The season shifted from spring to summer. The snow that had stubbornly clung to the shade even in spring finally melted away, and heat haze shimmered in the fields. The temperature rose to the point where one couldn't bear it without fanning oneself during the day.
However, in stark contrast to the daytime heat, the nights were no different from winter. Though it didn't carry snow, a fierce wind swept away all the warmth from the earth. This must also be due to the influence of the Ice Peninsula. It was truly a bizarre place.
The wooden window rattled with a thud. In Freieiche, the central city of Ditmarsken, the lord's manor had its windows tightly shut to block the night wind, but the wind blew as if to break the latch.
At that time, Priest Roberta was conducting her dawn prayers in a bedroom prepared for her in a corner of the lord's manor. She placed a symbol of the goddess Ganymea on the table and knelt before it, clasping her hands together.
This day marked her second summer since assuming her position as Head Priest. It was also a few months after completing her journey to the Ice Peninsula in the spring.
"······."
After retracing her journey along with her dawn prayers, Roberta rose from her spot after a long while. Holding an oil lamp in her right hand, she left the bedroom and walked down the hallway.
Despite wearing a coat over her Priest robes, she felt a chilling cold of the night that made her shiver, and as she listened to the fierce wind hitting the wooden windows, she stood before a certain room in the hallway.
After hesitating for a moment, she knocked on the door, and,
"Come in."
A response came back as if he had been waiting.
"Excuse me."
Opening the door revealed the study. There was only a fireplace, a wooden window, two bookshelves, and a desk next to them. It was a simple, no, a bleak room without any decorations.
Lord Ulrich of Ditmarsken was sitting at his desk in the study from dawn. Without turning his gaze to her, he relied on the faint light emanating from the candlelight to write something with a quill.
"Lord?"
Roberta entered and closed the door.
"It's rare for you to seek me out at this hour. Isn't this the first time?"
Ulrich stopped his hand and lifted his face. He was wearing glasses. As far as she knew, his eyesight wasn't bad, but he often wore glasses when reading or writing. It made him look quite intellectual, but on the other hand, it made him look a few years older.
"Would it be a bother if I came suddenly?"
"No, you know I don't sleep much at night. Rather, it's good to have someone to talk to. Though I doubt you came to have a light conversation."
Smiling, Ulrich gestured for her to sit in the chair in front of the desk.
As soon as she sat down, she shivered. Even though it was the lord's study, it was as cold as the hallway. Wondering why, she looked at the fireplace and saw no signs of a fire being lit. The bizarre lord was spending the night in light clothing, just as he had done on the Ice Peninsula.
He took off his glasses and placed them on the desk, then got up from his seat and started a fire in the fireplace. Only then did the room brighten up a little and begin to drive away the cold air.
"It seems you don't feel the cold, Lord."
"Of course, I do. Very well."
"Yet you don't show it at all."
"Because it's bearable. It's an adaptation made by time."
Roberta vaguely recalled his estimated age. How long would one have to live to not even change expression in the face of the bitter cold of the Ice Peninsula?
"But that story is too long, and it would be difficult to listen to until the end. And it wouldn't be the answer you want either. Wouldn't you agree?"
"···Yes."
"Well then, what do you want to ask me? At this early hour, at a time when even Bernhardt hasn't woken up."
As always, there were many things she wanted to ask. Especially the journey on the Ice Peninsula had so many questions that she didn't know where to begin.
The Great King Banares of Carbonihar, the giant Uar who did not worship the Creator, the dragon Narbakayani who wished to understand humans, and even Ulrich's past name, Oscar.
However, the reason she sought him out at this ambiguous hour was not among those. The previous questions did not need to be asked immediately. She had plenty of time, and she could gradually unravel them.
"Are you going to leave, Lord?"
But, what if Ulrich were to leave?
That was the question that arose on the Ice Peninsula.
Duke Weilen, the giant Uar, and the dragon Narbakayani testified that the human using the name Ulrich had lived a life twice as long as his life as the lord of Ditmarsken. Also, in his long life, he had changed his name many times.
Narbakayani had also said that Ulrich had been using this name for quite a while and that he must be getting tired of it. From there, Roberta suddenly thought. Just like the dragon who left humanity, wouldn't Ulrich also leave soon?
"I'm thinking of it."
Ulrich answered without hesitation.
"May I ask the reason···?"
"It's simply because I felt the time has come."
The time has come?
"What does that mean?"
"To that question, I must ask back. Why, and until when, do you think I should be in this position?"
Roberta said, with an absurd tone, "Pardon?" with just one word.
"You know the circumstances of how I became the lord of Ditmarsken, don't you?"
How could she not know? It was a well-known story. Ulrich was the adopted son-in-law of the late Lord Hilde, and he inherited the title after her death.
"Hilde asked me. To stay even after she died, to protect her people from the blizzards of the Little Ice Age. I promised that I would."
There were other hidden intentions, he muttered to himself, continuing his words.
"My title as Count of Ditmarsken··· no, Duke, is only that. It started with a promise between Hilde and me, and it was fulfilled long ago. Besides, the winters are getting shorter now. The temperature is rising every year."
This was called the end of the Little Ice Age.
"Even without me, these people will survive. It took longer than expected because there were many problems, but the promise is only up to there, Hilde's request was that. And when the promise is over, there's no reason for me to stay here."
"······I don't quite understand."
Roberta did not know the weight of the promise between Ulrich and Hilde. She could only guess that he valued it enough to dedicate 300 years of his life to it.
But, what does that have to do with giving up the title?
"Was giving up the title also part of the promise?"
"No, there was no such promise."
"Then why···."
Why leave after keeping the promise?
"Don't you think it's enough to have held the position of lord of Ditmarsken for 300 years? It's a very long time to have any unfulfilled regrets left."
With an uncomprehending expression, she looked at him.
As far as she remembered, there were few people in history who had done the same. Even if there were, it was because they were old and senile and wanted to spend their last years in peace, not because they had no attachment to power.
If someone else had said the same thing, she would have scoffed inwardly. There were many people who naturally spouted lies or exaggerations. She knew well that there was no word that revealed greed more than saying, "I have no desire."
However, the person who had refused the throne of a certain country, the person who had saved the great king of a certain country four times and refused the reward, was saying that to her.
"It seems you still don't understand."
"To be honest··· no, it's hard to accept."
"I think I said it before, don't think too complicatedly."
There's a limit, she swallowed a hollow laugh inwardly. How many people would hear something that wasn't even within the realm of common sense and react with, "Ah, that's possible."?
"Wouldn't you have developed some affection after spending so long here?"
"Affection, of course, I have."
"Even if it's not for the title, you could stay for that reason."
She asked.
What about the butler Bernhardt or the chieftain Kurt, would he refuse and leave even if they asked him to stay as their lord?
"Well. Let me give you an example."
Ulrich closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and continuing his words.
"Let's assume you raise a dog named Iba. And let's add the assumption that Iba's descendants have continued for a long time."
"······."
"You have raised Iba's children and sometimes entrusted a few to trustworthy people, but let's say Iba's descendants have prospered and continued for about twenty generations."
She narrowed her eyes, reading his intentions.
"It's an analogy. It doesn't mean I regard people as pets. It's a metaphor for the feeling of raising someone's descendants for generations, having lived a longer life than others."
"······."
"Now, think about it. After twenty generations, there will be no trace of Iba in the descendants. At best, only the breed or fur color will be similar. They are practically strangers to Iba. But if you are still raising Iba's descendants, why is that?"
"By that time, it wouldn't be because I'm seeing Iba in them."
"That's right, correct. At first, you gave affection because they were the puppies born from Iba, but gradually you give affection by seeing their inherent nature. People tend to develop affection when they are in contact with each other."
But how long will that last?
He continued his words.
"You will continue to give affection to Iba's descendants, but can you be sure that it will be forever? At what point would you not think, 'Ah, I should only take care of this one'? Then you would entrust the puppies that the dog gives birth to someone else who can love them, and only take care of the dog until it dies of old age, wouldn't you?"
And he asked if she understood this analogy.
"······."
No answer came.
She silently met his gaze. He wore a faint smile, and she trembled her pupils. The man before her, young but claiming to have lived a longer life than anyone else, was not a dragon.
The dragon who had embraced a human had left when there was nothing more to gain, and there was no emotion there. But the man named Ulrich was human, kept his promise for hundreds of years, and prepared for farewell when he achieved his goal.
Unlike the dragon, he had emotions. Roberta read the complex emotions in Ulrich's voice. It was something that only a human who had reached the end of a long promise could have.
- It was as if the desires had become ashes that had all burned away.
At that time, she recalled the words of the old Priest.
The old Priest whom she met on the way to Ditmarsken had then said, 'Perhaps he has lived longer than recorded, and time has dulled even greed.'
"May I ask one more thing?"
Ulrich nodded.
"When you leave, who will succeed you?"
"Bernhardt, that child will succeed me. Because that's how I raised him."
"···Excuse me for saying this, but perhaps, the reason—"
"Are you asking if I'm handing it down because he's my descendant?"
Lowering his gaze, he touched the ring on his right index finger. The golden ring was engraved with the coat of arms of the Ditmarsken family, and it was something only the head of the family possessed. If he had been wearing it since he inherited the title, he would have been wearing it for 300 years, but it was clean without any stains.
"There were no children between us."
Us refers to Hilde and Ulrich.
"Hilde's body was greatly damaged. Because of that, she couldn't have children. The blood flowing in the Hilderson clan today is the blood of Hilde's relatives and the adopted children she raised."
"Adopted children?"
"I have never had children here."
It was as the giant Uar had said. Ulrich did not take a new wife and only took adopted children, Uar had said. Roberta thought that Hilde would have had several biological children during her lifetime, but that was not the case either.
"As I always say, I am Ulrich of Ditmarsken. As long as I use that name, I must fulfill my responsibilities. Because that is not disgracing Hilde. Am I wrong?"
"Ah, no."
She avoided his gaze, feeling as if her thoughts had been read.
"Bernhardt's main family is the Maier County family. The blood of Hohenlohe, who was the eldest among Hilde's adopted children, flows in that family. And they feel a deep pride in that and send their children to me. They want me to think of Hohenlohe when I look at them."
It's a futile act, he said.
"I don't think of Hohenlohe when I look at them. It's not like Weilen, who is close in lineage, and how much of the ancestor's appearance would remain after several generations? The reason why Bernhardt is succeeding me is because he has the ability to do so. There is no other reason."
When he finished speaking, Roberta did not ask any further. She could not say anything in response to his candid answer.
And then, there was a cautious knock on the door.
"It's time."
The blue light of dawn was seeping through the cracks in the closed window. As Ulrich had said to Roberta, he said to the person beyond the door, "Come in." Then the butler Bernhard Maier entered the study and greeted him.
"Good morning, Lord."
Bernhardt's expression was stiff. He was the owner of a gentle personality that was the opposite of his fierce appearance, so he always wore a shallow smile, but now it was so stiff that she could notice it. He must have overheard the conversation between Roberta and Ulrich.
'I was careless.'
She reproached herself inwardly.
She was so engrossed in the conversation that she didn't even know the sun was rising, so it was natural that she didn't hear the approaching footsteps. Bernhardt must have clearly heard that his master had decided to leave.
However, he forced a smile while trying to smooth out his stiff expression. He acted as if he hadn't heard anything as a butler and approached his master as always.
"You're not alone today."
"You're not alone today either."
There was a boy next to Bernhardt.
It was a boy named Fritz Maier, who was about to turn sixteen. As the surname showed, he was from the same family, but he was not his son. He was the fourth son of his younger brother, and he was in a position to be trained to assist the lord after Bernhardt.
"Yes. I plan to have this child accompany me from now on."
"Already trying to teach him? Isn't it too early?"
"It's not early. It's too late."
Bernhardt laughed, telling him to think about his age.
"That's right."
"Don't worry. This child will remain even if I leave."
Roberta, who had been watching the conversation between the two, suddenly read the meaning behind Bernhardt's actions.
Think about it. Ulrich is not someone who deceives others. Also, he is not someone who hides things. Would Bernhardt, who has served him for a longer period than she has, not know about such changes in his master?
Bernhardt grabbed the shoulder of the boy Fritz with his wrinkled hand and pulled him forward. So that Ulrich could reach out and stroke the boy's head.
She thought that it was like a mother dog biting her puppy and showing it to her owner, trying to imprint on the owner that this child was her puppy. Also, he was saying to watch over this child as well. Bernhardt's ancestors must have done the same.
But that cannot last forever. As Ulrich said, he will decide to part ways at some point. She did not know when that time would come, but Roberta did not feel it was far away.