༺ Hodrick (3) ༻
Having heard the whole story, Vera finally understood why Hodrick had said, ‘You remind me of my past self’ when he looked at him.
Since declaring that he would live for Renee, the life he had built piece by piece closely resembled Hodrick’s life.
He engraved the oath to live for Renee in his heart.
He engraved another oath to always be by her side and protect her so she wouldn’t be sad.
And he also engraved an oath to wield his sword for the right cause on the Holy Sword.
Those were already three oaths.
In addition, although most of the oaths he made were for one-time use, there was no guarantee he would continue using them that way when faced with enemies he couldn’t handle.
Hodrick’s life was possibly a glimpse into Vera’s future.
Sitting on the dimly lit church pew, Vera unknowingly asked Hodrick a question, who radiated an aura of death.
“…Don’t you resent them?”
[What do you mean?]
“I mean, the Gods who bestowed the stigma upon you. Don’t you resent them?”
It was a tragedy that would not have happened without the stigma. At Vera’s question, Hodrick suddenly chuckled and replied.
[I don’t resent them.]
“Why?”
[Why should I resent them? It was I who made the oath, and it was I who got crushed by it.]
Vera couldn’t argue with him, because he was stating the obvious.
In the midst of all this, one emotion came to mind. It was admiration.
Vera knew that understanding one’s responsibility logically and accepting it emotionally were two different things. Blaming oneself was hundreds of times harder than blaming someone else.
Hodrick nodded at the astonished Vera.
[I wasn’t always this way. As you said, I was truly foolish and even I resented the Gods after becoming an undead. But time eventually enlightened even me. Denying the results of my own choices is no different from denying my entire life.]
Hodrick lifted his bowed head and faced the cross in front of him, murmuring.
[I feel relieved. Thank you for listening to the story of this wraith.]
“…No. I was the one who asked you to tell me.”
[But this isn’t what you wanted to hear, is it?]
Vera kept his mouth shut. It was a silent affirmation.
In truth, that was the case. He came here to hear the proper use of the power, so today’s conversation didn’t bring any practical benefit to Vera.
However, learning didn’t come from what you see or hear but from what you experience, so Vera uttered those words, believing that Hodrick’s story had given him a chance to find an opportunity to change his mindset.
“It was very helpful. At that time… you were actually pointing out something I was overlooking.”
[If that’s how you interpreted it, then I’m glad.]
Hodrick held back laughter at Vera’s suddenly polite demeanor, then added more.
[Well, there’s something I’ve been thinking about all this time after becoming one of the dead.]
“…What is it?”
[I’m beginning to believe that the Power of Oath may not necessarily be strengthened by increasing the number of vows, but rather by deeply understanding a single vow. Is it not a power that requires us to realize the true meaning of an oath? That’s what I’ve been thinking.]
Vera’s head snapped up, and he looked at Hodrick.
[I’ve been without my stigma for so long that I can’t confirm this, but you can, can’t you? Give it some thought. What the true form of an oath is.]
Hodrick stood up, saying this.
[Rest now, and if you need a duel for proof, come to the castle gates instead of here. Just understand that I cannot accommodate you too often.]
As Hodrick’s retreating figure faded away, Vera casually expressed his gratitude.
“…Thank you.”
Whether Hodrick heard him or not, Vera didn’t know.
***
At the same time, Renee and the others were gathered in the reception room, placing the items they had prepared on the table.
“Alright, you’ve all brought something, right?”
In response to Renee’s stern-faced question, each person nodded or answered affirmatively.
“Good. Let’s explain one by one.”
If asked what the situation was, Renee would reply, ‘We’re choosing a gift for Jenny.’
In a moment that blurred the line between discussion and conflict, the conclusion they reached was.
‘Let’s give Jenny a gift to become closer to her.’
Amidst the tension that filled the room, Norn spoke first.
“I made a stuffed doll with leftover fabric and cotton. Hela loved the doll I made when she was just like Aisha.”
Speaking confidently with a nostalgic voice, Hela let out an ”Oh,” and the others nodded with smiles on their faces.
“That’s nice.”
“Thank you.”
Renee praised Norn while touching the doll.
It was a good start. Perhaps raising a daughter made a difference, even in choosing a gift.
Today, her heart was at ease with the thought that the discussion would end smoothly in this favorable atmosphere.
Hela was the next to speak.
“I prepared candy. I thought that since the Apostle of Death grew up in the Cradle, she might not have had many opportunities to eat snacks like these. What do you think?”
“That’s excellent!”
Renee’s expression brightened even more, pleased that Hela had also thoughtfully prepared a good item.
“Now, who’s next?”
“Me!”
In the pleasant atmosphere, it was Miller’s turn.
With a grin, Miller held out the box he had prepared, drawing everyone’s attention.
“What is it?”
“Heh, prepare to be amazed! It’s a ‘Children’s Necromancy Kit’!”
And the atmosphere turned sour.
As Renee seriously pondered ‘Why in the world would a child need a necromancy kit,’ Miller, oblivious to her thoughts, spoke with an overly confident voice.
“What is the Apostle of Death?! A person who deals with a power related to souls, right?! This will be great for the kid’s education~ That’s what I mean!”
Lost in self-admiration, Miller crossed his arms and spoke.
Renee couldn’t criticize the item he had prepared, so she awkwardly praised Miller with a smile.
“I-It looks good…”
“Ah, you praise me so.”
It was indeed overpraising, but Miller didn’t realize that.
The atmosphere gradually turned strange.
In the midst of it, Aisha, the only one shaking her head in disapproval, criticized Miller’s gift and pushed her item forward.
“The talkative uncle’s idea is bad.”
“What’s with this kid?”
“Look! This is the kind of gift you should choose!”
Aisha confidently presented a belt with three daggers attached.
As a dumbfounded expression emerged on Miller’s face, Aisha laughed smugly then spoke, her ears perked up.
“You’re lacking sensibility! All girls my age love weapons like this!”
One could say the person with the least sensibility was talking, but… it was based on what was true for her.
Having lived her entire life as a blacksmith’s daughter, this was only natural for Aisha.
However, to the others, giving a blade to a teenage girl was not a good idea, but Aisha just tilted her head in confusion.
Renee thought to herself.
Something is off. This atmosphere doesn’t feel right.
As she was about to introduce the gift she had prepared to change the mood, the twins spoke first.
“Look what we prepared.”
“Right. Everyone else here is stupid.”
Unaware of their self-objectifying remark, the twins revealed a slimy lump in their palms.
“Girls love cute animals.”
“Slime, a child’s friend.”
The identity of the slimy object was a slime they had been forced to buy a few days ago. They had secretly brought along the extra that Vera hadn’t managed to dispose of.
The only stroke of luck for the twins in this situation was that Vera didn’t know what they were doing with the ‘child’s friend.’
“Oh…”
Aisha let out a curious exclamation. Nora and Hela looked at the twins with surprised faces, while Miller clenched his eyes shut in what seemed like frustration.
“That’s not bad!”
Renee, too, brightened her expression at the thought that the twins, unexpectedly, had brought something good.
The twins squared their shoulders.
”What did the Saint prepare?”
“Right. Show us what the Saint brought.”
At the confident words of the twins, Renee, blushed shyly and opened a small iron box the size of her hand.
“I brought a snack just like Hela. These are salt-flavored candies that I eat when I have a craving! They were made by Marie!”
She confidently held out her gift, thinking that nothing beats the joy of eating, but the reactions were terrible.
After all, who here didn’t know that Renee’s taste buds were twisted?
“G-Great…!”
“Renee is the best…!”
“Wowww…”
Despite everything, the group’s praises continued as they couldn’t bring themselves to say anything bad to Renee. Renee blushed and giggled.
Maybe not being able to see their expressions at this moment was a blessing in disguise for Renee.
***
Once the gifts were finished being prepared, they moved quickly.
After asking around among the dead, they arrived at Jenny’s room.
Worried that Jenny might feel overwhelmed if too many people came at once, Renee went there with Hela and knocked on the door nervously.
There was a click and after a short pause, Jenny’s head peeked out from behind the door.
“Hello?”
As Renee greeted her with a gentle tone, Jenny flinched and responded.
“…Hello.”
Her voice sounded completely drained of energy.
Jenny darted her black eyes back and forth between Renee and Hela before she asked.
“Why are you here…?”
It was a question asking if they had business with her.
Renee, happy to see that Jenny wasn’t refusing to talk, answered with a bright smile.
“Oh! We wanted to give you a gift! If it’s okay, would you like to accept it?”
Jenny tilted her head, and curiosity began to show on her face.
A very quiet response came back.
“…Okay.”
Jenny reached out and took Renee’s hand.
Soon after, the door opened with a creak, and Renee and Hela entered the room.
“Such a cute room. Unlike the other rooms in the castle, this room has colorful wallpapers, and there are dolls and ornaments scattered around. It’s clear that the undead care for the Apostle of Death.”
As Hela entered the room and described the room to Renee just like Vera usually did, Jenny reacted.
Her face flushed bright red, and her lips began to quiver.
Holding hands with Jenny, Renee laughed softly at her increasingly warm and trembling hand and said.
“I’m envious.”
“Umm…”
Amidst the heartwarming atmosphere, Renee handed the gifts they had prepared to Jenny, and her eyes sparkled.
For a moment, Renee and Hela felt nervous.
They had all prepared the gifts together, but they couldn’t help but hope that Jenny would like their own gift the most.
The calm before the storm.
Unfortunately for the two of them, Jenny’s favorite gifts were the slime at number one, the children’s necromancy kit at number two, and the daggers Aisha prepared at number three.
…The heart of the teenage girl was a mystery to the women who had already passed that stage of their lives.
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