***
The Hilderson clan was the bloodline that ruled the Osnober Kingdom.
The origin of the clan was the Dithmarschen Ducal House. This family, which ruled the polar regions of the Osnober Kingdom, had ended the civil war several years ago, opened a new dynasty, and formed marriage alliances with the major nobles of the country.
“A wedding?”
Roberta asked. She was tearing a piece of bread.
It was noon at the Lord’s manor, and she was in the middle of having a meal with Ulrih. Since her assignment as the presiding priest, the two had shared a meal together at least once a day almost every day.
It was inevitable because they lived in the same space. As someone living in another person’s house, she couldn't exactly ask for a separate mealtime. Because the temple had burned down due to the karma of her predecessors and the civil war, she had been living in the Lord’s manor. Whenever the Lord or the vassals ate or drank tea, she joined them by sitting at the same table.
It was true that humans were animals of adaptation. The fact that she was living in the same space as a strange Lord was incredibly awkward at first, but as it continued for over a year, it felt comfortable.
“I heard there is a royal wedding scheduled for the Crown Princess.”
A royal wedding—Roberta asked while tearing the white bread.
“A royal wedding? Who do they say the partner is?”
“The eldest son of Marquis Quille. Since not much time has passed since the civil war ended, they likely judged that welcoming a son-in-law from within the country would be more stable than bringing one from outside.”
Ulrih added that there was a possibility of receiving the granary region in the southwestern part of the kingdom through inheritance.
“Oh... that’s a good idea.”
The Osnober Kingdom had experienced a civil war for thirty-two years. Since the point at which that long, long civil war ended was only five years ago, it was a time to place emphasis on stability, just as Ulrih said.
“Then the Lord will have to send a gift. Even if she is the Crown Princess, from the Lord’s perspective, she is your granddaughter, isn't she?”
“I suppose so. But for now, the gift is not the problem.”
“Pardon?”
“Richard sent me an invitation to attend.”
Richard—that was the name of the King of Osnober.
And he was also Ulrih’s adopted son. Because the person who ended the civil war was the young man—no, the Elder—sitting in front of Roberta.
Ulrih had ended the civil war, but he did not wear the crown. He sent a person of his clan in his place to the group that brought the crown, and that person was Ulrih’s adopted son, whose name was Richard.
Roberta dipped a piece of bread into her soup, put it in her mouth, and thought.
‘I heard he didn't even attend the coronation ceremony.’
Hadn't the old priest she met on her way to her post said so? That even on the day his adopted son ascended the throne, the Lord of Dithmarschen did not step outside his territory.
Would such a person step outside the territory because his granddaughter was getting married? It would be more likely for him to enter the Ice Peninsula claiming he was preparing a gift.
“You won't be attending this time either, will you?”
“No. I intend to attend this time.”
Roberta tilted her head instead of asking a question.
“It seems there is a troublesome problem.”
A troublesome problem?
“I do not know either because he did not state it clearly in the letter. It seems that the child, Richard, also does not properly perceive the situation. However, based on experience, he must have judged that he could not solve it himself.”
“And that is why he invited the Lord?”
“That is right.”
A problem that the Lord, who was rooted in his territory, had to step forward personally to solve? Not just anyone, but the King of a country could not solve it himself? Roberta narrowed her eyes. it was an extraordinary problem.
Was he giving her a hint because he had to vacate his position? Roberta was the presiding priest. She was a person whose authority could influence the territory as much as the Lord. Of course, it was not an authority she could actually exercise, but at the very least, he could tell her to stay well during his absence.
However, the answer was late. As she dipped a piece of bread into the soup, anxiety began to crawl up from within her, so she turned her head and looked at Ulrih. He held a teacup containing Songhwacha as always and stared at her quietly.
“...Do you wish for me to accompany you?”
Surely not.
“Yes. Roberta, I would like you to be with me.”
“Are you speaking sincerely?”
She asked with an awkward smile.
When was the time she had left the territory following Ulrih? It was when they headed for the Ice Peninsula with the visitor from Cabonihar—that is, a few months ago.
Looking back, it was an act unlike her. Swayed by emotion, she had taken a ridiculous risk. Although she had no regrets and instead felt it was a rewarding experience.
The path to attending a royal wedding was practically a vacation compared to the journey in the Ice Peninsula. She had also repaired the diocese that her predecessors had ruined for nearly a year and had finished major rituals like the Sacrament of Infancy. It was not a problem to vacate her position for a while.
However, was there a need for her to attend?
Her duty as a priest was more important than her interest in the Lord.
“I am sorry, but—”
Just as she was about to refuse, the butler Bernhard Meyer, who was attending to the Lord at his side, handed her a neatly folded letter. It was a missive written on paper that was pure white and would not tear easily even if it got wet, looking too valuable to be consumed for a mere letter.
“……”
Roberta checked the contents and froze with her mouth agape.
“It is the permission from His Holiness to leave your post for a while.”
After blinking several times to check if she was seeing things, she had no choice but to acknowledge that the seal stamped on the paper was the Pope’s seal.
It was an order. Furthermore, it was a direct order from the Pope, and it was entirely different from Ulrih’s words. It was not a permission that she could leave her post for a while, but an order to follow all the requests of Ulrih, the Lord of Dithmarschen.
How could the Pope place a priest of the Church, a priest who managed a diocese, under a secular monarch? And how had he obtained such an order?
“H-How did His Holiness...”
Ulrih gave a slight smile instead of an answer.
Suddenly, Roberta recalled the fact that he was often writing letters. At dawn, because he had no sleep at night, he often wrote letters. Alonso had also said it. That the Lord sent letters more often than she did. Among the letters sent like that, there was no way there wasn't one sent to the Pope.
In the first place, the person who appointed her as the presiding priest was the Pope. Although the recommendation was made by Bishop Alonso of the Nuua High Temple, the authorization was done by the Pope himself. The Dithmarschen diocese itself was a domain managed directly by the Pope. It was natural for him to have a point of contact with Ulrih.
‘Just what kind of past did he have again?’
While she was amazed, on the other hand, she felt herself beginning to be convinced. Yes, it was better than a dragon. At least the Pope was human. She felt that thinking that way was quite funny.
Having lived and bumped into him for over a year, she must have been influenced too much. While making a self-justification she wouldn't have made in the past, she gave a hollow laugh close to resignation.
“...You aren't leaving right now, are you?”
“The departure is tomorrow morning. If you have work, finish it within today.”
She let out a small sigh and picked up the torn bread again. A journey could only be made if one’s stomach was full. After stuffing food into her mouth, she soon rose from her seat.
#
“Are you going to leave?”
Immediately after Roberta left the dining room, Bernhard asked.
The butler, who had stood beside them in silence throughout lunch, opened his mouth once he was alone with Ulrih. Ulrih answered after taking a sip from his teacup. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
“Well, I haven't decided yet.”
Saying he hadn't decided did not mean he wasn't leaving. It contained the meaning that he was keeping a parting in mind, and Bernhard trembled because he knew that. Because Ulrih had never spoken to him this way until now.
He knew they couldn't be together forever. Everyone who served the master knew that he would leave someday. However, at the very least, for Bernhard, it was an ending he hoped and hoped he wouldn't face in his lifetime.
Ulrih would not return. Bernhard wanted to deny it, but he had served his master for too long. By not saying the word "farewell," he had merely left the hope that he might return.
Bernhard opened his mouth to say something but hesitated and closed it again. Even if he tried to persuade him, could he break his will? And should he bind again a person who had already listened to their requests and been with them for a long time?
“But I should prepare.”
Ulrih put down his teacup and looked up at Bernhard.
“Bernhard, descendant of Hohenlohe. If I do not return, you are the master of this place. At that time, you will not be Bernhard of Meyer, but Bernhard of Dithmarschen.”
“Could I... take your place?”
His voice trembled. He was listless as if he were scared or crushed by the weight. It was inevitable. Bernhard knew the master’s past more deeply than the priest Roberta.
For hundreds of years since the Hilderson clan, including the Meyer family, had emerged in the world, they had served one human, picking up the words he let slip and piecing together his identity.
Therefore, the clan had come close to the fact that their founder was an existence so marvelous that even the Pantheon was desperate for him. Living under the wing of such an existence stirred emotions that were difficult to describe. Yet now he was in a position where he had to send him away and take his place.
“Do not worry.”
Ulrih gave a smile as if he understood Bernhard’s feelings. It was a benevolent smile. It was also a faint smile that only a very few could notice.
Someone evaluated their master as a person without emotion, but those were the words of an ignorant person who had only seen a glimpse. It was just that his feelings had become dull because time had made all experiences familiar.
Even the priest Roberta began to read his emotions occasionally as the time they spent together grew longer, didn't she? The more one knew him, the more he was a person with clear emotions and a soft heart. He was especially soft toward children. And all humans in the world would be considered like children to him.
“You will be troubled for now, but it will be fine soon. I have taught you all the qualifications necessary for this position. Bernhard, you are a person more suited for this position than anyone else.”
“I would rather be a lacking fellow.”
“If that were the case, another person would have been in your place.”
Bernhard lowered his head for a moment and then looked to his side. The boy Fritz was standing there, not knowing where to look. It was because confusion had encroached upon his thoughts.
He was scheduled to serve the master in Bernhard’s place soon, yet didn't the master say he was leaving? Just as Bernhard had done, the boy’s life would have learned nothing other than following the master.
Bernhard had at least been by the master’s side for decades, but it felt pitiful that Fritz had experienced nothing. So he placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder and spoke.
“If you are going, will you not take this child as well?”
Ulrih looked at Fritz. As his gaze met the master’s, the boy trembled. It was due to fear. However, it was not because he was afraid of the master. It was the appearance of a young animal afraid of being abandoned.
“It reminds me of the old days. Hilde was like that too.”
Ulrih nodded.
#
The following day, the group left the city of Freize.
Ulrih took Roberta and Fritz as companions, and the three of them drove their horses toward the warm south. However, the moment they crossed the hills, Ulrih gripped the reins and stopped his horse to look at Freize.
In the past, more than three hundred and several decades ago, he had visited that place as a friend of a certain young Lord. His memory claimed that the surroundings were covered in snow, and its height was higher than his head. Also, the snow that fell the previous year remained unmelted even in summer.
He had intended to stay for only a short while, at most a few days or weeks. However, fate had led to a girl, and her name was Hilde.
At that time, Ulrih of Dithmarschen had put his name in history. Ulrih stepped out of his memories and looked at the current Freize. The summer sunlight was beating down, and there was not even a trace of the snow that had fallen last year.
On the other hand, Ulrih was still Ulrih of Dithmarschen, and his appearance as he left Freize was the same as when he had visited that place.
“……”
He gave a smile and gave a slight silent bow toward someone. Then he drove his horse and went down the hills. He could no longer see Freize, and Freize could no longer see him.