TOPWL 175

“Is Khalid going too?”

“Yes. I need to return to the capital as well, there’s something I have to look into.”

Yudit stared quietly at Khalid. He was trying to judge whether he was lying.

Of course, he would be glad if Khalid came with him, but at the same time, he didn’t want Khalid to abandon his own territory just to follow him to the capital.

“If it’s because of me, you don’t have to. You should protect your own domain, Khalid.”

“The ones guarding the border are all people I’ve personally raised. And I need to go to the capital at least once anyway. I have to report on this subjugation.”

Yudit narrowed his eyes at Khalid, then gave up.

There was no reason for Khalid to lie just to accompany him.

“Then we should leave as soon as possible.”

“We’ll leave after lunch tomorrow. There’s a funeral in the morning.”

“Who passed away?”

Yudit instantly regretted asking.

Khalid gave a bitter smile.

“It’s a battle between people. Even if the damage is small, someone always dies.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Khalid shook his head as if to say it was fine.

With time until tomorrow afternoon, Yudit figured he should take care of what he could.

“Then I’ll notify the publishing house and the school first thing in the morning.”

“Alright. It’ll be a long journey, so don’t overdo it. Have the attendant handle what he can.”

“I will.”

“I’ve got things to do, so go ahead and sleep first.”

Yudit considered getting up too, but decided it’d be better to rest for a bit and move at dawn. He lay down quietly.

Khalid leaned over and kissed his forehead.

Somehow, Yudit felt he’d come to miss that gentle touch terribly.

***

News of Yudit’s departure today caused quite a stir.

Not just at the publishing house and school, people who had grown fond of him also came to wish him well, albeit with concern.

Everyone at the publishing house and the school was just as reluctant to let him go.

The adults, staff and teachers, managed to keep it together, but the children were a different story.

When one child burst into tears while saying goodbye, the whole class followed like a chain reaction.

Even Yudit, who had kept it together while saying farewell at the publishing house, found his eyes growing red as the children sobbed with tear-streaked faces.

“Teacher, please don’t go…”

Yudit smiled awkwardly as he looked down at them.

The children clung to him like the hem of a dress. He took out a handkerchief and wiped one child’s nose.

“I’m sorry. But I have to go.”

“Then can’t you take me with you?”

The child looked up at Yudit with eyes clear as crystal beads.

Just then, a red-haired kid elbowed the first child’s side and said,

“Dummy, people die in war! Why would you want to go there?”

“Then… is teacher going to die too?”

“W-well, probably?”

Rather than deny his claim, the child chose to commit lèse-majesté.

At the thought of Yudit dying, some of the children wailed loudly.

“Huwaaaah! Don’t go!”

“Teacher, please don’t die!”

“Kids, I’m not going to die. I’ll be okay.”

“But people die in war… My dad and uncle died too. Can’t you just stay?”

The red-haired child looked up at Yudit, trying hard not to cry.

Yudit gave a pained smile and patted the child’s head.

“I won’t die. I promise.”

“But my dad and uncle promised too. And they didn’t keep it.”

The child eventually broke down, sniffling. Yudit wiped the child’s wet cheeks and held out his pinky.

“I’ll keep mine.”

“It’s a promise.”

“Mm.”

The child hooked his pinky around Yudit’s, then hugged him again.

“Kids, it’s time for teacher to go now.”

Someone opened the front door of the classroom.

It was a woman with curly brown hair and thick glasses, one of the teachers who usually just greeted him in passing.

She came over and gently spoke to the children, and they began to peel away one by one.

“Alright then, everyone. I’ll be back.”

Yudit waved at the kids and stepped out of the classroom.

“I’ll escort you to the gate.”

The teacher, much smaller than him, spoke with determination, and Yudit couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Don’t you have a class?”

“It’s break time. I’m fine.”

As Yudit walked down the hallway, the children pressed up to the open windows to watch him leave.

But the moment they saw something, or someone, they quickly ducked and ran back to their seats as if they’d seen a ghost.

Puzzled, Yudit turned his head.

There stood a teacher with a sweet expression now twisted into a fearsome smile.

Wasn’t her name Daisy? She had a gentle aura, but maybe she was tougher than she looked.

“There’s something I’ve been curious about.”

“Yes?”

“I only told the teachers I was going to the battlefield today. So how did all the kids find out?”

Since he’d had to resign suddenly, Yudit had told the teachers the truth.

But he’d only told the children that he was leaving, not why, worried it might upset them.

Yet the very first class he entered had immediately asked if he was going to war, forcing him to confess.

At his question, Daisy looked away.

When Yudit blinked, she shut her eyes tight and blurted out,

“That was… my fault.”

“…Sorry?”

“There’s a kid in my class who can’t keep their mouth, or legs, still. I sent them on an errand, and I think they overheard someone in the teacher’s office mention Your Highness going to war. I’m so sorry.”

He could imagine how it happened.

He’d wondered why a teacher who normally kept her distance was suddenly volunteering to escort him, so this was why.

“So you’re here out of penance, Miss Daisy.”

“W-well, that’s part of it, but not all of it!”

Flustered by his teasing tone, Daisy waved her hands.

“We kept some distance because of your title, but… we’re really grateful to you. Thanks to you, this school became such a lively place. We thought someone should say thank you before you left, so I volunteered.”

“I didn’t do it alone. Everyone worked hard in their own way.”

At Yudit’s words, Daisy smiled softly.

“I knew you’d say that, Your Highness. But it really is thanks to you. No one would deny that.”

She bowed her head toward him.

“Thank you for building such a good school. We’ll work hard to make it even better before you return.”

She clasped her hands like in prayer.

“So please… stay safe.”

“I will. Thank you, Daisy.”

***

When Yudit returned home, he was a bit stunned to see the mountain of envelopes stacked on his desk.

Inside the brown paper envelopes were nuts, dried fruits, and preserved rations.

He was wondering who had sent them when Shane spoke.

“It’s probably the servants.”

“The servants?”

“Yes. I suppose it’s their way of sending you off, since they heard Your Highness is leaving. But everything needs to be inspected first, so please don’t touch them yet.”

Yudit took his hands off the gifts, heeding Shane’s advice.

“…I didn’t expect to receive something like this.”

They’d always been loyal but never exactly warm. He hadn’t expected anything like this.

“They’re mostly dried goods…”

“Easier to carry that way. The servants here are well-versed in war. They’re the ones who prepare rations for each deployment.”

Shane pulled the bell cord to summon a servant and began sorting the envelopes.

Seeing Shane working hard despite his own duties made Yudit feel a little guilty.

“Should I help?”

“This is all part of ensuring Your Highness’s safety.”

Yudit had thought at least sorting the packages would be okay, but the flat rejection made him nod calmly.

“Then I’ll go pack.”

“Yes.”

Yudit entered the bedroom connected to the office, pulled out a bag, and began packing.

He’d arrived with almost nothing, so he thought packing would be quick, but there was more than expected.

Even just the essentials–clothes, toiletries, money, sleeping bag, sword, armor–had already filled the bag to the brim.

He hesitated over whether to bring winter clothes, then decided he’d buy some later and set them aside. Just as he was wondering where to fit the rations the servants had given him, there was a knock at the door.

“Your Highness, it’s Selena.”

When he opened it, there were two unexpected guests with her. One was Yasin, and the other was Yvonne.

Yudit greeted them with a delighted smile.

“Familiar faces. Please, come in.”