"You smell worse than an animal rolling around in a barn. Go wash yourself."
Following Luna's suggestion, I entered the bathroom.
I couldn't disagree. I hadn't been able to wash for a long time and had been drenched in monster blood multiple times.
In the bathroom, there was a large tub filled with water, and I could hear the sound of wood burning outside.
It was a strange feeling, seeing people who wielded such extraordinary powers deliberately living in such a primitive manner.
Ellen had no knowledge of her own village.
Thus, the matter of the Sun and Moon clan was probably a concern only for the adults in this village.
Considering that, maintaining such a lifestyle didn't seem too strange.
Would one learn the village's secrets only after becoming an adult and reaching a certain age?
For now, I simply submerged myself in the hot water.
"Is the water alright?"
I couldn't help but be startled by the deep voice coming from beyond the wall.
It was Ellen's father.
Ronan's voice.
"Ah... Yes. Thank you."
What a strange and bizarre feeling, like a boyfriend visiting his girlfriend's house without her being there.
What is this feeling of being taken care of so well that I don't know what to do with myself?
Moreover, Ellen and I aren't in that kind of relationship at all.
But...
Father, you see...
I actually have the Flames of Tuesday, so I could have warmed the water myself... In fact, I could have done it alone...
Should I mention this... Would I get scolded?
For now, I'll just keep quiet.
I rubbed the dried blood off my face and hair, washing it away.
It had been days since I had properly rested.
"Phew..."
The realization that I had finally arrived at a safe place allowed my tightly wound nerves to relax.
I had wandered through the mountains without proper rest for a long time.
Eventually, Ellen's mother found me, and I was able to reach Rezaira.
It had been a long, tedious, and dangerous journey.
At last, I had arrived at a safe place.
In the hot water, I couldn't help but feel a profound sense of relief.
Whatever happens, I should lie down on a proper bed and get some rest.
I managed to achieve my primary goal; I'll think about what's next later.
Knock knock
"Reinhardt."
"Ah, yes!"
Startled by the knock on the bathroom door, I reflexively replied.
Just now, it was Ronan; now, it was Luna.
"I left some clothes outside the door. Change into them."
"Ah... Yes, thank you."
It's a strange feeling.
At first, I was reluctantly calling her 'Mother,' but now that it's come to this...
This situation...
It's incredibly awkward...
As if Luna knew my situation, Ronan seemed to know that I had been lost.
After washing up, I changed into the clothes Ellen's mother had prepared and went out to the living room.
I could hear Luna doing something in the kitchen.
Was she preparing food for me?
To me, Luna Artorius was even stronger than Saviolin Turner.
Yet, in such an ordinary household, she was cooking for a late-night guest – it felt surreal.
Ellen's father sat across from me, silently watching.
"..."
To be precise, it seemed as though he was looking at the clothes I was wearing.
Speaking of which...
Ellen's father was quite large.
Although I wasn't short, he was significantly bigger than me in both size and build.
Naturally, the clothes I was wearing were for men, and they were not something Ronan would wear.
Nor would they belong to Ellen.
Thus, I could tell whose clothes they were without asking.
I was now wearing the clothes that Ragan Artorius had worn.
Hence, Ronan Artorius in front of me couldn't help but look at me and the clothes I was wearing with a hard-to-describe expression.
What a bizarre situation this was.
To put it bluntly, I had come to the home of the parents of the warrior who killed my father, and I was wearing the clothes that the deceased warrior had worn in his lifetime, being treated to a meal.
Both I, who came to seek them out.
And the couple who took me in.
We were all entities that had strayed far from normalcy.
"Reinhardt."
"Yes?"
"Have you seen Ellen since the Gate incident?"
At that question, I felt as if I was suffocating.
I had seen her.
We had even run into each other.
We hadn't had a proper conversation, but we exchanged some words.
Perhaps reading something from my expression, Ronan nodded his head.
"It seems it wasn't a pleasant reunion."
"...Yes."
Ronan and Luna seemed to be aware of the relationship and situation between Ellen and me.
And the things we would face in the future.
Ellen once told me.
Her mother often made beef stew at home.
Leaving aside whether the food was good or not, there was a limit to what could be cooked in a rural village like this. There wouldn't be enough ingredients.
I wondered where the beef came from, but Ellen's mother definitely made beef stew.
What was strange was that the food Ellen's mother made tasted new to me.
"..."
When I hesitated after taking a bite of the stew, Luna stared at me intently.
A person who was evidently related to Ellen, or rather, Ellen was related to Luna, anyway.
Was the subtle sulky trait also present on this side?
"It's delicious... I mean, it really is."
Despite my words, Luna still looked puzzled.
"It might not suit your taste. You must have always eaten food made with the finest ingredients and spices."
Technically, that wasn't wrong.
I had lived in the Temple Royal Class, the finest environment in the Empire, and then ruled as king in Edina.
The quality of food had never been an issue.
But, it wasn't tasteless, was it?
"No, it's just that it's interesting. I mean, it's not that it's interesting, it's just a new taste... I'm not saying it's tasteless. Anyway, it's delicious. Yes."
It wasn't tasteless, just a bit strange since it was my first time tasting such a flavor.
In this environment, it's likely that they used herbs and edible wild plants instead of commonly used spices.
So it had a unique taste, but it wasn't tasteless.
However, Luna seemed to have already been offended by my hesitation.
She narrowed her eyes and looked out the window.
"Well, it's inevitable that your taste is picky because of your upbringing. I'm sorry, this is all I can prepare."
This person.
Feeling guilty over such a strange thing!
"Ah, come on, honey. What would a city boy know?"
"That's true, I suppose."
Ronan gently patted the sulky Luna's shoulder.
Why.
Why on earth.
Do I have to see this side of my friend's parents?
Ah, I came here on my own accord, didn't I?
After finally finishing the meal through twists and turns, I went up to the second floor.
There were three rooms on the second floor.
One was a storeroom, and the purpose of the other two was immediately apparent.
One must be Ragan Artorius's room, and the other would be Ellen's.
"This is Ellen's room. Rest here."
"…Yes."
Luna handed over the bedding, which was laid on Ellen's wooden bed.
"…"
Although it was unknown how Ragan's room was being preserved, there was nothing special about the room Ellen had used.
Of course, it had likely been empty since Ellen went to the temple and after the Gate incident.
Naturally, there were no traces or lingering scents of Ellen.
However, this was the room Ellen had occupied for a long time.
She would have spent her childhood here and lived here until she went to the temple.
There were no extravagant ornaments or accessories in the room. Ellen might have put them away, but it was more likely that her character wouldn't have had them in the first place.
A desk, a wardrobe, a bed.
And on the wall hung several old, worn wooden swords.
The simplicity suited Ellen's personality. The room probably hadn't changed much since she lived here.
Her dorm room had also been quite bare, except for a few essentials.
And that was the same for me.
Upon reflection, Ellen and I shared many similarities.
Neither of us had any interest in decorating our rooms.
We spent our days training as if something terrible would happen if we didn't.
Neither of us had any personal hobbies, aside from that.
"…"
For some reason, the atmosphere felt strange.
I couldn't sense any trace of Ellen in her room.
Naturally, I began to think about what Ellen was like.
I wondered how she would react if she knew I had suddenly come to visit Rezaira.
Of course, I knew that wasn't a possibility, but I couldn't help but be curious.
I wanted to restore everything I had lost.
Even though it seemed infinitely impossible.
So, for now, I had to survive.
In the final battle, and in the possible future where I might have to fight against Ellen, I needed to stay alive.
I was engaged in the bizarre act of seeking out the parents of the person I might someday have to fight.
I didn't know what I could gain from being here.
But I had managed to arrive in Rezaira.
The next day, morning.
When I opened the window, the morning sunlight and the scenery of Rezaira came into view all at once.
No, it wasn't morning; it was almost noon.
It was a cozy landscape.
So peaceful that it seemed like nothing would happen for hundreds of years.
I could see the villagers going about their day, and children playing here and there.
There weren't many houses, but the residents were living peacefully.
"You slept the entire day."
"Huh?"
"You must have been tired, so it makes sense."
Luna's words made me realize just how exhausted I had been.
"I let the villagers know that we have a guest. So, they shouldn't be surprised to see you."
"Ah... Thank you."
"Do you want to take a walk around the village? Get familiar with the faces of the people."
Somehow.
Her words seemed to imply that I would be staying here for quite a while.
Rezaira was bound to be a closed-off village due to its environment.
Naturally, such a village would be wary of strangers.
However, the people of Rezaira showed no such apprehension.
"You're Ellen's friend? Your name is Rein…"
"It’s Reinhardt."
"Yes, Reinhardt. Make yourself at home."
Ellen's friend.
Luna Artorius seemed to have told the villagers that the guest who came under that pretext would stay in Rezaira for a while.
Of course, I was the only stranger in the village, so passersby, regardless of their age or gender, approached me and spoke a word.
"Ellen's friend? Hehe... I'm worried about how Ellen is doing."
"Is Ellen doing well?"
"Are you Ellen's boyfriend?"
"Goodness, you're quite the handsome one."
"Ah... Ellen must have a hard time outside..."
"Why did you come alone without Ellen?"
Without any particular malicious intent, everyone was friendly.
Through the reactions of the children and adults, I could grasp the truth about Rezaira.
The children didn't know that the outside world had turned into chaos.
On the other hand, the adults, who knew the situation to some extent, slightly darkened their expressions as soon as Ellen's story was mentioned.
It was only natural to keep quiet, as there was no benefit in the children realizing that the outside world had turned into a mess and countless people were dying.
My peers.
That is, those who seemed to be friends of Ellen also came.
"Hello? Ellen's friend? My name is Lena."
"Uh... hi."
"You should tell me your name, too."
"Reinhardt."
"Yes, Reinhardt. Nice to meet you."
She was a lively-looking woman with short brown hair. Intrigued by the appearance of a stranger in this countryside village, she stared at my face for a while.
"My name is Arta."
On the contrary, a somewhat curt man approached me and offered his hand.
"I've heard the situation outside is terrible."
"Well... it is."
They were probably around twenty years old, like Ellen's friends. Although they didn't know exactly how the world was turning, they knew to some extent.
As I greeted each person and wandered around Rezaira, there was only one thought on my mind.
I don't have time for this.
I didn't come to Rezaira for fun.
I didn't come to greet each and every member of the village, but to receive guidance from Ellen's mother or father.
I shouldn't be wasting my time like this.
For now, I'm meeting people and looking around the village as Luna Artorius instructed.
However, people are dying even at this moment.
I entrusted Edina's affairs to Charlotte, but I don't know if things are really going well.
I don't have time to waste like this.
In Rezaira's peace, I was anxious, thinking about the outside world without peace.
From a distance, a group of people descended from the foothills of the mountain range.
Someone carried something on their shoulder, and at the very front, I saw the figure of Ronan Artorius descending with a large wild boar slung over his shoulder.
Had they gone hunting as a group?
Somehow.
In this place, unrelated to the affairs of the world.
Amidst the ordinary daily lives of these people.
I felt a certain cruelty.
