The hastily held funeral was not grand. Though every step was present, everything was kept simple. Once the church proceedings were over, the pallbearers carried the coffin into the snow-covered cemetery, with relatives and invited guests following behind.
The grave had already been dug. As the coffin was lowered into the burial pit, the Bennett daughters' weeping was truly heartbreaking.
Shade and Sivie stood at the very back of the crowd. From time to time, both glanced at the old man standing behind and to the left of Thomas Bennett, holding a black hat in his hand. The man was probably in his fifties, with graying hair and a face that made him look like the most stern and upright sort of person.
Of everyone present, aside from Shade, Sivie, and Bennett, he was the only Ring Arcanist. He had come to the funeral as Mrs. Bennett's maternal cousin. Though the exact family connection was difficult to sort out, he truly was a relative, since many people recognized him.
The Bennett Family was a prominent local family, so it was not particularly unlikely that some distant relative had once become entangled with the Time Transfer Station.
Soon, the funeral ended. Mr. Bennett thanked every guest who had come, then told his children to go home first:
"I want to stay here with your mother for a while. Linda, you should return to the church as well. You really did not need to come today."
Whatever the daughters might have thought, they ultimately left with their Brother. The guests who had attended the funeral also bid Mr. Bennett farewell and departed one after another. In the end, only Mr. Bennett remained, standing before the freshly filled grave and staring blankly at the tombstone amid the snow.
Snow settled on his hair