Chapter 27
As the girl's emotions were running high from the metaphorical bombshell dropped by the soon-to-be former retainers earlier that morning, Taylor and Yumeko mutually agreed that conducting a lesson that requires fineness and a calm mind for the initiates like flight magic was an accident waiting to happen to the girl and thus they must find a better way to calm the girl down first.
Thus, they were trudging down the street of the town, hoping to get outside of the walls and into the wilderness to let the girl loose some steam on the landscape…
…Or at least, that was the plan…
"Oh my, what happened to you three to be in such a hurry?"
A familiar voice called out to their little group which caused the girl who was leading them to freeze in her tracks and subsequently caused the two maids to stop as well. Taylor noted that they somehow took a path straight through the market square where Yuuka set up her stall and was spotted by the latter without realizing it due to being worried about the girl.
The girl slowly turned her head around to look at the stall owner with her expression changing from frustrated simmering rage to one of wariness which elicited a chuckle from the former. "Come on, dear, have I not proven myself to behave in a civilized society when we met earlier? Have your caretaker react any differently to me than to your host?"
The girl shook her head meekly, while Yumeko put herself between the small girl and Yuuka while politely requesting; "Can you please suppress your power a bit? I know that the townspeople are used to it, but for a newcomer like her, it makes her wary."
Outwardly, Yuuka didn't show any reaction, but everyone felt an underlying oppressive feeling fading away which made the girl relax slightly and the head maid thanked the former for her cooperation.
"We haven't introduced to each other properly back then, young one." Yuuka spoke up again and introduced herself to the girl with a smile which felt terrifying despite she didn't do it differently than another human; "I am Yuuka. Your friendly flower seed vendor. I won't bore you with the many titles I've obtained over my life, just Yuuka is fine."
The girl looked hesitant for a moment, before nodding and shrunk away anyway. But the elder monster took this in stride; "Well, that's an improvement."
The girl was still quiet, which prompted Taylor to take the initiative with some reservations; "I was about to say that we are in a hurry and would like to leave, but…" her eyes glanced at the girl; "…I think you just unintentionally solved a problem for us."
"Hmm?" Yuuka hummed as her eyes locked with the little girl behind Taylor for a moment before correcting the younger one; "I am flattered, little one, for you to think that I had a hand in helping your charge. But I must decline, as this achievement is not mine to take."
However, before they could leave, Yuuka surprised them with her insight; "From the face of your little charge, I am guessing that you're about to commit some kind of violence toward the poor landscape, along with wildlife and plants that happened to be on said landscape outside of the town, am I correct?"
They couldn't refute the elder monster's question, and their silence was all that needed to confirm Yuuka's speculation as she laughed at the expressions on the three locals; "Why are you all making such faces? I am not a citizen of this world, much less this town. What reason do I have to discourage you from whatever you're thinking of doing… aside from trying to harm me, of course." She added with a mirthful chuckle, which somehow made Taylor think that Yuuka was daring someone to do just that and find out what she was capable of.
Not that she was stupid enough to try, of course.
Despite Yuuka's claim, the girl's frustration seems to be subsided by the woman's mere presence alone.
The awkward silence was broken when the girl mustered her courage and addressed Yuuka first; "I am sorry."
A pair of red orbs stared at the girl making her shrunk back out of reflex with Taylor and Yumeko tensing up. But their worries were for naught when Yuuka responded with a simple; "What for?"
Taylor had to resist the urge to put herself between her charge and Yuuka, but a glance from Yumeko stopped her and let the girl talk;
"Sorry for my uncounted display days back, and earlier." The girl replied shakily, yet there was some resolve in her voice that made Taylor wonder what happened to her.
Stealing a glance at Yuuka, Taylor also found that the woman seemed to approve of something and she smiled at the girl; "There's nothing to apologize for, young one. I've seen braver men falter when confronted with an unknown many times in the past. For you to build up steel to meet my gaze this quickly is already a noteworthy achievement."
Her praise seemed to foul the girl's mood slightly. Her lips quivered but then clamped shut as soon as it happened. She took a deep breath before settling for a quiet whisper; "I wish I could be this brave back then."
Yuuka's raised eyebrows were the only indication that she heard what the girl said, but she didn't push for the detail; "But you stopped being cowardly today by conversing with a stranger whose powers eclipsed yours. Better start now than never, young one."
Taylor decided that this was a good time to add her thoughts on the matter; "I can speak from my experience that Yuuka was right…"
She paused as all eyes were on her, but her hesitation lasted only a second before she pushed on with her eyes locked with the girl; "…I was once a coward too. Fear to speak my issues to my… father… and it ruined me and… well, there's a reason why my father is… no longer around…"
Taylor felt like it was almost a decade ago since she last revisited her previous life, but she still remembered it vividly. However, her perspective changed as she aged until she felt regret how it was her fault that ruined that life.
And she was seeing her past self in the girl right now.
"Had I been braver, that wouldn't happened." She sighed before continuing; "You, on the other hand, still had a chance, not to convince them, but at least make both you and them part on good terms with no regret."
The girl's face looked hesitant for a moment, before nodding.
But the moment was ruined by a clap from Yuuka's hands calling attention to her and making a mocking bow to the girl; "I hereby acknowledge your vow, young one. May you succeed in your endeavor ahead."
Yuuka then looked at the red sky and said to the girl; "Oh my, look at the time! I shall not take yours any longer. See all of you around later." And with a wave of her hand, Yuuka slowly walked away and disappeared behind a corner leading back to one of the main squares of this town.
Taylor, Yumeko, and the girl stood in silence for a long while, before Taylor let out a sigh when she couldn't sense Yuuka and then asked the girl; "So, do you still want to go out of the town and find something to blow up?"
Unsurprisingly, the girl declined the suggestion with a shake of her head and asked to be taken back to the castle, seemingly losing all the anger and frustration thanks to the conversation earlier.
This was the decision that made Taylor feel relief sometime afterward, partly because she remembered Yuuka's story the other day at Yang's home, and partly because she remembered the origin of fairies from nature.
Granted, the fairies she interacted with in the castle were annoying and seemed to exist just to create problems for her and the maids. But they were still sentient in her eyes, albeit a forever-children one.
Thankfully, she was spared from any more stray thoughts when the girl asked her to inform Shinki that she wished to speak with her, and so she obliged while leaving the girl in her personal room with Yumeko.
As it was late afternoon, Taylor made her way to Shinki's office to tell her of their interrupted outing with the girl. It did not surprise her at all that Shinki had a knowing look on her face before Taylor even started telling her tale, but she listened to it to finish nonetheless.
"Your conduct in the town was commendable, my child," Shinki spoke up after Taylor finished retelling the story. The ruler of Pandemonium rose from her seat as she stamped the official seal on the final document and moved it into the 'Away' tray on her desk before continuing. "That conversation with Yuuka, what do you think?"
Taylor opened her mouth and closed it without a sound at the sudden question. She thought it over for a minute with Shinki standing behind the desk watching her before answering; "At first, it brings to mind the… circumstance that brought me here."
Her hands balled into fists as she exhaled while avoiding eye contact with her second mother; "But I am also… conflicted…"
"Yes?"
"On one hand, had I not been what I was back then, then maybe I can convince Dad to let me do homeschooling. My old family may not be broken…"
At this point, Taylor held no illusion that her original father would be able to move on after losing her. She wouldn't be surprised if he committed suicide after her death.
"But on the other hand. Had I still been alive back there, I wouldn't have met you, Yumeko, and other wonderful people here…"
"Even Haku?"
Shinki asked with a small smile, to which Taylor replied with a smile of her own; "Yeah… even Haku. Especially Haku, as she shows me that people can change and made me change too."
Taylor's expression then turned sorrowful as the topic veered back to the girl; "That's why. I think we should help her in any way we can. She suffers losses just like me. But unlike me who cannot go back to correct the past mistakes, she still has things that she can do now to preserve what she has left."
Shinki nodded at Taylor's request and replied authoritatively; "Well, how about we have a discussion after the dinner? Sympathize with her I may be, but it wouldn't do to practice favoritism too often after all."
"I guess it'll annoy Haku at least."
Taylor's comment made Shinki laugh a little; "True enough. My child. True enough."
And just as quickly as the heartwarming event came to be, Shinki's next word shifted the tone back toward that which reflects their positions as master-servant as she instructed; "Tell her that we will convene after the dinner. Taylor."
Taylor's next action didn't disappoint Yumeko and the training as a maid she went through as she bowed slightly before asking; "Is this a way to see how much she's seeing herself as an heir to the lordship, Ma'am?"
Shinki smirked a little; "Is it a good thing or a bad thing if she's still seeing herself as such, an heir to the lordship over nobody that is, in your honest opinion?"
Taylor thought about it for a moment and replied; "Good in that she has something to remember her old life by and that all her education didn't go to waste. But the bad part is I think it's unlikely considering how she behaved during today's outing."
Shinki had a satisfied look on her face as she waved her hand and sent Taylor off; "Well, I shan't hold you here any longer. Let's meet again after dinner, okay?"
It turned out that the girl had somehow convinced her former retainers to come to the girl's room for that night's discussion, or perhaps it was them who also reached out to either Shinki or Yumeko when Taylor was off doing her work during the time between coming back to the castle and dinner.
But whatever the reason, it was irrelevant next to the chance for those three to reconcile, something that made Taylor feel happy for the young girl.
And so, as the natural sunlight was replaced with artificial ones, Taylor found herself and Yumeko standing behind Shinki who was sitting between the girl and her former retainers on each side of the table in the guest room where the girl was staying, as if she was a neutral party overseeing a negotiation.
When thinking about it, it was probably true in a sense.
"So…" Shinki began as she eyed both the girl and her former retainers who had not talked at all since arriving; "If anyone has anything to say, say it when you're ready. The night is still young after all. But don't blame me if someone falls asleep first because of your inaction though~…" she added with a mirthful voice at the end.
Without anyone taking the initiative, Taylor and Yumeko excused themselves to prepare tea and snacks for everyone. However, that seems to be the trigger that caused the discussion to finally get off the ground. They weren't aware of what was being discussed, only that when they returned with light snacks and tea, the first thing that their ears caught was a request from the girl;
"Lady Shinki, can you bring us back to our world again?"
Despite the surprise, Taylor expertly moved in without spilling a single drop of tea and served everyone in silence alongside Yumeko. None of the visitors from another world reacted to their action, but it was understandable as they all focused on Shinki and nervously waited for her answer.
After a long moment of staring at the steaming cup, Shinki spoke up in a cautious tone; "I can. But is everyone prepared to go there after all that happened?"
White the rabbit glanced at his fellow former retainer who was deep in thought like their former charge. Shinki's reply which seems to treat going to another world in an alternate reality like a stroll through the town didn't surprise Taylor as much as the reaction of the requesters.
'But again, if it's my turn to go back to Earth Bet, I'm probably in the same shoes.' Taylor thought gloomily of how similar their situation was; Going back to their birthplace despite knowing that there was nothing left for them there.
Still, the question remains in her mind; Why?
It was the blonde little girl who broke the silence with a conviction in her voice; "There's a duty that we must perform there in the capacity of the last of our people. To put to rest the souls of our people."
Her voice quakes a bit at the end but her expression remains resolute as she stares at Shinki without blinking.
The girl didn't have to wait long as Shinki readily agreed, but with a question; "Indeed. But are you sure that you can perform the funeral rite for your people? Given your previous occupations?"
It was a reasonable question in Taylor's opinion; Given their guests' previous positions as nobility or bureaucrat and not priests or undertakers, she'd doubt if they have the knowledge necessary to perform the rite as well.
On the other hand, they know almost nothing about the culture of the perished civilization of another world, and they might be making a wrong assumption too.
The girl didn't seem offended by the implication and gave them a sad, yet confident smile; "Lady Shinki, as the sole heir to house Longarm, I was taught many things related to our way of life… including how to perform a funeral for our people."
The two former retainers nodded in support of the girl's statement. While for many mortals this claim would be met with skepticism, for someone like Shinki, it was enough.
"Very well, take as much time to prepare as you want and inform me when you're ready to depart." Shinki stated before looking at the darkened sky outside of the window and exclaimed; "Oh, look at the time! Maybe we should call in for the night." And then she looked back at the girl and spoke softly; "The path to your world won't be going anywhere after all, so take as much time to prepare as you wish."
"But please give us a few days of warning so we can rearrange a schedule."
Taylor resisted the urge to sigh at Yumeko's insistence on going along with Shinki. Of course, Yumeko wouldn't be comfortable with Shinki being away from her seat of power and would try to follow her whenever possible.
But if Taylor was to be honest with herself, she also felt the same to a lesser extent.
Still, there was one thing that she felt needed to be said before everyone adjourned for the night; "And remember that if you need anything for the coming ceremony, don't hesitate to ask us. We will help you procure them..." she paused, and then quickly adds "…if they exist here, of course!"
The surprise on the girl's face lasted a second before she nodded; "You have my thanks for the offer."
With that, Yumeko and Taylor collected the empty plates and tea set before walking out of the room with Shinki following behind them. The two maids parted ways from Shinki soon after to wash the tableware before going straight to bed.
It took over a week before the girl finally asked for a scheduled trip to her old world. Taylor was surprised that it came that quickly and that despite being worlds apart, many things remained the same which included funeral rites and thus the ease in acquiring what they needed.
The only hard part was the outfits for the ceremony because Makai's technological advancement was still around the Renaissance period at best so they had to employ tailors to make them. Taylor could only count herself lucky that these outfits don't need exotic materials like silk from magical silkworms that only produce silk once every five years or something along that line prominent in the fantasy novels she once read in her previous life, or this quest could've stretched out for months and cost a lot of fortune.
But even with much simpler requirements, it still took them almost a month to get everything they needed.
And now, as the dawn broke on the scheduled date, she and Yumeko were standing outside the girl's room, waiting for the girl to change into the outfit, with Taylor stealing glances at Yumeko occasionally.
As the time passed, Yumeko decided to ask her junior, blunt and straight to the point; "Is my outfit for today that interesting to you?"
Taylor's cheeks turned pink at the accusation before answering; "Black doesn't suit you."
Yumeko looked down at her maid outfit, today forgoing her usual red dress with white apron for a full black maid dress and white apron, and shrugged; "My fashion sense has no place in paying respect to the dead, Taylor."
She paused and pointed back at Taylor in return; "Speaking of which, I thought you'd expand your wardrobe by now, but I still never see you in clothing other than your outfit. What give?"
Taylor huffed; "It can't be helped, asking for a tailor to make an outfit is just too expensive!"
"You're being too stingy with your allowance." Yumeko dryly noted before dismantling her argument further; "Must I remind you that even the townspeople here rarely tailor their own clothes? Repair? Sure. But not tailoring them from scratch. If it's affordable for them, we who got more allowance could afford even better if we so choose."
Taylor couldn't argue with her senior. Despite living in this world for years, she still had an almost instinctual habit of being frugal whenever possible due to her original upbringing.
'And the outfits I have are so durable that there's no need for repair or replacement probably played a part in it too.' She thought.
Their chats came to a stop a moment after as the door opened and the girl stepped out donned in an elaborate black dress with white frills on all which covered her entire body. A large black ribbon adorned her head contrasting with her blonde hair. Taylor would've called it cute had the mood not been so somber.
"Let's go. We better not keep others waiting."
Yumeko's words snapped Taylor out of her thoughts she quickly followed her senior along with the girl as they made their way through the castle. Their path went upstairs and ended at the tower, the one where Taylor once trained years ago.
Shinki, White, and Cheshire were already waiting there when they stepped into the open area atop the tower, all of them wearing formal wear with black and white as their primary color. It was a strange sight for Taylor to see a sentient rabbit and a sentient cat wearing black tailcoats and ties complete with black silk hats, but her attention was focused on another presence on the tower instead.
The white fox ears on Haku's head perked up as soon as the girl, Yumeko, and Taylor stepped out into the open. Strangely, her gaze directed at the girl was softer than she usually is as she addressed them in her usual factual and near-emotionless manner; "It seems everyone is accounted for, Lady Shinki."
"All right~"
Shinki's six wings unfolded and instantly conjured an oval-shaped swirling portal double the size of a grown man right in front of herself. Meanwhile, Haku sent out a swarm of wisp-like familiars into it seconds later to scout ahead.
The questioning looks on her maids and her guests didn't go unnoticed by Shinki so she took it upon herself to explain to them; "Look overly paranoid, isn't it?"
No one voiced their opinion out loud, but their nods were more than enough for the answer, prompting Shinki to continue; "But then again, it's her duty to be vigilant, even though it's too much at a time."
"The last time a gate was opened to another world, an invasion happened… I sincerely hope that this's not a sign that you've become forgetful, Lady Shinki." Haku let out a dry remark without looking back at her liege, showing them that she was listening while still concentrating on her eyes and ears on the other side of the gate.
Considering that she's the spymaster for Shinki whose job is looking over the entire Makai with her familiars infiltrating everywhere, this wasn't surprising.
Shinki silently shrugged, probably out of respect for today's event, and so did everyone else.
The scouting was done minutes later, as Haku nodded slightly to the group before Yumeko walked past and went through the portal first, followed by Haku, and then the rest of the party.
The scenery that greeted them was not of a barren wasteland devoid of life, but it wasn't an untouched paradise of nature either;
The grand castle of the Queen of Hearts was what stood before them. A few months after being abandoned wasn't enough for the whole thing to crumble into the ground, but the sign of neglect was beginning to show; With grasses sprouting from cracks of the stone-paved road. Vines and mosses creeping up the stone walls for almost the height of a grown man. The once empty patches of barren dirt around the walls now had primitive fern and ginkgo growing up.
Over their heads, gloomy clouds blocked the sky with rumbling sounds and flashes of thunder coming from them occasionally as a prelude to the drizzle that started raining down on the entourage.
Taylor opened her parasol to cover herself and the girl on reflex, and so did Yumeko to Shinki, except for the latter declined and directed the chief maid to cover their guests, which Yumeko reluctantly complied and left the ruler of Makai to the mercy of the nature… had she been normal creature deprived of supernatural power…
As the leader of the ceremony, White calmly asked them to walk around the walls surrounding the castle instead of going inside. No one questioned the sentient rabbit's decision and followed along quietly.
The walk was so slow that Taylor wanted to tell them to fly instead before clamping down on that thought a second later when noticing that Shinki, Haku, or Yumeko didn't offer to fly them straight to the destination either.
Also, there were murmurs coming from the front of the girl walking next to her in a language that sounds like a melancholic choir than the usual sentences, which clues Taylor into the nature of this 'walk' and thus decides to be respectful even if she felt impatience.
Taylor wasn't sure how long she walked with them, but she realized that they were walking in a circle around the Queen's castle when they passed a corner of the second tower with a ninety-degree turn and didn't see any kind of mausoleum or graveyard situated outside of the castle walls waiting for them.
With another ninety-degree turn and another disappointment, it seemed that they were walking in a circle after all.
Finally, after what must be hours of walking under the rain, they came back to where they started at the main gate. It was at this moment when the murmur from the girl stopped and Cheshire turned his feline face back and bowed at them; "Thank you for your silence during the ceremony, now we shall rest a bit before proceeding further."
At this point, the curiosity got the better of Taylor and she asked as they all sat down on the mat that Yumeko pulled out of her magical storage; "If you're comfortable with answering; What's with the walking we did earlier?"
White looked at Taylor with sad eyes then turned toward the opened gate; "This place is a graveyard where countless souls passed away in agony and unjustly. Their bodies were desecrated and scattered to the wind like dust without proper funerals to send their spirits to the afterlife."
"We're sanctifying this site in preparation for a…" Cheshire took over, and paused for a moment to find the best word to describe what they were doing "…soul-comforting ritual. To put their restless spirits to rest and move on to the afterlife, letting this place be healed."
Taylor had a good guess that the healing in question wasn't about the land, but the spirit. Had this been her back on Earth Bet, she would've called them crazy cultists for believing in souls and the like. But now, she had no retort, for she had experienced reincarnation already.
Taylor was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't listen to the rest of the explanation by the two former retainers of the girl, only when Yumeko's hand came down on her shoulder did she realize that the others were looking at her and she quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. Just thinking."
Yumeko nodded in acceptance without any complaint, but it was the nine-tailed fox who spoke up with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed; "Although this ceremony doesn't have a strict timetable, it's still not good for a maid to suddenly start daydreaming during it."
Taylor lowered her head, knowing that she was at fault here. But Haku didn't pursue the matter further, the corner of her lips barely curved up as she spoke; "Let's continue the ceremony so you can have more time for your self-enlightenment later."
With that said, the nine-tailed fox turned around, prompting everyone including Taylor to proceed into the castle in silence. Yet Taylor felt that it wasn't as oppressive despite everyone ignoring her earlier mishap.
At least Shinki certainly won't.
Regardless of their feelings about what she did, Taylor couldn't dwell on it for long as they came to a stop inside the grand hall where the titanic Queen of the Hearts once claimed as her throne room. The grand, giant throne was still where she remembered the last time she came here, covered in dust with moss growing in some areas where walls were broken down and probably let the sunlight through when it was sunny.
As Taylor took in the sight of this abandoned architecture, the girl beside her tugged at her sleeve and pointed at the still-opened parasol over their head. Taylor's cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment. She lowered the parasol and closed it quietly. Thankfully without fanfare this time around.
A small consolation, because she was certain that everyone except White and Cheshire noticed this little screwup too but chose not to comment on it. To which she tried to be optimistic and thankful for not embarrassing her further.
The group stopped at the base of the dais. The throne towering over them looked untouched by nature aside from dust settled on the surface. But that was a given as it was situated where no sunlight could shine through and no crack on the floor for any flora to grow up from the soil underneath…
Or that would be the explanation for those with eyes untrained for the mystical side of the world.
Taylor had to suppress the nausea as the foul smell of not-decay coming from the giant throne assaulted her nose. Dark miasma coalesced like a wall of fog clinging to the throne of the Queen, obscuring it from view almost completely. And if she wasn't hallucinating, there were cries of anguish and torture coming from it as well.
"Revenants…" The girl whispered from next to Taylor, her voice filled with sadness and determination as she continued the explanation; "Echoes of those who passed away in despair, combined with the rich ambient magic power to bring their wills into the mortal world."
Cheshire solemnly added to the conversation for his former mistress; "The citizens, the livings… Their souls no longer linger around here. Or rather, they're not in a form that we can recognize anymore. Their egos were scattered to pieces. Fragments of their psyches and their last thoughts were all that remain here."
Taylor couldn't help but curiously ask, despite trying to contain her feeling of disgust from the mass of miasma surrounding the throne; "I thought that the Reapers, or whatever Afterlife bureaucracy they believed in, would come and solve this already?"
Shinki shook her head as she turned to explain; "They are not omnipotent. If one's soul had strong enough attachment to the living world; Be it from unsettled grudges or unfinished businesses, or desire to live in general, they may be able to fight off the Reapers and continue to linger long after their deaths..." She gestured toward the mass of miasma in front of them; "But in this case… I'd say there's nothing left for the Reapers to ferry to the afterlife anymore."
"Even so, leaving them like this is still dangerous. If there have been any functioning corpses or bodies around here, they would resurrect themselves as the undying and aimlessly roam around this place, hunting living fauna out of fragmented instinct to feed." White spoke up and raised his voice to emphasize the importance of their task; "Which is why it is our duty to sanctify and put them to true rest. Not just a cultural thing, but to provide safety as well."
At that word, the group was reminded of what they were here for and started doing their task;
Yumeko wordlessly opened her dimensional storage and construction materials streamed out, floating by her magic. The glare she was giving to Taylor was enough for her to move to assist in assembling them with the sentient rabbit and cat supervising the process, all while trying her hardest not to look in the direction of the throne or listening to the anguish cries from there.
Numerous candelabrums were set up around the throne along with several stone pillars carved with hieroglyphics unrecognized by those from Makai floated and landed in position according to White and Cheshire. The symbols magically lit up in a white glow as soon as the two ran their hands over to 'activate' them. And the finishing touch was lighting up all the candles.
Maybe it was the light trick, but Taylor swore that the mass of miasma seemed to shrink a little when the surroundings were glowing.
White returned to them, his red eyes looking over the setup with a sad expression before saying; "Normally, a host of priests was needed to perform this ceremony for mass death events, but we'll make do here."
With that comment, the three last surviving sentients of this world began their ceremony in earnest; The melancholic choir echoed in the hall, the glow on the pillars intensified with each crescendo just as the miasma surrounding the throne shrunk from the light, while Shinki and her maids watched in silence.
After a while, the three natives begin walking slowly clockwise around between the rings of candelabrums and the pillars while singing. With each completed lap, the dark fog seemed to evaporate faster and faster until the throne could be seen, and the cries of long-dead, fragmented souls grew quieter as time passed.
Taylor was certain that it was an hour before everything was done; The miasma surrounding the throne was gone, along with the ghostly cries which fell silent as soon as the three-man choir finished singing and now walking back to rejoin with the Makai group.
"It is… done…" The girl spoke up in a voice, which Taylor quickly addressed by handing her a water canteen. The girl received it with a thankful look and took a sip, while Yumeko took care of White and Cheshire in her stead.
Suddenly, a cracking sound from the throne reached their ears and everyone turned to look at it just in time to see cracks spread like spiderwebs to cover the entire surface of the giant throne and then the entire object turned to fine dust and crumbled into a pile right before their eyes.
"Our final task is complete." White repeated the girl's statement before adding; "Now it's time for this us to move on, so that this world could begin anew as well. Lady?"
He addressed the girl in the final part, which prompted her to nod in agreement; "Yes. No longer am I the heir of the Kingdom long passed into ruin, and it got me thinking…"
Haku's eyebrows arched slightly at her words, with Shinki watching with interest and Yumeko glanced her way before moving on to silently snuff out the candles around the impromptu ceremonial ground, as she thought it was improper to cause a fire when they left this world.
Taylor on the other hand couldn't hold her curiosity in and asked the girl beside her; "What is it?"
The girl looked at the taller maid and replied; "Just like White and Cheshire move on from being retainers for a fallen sovereign, it's time for me to move on as well… by renouncing my claim to a land without people."
Shinki decided to join the conversation with a tease at this point; "Well, you're technically getting adopted by me, who is a sovereign of a country in another world. But this position is earned, not handing over though."
The girl's lips turned up slightly as she addressed Shinki's question; "I am grateful for your help so far. But that also makes this announcement important too."
"This is another reason why we are here; for her to renounce her claim to Sir Longarm's lordship as his heir in accordance with our law before she could move to another family," White added. "By declaring her new chosen name and family name in front of noble witnesses on the ancestral land that the ritual be completed."
The girl turned and bowed at Shinki who received the bow with a nod and placed her hand on the girl's head. Their actions made it clear that the two had discussed this topic before coming here on how to proceed, which became more obvious with Shinki's next words;
"Very well, as you have renounced your birthright, which family and name you wish to be called henceforth, nameless one?"
The girl locked eyes with Shinki and slowly kneeled, the latter's hand still on her head. "From now on, let Margatroid be my new family, and my name be Alice! A new citizen of Makai."
Shinki pulled her hand away from the girl's head, before addressing White and Cheshire; "Are there any objections to her claim?" with no one answering, she then declared; "No one challenge your claim. Let me welcome you as a new citizen of Makai, where you will be known henceforth as Alice Margatroid."
Taylor didn't know why, but she started clapping alongside White and Cheshire, while Yumeko nodded at the girl, now known as Alice, and said the words that Taylor also wanted to say;
"Welcome to the family, Alice. Not by blood, not by family name, not by hierarchy, but by the bond we have with each other. May it never be broken, whether in happiness or in sorrow."
Author's Note: It's been a very long time since I last update on this site. Writer block strike for a long time this time around for me. Nothing more to say but please enjoy the story.