The Villain Wants to Live Quietly

Special Chapter. Look back on the path you have walked on the path you are going to walk (5)

How many years will it be?

It was the first thought that came to Ludwig’s head when he arrived in Astepor.

“I am more open than I used to be.”

Afterwards, when Emilia, who got off the carriage after him, commented on the view of Astepor through the barbed wire fence, Ludwig nodded as if agreeing.

“That’s right. I heard about it through rumors, but seeing it in real life is on a different level.”

“How was the last time you two came?”

Anis, who got off the carriage last, asked about the view of Astepor in the past.

Then, the two of them met their eyes and smiled bitterly without saying who came first.

That would be the case, because at that time, the atmosphere was quiet if put in a good way, but it was a bit gloomy if put in a bad way.

However, I couldn’t say it directly, so I decided to say that it was a more sacred atmosphere.

Even though I don’t know if it’s synonymous with gloomy and sacred.

“yes? Come to think of it, is there anyone at the entrance?”

As they reached the entrance to the village, Emilia tilted her head and expressed her doubts.

At that time, two believers in the village were obviously guarding the entrance and checking those who tried to enter, but that was not the case now.

Even more, the question only deepened because they had not only checked their identity, but had also gone through a ritual to enter.

“Couldn’t you have been away for a while?”

“That’s why it feels a little empty.”

Usually, there is a trace of something in a place where a person would stand.

Even if you leave your seat for a while because you have other business, in the eyes of others, ‘Oh, that’s where someone was.’ to make it known.

“I guess I have no choice but to ask someone else.”

“I see. If you enter without permission, there may be an uproar.”

If it was a different village, they might have gone in moderation without paying much attention, but since the place is the place, the two decided to pay special attention.

Originally, the more religious places like this, the stricter the rules.

Still, there was someone who was about to enter the village, so Emilia cautiously approached and spoke to him.

During that time, Ludwig arranged to tell Anis a short story about Astepor.

“I… excuse me. Where have the people guarding the entrance gone?”

“They guarded the entrance… Who are you talking about?”

A woman passing by expressed her doubt as if she had never heard of it.

In response, Emilia even used her hand gestures to explain the roles of those people.

“These are the people who put up the tabernacle that looked like this at the entrance here… … .”

“Ah, if it’s the tabernacle, you can go to the temple. They must be believers who came a long time ago.”

“Yes Yes… Shame on you.”

I can’t help it because I’m not a devout religious person.

It was not something the woman who was the eldest daughter of the Bayemurn family, who had served the goddess Hypresia for generations, would say.

When Emilia blushed and smiled awkwardly, the woman kindly explained while shaking her head as if she understood.

What had happened to Astepor during the time the two had not come.

“It has been quite some time since Astepor was opened. I think it must have been about fifteen years.”

“Has it been that long?”

Surprised at the fact that she hadn’t heard such news for such a long time, Emilia widened her eyes.

Besides, if it was 15 years, wouldn’t Anise have just been born?

It was even more surprising that the timing coincided strangely.

“Yes, actually Goddess Hypresia gave an oracle.”

“trust… You mean?”

When the familiar names were mixed, she listened intently to the story.

What kind of oracle did Goddess Hypresia take such a measure?

“It meant opening the sanctuary that enshrines the main body of the goddess to outsiders and embracing more people.”

“Oh, so… … .”

Only then did Emilia understand to some extent.

In fact, if you look at the history of the country, considering that there are a lot of cases where the capital or important strategic places were moved because of an oracle from God, it would have been easy to change the customs somewhat.

“Anyway, that’s why it’s free to come in and out. Of course, if you do something against the rules, you will be punished severely.”

“Is there anything I should be careful about?”

“If etiquette is a betrayal of your body, it will be okay if you are dizzy. After all, this is also a village where people live.”

A woman who added that too strict rules do not apply to outsiders who are not believers.

At this, Emilia smiled in satisfaction, thinking that the place had changed to a more flexible and open place compared to the last time she had visited.

“Thanks for your help.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, and if you’re a believer… … .”

When Emilia expressed her gratitude, the woman who humbly replied suddenly swallowed her words behind her back and cleared her throat.

Then, unlike the lively eyes from a moment ago, he looked at her with slightly sunken eyes and uttered a sentence.

“The future belongs to you. Don’t settle for the present, move on.”

“… Yeah?”

When Emilia suddenly replied blankly to a line that sounded like something out of a book, the woman smiled lightly and elaborated on what she had just said.

“On the day of the oracle, the goddess gave a request to all believers.”

“ah… … .”

In other words, he misunderstood Emilia as a believer and relayed these words to her instead, who must have not heard Goddess Hypresia’s words.

At this, she let out a low exclamation, bowed her head politely, and thanked her again.

“thank you. May Goddess Hypresia bless you.”

“Bless you.”

After saying goodbye to her one last time, Emilia turned around and returned to her family.

Then, he began telling the two of them what he had heard a while ago.

“It happened. We didn’t even know.”

“That is what I mean. Maybe your father didn’t even know?”

“It won’t be. Maybe he just hid it because he didn’t want to make us think about it.”

It is a kind of inconsistency.

Rather than bringing up the story of Astepor and reminding them of the past, he must have decided that it would be better to just hide it.

As the thought reached that point, Emilia felt that a part of her heart was choking for no reason.

It was because she was saddened by the fact that although the past she had now brushed aside, it still lingers in her parents’ hearts and worries them for nothing.

“Maybe that’s why you were surprised when we said we were going to Astepor.”

“It could be. Since we don’t know what the two of you are thinking, we can only speculate.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Ludwig took the two of them by the hand and entered the village.

Certainly, compared to back then, the building felt a bit taller, and above all, there were quite a lot of people on the street.

Even though it’s not as much as a very bustling city, it feels like it’s lively.

“Dad, do they wear something on their heads?”

“That is the tabernacle I was talking about earlier. We should wear them when we go to the temple.”

“It looks strange.”

Anis, who thought the tabernacle would have a more grandiose feel, felt a bit steamy at the veil-like appearance worn during wedding ceremonies.

Still, easy is a hundred times better than inconvenient.

“If I go to the temple, will I be able to see the goddess?”

“Well, I don’t know. In the first place, the Goddess wouldn’t be someone who would come out easily just because someone wanted to see her… … .”

“Well, is that so? Actually, I was expecting a little bit.”

To Anis, the existence of God is more like a being that makes one’s wishes come true.

So, if he ever met the goddess in person, there would be a mountain of things he wanted to say, so he had no choice but to appease his skeptical father’s opinion.

“why? Does my daughter have anything she wants to hear from the goddess?”

“It’s not like that… If possible, I wanted to pray that I would meet a wonderful husband.”

“Huh, that’s what you wanted.”

Anis also pretended not to be greedy, but secretly had many wishes.

Emilia, who had forgotten that, widened her eyes at the unexpected answer, then smiled and patted her on the shoulder.

With the virtue that I will definitely be able to meet a wonderful husband.

“Ugh, Mom can be so relaxed because she has a wonderful husband like Dad.”

“You don’t know? I wonder if Anise will have a wonderful husband like her father.”

It was Emilia who encouraged her not to lose hope, but Anis firmly shook her head after realizing the reality at an early age.

It was a stern expression that is hard to find in a fifteen-year-old girl.

“No. I’ve been thinking about it coldly, but it’s impossible to find a man like my father. Does Ella do that too?”

“If it’s Ella, is that friend at the time?”

“Yes, that is correct. I told Ella before that I wanted to meet a man like her father, but she pointed out the strengths of a father I had mentioned and asked if there was such a man?”

It literally means that the dream is shattered.

Rather than a dream, it would be more correct to describe it as the last hope I was holding on to like a thread.

“If you happen to see the goddess today, make sure to pray for it. Even if Mom or Dad sees the Goddess, they will be sure to pray for you.”

“I, really? Are you promising?”

Anise reacted immediately to her mother’s words with sparkling eyes, as if she couldn’t let go of her lingering feelings.

Even if people of the same age heard that he was a grown-up, he was still a child on the inside.

“I promise. Now, you too.”

“hahahaha, for the sake of my daughter’s happiness, of course.”

In a corner of the street out of sight of others, three people make a promise by intertwining their fingers awkwardly.

With just those words, Anis was able to smile brightly, feeling like her dream had already come true, without having to meet the goddess.

After untangling their entangled fingers, the Aifretz family moved to the temple located at the edge of Astepor.