Giving meaning (8)
The next morning. The facts about the circumstances of Abbot Austin’s death were officially announced among the monks.
Natural death due to aging. He overworked himself for several days in preparation for the prayer meeting and even ran around on the roof of the monastery in the middle of the night, causing excessive blood flow and sudden death from a heart attack.
In reality, the circumstances of the murder were clear, but it was publicized that way.
Considering Abbot Austin’s age, even if his death was sudden, it was possible to make the excuse that it was a natural death. There was no sign of suspicion even among the ordinary nuns.
The tragic news of Abbot Austin’s death filled the monastery with sadness and disappointment.
It was not difficult to silence those who knew that it was a murder.
Auxiliary Bishop Melinir, who knew the whole truth, naturally did not want to make a big deal out of it.
The Princess of Persica also has no reason to refuse if she can end the matter with a natural death.
I personally persuaded Saint Clarice. Saint Clarice did not object, as the deceased Abbot Austin would also have wanted things to end this way.
Since the three parties leading the case all agreed, the rest proceeded smoothly.
VIP visitors who knew the circumstances of the murder also agreed not to make the murder public, as it would not be good for them to be aroused by suspicion.
If the incident escalates, there is a high possibility that those who were at the scene of the incident will become more involved than necessary.
Everyone nodded to the words of Saint Clarice and Princess Persica that the investigation would be conducted quietly behind the scenes…
and so the truth about the demi-humans was buried in history.
The next morning.
I heard that the work was somewhat completed and a memorial table for Abbot Austin had been set up at the entrance to the monastery.
The daily life at the monastery begins early in the morning. I was tired from being interrogated and giving testimony all night, but all the other nuns had gone to pay their respects to Abbot Austin, so I couldn’t just stay in my room.
As I open my eyes to the sound of waves coming from outside the window, fatigue comes from my entire body.
Today I have to go back to Sylvania Academy, so I have to ride the carriage all day, and I’m already worried because I’m not feeling well. Still, there wasn’t long enough time to participate in Abbot Austin’s memorial procession. If you’re going to wake up, you need to wake up now.
Anyway, is it really possible to feel such a heavy weight in your body?
Compared to camp life, it wouldn’t be that hard to do, but why is my body so heavy?
Feeling uncomfortable, I pulled up the blanket and found Lucy sleeping with her head on my chest.
“…”
The witch’s hat, which was never removed from her body anytime, anywhere, was kept next to the pillow. Now that I think about it, was this foreshadowing?
I remember bringing him in yesterday because he was visibly depressed and it was hard to leave him alone.
I didn’t think telling him in detail that he was okay or that he was okay would be of much comfort, so all I did was just stay by his side.
Basically, when a person is having a really hard time and worries, it is most meaningful to have someone next to them like a wall.
“Hey Lucy.”
Still, it has to happen now.
When I quietly called her name and woke her up a few times, her closed eyelids flew up. Lucy’s unique blank, restless blue eyes faced me and suddenly pressed the area around my solar plexus and raised her upper body.
It seems he didn’t even know when he fell asleep. As he sniffled, he wiped the drool from around his mouth with his sleeve, dilated his pupils slightly, and spoke in a more excited voice than usual.
“I didn’t know you were asleep.”
“I understand that yesterday must have been difficult in many ways…”
Was it a mistake to bring up yesterday?
Lucy was unable to say anything, perhaps because she was belatedly feeling ashamed at the memory of her having my arm wrapped around her shoulder and shedding large tears.
“…There’s no need to be so embarrassed. Sometimes things like that happen in life.”
The way he was standing there unable to say anything seemed like he had had a big accident last night. As I said over and over again, Lucy Mayril just fell asleep because she was tired from crying.
It may have been shameful for him that that place was in my arms, but that didn’t mean I was in a position to offer any comfort.
Lucy belatedly wiped her eyelids with her sleeve and tried to maintain a poker face as if nothing had happened. However, it didn’t seem to work out as well as expected.
Should I say that the sight of people lowering their gaze here and there is refreshing in its own way. Anyway, considering her usual appearance of contemplating everything in the world like a hermit, it was a very unusual occurrence.
“Anyway… I have to get up quickly. I’m going back to Sylvania today, so I have to get ready… and most of all, I have to go to that old lady’s memorial service. It’s probably already started now. Mornings start very early at the monastery.”
When I look out the window, the morning fog remains. The fog would have disappeared once we got ready and went out, but the sun had not yet risen properly.
“I have to finish the job.”
When Abbot Austin’s name came up, Lucy seemed to feel something of her own… and nodded her head quietly. She seemed so obedient that it seemed unusual for her.
After this, it was all smooth sailing. With Lucy following me while holding my sleeve tightly, I went to the washroom on the first floor and wet my face with cold water.
After finishing the brief sesshin, I came up and put on my coat, leather pants, and wizard robe. Then, he roughly put it on and touched Lucy’s school uniform, which was disheveled here and there. There was no way to make it neat as the sleeves of my clothes were still hanging around.
Afterwards, Lucy sat on my lap and I asked her what she wanted, and she asked me to tie her hair. I brushed Lucy’s gray hair with the comb the nun had prepared, and then tied her hair at the appropriate point with a hair tie.
He also pinned a fluttering tie and fastened a shirt with missing buttons neatly again.
The series of processes seemed so natural that the nuns passing by looked at me with puzzled eyes… but in fact, I didn’t need to pay much attention to them since I had seen them today and wouldn’t see them anymore.
After that, he led Lucy down to the first floor of the monastery, holding on tightly to the sleeves of his clothes.
Lucy was still walking limply, like a fluttering paper doll, probably because she was weak in the morning. Still, when I saw the scene unfolding at the front gate of the monastery in the early morning, I pursed my lips as if I felt strangely strong.
A large pile of wreaths along with Austin’s portrait. The morning sun rising from the eastern sky. The sound of crashing waves.
The sight of the nuns solemnly praying seemed as if time had stopped…
Lucy and I just watched the scene for a while.
*
“Thank you for taking good care of Eilen. He is resting well in his room now. We will take proper action before nightfall.”
The girl, Eilen, whom Lucy had captured and taken with her, was handed over to Auxiliary Bishop Melinir.
This is because after the death of Abbot Austin, the authority to manage the monastery was transferred to her, the de facto vice-chancellor of the area.
Additionally, there are only a few people inside the monastery who know the truth about the demi-humans. Since she was the most senior among them, there was no one better than her to entrust Eilen to.
After the main prayer of the memorial service was over, it was time for each person to sit down and freely pray for Abbot Austin. Although no one said anything as they slowly left, many nuns were quietly sitting and praying in front of the abbot’s portrait.
Auxiliary Bishop Melinir, who had finished his basic duties, took advantage of that moment to speak to me. He had already been staring at me as I leaned against the stone wall at the back of the memorial service.
“It looks like he was very heartbroken… It was something he did accidentally while drunk on the full moon, so his fellow demi-humans will understand.”
Melinir, who lowered his voice and spoke slowly about the situation, was already wearing his abbot’s clothes.
News had arrived early in the morning from the prosperous Eldain. As soon as Holy Emperor Eldain heard the report about Abbot Austin’s death last night, he immediately sent his condolences.
He then immediately granted her the position of abbot and instructed her to end the situation well.
“The other demi-human children also understand very well. Getting drunk on that blood and having your fingernails go off in the wrong place… is something that can happen to not only Eilen, but also to them at any time.”
“…At least that child won’t be harmed for attacking Abbot Austin.”
“Yes. Everyone will understand, but… whether you can forgive yourself is a completely different story.”
When I found Eilen, she was burying her face in her knees and wiping away her tears with her bloody hands.
Isn’t this too much of a heartache for a girl who hasn’t even had her coming-of-age ceremony yet? I’ve thought about it, but it would be foolish to take any more responsibility than this.
It’s something she has to overcome on her own. Just cheering in my heart was enough.
“Would you like to offer a prayer? Right now, you can offer a wreath even if you are not from the monastery.”
“huh.”
Before I could answer anything, Lucy nodded first.
Auxiliary Bishop Melinir trembled and looked at Lucy. Then he closed his eyes and answered by nodding his head slightly.
Lucy, like me, has no faith in anything like God.
Rather, she is a girl who has a record of using magic against evil spirits. Nevertheless, perhaps out of courtesy toward Austin, who left… She laid a wreath of pure white roses and put her hands together and prayed.
It looked completely different from when he was lying down and taking a nap.
Only then did the girl named Lucy become a girl who could be serious when she got serious.
“Are you leaving for Sylvania today?”
“Yes. A carriage is scheduled to arrive late at night when the tide is low. I will stay at the memorial hall until nightfall.”
“It’s okay to take a break. Everyone who wants to offer flowers has already done so, and in fact, there isn’t much left to do.”
“It’s okay. I’ll keep my seat.”
The memorial service held near the main gate of the monastery was crowded with monks even as time passed.
It was gloomy to stand among the mourning nuns all day, but I didn’t particularly mind.
Lucy hates crowded places like this. However, she sat next to me the whole time without saying a word of displeasure.
Occasionally, when a nun I knew passed by, I would offer words of consolation and we would also spend time talking about Austin while he was still alive.
As the procession of nuns passed by, this time a procession of outside visitors came.
Since most of them were people who knew about the circumstances of Austin’s murder, their expressions were sour. Still, I paid tribute to her noble life and left.
Actually, there was no need to make such a strange and guilty face. This is probably the situation Austin wanted the most during his lifetime.
I didn’t see it directly, but I could feel it. She would have passed away smiling brighter than anyone else.
I sat quietly and sent the distinguished guests off. Next, Saint Clarice came in person and laid flowers.
When one passes away, it is considered the highest honor to personally receive a memorial from Saint Clarice, the spiritual leader of the Telos Church.
Abbot Austin was considered a person who deserved such honorable tribute no matter what anyone said.
This was followed by a wreath offering from the Princess of Persica. She approached with a serious attitude and laid flowers at her memorial table with a complicated face.
The princess and the saint.
A girl born with the noblest bloodline in this world and a girl who has received the greatest blessings from the gods of the afterlife.
Abbot Austin passed away while being mourned by both people at the same time.
It may be difficult to summarize his 109 years of life in one line, but it can be said that it was truly an eventful life.
*
“It is said that a carriage from Sylvania has arrived at the coast. The Virgin is also said to have completed preparations for departure, so you may proceed towards the main gate. I would like to express my sincere gratitude as the vicar of the diocese for staying there until the end. Ed Ross “Prince Taylor.”
“…”
“We, Cleric Monastery, will not forget the work of the Rosstaylor family, who lent us their strength without hesitation so that we could get through this incident without any problems.”
Auxiliary Bishop Melinir bowed his head and expressed his gratitude to me.
From my perspective, it was more than necessary to thank her, so I just waved my hand and said it was okay.
Even after the nuns left for work and the VIPs left their seats one by one, Lucy and I stayed in our seats.
Eventually, when it was time to clean up the memorial service, Lucy used her magic to clean up the place neatly, and I also gave a helping hand for various tasks that required strength.
As a result, all schedules were completed neatly by the time the sun set. Now all that was left was to clean up the memorial table, which had a portrait of Austin smiling brightly and a lot of floral tributes.
A long time had already passed and it was low tide. I was so out of it that I couldn’t really feel the day passing by.
“…!”
Suddenly, Lucy raised her eyes and looked around. Did you feel something strange?
As I have said many times, in a monastery, the night is as early as the morning.
By the time the moon is high in the sky, more than half of the nuns have already gone to bed.
In addition, there are very few nuns who come down to the monastery’s main gate leading to the coastline. This is because if you come out to a place like this at this time, you won’t be able to make it to bedtime.
Thanks to this, the area near the memorial stand was completely quiet. The middle door leading to the outer wall was also closed, leaving no room for other people to enter.
The memorial space between the outer wall and the inner door of the monastery. Although it was isolated with iron bars… there were some nuns who climbed the outer wall. Lucy had noticed how popular the nuns were.
Fifteen girls jumped over the iron bars and walls and settled down. It’s strange that they all have animal ears and tails, but they don’t seem to be particularly intoxicated by Manwol’s madness.
Occasionally it would make a growling noise, but it was not an act of aggression.
The power flowing in the blood of the demi-humans sometimes made them lose their reason, but more than that, the miserable feeling was what kept them rational.
The reason is… the death of the benefactor.
The demi-human children had been hiding nearby all day, waiting for midnight to disappear.
The girls all gathered in front of the memorial stand. All of the memorial facilities had already been removed, and only a simple memorial stand remained.
But the girls don’t care and gather together to pray. They were the last mourners at this memorial meeting.
Some sit on nearby rocks, others sit on the dirt, their tails hanging quietly, and they continue to pray.
At the front was sitting Eilen, who still had tears in her eyes.
The girl praying in the moonlight with her rich blonde hair hanging on the floor and wearing a dirt-covered monastic habit…
even though she was mixed with animal blood… had the appearance of a faithful servant of God.
“If you’re late, you’ll be in trouble.”
“…All right.”
Now that the water had completely receded, we were able to slowly head towards the shore. After leaving the girls praying in the moonlight, it was time for me to go on my way.
If I don’t leave at the right time, I will have to stay at this monastery until tomorrow.
It’s not a big deal, but I still want to go back to the academy and focus on my studies. This is because I did not want to fall further behind in my class schedule no matter how hard I tried.
Auxiliary Bishop Melinir must have noticed my expression and smiled with his eyes closed.
“We need to slowly return to our daily lives, everyone.”
After the person who is leaving leaves, daily life comes back again. As if that person never existed from the beginning.
The clock hands move forward tick-tick, the sun rises and sets, and before you know it, the moon is high in the sky. Then, one day, life suddenly comes to an end, like a blackout.
Some people may feel futility in such a flow of life and define it as meaningless.
Some people know how to find and give meaning even in such a monotonous and repetitive life.
The sun rises even at Cleric Monastery, where Austin is not present. Even if the dead are silent, the lives of the living must continue.
Because we survived anyway.
Because you have to live.
*
“That’s roughly what happened.”
“Wow, you must have really had a hard time.”
“It’s not like I had any trouble whatsoever. I was just sitting still most of the time. Anyway… I’m really surprised…”
When I returned from the monastery to the camp, I was so shocked that I almost cried.
Even before we left the camp, we had been working on expanding the cabin, and when we returned, the exterior work was almost complete.
Of course, the process of trimming and processing the logs used as materials is the most labor-intensive… The construction work itself is not that difficult if you borrow the power of the spirits.
However, no matter how much it was, I never thought that Jenica would be able to finish everything in the ten or so days that I stayed at the monastery.
Come to think of it… Yenika’s own hut was built in 5 days by the spirits’ forced march.
Tarkan’s leadership… should I call it leadership….. Anyway, thanks to Tarkan’s leadership, the movements of the spirits became more orderly and boasted an efficiency that was beyond the scope of common sense.
Of course, it has no choice but to fall outside the scope of common sense… Because Tarkan’s way of thinking is outside the scope of common sense.
When I looked at the entire camp using spirit sensitivity, I saw exhausted low-ranking spirits strewn about like corpses.
Mug, who was heading to Cleric’s Monastery with me, looked at the low-ranking spirits scattered around with complicated eyes.
There was a picture of myself just a few years ago. Now that his status has risen to that of a mid-level spirit, he may not have suffered as much, but Mug wouldn’t have been safe if he had been left behind in this camp.
[I feel really fortunate to have signed a contract with Master Ed. Let’s live forever… I will be loyal to this fire candle mug for the rest of my life…!!! ]
It seems like you have a lot of feelings.
“You… really built this…?”
A cabin that had been fully realized according to the previously planned plan had arrived before my eyes.
A zelkova tree spreading its large branches next to the camp. A large first-story hut was built with the trunk as the axis, and a large auxiliary pillar was also installed on the second floor to support the high part of the trunk.
The neat and perfect results made me even forget the reason for my woodworking training. This was a quality that I could never have made on my own. The neatly hung windows on each floor and the neatly stacked logs were also impressive areas.
The part where the support beam connects looks like an iron bar was purchased and hammered in, and the parts that stick out look like they were all shaved off. It’s truly amazing that they’ve made it this far with spirits who aren’t good at detailed work.
“Ehehe~.”
Jenica smiled and made a V sign with her hand, but suddenly lowered her head as if embarrassed.
“Actually… I was only going to lay out the basics for about half of it, but Tarkan took the lead and finished the whole thing while I was attending bachelor’s classes…” “
…I heard the other spirits are okay?”
“In the first place, the construction itself must have been carried out into the night without my knowledge… They also did additional work while I was out of class… They must have hid it because they didn’t want me to say something… I found out later and scolded Tarkan… ”
Yenica was fiddling with the tips of her fingers and pouting. It was clearly excessive loyalty from the spirits.
Anyway, it’s good to receive all the love from the spirits, but if she’s rolling around like that until she’s exhausted, it’s not very good for Yenika herself.
In the meantime, I could see Tarkan looking at the cabin and smiling with satisfaction. It’s probably like that.
“Well, anyway, I just need to do my best to take care of the spirits after their death! Shouldn’t Ed just be happy?! Wow! Wow!”
“Just because you shout three cheers doesn’t mean the situation will change drastically… but it’s a happy thing for me anyway.”
I looked up at the cabin, which had grown even larger.
I then turned my attention to the wooden shelter built in one corner of the camp. It was the first shelter I made and the place where I fell asleep amidst the cold night wind and bugs on the first day.
After seeing the overwhelming difference in size, a strange feeling arose and I pressed my forehead.
Indeed… is this a wave of emotion?
“The inside is still empty. I’m not sure about the furniture arrangement, so I think Ed will have to do whatever he wants!”
“…okay.”
I’ll take care of arranging the furniture 100 times on my own. Rather, you can do it with a genuine smile.
The second floor will be used as a library and magic engineering workshop, and the first floor will be used as a living space… All sensitive and delicate equipment will go up to the second floor.
It was around this time that I was happily thinking about how to arrange the furniture while thinking about my moving plan.
“By the way, Ed, you have to go to class again starting tomorrow…?”
“Huh? Right.”
“Well… I’ve just arrived at the bachelor’s, so I don’t know about it.”
Yenika placed the pot for preparing the meal on the bonfire and rolled up her sleeves.
“Ed’s younger sister, Tanya… I heard they’re holding a new student council meeting… I guess Ed is thinking of calling that too. It’s like calling a meeting of sorts.”
It is the natural authority of the president to call a meeting among students.
However, Yenika speaks while tilting her head as if she is concerned.
“But the reason for the meeting was a bit strange… and the only members invited were children from famous and prestigious families, so there were a lot of rumors going around…” “
…what rumors?”
“The student president… is trying to form an independent force that can exert influence not only within Sylvania but also externally…”
I couldn’t help but tilt my head unconsciously at those words.
One thing is certain… I had the feeling that Tanya was drawing a blueprint for something.
This…I felt like I had to go and ask in person.
