final warning.

But even after all this, Luna still doesn’t seem to understand me.

“Do it. Go ahead.”

“Wait! Stop! Stop! Hey! Don’t just stand there, stop this madman! Hurry!!! Or else, you filthy—AAAAAH!!”

 

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