A green-haired girl looked at Filgiri's portrait at the funeral, her eyes red, possibly from crying so much. That girl was Soline, Filgiri's youngest daughter. Her mother stood behind her with empty eyes. She simply knelt in front of the portrait, clasping her hands as she thought:
'I know we don't deserve to go to heaven, but at least I hope you're well… I will follow you in the future, my dear husband'
She had to move forward to help Leon more and more, especially now that her husband had passed. She could not turn back and never thought of retreating from her decision, not even for a second, just like her entire family. Before standing up, her daughter spoke to her in a whisper.
"I will kill him"
"Soline, that would not be possible. Leave it to me, I will kill him with my own hands"
Surfien entered the place and bowed to his father. Two days had passed since that attack. When Leon found out, he mentioned he would investigate after seeing the remaining traces of magic at the site.
"But…"
"Little sister, you are far too weak to think about revenge"
Soline bit her lips and ran away without looking back. His words were harsh, but they were true, both for him and for his mother. Jirena sighed as she watched her daughter's back disappear into the distance. She would have to talk to Soline to prevent her from doing anything reckless.
'I can't lose another family member. If someone has to die, it will be me next'
Surfien kept his posture straight for a few seconds after bowing, his eyes fixed on Filgiri's portrait as he organized his thoughts. The environment was silent, with few people present, only those closest, and even among them there was no room for unnecessary conversation. Filgiri's absence in that place was more evident than any words could express.
"He fought until the end"
"I know"
She spoke after a few seconds, her tone controlled, but carrying something deeper. There was no doubt in what she said, only a harsh acceptance of reality. Surfien looked away from the portrait for a moment before returning his gaze.
'And I will do the same'
"Lord Leon has already started the investigation"
"Did he find anything?"
"Traces of magic… it's not someone ordinary"
Jirena closed her eyes briefly, breathing in a controlled way before opening them again. That only confirmed what she already expected. Filgiri would not fall to someone weak, especially with his stubborn nature, and if that had happened inside the house itself, then the one responsible was no ordinary person.
'He even had to use that pill and still couldn't defeat the opponent'
Both of them knew about the pill Leon had given to the weaker knights. The good thing was that he never forced anyone to use it, so it was always the knights' own decision to sacrifice themselves for him.
"So he will go after them as well"
"Yes"
"…that is good. My lord, as always, does everything possible for our family"
Silence returned for a few seconds, heavier this time. Jirena slowly stood up, adjusting her posture as she looked once more at the portrait. She then turned her gaze toward the direction where her daughter had gone, her expression changing slightly for the first time since arriving there.
"He won't need to worry about me, but he should worry about Soline. She is very impulsive"
"I know"
"She won't stop, and neither will you"
Surfien narrowed his eyes slightly but did not argue. He understood exactly the kind of decision being made there and knew there was no space to stop it at that moment. Jirena looked at him again.
"Even so, at least wait. Don't do anything before we have complete information, my son"
"Mother, you know I'm not as impulsive as Soline. I know how to proceed from here"
"Very well. I will speak with Soline"
The two separated shortly after, each heading in a different direction within the house. The funeral remained silent, with Filgiri's portrait still at the center, while the decision made at that moment began to move slowly, but inevitably. As they left, they noticed Leon entering the place and giving a slight bow. Both felt the urge to thank him for the respect shown, but Leon was not the type who liked to be seen as weak.
'I didn't know him very well, but he was a good man in his own way…'
[As I said, I feel sorry for his fate in the story and here as well. I thought things would change]
Leon remained silent in front of the portrait, his eyes fixed on Filgiri's image as his mind organized the few memories he had of that man. Even if that body was not particularly sentimental toward his knights, who he considered normal, he was still one of his, and that alone was enough to give weight to that moment.
'He held off a rank eight alone… even knowing he would die'
[That's because he used the pill]
Leon already knew that Filgiri had fought a rank eight, and he had a slight suspicion of who it could have been. After all, there were very few shadow magic users in both the kingdom and the enemy kingdom—he could count them on one hand.
'Only one person could have done this… he must have come looking for a weakness'
[You mean…]
'Yes, my younger brother'
Leon then bowed slightly, a simple gesture without exaggeration, just enough to show respect. There were no words, no spoken promise, but the intention had already been set even before he arrived there.
'This body may not be very sentimental, and I myself am not very attached to it until I entered it'
He straightened up soon after, looking away from the portrait for the first time since entering. His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, noting Soline's absence and the direction Jirena had gone.
'…even so, they touched something they shouldn't have, and they will pay for it'