Sirien personally conducted the funeral for Terion and Hena.

We had performed a simple ceremony before leaving, but we didn't have much time then. Essentially, we had only cremated their bodies and offered a moment of silence. It felt insufficient for sending off two people who were both family and friends.

Though their souls had already departed, funerals are also held for the living. If we had overcome the wounds in our hearts in the Forgotten Forest, now was the time to properly conclude our farewell to them.

There was no need for an elaborate ceremony. Even without that, it became a more solemn occasion than ever before. I stood guard behind Sirien until she finished bestowing the holy blessing of rest.

"What should we do with the cabin?"

"Burn it down. But let's look around once more before that."

While preparing for the Eligos expedition, I had discovered by chance that records about this cabin remained in Lehaim.

This cabin, which Count Roxen had called a hideout, was built during the early days of the Grand Duchy of Ilensia, when the empire was still a kingdom.

Even back then, Ilensia was defending the borders against demons. The political world was chaotic as usual, and the demons never gave a day of peace. As these days continued, Sirien's distant ancestor worried that harsh storms might someday sweep through Ilensia. After all, in the long course of history, neither eternal prosperity nor eternal decline lasts forever.

Though they hoped such a day would never come, this cabin was meant to be a refuge where they could preserve their lives until the storm passed, in case the entire bloodline faced great danger—in other words, if Ilensia faced the crisis of extinction. The snow barrier that protected us from the monsters of the Forgotten Forest was the result of ancestors' desire to save their descendants.

And Count Roxen had exploited that intention.

*What a despicable man, no matter how I think about it.*

Anyway, the cabin itself was created with good intentions. Now that I had become a Sword Master, I could even sense the faint magical power surrounding the snow barrier. The direct line of Ilensia had come full circle to be continued by Sirien, proving its effectiveness. This refuge might be needed again someday.

However, that refuge didn't necessarily have to be this cabin. Using this building again would be unreasonable. There were many bloodstains inside that hadn't been cleaned, making it uninhabitable. We planned to clear this place before having someone build a new structure.

As Sirien climbed the steps in front of the door, they still creaked.

*Uncle, I don't like it here.*

*It smells strange and looks dirty.*

*Do we really have to stay here?*

A memory flashed through my mind. Young Sirien had shed tears in front of these steps. She had hidden behind my back, not wanting to show her crying face.

The difference from back then was that the cabin door was now broken. I remember it breaking during our fight with the giant rats, and I had only roughly blocked it before falling asleep, just enough to keep the wind out.

As we approached the cabin more closely, the traces of our desperate battle remained preserved. The blood I had shed upon returning, footprints scattered here and there—traces that brought back memories I didn't want to recall. Sirien paused her steps and placed her hand on her knee.

"Ah... this is bad. I can't go in."

"Is it too difficult?"

"Just... I feel breathless for a moment."

Her white-gloved hand trembled slightly. I held her shaking hand and decided to wait until she calmed down.

I wasn't sure if I should think this way, but it was somewhat fortunate. Sirien's gaze remained fixed on the footprints on the wooden floor. Just as this place was a wound for her, it felt like evidence of my failure and powerlessness to me. I wasn't sure what expression I was wearing.

Perhaps I had grown somewhat. Instead of immediately falling into sadness or contemplation, I was first thinking of words to comfort Sirien. In the past, I would have been much more immature.

"It's okay. It's all in the past now. Take a deep breath in, and then out. I'm right here beside you."

"Okay..."

"Think of good memories instead of bad ones. For example... remember? Here, you shouted loudly at Hena, 'Hena! I want to clean with you!'"

"That's right. And then we both got kicked out. I really thought I had talent back then."

Our first day at the cabin was a complete mess. Terion, who immediately tried to sleep on the dusty bed; cleaning prodigy Sirien, who made Hena work twice as hard; and me, who was supposed to take the kids outside but returned with more laundry to be done. The three of us were all Hena's sources of worry.

Yes, this cabin didn't just hold bad memories. The four of us rarely had such a long opportunity to be together in one space. Besides, spending time without adults was something everyone imagines doing at least once when young.

Sorrow could be covered with memories. Sirien walked along that covered path.

In the living room, darkened bloodstains caught our eyes. It was where Terion and Hena had lain for the last time. At that rolling table on the floor, the four of us had gathered for meals or card games.

Especially at mealtimes, all four of us had to be together. Though no one set the rule and no one forced it, it was like an absolute unwritten law between us. From the broken table, I could almost hear the boisterous voices from back then.

"The basement... ah, I remember. We rummaged through everything trying to take as much as possible."

"We struggled so much with the dust."

Moving to the basement.

The storage room where supplies were kept was in disarray, as if it had been robbed. Hena had organized everything meticulously, but since we didn't know what was where, we had no choice but to open everything. Sirien helped me despite constantly coughing from the dust.

Besides that, there weren't many memories worth mentioning in the basement. Only Hena had frequented the basement until the giant rats swarmed in. There was one incident, but I had decided to take that to my grave, and I only remembered falling asleep immediately after packing due to exhaustion.

Where memories don't remain, there's no lingering attachment. We decided to head straight to the attic on the second floor. On the way up, Sirien tucked her side hair behind her ear.

"It feels bittersweet. I unconsciously came to think of this place as 'home' too. So, I have something I want to say. Something I was too afraid to say before. Now I can say it freely."

"Something you were afraid to say?"

"Yes. Will you listen?"

"I'll listen to anything you have to say."

In the attic on the second floor, four beds were placed side by side, just as I remembered. Two were still neatly made as Hena had left them, while the other two clearly showed signs of having been hastily abandoned, with blankets roughly pushed aside. I somehow felt uneasy about how the state of the beds seemed to distinguish between those who had left and those who remained. So I slightly messed up the edge of Terion's bed for no particular reason.

Sirien sat down on the bed next to it—her original spot. The crimson sunset poured through the attic window. The gentle sunset light sparkled on the back of Sirien's hand.

"I first had the thought the day after the debutante ball."

"That day... ahem."

"The day we embraced each other. Also when you became my master?"

"Anyway, what thought did you have?"

Her hand moved toward her slender waist. The black ceremonial robe wrinkled slightly following her hand and then returned to normal, and Sirien gently curled up the corners of her mouth.

"I thought I wanted to have your child. And when that thought reached me, it suddenly felt like the sky was falling."

"...Why?"

"I'm the Saint of Hibras. Hibras is the god of rest and death. Could I, who carries death within me, conceive life?"

"Ah."

"For the first time, I felt regret. I became the Saint of Hibras to save you. So my saint's robe was always my pride. But the fact that I even felt regret made me think I've grown quite greedy."

Having said that much, Sirien chuckled.

"I was afraid to pursue you further because of that. Because I might be unable to bear children. So when we were searching for ancient books, I secretly looked into it too, but found no clues."

"What did Edwin say?"

"He said I could."

"Huh?"

"He said where there is life, there is death. He also said there were saints in the past who had children."

Her hand guided mine to her stomach. That gesture sent chills down my spine. Could it be? Could it be?

I even heightened my perception, wondering if I might hear the sound of kicking from inside. About three minutes passed like that. I felt nothing in my hand. Sirien giggled.

"Were you expecting something? Not yet."

"You... you startled me."

"Seeing your reaction makes me feel really good. Coming here made the word 'family' keep popping into my head, so I wanted to tell you."

Her fingertips touched my ring finger. Sirien gently rubbed the first joint.

"So, Razen. I'll wait for you this time too. We still have a lot to do now, but someday everything will be settled."

"When that time comes, would you like to receive a gift from me?"

"Yes. Please give me a gift that I can only receive once in my lifetime."

"...Alright."