THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

FRANKHER KOERSOMBRE POV:

The Saintess's healing is really something else, wounds that couldn't be taken care of by three priests are all handled by her without breaking a sweat.

"I am surprised." She is? About what?

She has been healing Mister Dragonroad for almost ten minutes now. The intensity of the light emitted by her healing scripts is so high and clear, I can only imagine how effective it is.

"Is there a problem, Rebecca?"

"Well, his body is healing by himself as well…Did they perhaps use a special healing script on him?"

"Not that I would know."

"Those…I think Restructure can cause this but it seems like it has been a long time since it was cast on him. That alone shouldn't be so efficient."

"Is he safe now?"

"Yes, of course. Don't worry. Sadly, I cannot restore everything to its initial state since some time has passed. He will have to say goodbye to the two last fingers of his left hand."

"Considering what he did, he should be grateful to be alive at all."

"Meetia really is merciful to this child. He seems to be scarifying himself a lot though."

Rebecca, that look…She starts caressing Mister Dragonroad's hair slowly and gently. I was mistaken, I guess. There wasn't much going on between them. She just needed to break from her own shells.

"Saintess."

William enters the room. He must have noticed that the light diminished.

"I am almost done, Protector."

"I see." William, because of you, she has stopped…So, that was your objective.

I can understand why you would do that but still, I am amazed at the fact that you would prevent her from finding a bit of happiness.

Well, in any case, Mister Dragonroad's case is closed. As if it was the signal, Rebecca stopping the healing process marks the entry of a whole group of people.

"Have you finished already, Rebecca?"

"I told you to call me Saintess in public."

"Hyaa! Don't pinch my ears again, please!"

Miss Farner is really somebody relaxed. But even so,her whole group is too carefree. Passing by the protector of the Saintess without even greeting him. Sigh…You kids really have it easy nowadays.

"Let's leave, shall we?" Good idea, William.

Rebecca goes out of the room and I follow her, William is behind us. While passing by miss Vonild's room, I see her reading something while crying. I don't know what she is reading but if she is willing to at least do that, there are improvements.

"Are you worried?"

"Of course, I am." William seems to have noticed that I peeked inside the room.

"Then why not talk to her?"

"Talking doesn't do the trick every time. Besides, what would say to her that her friends couldn't?"

"Well…" William, you really don't have much experience with children. Well, I can't blame you.

"It's okay. I am sure Meetia will give her the strength."

"I hope so, Rebecca."

***

"Master! Master!"

"Hm…Hm…"

"Master, please wake up!!"

"W-what is it?"

In the end, I fell asleep on the couch, huh. We started talking about old things with Rebecca but I must have been really tired.

"Hyaa!!! Why?!!!"

As my hearing becomes clearer, the first thing I hear is the screams of my daughter. I run to wherever she is with the maid only to find the heroes at the door of the room, crying while sitting on the floor.

"Why did you do this?!! Why?!!"

My daughter's scream resounds like those of a madman from inside Miss Vonild's room. Don't tell me…I walk past the heroes and enter the room. Inside, I first see my pupil sitting on the floor while holding his head with both hands. The way he is trembling indicates that he is crying as well.

As I raise my eyes, I first see my daughter crying on the bed of Miss Vonild but then…Feet, suspended in the air. Oh dear Meetia, didn't your own servant said you would watch over this child?

Miss Vonild... What could have brought you to do such a thing? Was life so hard without your loved one? Were you really that…No, I cannot judge you. I do not have that right.

I grab the book that miss Vonild was reading yesterday. It is on the floor. When I raise it, something falls from it but I catch it.

"A ring?"

"I…Sniff…I thought it would have cheered her up. Sniff…I never thought there was…"

What have you done, my daughter? I read the book at the page where the ring has fallen. Not everything is readable on it because it got wet a lot.

'Once I am done with…I will…I just hope she wi…Oh, my lovely Es. I can already you…"

I see. So he was going to propose. This…this is really difficult. My daughter…I place my hand on her head but she throws herself at me and starts crying even more.

"What is happ…" Rebecca and William also arrive but immediately shut their mouth seeing this scene. Well, there isn't much to say in this situation.

***

"What do we do now?"

After more than an hour, I have finally been able to evacuate everyone from Miss Vonild's room. Only Rebecca and William remain now. Rebecca, what is the point of asking me now?

"Miss Vonild's family is in Titanium. I hope I will be able to contact them. If I can't…We will have to hold her funeral without them. Burying her in her home country would have been good but in the current situation, it would be too difficult."

"But what could have motivated a child to do such a thing?"

"Love. What else, William?" I show William the last words Miss Vonild left behind.

'I am sorry, everyone. I cannot go on any longer. My heart hurts too much.' It seems even I underestimated the feelings Miss Vonild had developed.

"Love…"

"Yes, love." There is no need to go deeper into this.

"Then, meanwhile, the priests will start the preservation process. So, her body will stay in good condition until they come at least."

"Thank you, Rebecca."

"It's the least I can do. If only I noticed…"

"I don't think anybody could have noticed. Please, do not torture yourself more than necessary."

I say that but my heart stinks right now. I would really like to cry as well and let my emotions overflow but if I do then who will take care of all of them.

***

Three days later, we are holding the funeral of Miss Vonild and Mister Ditorria at the cemetery of the church in Mercuria. In the end, I couldn't contact Miss Vonild's family because of the closed borders. As for Mister Ditorria.

"Good evening, Headmaster Frankher."

Stilton Ditorria, the father of Mister Cordel, came with his wife and his brother. I only ever met him once during Mister Ditorria's enrolment in the school.

"Good evening, Sir. Although it is not such a good evening."

"Indeed."

The graves have already been dug up and all of us are standing before them. My daughter cannot stop crying and my pupil is trying his best not to as well. Most of the students from the academy have come to the funeral so the place is quite crowded. This event will also serve as a lesson after all. So that they will know this is not a game but reality. That way, the choices they will make from now on will be far more decisive.

The Saintess herself is presiding the funeral and we are waiting for her prayer. She is just silently standing in front of the two graves for now.

"My son…he inherited my bad habit."

"Sir?"

"He was a lunatic, like his father." Mister Stilton starts crying as well. To see a father shedding tears for his dead son and not the other way around, this…this is war. This is what Veronica wants to inflict on us. Despair and suffering. But I won't let her do as she pleases.

"He was a great man. He fought for his ideas and his convictions, and that is the most admirable thing to do, Sir."

"But does that save a man? In the end, he is dead. Then was it not worthless?"

No matter what I say, it cannot ease your heart, I know that. It doesn't matter for what reason you did something, once you are dead, you are dead and that's the end of it. Whether you go as the greatest hero of all history or the worst coward, your people will mourn you and cry the same way.

"…I am sorry." I was too presumptuous, thinking I could help you by telling you how he died.

"It's…You don't have to. He was prepared for that from the beginning."

"Let us start our prayer, everyone."

Rebecca announces the beginning of the funeral and the heroes come around her, wearing black robes. We are all wearing black clothes as per custom for a funeral. What's more, Miss Vonild will also be announced as Mister Cordel's wife.

They couldn't be officially reunited in life, but at least, we can make sure they are in death.