91 - Memorial Service 1
The bearded man who was taken away by the Black Knights who rushed to the scene kept insisting, "It's a misunderstanding," "I didn't do anything," but no one listened. By the time I screamed, I had already drawn people's attention, so many people had witnessed the bearded man's actions. The fact that he tried to cover my mouth, and that he grabbed my shoulder even though I was resisting, was clearly remembered, and most people reported it to the Black Knights. Naturally, I, who had screamed, was also asked about the situation, and I answered honestly.
That I had screamed because I felt my life was in danger.
However, at this point, all the bearded man had done to me was 'grab the shoulder of a girl who had clearly refused,' and the testimony was limited to the girl and those around who had seen the scene from after she screamed. When a Black Knight tilted his head, saying it would be difficult to punish and take him in, Nils, who had seen everything from the beginning, added this. That when I tried to end the conversation, the man suddenly grabbed my shoulder and tried to take me away, saying he would treat me to something sweet.
"'Come with me, old man, I will give you candy' is not that a standard kidnapping line?"
"Good job, Tina-chan. You did not fall for it."
With Nils's testimony, which contained not a single lie, the bearded man's fate was decided. That it had only been prevented in the nick of time, and this was one step away from a kidnapping case.
"...Speaking of which, that person seemed to be an acquaintance of Kaya, reshu. He came asking me what happened to Kaya, shira."
I added an extra report to the Black Knights who were efficiently tying up the bearded man. That the bearded man had accosted me wanting to know about Kaya. I felt like I wanted them to tell him what happened to Kaya, since he might be spending the night in a cell reflecting.
"Kaya?"
"The person who was caught for theft while working as a tutor at the residence in the summer, reshu."
Since he did not seem to remember right away from just the name, I added a bit more information. The Black Knight seemed to remember who it was from that, and his face showed understanding.
"An acquaintance of that woman, huh. Well then, Tina-chan's judgment really was right. That woman did fraud, extortion, scamming, theft... she did it all."
"We kept her in the dungeon for a while until a noble came to pick her up, but so many other crimes came out that even the Commander was at a loss. He said, 'To think we hired a woman like that believing she was a tutor.' Well, by now she is..."
He cut off there, and the Black Knights exchanged glances before giving wry smiles. Apparently it was not something to tell me. If it was not suitable for a child's ears, then I did not want to hear it either.
"...If you know what happened to her, please tell that man, kudasai."
Saying that he seemed worried, I cut the conversation short and watched the bearded man being led away by the Black Knights. I hoped he would not hold a foolish grudge, but he was an acquaintance of Kaya's, so who knew. I might need to be on guard when walking around the city for a while.
It was supposed to be a festive mood, but the bearded man had ruined it. Lusio and Elke tried to cheer me up by taking me to various events, but I could not feel happy at all. There were plenty of cheerful and beautiful things, like traveling performers' music and a harvest goddess float that craftsmen had poured their souls into carving, but my shoulder, grabbed by the bearded man's thick fingers, throbbed with pain and sank my mood. It was not particularly dirty, but I felt like taking off my clothes and washing my shoulder with a wet towel and soap until I was satisfied. I just felt awful.
"What is wrong, young lady?"
Noticing something was off with me, Lusio stopped and turned around. Mirshe and Petrona also peered at my face and started saying I looked pale.
"...I think I am just tired from getting too excited at the festival, reshu."
I deliberately hid the real reason, wanting to quickly forget about the bearded man. When I thought of another childlike reason for feeling unwell, this came out. Tired from too much excitement. There was no need to bring up other reasons.
I tried to leave, saying I would go back alone and they should continue enjoying the festival, but Nils and Lusio insisted on seeing me to the residence. When I said leaving Teo alone with the girls was worrying, Nils went back to the group of children. Apparently Lusio was more trustworthy as a guard than the book-smart Nils.
As I was being escorted back to the residence by Lusio, he got a little angry, saying there was no need to worry about the other children since he and Nils had been hired to guard me. The city children live with a stronger sense of danger than I do on a daily basis, so they know when to run. There was no need to worry about them just because it was a festival.
He saw me to the main gate, and I parted ways with Lusio to return to the residence. I reached for the knocker to announce my return, but the door opened from the inside before I could knock.
"Welcome back, Tina. You are early."
"I am home, reshu."
Somehow Leonardo was there to greet me, which surprised me. Then I felt like hugging him, so I had him lower himself a bit. When I wrapped my arms around Leonardo's thick neck, which he lowered as I begged, the strength left my shoulders. Apparently I had been tense without realizing it. I let out a relieved breath and buried my face in his neck, and Leonardo picked me up.
"...Did you get a little tired from your first festival with friends?"
"That is part of it, but I also ran into an acquaintance of Kaya, mashita."
"I have already received the report."
Feeling Leonardo's hand gently patting my back, I realized, ah, I am being comforted. Leonardo, who should have been busy preparing for the Memorial Service, was at the residence perhaps because he had expected I would come back early.
"Did he say or do anything awful to you?"
"He grabbed my shoulder, so I bit him, karya."
I also reported that after I screamed 'kidnapper,' the adults around me helped me, and on top of that, the usual black dog bit the bearded man in the crotch and helped me. Leonardo must have involuntarily imagined getting bitten in the crotch by a dog. His face made an indescribable, pitying expression.
"I am tired, so I will sleep a little, mashu."
Feeling a bit calmer, I had him put me down and walked on my own. Since I wanted to attend the night Memorial Service, coming back for a nap seemed like good timing. I started to head to the attic room as usual, but instead went to my own room on the third floor. For some reason, today I felt like using Jinbei's belly as a pillow to sleep.
The bearded man with his unpleasant laugh reached out his hand, chasing me no matter how far I ran. He finally grabbed my shoulder and pulled me toward him, and that is when I woke up. The worst way to wake up. Sweat made my hair stick unpleasantly to my neck.
...For now, let me wash my face and wipe off the sweat with a damp towel.
When I went down to the first floor to get water, Leonardo had just returned home carrying something. Drawn by the sweet smell wafting all the way here, I forgot I had come for water and wobbled toward Leonardo.
"What is that, resu ka?"
That is food, is it not? I looked up with hopeful expectation, and Leonardo gave a wry smile. Laughing that Tina had a good nose, he shooed me away, telling me to go wash up first.
Since I was at it, I washed off the sweat and changed out of my secondhand clothes, then sat down next to Leonardo on the living room sofa. When I asked about the sweet-smelling package set beside him, he told me Nils had bought and delivered it. It was the plate-baked sweets from the Three Crows Inn that I had put off buying on the way back. The plate-baked sweets, which were bean-paste sandwiches in a small saucer-sized pastry, looked exactly like dorayaki, just one size smaller.
"...That is a lot, ne. I need to pay Nils back, nyai to."
Since he bought what I wanted for me, I figured I should consider it him covering for me. The sweets from the Three Crows Inn were a bit expensive for a child's allowance. And since there were nine of them, it must have been a big hit to Nils's wallet.
"I already paid Nils for it."
He said he had paid with a little extra, considering it a delivery fee. Well then, I would just thank Nils next time I saw him, and helped myself to the plate-baked sweets without hesitation.
The plate-baked sweets, which were one size smaller than dorayaki, turned out to have three different flavors when I tried them. There were three types: chunky red bean paste, custard, and whipped cream. The first one I ate was whipped cream, and for a moment I was disappointed. They were probably trying to spread Napaji's unique sweets while also exploring flavors familiar to the people of this country.
...I would be fine with just bean paste, though.
If I were being greedy, I would have wanted strained bean paste too. Since there were three flavors anyway, I would have preferred chunky red bean, strained bean, and white bean, but asking for that would be too extravagant. The whipped cream left a bad first impression, but the custard was delicious. Leonardo ate the bean paste one with a strange expression, so maybe sweet beans were strange to him.
As we sat together eating the plate-baked sweets, the sun began to set. The Memorial Service was to be held after sunset, and we had planned to have a light dinner before going out, but the plate-baked sweets seemed like they would replace the meal. They were delicious so it could not be helped, but the dinner Tabitha had prepared would have to be eaten cold when we returned. A little regrettable, but what is eaten is eaten.
...The chunky red bean plate-baked sweets were delicious.
If they were this good, I felt like I could have traded all the contents of my wallet for plate-baked sweets. Knowing they probably would not be sold tomorrow made it even more regrettable.
Told not to catch a cold, I put on a thick coat and headed to the cemetery on the outskirts of the city. A night cemetery is a place I would normally want to avoid, but tonight lanterns and lamps were placed here and there, making it faintly bright.
Walking hand-in-hand with Leonardo, who was dressed in a mantle and formal wear, we arrived at an altar prepared in one corner of the cemetery. While funeral arrangements were under the jurisdiction of the Sopdejania Church, it seemed the priests of the death god Uaksu performed the rites. Uaksu was feared as a god who brought death, but once dead, all lives came under the protection of the death god Uaksu as his people. It was the death god Uaksu who guarded peaceful sleep and washed away regrets and sorrows from the soul.
Tonight, the mass funeral for Words Disease victims that could not be held during the busy summer would be conducted under the name of the Memorial Service. Ideally, they would have buried each person individually, but those who died in the city were buried in one large pit. In Mey Village, my parents, who had been infected later, were buried individually, but I heard the Black Knights buried the victims from other villages that were wiped out in the same way.
The men wearing mantles and formal attire with less decoration than Leonardo were all Black Knights. Bereaved families also attended, but since the main occupation of the victims was prostitutes, some families probably did not come. The Black Knights seemed to outnumber them.
"What do we do here, resu ka? Does the priest just pray and that is it, resu ka?"
"We offer prayers of repose too, but mainly we watch over the Soul-Calming Lights until they go out."
"Soul-Calming Lights?"
It was a word I had never heard before. However, since many candles were prepared on the altar, I figured those must be the 'Soul-Calming Lights.' The priest and the church people assisting him were lighting many candles and handing them to the attendees.
"The candles the priest is handing out are the Soul-Calming Lights. The victims' names are written on the candles, and the candle flames are their souls. We watch over them, praying they rest in peace, until the flames go out. During that time, we share memories of them from when they were alive."
With the idea of seeing them off cheerfully, the seats for the bereaved watching over the Soul-Calming Lights had alcohol and food prepared.
...Like having a party at a crematorium?
Well, 'party' might be going too far. But hearing that they would share memories over seats with alcohol and food, my poor imagination came to this conclusion.
"Come here, Tina."
"Yes, reshu."
Leonardo beckoned me in front of the altar, and when I approached, he handed me two candles. For some reason, 'Royne' and 'Teo' were written on them in red paint.
"This is Royne-san's Soul-Calming Light, reshu ne. But who is 'Teo,' resu ka?"
Surely the brat of Menhishumi Church (Teo) was still alive. I had just been with him today during the day. It was far too early for his soul to be calmed.
"Teo is a common name. It is the name of Royne's child."
With just that explanation, I could somehow understand. Royne was a prostitute. It was natural to assume the child's father was unknown and she had no husband. It would not be strange if none of the attendees tonight were her family.
"I do not know Royne-san's Teo, but is it okay for me to watch over the Soul-Calming Light, resu ken?"
"It is better for mother and child to be together."
"...That is true, reshu ne."
Since it was dangerous for me to hold two candles at once, Leonardo carried Teo's candle. There were seats prepared with fruit juice and sweets instead of alcohol, which might have been arranged for me in advance. When I sat down in a seat adjusted with cushions, the candles of Royne and Teo were placed before me.
The Memorial Service had only just begun.
[Author's Note]
It got longer than expected, so it continues.
Typos and omissions will be fixed at a later date.
I have fixed the typos and omissions I found.