All that remains are memories.
Perhaps that's why we're so obsessed with leaving traces.
If you look at the marks left behind, like scars, you'll remember that day.
But the boy couldn't form a single memory of his mother's name.
So, keep forgetting it.
"I wish my mother had done something like that."
[……]
An isolated hill accessible only through the mansion.
At the foot of the tree where voices were said to be remembered, the Heinal family's graves are buried.
It seemed an unlikely place, but the boy had to come.
Because it was a contract.
"……"
Looking at the rows of white tombstones, the boy thought of his mother.
The woman who had protected him, alone in the danger of the alleys, had succumbed.
It was a predestined fate, the beginning of another tragedy.
Perhaps the saddest tragedy in the world is the reality of passing poison to your children.
The boy with blue eyes grew up eating a poison that his mother's tears couldn't wash away.
"It must be difficult."
The nearest white tombstone.
It looked like the newest of all the tombstones here, and it was covered in leaves that had been scattered on the ground.
"…"
For some reason, the boy raised the palm of his hand and passed it over the tombstone.
With each stroke of the palm, the tombstone seemed to reveal itself and disclose a forgotten name.
"It's common courtesy to greet the landowners."
[I didn't say anything.]
Feeling unnecessarily cold, Vlad excused himself for what he had just done, but the voice understood.
We all have those moments when we suddenly feel like doing something out of place.
"So, I'll pray."
[Hmm.]
"Well, you're not going to get any knights to look at you."
[Thanks.]
Vlad unsheathed his sword, as he had done with the praying Roman, and pointed it directly at the trees on the hill.
A gentle spring breeze tousled the boy's blond hair.
The white tombstones returned the gaze to the boy's prayer, but Vlad remained silent.
Although he was aware of any prying eyes, Vlad stumbled over the words he had learned from the young priest.
It was a prayer for someone he remembered when seeing this place.
[…..]
Vlad's kindly voice looked at the tree of his memory.
There were things floating in the air.
I think the tree was smaller then.
That was when.
I feel like I came with someone.
Who it was.
I don't remember.
The voice made it seem like he was now trapped in a dense fog.
He struggled to find the edge of the memory that seemed to be just around the corner.
[….. Can I borrow your body for a moment?]
"Just a moment."
And instead of regaining his own memories, he could feel the voice looking at him through a faint mist.
There was something in front of him.
"So."
Vlad relaxed his whole body as he usually did, closed his right eye, and opened the left one.
Soon his vision began to blur, and he entered the sensation of looking at himself.
[Hmm.]
Not his own world, but the world seen through someone else's eyes.
"… Wh-What is that?"
[It seems to recognize me.]
There was something visible through him.
A secluded hill, trees surrounding the tombstones.
An easy benefit.
And there was something enormous wrapped around the tree.
It was a pure white giant snake, radiating bright light.
[A spirit.]
"…."
Looking at the snake, as big as a tree, Vlad could only try to maintain composure.
His lips were dry.
"Lately, I've been seeing too many strange things."
Vlad swallowed silently, with his heart beating differently than when he saw the giant worm.
Elementals were not allowed in his world.
He was seeing one now, through the world of voices.
Perhaps Joseph's intention to show Vlad the wide world was better now.
"I think it's looking at me."
[It's looking at me inside you.]
A white snake, coiled around a tree, observing Vlad.
It was as huge as the tree it was rooted in, which diminished its realism.
"…."
But Vlad felt no pressure as he watched the snake exuding its enormous presence.
Perhaps that was what the white snake intended.
"Is it coming down?"
[I don't think it's going to bite.]
Slowly, it descended from the tree, brushing against the tombstones.
Sssss...
The snake approached Vlad slowly.
But even though Vlad was looking at something unknown and enormous, he didn't feel threatened at all.
It won't harm me.
The bright eyes of the serpent assured him.
The round pupils of the serpent were like those of a head of the family welcoming a visitor.
The white serpent approached.
Their eyes met.
The tree embracing the gravestones shook its branches.
The hills were filled with warmth, like a spring breeze.
It was a wonderful world.
"Who are you?"
But then, I heard a voice behind me.
"Eh?"
The sound of someone calling made Vlad stop and open his right eye.
Disappear.
And just like that, he was back in his own world.
"Eh?"
The white serpent that had just filled his vision dispersed like smoke.
With just a blink, the world of voices vanished without a trace.
Back in his own world, Vlad felt like he had been dreaming.
"Who are you? This is a place where no one from House Heinal should be."
"..."
Vlad looked back, rubbing his left eye, which still refused to focus.
"Hmm."
[Hmm.]
At the edge of his barely focused vision was a young woman.
She had aquamarine hair.
A woman of such beauty that even Vlad, who had seen beautiful courtesans all his life, let out a small sigh of admiration.
"If you don't answer, I'll call for people."
"Oh, I am..."
Vlad was still trying to figure out what to say next; his mind hadn't fully recovered.
Normally, he would have spouted excuses like liquid gold, but he had just seen something he couldn't comprehend and needed time to sort out his thoughts.
"..."
And the look naturally cast Vlad in the role of a boy unfamiliar with the customs of the world.
A pretty hair color, a friendly face, and seemingly innocent, though involuntary, behavior made the aquamarine-haired woman lower her guard a bit.
"I'm sorry."
Vlad thought.
Certainly, it would be rude to do it now, standing next to the graves of nobles.
So if this woman said something wrong, she could get Joseph in trouble.
If she asked him why he did it, he wouldn't have a good answer.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes?"
"Aren't you a servant here, taking care of the grave?"
Then Vlad decided to try to silence her.
By doing her a small favor.
Alicia's eyes widened at Vlad's words.
It was a shock.
It was the first time in her life.
'How dare you!'
As an honorary member of the noble family, and now as the head of the family, what Vlad was doing now would border on disrespect.
But the clever Vlad had a good reason for his behavior.
Or rather, he was so perceptive that he got it wrong.
Alicia was now wearing the simple clothes of a servant.
In each hand, she carried a bucket and tools to clean the gravestones.
Indeed, as Vlad had said, she was here to take care of her parents' graves.
It was one of the only moments when Alicia, who had no one to turn to, could find solace.
As such, her attire couldn't be more deceptive.
"Actually, I cleaned it a bit earlier; the leaves were piling up."
"You cleaned...?"
Upon hearing from Vlad that he had cleaned the gravestone of her parents a bit, Alicia couldn't help but let her anger fade for a moment.
Why would someone who had no relationship with her parents clean their gravestone?
"I felt it was common courtesy to greet the landowners."
"Ah..."
Alicia nodded involuntarily as she listened to Vlad's words.
The aura that the boy exuded was quite noble, and the presence of the identification card he carried added credibility.
Moreover, for some reason, the hills felt very warm today.
Alicia had confused that comforting feeling with that emanating from the boy.
"Let me help you."
"Eh?"
Alicia grabbed her own bucket and looked at Vlad in confusion as he climbed onto the gravestone.
The blonde boy was pulling out weeds and polishing the gravestone skillfully, as if he had worked there many times.
Alicia couldn't help but chuckle at his exaggerated gestures, as if trying to show that he was working hard.
"So do me a favor; can you keep quiet about today? I'll get a beating if Lord Jager finds out about what happened today."
"I saw you polishing..."
Vlad frowned as he saw Alicia turn her head.
"Nice things aren't always easy."
Vlad was used to living with glamorous courtesans and seeing Madame Marcella famous daily, so Alicia's presence didn't impress him.
He just hoped that Joseph and Jager never found out about today's events, so he diligently cleaned the gravestones.
The methods used in the alleys were no longer effective.
At least not in broad daylight.
"I won't tell."
"Thank you very much."
Unlike Vlad, who was squirming inside, Alicia looked at him with a very fresh feeling.
The way he didn't show her any favoritism.
Even the traumatic incident a moment ago when he had mistaken her for a servant.
This man, Vlad, was a kind of human that Alicia had never seen before.
"......."
Watching the back of the strange boy while silently cleaning the gravestone of her parents, Alicia's expression softened.
On the hill where she had come to find solace, Alicia could release the anxiety she had been accumulating for so long.
The blonde boy's hair shone faintly in the evening sun.
It was a wonderful color.
***
As he and Alicia descended the hill in the twilight, Vlad suddenly felt as if someone were calling him and turned around.
"....?"
But there was nothing there but immaculately polished tombstones and a tree that seemed to have always been there.
If Vlad had looked at it through the world of voices instead of his own, he would have seen a different landscape.
Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Just like memories that aren't seen continue to exist in the heart.
Ssssss.
A white snake coiled around a tree.
And sparkling fireflies, illuminating the dark slope, stealthily approached the snake.
In someone else's world, tonight, small stars shone on the dark hills, not in the nighttime sky.
All that remains are memories.
Perhaps that's why we're so obsessed with leaving traces.
If you look at the marks left behind, like scars, you'll remember that day.
But the boy couldn't form a single memory of his mother's name.
So, keep forgetting it.
"I wish my mother had done something like that."
[……]
An isolated hill accessible only through the mansion.
At the foot of the tree where voices were said to be remembered, the Heinal family's graves are buried.
It seemed an unlikely place, but the boy had to come.
Because it was a contract.
"……"
Looking at the rows of white tombstones, the boy thought of his mother.
The woman who had protected him, alone in the danger of the alleys, had succumbed.
It was a predestined fate, the beginning of another tragedy.
Perhaps the saddest tragedy in the world is the reality of passing poison to your children.
The boy with blue eyes grew up eating a poison that his mother's tears couldn't wash away.
"It must be difficult."
The nearest white tombstone.
It looked like the newest of all the tombstones here, and it was covered in leaves that had been scattered on the ground.
"…"
For some reason, the boy raised the palm of his hand and passed it over the tombstone.
With each stroke of the palm, the tombstone seemed to reveal itself and disclose a forgotten name.
"It's common courtesy to greet the landowners."
[I didn't say anything.]
Feeling unnecessarily cold, Vlad excused himself for what he had just done, but the voice understood.
We all have those moments when we suddenly feel like doing something out of place.
"So, I'll pray."
[Hmm.]
"Well, you're not going to get any knights to look at you."
[Thanks.]
Vlad unsheathed his sword, as he had done with the praying Roman, and pointed it directly at the trees on the hill.
A gentle spring breeze tousled the boy's blond hair.
The white tombstones returned the gaze to the boy's prayer, but Vlad remained silent.
Although he was aware of any prying eyes, Vlad stumbled over the words he had learned from the young priest.
It was a prayer for someone he remembered when seeing this place.
[…..]
Vlad's kindly voice looked at the tree of his memory.
There were things floating in the air.
I think the tree was smaller then.
That was when.
I feel like I came with someone.
Who it was.
I don't remember.
The voice made it seem like he was now trapped in a dense fog.
He struggled to find the edge of the memory that seemed to be just around the corner.
[….. Can I borrow your body for a moment?]
"Just a moment."
And instead of regaining his own memories, he could feel the voice looking at him through a faint mist.
There was something in front of him.
"So."
Vlad relaxed his whole body as he usually did, closed his right eye, and opened the left one.
Soon his vision began to blur, and he entered the sensation of looking at himself.
[Hmm.]
Not his own world, but the world seen through someone else's eyes.
"… Wh-What is that?"
[It seems to recognize me.]
There was something visible through him.
A secluded hill, trees surrounding the tombstones.
An easy benefit.
And there was something enormous wrapped around the tree.
It was a pure white giant snake, radiating bright light.
[A spirit.]
"…."
Looking at the snake, as big as a tree, Vlad could only try to maintain composure.
His lips were dry.
"Lately, I've been seeing too many strange things."
Vlad swallowed silently, with his heart beating differently than when he saw the giant worm.
Elementals were not allowed in his world.
He was seeing one now, through the world of voices.
Perhaps Joseph's intention to show Vlad the wide world was better now.
"I think it's looking at me."
[It's looking at me inside you.]
A white snake, coiled around a tree, observing Vlad.
It was as huge as the tree it was rooted in, which diminished its realism.
"…."
But Vlad felt no pressure as he watched the snake exuding its enormous presence.
Perhaps that was what the white snake intended.
"Is it coming down?"
[I don't think it's going to bite.]
Slowly, it descended from the tree, brushing against the tombstones.
Sssss...
The snake approached Vlad slowly.
But even though Vlad was looking at something unknown and enormous, he didn't feel threatened at all.
It won't harm me.
The bright eyes of the serpent assured him.
The round pupils of the serpent were like those of a head of the family welcoming a visitor.
The white serpent approached.
Their eyes met.
The tree embracing the gravestones shook its branches.
The hills were filled with warmth, like a spring breeze.
It was a wonderful world.
"Who are you?"
But then, I heard a voice behind me.
"Eh?"
The sound of someone calling made Vlad stop and open his right eye.
Disappear.
And just like that, he was back in his own world.
"Eh?"
The white serpent that had just filled his vision dispersed like smoke.
With just a blink, the world of voices vanished without a trace.
Back in his own world, Vlad felt like he had been dreaming.
"Who are you? This is a place where no one from House Heinal should be."
"..."
Vlad looked back, rubbing his left eye, which still refused to focus.
"Hmm."
[Hmm.]
At the edge of his barely focused vision was a young woman.
She had aquamarine hair.
A woman of such beauty that even Vlad, who had seen beautiful courtesans all his life, let out a small sigh of admiration.
"If you don't answer, I'll call for people."
"Oh, I am..."
Vlad was still trying to figure out what to say next; his mind hadn't fully recovered.
Normally, he would have spouted excuses like liquid gold, but he had just seen something he couldn't comprehend and needed time to sort out his thoughts.
"..."
And the look naturally cast Vlad in the role of a boy unfamiliar with the customs of the world.
A pretty hair color, a friendly face, and seemingly innocent, though involuntary, behavior made the aquamarine-haired woman lower her guard a bit.
"I'm sorry."
Vlad thought.
Certainly, it would be rude to do it now, standing next to the graves of nobles.
So if this woman said something wrong, she could get Joseph in trouble.
If she asked him why he did it, he wouldn't have a good answer.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes?"
"Aren't you a servant here, taking care of the grave?"
Then Vlad decided to try to silence her.
By doing her a small favor.
Alicia's eyes widened at Vlad's words.
It was a shock.
It was the first time in her life.
'How dare you!'
As an honorary member of the noble family, and now as the head of the family, what Vlad was doing now would border on disrespect.
But the clever Vlad had a good reason for his behavior.
Or rather, he was so perceptive that he got it wrong.
Alicia was now wearing the simple clothes of a servant.
In each hand, she carried a bucket and tools to clean the gravestones.
Indeed, as Vlad had said, she was here to take care of her parents' graves.
It was one of the only moments when Alicia, who had no one to turn to, could find solace.
As such, her attire couldn't be more deceptive.
"Actually, I cleaned it a bit earlier; the leaves were piling up."
"You cleaned...?"
Upon hearing from Vlad that he had cleaned the gravestone of her parents a bit, Alicia couldn't help but let her anger fade for a moment.
Why would someone who had no relationship with her parents clean their gravestone?
"I felt it was common courtesy to greet the landowners."
"Ah..."
Alicia nodded involuntarily as she listened to Vlad's words.
The aura that the boy exuded was quite noble, and the presence of the identification card he carried added credibility.
Moreover, for some reason, the hills felt very warm today.
Alicia had confused that comforting feeling with that emanating from the boy.
"Let me help you."
"Eh?"
Alicia grabbed her own bucket and looked at Vlad in confusion as he climbed onto the gravestone.
The blonde boy was pulling out weeds and polishing the gravestone skillfully, as if he had worked there many times.
Alicia couldn't help but chuckle at his exaggerated gestures, as if trying to show that he was working hard.
"So do me a favor; can you keep quiet about today? I'll get a beating if Lord Jager finds out about what happened today."
"I saw you polishing..."
Vlad frowned as he saw Alicia turn her head.
"Nice things aren't always easy."
Vlad was used to living with glamorous courtesans and seeing Madame Marcella famous daily, so Alicia's presence didn't impress him.
He just hoped that Joseph and Jager never found out about today's events, so he diligently cleaned the gravestones.
The methods used in the alleys were no longer effective.
At least not in broad daylight.
"I won't tell."
"Thank you very much."
Unlike Vlad, who was squirming inside, Alicia looked at him with a very fresh feeling.
The way he didn't show her any favoritism.
Even the traumatic incident a moment ago when he had mistaken her for a servant.
This man, Vlad, was a kind of human that Alicia had never seen before.
"......."
Watching the back of the strange boy while silently cleaning the gravestone of her parents, Alicia's expression softened.
On the hill where she had come to find solace, Alicia could release the anxiety she had been accumulating for so long.
The blonde boy's hair shone faintly in the evening sun.
It was a wonderful color.
***
As he and Alicia descended the hill in the twilight, Vlad suddenly felt as if someone were calling him and turned around.
"....?"
But there was nothing there but immaculately polished tombstones and a tree that seemed to have always been there.
If Vlad had looked at it through the world of voices instead of his own, he would have seen a different landscape.
Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Just like memories that aren't seen continue to exist in the heart.
Ssssss.
A white snake coiled around a tree.
And sparkling fireflies, illuminating the dark slope, stealthily approached the snake.
In someone else's world, tonight, small stars shone on the dark hills, not in the nighttime sky.
