Bailonz Street 13

The clearing was already packed with people.

Several times more people than had gathered for Herschel’s hearing were assembled, speaking in hushed voices.

There were some familiar faces – people who had frequented Liam’s room when he was bedridden.

The deeply excavated clearing had returned without a trace.

“What about the maze?”

“We burned it all.”

It was a welcome voice. Herschel must have just arrived. As he landed, his wings returned to normal arms. A white feather that hadn’t quite disappeared from his coat fell.

“We couldn’t let the land continue to rot. There’s a spell originating from India. A fire that purifies the unholy – we burned everything with that until no trace remained, then filled it with earth.”

“Professor.”

“Fortunately, the cathedral is right in front. Owen, that fellow, always so troublesome, even now…”

It was fortunate we could proceed with the funeral immediately. No matter what funeral procedures exist, it pains the heart to leave someone who sacrificed themselves for the world unattended for days. Everyone gathered here must feel the same way. Though they would follow his last wishes, voices of disappointment at the simple funeral requirements could occasionally be heard.

Herschel’s gaze turned to the child in my arms.

“That child…”

And his eyes gradually widened. Like me and Liam, Herschel must have spotted the Cassfire traits in Lawrence’s face. He sighed.

“Good heavens… Gerald.”

Gerald?

Not Owen? As I showed a slightly surprised face, Herschel quickly collected himself and gently stroked the child’s head.

“…He looks exactly like his father.”

From those words, I realized that the name Herschel mentioned must be Owen’s cousin – Lawrence’s father.

“An infant we’d thought certainly dead.”

“You knew him?”

“…I went to see him when he was born. I gave him his name.”

Herschel lowered his eyes. His wrinkled face showed the regret of those times. He must be remembering Lawrence’s father while looking at the child.

“…Miss Jane, where was the child?”

“At an orphanage. Owen investigated and found him. He was protecting him.”

“Ah. That’s just like him.”

Taking him directly would have meant proving he was a Cassfire. One couldn’t imagine how fierce the attacks would become from those who thought they only needed to kill Owen.

But if he protected him from afar while hiding his identity, no one would know. He must have planned to bring him immediately after resolving the Black King situation. Once the biggest threat was gone, Owen would have felt at ease raising him under Greenwich’s protection.

While we were silent for a while, Lawrence seemed to wake from sleep disturbed by the surrounding commotion. He carefully lifted his eyelids and blinked several times to shake off the remaining drowsiness. Lawrence whispered to me.

“Auntie, where are we?”

I gently stroked Lawrence’s head while soothing him.

“Your uncle’s funeral.”

“…Ah.”

“All these people here loved your uncle, you see?”

The child looked over at the people.

Those who had been talking began turning their heads one by one, sensing his gaze. And they too saw it.

“A Cassfire.”

“It’s a Cassfire.”

“…Meridian preserve us.”

Lawrence’s arms tightened around my neck briefly, showing his tension. But soon he raised his head and calmly met each gaze directed at him. Liam and I exchanged glances as we watched him.

Liam carefully mouthed a question.

‘Looks like he’ll grow up well, don’t you think?’

I nodded slowly.

Not just well – he seemed likely to surpass Owen. I became curious about the future awaiting him. What would London be like in ten years? When 1900 arrives? What would Liam look like then? I wanted to watch with my own eyes as London faced the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th.

But having these thoughts made me deeply feel once again that I was someone who would leave.

“Let’s go in.”

The cathedral doors opened.

Though it was a hastily prepared funeral, everything necessary was present. They seemed to have found a priest to officiate. Inside the cathedral, a white coffin was prepared. An ornate coffin that would be difficult to obtain easily. Liam explained.

“Though simplified, we prepared all the ceremony Greenwich could show for the last time.”

Flowers were everywhere. Most were flowers difficult to bloom in this season.

Come to think of it, all the mourners were arriving with a single flower in their breasts. This was my first time attending a British funeral, so everything felt unfamiliar.

People sat down one by one.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Crimson light slowly began entering through the cathedral’s broken stained glass. The long, nightmarish night was ending, and tomorrow’s sun was rising. Night retreated before dawn. The red sun seemed to say that everything truly was over.

The priest, who had been quietly watching this, began to recite the eulogy.

There were no hymns. With no family or children, there was no representative of the bereaved. Though too simple for a memorial service, if this was what Owen wanted, it wasn’t bad.

Lawrence came down from my arms and kept to his place. Liam too kept his mouth firmly shut while staring ahead.

The mass that was neither short nor long ended. Since they couldn’t tell the priest Owen’s background to begin with (how could they reveal he was a magician?), he could only say he was a good person.

“…Our distinguished colleague Owen Cassfire has left us. Remembering him, one of his acquaintances will deliver a eulogy.”

Liam stood up.

Honestly, Liam was truly the only one here who could speak about Owen Cassfire. Was there anyone who knew Owen as well as Liam? I don’t think so.

People’s gazes briefly touched on Liam.

“…I am William Moore. I first met Owen Cassfire at twenty-five. I’m thirty now, so it was five years of friendship.”

When Liam began speaking, everyone seemed to be drawn in. Though his voice was low, it carried power. The power to draw and focus people’s attention.

“I know there are people here who spent more time with Owen than I did. Whether professionally or personally, you must have known him longer. Still… I want to speak remembering Owen Cassfire the ‘person.’ When I first met him, I truly thought, ‘I could never become friends with this fellow.'”

Is this really a eulogy?

…It seemed like it was. Must be British funeral culture. When he shared the amusing anecdote, the gathered people each let out small laughs. Even Herschel was no exception.

“We both had strong opinions, and our personalities were rather incompatible. Once we grabbed each other’s hair while arguing about handling a case in the middle of Greenwich.”

“Pfft.”

Laughter erupted here and there. Some people seemed to remember that moment. Well, it was in the middle of Greenwich. They couldn’t have missed it. What a shame. If I’d seen it directly, it would have been a story for life.

“As you all know, Owen Cassfire was usually a very shameless person who put on airs. Seeing such a person spewing profanities while blood streamed from his nose was quite a sight. Though I received disciplinary action… after the discipline, when that stubborn fellow started acting friendly, I thought I’d rather be locked up somewhere for three months.”

At the mention of discipline, people’s gazes turned to someone. Looking closely, it was that chairman from back then. His face was completely red, and seeing this, Liam playfully winked.

“…Thanks to you, I became friends with that fellow. Chairman.”

“Let’s not embarrass me like this.”

Laughter erupted again. With a gentle smile, Liam said.

“Though we fought often, he was still a good person. How common is someone who rolls up their sleeves and rushes out to help others in crisis as if it were their own problem?”

And then today came.

Owen stepped up for this crisis too. To protect London’s people, to protect Greenwich’s people from the curse. He accomplished all this while enduring the sensation of his body burning. And he held out until Liam and I arrived.

“I think I’ll probably remember him often. I’ll miss that shameless face of his.”

Now the laughter gradually subsided, and people closed their eyes one by one. Liam took a light deep breath and slowly opened his mouth.

“The values he tried to protect included us as well. Remember that. …You did well.”