'Shit!'

Reivan restrained the profanity that almost rushed out of his mouth as his senses returned.

Even though the disorienting sensation only lasted for an instant, it didn't change the fact that it was, in fact, disorienting. It felt like he'd lost his body for a moment.

He subconsciously looked down to search for the strange substance Valter had released, only to find that it was gone — except for a few traces of it evaporating into a dark mist as they fell off his body. His feet were now firmly planted on the vibrant green grass, no quicksand-like sludge ready to devour his existence waiting on the even ground.

'Well, that was certainly an... interesting experience.'

Glancing behind him, he could see the rest of his party materialize. It looked as if their bodies had been slowly shaped by black sludge, starting from the feet up. Once the obsidian sculptures bearing their forms were complete, the black substance immediately fell off while seemingly melting into the void.

'Oh, so that's what happened to me...'

Experiencing and seeing it happen felt very different. He definitely preferred doing the latter if possible. However, Valter was the perpetrator of this strange transportation technique — and that same Valter was now his guardian knight.

It seemed like a waste not to use such a convenient method when it was so readily available.

'I guess I'll just have to get used to it.'

"How interesting..." Roland smiled as his bright blue eyes widened. "It's somewhat similar to the feeling of going through the Outland Portal, no?"

"Except that it doesn't feel like it lasts for an eternity as you pass through it." Stella chimed in, smoothing out her clothes. She eventually seemed to notice that they hadn't been messed up in the slightest, so she stopped and continued to voice her thoughts. "Also, it doesn't feel as disgusting. I always feel like taking a bath after passing through that..."

"That's true." The crown prince chuckled. He looked up and gazed at his surroundings. "I suppose even you can't travel through Sir Rolf's outer barrier, Sir Valter?"

The dark-skinned knight shook his head. "The Sword Star's domain is a special place; I can only instantly travel to the outskirts of the mountain, Your Highness. Even if I attempt to travel deeper, I'd automatically get sent here instead. I'm sure that if you speak out, the Sword Star can transport us to our destination..."

"No need." Roland shook his head with a calm smile. "The hike also serves as a way for me to show my respect to the woman I owe my life to. Mother died to birth me, the least I could do is diligently walk up the mountain to visit her grave."

"As the crown prince wishes." Valter nodded in understanding.

"Dear, you say that after we teleported here?" Stella quipped dryly with a roll of her eyes. She then started pulling her stunned husband along with her. "Well, let's get going. We've got quite a bit of walking to do. Rein, you get moving too."

Prompted by his sister-in-law's words, Reivan made to follow, making sure to look around as he walked. His head swiveled left and right, the grass crunching under his feet as he took in the sights.

He knew that a tall mountain in front of him from his days staring out of windows as a child, but it was obscured by the towering trees that grew out of the ground. Their trunks were not particularly thick, but there were a lot of them. They formed a window formation, simultaneously hiding what lay beyond while also forcing those who wished to climb up the mountain to walk in a zigzag pattern.

Reivan's experience as a fantasy reader told him that these trees weren't just decorations, but were also strategically arranged for defense.

'These trees are definitely not your average trees either...'

For one thing, they were far too tall if one took into consideration how thin their trunks were. The branches also seemed far sharper than spears and blades, while having very few leaves growing on them. Most of all, the strange feeling that filled his heart while observing them gave him goosebumps.

'There's definitely something supernatural or magical going on with these trees!'

Somehow convinced of this fact, Reivan used his [Supreme Inisight] on one of them.

 

 

He clenched his fist in irritation.

'Is it just me, or are these notification things especially sarcastic when I use them on ordinary things?'

Did [Supreme Insight] perhaps not want him to use it? Because this kind of thing really convinced him to shove the ability to his proverbial "ability storage shed", along with all the other abilities he hadn't used since he got reincarnated.

This was also his first time seeing what looked like buttons on a notification. He felt really interested in the phenomenon, but also very conflicted that it was about a tree. Did he have to know what a tree was? It felt like he was being made a fool of by his own ability.

In the end, though, his curiosity outweighed his frustration.

Reivan reached forward to press the button, all while trudging up the mountain. His heart palpitated in excitement as the tip of his finger got closer to the [Yes] button. Was this option going to be available to every other notification from now on? Had he experienced some sort of growth unawares, causing his ability to obtain more options?

Perhaps he could get more information from the various things he'd observed in the past now that he had this new option.

As he salivated at the thought, his fingertip made contact with the button...

and passed straight through.

"...Huh?" Reivan grunted out loud. He retracted his finger and tried again, only for the same result to happen. Even after multiple tries, the outcome stayed the same. "Wait a minute..."

It was only after many tries did he consider the possibility that he'd just been pranked.

'That can't be it, right...?'

He instinctively denied the possibility, thinking that he must have missed something. Maybe he didn't have enough authority to press the button? Perhaps he'd only be able to press the buttons when he had enough authority to see [Supreme Insight]'s information when he used it on itself.

'It's d-definitely not that I fell for some kind of trick...'

Reivan waved off the annoying half-transparent screen, unwilling to look at it any further.

Valter, who'd been marching along behind him, must have noticed his actions. With concern in his voice, he spoke out. "Is there something wrong, Your Highness? If you are tired, I can simply carry you."

"Oh... no need." Reivan smiled wryly as he waved him off. "I have the Beast King's Ichor's effects constantly running, so my stamina is pretty much always topped up. You don't have to worry about me."

'It would've been awesome if the ichor also gave me the mental stamina to get through your lectures too. And it'd be great if I could entirely forgo sleep as well.'

"I see," Valter said, but still looked fairly concerned. "Please alert me if you have any difficulties."

"Sure. But never mind that. What's up with these trees? They seem pretty strange..."

Even if his ability said so, he didn't necessarily have to trust it. Which was why he asked the seemingly most knowledgeable person in their party. Valter, after all, was someone who had been alive for more than a thousand years. He must've accrued an immense stockpile of knowledge.

"The trees, you say...?" Valter raised an eyebrow and looked up to examine the trees for a bit, before saying, "I don't believe there's anything special about the trees themselves."

"I see..." Reivan heaved a sigh of disappointment. "I was hoping it was wrong, but my ability also said so."

Roland glanced back and chuckled as he zigzagged through the forest. "Aside from having strangely sharp branches and being weirdly thin, there's nothing special about these trees. Although that aspect arguably makes them perfect for a place leading to the Sword Sanctum."

"Yep." Stella chimed in. "The special part is what they symbolize."

"'What they symbolize'...?" Reivan's brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Ask Valter." The crown prince stopped and pointed at something. "We're here."

After walking a bit further, Reivan eventually made it to where his brother was standing.

"Woah..."

In front of him was an expansive circular clearing the size of about a quarter of a football field.

And right in the middle, was a single tree.

It was considerably shorter than the ones that stood in a circle around it — as if the taller trees were giving the shorter one a wide berth out of respect. The grass that filled the rest of the mountain on the party's way here ended when it connected with the clearing. Instead, the clearing was filled with an ocean of pretty white flowers that had no end to their variety.

"Stella, let's go."

"Mhm."

With Roland leading the way, the couple headed for the tree in the middle. It seemed that even they did not dare to trample on any of the flora, since Roland waved his hand, causing a bridge of light to form between them and their destination, protecting the bed of snow-colored blossoms underneath.

Reivan naturally followed after them, with the two guardian knights behind him.

'Where's the grave?'

All the way up here, he had gotten the impression that there was a graveyard or a tomb of some sort hidden in the maze of trees. Or maybe it was at the top of the mountain, even. However, no matter how much he looked around, he could only see trees — and now, the flowers — all around them.

"Sir Valter." Reivan stopped and glanced back, whispering to his guardian knight. "I thought we were going to big brother's mother's grave? Where is the tomb? Or even just the gravestone. I see nothing but trees..."

With a soft smile on his face, Valter gestured toward the tree in the middle. "It's right there, Your Highness."

The young prince followed his guardian's gaze toward the center of the clearing. "That small tree...?"

"Yes." The knight nodded. He motioned for his colleague, Gertrude, to go ahead and follow the two other royals before kneeling down and explaining, "Your Highness, although other nations would normally bury their dead, in Aizen, it is different."

"Huh." Reivan bobbed his head, taking in this new information. His head tilted, he asked, "How so?"

"We value their memories more than the rotten, decaying corpses they leave behind, Your Highness. As such, even the citizenry practices cremation, spreading the ashes to the eastern ocean or from atop a high place — all while keeping mementos of their loved ones and enshrining them in their homes."

"Oh..."

'That's a really neat way to think.'

In fact, he had similar sentiments just before his death. He'd wanted Kyouka to keep his ashes near her so that she could think back to all the happy moments they had shared every once in a while — a far better alternative to having his nasty, disgusting skeleton take up space in the dirt, only getting visited on special occasions. More than his physical remains being close to her, he wanted the urn containing his — and his dogs' ashes — to inspire memories of him in her.

If it could be achieved by a picture of him, or perhaps some other memento, then Ken honestly couldn't care less about his own ashes.

"I feel that this is a very good tradition."

The knight nodded. "Indeed. There is a practical aspect to it too. Scholars a few hundred years back theorized that the First King started this tradition owing to Aizen's small territory, wanting to save space by removing the need for graveyards altogether. It seems he and His Majesty, King Rodin, share the same sentiments — seeing as King Rodin has been very proactive about creating more living space within the confines of the kingdom."

The little prince's eyes widened at the mention of his fellow otherworlder. "Interesting..."

Valter slowly scanned at the surroundings, his eyes seeming to carry with them the weight of time itself. "The trees on this mountain are special, Your Highness."

Reivan followed his gaze. Once again, he didn't really notice anything. The trees looked much the same as they did earlier. Although he still felt something strange — almost ethereal, even — as he glanced at them, his elders' words and his ability's sarcasm had all pointed to the trees' normalcy.

However, Reivan was no dunce. Naturally, he formed a viable guess from the context of their conversation.

"Are they the mementos?"

Valter nodded, seemingly satisfied by his student's wit. "Very close. The trees have no meaning to the people they stand for. In fact, those people probably never get to see the trees while they were alive."

"Then why...?"

"The trees are planted for them after they die, Your Highness." The knight serenely closed his eyes. "This mountain is where the heroes of Aizen rest."

Reivan patiently waited in silence as Valter arranged his thoughts. Upon closer inspection, the knight's face was not as calm as he let on. Even his usually even breathing was beginning to turn a bit rough and erratic.

"The knights of Aizen fight in many different places; in the lands of another nation, leagues away from their home; or perhaps in the waters of the eastern seas, hunting pirates and enemy invaders; or maybe they battle against nightmares in the Outlands. And where there is combat, there can also be death."

"That's..." Reivan gulped and nodded. "That's true."

"And sometimes, when they die, we are unfortunately unable to retrieve their bodies." Valter continued, his deep voice holding a trace of anger. "And sometimes retrieving their bodies would mean wasting what their life of service accomplished."

The young prince watched as the purple-haired knight grit his teeth and clenched his fist, nails digging into the flesh of his palm.

"And sometimes... Sometimes there is nothing left to retrieve. Not even a finger or a single strand of hair."

A moment of silence overcame the two of them as the boy watched his knight attempt to calm himself. Soon, Valter heaved a sigh as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Your Highness, these brave men and women... they may die in different places, perish at different times, and have their lives end in different ways... they may or may not have families waiting for them, may or may not have lovers who pray for their safety, may or may not have children who look up to them as the paragons that they are..." Valter brought his hand up to his chest and stared at it as he formed a trembling fist. "But here, the people that mourn them hope they find a place to return to, wherever their lives may have ended.

"Here... in Aizen's safest location; in the country whose legacy they helped protect; and in their home, the living hope that they find a place to rest their tired souls. Forever."

After the knight finished his delivering his heartfelt elucidation, Reivan couldn't say anything. It was not that he felt nothing for what he heard, rather, it was the opposite.

Valter's words resonated with Reivan so much, that he thought that any words he said would never be enough. That was why he chose to stay silent instead, ruminating on the various implications of what he'd said.

If the trek to reach this place was not enough, even a casual scan of the surroundings made it obvious just how numerous the trees in this mountain were. The place was full of them — with the clearing they were on being an exception.

And they weren't even a tenth of the way to the peak!

Even from afar, the mountain behind the royal palace was massive. If the rest of the mountain — in fact, if even just half of the mountain — was similar to the scenery Reivan had seen on his way up to the former queen's "grave", then that would truly be a staggering number of trees.

If Valter's words were to be revealed, one tree equaled one knight.

'Just how many knights have died since this tradition started...?'

The question popped into Reivan's mind just before another one formed.

'Just how many deaths did Valter witness?'

Reivan felt like he'd just received a smack on the back of his head. It was at that moment that he realized the weight behind an Ascendant's immortality.

He loathed to admit it now, but he'd only seen the good parts of being an eternal existence.

Live forever; be together with your loved ones forever; and then be happy forever. And they all lived happily ever after. The end!

Reivan had held such naive thoughts.

But by seeing this place, what it meant, and the pain on his thousand-year-old guardian knight's face, Reivan finally realized that living forever wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.

'An immortal's life may last for eternity, but they will also bear their pain perpetually...'

Suddenly, a thought struck Reivan. What would be worse than watching people you care about die?

'Just... how many times...'

How many times did Valter receive news of a person's death after the fact? Being unable to do anything to change the situation, wallowing in the regret of not being there when they needed him...

And knowing that it would happen again.

In his thousand years of life, Valter must have experienced it countless times. And every day ran the risk of hearing the same news again, just with a different name and a different cause of death.

'What if I was in his place...?'

Reivan thought hard about it. Would he succumb to the fear of losing loved ones by shunning everyone around him? Or would he let his sorrow take the form of anger, taking it out on all of his enemies? Or would he take his own life out of despair?

'I guess I shouldn't aim for immortality without the resolve to face that kind of pain...'

In any case, Reivan perceived Valter differently after he realized the knight's anguish.

To him, Valter had just been a loyal guardian that had suddenly been tasked with his protection. He was apparently quite smart and knowledgeable, having graduated from the national university. And it was also quite obvious that the man was competent at his job, seeing as he was a thousand-year-old monster of an old man in a profession where men and women died constantly. To top it all off, the man was handsome, had a wife that was probably too hot for the imagination, and had probably accrued a vast amount of wealth by working for the government for such a long time.

Perfection. Reivan could not use any other word to describe the knight. However, he was ignorant of the price Valter had to pay to reach that state of perfection.

Suddenly, the knight with not a single chink or gap in his armor looked fragile and helpless.

"Sir Valter." Reivan stepped closer and put a hand on his guardian's shoulder. "I'm sure they're all resting very well, knowing there are people like you mourning them."

'At the very least, I know I would feel the same way.'

Valter's eyes widened and for a brief moment, they moistened with tears that threatened to fall. He hung his head in what appeared to be a bow as he said, "It would be great if that were the case. Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness."

"And I also hope that nobody ever has to plant a tree for you here." The prince stepped back and grinned mischievously. "I don't think I'd be very good at mourning, so please don't make me have to do that."

The knight's shoulders trembled, although it was hard to tell if it was from laughter or something else. With his head still hanging low, there was a veil of purple hair hiding the man's expression and any tears that may or may not have fallen from his eyes.

Trying to raise the mood, Reivan cheerfully suggested, "I find these kinds of facts very interesting, Sir Valter. It would be great if you could teach me more about them."

"...Yes." Perhaps having calmed down by now, Valter raised his head, his face looking just as it always did, except for the smile on his face. "Understood, I'll include it in my lessons. I suppose it's a subject that's not discussed a lot, especially in children's books..."

Suddenly, the knight frowned as his brows furrowed.

"By the way, Your Highness..." Valter directed an inquiring gaze at his lord and master. "How did you come to know about the tradition of burying the dead in the first place?"

"Oh, uhm..." Reivan scratched the back of his head, cold sweat dripping down his back. "I can't remember where I got it from. My apologies"

 

 

"Hmm... how curious..." Valter's eyes narrowed for a moment before he rubbed his chin in thought. "It must've been when you were very young, then."

"Perhaps." The young prince nodded eagerly, thanking the heavens that Valter didn't know him well enough to see through his lies — just like how his family was doing so lately.

Suddenly, Roland's voice called out to them from far away. "Hey! Are you coming or what!?"

"Oh! Let's hurry, Sir Valter!" Reivan started jogging toward the rest of their party, eager to cut the conversation off.