The boys and girls were playfully roughhousing. Fujimaru Ritsuka took Gerda's hand and, after considerable effort, ran out from the cluster of children.
Looking at the flower clenched in his hand, Fujimaru Ritsuka let out a soft sigh.
Flowers...
Whether they were flowers from Proper Human History or flowers from a Lostbelt, they were equally beautiful.
This place and the world he had lived in ultimately shared similarities.
"Lord Fujimaru Ritsuka, look over there."
Gerda took Fujimaru Ritsuka's hand and pointed toward the entrance.
"Over there is...?"
Besides the area in front of Gerda's house, a group of children had gathered there as well.
Surrounded by the children were several older kids from the village.
"We're very happy to receive your bouquets."
The older man looked to be around twenty-three or twenty-four, and he smiled as he spoke to the children.
The woman beside him appeared one or two years older, with a gentle expression.
"Wonderful... truly wonderful. We were able to raise you into adulthood in accordance with the gods' will."
"Even after we go on ahead, you must live well here. We'll wait for you in the place you will eventually reach as well."
The woman gently stroked the cheek of a little girl before her, her expression full of kindness.
"What they mean is...?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly tightened his grip on the flower and walked to Mash's side, asking quietly.
"...Yes."
Mash nodded, her face solemn and pained.
At twenty-five, after raising their children to adulthood...
That was the rule of this Lostbelt.
"The children spent half a year growing these bouquets. At a time like this, wouldn't it be awful if there were no flowers?"
Gerda stood beside Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash with a smile.
Norla did not come over.
His childlike face carried a slightly