I had known for a long time that Remember was no ordinary person.
As if he had no intention of hiding it in the first place, he casually showed his unusual appearance, so unless you were a person with a keen sense of humor, you couldn't have not noticed.
In addition to the silver-blue hair and eyes, the origin of Esperanes, which he had vaguely revealed, was clearly remembered in his mind even if he was not conscious of it, so I recalled it when appropriate.
"The crown prince... or should I say the Emperor now? Elpidius Desert received mercenary support from Esperanes."
As soon as I heard that, I could immediately see how things had progressed. I had already heard that Elpidius had visited the mansion that belonged to me.
The Empire has always been a target of interest for the demon world that targets the human world. Especially its main player, Eduardo Desert. Even though the most threatening opponent was dead, I didn't do the foolish thing of taking my eyes off him right away. There's no way Eduardo raised his successor roughly.
As soon as his death was confirmed, the informants who had been observing Eduardo's movements flexibly changed their focus and began to intensively observe the movements of the new emperor Elpidius. Thanks to this, I was able to quickly hear the news that he had visited this mansion.
'Elpidius visited the mansion where he stayed with an unusual Esperanian. And the subsequent mercenary support of Esperanes. It's obvious even without looking.'
All that remained was confidence.
Red eyes followed the movements of the old man in a tailcoat.
I was sitting still, watching the old man drink tea leisurely, holding a box in my lap regardless of whether the tea in front of me was cold or not, and opened my mouth.
"Can you lend me some mercenaries, too?"
It was a blunt statement.
Remember pauses for a moment before putting down the teacup. The lowered pupils rose and our gazes naturally met.
"No, I'm afraid that will be difficult."
"Hmm."
I tried it and he caught me right away. If it wasn't really related, the response would have been that he didn't know what I was talking about. This confirmed that he was a conduit for mercenary support.
Don't they say that you have to pretend to know even if you don't know? I smiled meaningfully, recalling the proverbs floating around in the world of nobles.
"Then what about taking back mercenaries who volunteered for the Empire?"
"That too is difficult."
"Then it's difficult."
Honestly, I don't understand.
Esperanes was a kingdom that did not care about the demon world, which was looking at each kingdom to devour the human world. It didn't make much of a difference, and even if it tried to conquer it, it would only consume a lot of troops in the process, and it's a very small kingdom. Worse yet, even I had forgotten its existence.
In other words, if they remained calm, there would have been less possibility of the demon world reaching them even after the conquest of the human world.
"Supporting mercenaries to a country that is being trample by the demon world can be taken as meaning that you will fight against the demon world."
If I make a move like this, the story changes.
How should I deal with Esperanes? Remember laughed empty-handedly, as if he had noticed me, who was beginning to make plans to destroy Esperanes in my head.
"Is that possible? Esperanes has always maintained a neutral stance. It was so in the past, it is so now, and it will be so in the future."
"It is difficult to view the current actions as neutral."
"Mr. Hardt."
It was an unfamiliar title that was neither 'Master' nor a title.
I stopped reflexively and looked at Remember. He was smiling with age in mind. The words that came out when he opened his mouth had a sharp meaning, unlike my low and soft voice.
"Esperanes is a sword."
"..."
"No one gets angry at a sword."
"... Ah."
At the remark that pointed to the past, I let out a laugh as if I was wondering when he had hardened.
Okay. When I went back and forth between the Emperor and the Demon King, I used that logic to survive.
I didn't even ask questions like why he knew. It wouldn't be strange if I knew about Remember's abilities as I've seen them before.
I just stared straight into the old man's silver-blue eyes and opened my mouth to break the short silence.
"So you're asking us to look at Esperanes now that it's in that position?"
"If you say it without pretense, it will be like that."
"I'm sorry, but I don't think that will work."
"..."
"Remember, you were completely wrong. What Remember just said is nonsense. The premise was wrong to begin with."
It's not even funny.
A cold sneer flowed out.
"That's when the sword doesn't choose its owner. Remember rejected our request for mercenaries."
If you cannot hold a sword that protects its owner with will, it is right to destroy it.
Remember, looking at the quietly burning red eyes, let out a faint sigh. It was an expected situation.
A slightly relaxed voice spoke as if lamenting.
"... As expected, it happens like this. Why do you say it's so difficult to ignore the old man's sophistry?"
"Because we also have our own position."
"Are you sure you will?"
"Yes."
So hurry up and show me the rest of your cards. I won't be angry even if I lose this time.
I smiled bitterly.
As if unable to overcome that look in my eyes, Remember cautiously added his words. As it was a sensitive issue, I felt like he was paying close attention to it, which was rare.
"Wouldn't it be okay to let us go, considering that we have recovered the body of your brother?"
"...!"
My eyes widened. At the same time, the dilated pupils immediately showed joy and, and the corners of the mouth rose to create a bright smile. Remember's worries were meaningless.
I feel like I'm going to die from the overflow of emotions.
Even joy can take your breath away.
I closed my eyes as if I was truly going to die of happiness and let out a voice full of sorrow.
"... I see."
Suddenly, a teardrop fell.
"It was Remember."
The person who recovered my brother's body.
Remember carefully examined my face. I laughed again as if showing off.
It was not taken and used arbitrarily, but it was called 'repair'. He said he had to go through a lot of trouble to findthe body because he had moved it, but I couldn't be angry because I knew that if he had left it alone, it would have already become food for crows before Dvelania even got to the place.
He tried to use it in the negotiations now, but that was something I deliberately planned and pushed for.
"Did you know?"
"I was only expecting it. That was also recently."
I made this prediction after reading the report from Dvelania who was tracking Cruel's body.
Because the location of the place I was tracking and tracing without any further progress cleverly overlapped with the mansion I was staying in. There, I reflexively thought of one person.
The old butler of the mansion who acted as if he knew everything.
It was only a guess, but I trusted only that and my intuition and took a gamble in front of the Demon King. I'm glad it worked.
"How would you respond?"
"... The location..."
A trembling voice came out faintly along with the sound of wind leaking.
The wooden box in my arms felt hard again. I closed my mouth for a moment, cleared my throat quietly, and spoke with an affirmative meaning.
"Where is the location?"
"I will take you there right away."
Remember took out a bandage from under the sofa and stood up.
***
After walking for a while, we arrived at a place near the border line.
I discovered a small peak right near the place where day and night separated, and looked back at Remember in silence. As if he had read the question in my eyes, the answer came right away.
"Mr. Hardt goes back and forth between the human world and the demon world, so no matter which side he stays in, I found a place where he can watch you."
"Still, there could be an attack by a monster..."
"It's okay because we placed a barrier. Because we can't use magic as humans, we can't create an elaborate formation, so we can't block demons, but we can sufficiently filter out monsters that are just mindless beasts."
"... Thank you."
The four wooden pillars placed in all directions around the tomb seem to be the main axis of the barrier.
A broken sword lying in front of the grave came into view.
Seeing the familiar appearance, I quietly walked up to him and knelt down in front of him.
'It's Cruel's sword.'
There was no way I didn't know. This was the sword that he held until the end of his life. As I looked at it, the dire situation at that time came back to me, and I tightened my jaw so that my teeth were crushed.
'Not yet.'
Now was not the time to get emotional. I forced my eyes off the sword and turned my head.
What caught my eye this time was the tombstone.
"... Why is this tombstone blank?"
A monument that stood erect but had nothing engraved on it.
I set the wooden box down next to me and ran my hand over the smooth tombstone. An answer came from behind me.
"Because this old man was not given the right to engrave it."
"... Ah."
Now I understand.
A question that had always been incomprehensible was resolved. I took my hand off the tombstone and looked back at Remember. The eyes, which had always been hard, sparkled with vivid emotions.
"You were waiting for the day to tell me the location of this tomb."
So he was left alone in the mansion with no one around. I was curious the whole time I came here. Why was he staying in the mansion when he should have left long ago when the situation became extremely dangerous due to meeting Elpidius and supporting mercenaries? There was no way he didn't know I was coming to the mansion.
"But why bother...?"
From his perspective, Cruel would be a stranger.
Remember grinned at the young eyes full of questions.
"If you didn't know, wouldn't it be difficult to pretend not to notice the sight of the body of a person who sacrificed his life for someone else lying around carelessly?"
"... As long as there is no further interference, I will not touch Esperanes no matter what happens. My brother..."
It was an unexpected remark, but Remember, who knew it was just another way of saying thank you, instead of asking again, stayed silent and waited for the comment.
Then, a deep, subdued voice filled with overwhelming sadness came out as if chewing.
"Because you gave 'everything' for me. I have to say thank you like this to make it worthwhile."
"You were a greater person than I knew."
It was not just 'life'. Remember, who read that meaning, nodded gently.
In fact, not only that, but my voice contained a strong sense of self-deprecation and self-loathing, but he pretended not to notice.
"If so, what words will you engrave on the tombstone?"
"... You said you didn't have the qualifications."
"Yes."
I smiled bitterly.
"Do I really have the qualifications to fill this tombstone?"
"If the engraver of the tombstone is not the person he wanted to protect until the end, who else will fill the tombstone?"
"..."
There was no answer.
I turned my head and looked at the tomb. I stretched out my hand and lightly swept the well-maintained lawn in front of m and spoke softly.
"The lawn... did Remember take care of it too?"
"Yes."
"... I will not say any more thanks since I have already confirmed the price. However, apart from thanking you, can I ask you a question?"
"Tell me."
"Why didn't you weed that out? Is there any special reason?"
A flower bloomed in the exact center of the grave... It's the same type of flower as the one in my room. Even though it was from the human world, it was a strange flower that was vivid and its wilting standards were unknown.
'I had no connection with flowers, but I've been seeing them often lately.'
And only one kind. I frowned.