How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Volume 18 Web Novel

Episode 53 - Funeral

When the war ended and the world finally regained its composure.

"...Is it here? Julius."

　Julius nodded when I asked. He was Julius, known as the kingdom's 'strategist in white ', but he was wearing black today. Not only Julius, but all the people gathered here were wearing black clothes. The only thing that lacked freshness was me, as I was wearing my usual military uniform (black).

"Oh. This is the land where Owen-dono and Grandpa Herman met their end. "

A fortress on the mountainside located in the northern part of Parnam. Now only part of the wall that had surrounded the fort remained. Owen and Hermann engaged the soldiers of the Great Tiger Empire and killed themselves by explosions with a large amount of gunpowder. The scattered bodies were also unidentifiable.

　The rubble had already been removed, and the bodies were buried under this ground without distinguishing between whether they were soldiers of the kingdom or the empire (although they couldn't be distinguished in the first place). All that was felt was a vacant lot on the surface. The only evidence of the fierce battle was the scorch marks remaining on the walls.

"It's finally here, Grandpas."

　I poked my knees and said while putting my hands on the ground.

"I would like to complain about them breaking orders and throwing their lives away on their own, but it's because of the dedication of these old men that our family was able to gather here like this."

　In this place, my wives and their children, Julius' wife Tia and their child Dias, Tomoe-chan and Ichiha, Haru and Kaede, Excel and Castor, and other eminent retainers of this country were lined up. Not only our family, but even a nation remembered the brave men who had bought time in this land. Through the broadcast, we are asking the public to offer a moment of silence at this time today.

"Ayesha, Bring it here."

Aisha lifted a stone about half the size of a tatami mat above her head and brought it over and put it in front of me. It was a stone monument. The old men were buried together, so they couldn't have individual tombstones built, so we prepared a stone monument like this and used it as a substitute for the tombstone. On the front side, there is a poem praising the grandfathers who gave their lives for this country, and on the back side, the names of those who died with them are engraved.

"Victims are always like this. Complaints are beautiful though.』

　I remembered a line I heard on a rebroadcast of one of the world's most famous special effects programs. I don't know how much meaning there is in erecting a stone monument for those who have died, or in the comforting words carved on it. However, the feeling of those left behind is that they can't help but do something.

"...Roroa, Julius, Tier-dono."

　After Aisha left, I called those three names. Roroa is leading Leon, and Tia is leading Diaz. Hermann's grandchildren, his spouse, and their children are now complete.

"Grandfather Hermann..."

　Roroa touched the stone with the opposite hand from the one she was holding with Leon. I tightly hugged the letter to my chest. Hermann's death was known to Roroa during her time in Vaneti Nova, but the letter that became her will was handed over after her return to Parnam. It seems that he wrote it in her love for Roroa, who became more like his daughter day by day, his joy at seeing his great-grandchild, and his apology for dying here.

Then Tia and Roroa gave the children a single flower.

"Dias, give flowers to your grandfather. "

Diaz tilted his head in puzzlement, and Leon replied cheerfully. Neither of them seem to understand what death was yet. When they received the flowers, they rushed to the stone monument and put the flowers on it.