By Zephyria 
Michael has returned.
I couldn’t tell how many times he had returned. How many times had he left to return so ceaselessly?
Of course, when our whole family first received the blue Ranunculus, we all thought without a doubt that Ruben had sent it. It was thanks to that child, who acted more like a son than a son after we sat together on Mika’s funeral day, read her will, and fainted from crying, taking care of us.
The blue Ranunculus that flew to the Ernhardt family was practically Rubel’s symbol. He would always include anecdotes about his time with Michael at the end of the weekly messages he sent. The stories of their sweet and bittersweet dates were so amusing and endearing that our whole family soon found ourselves waiting for the days Rubel’s messages arrived.
However.
“It’s me.”
At the first syllable the Ranunculus uttered, our entire family screamed.
“I’ve returned alive. My limbs are intact, so please don’t worry too much.”
“Just, just one more time.”
“It’s me. I’ve returned alive. My limbs are intact, so please don’t worry too much.”
“Wait, is that it? Really? Say it again.”
“It’s me. I’ve returned alive. My limbs are intact, so please don’t worry too much.”
“Brother, are you really out of your mind?”
“Wow, he’s ending it like this? No, even the Academy’s letters were longer than this!”
It had been a full three years. The voice of my son, heard after three years, was as familiar in its coldness as it was in its burning resentment. I screamed and pleaded with the Ranunculus several times, but the words it uttered were only seven in total.
But what proof could be more certain than this? We laughed and chattered, drenched in joy. Reni took off the black scarf around his neck and threw it. Yes, there was no need to wear mourning clothes anymore. I, too, was in the process of loosening my cravat and rising from my seat.
A second blue Ranunculus arrived, with a slight time lag.
I had hoped my son had come to his senses, but this time it was truly Rubel. Unlike our real son, our son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and new son spoke with a trembling voice, pleading earnestly and affectionately.
“Mika, Mika has returned. Mother, Father. I’m in the capital… The capital. Please come. I, I was planning to hold a place, a festival, no, a party. I’m planning to hold a party. Of course, of course, Mika should be the one to visit you, but from Withrow… It will take a little time to come down from Withrow. If it’s not too much trouble, the capital is halfway, so please, please come. No, no, or I’ll bring Michael to visit you, so please wait a little longer.”
It was quite an informal message for Rubel, who usually meticulously sent greetings for morning, noon, and night, never forgetting to inquire about our well-being. But at this moment, that was of no consequence. Michael, who had thrown off his black mourning shirt on the spot, was hit five times on the back by Asdel.
Still, it was good.
“Ah, what are you doing? Pack your bags quickly! He said he’ll be waiting in the capital!”
Before heading to the capital, we decided to dig up Michael’s coffin again. Everyone in the Ernhardt family, upon hearing that Michael had returned alive, was in a state of ecstatic delirium. The coachman had accidentally hitched the carriage backward, and we drove in reverse for quite some time. Neither the person outside the carriage nor the people inside noticed for about thirty minutes, as we were both half out of our minds.
Digging up Michael’s coffin was also a complete mess. In the Ernhardt tradition, graves were marked by covering the coffin with soil and placing a square tombstone to mark the spot. To lift the coffin, we first had to move the tombstone. Seiren, who insisted on lifting it himself rather than letting the knights help, tried to break it with his bare hands and injured his wrist, causing great surprise. But the injured party and those around him were all too busy laughing to notice.
It was a great relief that I had learned how to use a healing artifact at the Academy and hadn’t forgotten. If I hadn’t, the aftereffects could have lasted a full month.
In the end, the knights watching split the tombstone into eight pieces with their swords. The spot where the coffin was dug up was covered with soil, and the coffin itself was completely dismantled into pieces using swords and burned on the spot. Michael’s clothes, which had been buried in the coffin for a long time, were rotted and faded, rendering them unusable, so they were burned along with it.
There was no need to cherish Michael’s belongings anymore.
Why? Because my son had returned alive!
Everyone, disregarding dress codes and the like, dressed in the most flamboyant clothes they owned. Seiren and Asdel’s skirt hems were so wide that Mika and I were squeezed together, huddled up. Asdel hummed a song, seemingly drunk or lost in a dream. It was a very pleasant sound.
“It’s really just like our brother.”
“Whether you hear it now or later, it’s equally astonishing. Mother, is your wrist okay?”
“I used the healing artifact right away. It’s fine.”
“Then why did you try to break it with your hands? Even if it’s thin, marble wouldn’t break with bare hands, would it?”
“Mika can do it!”
“Are you Mika? Don’t say strange things, really.”
Reni, whining like a child, was so cute and funny. I, too, lost my composure and leaned my forehead against the carriage wall, sobbing. Asdel, who had been laughing heartily, suddenly spoke a nonsensical remark in a prim voice.
“Still, it’s a shame. That masterpiece took a month to carve.”
“A shame? What’s a shame? Don’t say strange things.”
“It didn’t even have Brother Mika’s name on it, so what. I might use it later.”
“Shush.”
“No, I’ve died and come back. Death isn’t that far from this world…”
“Hmph. You were born, raised, and nurtured, and now you say anything in front of your parents.”
“It’s a joke, a joke. Don’t worry. Even if I die, I’ll come back like you, Brother.”
“To become a zombie?”
“Hey!”
Yes, no matter what I heard, it was good.
We arrived at the Imperial Palace at dawn.
Even though we had rushed the carriage like that, we weren’t tired or sleepy. My mind was just blank, like a large toad holding a flower was sitting in it. The reception room we were guided to was luxuriously decorated, but the outside through the uncurtained window was still dim.
It was still dawn. I realized that fact a little late. Even so, should I have entered the Imperial Palace after sunrise? I had such useless worries. But I was reassured again when I remembered that not a single person had stopped us from the time we got off the carriage until we reached here.
Just then, Reni, who had been laughing and chattering incessantly in the carriage, suddenly burst into tears again. I quickly pulled his shoulder and comforted him. If I could comfort my crying wife and receive a degree, I would already be Professor Sierren the First. Seeing Reni sobbing with his head on my shoulder, the children’s eyes also began to well up.
“What, Mom, why are you crying…”
“No, I wasn’t going to cry… I wasn’t going to cry, but really.”
“Ah, Mom, you’re crying, so I’m crying too. What if my brother scolds me when he sees me?”
“Are you Mika, Brother?”
“You’re being cheeky again, really… Ah, damn. …Hic. I’m going crazy…”
Michael, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly stood up and began to pace. His anxious footsteps, not hidden even by the thick carpet, hinted at the child’s excited heart.
Michael walked, looking at the ceiling. Occasionally letting out a “Ha, ha,” which could be mistaken for a laugh or a sigh. Hearing that sound, Seiren started laughing again, so my shoulder served as both a handkerchief and a fan in succession.
Asdel clenched and unclenched his tense hands and stretched. After suffering a severe illness once, Asdel hadn’t neglected his exercise, and thanks to that, his body lifted at a very flexible angle. Asdel, who had been sitting unsteadily, suddenly stood up and followed Michael.
“Ah, don’t get in the way.”
“A, a-e geol-li-jeok-gye-o-ryu-jwi mwe.”
“Don’t imitate me!”
“Ttae-rae-hae-jwi mal-lya-gyu!”
In any case, they were never quiet when left alone. I was about to scold them, but seeing that Reni momentarily stopped crying, I didn’t stop the two children’s bickering. The two children were noisy for a long time. The warmth brought on by their playful banter, meant to suppress their excitement, filled the reception room.
Then, at some point, a strange premonition ran down my spine.
From far down the quiet dawn corridor, a guiding voice could be heard. No footsteps were audible. But everyone, knowing well how quietly Michael walked, tensed and lifted their heads.
The agonizing wait was not long. Soon, the reception room door, which had not been closed, burst open.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
Our eyes met immediately. A boy with lovely, fluttering pink hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a fair, elegant face, filled with joy. My precious eldest son, Michael Ernhardt, the only one in this world, stood right there.
The child lowered his eyebrows and smiled awkwardly. He helped his mother, who had risen crying, embraced her with both arms, and calmly surveyed his younger siblings. Seeing him stand with a calm demeanor, as if he had left only yesterday, I was finally able to stand up.
My feet touched the ground. The lost gravity kindly embraced my shoulders and pressed down. I finally felt like I was standing on this earth. Having finally found something I had lost for a very long time, I could finally, truly cry.
You know, my son.
You said you saved the world.
But the first thing you saved when you were born into this world was me.
Even when you were neither a hero nor a god, you had already saved me.
I will not forget that and will live my life thanking you.
So let’s live like this from now on.
You and I. Standing on this land, without needing gods or dragons, just like this.
Let’s live as humans.
Happily.
Second Story, How to Live as a Hero’s Father END