Ashes and Kingdoms

A squire or servant rushes to and from him and hurries to prepare for his departure. There were only ten horses drawn out in the courtyard of the Lordship of Nakte. The baggage, divided and bracketed to the left and right, is water or food for a few days. The saddle has also already been placed, but the person spanning it has not yet appeared.

"Be sure to bring Senato home, so get ready to pick him up"

He was still in his living room and was just about to say goodbye to his wife. In the sharp eyes feared by his men, he is now gently colored and gently combs his wife's hair with his fingers. Fernena replied, "I don't know" with an ambiguous smile.

"You really think that kid's in Siros?

"My father-in-law said so."

"But if it's Siros, you used to be too..."

"I let him look. Sure. But I didn't go there myself, and Siros is an emperor's neighborhood. A thorough search would not have been possible. Now I have to believe in any clue."

To Rufus, who teaches calmly, Fernena bit her lips with a flair she is not yet convinced of. And I ran my eyes through the door for a moment, making sure they weren't listening, and then whispering.

"I can't believe it. I can't believe that magician told you that."

I remember what happened the other day, and she frowned.

Hearing Senato himself order Rufus to carry a heavy sphere out of the warehouse, Fernena went out to protest, angry that she had been treated with her husband.

That's the less-used corner of the hall, and she thought there was only a storage room full of dust and tears, but for the first time then, she knew there was a secluded semi-basement.

The light that plunged through the elongated running window near the ceiling was only to hit the writing desk. There were shelves lined up in areas out of the reach of light, packed tightly with barbecued pots, various plants that had been dried, minerals that had never been seen, and age-old books.

And it's one black magician who manages the room. As far as the scarce light was concerned, he was a skinny old man and had to nod when he told me he couldn't do his hard work.

"You mustn't let your youngest son in because it's a family secret, I can't imagine my grandmother hiring a magician even though she said the most seemingly. Something that was very practical. That magician was hired by your father. Otherwise, a fraud or a peppa. I pretended to be doing things that no ordinary person would ever know, and I just gave them a place to live and eat. Anyway, I'm guessing the magician said something about this one, but is it going to be different than throwing a bar slice in the divide and deciding where to go?"

Rufus spills a warm bitter smile at Fernena, who roared in a grumpy manner.

"You're a little too hard on your father. I couldn't find it in a decent way, because my father-in-law chose a way out of common sense, and it was judged a waste of effort to do exactly the same thing as I did. I mean, that's all you appreciate about me doing my best."

"It's not like I don't trust you because I hate your father."

Fernena responds. Don't you deny that you don't like it, Rufus smiled and managed to fix his expression. Not realizing that, she armed herself tightly to catch the chill.

"That magician is creepy. The name seems to be given in the protection of the Dark God Narug, even Orgin, rather than Org, the god of hidden power... something that was in that room for a short time, but sometimes made me wonder if he was really breathing. I felt like I was with a dead man."

"Well, I'm sure he was going to go to the grave now."

To Rufus, who stood aside and responded, Fernena laughed bitterly, shaking her head, for Christ's sake.

"I'm sorry, I can't help complaining now. I wonder what your father really thinks of you when he suddenly calls you back from the east and goes south again soon."

"Leave it to me, I'm going to think it's a sign of trust. By the way, I wonder if my clever wife has received any news from the faithful lady."

Turning to the question, Fernena gave him a slight expression.

"... I'm sorry, I didn't hear anything. Maybe she's really going to hide from us too."

If you hadn't come back like this. If my son abandons me.

The anger that has just filled my head is so anxiously replaced. I was thin and lonely, and my body trembled with thoughts about my child.

Rufus held her softly and mouthed her temples. Whisper in such a voice that you can barely hear it as it is in that posture.

"If... the maid had died with Senato"

"That's impossible."

Earlier than the words were over, Fernena clearly denied it.

"Absolutely, that kid is alive. I can see that. Please, Rufus, if you believe in my father, trust me stronger than that. Don't think that kid's dead."

Stared at him with his stubborn beliefs, Rufus flinched for a moment. I was wondering if my wife was too paranoid to see reality.

Rufus and I don't want to think my son is dead. This is how we're headed to Siros now, if we believe we're alive. But he could not say more strongly than his wife. The gods always move the world in ways that no man can understand. Absolutely, to say the least, his reason did not allow it. Or maybe you just want to alleviate the shock when you encounter that thing by always thinking about it.

After a lot of silence, he finally smiled a little lonely.

"I want to."

Knowing that his reply had disappointed his wife, Rufus turned his back to escape and left the room.

Around the same time, my son never imagined that his absence was casting a shadow on his parents' relationship, and he was sperm in helping the bookstore.

Arrange the newly arrived books on the shelves by classifying them, and pinch the bills bearing the names of the customers for what was in the order. If you find a book that is frayed or the paste is about to peel off during work, carefully remove it to the side and entrust it to the skillful healing hands of the store owner. Now Cestas also had enough skill to clean it up on the spot for easy repairs.

"You're getting better, Sestas. It would be really helpful if you kept working for us. Well, I can't even tell you to take over the store... but if you can be alone, a rich book-loving secretary, what a job."

The old shopkeeper totally liked Cestas and started talking to the public like that today watching him do his job.

"This town has a mild climate, so there are many villas of Taoist nobility. Offshore islands even have emperor villas. You know what?

"Yes."

Cestas answered that briefly and stared at the cover of the book in his hand so that he would not be disturbed. It's a masterpiece of classical play. Sestas had once seen that act in a villa that had just come up on the subject.

I lived as an adopted son of Fedoras for only about a year, but in that short period Fedoras gave me as much upbringing as I could. He took them not only to the Imperial capital but also to neighbouring cities, showing them not only villas built by historical emperors, but also public buildings such as theatres, temples and water bridges.

Back then, I was just overwhelmed by beauty, and I was dizzy every day again, and I couldn't even hold any thoughts. Now, it's blurry, but I feel like I know what Fedoras was trying to show me.

Long history and culture, simply “wealth" far beyond financial meaning. I guess you wanted to tell me to be proud of them and to keep them protected.

"The villa will contain the original books written by the emperors of the past. Everything from irresistible passages to famous writings still used in history and philosophy lectures. Wouldn't you like to take a look?

Asked like a prank, Cestas also smiled back bitterly.

"Right. I even heard that if it wasn't the emperor who wrote it, it would be abandoned. If I saw that, I might feel like friends with my old emperor."

"Must be. Wow, ha!

The laughter of the shopkeeper overlapped Nella's voice calling Sestas from the outside.

"That, what is it?"

It's not time to close yet. Nella, who usually waits outside, walked into the store while Cestas closed her eyes. I am softly restless so that something chases me.

"What's wrong, you're in such a hurry"

"Is something wrong?

As the shopkeeper and Cestas approached each other, Nella looked at them in turn with a frightened face and bowed her head.

"Sorry! I'm really scared of the rush, but let me quit Cestas as of today."

"What!?" It was we who raised the voice of surprise. "How could that be..."

He said in confusion, and came up with his own answer and took a ha-ha-ha breath. My face turns blue while I look at it, and I take off the book I had in my hand. The shopkeeper hastily picked it up and asked suspiciously observing how his sister and brother were doing.

"You have a situation where you're chopped up, don't you? There's something people can say."

"Excuse me."

Nella apologized again, but didn't try to explain it. The shopkeeper frowned and stood silently, but eventually took a deeper sigh and disappeared into the back of the room. I heard him open and close the safe, and soon he came back with a small bag in his hand.

In front of his anxiously watching sister and brother, the shopkeeper sits at the accounting desk and begins calculating on the wax board. Counting the silver coin out of the bag, he pushed it toward the two of them.

"Sora, wages till today."

"... Mr. Cornice"

Cestas hesitates to stand in front of his desk. The shopkeeper didn't even try to raise his face and waved to get rid of it.

"Not at all, kids who aren't even Roku! Sometimes I wonder if I can finally use it, so I can't. I hired him because he said he didn't have anybody close to him or anywhere to go, but he didn't know. Get the fuck out of here!

Not too many leopards, Cestas shuddered small, slurping his throat. With surprise and sadness, tears thrive on the edge of the eye. As it was about to spill when she blinked, Cestas kept her eyes open, collecting coins with her suddenly clumsy hands and putting them in a bag.

"Excuse me. Thank you for your help"

He manages to say that with a blurred voice, and then he eats up his teeth all the time and doesn't say a word, and pulls Nella's hand and goes out to the surface.

"Wait, Sestas. Mr. Cornice..."

"That's enough, let's go"

Cestas pulls Nella nagging. Normally I wouldn't defy Nella, but now I didn't try to move. As the hasty cestas looked up and looked back, he saw the Lord standing in front of the store.

"These idiots!

He was blushing and crooked. Just like Cestas.

"Look, I don't know you! You can go anywhere and throw away any letters of apology you want! Punishing bastard!

I wave up my arms cursing and throw something. Cestas rolled at his feet. He picked it up and stared seriously at it. Tears spilled out of the way, leaving a round shape on the road.

Squeezing the small stone amulet tightly, Cestas remained silent and bowed his head deeply.

Until he left the bookstore to run and reached the high ground with the view of the harbor, Cestas never stopped, nor let go with Nera's hand firmly grasped.

When Cestas finally stopped, Nella crouched beside him and embraced him flutteringly. Cestas stood up with his hands in his fist and stood still, no matter whether he persisted or leaned over. Nella whispered gently.

"Mr. Cornice was a clumsy man."

"Yeah."

I know, Sestas nodded when I said.

I must have been sad to be told I was leaving all of a sudden without any consultation. I felt easily abandoned, not trusted by the orphans I intended to protect, and the shock prevented me from manipulating my adult attitude.

Whatever the circumstances, if you don't tell anyone anything, if you pretend to be irrelevant, and don't try to force me to contact you, - it would have been his best shot to tell you in bad spirits.

If we had had more time, we might have been able to break up differently.

If only we had talked about it sooner and to a lesser extent.

Cestas wiped his tears with his fist, took a deep breath and raised his face.

"So, Nella, did you have time to get rid of the room?

"Yes, and I have very little belongings."

Lifting two small and large bags slightly on her shoulders, Nella smiled and nodded. As he finally realizes, Cestas reaches out in a hurry.

"I'll have one. So... hey, where do you think I should go next?" Then he asked, and he frowned. "Which side did you find me on? Your grandfather, or the emperor?

"I don't know," Nella answered anxiously, lurking her voice as well. "I just got a bad sign. Signs of being seen… it's also in an unusual way"

"What is it? Didn't you see the chaser?

"I didn't see him. At least, in a visible way, though. Either way, someone with an entity will come to this city soon. And now you can't hide and spend time with them or deceive their eyes."

Despite its mystery, it is a tone with the certainty to state the facts. Cestas scratched his head a little hard, but looked around, looked up at the sky, and then responded, "Okay."

"Anyway, you have to run. If you're not the same person you've been dealing with before, you have to be careful. If so, what about the Orgenian forest?"

"Is it the Great Forest?" Nella rounds her eyes.

"Yeah. If you walk west along the coast from here, you'll meet the edge of the woods. Legend has it that no one but the Fidae are allowed in, but there are pompous villages and towns on the coast. Let's find a place where we can get into the woods while we replenish our food and water. If I could meet the Fidae, I might be able to keep them hidden. Of course when that happens, …"

Words ahead, swallowed and disappeared. Cestas fixes his face like nothing happened, looks up at Nella and tilts his neck, "I don't know," he said. But in his grey eyes was a deep sorrow.

Fidae tribe living in the forests of Orgenia. He said he was hiding himself by the power of the dragon, so if you could hide it from them, you can't find it by any chance. Of course, in that case, Cestas will never get out of the woods for the rest of his life... and he will never see his mother again.

Nella stared painfully at Cestas and often lost her response. But in the end, there's no other option.

"Right. Let's come. However, it would take time if we were walking on land, and our footprints would remain clear. Let's rent a boat. On the sea, the power of Audia will protect us."

"Good idea... money, do you have it?

Cestas returned to the young child's face as soon as possible. Nera stumbled unwittingly, rude, but kept giggling for a while.

"Don't worry. We've become quite rich in the past year."

To Nella, who said it like a prank, Sestas shyly snaps and scratches his nose head, "I hope so. Then he looked up at Nella in a serious way.

"Nera, don't push it for me. So is the money, and you're going to Orgenia."

"What are you talking about? No matter how much you say you've succeeded, it's too dangerous on your own. If it's about me, don't worry, I'm not pushing it."

"But you often skip or reduce your meals."

Sharply pointed out, Nella's grin stifles for a moment. It then turned into a deceptive, troubled, ambiguous grin. Cestas glances at it and arms it.

"You didn't think I noticed? Sure, I'm a kid, but even kids look at things. I said I didn't have to. I know if it's true."

"Dear Senato...... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fool you, I didn't insult you. It's just... yeah, like you said, I skipped a few meals. But really, then, I just didn't want to eat it. I haven't eaten much for a long time. So please don't stare so hard."

In the tone of deceit, there was no lie. Any further signs of lies that are common in adults when children lie to them.

Cestas decided to absolve herself of it and only nodded with a loose arm.

"I get it. Well, let's go find the ship. But Nella, you always tell me to eat properly, and you can't do that to yourself. Please don't do this anymore."

"Yes, I'm in awe"

Nella laughs ridiculously and gives a toast. Sestas, though tanned, did not last long, and immediately took Nera's hand again, and ran down the ramp to the harbor.