Violet Zerotta’s Hasty Marriage - Chapter 63

“Thankfully, we meet again alive today, Aldrick. I heard you did remarkably well in yesterday’s skirmish, didn’t you? Are you hurt anywhere?”

It was a day when the war, which had once seemed never-ending, was finally nearing its end.

The warriors of Aslan were relentless and brutal to a terrifying degree. Had, at some point, begun using haphazard tactics and were retreating repeatedly.

At first, the Illoan forces suspected some kind of ploy, but now that victory was clearly in sight, they could guess there must be a reason behind it.

Whatever it was, it was good news for the Kingdom of Illo. After three long years of suffering, the knights and soldiers were filled with dreams of returning home.

Simon was one of them. He had a wife eagerly awaiting his return, and a warm home waiting to welcome him back.

“Well, not really. But what about you? You managed to survive today too, didn’t you?”

Seated by a campfire lit by someone else, Aldrick replied dryly to Simon’s words. Unlike the grinning Simon, Aldrick sat as always, with a gloomy expression, staring into the fire.

It was the time of day when night was falling.

The camp was in turmoil from tending to the dead and wounded from yesterday’s battle. In the midst of the bustle, Aldrick sat alone, somewhat forlorn in his solitude.

Clicking his tongue, Simon took a seat beside him.

“Why are you sitting there looking like death when the war’s practically over? If you’re bored, why not visit the local brothel like the others?”

A flicker of disdain and disgust passed over Aldrick’s face, lit crimson by the flames. Feeling as if he’d been cursed at just with a look, Simon waved his hand awkwardly.

“Alright, alright. If you don’t want to, just say so. No need to look at me like I’m trash.”

“…Would you want to go to such a place, knowing your wife is waiting at home?”

“That’s why I said like the others. You think I’m crazy enough to do that to Doris? I haven’t even set foot near the town, so if you ever meet my wife, don’t go planting any weird ideas.”

Watching Simon leap up to defend his innocence, Aldrick finally let out something like a faint chuckle. But it was brief. Soon, he fell silent again, staring into the fire as if in deep contemplation.

Simon liked Aldrick—as a good friend, and as someone who had saved his life. So if Aldrick was tormented by something, Simon wanted to help. But at the same time, he knew it wasn’t a problem he could solve.

All he could offer were some cliché words of encouragement—that the war was ending, and good days would soon come.

Aldrick nodded as he listened. But it wasn’t so much agreement as it was a weary gesture.

“Yeah… Anyway, seems like you’re happy the war’s ending.”

“And you mean to say you’re not?”

There was no reply. Instead, Aldrick, looking more dejected than before, began fiddling with a necklace around his neck. Or rather, not a necklace—just a crude metal string with a thin silver ring hanging from it.

During the war, Simon had often seen him doing this. He’d thought it just a habit. But tonight, for some reason, it stuck in his mind, and he asked without thinking.

“That ring… I’ve seen you wear it around your neck for a while now. Is it something important?”

He briefly wondered if it might’ve been from the small woman Aldrick had married for appearance’s sake, but couldn’t imagine Aldrick treasuring such a thing so dearly.

“This?”

Aldrick looked slightly surprised at the question, as if he hadn’t even realized he was holding the ring.

“Not particularly… It’s just…”

Simon caught a fleeting expression of emotion cross Aldrick’s face, so rare it left a lasting impression.

“…Maybe it’s proof that even someone like me once had a family. When I hold onto this, I can imagine—just a little—that I have a place to return to, like everyone else.”