IF Side Story. Cyril (1)

Hazy cigar smoke drifted through the air.

Cyril took another long drag on his cigar, his body deeply reclined in the chair until his cheeks hollowed.

Elmon was peaceful as always.

Befitting the continent’s greatest metropolis, the bustling district was crowded with numerous people, the imperial palace was collecting more taxes due to the more active exchange of goods than before, and the information guild was also expanding its influence knowingly or unknowingly in the stabilized continental situation that had been restored.

Everything was going smoothly like a ship that had caught a favorable wind.

Except for one thing.

Except for his heart, full of regret.

Whoosh.

The smoke he exhaled at length scattered like a sigh. Using it as a white canvas, Cyril drew a hopeful picture he had been holding in his heart.

Aah.

Seraphina…….

My precious Sera…….

“Why did you leave.”

Even when things were going well, that moment suddenly came to mind. Seraphina, who had left behind an apology on that beach in Ponitan.

Swoosh…….

The sound of the waves from that day seemed to ring in his ears.

If Seraphina had not chosen to leave with the three heroes. If she had chosen to escape with him…….

Cyril closed his eyes tightly.

* * *

It was a place with a mild climate all year round.

The new hideout prepared deep in the mountains had a peaceful atmosphere like Ponitan, but also had another charm.

It was like a small, cozy nest surrounded by endless, majestic mountains.

While eternal snow was piled up above, warm breezes blew through the village they had established.

As he enjoyed a leisurely time lying on the grass, he heard the sound of excited footsteps coming from far away. He felt he knew who it was without having to turn his head.

“Cyril!”

Indeed.

The corners of Cyril’s mouth rose automatically.

Seraphina seemed like she had returned to childhood. When he turned his head, Seraphina was running toward him with her skirt full of something, using it as a basket.

“What’s all that?”

Cyril asked as he raised his upper body.

Seraphina, who had instantly closed the distance, answered in an excited voice like a child seeking praise.

“Acorns. There are tons over there.”

“What? Acorns?”

Cyril asked again with a slightly dumbfounded feeling. The thing was, what would they do with all these acorns?

“It’s hard.”

He picked up an acorn and tried biting it. It didn’t bite through at all.

Seraphina shook her head and made a smug expression, apparently wondering how he didn’t know how to eat acorns.

“You’ll break your tooth that way.”

“How are you planning to cook these?”

“The information guild can get anything, right?”

“……?”

Cyril raised one eyebrow and looked up at Seraphina with eyes that wondered what this Miss was going to demand now.

Seraphina grinned. Her face showed no consideration of the possibility that her request might be refused.

Well.

Of course he intended to get her anything.

Cyril wished he could gift her the entire world. So something related to acorns wasn’t even a subject of concern for him.

He was just curious what she was thinking with that round head of hers.

“I need a grinder. I have to grind the acorns.”

“Ah, a grinder.”

Cyril understood immediately.

She meant to collect those tasteless, hard fruits, grind each one, and then cook them.

It wasn’t like they had nothing to eat, as when they stayed at the orphanage. Why would she do this? They could eat luscious fruits and juicy meats every day.

“Jacques.”

However, Cyril called his subordinate who had been hiding in the fairy-tale-like mountain village landscape without saying anything else.

He heard Seraphina gasp in surprise at Jacques’s sudden appearance.

“Yes, Master.”

“Go down and get a grinder.”

“I will obey your command.”

Jacques answered promptly and withdrew. He looked very solemn for someone going on an errand for a grinder.

When they were alone, Seraphina naturally sat down next to Cyril. He could see her being careful not to drop the acorns.

“You should have taken a basket.”

“Well, I didn’t go out to collect acorns. I was just looking for pretty flowers to decorate the table, but somehow… hehe.”

Cyril couldn’t help but smile at Seraphina’s innocent laugh.

He wanted to protect this innocence. He would handle all the difficult and dirty work, if only Seraphina would remain pure like this.

“Are you going to stay like that?”

Cyril asked while stroking Seraphina’s hair. At the same time, seeing her unable to lie comfortably on the grass because she had to hold her skirt with both hands, mischief subtly rose in his mind.

“I’m not particularly uncomfortable.”

“Really?”

“Ah! Stop it, Cyril!”

Cyril impulsively messed up Seraphina’s hair. With her hair now in disarray, she shook her head vigorously from side to side in rebellion.

“I said stop it!”

“You know what?”

“What!”

“When someone says stop, it makes me want to do it more.”

“Eek!”

Seraphina tried to jump up from her spot. But because Cyril gently pressed down on her head with one hand, she couldn’t get up as she wished.

The way she glared with frustration was exactly like when she was young, and Cyril couldn’t hold back his laughter. Her reactions were so amusing that he wanted to keep teasing her.

But if he went too far, he might make Sera cry.

“There. I’ll let you off.”

Removing his hand, Cyril gave a mischievous smile.

Seraphina trembled with frustration. Her hands were still holding her skirt to protect the acorns.

Now, instead of a fresh forest village girl, a woman with disheveled hair sat before Cyril.

“Cyril.”

A voice that was unclear whether it was annoyed or stern came through.

Cyril looked at her with warm eyes.

“You’re pretty. Just perfect.”

“Fix it right now. Otherwise, I’ll sulk for a week.”

“What? A whole week?”

Can’t have that.

Pretending to give in to the cute threat, Cyril quickly tidied up her brown hair. Though he did slip something in.

Well.

This much mischief should be fine.

Seraphina didn’t seem to notice that something was in her hair. Cyril looked at her with satisfied eyes before dusting himself off and standing up.

“Shall we go home?”

The sky was still blue.

Normally, this would be the time to play outside a little longer. Seraphina raised her head with a puzzled expression.

“Already?”

“We need to wash the acorns.”

“Ah.”

The excuse seemed plausible, as Seraphina immediately agreed and got up. All the while carefully maintaining her balance so as not to drop a single acorn.

Ah, am I really such a terrible person?

Cyril couldn’t help but laugh to himself as he discovered his impulse to keep wanting to tease Seraphina.

A little more teasing should be fine, right?

With this generous thought toward himself, he picked up one of the acorns that Seraphina cherished.

“Huh?”

A confused sound escaped from her lips.

Whoosh.

When he threw it far away, Seraphina looked at Cyril with disbelieving eyes.

“What did you do?”

“It’s fun. You should try it too.”

With that, Cyril grabbed a handful of acorns this time. Seraphina’s face turned pale.

“Don’t! I picked only the pretty ones!”

Seeing her urgent cry, it seemed to be true.

Ah.

While I want to tease her, imagining Seraphina carefully picking each one makes me want to protect her too.

Cyril wavered momentarily between these two different emotions.

But in the end, seeing Seraphina’s tearful expression, he had no choice but to quietly return the handful of acorns to their place. Like magic, her face brightened.

Still, as if intending to punish him for the prank, Seraphina soon gave Cyril a reproachful but not hateful glance.

“I hate you, Cyril.”

“I’m sorry. Forgive me.”

“You’re always playing pranks.”

“But I can’t leave you alone. Teasing you like this is the joy of my life.”

It was true.

He wanted to spend his whole life bantering with Seraphina like this.

It’s because I like you. Did that feeling get through? While Seraphina pouted her lips in displeasure, her eyes had softened.

As if not completely over her sulking, Seraphina silently turned her body and started walking. Cyril watched her expression and walked beside her, matching his pace to hers.

“I’ll wash the acorns for you. So stop being angry, Sera.”

“It’s fine.”

“When Jacques brings the grinder, I’ll grind them all for you. It’s quite hard work, you know?”

“Well……”

Responding halfheartedly, Seraphina walked lightly along the path.

A gentle breeze brushed past the two of them.

Cyril had to keep bringing up various topics to appease Seraphina as payment for his prank, and by the time they reached the village, she had completely returned to her original state.

Happy laughter spread through the air.

A village where triangular-roofed buildings were clustered together.

Entering a mansion with a reddish-brown roof among them, Cyril opened the door like a gentleman for Seraphina, who was still walking carefully.

Click.

Soon the door closed, and the two disappeared from view.

At the entrance of the house, which had a white fence, there was a wooden signpost that Cyril and Seraphina had made themselves.

Xavier House.

The hand-carved letters displayed a warm presence under the gentle sunlight.