When Kraft returned to the cemetery, the monk on duty nearly mistook him for some passerby who had taken a wrong turn and wandered in.
There was no way this group belonged here. They looked more like a family taking a child on an outing, ready to find a nice patch of grass and spread out a picnic blanket with wine and snacks. In fact, they really had brought food; the package gave off the warm, buttery scent of baked sweets.
The other man offered him a small pouch. The monk had already prepared himself to refuse if it contained coins, but it held nothing more than still-warm cookies. Turning them down would have seemed rude.
"Showing up empty-handed wouldn't feel right. I thought something sweet might be more suitable for a visit." The Professor led the girl past the outer watch posts and deeper into the cemetery.
It felt like bringing a junior along to bother someone at their workplace, except this workplace was somewhat unusual.
Yvonne followed behind in clothes that allowed her to move freely, looking around with quiet curiosity. She said nothing, but her mood seemed unusually good. More than that, there was a subtle change in her state of mind.
Like the red glow of embers radiating faintly from a stack of dry wood, the change had already been kindled.
She strode lightly along the overgrown path, occasionally pausing to cock her head at some fleeting sound, or kicking aside a stone in the way of her boots as she passed. She had all the boundless energy one would expect at her age.
Her physical strength was turning into mental strength, as if she had shed a chrysalis and emerged in a new shell, its sheen visible to the naked eye.
"Honestly, there are a