Chapter 21: Chapter 19

Step, step.

“Amazing……”

Theodore muttered to himself as he paced in silence. He didn’t realize it when he saw it through the relic, because he was so focused on Dante… This place is beautiful.

When he walks, his shoes leave footprints in the snow. When he turns around, the same footprints remain. When the snowflakes touch his cheeks, they disappear. It’s a little cold and mysterious…

Theodore blew out a small breath as they reached the only region where it snowed.

This place Francia had told him about was in the northern region of Kolcunche. This was the only place in Idenver where it snowed.

The northernmost part of the Idenver, with its cold temperatures and lack of distinct seasons, was not ideal for farming. It was also a sparsely populated area.

He exhaled and a white puff of breath rose. He lifted his head for a moment and stared into the air.

“……Where are you?”

Jeffrey couldn’t come with him. He wanted to, of course, but… the Emperor could not leave the palace for such a long period of time. So, he was accompanied on his journey by Francia, ……though not of her own choice.

‘Please, sister.’

‘Good grief……’

Jeffrey had insisted.

She was already sleeping at the only inn in the Kolcunche region, and though he expected her to be picky because she was royalty, she seemed more accustomed to traveling than he was. She was the kind of person who could sleep anywhere. If anything, he was the one who suffered.

Thinking of Francia and Jeffrey one after another naturally brought Dante to the forefront of Theodore’s mind.

At one point, Theodore had wanted to have a relationship with Dante, something like the one between Francia and Jeffrey.

Someone who would be there for each other no matter what, someone who would support each other no matter what. He wished he had someone like that, and if possible, he wished it could be Dante.

“……That’s enough.”

Now that he’s gotten this far, he decided it was time to retire for the night. After all, he still had a lot to do. Today, they simply set foot in the Kolcunche region. From here on out, he would have to find him. Theodore reminded himself of his goal.

‘In my memory, he was….’

In a place with stairs covered in snow. He was standing in front of a gray door.

Though he can’t be sure, as his vision was limited, seeing through the relic, but whatever. However, does such a place exist here? Looking around casually… this place bore no resemblance to any other, except for the commonality of snow.

The clothes Dante was wearing there, the style of the structures… The more he compared them, the more doubtful he became.

‘No. Stop it….’

You were supposed to call it a night and head back.

Theodore turned on his heel deliberately, quickening his pace. He felt like he had to stop thinking about it all before it ate him. That’s right. Because he asked him to wait. He promised.

I’ll make it happen…

***

“What will you do after you find him?”

Francia asked, genuinely curious, having spent a short time with Theodore.

The question was asked casually as she took a large bite of the bread the inn had served her.

At that, Theodore’s utensils, which had been quietly picking at his salad, hovered in the air for a moment, lost in thought.

‘……What will I do…’

It was a question that had never occurred to him. All he’d ever thought about was finding him…

However, since his priority to find him had never been fulfilled, Theodore never thought about what would happen if he did.

What would I do… once I found him, that kind of thing…

“I think you and Jeffrey are both out of your minds.”

“……Is that so?”

“I’m… well, I don’t really care. I’ve killed people, I’ve let people go. People just die, it’s a part of life.”

“…….”

“If it were me… I think I’d grieve the loss for a while, and then move on.”

Theodore smiled wryly at that. He had been that way himself. That’s how he lived after losing his parents. It was hard, but he didn’t think about dying. But…

“ ……It wasn’t just one time.”

“…….”

“Twice was a bit much for me.”

It seems that he’s not the most resilient person.

Theodore turned to the woman in front of him. He already knew that Francia was more resilient.

The one sitting in such a slumped position was once the ruler of Idenver. A woman who was once Emperor. Unlike himself.

So he mustered up the courage to ask.

“If we find him… what should we do?”

“…….”

“What do normal people… do?”

Theodore asked, turning to Francia.

“I started searching because I missed him… I haven’t given it a second thought since.”

“…….”

“Now that I think about it, I guess I had already assumed… that I wouldn’t find him, and that’s why I hadn’t given any thought to what I would do afterward.”

Theodore let it hang there, and then realization hit him.

“Ah….”

There’s something he’d forgotten.

‘There’s something I need to say.’

It couldn’t have been a coincidence that it came to his mind then.

Yes. There was something that he needed to say.

In the midst of the incomprehensible circumstances, in the midst of the overwhelming moment, there was something he had forgotten. There was something he wanted to say to him.

“……I wanted to say… that he means a lot to me…”

“…….”

“I wanted to thank him, for always being there… I wanted to tell him that I would like to be with him always…”

That’s what he was going to say.

Memories of the past he’d forgotten flooded back.

It was exactly one year ago now, he felt the same. He was going to tell him what he had been slowly realizing. He was going to tell him that he was grateful, just as he was. That he was happy that they were together… now. That he felt like he’d gotten something he’d been missing…

Tuk-.

“To tell him… that he doesn’t have to wear such a lonely expression anymore…”

“…….”

“……Ah.”

Theodore calmly reached for some tissues and dabbed at the corners of his eyes. That annoyed Francia. Why, he looked just like her little brother.

“……I’m getting annoyed just thinking about it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t bother apologizing. You’re not really concerned with me being annoyed.”

Francia knew people like him all too well. Those people who spoke like this in front of her, but had no real feelings behind it. The kind of people who would never care about anyone but those who mattered to them.

“ ……Get your stuff quick.”

Francia felt her chest tighten, wondering why her brother only picked people like this to associate with.

***

They stayed in the Kolcunche region for a week but found nothing even remotely similar to Theodore’s memories. The only thing it had in common was that it was snowing.

With each passing day, Francia grew weary of Theodore’s grim expression.

“ ……We should head back.”

“…….Yes.”

Another day, more of the same. Theodore and Francia shared a beer at their usual inn. They didn’t speak for a long time.

“……You said there was another place. The one you saw in the holy relic.”

Uncharacteristically for her, Francia spoke first.

“Yes.”

“Where is it.”

The question caused Theodore to search his memory for a moment.

The second place he’d seen was a contrast to this one: it was warmer, a little more alive, and most importantly, he’d heard Dante’s name, so it was indeed more likely that he was there than here.

The question is……

“It was a warm… village.”

“…Hey.”

There were so many such rural villages.

“We’re not going to find anything with clues like that…”

Francia replied irritably, scratching her head.

“Dante seemed to use the same name there, too.”

“And.”

“……And there was a certain grandfather.”

“……And.”

A prickle of pain rose in the nape of her neck as Theodore rattled off a list of words that didn’t identify anything in particular at all.

“No, not like that! Something more specific! Like having a gilded statue or something!”

“That kind of thing is…… Ah.”

Some herbs……

“Herbs?”

“Yes. I saw him… selling herbs.”

At those words, her eyes lit up.

‘This is it.’

It felt like it was.

“What herbs.”

And Theodore, whose thoughts were running in sequence, had a similar feeling.

“……Mandrakes.”

Yes, that was the name. What the boy was selling in the vision was… something Theodore knew. There was definitely some type of herb like that on Dante’s errand list.

There was only one way to go, France thought. There was only one way to bring this horribly long trip to an end.

“Hey, you…”

Francia propped one foot on the chair next to their table, put on a smug expression, and asked in a cocky tone.

“You got a lot of money?”