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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: My Tomb (2)
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3.
The first morning in the capital dawned.
It was a somewhat more boisterous morning than those in Azure Fortress.
Thrilled to have her maternal grandson visit after so long, his grandmother directed the butlers to prepare a grand feast, and thanks to her, Karron's group was able to eat their fill.
After the lavish breakfast, Karron, Leo, and Hugo headed straight for the boutique street located in the heart of the capital.
The capital's streets were as bustling as Thebes.
"New products are in! Brooms with built-in cleaning magic, and all sorts of household goods..."
"A play even the Sixth Prince himself occasionally comes to see! Tickets are almost sold out!"
"Portraits painted for you!"
People hawking their wares, people bustling down the street, people on their way to work.
The streets were overflowing with vitality.
Leo, who had been watching the scene with fascination, spoke in a low voice.
"The capital is really something else."
Karron replied to Leo's words with a smirk, one corner of his mouth lifting.
"Try not to act like such a country bumpkin. It's embarrassing to be seen with you."
"You're a country bumpkin too, so what are you talking about?"
"But Karron has a point, Leo. As a member of the ducal family, you should maintain some decorum. And Karron?"
"Yes, Cousin Hugo."
"You should speak respectfully to your older cousin when we're out. I'd like you to understand that every little action like that is directly tied to the honor of our ducal family. Understood?"
Hugo admonished him in a gentle voice.
Hearing Hugo's admonishment, Karron smiled and nodded.
"I'll be careful. So, is it okay when it's just the two of us?"
"Of course. I heard you two trained like real brothers back at Azure Fortress. Between those who are as close as brothers, that's perfectly fine."
"Ah, then with you too, Cousin Hugo, someday..."
"Haha! Look at the age difference between us."
Hugo was twenty-eight. Karron was thirteen.
The years they'd lived differed by more than double.
Although they were cousins, the age gap was large enough that he could have been his uncle.
This gap was also because Peil and his wife had Karron at a relatively late age.
"I want to be like real brothers with you too, Cousin Hugo!"
"I feel the same way. The family head would be pleased to see the cousins getting along well."
"In that sense, with me too..."
"Ahem, isn't the weather lovely? The boutique street is that way. Follow me. I've been here a few times with my father."
Hugo walked ahead, lightly brushing off Karron's words.
Karron watched Hugo's back and muttered to himself.
'He seems a bit different from his father.'
Last night's "welcome ceremony" was infuriating, but he didn't seem like a fundamentally rotten person.
He also liked how much he valued the family.
At twenty-eight, reaching the entry-level of the 6th Star was undoubtedly a sign of brilliant talent.
But compared to Halo, it was a far cry.
'Halo had already reached the entry-level of the 8th Star around that age, hadn't he?'
His past self was the same, but that was entirely thanks to the demonic mana bestowed by the Evil Emperor.
Halo, on the other hand, reached that level through his talent alone.
Others struggle their entire lives to reach even the 7th Star, let alone the 8th, yet Halo achieved it in his late twenties.
There's a reason he's called the greatest talent since the founder.
'Let's just wait and see.'
For now, he might be docile, thinking his father will become the family head.
If the situation changed, his attitude could very well change too.
Watching that change in attitude might be some decent entertainment.
How long had they been walking?
They passed through the vibrant streets and arrived at one that exuded an air of luxury.
A place with noticeably fewer people than the other streets.
A street lined with shops displaying what were clearly high-end goods, where noblewomen in extravagant attire strolled about.
This was their destination for the day: the boutique street.
The passersby were so splendidly dressed that the high-quality clothes and cloaks Karron's group had carefully chosen seemed shabby in comparison.
"This street's main clientele are nobles and high-ranking officials. The goods here are very expensive."
At Hugo's explanation, Leo carefully posed a question.
"Are commoners not allowed to enter?"
"Not exactly. If you have the money, you can buy things. However... the nobles of the capital are so refined that they dislike mingling with commoners."
Hugo gave a bitter smile before continuing in a gentle voice.
"By the way, it seems my younger cousins are quite popular."
"Huh?"
"Take a quick look around."
Following Hugo's words, he looked around and immediately felt numerous gazes upon them.
Most were the gazes of noblewomen and young ladies.
Their eyes seemed to be targeting Karron's group.
"It seems the rumor that you've arrived in the capital has already spread. No wonder there are more people than usual."
At those words, Leo stammered slightly in his reply.
"Th-then are all those people here to see... us?"
"Anyone would want to form a connection with the Leston Ducal Family. Let me give you a piece of advice: tomorrow's imperial banquet is going to be very tough. You'd better prepare yourselves."
The imperial family was said to be preparing a banquet for the young heroes. Naturally, the stars of the banquet were Karron and Leo.
Karron met the gazes of those watching him with an indifferent expression.
This was different from his past life.
In his past life, when he occasionally came here to have his uniform mended, everyone had looked at him with contempt.
A lowly slave-born dog of the Emperor.
That was Karron's past life, Kain Rator.
But now, gazes full of favor poured down on Karron.
An awkward feeling.
At the same time, it felt strange.
As he scanned the crowd, Karron's gaze fell upon a certain shop.
A building that stood out amongst the dazzling boutiques.
A shop with a modest exterior that bore the clear marks of time and a worn-out sign.
One of the few traces left in his old memories.
He never imagined it would still be standing after so many years.
Karron pointed to the place with his finger and said.
"Cousin Hugo, what about that place over there?"
Hugo shrugged.
"It's a pretty old shop, are you sure? It's not really a place for someone your age. It's where older gentlemen get their suits tailored..."
"I'd still like to check it out. We have plenty of time, don't we?"
"Alright, if that's what you want, let's go."
The place where he had his first suit made after being appointed as one of the Emperor's knights.
The young tailor who had always greeted him with a smiling face suddenly came to mind.
And so, Karron took the lead and stepped into the shop.
*Creeak.*
As he entered through the door with the sound of old hinges, an old man sitting in a chair stood up with a smile.
"It is an honor to receive such distinguished guests. Have you come to have a suit tailored? Forgive my presumption, but I cannot make clothes befitting young gentlemen such as yourselves."
To the old man's gentle voice, Karron replied with a smile.
"Are the clothes what's important? It's the person that matters."
The old man then bowed politely and replied.
"I will bring some refreshments. Please wait a moment. I am the only one working here, so I would be grateful for your understanding if I am a bit slow."
The old man then entered a small room at the back of the shop, and Karron slowly looked around.
Suits dressed on mannequins.
Like the exterior, the interior was quite worn, but it was clear it was cleaned daily, as not a speck of dust could be found.
"Are you going to get a suit tailored?"
Leo, who had followed him into the shop, asked Karron cautiously. Karron gave a faint smile and nodded.
"Since we're here, shall I get one made?"
"Hmm, this place seems a bit old-fashioned. Maybe we should..."
At that, Karron lightly patted Leo's back.
"It's fine. That's why I came."
Karron's gaze remained on the small room the old man had entered.
4.
Karron asked the old man, who had brought out the refreshments, to take his measurements.
The old man seemed reluctant at first, but he did not refuse Karron's request.
"I am old now, and I cannot make stylish suits like the younger tailors."
The old man said as he measured Karron with a tape measure.
"This is an old shop. You must have been here for a very long time, haven't you?"
"Please, speak comfortably. As a commoner, it is more uncomfortable for me to be addressed so formally by a nobleman."
"I'm a noble, so I'll speak in a way that's comfortable for me."
"...Haha, as you wish."
The old man nodded and continued speaking with a smile.
"I started working here when I was seven, so I've been here for 64 years. It has been about 30 years since I inherited this shop from my late father."
At those words, Karron recalled a voice from his memories.
-Sir Kain! Didn't I tell you to please stop fighting in your suits? You're driving me crazy. Do you have any idea how much work it is to mend these? You think you can do anything just because you make a lot of money? No, if you're going to do that, just order a new one instead of getting it repaired! I really thought I was going to have a peaceful day today... Sigh.
One of the few connections he had made in his past life.
Recalling that voice, Karron let out a faint smile.
"Sir Kain Rator, who was the dear friend of His Grace Grand Duke Halo, was also a regular customer of this shop."
The old man continued to speak as he took Karron's measurements.
Karron smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.
"So you noticed we were from the Leston Ducal Family?"
"It would mean I've lived my life in vain if I couldn't recognize the Azure Wolf crest. Only the blood relatives of the Leston Ducal Family and the Sea Wolf Knights can bear that crest, can't they?"
A sense of longing tinged the old man's voice.
Karron casually posed a question to the old man.
"So Sir Kain was a regular here."
"He was a good person. I don't know how he was to others, but at least in my memory, he was a very warm person. He was just unskilled at expressing it."
*Whirrr.*
The old man skillfully retracted the tape measure and bowed his head.
"Ah, I suppose stories of the old days aren't very interesting, are they? I've become more talkative in my old age. I apologize if I bothered you. The measurements are all done."
"Not at all, I enjoyed it."
Come to think of it, he couldn't remember this old man's name.
*Kid, suit kid*—he seemed to recall calling him that every time.
The person who was just a small-statured kid when they first met was now standing before him as an old man.
This feeling was quite different from when he saw Halo or Sabina.
Why was that?
Was it because this was one of the few places in the capital he loathed where he could speak his mind freely?
"It's strange, thinking back on it now. I knew Sir Kain for eight years, but I never once told him my name."
The old man said with a benevolent smile. Karron slowly asked him.
"Why didn't you tell him your name first?"
"I thought that he would ask someday. If I had known he would pass away like that, I would have told him sooner. Haha."
"He was a strange person."
"I am a bit peculiar."
"Ah, not you, sir. I meant him. Kain Rator."
Right up until his death, he had wanted to be forgotten by everyone.
But thinking about it now, being remembered by someone wasn't such a bad feeling after all.
A connection where he never even asked for a name.
For that connection to have continued and led to this reunion, he felt a sense of gladness and gratitude.
Someone who remembered his past self, who had done nothing for him.
How could he not be grateful?
And so, Karron smiled and said to the old man.
"Sir, may I ask your name?"
It was very late, but he was asking for his name now.
The old man replied with a gentle smile.
"Ruhon. My name is Ruhon."
He remembered that name.
The name he couldn't ask for in his past life, he remembered in this one.
Karron repeated the old man's name to himself.
Ruhon.
"My name is Karron Leston, sir."
"Ah, so you are indeed His Grace the Grand Duke's grandson. It is a true honor to meet you, Lord Karron."
"When will the suit be ready?"
"My hands have slowed with age. Still, since I have no other orders, one week... I think one week should be enough."
Barring any major issues, he would likely still be in the capital by then.
"Where should I send the finished suit?"
"Ah, I'll come pick it up myself. I have to try it on anyway, right?"
"If you would grace my shop with your presence again, I would be most grateful."
Ruhon bowed his head respectfully.
To Ruhon, Karron spoke with sincerity.
"Thank you."
At Karron's thanks, Ruhon waved a wrinkled hand.
"Not at all. I am the one who should be thanking you..."
It was then.
*CRRRRAAAAAASH—!*
The shop door burst open as if it were being shattered.
"Grandfather! Did you hear the news? The Leston Ducal Family! Grand Duke Halo's grandsons are here in the capital right now..."
A female knight wearing the uniform of the Imperial Guard entered the shop.
A female knight who looked to be in her late teens at most.
Her light green hair flying, she entered and her eyes met with Karron's group. She then abruptly bowed her head and offered an apology.
"Ah, I didn't realize there were customers. I'm sorry for the disturbance..."
Her gaze soon fell on the cloak Hugo was wearing.
To be precise, on the azure wolf crest embroidered on the cloak.
"...The Leston Ducal Family... Sir Kain's enemies..."
The female knight muttered incomprehensible words to herself.
She soon reached a conclusion.
"...You villains."
Another strange person had appeared.