Everyone turned with surprise to the person who suddenly interjected.
The person who quietly spoke… Ryuuga, received an angry response from Mary.
“Ah? What’s with you? We just met, so what do you know about us? What do you know of my pain…!!??”
“…Ryuuga’s father was killed five years ago. He knows very well the pain of losing a family member.”
“Eh…!?”
Said Yuugo, in part to calm her down, and in part to let her know where Ryuuga was coming from.
Mary went quiet with surprise, and Ryuuga spoke instead.
“…Sorry. I understand this is a territory I shouldn’t be stepping into when it comes to someone I just met, but hearing you… Reminded me of what I talked about with my mother that I left behind in my hometown.”
“Mother…?”
“Yes… She raised me and my sister alone after my father passed away. We received condolence money and subsidies to help with our daily lives from the feudal lord, but my sister got sick, and our mother had to pay for treatment. And so she worked as hard as she could, but when that still wasn’t enough, she sold my father’s things. I remember her pained face every time she had to sell a keepsake… I didn’t want to see that face, so I said I would sell this sword.”
Ryuuga looked down at the sword hanging from his waist, his Loong King Fang.
Mary stayed quiet, as Ryuuga talked about his conversation with his mother.
“This sword would be worth a lot. I received it from my father, but it wasn’t his. When I told my mother I would rather sell this sword than things filled with memories of him… She responded before I could finish.”
“…What did she say?”
“One, that she wasn’t selling those mementos out of desperation for money. It was something she had to do to sort out her heart.”
“Sort out her heart? By erasing marks left by a dead person?”
“Yes… People get shackled by the past. Their hearts become trapped by the pain and sadness of losing someone important. But you can’t stay trapped in the past forever. My father wouldn’t want my mother to stay trapped in sadness and pain. And so, she said she was saying goodbye to those memories to throw away the pain and suffering from his death.”
People trapped in pain and suffering could not move forward. And the dead would not want the ones who remained to be unable to recover from their deaths.
Mental wounds healed slowly. But if one continued to pick at the scabs, that pain would never go away.
By sorting out her heart and saying goodbye to memories of the deceased, she was leaving those scabs alone… That was what Ryuuga’s mother did.
“…Second, there is also a past you should never throw away. What lies deep in your heart and is truly important should stay there no matter how painful it is.
I didn’t want to see my mother suffer, so I was going to throw away the proof of my vow with my father… But my mother told me to never do that.”
Said Ryuuga with a small sigh as he faced down.
When he faced Mary, his expression was mixed. Both a smile and a serious expression.
“Your mother was run over in front of you, right? I’m sure your father doesn’t want you to be reminded of that, and is putting away things that remind you of your mother.”
“No way! I…!!”
“If you don’t want that, you should tell him. I’m sure you don’t want someone you just met telling you this, but… If you keep looking away from your pain and sadness for revenge, it’s going to come back to bite you one day.
It’s not too late. You should strive to get over that pain with people who support you.”
“…”
Ryuuga was harsh, but he was being considerate in his own way.
Mary knew he was right, she was avoiding facing both her dead mother and her living father, and stayed quiet. And as she fidgeted, Ehn spoke as she brought food.
“Hum… I know this is very serious, but do you have a moment? There’s someone I want you to see.”
“Eh? A-ah, no problem but…”
“Thanks. Come here!”
Ehn thanked Melt, who spoke for everyone, and she called said person.
It felt a little… Quite awkward, but Yuugo’s eyes opened wide with surprise as he saw this person.
“Y-you…!?”
“Ah, hum… It’s been a while…”
He seemed timid, nervous, and apologetic as he bowed.
As he raised his head, he saw Melt’s also surprised expression turn into a smile, as she called out his name.
“Cross? You’ve been released already?”
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