Volume 10 Chapter 34 The Old Story Of Kirschtein
The underground passage really was like a maze, just as Mr. Volk said.
The central waterway was already dry, with paths on either side.
With every step I took, the sound of my shoes echoed against the cobblestones in the cave-like corridor.
"Mr. Lucian, um..."
The only light came from the lantern Mr. Lucian was holding and the glowing Mer-Mer, while a little further away was pitch dark and nothing could be seen.
As I moved forward, the passage split left and right, and then split again, making me completely lose track of where I was being led by Mr. Lucian.
"What's wrong, Lydia? Are you scared of the dark?"
"I'm not really good with it, but I'm okay for now. Everyone's here, and Mr. Lucian is with me."
"I'm glad to hear you feel that way. I hope I can be a little bit of help."
"Yes, definitely... I always rely on you."
"More than Ciel?"
"Uh... what?"
"Forget it. I know there's no need to compare, but I can't help but say it."
Mr. Lucian said this with a troubled look, furrowing his brow.
"Sir Ciel is reliable, but Mr. Lucian is reliable too. Sir Rail and Sir Stefan always help me as well."
"You didn't mention Sir Roxas just now."
"Sir Roxas is interesting. Um, I feel like I might get in trouble if I say more, so I won't, but he feels like a little brother."
Since Sir Roxas wasn't here, I secretly told this to Mr. Lucian, who shook with laughter.
I had felt that Mr. Lucian's vibe was different since coming to Kirschtein, and I was relieved that he laughed, easing the tension in my shoulders.
"...Mr. Lucian, you said earlier that you don't have good memories of Kirschtein. So, I'm sorry. It must bring back a lot of unpleasant things, right?"
"I'm sorry, but there's no need to apologize. As I said earlier, this is still my hometown. I don't really think about the past anymore. Lydia, when I look at your face, it doesn't change the past, but I can literally think of it as something that has passed."
Mr. Lucian said this and tightened his grip on my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine.
It felt like each finger was connected, holding on firmly and not letting go.
Our palms fit perfectly together, and I could clearly feel the rough texture of Mr. Lucian's hand.
As our body temperatures mixed, with Mr. Lucian being slightly cooler than me, I couldn't tell whose warmth was whose.
In the suffocating, dark, and deep underground passage that seemed to stretch endlessly, I thought that Mr. Lucian was the only thing I could rely on, and naturally, I tightened my grip.
"...After Bernard's suppression of Kirschtein, both the castle and the town were engulfed in flames. I was still young at the time, and since my memories were altered by Judal, there are many things I don't remember. It was a little while ago. I spoke with King Zeere."
As we walked through the passage, Mr. Lucian continued calmly.
"King Zeere killed my mother right in front of me, and his belief that he was the embodiment of justice──well, that broke there. Before I knew it, I was no longer in the castle, and if the soldiers were to chase me, they would shout that I was the last survivor of the Kirschtein royal family and to kill me. They thought it was highly likely that the soldiers who found me would kill me."
"...I see."
"It's not exactly a fun story. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I want to hear it. About you, Mr. Lucian. What happened? You're an adult, so you don't talk about these things much, do you? ...But sometimes it feels better to talk about it. If I'm the one you can talk to, that is."
I accidentally raised my voice a bit and then fell silent.
Talking about painful memories can lighten the burden.
But Mr. Lucian hasn't really talked about such things much until now.
He always smiled as if nothing was wrong.
"Honored to meet you, Lydia. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even think of talking."
"Yeah..."
"...King Zeere kept apologizing to me. He said it was a mistake to leave the handling of Kirschtein to Margrave Wisteria. The Margrave, along with the soldiers, had already been consumed by hatred for the Kirschtein people at that time──war really does make people more brutal. They raised the banner of justice, claiming Kirschtein was evil and Bernard was righteous, which only fueled the fire."
I remember Margrave Wisteria, whom I spoke with in Edelstein.
He was a terrible person to Sir Ciel and the Gem's People.
Now, he's imprisoned.
We could never understand each other until the end.
"The town was burned, turned into a sea of fire. The castle was also set ablaze. The current state of the town is a restoration of the burned town. Only this underground waterway remained safe since it was beneath the town. Those who escaped from the castle led many Kirschtein people to take temporary refuge here."
"I see..."
"I guess I was lucky. I somehow survived. My anger and hatred towards the Bernard people kept me alive. ...But at the same time, I hated the Kirschtein people too. The Bernard soldiers stationed in the town had some who were sympathetic to orphans. In fact, it was the Kirschtein people who tormented the helpless children. It was like some sort of revenge."
"...Mr. Lucian."
"Well, I was strong, Lydia. I was good at magic and quickly learned to use a knife. If I won through strength, no one would dare to touch me. ...After that, I stole to eat and worked in terrible places."
"You must have gone through a lot of unpleasant experiences."
Just saying that doesn't seem enough. I can't find better words.
"That's an old story. So, I wasn't exactly clean, and I did things I couldn't tell anyone about... until I was picked up by the Moon Soul Cult."
Mr. Lucian stopped there.
Before we knew it, we were standing in front of a large, heavy iron door.
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