The Hilderson clan is the bloodline that rules the Osnober Kingdom.
The clan's origin is the Duchy of Ditmarsken. This family, which governs the arctic region of the Osnober Kingdom, ended the civil war several years ago, opened a new dynasty, and formed marriages with the country's major nobles.
"A wedding?"
Roberta asked. She was tearing off pieces of bread.
At noon, she was having a meal with Ulrich in the lord's manor. Since her appointment as Head Priest, the two had been eating together more than once a day, almost every day.
It was unavoidable since they lived in the same space. As a guest in someone else's home, she couldn't ask for separate meal times. Because the temple had been completely destroyed due to the deeds of her predecessors and the civil war, she was living in the lord's manor. She accompanied the lord and vassals whenever they had meals or tea.
Humans are indeed creatures of adaptation. The fact that she was living in the same space as the eccentric lord was quite awkward, but after more than a year, it felt comfortable.
"I heard there will be a royal wedding for the crown princess."
A royal wedding. Roberta tore at the white bread and asked,
"A royal wedding? Who is the groom?"
"The eldest son of Marquis Quille. Since it hasn't been long since the civil war ended, they must have decided that welcoming a son-in-law from within the country would be more stable than bringing one from abroad."
He's likely to inherit the southwestern granary region of the kingdom, Ulrich added.
"Oh... that's a good idea."
The Osnober Kingdom had suffered through a 32-year civil war. Since the end of that long civil war was only five years ago, it was time to prioritize stability, as Ulrich said.
"Then you should send a gift, Lord. The crown princess is your granddaughter from your perspective, isn't she?"
"I should. But the gift isn't the problem right now."
"Yes?"
"Richard sent me an invitation to attend."
Richard was the name of the Osnover King.
And also Ulrich's adopted son. The person who ended the civil war was the young man sitting in front of Roberta, no, the old man.
Ulrich ended the civil war but did not wear the crown. He sent a member of the clan to the group that brought the crown, and that person was Ulrich's adopted son, named Richard.
Roberta dipped a piece of bread in the soup, put it in her mouth, and thought.
'I heard he didn't even attend the coronation.'
Didn't the old Priest she met on her way to her post say that? That on the day his adopted son ascended the throne, the lord of Ditmarsken did not leave Yeongji.
Would such a person leave Yeongji because his granddaughter is getting married? He might as well go into the Ice Peninsula to prepare a gift.
"You're not going to attend, are you, this time either?"
"No. I'm thinking of attending this time."
Instead of asking, Roberta tilted her head.
"It seems there's a difficult problem."
A difficult problem?
"He didn't specify it clearly in the letter, so I don't know either. That child, Richard, doesn't seem to be fully aware of the situation. However, based on experience, he must have judged that he couldn't solve it himself."
"So he invited you?"
"That's right."
A problem that requires the lord stuck in Yeongji to step in personally? A problem that the king of a country couldn't solve himself? Roberta narrowed her eyes. It was an extraordinary problem.
"The reason you're telling me this is..."
Is it because he has to leave his post and is hinting at it? Roberta was the Head Priest. She was a person who could influence Yeongji as much as the lord, with the authority she held. Of course, it wasn't an authority she could actually exercise, but at least she could tell her to take care of things while she was away.
However, the answer was delayed. She dipped a piece of bread in the soup, and as unease crept up inside her, she turned her head to look at Ulrich. He was holding a teacup filled with Songhwa tea, as always, and quietly looking back at her.
"...Do you want me to accompany you?"
No way.
"That's right. Roberta, I'd like you to come with me."
"Are you saying that sincerely?"
She asked with an awkward smile.
When was the last time she left Yeongji with Ulrich? When she headed to the Ice Peninsula with the visitor from Carbonihar, which was a few months ago.
Looking back, it was an unlike her action. She was swayed by emotions and took an absurd risk. It was an experience she didn't regret, and rather felt rewarded by.
The journey to attend the royal wedding was like going on a trip compared to the journey in the Ice Peninsula. She had spent nearly a year repairing the diocese that her predecessors had ruined, and had completed major rituals such as the Infant Sacrament. It wouldn't be a problem to leave her post for a while.
But, is there really a need for her to attend?
Her duty as a Priest is more important than her interest in the lord.
"I'm sorry, but—"
Just as she was about to refuse, the butler Bernhard Maier, who was attending to the lord, handed her a neatly folded letter. It was a letter written on paper that was pure white and wouldn't tear easily even if it got wet, paper that seemed too valuable to be used for a letter.
"..."
Roberta checked the contents and froze with her mouth open.
"It's His Holiness's permission to leave your post temporarily."
Blinking her eyes, she checked several times to see if she was seeing things, and she couldn't help but admit that the seal stamped on the paper was the Pope's seal.
It was an order. It was a direct order from the Pope, and it was completely different from what Ulrich had said. It wasn't permission to leave her post temporarily, but an order to follow all requests from Lord Ulrich of Ditmarsken.
How could the Pope put a Priest of the Public Church, a Priest who manages a diocese, under a secular lord? And how did he receive such an order?
"H-How could His Holiness..."
Instead of answering, Ulrich smiled gently.
Suddenly, Roberta remembered that he was writing letters often. He often wrote letters in the early morning because he didn't sleep much. Alonso also said that the lord sent letters more often than she did. There was no way that none of the letters he sent were to the Pope.
In the first place, the person who appointed her as Head Priest was the Pope. The recommendation was made by Diocesan Alonso of the Nua Grand Temple, but the approval was given directly by the Pope. The Ditmarsken diocese itself was an area directly managed by the Pope. It was natural that he had contact with Ulrich.
'What kind of past do you have?'
She felt both dumbfounded and, on the other hand, starting to understand. Yes, it's better than a dragon. She found herself thinking that way, which felt quite funny.
She must have become too accustomed to living with him for over a year. She made self-rationalizations that she wouldn't have made in the past and let out a hollow laugh close to resignation.
"...You're not leaving right away, are you?"
"The departure is tomorrow morning. If you have anything to do, finish it today."
She sighed softly and picked up the bread she had torn off again. She had to fill her stomach for the journey. She stuffed the food into her mouth and soon got up from her seat.
#
"Are you going to leave?"
Immediately after Roberta left the dining room, Bernhardt asked.
The butler, who had been standing silently beside him throughout the lunch, opened his mouth when he was left alone with Ulrich. Ulrich took a sip of his tea and replied,
"Well, I haven't decided yet."
Saying he hadn't decided didn't mean he wasn't leaving. It contained the meaning that he was considering parting, and Bernhardt trembled because he knew it. He had never said this to him before.
He knew it couldn't be forever. Everyone who served him knew that their master would leave someday. But at least Bernhardt hoped and wished that he wouldn't face that ending in his lifetime.
Ulrich would not return. He wanted to deny it, but Bernhardt had served his master for too long. By not saying the word farewell, he was only leaving behind the hope that he might return.
Bernhardt opened his mouth and tried to say something, but hesitated and closed it again. Could he dissuade him even if he tried to persuade him? And should he bind someone who had listened to their requests and been with them for so long again?
"But I have to prepare."
Ulrich put down his teacup and looked up at Bernhardt.
"Bernhardt, you are a descendant of Hohenlohe. If I don't return, you are the master of this place. At that time, you will not be Bernhardt of Maier, but Bernhardt of Ditmarsken."
"Can I... replace you?"
His voice trembled. It was weak, as if he was frightened or weighed down by the burden. It couldn't be helped. Bernhardt knew his master's past more deeply than Priest Roberta.
Since the Hilderson clan, including the Maier family, had emerged into the world, they had served one human for hundreds of years, and pieced together his identity by picking up the words he uttered.
That's why the clan approached the fact that their founder was a being so wondrous that even the Pantheon would be captivated. Living under the wing of such a being aroused emotions that were difficult to describe. But now, he had to let him go and replace him.
"I wish I was a more lacking person."
"If that were the case, someone else would be in your place."
Bernhardt lowered his head for a moment and looked to the side. The boy Fritz was standing there, not knowing where to look. Confusion had consumed his thoughts.
He was about to replace Bernhardt and serve the master, but the master said he was leaving. Just as Bernhardt had done, the boy's life would have been spent learning nothing but following the master.
Bernhardt had been by the master's side for decades, but he felt sorry that Fritz had not experienced anything. So he put his hand on the boy's shoulder and said,
"If you're going, wouldn't you take this child with you?"
Ulrich looked at Fritz. When the boy met his master's gaze, he trembled. It was out of fear. But it wasn't because he was afraid of his master. It was the appearance of a cub fearing abandonment.
"It reminds me of the old days. Hilde was like that too."
Ulrich nodded.
#
The next day, the group left the city of Freieiche.
Ulrich took Roberta and Fritz as companions, and the three of them drove their horses towards the warm south. But as they crossed the hills, Ulrich grabbed the reins and stopped his horse, looking at Freieiche.
Three hundred and several decades ago, he had visited that place with a young lord as a friend. Memory claimed that the surroundings were covered in snow, and the height was higher than his head. Also, the snow that fell last year did not melt even in the summer.
He was only planning to stay for a short time, at most a few days or weeks. But fate led a girl, and her name was Hilde.
At that time, Ulrich of Ditmarsken made his name in history. Ulrich came out of his memory and looked at the current Freieiche. The summer sun was shining down, and there was no trace of the snow that fell last year.
On the other hand, Ulrich was still Ulrich of Ditmarsken, and the way he was leaving Freieiche was the same as when he visited that place.
"..."
He smiled and bowed slightly towards someone. And he drove his horse down the hills. He could no longer see Freieiche, and Freieiche could not see him either.