A Depressed Kendo Player Possesses a Reckless Aristocrat

Founding (1)

-I will prepare the things you said you need for now.

-Go ahead and do as you see fit.

And so, I was able to receive an okay from Korn regarding the plan.

I wondered what I would do if he refused, but thankfully, the Grand Master nodded.

Now, you’ll be able to escape that horribly lonely space, even just a bit.

Because you have to return to your position as headmaster.

Thinking that even a portion of the initial goal had been achieved, I felt a sense of relief.

‘……Of course, it’s just the beginning.’

For some reason, my shoulders felt heavy.

Like I held aspirations that were ill-suited for me.

Shaking off the strangely complex tangle of emotions, I turned my gaze to the window.

Against a background heavily laden with shadows, snowflakes still danced in the air.

The snow that had started two days ago hadn’t stopped yet.

Winter, clinging to its edges, screamed as if it didn’t want to concede its season to spring.

-Whishhh…

The sound of wind brushing against the windowpane.

Only the fierce clash of winter’s song resonated in my ears.

I briefly closed my eyelids, savoring a moment of quiet, when a soft call suddenly reached me.

“Young Master.”

It was Rachel.

I lifted my head, fighting off a sense of exhaustion.

“Yeah… What is it?”

“It’s cold. I thought you might want a cup of warm tea, so I prepared some.”

She said those words with a gentle smile.

In her hands, she held a tray with a teapot and some light refreshments.

Rachel, slowly approaching me, soon placed a teacup down on the desk.

“It’s a light brew of black tea. I remembered you asking for it a few times before, so I prepared it.”

“Thank you, Rachel.”

I carefully picked up the teacup.

A complete warmth seeped into my fingertips.

Intoxicated by that warmth, I brought the cup to my lips, and a delicate fragrance encircled the tip of my nose.

The fatigue that had been tormenting my mind only moments ago seemed to ease a bit.

My hardened face softened on its own.

The corner of my mouth, curving in an arc, carried a faint smile.

I muttered quietly,

“Guess you’re the only one for me.”

“That’s quite a fulfilling statement, but… I think others would be upset if they heard that.”

“I’m kidding. Of course, I like everyone.”

“……But to change your words so quickly is a little upsetting.”

Rachel narrowed her beautiful eyes, her lips pouting.

The sight of the girl’s sulky face made me laugh a little.

“Pfft…”

“Why are you laughing?”

“It’s nothing.”

If I said it was because she was too cute, how would you react?

Part of me was looking forward to it.

But at the same time, I was scared.

So, I could only mumble vaguely.

Rachel glared at me with suspicious eyes.

A hint of displeasure lingered in her brown pupils.

Regardless, I tapped the spot next to me on the sofa where I was sitting and said,

“Will you sit beside me?”

“I’m just a maid. I’m not someone who can just plop down next to the young master so carelessly.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Ray.”

“……Just this once.”

Only after I used her nickname did she sit on the sofa as if she couldn’t refuse.

A faint warmth drew closer.

At the same time, a peach-like fragrance filled the air.

My heart, heavy with worry, slowly loosened.

It was still a strange feeling.

Whenever Rachel stayed by my side like this, I could breathe without a single worry.

I leaned my shoulder against the girl’s shoulder.

And then, I quietly leaned in, careful not to make her uncomfortable.

“…Young Master.”

Rachel, with a complex look, stares at me, now naturally pressed close.

She then gives a faint smile.

A playful voice, at odds with her expression, reaches my ear.

“Lately~ aren’t you getting a little too spoiled?”

“Is that so.”

“I’m worried you might actually turn into a child, Young Master.”

“If that happens, you’ll raise me, Rachel.”

“Hehe… not a bad idea, is it?”

Would Rachel become my nanny then?

The scene playing out in my head was quite funny, and I let out a weak laugh, then asked the opposite.

“Or how about I raise you, Rachel?”

“That’s a no!”

“Why?”

“There’s an age difference, you know. My pride wouldn’t let me be treated like a child by you~!”

“We’re only a year apart, you know?”

A space filled with trivial jokes.

We chatted, murmuring to each other.

It was a scene of utmost comfort.

The season outside the window was clearly winter, but this moment felt as cozy as spring.

A time where warmth was rippling.

I enjoyed the calm air, even for a moment.

Knowing that I would soon have to step back into the cold reality made it, perhaps, all the more precious.

While we were passing time like that, Rachel would soon ask a question.

“Ah, right… I heard there’s a memorial service in two days.”

“It’s coming up fast, isn’t it.”

“You said you had something important to do then. Is everything prepared?”

“Of course.”

The answer came, but a sense of unease lingered.

This was about moving people’s hearts, after all.

The speech I’d rehearsed on the platform was memorized, and all the necessary items were packed, but still, I couldn’t shake off the worry.

I called out to Rachel with a heavy feeling.

“Rachel.”

“Yes, Master.”

“…Will I, be able to do this?”

It might have been the day of a school trip, I had asked a similar question once before.

Back then, Rachel had given me encouragement with a bright smile.

“Of course, who raised you?”

Just like she was doing now.

“As I’ve mentioned before, I’d appreciate it if you kept in mind that I’m only a year older than you.”

“Hehe… I’ve carried you on my back since you were taking your first steps, Master!”

“We first met when we were eight.”

“That’s just a figure of speech!!”

Rachel’s response was a clear, cheerful shout.

There wasn’t even a hint of wavering in her sparkling brown eyes.

I felt comforted.

Right, I have people who support me like this.

What am I hesitating for?

I had already survived one death, overcome two misfortunes, and was given a third chance at life.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t afraid of despair.

But I didn’t want to be like my past self, trembling and doing nothing.

I wanted to yearn for the stars of those who had willingly illuminated my shadow.

To stubbornly sprout in the shabby dirt patch.

To tenaciously overcome the relentless trials, and proudly stand as a living being.

-Hell is painful… but if you look carefully, it might give you a chance to find something precious.

-So, Raiden student, you should try looking too.

-In your own hell, what is there.

Reaching the end of this hell.

That was the only wish I held in my heart.

*

And so, two nights passed.

The day of the memorial arrived.

The ceremony was held in the same place as the last time, when we held the funeral for our master.

The Plaza of Seasons, located near the main building.

People stood, each wearing dark-colored clothes.

The memorial hadn’t started yet, but an air of solemnity hung heavy around us.

A heavy silence, pressing down on each of our shoulders.

Perhaps it represented a tribute to those who had departed.

-Whooosh…

The winter wind blew, ruffling my hair.

The sky was utterly clear.

As if the snowstorm that had raged for the past few days had been nothing but a lie.

‘…I suppose it’s a good thing.’

I murmured quietly.

I had been worried about what would happen if the weather was terrible again today.

My worries were rendered pointless by the clear weather.

My blank gaze was fixed on the blue expanse.

As I killed some time like that, Ariel, who was standing next to me, poked my shoulder.

“Oppa, are you okay?”

“Huh?”

“No… you looked like you were spacing out.”

“I was just a little lost in thought. I’m fine.”

Ariel looked up at me with worried eyes.

I shrugged as if to say there was no problem, and then stroked her bouncy hair.

Currently, we were all waiting for the memorial to start, like everyone else.

We had arrived earlier than scheduled, so there was time to kill.

Thinking I needed to relax, I stayed by the kids’ side.

“You look a little pale, Oppa.”

“Yeah, I guess I do, a bit.”

“Raiden… are you really okay?”

Ariel, Rachel, and Lucy’s voices, one after the other from above.

Each of the girls voiced their concern.

It seemed like the fact that I hadn’t slept well last night was showing on my face.

I was trying my best to repeat that I was fine when…

Lucy grabbed my sleeve.

Her blue eyes were filled with alarm.

As if it was a secret, she brought her lips close to my ear.

“Uh, hey, Raiden…?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I’m really just curious, but, why is Princess Pailer here…?”

A question tinged with a wary feeling.

Lucy was pretending not to, but she was glancing past my shoulder.

Because there was a silver-haired girl, stiff and frozen in place.

Maharet flinched when our eyes met.

Then, as if she was trying to read the room, she took a small step back, widening the distance.

“……”

Lucy glared at her, clearly displeased.

Ariel had the same reaction.

Seeing the two of them express such blatant hostility, I let out a small sigh.

So it was going to be like this, after all.

I hadn’t exactly explained the story of Maharet to the kids yet, so it was kind of natural they’d be hostile.

In their memories, Maharet was only the source that pushed me to the edge.

Of course, there was room for improvement.

If I gradually explained the pain we’d shared, their misunderstandings might be cleared up a little.

But the problem was that it was too long of a story to handle right now.

Pushing aside the thought that I should choose an appropriate day, I calmed the girls down.

“I’ll explain everything later. For now, please put aside your anger.”

“……I haven’t gotten angry yet.”

If that was the case, didn’t it mean she was planning to soon?

“And Ariel. Stop glaring too.”

“But…!”

“You haven’t forgotten what today is, have you?”

“Ugh…”

“It’s a day for commemorating the departed. Let’s put aside our hatred for a while. Today will be more than inadequate even if we spend it solely in sorrow.”

At my soft persuasion, Ariel eventually nodded her head.

Right after neutralizing the children.

I turned my head towards where Maharet was.

The silver-haired girl had lost her original clarity, frozen in a hazy daze.

When had she slipped away?

Maharet had moved about seven steps away.

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I reached out a hand to her, who was trembling.

“Why are you so far away?”

“I, I think the others, they seem to be avoiding me…”

“Come closer.”

“I, I’m, okay…”

“Come here.”

“Y-yes, okay…”

Maharet grasped my hand with jerky movements.

I carefully pulled her towards us, making her stand by my side.

“Don’t go wandering off on your own.”

You were already a rose that had bloomed petals in my garden.

“I have the right to worry about you, care for you, and interfere. Please don’t trouble me.”

“Ah, th-that’s, yes… I understand.”

Maharet stuttered for a moment, then nodded.

I meant for her to stick close instead of wandering alone, and it seemed she had understood well enough.

I was slightly relieved.

As I let out a faint sigh and looked away, a sound reached my ear not long after.

– Everyone, please give me your attention.

– Before we begin the scheduled ceremony, I want to thank everyone who has gathered to mourn those who have departed today…

It seemed the memorial service was finally beginning.

I needlessly fiddled with the object in my pocket.

It was a position that Master had personally prepared, so I absolutely couldn’t fail.

Biting my lip, I grasped at my hazy consciousness.

Within my slightly tense fingertips, only the echoes of the past resonated.

*

The memorial service proceeded in a somber atmosphere.

Since most of the academy had experienced the invasion firsthand, the impending shock was all the more vivid.

Piercing screams echoing relentlessly.

The roars of the demonic creatures.

People, lost in confusion, fidgeting restlessly.

Even the acrid stench of someone’s blood stinging my nostrils.

It was a scene more than qualified to be called a tragedy.

Lingering afterimages etched clearly into the students’ memories.

In proportion to the helplessness they felt, a heavy heart pressed down on my shoulders.

– We have lost five futures.

– We have lost children who rightfully should have enjoyed tomorrow filled with hope, adorned beautiful smiles, and walked together…

– They were braver than anyone. The instant the academy was in danger, they unhesitatingly raised their swords to protect their friends…

The long eulogy continued.

Professor Sharon recited each word in a composed voice.

Though there was a difference in scale, the basic format wasn’t much different from the previous funeral for Chief Professor Lucas.

A field covered in thick snow.

The students, each with their eyes closed, mourned someone.

The quiet requiem resonated, for those who had left, or perhaps for those who remained.

Though the intensity of their individual grief varied,

the fact that they were all standing in this place, bound by some loss, was something they all shared.

– I will conclude the eulogy.

– Next, we will have a speech by the student representative.

Sharon finishes her turn and quietly steps down from the platform.

As if to follow her, a student steps up onto the platform.

Hair as dark as the night sky.

Calmly shining black eyes.

His distinctive appearance made him instantly recognizable to the students.

-Lyden Licht.

-As a student representing the academy… I have been given the honor of speaking at this memorial service.

The boy bowed politely, but there was no reaction.

It wasn’t exactly a matter of being ignored.

It was just that the students didn’t have the composure left to clap.

Perhaps he was aware of that fact.

The boy opened his lips without the slightest hesitation.

-I stand here today to commemorate, comfort, and encourage in the wake of past tragedy.

-There are many things that need to be said.

-However, first, I have something to show you.

The kids looked up at this sudden statement.

Having succeeded in attracting many gazes, the boy took out the ‘item’ he’d been fiddling with inside his clothes.

-Does anyone here happen to know about this mask?

It was a mask that covered the entire face.

A plain white mask.

It was a simple design, but because it was so simple, it was also a shape that couldn’t help but be remembered.

-Wait… that’s…

-That mask, could it be…?

-It’s the mask of the man who held off the monsters alone at the back gate…

-I remember too…

One by one, students began to recognize the mask.

The boy waited silently until there was a response, and, feeling that the time was right, he lifted the mask.

Then he placed it over his face.

A perfect fit.

The unique perception-blocking magic it possessed instantly transformed the boy on the platform into someone else.

He was the masked man the students remembered perfectly.

Before the students could even react properly, the boy threw out his answer.

-I am… the masked man who defended the back gate.

It was a bombshell dropped right in the center of the memorial service.