Bard and His Protagonist

Whether it was just his imagination or not, Yunus felt a sense of unease and anxiety.

The Maxim, who had initially been very kind to him, suddenly became cold after Iver was sent to the Fairy Kingdom by Madam Grace.

Maxim scrutinized Yunus, and the smile that had been on his face vanished.

The originally kind and grateful look in his eyes turned into a cold, scrutinizing gaze.

"Did I say something wrong? But I didn't say anything at all!" Yunus was a little confused.

So he put on a relaxed smile, and while playing his modified harp, producing a melodious tune, he walked towards the Maxim, letting out his signature three-part laugh, "My hospitable and kind friend, I have a favor to ask..."

"—Mr. Mr. Yunus."

Suddenly, Maxim pushed up his round glasses and calmly interrupted Yunus, saying, "Please grant me a request."

Although it was a request, the bespectacled monk's tone was so firm and serious.

Yunus had seen this attitude before. It sometimes appeared on the faces of people who were heavy-hearted and couldn't take a joke. And continuing to speak in Yunus's manner at such times might even anger them.

... In fact, the real "Yunus" didn't always speak like that.

Yunus thought to himself, and his tone became normal. "Please speak."

"Please keep quiet when they return, okay?"

Master Maxim said, "I mean—don't be as noisy as before. And don't play music while speaking loudly. Just like the tone and manner in which you replied to that sentence."

"... Okay, no problem."

Yunus smiled somewhat awkwardly and nodded in agreement.

—So you don't like this? You should have said so earlier. It's actually quite tiring for me to talk like this...

After that, Maxim ignored him. He simply looked up at the moon, lost in thought.

After hearing Iver's reasoning and explanation of Treeification Disease, Yunus had a pretty good idea of the reason.

Maxim was angry with him, presumably because he thought that by staying there, he wanted to see Anastasia.

Returning to the Material Realm might not be good for her health.

—Of course, Yunus didn't want to meet Anastasia. He came here seeking the truth simply to tell her that he had come as invited and hadn't broken his promise.

He was very worried that Anastasia had actually just died and that he hadn't lived to see her—as long as that wasn't the case.

That would mean "because he was late, he failed to fulfill the promise he made."

Now, Anastasia could turn into a tree at any moment. Yunus was even less willing to let her leave with regrets. He had to tell her that the bald fool who made the promise back then had not broken his word.

Yunus had already told Iver his intentions—since Miss Anastasia was unwell, she could stay in the Fairy Kingdom to recuperate. All that was needed was for Anastasia to know that he had arrived.

Yunus, who was all alone, soon began to feel bored.

It was too quiet here, so quiet that it made the bard, who was used to noise and bustle, feel somewhat uncomfortable.

He felt a sudden urge to play the zither at his waist, to play a few tunes to add some background music. But as soon as his hand touched it, he glanced at the Maxim and immediately lowered it as if he had been electrocuted.

Master Maxim meant that no more noise was allowed after they returned. Although Iver others hadn't returned yet... it was hard to say whether playing here would anger them.

After all, Maxim was clearly not in a good mood.

Of course, the main reason was that the other party was indeed a good person, and that Yunus's arrival had indeed caused them trouble. Therefore, Yunus couldn't very well go against the other party at this time.

... How boring.

Yunus sighed and, like Maxim, looked up at the moon.

He was starting to miss his friends a little.

In fact, the reason why Yunus usually behaves so exaggeratedly and comically is because this is the signature behavior of "Yunus" in Prince Albert's memory.

In order to become Yunus, he kept repeating this behavior.

But in reality, Yunus didn't speak to people in that tone at all. You see, when Yunus was alive, Yunus was responsible for negotiating with others. At that time, Albert would hide alone in a cloak that covered half his face, arms crossed, deep behind.

That bald guy could talk to anyone, and befriend anyone. How could he possibly be like Albert, whose speech was always so comically eccentric, like something out of an opera...?

The problem is that Albert simply couldn't learn Yunus's art of speaking.

"... I miss you a little again, my dear friend."

He gazed at the moon and murmured softly.

His close friend Yunus was not a descendant of the Founding Family. His parents were neither knights nor bishops... his father was Iris People, a clown in a burlesque troupe. His mother, on the other hand, was a wealthy real estate developer in Avalon who lost both her parents at a young age and single-handedly built the family business.

Although it was a formal marriage witnessed by the church, Albert felt their relationship was more like that of lovers than husband and wife. They lived in different places, didn't interfere with each other's lives on a daily basis, and had a very good relationship when they occasionally met.

However, from the perspective of their "lover," their age difference wasn't that significant. As a "sugar baby," Yunus's mother was only a little over ten years older than his father.

Albert had met the woman—she was a resolute, rational, and righteous lady.

How can one describe her sense of justice?

When her family took over, their company covered 60% of the Red White Queen District. After she personally managed it for ten years, the business was successfully reduced to one-fifth of its original size.

People who are too principled are not good at business.

Yunus's father, on the other hand, was a remarkably optimistic man—the one who cared for the children. He was always smiling, able to take a joke and handle ridicule, and his witty and humorous remarks made him popular with everyone. Even during the years when Queen Sophia was at her most temperamental and stubborn, she became a fairly good friend of his. Sometimes she would bring the clown to the Silver and Tin Palace to seek his opinion on certain matters.

Some of Albert's friends at the time ridiculed this as "ruling the country like a clown." This greatly embarrassed Albert... especially since his father had recently passed away, which made him even more distressed. However, his personal attempts to persuade the Queen were completely ignored.

At the same time, ministers would offer advice, and there was some gossip among the people. However, none of these things could affect Queen Sophia's autocratic will.

It was in this environment that Albert came into contact with Yunus.

He initially approached the child with hostility, but after getting to know him, he discovered that the child had inherited his father's eloquence.

—It wasn't until later that Albert learned Yunus's father had long suffered from an incurable disease that even the bishop couldn't cure. His conversation with Queen Sophia couldn't possibly have been about power... because he simply didn't have long to live.

Moreover, Yunus's mother had known for a long time that he was terminally ill.

She married Yunus's father knowing this, because he brought her joy, and she reciprocated with responsibility.

Yunus is like a combination of these two people, inheriting their strengths.

Later, when Albert was preparing to run away from home, none of his friends were willing to go with him. Only Yunus, saying something like, "I also want to go out and see the world," cheerfully accompanied Albert on his way out for a walk.

With his excellent interpersonal skills, if he had stayed on Glass Island, he might have become a minister by now.

When Albert first left Glass Island, he often felt self-loathing because of his cowardice and incompetence.

At such times, Yunus never lectured him, offered comfort, or admonished him. He would simply sit and slowly play his violin, waiting for Albert to calm down. His music wasn't technically sophisticated, but it was full of profound emotion.

One day, Albert finally couldn't help but ask him, "Why did you leave Glass Island with a good-for-nothing like me, Yunus?"

There's probably no reason.

Yunus put down his harp, thought for a moment, and then replied with a smile, "Because you're asking me for help, and because I find those people rather boring, you're actually a pretty good person. Your constant inner turmoil is interesting, and your personality isn't unpleasant. Getting into trouble with you is ten times better than spending an endlessly repetitive life at home!"

That was the first time Yunus truly spoke his mind to Albert.

It was from that moment that Albert realized... this man was completely different from himself.

Although they shared the same profession, Albert was nowhere near as a competent bard as his good friend Yunus.

They were not traveling companions.

Rather, it is "the bard and the protagonist of his own story."

Whenever Yunus finished negotiating with someone, he would return to his side with a happy look on his face, saying good news such as, "Thank God, thanks to the protection of the Silver Crowned Dragon," "We are very lucky, Mr. Albert," and "That gentleman is a good man and agreed to our negotiations."

... Now, he can only learn from Yunus.

One person plays the piano, another person jumps around, talking to themselves.

"Thank goodness, neither Her Majesty the Queen nor that silly bird noticed me! We're so lucky, Mr. Iver!"

Just then, a sharp and noisy voice came from the sky.

That was a tone that Yunus vaguely recognized—a voice coming from the moon. "Now I can go out and play with you!"

Yunus was also familiar with that voice.

That was Neelim, the little fairy who had been attracted by her music last night.

But I don't know if it's just my imagination...

Was it a coincidence, wishful thinking, or déjà vu? Yunus felt a surge of joy in the voice that made him want to cry.

At that moment, he finally saw what it was—

A glass carriage, drawn by a glass unicorn, emerged from the moon, reflecting the moonlight and emitting a soft, hazy glow.

The frozen track stretched ahead, guiding the glass carriage smoothly downhill like an inverse proportional function curve.

Whether it was the glass unicorn or the carriage, they began to disintegrate and turn into silver-gray Fairy Dust as soon as they appeared in sight.

That was a fantasy that spontaneously collapsed—

If the number of fairies is large enough, perhaps they can create something. For a lone fairy, maintaining "fantasy" in the Material Realm is still somewhat difficult.

Besides Iver and Madam Grace, two other passengers were also seated in the carriage.

One was a young imp clinging to Iver by the collar and sitting on his collarbone.

The other one was an elegant elven girl sitting in the back seat.

That's Miss Anastasia!

Yunus immediately recognized the other person's identity and temporarily put aside his feelings for Neelim.

His appearance and clothing were exactly the same as when he first met Anastasia. Nothing had changed.

Without a doubt, this is an illusion.

Just as he had seen it back then... he had never seen Anastasia's true face.

... Did she still come back?

This immediately complicated Yunus's feelings.

"Aya ..."

Maxim immediately went to her and half-knelt down, giving Anastasia a deep hug and whispering, "Are you alright?"

Although it seemed somewhat rambling, Yunus knew what he was talking about.

"I'm fine, Father."

Anastasia said lightly.

She put her hands behind her back and winked playfully. "There's never been a better time than now."

Upon hearing this, Maxim simply looked at her with a complicated expression.

He had a lot to say, but he didn't say it.

He turned around and gave Yunus a deep look. This made Yunus feel somewhat guilty and slightly ashamed.

"Mr. Yunus!"

The girl smiled and ran towards him.

"Ha ha ha, Ana—"

Yunus's face beamed with a smile, his cheerful mood causing him to unconsciously let out his signature laugh. However, he quickly recovered under Maxim's glare and immediately lowered his voice. "Beautiful Miss Anastasia... if you're not feeling well, there's no need for you to come in person. Or perhaps my friend Iver didn't tell you about this?"

"I didn't say that."

Suddenly, Iver spoke up, saying softly, "Because I feel... Anastasia is no longer a child, Mr. Yunus."

"She has her own unique ideas and a clear will. Just because we do things that we think are 'good for her' doesn't mean she will accept them."

"Yes, I could have advised her not to come—but that would have been using gratitude and friendship to override her personal will. When I realized she wanted to do it... I could only agree and acquiesce."

Iver's words sounded like they were directed at Yunus.

But it was also addressed to Madam Grace and Master Maxim.

Upon hearing this, Grace, who had already witnessed everything, did not have any new reaction, but Maxim's expression became complicated.

He was, after all, an extraordinary being who walked the Path of Wisdom. Even so, he had already roughly guessed the truth.

Anastasia and Yunus embraced for a while, after which Yunus smiled and took something out of his pocket—a smile that could be gratified, gentle, or even bitter.

That was Anastasia's moon-white silk headband, with light blue elven runes on it.

It read in Elven Language: "Anastasia, may you be well."

Under the silent gaze of the crowd, Yunus was kneeling on the ground, gently tied the Anastasia.

Her little apple-shaped bob was perfect for being tied up with a headband like this.

"I haven't broken my promise, have I, Miss Anastasia?"

Yunus's lips twitched slightly, and he said in a low voice, "You invited me to your house... I promised I would come to see you."

"And now, I have accomplished both of those things."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Yunus. Thank you for saving me."

Anastasia bowed deeply to him. "Without you, my parents would never have seen me again."

"... That was just..."

Yunus opened his mouth, wanting to be humble.

But just thinking about his initial, frantic motives for desperately rescuing Anastasia from a powerful enemy made him fall silent again.

He saved someone else's daughter. But why didn't he have the same courage to save his own?

"I was thinking," Anastasia said lightly, "How I should thank you."

"Now I finally understand... I'm so happy."

"As a token of my gratitude, I would like to present it to you personally—"

As she spoke, Anastasia suddenly emitted a faint light, and then rushed into Yunus's arms.

Yunus instinctively hugged the girl, but suddenly felt a lightness in his arms.

Anastasia suddenly disappeared without anyone knowing when.

A silver harp in the Elven Style appeared in his arms.

The ribbon rested on the tip of the harp.

"... I think... you should see what I really look like..."

And another faint, soft voice came from not far away.

Yunus raised his head.

They discovered that it was Anastasia had almost turned into a tree.

She didn't display the same painful struggle she had in the Fairy Kingdom —she immediately became quiet after leaving Fairy Kingdom. Her voice grew drowsy, and the twisted branches began to grow and stretch rapidly.

Bathed in moonlight, her branches unfurled, no longer deformed and hunched.

The leaves are growing at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Maxim realized something.

He didn't stop it, but instead pursed his lips and watched it all in silence.

"That is a part of me... Mr. Yunus."

She began, "I haven't seen... the outside world. Just surviving is too lonely... isn't it?"

"I want to see the outside world... I want to see other countries. I want to see the griffins of Avalon, I want to see the deserts and springs."

"Please take me outside to have a look around."