There really isn’t an easier question to answer in this world than this. Because I —Lian En Klauscher— am right here, right in front of you.
She smiled so peacefully, yet so painfully. Lian wanted to tell her, wanted to tell her right this moment.
Then, just like before, she wanted to argue with her, to loudly laugh at her for being a fool who knew nothing but the sword.
She even wanted to, just like in the old days, drag her off to the palace wine cellar after training to drink until they couldn’t stand, and then be woken up together by that child the next morning, who’d splash them with cold water with a helpless expression…
But she couldn’t do it. Because those times were gone forever.
And Lian’s “past” and her “past” were no longer the same—her “past” now included those sixteen years when Lian En Klauscher hadn’t existed, those sixteen years when the man who promised to stay forever by Meliya’s and her side had broken his vow.
That’s five times longer than the journey where they saved the world. Why, after all that pain, can you still smile with such relief?
Could it be that just hearing from a girl whose identity is still unclear that “Lian En Klauscher wasn’t a traitor” is enough to wipe away your years of confusion, sadness, and resentment?
Was that man really so important to you? In your eyes, wasn’t he always just the biggest good-for-nothing, idiot, and scoundrel in the world?
“Yeah. When I left his side, he was doing just fine. All he did every day was eat and sleep… He was full of energy.”
“Really? …Is that so.” Hearing this, Vera smiled even more brightly. She held that Imitated Holy Sword tightly in her arms, tears continually dripping onto the blade.
“…I’ll be taking my leave! Please rest well!”
Lian fled from the room, then leaned against the door that separated the two of them.
She slowly slid to the floor as if she had lost all her strength, covering her mouth so she wouldn’t burst into sobs.
She had to escape. If she kept looking at her like that, she would surely lose her sanity.
And these days, both she and Milin’s behavior kept reminding Lian of one thing—
They weren’t Sephy. Human concepts of time were nothing like the immortal Sage’s.
Transforming and crossing through time—what Sephy could accept so easily with such a ridiculous reason, was something they could never accept.
And even if they did, the wounds would never truly heal.
She gradually understood. It wasn’t that she couldn’t, but that she didn’t dare tell them the truth.
Because she was afraid… Afraid that Lian Klauscher, who was now just a maid, couldn’t possibly bear the heavy burden of those sixteen years that belonged to the Hero Lian En Klauscher.
No… Perhaps even if she went back to her original self, became the Hero again… she still wouldn’t be able to bear it, to make it right.
…
……
………
This was the second day after his disappearance.
In Meliya’s bedroom, Vera sat by the bedside watching over the sleeping Meliya.
From yesterday onward, Meliya had done nothing but cry—crying until her voice was hoarse, her eyes were swollen and red, and only after exhaustion finally fell asleep.
Vera didn’t try to comfort her. Although she’d said things like “until we find him, or until he comes back himself” to console her, she never truly believed this period would last long.
He must have had some urgent matter to handle alone.
And that matter must have been very difficult, or even so dangerous that he wouldn’t tell his wife or companions, wanting to bear it alone… He had always been this way.
Vera knew him very well. So, once he came back, she’d decided to give him a good beating on everyone’s behalf, to tell him there was nothing in this world so difficult or dangerous that everyone couldn’t shoulder it together—if the Brave’s Party could defeat the Demon King together, was there really anything that everyone working together couldn’t achieve?
And that wouldn’t be enough—she’d give him another beating on Meliya’s behalf.
No matter what his reasons, anyone who made this girl cry like this was unforgivable… Let alone the fact that this was her new marriage, what should have been the happiest moment in her life.
The soldiers and spies had already been sent out, but for the Hero, evading their searches was all too easy… Even so, Vera didn’t feel impatient.
She even thought that Laide’s Dragon King’s Oath yesterday was a bit over the top.
That was the Dragon King’s Oath, and the promise even included the cooperation of the entire Dragon Race…
In all the history she knew, there had never been a nation or an individual honored with such a privilege.
Linxi also said she would put out a bounty across the entire Holy Nation.
That was the world’s largest country, with countless subjects. And with Sephy’s unmatched magic, even if he wanted to hide his tracks, being found would only be a matter of time.
She glanced again at the sleeping Meliya… Even in her dreams, she was crying.
While feeling heartache for her, Vera also couldn’t help but feel a little pride and satisfaction—
Looks like I still understand him better. You act like you’ve been parted from him by death… How could he possibly abandon you like that?
……No, that’s not how an elder sister should feel about her little sister.
Vera quickly composed herself and cast those thoughts aside.
…
……
…………
This was the thirtieth day since his disappearance.
The Northern Provinces had entered a frigid winter, and a heavy snow had fallen on the farm the night before, blanketing the withered grass in white.
Vera added some firewood to the burning fireplace in the living room, then picked up a small bowl of stew from the table.
“……”
Meliya sat blankly in the rocking chair by the hearth. Vera scooped up some stew with a wooden spoon, blew it cool, and brought it to Meliya’s lips.
“Eat something, Meliya.”
“Ah…”
Only when she made such a request would Meliya mechanically open her mouth to swallow. It went on like this, over and over, until the entire bowl was finished.
She had called in many doctors, even Sephy, to check on her condition, but all of them could only give one answer—
It was an illness of the heart, beyond any cure.
So now she wasn’t sure what to do. As time passed, the Imperial Capital had recently sent orders for her to return with her troops…
She understood—they were already preparing to reclaim the fiefdom granted as a reward to the Hero and his wife.
Because she had broken off her engagement with the Hero, they had tried to win him over by granting him a Noble Title…
And what they offered was nearly a quarter of Yilansiya’s territory—the Northern Provinces.
This land had suffered most during the Great War, and it was also the homeland of his commoner wife…
Assigning this mess to the Hero to manage, they could be said to have killed two birds with one stone.
But now, things were different. As news of the Hero’s sudden disappearance continued to spread, more and more of them believed that he, who had even abandoned his new bride, would never return… and so there was no reason to leave a duchy-sized territory in the hands of a common village girl.
“When will you come back… Lian En?”
Her whispered words were barely audible. But even so, the dead look in Meliya’s eyes flickered at the mention of that name.