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Chapter 221: One Who Sent Off

Krische was staring at Gallen from the side, as if observing his expression.

“Does it taste good?”

“Yeah, it’s very delicious. The flavor is a little different than usual.”

“Ehehe, Krische learned how to cook from the Oba-san next door. Oba-san’s cooking is very good…”

“Gala huh. I have to go and say thank you to her tomorrow.”

Usually, when children come, the house would get dirty, but it was the exact opposite.

When he came to Gorka\'s house to eat together for the first time in a few days, the utensils that had been cluttered against the walls were arranged, the clothes neatly folded, and the charcoal in the hearth arranged.

The atmosphere at Gorka\'s house had changed considerably.

“Seeing this you can see just how sloppy Grace was. You really resemble Leena, even the parts that are unnecessary.”

“Uu…”

"Oh, no, Kaa-sama is busy with work, so she just doesn\'t have enough time…”

“I-it’s fine Krische. It makes it even more painful, so stop it please…”

Grace looked down with a pitiful look on her face, and Gorka laughed.

“Hahaha, certainly. When I got home, I was surprised to find that Krische had climbed up to the pillar in the attic. ... Krische, I\'ll help you clean the attic next time it’s no hunt day, so please wait for a while. It\'s dangerous.”

“....Yes.”

It was not just the cleaning and tidying that seemed to brighten things up.

In the years since Krische arrived, Grace and Gorka have brightened up considerably.

Remembering the faces of the two who were saddened by the inability to have children and comparing it to their current state, he genuinely thought so.

Grace said that Krische was a gift from God, and now Gallen felt the same way.

He sincerely believed that this was happiness that was bestowed upon these two who have lived their lives conscientiously.

“Ah…”

When he stroked her head, her cheeks relaxed with joy.

Her eyes flashed with a slightly troubled expression, as if she was both embarrassed and happy.

“K-Krische is no longer a spoiled little child…”

“Really, who would say that”

“Seems she’s embarrassed to be called a spoiled child who always clings to me.”

Grace answered happily.

Until recently, she was always following Grace whenever she went out.

Although she now went out on his own, she still had a habit of hugging Grace whenever she saw her, and she was teased for it.

Krische had a tendency to be overly concerned about the way people looked at her.

She was well behaved, polite and disliked misbehavior.

She probably takes the teasing words seriously.

“Small or big, you are my granddaughter. Grace is still my daughter, no matter how old you are. What\'s wrong with a grandfather patting his granddaughter like this?”

*Um…”

“The same goes for Grace. It is natural for a mother to love her child, and it is normal for a child to be spoiled by her mother――relationships do not change.”

“Woah…”

He lightly grasped her delicate waist, lifted her up, and placed her on his knee.

The child\'s body is always warm as if it were heated.

“There\'s someone who went to the trouble to spoil you, so don\'t be shy and just be honest about it now. Even if you don\'t rush to become an adult, someday you will naturally become someone who pampers others.”

“...Yes ehehe.”

The warmth in this small body probably indicated various possibilities for the future.

Unlike himself, whose fire had dwindled, the girl\'s life had just begun.

He was genuinely happy to have such a granddaughter.

Even if her own fire went out someday, if Grace, Gorka, and this Krische continue to carry it on, then that would surely be the happiest ending.

She was a girl who is a little different from the norm.

Although he had some concerns, she was a good and kind granddaughter.

He wouldn\'t be able to watch over her for decades to come, but someone who would watch over her in his place would surely appear.

Until then, he would do what he could.

That was Gallen\'s final task.

It was a room with simple beds.

At the very back of the room, there was a bed next to a window where the moonlight shone in.

“Gallen-sama”

When he suddenly opened his eyes, he saw silver hair resting against his chest.

Krische’s beautiful face as she slept, and Anne, the maid with black hair who had tears in her eyes.

“Here is...”

"This is the medical room of the military school. It seems that Gallen-sama suddenly collapsed, and we thought it wouldn\'t be good to carry you to the estate, so――Ah, my apologies, I\'ll get a doctor right away...!"

Anne ran out of the room in a panic, and Krische, who seemed to have woken up at the sound, rubbed her sleepy eyes, raised her head, and smiled with relief when she saw Gallen.

“Ojii-sama...”

“Krische...”

Krische tried to hug him, but stopped her hand, looking troubled.

Gallen smiled bitterly and hugged his granddaughter\'s head.

His body felt terribly heavy.

He had a headache, his thoughts were foggy――his body had no strength.

“...It’s night huh”

Shadows cast by the moonlight from the double-hung windows――It must be midnight now.

"Ojii-sama, was asleep for about two days... uh, the blood in Ojii-sama\'s head, uh... Krische suppressed it with magic, but Krische doesn\'t know if it\'s working properly..."

“It’s okay.…Maybe it’s thanks to Krische that I woke up like this.”

An old man, who was working fine until yesterday, suddenly collapsed and never woke up.

It was a common story, and Gallen himself has seen it happen to several people.

Most likely that was what happened to him.

"...This should be called the limit of my lifespan. It\'s not something to worry deeply about."

"Ojii-sama is still in good health...Ojii-sama is not..."

"I\'m already over 60. I already knew it wouldn\'t be long anyway."

He didn\'t even have the energy to raise his arm that was holding Krische.

But that was all right.

He didn’t feel the need to let go of his beloved granddaughter.

"I’m old enough to have died at any time, but I was alive for a reason...But now I\'m surely satisfied with my life."

“...But, Ojii-sama――”

"Krische, it\'s fine...People die someday."

He moved his hand.

The feel of her silky hair has remained the same since she was a child.

"Death not from the limit of a lifespan is something to be sad about, but if you were able to live out your natural life, you should feel happy about it. Please don\'t cry."

"but……"

There was something slowly seeping into his shirt around his chest.

It seemed to heat up and seep into Gallen\'s body.

“Grace and Gorka by the bandit, and Bogan as well...I really wanted to at least make you happy somehow...But I\'m sure my role is finished now.”

“No...finish...yet...Krische...Ojii-sama...”

"...You\'re surrounded by good people. At least I\'m satisfied that I can continue to entrust you to them with peace of mind."

He smiled as he stroked her trembling head.

――Yes, he was satisfied.

There were very few people who could face death with satisfaction.

What\'s more, he was being sent by his beloved granddaughter.

Surely there was no one anywhere as happy as him.

"...Do you mind doing a slightly troublesome favor for me?"

There was no reply for a while.

As he was stroking her head, he felt Krische nodding silently.

"Since I left the village with you, I grew my hair as a small prayer. My duty is over...Though I might already be on the way, but if you find the time, please bury me by the two trees. And also, thank Gara for me."

The head nodded quietly at his chest.

“A trivial burial would be fine, but I suppose it would be difficult in your position. I have written a will in a desk drawer in my house. The property is yours, and the money will come from there."

Gallen smiled wryly as he finished.

"That said, there’s not much I wanted to entrust directly...Most of it is written there."

He wrote it because he had foreseen it to some extent.

He had also informed the company that entrusted the money to him, so he should be able to clean up the mess without any problems.

"...Looking back, it was a life with many regrets."

He gazed at the dim ceiling and confessed.

His wife passed away from illness while he was on the battlefield.

If he had lived quietly as a hunter, he might have been able to take care of her.

The reason why he quit her army was not only because he regretted burning down the village on his superior’s orders.

It wasn\'t simply about taking responsibility either.

It was because he couldn\'t bear it, all the various things.

He promised his wife that he would give her a good life someday, but he made her worry every time he went to war, and in the end, he left her to suffer alone on her journey.

At least Gallen wasn\'t a good husband.

“Every time I thought I had changed, I made a mistake.”

He put down the sword, returned to being a hunter.

He tried to be a good father by withdrawing from the conflicts as a hunter.

But he ended up losing his daughter and son-in-law.

As a father, he couldn\'t protect what he should have protected.

And his comrade Bogan too.

“Without accomplishing anything, being a half-hearted person, I let go of many important things. I’m neither a good husband nor a good father.”

Her gaze fell on his trembling granddaughter.

He stroked her head with all the strength he could muster.

"...In that kind of life, I didn\'t hate myself as your grandfather."

“Ojii...-sama...”

Gallen narrowed his eyes.

As if to let his eyelids fall.

“Every time I see you smile, every time I see you surrounded by people, from the bottom of my heart, I\'m glad. I\'m sure you\'ll continue to live happily ever after. ......

Then he quietly closed his eyes.

"...I truly feel lucky to be your grandfather."

“Krische too...Krische love, Ojii-sama”

Sniffling and trembling.

Gallen smiled satisfied.

"...from now on, please continue to take care of those around you. If you do that, I\'m sure..."

His words faded away like a sigh, and his breathing became quiet.

After a while, it stopped, and the heartbeat that was being conveyed to Krische disappeared.

The girl bounced off her body, then she only trembled quietly, feeling the lingering warmth.

A short time later, the black-haired servant who brought the doctor saw them and covered her face with her hands, collapsing on the spot.

Although he was an adjutant in the military under Alberinea, he did not receive a title and was a low-ranking noble.

However, a large number of military personnel wished to attend Gallen Rinea Kalka\'s funeral, which was quite large considering his status as a noble.

Near the cemetery on the outer periphery of the royal capital.

The coffin is simple, but at funerals in the kingdom, attendees assembled the wood and firewood by hand.

The resulting wooden pedestal was so large that it looked as if it were meant to send off a general, and was probably one of the largest ever given to a commoner.

"Gallen Rinea Kalka, who climbed from a foot soldier to a centurion in a short period, toured the battlefield as the superior officer of the hero Bogan Christand, retired, and then took up the sword again in the civil war, demonstrating bravery as the adjutant military officer of the Alberinea Direct Army in the recent major war."

Speaking in front was Kreschenta, the queen wearing a crimson dress.

Red was a noble color in the kingdom, representing the kingdom’s blood.

When the Queen wore crimson dress to attend a funeral, it signified that the deceased will be welcomed into the blood of the Kingdom after their death.

"Without seeking status or title, simply performing his military duties for the people... The peace we enjoy today is due to the efforts of such an upright and virtuous soldier as Gallen-sama. ...Many of you gathered here know this, and that\'s why you\'re attending this event."

Kreschenta looked at the attendees and continued.

"However, in order to engrave this in our heart once again, and to pray for Gallen-sama\'s peaceful sleep... a moment of silence."

Then she closed her eyes, and everyone in attendance followed suit.

Silence filled the place, only the sounds of birds could be heard.

After a while, Kreschenta clapped her hands and made them open their eyes.

Then, to the side of the bonfire, two figures approached, it was Krische and Selene, both in military uniforms, each holding a torch.

Selene seems to be concerned about Krische who was next to her.

Krische was absent-minded, her steps heavy.

No one spoke, neither of them spoke.

The two of them quietly lit a piece of straw soaked in oil under the pedestal and placed a torch on the spot.

Following that, Kolkis, who seemed to be holding back tears, led the way.

The attendees also line up and those who wish to do so offer prayer to the fire.

"……Are you okay?"

Selene asked while returning to Bery and the others, and Krische silently nodded.

“…Krische feels kind of absent-minded.”

When Krische looked up, Anne was being held by Bery, her body trembling.

Bery patted Anne\'s back and looked at Krische with concern.

Krische hadn’t said anything since this morning.

“Krische-sama...”

Krische shook her head and stood next to Bery.

Selene took Krische\'s arm and intertwined their fingers, squeezing her hand tightly.

"...When it was Kaa-sama and the others, Krische tried not to think about it, and after a night\'s sleep, Krische felt calm and refreshed... But today... it feels weird."

"It\'s not weird, it\'s normal."

Selene said, letting go of her hand and stood before Krische.

She caressed her cheek and looked into her downcast purple eyes.

"...No one is okay when someone important to them dies. You have to get back on your feet someday, but it\'s not something you have to rush to get over."

"Selene..."

Then Selene hugged her slowly and stroked her head.

“Gallen-sama, were smiling.… At least he must have been able to meet his end happily with you by his side. Satisfied with various things."

“...Do you think so”

"Yes. Otherwise, he wouldn\'t have been able to welcome the end of his life with a smile like that."

‘Same with Otou-sama’, Selene said.

"So you don\'t have to cry shamefully in front of the grave of such a proud person forever. Feel your sadness honestly now and don\'t hold back your tears."

Then she stroked her delicate back slowly.

"...until my sad feelings run out along with the tears....Funerals are not for the deceased, but for the people who are sending them off."

The girl remained silent for a while, pressing her face into Selene’s chest.

Then a small sound that was sobbing leaked out.

Selene looked at the flames of the funeral while hugging her with all her love.

She smiled and nodded at Kreschenta, who was looking at Krische with concern at the side.

――Two months later, just before autumn, a silver-haired girl and a red-haired servant visited Kalka.

The two, accompanied by a well-built female servant, stood in front of a single tree and dug a hole.

A slight breeze blew as they pulled out a white hair.

A pair of wooden tags that had been hanging on a tree swayed and fell, and while looking at each other, they tied them and put them into the hole.

Carefully covering it with soil, the three of them bowed their heads in unison.

As if in response to them, the wind passed through the gap between the trees, caressing their cheeks.