"Please forgive my forwardness, Young Master, but judging by your reaction, you didn't know about our village before your own matter brought you here, did you?"
"...should… should I have known…?"
After making sure that her husband took his father home, the woman approached the youth and asked politely, making him ask back while blinking in confusion.
"Well… despite some new blood coming in these past few years, most of the villagers here come from the village originally belonging to your father before Vallhalls took away the three of you."
"!!!"
The woman hesitated before saying with a nostalgic smile, unknowingly making Rotsard feel as if he was struck by lightning.
"Don't worry, none of us actually thought that you would remember. You all had to go when you were only two and…"
"...East's Fourth Little Fang…"
The woman's smile became warmer only to get interrupted by the baffled gasp coming from the bleached-blond-haired youth.
"...!"
"That outpost… East's Fourth Little Fang… you're saying that our people from the settlement by that outpost were moved here…?"
It was the woman's turn to freeze up and stare in shock at Rotsard as he spoke up in a shaking voice.
"Father… Father told me you were banished… but… but he didn't want me to know where to…"
"!!!"
Rotsard kept muttering, and his chin started to tremble again, causing the woman to get teary-eyed herself and cover her mouth with one hand to stop herself from crying.
"Y-young Master… You.. you do rememb…"
"Wait…"
The woman gasped, almost sobbing, but then she was stopped by Rotsard raising his hand and saying sharply.
"?"
"..."
To her confusion, the youth began to take deeper and deeper breaths, clearly sniffing the air just like a bloodhound…
As for Rotsard, now that he learned the connection between himself and the village, he focused on the familiar scents, doing his very best to recall what they meant.
It's not like he actually had any proper memories of when he was two years old, but at the same time, there were some lingering images connected to the memories of his mother… of her reinforcing those lingering images by being very happy each time little Rotsard recalled and asked her about one of them.
And the strongest scent at the moment connected with one of those images was coming from the commoner woman in front of him.
"...Ma… Maciine…?"
"!!!"
Rotsard lowered his head and asked very cautiously, gazing up at the shocked woman like an abandoned puppy beckoned for the very first time.
"A… I… I mean, Marceline! I meant to say Ma…"
"Yes…! Y-you're right, Young Master! It's Maciine…!"
Rotsard's face turned red, and he hurriedly bit his tongue, embarrassed to no end that he actually used the baby-talk version of the woman's name. But as he tried to correct himself, the woman burst into tears and started nodding her head with the biggest smile yet while trying to wipe her eyes with her sleeves.
That crying…
The image he could recall involving Marceline was definitely connected with her crying, only not happily like now, but rather in misery and despair.
Was it because of him…?
"..."
Feeling rather awkward, Rotsard stepped up to the woman and reached out, grabbing onto her sleeve.
"Marceline… please don't cry…"
"!!!"
He asked, but his quiet plea brought an adverse effect, with the woman completely turning into a sobbing mess and even clinging to him.
"???"
Rotsard raised his arms instead of attempting to do anything and only stood in place, making a troubled expression while the woman was bawling her eyes into his shoulder.
"...so… sorry… I'm sorry, Young Master. I wasn't expecting you to remember me… must not be a pleasant memory… I… I was crying a lot back then…"
Marceline pulled away, sobbing apologetically, doing her best to calm down.
"What… What can I help you with, Young Master?"
"..."
She asked, and Rotsard hesitated.
He looked back at the carriage and bit his lip… How will the atmosphere shift the moment he brings out the remains of someone who lived there…?
There were two other lingering images in his memory that he wanted to ask about…
"...Marceline… by any chance, that grandpa, your father-in-law… Is… is he Eaad…? I… I mean, Gerard…?"
"!!!"
So he did ask first, and the woman's eyes widened as her face lit up with amazement.