We set off for Stockpin.
I hadnât seen Ner and Arwin since then.
Our parting had happened so abruptly.
As I headed towards Stockpin, I couldnât get them out of my mind.
Even when I tried not to think about them, their faces kept appearing.
Since we became a couple, we had never been apart.
No matter what mission we completed, we traveled together.
Their warmth was always within reach.
But now, things were different.
âDivorce.â
We were completely strangers now.
There was no reason to call each other lightly anymore, nor could we.
No more sharing a bed, no more going on walks together.
We couldnât even hold hands, or hug each other.
I might never see their faces again in my life.
It was the obvious path I had chosen, and I was used to farewells... but the distance between us felt strangely awkward.
I had no regrets about my choice.
But it wasnât something I was used to.
Even though I had given a heads-up, the members of the Red Flames seemed to find my divorce awkward as well.
Many of them looked at me, filled with confusion.
I didnât bother to resolve their confusion.
Resolving it would inevitably mean explaining Ner and Arwinâs actions.
This was a secret I had to carry.
Gale and Sien followed us.
For some reason, it felt natural.
Gale, perhaps worried about me losing Adam Hyung, or my separation from my wife... no, my ex-wives, kept trying to support me.
He even promised to help stabilize the foundation of our newly established family.
Sien, having given up her position as a saint, had nowhere else to go.
I no longer had a reason to push her away.
Though she had relinquished her former status along with her role, having the hero of the human race in our territory wasnât a bad thing.
...Honestly, I also felt a sense of reliance on her.
I needed someone to lean on after losing everyone.
Sienâs presence didnât feel awkward.
Maybe because Iâd known her since I was 11.
Or maybe because we were closer than anyone else at one time.
I couldnât say for sure.
Sien seemed to have heard about my divorce belatedly.
Only then did she seem to realize why I had leaned on her a few days ago.
She looked at me with a pained expression from some point on.
As if trying to comfort me, she kept approaching.
As if expressing my pain on my behalf.
Seeing her prioritize my emotions more than anyone else, I felt an inexplicable sense of comfort.
Gradually, it seemed like our long relationship was coming back to me.
After a long journey, we finally arrived in Stockpin.
Home at last.
The village was in a festive mood, having heard that I had been granted a title.
âCaptain... Captain Berg, congratulations!!â
âSo, weâre the citizens of Captain Bergâs territory now?â
âWe trust youâll lead us well!!â
I exchanged light greetings with the villagers, accepting their cheers.
Some people wondered about the absence of Ner and Arwin, but the looks from those around quickly silenced them.
Everyone seemed to implicitly understand what had happened to us.
****
Ner had been falling asleep from exhaustion after crying so much that she eventually found herself in the Blackwood estate.
Her tears had dried up by now.
She felt like she was in a dream, unable to accept the reality.
She couldnât comprehend that Berg had left her, and she remained frozen in place.
âWaahhhh!â
As the Blackwood family entered their homeland, people erupted in applause.
Ner let the sound of their cheers pass through one ear and out the other as she sat inside the carriage.
At this moment, their words meant nothing to her.
Nothing could move her hardened heart.
As she sat there, her father called out to her from the front.
â...Ner.â
Gibson gently placed his hand on her knee.
When Ner weakly looked up at him, he spoke to her with a pained expression.
â...Listen to the cheers.â
â...â
â...Theyâre all calling for you.â
At his words, Ner turned her head to look outside.
She listened to the sounds of the citizens.
âNer! Ner!!â
âNer Blackwood!!â
â...â
Ner didnât understand why they were calling her.
It felt like another element making her question if she was dreaming.
Gibson explained to the mildly confused and stoic Ner.
âSince you left for the Red Flames... the public opinion of you has gradually changed.â
â...â
âEveryone understands that it was thanks to you that we could rise again. Theyâre all grateful to you.â
â...â
Ner recalled the moment when she rode with Berg, being hailed by the crowd.
The cheers she received were because Berg had lifted her up.
The moment she rode beside him on the horse, flowers fluttering around them.
That beautiful moment faintly stirred her heart.
â...â
But soon, even that emotion quieted down.
She felt numb to everything, perhaps because she had cried too much.
She looked down at the floor, dazed.
The longer she remained silent, the clearer the cheers from outside became.
âWeâre glad you returned safely, Ner-nim!â
âNow you should find someone new and be happy!â
âCongratulations on your divorce!!â
âUgh...â
Those words began to shake Nerâs emotions.
Only then did she realize.
She realized it wasnât that her pain had dulled, but that she had been avoiding it.
She hadnât accepted that she had parted ways with Berg.
As Ner blinked through her sorrow and anger, Gibson continued to explain.
âThey mean no harm. Theyâre just congratulating you on coming back safely... They were worried about you...â
â...â
The cheers, completely opposite to her feelings, continued endlessly.
âCongratulations on the divorce!â
âThank you for saving us alone!â
âYouâll never have to sacrifice again!â
- Thud!
Ner covered her ears.
She couldnât bear to listen to their words any longer.
â...No...â
She muttered to herself.
â...I...I didnât get divorced...â
Tears flowed again from her swollen eyes, irritated from wiping them so often.
â...Berg will come back...â
She whispered her hope.
â...Berg will come back...â
****
Ten days had passed since arriving in Stockpin.
I didnât know how time had passed.
Suddenly, I realized ten days had gone by.
Lying still in bed, I looked to my side.
Usually, Ner or Arwin would have been lying there.
â...â
The room was filled with empty silence.
Sunlight streamed through the window.
The white bed sheets, the faint scent lingering. The sound of birds chirping.
In this peaceful room, I gradually furrowed my brow.
I didnât know how time passed, but the farewell was still hard on me.
No matter which path I chose, it would have only brought pain.
I thought parting from them would be the lesser pain, but it wasnât painless.
The wound was still vivid.
I shook my head, trying to ignore the pain.
I had things to do.
I got out of bed and headed to the office, just like Adam Hyung used to.
Nothing had changed drastically for me.
I had raised my status and become a noble, but the things around me hadnât changed.
The house was the same, the area we lived in was the same.
The way the members and the residents treated me was also the same.
This was comfortable for me too.
The only thing that changed was my sense of responsibility.
There was a new territory under my jurisdiction.
It was outside the forest, but it was undoubtedly our territory.
A new task I hadnât thought of emerged.
I felt even more that this was Adam Hyungâs place.
An obligation that fell on me without any sense of direction.
My capacity was too small to lead.
In such times, Galeâs help was a great strength to me.
As I entered the office, Gale greeted me.
âYouâre here, Berg.â
â...Youâve been working since early morning again.â
âOf course, I promised to support you.â
â...â
â...And itâs also my atonement for Adam.â
Gale seemed to blame himself for losing Adam Hyung right in front of him.
During this time, I heard more detailed stories about Hyung from Gale.
Even the names of his siblings and the locations of their graves.
The more I listened, the clearer my goal became to achieve the dreams Adam Hyung couldnât.
I didnât know how to change peopleâs perception of the human race, but I was determined to achieve it.
It was a dream Hyung dedicated his life to. I had the duty to fulfill it as someone he saved.
Thinking about the race... made me wonder if parting with Ner and Arwin might help achieve this dream, though it was a strange thought.
It might have been my excuse to dull the pain of separation.
â...Ha.â
I sighed again as I sat down in the chair.
Gale handed me a document and said.
âBerg. This is the list of people who applied to become your vassals. Take a look.â
â...Vassals?â
âYes. Youâll need them now.â
â...But I have the members-â
â-The members wonât dress you, carry your luggage, or fill your cup.â
â...â
Was this the life of a noble?
Everything still felt unfamiliar to me.
...Honestly, I didnât particularly want those things.
But accepting Galeâs words, I took the document.
I couldnât read perfectly yet, but now I knew more than I didnât.
Traces of what Arwin taught me remained.
Would I imagine these thoughts every time I saw writing?
â...â
As I was lost in thought, Gale spoke to me.
âBerg. Donât skip the membersâ training.â
I shook off thoughts of Arwin and looked at Gale.
Amidst the significant reduction in the number of mercenaries, he spoke.
As I looked at Gale, he explained.
âMercenary groups that canât see the future like Adam did will start to collapse one by one. Some disbanded mercenaries will find proper ways to live, but others wonât be able to give up their habit of wielding swords and will turn to banditry.â
I recalled the mercenary groups I had encountered.
It felt strange to think they would all disappear one by one.
Gale continued.
âAnd now, it will be your responsibility to catch those criminals. Of course, you could delegate it to Baran.â
â...â
âBesides, strong armed forces will be a strength, so thereâs no reason to neglect training and give up that power.â
I nodded.
As I took over the land, I wrote several documents that needed to be prepared.
My mind was filled with recent partings.
Thoughts of Adam Hyung, Ner, and Arwin filled my head.
One by one, they stirred my thoughts and disappeared.
Amidst this, it wasnât easy to do the unfamiliar paperwork.
How long had I been writing like that?
I looked for more documents to handle.
In the process, I noticed envelopes with various family seals.
â...What is this?â
âCheck for yourself.â
- Tear.
I ripped open the envelope with my hand.
Gale clicked his tongue, ready to hand me a letter opener.
â...Seems like you need to change that habit.â
Ignoring Galeâs disappointment, I read through the letters.
It didnât take long to figure out what they were about.
They were proposals for political marriages.
â â â The End of The Chapter â â â
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