Outside of Redwing Kingdom's capital, in the early evening, on a highway…

Vrrrrrrrrrrooooooommmmmmmmmmmm!…

Straf approaches the gates of the capital. He eases his foot off the formerly gas pedal, and the needle in the center of the dashboard slowly slides over to the left. Cycelia watches a public transport wagon ride their way with nervous eyes, and its driver is staring at the speeding car with his brows furrowed.

Vrrrrrrrrrrrrr….VWOOOOOOOMmmmmmmmmm!…

It shoots past the wagon towards the city, startling the horses as it zooms by. With a frightened whine, they break into a gallop.

「Woah! Hey! Easy! Eaaaasy!…」

The driver nearly falls off his seat back into the passengers' seats. He tries to rein the horses in as the wagon speeds off.

「Straf! We could slow down now, right!?…」

Cycelia turns her tight-lipped grimace to Straf as the gate closes in. He glances at her, then shrugs as his eyes return to the road ahead.

「I guess. The kubelwagen is about as aerodynamic as a bucket, so I will let drag handle the braking.」

「Huh? Aerodynamic?…」

She tilts her chestnut head, blinking her confused emerald eyes at him. The guards at the gate stare at them with their brows furrowed and mouths ajar, unsure what to make of the car.

By the time they reach the gate proper, the car is rolling along at the speed of mere horse gallop, and Straf drives into the city. The citizens run out of the way as the engine roars like a furious beast.

「Straf! Careful! Don't-!」

「I know what I'm doing, Lia! Relax!…」

With more terror on her face than theirs, Cycelia watches the people jump out of the way as they speed past them in a blur. Straf cuts her off, navigating the packed street with ease.

Thump!… Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmm!…

Straf spins the wheel and stomps on the brake, then moves his foot back to the gas pedal. The car swerves and drifts around the Redwing tomb. Severely perplexed, the tomb guards watch Straf and Cycelia slide past it, drifting along the circle-shaped street towards the palace. The two plumed guards at the tomb's large doors exchange confused glances with their brows furrowed.

「Straf! Now would be good time to slow!?… Please!?」

Cycelia points at the palace and its gate, which is rapidly closing in.

「Just a moment… Almost there!…」

He replies with a grin, staring ahead, focused on the road. One of the guards at the gate jumps in the way, holding his palm out towards the car, squinting heavily. Straf tilts his head.

When the plumed guard sees Cycelia's chestnut head, he backpedals out of the way with his head apologetically lowered. Straf rolls past them at a high speed.

「Now hold on…」

He says, and pushes down on the brake, turning the wheel with one hand so that the car rolls to a halt right in front of the palace doors.

「Wah!…」

Cycelia gets thrown forward by the gradual, but significant force. With his other hand, Straf provides a form of a seatbelt for her, preventing her from hitting the windshield. The car stops.

「There. If it were a regular car, I'd probably have saved at least a quarter of the fuel tank.」

Vrrttrtrtrtt…

Straf pulls his hand away from Cycelia and turns the key. The idle engine goes silent. She lets out a large, relieved sigh, and pulls at the door handle.

Cla-cluk…

She exits through the open door, and Straf simply hops over the side again.

「Cars are pretty fast… But I think I like regular carriages better after all…」

Cycelia's shoulders slump with another, smaller exhale, and she turns her tight-lipped grimace to Straf.

「Hm? The kubelwagen is not your thing? I'm sure you'll like the Concorde, though…」

With his brow raised, he nonchalantly shrugs his hands.

「I'm a little afraid to ask…」

She returns an awkward smile, still jittering ever so slightly.

「Hooooooh? I thought that it might be you when I heard that odd sound…」

Lily's voice says directly from above. Surprised, both Straf and Cycelia turn their eyes up to the palace rooftop.

「…You defy all expectations by returning sooner than believed!… As expected, Straf!」

She adds with a smug grin, idly swinging her feet off the roof's ledge while sitting next to a decorative gargoyle.

「Lily!… The people in the sticks are backwards, and they don't like vampires much! What are you doing up there!? Are you a cat too!? Come on, get down here!」

He briefly shrugs his hands as he explains, then gestures for Lily to drop down. Her smug smirk grows, and she obliges, throwing herself off the roof towards Straf.

She floats downwards gently, slowly gaining more and more speed with her arms spread. With her brows gently furrowed, Cycelia watches Straf wait for her.

Ffwap!…

「Hng!…」

He grunts, spinning around a few times to disperse her velocity as Lily falls into his arms. After a few spins, Straf sets Lily down on her feet. She reluctantly unwraps her arms from around him, too.

「…What would you do if I didn't feel like catching you!? It'd be like one of those awkward crowd surf accidents!」

He asks, placing his fists on his hips with his mouth aslant.

「Hmpf! Ridiculous! I know I can always put my trust in Straf!」

Lily proudly declares with her golden head held high. Straf lets out a defeated sigh.

「Well, if you say it like that…」

Pat.

He shrugs, and places his hand on her twin-tailed head with a noisy pat, ruffling her hair. Tilting her head, Cycelia smiles while watching the two.

Cla-clack…

The palace doors open, and Will sticks his surprised face out. Soon after, Greaves and the rest of the party stream outside through the open doors.

「Huh? I thought you wouldn't be back until later tomorrow… What is this thing?」

Will adjusts his glasses, then turns his confused eyes to the car. He rubs his chin, trying to ascertain its purpose.

「Plot twist, twerp.」

Straf scoffs with his fists on his hips, grinning back at him.

「That's right… What is this, Straf? Some form of a magic carriage?」

Lily asks, tilting her golden head up at Straf. Her twin tails sway slightly from the motion. Behind everyone else, Greaves is silently rubbing his chin in intense thought.

「Ah!」

He points at the car with a shocked expression on his face, drawing the attention of absolutely everybody gathered to himself.

「…What?」

Will adjusts his glasses with his brows furrowed.

「…It's one o' those speedy things!」

Greaves exclaims, appearing absolutely amazed.

「What? What speedy things?」

The confusion on Will's face only deepens, and he turns his eyes to Straf, but he is equally confused.

「…Yeah, what the fuck are you talking about? Did you get into a headbutting competition with a wall and win?」

Straf asks, quizzically spreading his arms as he looks around.

「I saw one of these! Remember the dream-eater, or whatever it was!? They were in my dream! They were a little different, but it's the same thing! I'm sure of it!」

Greaves explains, flailing his arms about while he does so. His orange mass of hair jiggles with each movement.

「…Huh? You saw this?」

Will tilts his head at Greaves, briefly glancing at the car. He then turns his eyes full of suspicion towards Straf's unimpressed face.

「Straf, what is this thing?」

He asks, adjusting his glasses. Lily looks on with a curiously tilted head. Cycelia's eyes dart around with a tight-lipped grimace on her nervous face.

「What does it look like, twerp?」

Straf nonchalantly deflects, shrugging his arms before returning his hands to his hips in fists. While everyone is focused on the car, Stripe walks up from the gate.

「…You're back? I thought you'd be away- What is this?」

Stripe tilts her head at the sigh of Straf, then points her clawed finger to the car.

「What, the voice actor guild complained about lack of lines?」

Straf spreads his arms as Stripe joins the crowd.

「…It looks like a horse-drawn cart to me, but I don't see a way to yoke horses to it. What is that wheel there? Is that for steering, like reins?」

Will replies, and leans into the car. His wary eyes quickly gloss over the passenger seats, and move onto the more interesting driver's space.

「State secrets.」

Straf says with his mouth scrunched to the side.

「…You're going to make more of these soon.」

He adds, turning his annoyed face to Stripe.

「Huh!?… It's a thing for war, isn't it?…」

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Her shoulders slump, and she looks at the car again with a fatigued expression.

「No. War is the one use case where I don't want to see it used… Officially.」

Straf shrugs, looking at Stripe with a tight-lipped grimace on his face.

「…One of these is a brake, right? Is that the stick?… No wait, it doesn't seem like it. Is one of those things down there a brake? What are the other two for?」

「Well, wouldn't you like to know!…」

Will continues dissecting the vehicle, rubbing his chin as he slowly makes sense of it. Straf walks up behind him.

Tfwap!

「Wha-!? Hey!」

Completely effortlessly, Straf pulls him up by his robe's hood like a kitten by the scruff of its neck. He writhes and flails, but Straf sets him aside a few steps away.

「…You've seen enough! Make your own if you like it so much!」「Wait, those numbers in the center!… Is that speed!?- Tsk…」

Straf says as he picks the car up from its side, then simply throws it into his [Portable Storage] as it opens right next to it. It shuts the next second, disappearing.

Defeated, Will sighs and adjusts his glasses with a sour expression on his face.

「…How did you know about the tree?」

He asks, glaring at Straf's mildly annoyed face.

「It was revealed to me in a dream. Buzz off, twerp.」

Straf replies in a blunt tone with his mouth aslant. Will sighs again and turns away, shaking his head.

「Let's go, Greaves… Maybe there's stuff we can do tomorrow. I'll let you pick.」

He nods his head towards Greaves, and the party slowly moves towards the gate, casting glances full of suspicion towards Straf.

「Right… I'm heading to bed…」

Stripe declares with a sigh, and shambles into the palace.

「…Guess you'll want to hit the hay after that ride too, huh? Guess I'll-」

Straf turns his eyes to Cycelia, smirking slightly with his fists on his hips.

「Um, actually… Could you come with me to one place? It won't take long… I'd just like you there with me…」

Cycelia cuts in, fidgeting with her medallion, only briefly gaining eye contact with Straf before lowering her eyes.

「…Suure? I don't really mind.」

With his brows lightly raised, he shrugs.

「Shall I come with you then, Straf?-」

Lily asks, but Cycelia shakes her hands in front of herself before she can even finish.

「It'd be just to the market and back in a roundabout way, Lily!… It's nothing interesting, I just want to finish a conversation we had.」

She says, and looks at Lily with a tight-lipped grimace on her face. With her tiny, partially open clawed fists on her hips, she looks back up at Cycelia with her mouth scrunched to the side.

「…Hmpf. If you wanted to talk with Straf alone, you simply should have said so…. I am not a boor. These pleasantries and indirectness is more offensive than stating your mind.」

Lily lets a huff out of her nose, and replies after a prolonged silence. Her crimson eyes stare at Cycelia, before briefly turning to Straf.

「R- Right… Sorry… I'll keep that in mind…」

She nods, bowing slightly towards Lily as she's departing towards the palace gate.

「…I will be in my tower, Straf. Pay me a visit already.」

Crossing her arms, Lily says with a little upset pout, then turns forward. Her golden twin tails sway in the air.

「Right… The market, right? Let's go…」

Straf turns his eyes back to Cycelia, then nods towards the palace gate. She nods her chestnut head back with a smile, and follows him to the the gate…

…

Less than thirty minutes later…

The market is mostly empty now, with most vendors and stalls closing and clearing out for the day. A woman, slightly older than middle-aged, appears to have no intent to pack her flower-packed table. She swivels her scarf-wrapped, graying head around with a wrinkly smile on her face.

「Excuse me… Do you have freshly picked flowers? Best if picked today…」

Cycelia walks up to the woman's small, very ad-hoc stand with Straf.

「Of course!… Here's these beautiful chrysanthemums! Picked this morning! Have a sniff!」

The woman nods her wrapped head and presents a bouquet of white flowers with her hand.

「No, I believe you… I'll take them. How much?…」

「For me? I'm more of a rose guy, Lia…」

Cycelia shakes her head with a soft smile, then turns her emerald eyes to Straf. He lets out an amused huff with a smirk on his face. It's contagious, and Cycelia's somber face gains a small one too.

「…Could you pay, Straf?」

She asks, smiling softly. He shrugs, nodding slightly.

「Hm? I've seen you somewhere- Ah! Her majesty!?」

Squinting her eyes, it takes a long moment for the woman to recognize Cycelia. Her head instantly perks up.

「Well, yes, but… Please, I'm just here to buy flowers…」

「Take them for free, your majesty! Please!」

Cycelia insist with a meek, soft tone, but the woman pushes the bouquet into her dainty hands.

「I can't just take them for free. How much are they?」

Cycelia asks, and the woman visibly hesitates to answer, grimacing heavily.

「…168 drakes…」「Geh!…」

She replies, and Straf audibly cringes.

「But it's fiiine! Prices are all sorts of messed up these days! Just take 'em, your majesty! It's a gift」

The woman continues insisting, but Cycelia turns her emerald puppy eyes to Straf, blinking at him.

「…Fuck's sake… Got any tulips, lady?…」

Straf asks as he pulls banknotes out of his [Portable Storage], quickly counting them.

「Hm? Tulips are out of season, young man. Try in a few months.」

The woman replies with her fists on her hips, tilting her head in slight confusion.

「…Yeah, and their price might go up when they're in season… Here.」

Straf remarks, handing the woman the money with a mixture of amusement and frustration on his face. She takes it very reluctantly, but then holding her elbow, taps her chin with her finger.

「Thank you…」

Cycelia bows politely towards the woman, then turns to leave.

「Ah! No, thank you, your majesty! Please come again anytime!…」

The woman snaps out of her deep thought, realizing that she didn't bid the queen farewell. She quickly corrects her mistake, waving her arm towards the two as they depart…

…

Half an hour later, in the evening, in front of the Redwing tomb…

With his hands in his pockets, Straf and Cycelia approach the large doors of the guarded, ornate tomb. The plumed guards at the sides stand at attention.

「Your highness!… Visiting?」

One of the men asks, standing stiff exactly as the tomb guard regulation demands.

「Yes…」

She nods her chestnut head, and the guards grab onto the keys hanging off their necks, pulling them out from beneath their dragon-adorned chestplates.

They move towards the center of the doors and stick the keys into their respective locks.

Clack!… Clack!

The heavy mechanisms move noisily, and the guards strain as they push the doors open. Cycelia waits until they're fully out of the way, and the regular guards swarm the area.

「…Your highness!」

One of the plumed guards exclaims as they stand at attention at the doorway's sides, waiting for her to pass. She nods her head, then moves towards the open tomb. Lightly puzzled, Straf follows.

When they pass the guards and move towards the dim steps down, the guards behind them move into defensive positions, clutching at their halberds with both of their hands and watching everything outside with hawk-like eyes. The elite plumed guards stand directly in front of the doorway, flanked by the tomb guard regulars, all facing outward towards the city.

Straf's and Cycelia's footsteps echo in the dim, torch-lit hallway as they delve deeper into the underground tomb. It leads more inward, rather than downward, being more expansive, rather than deep. Various plaques with inscriptions line the walls, along with urns and fine, but ordinary-looking stone sarcophagi. Most of the plaques on the sarcophagi they pass bear female names.

Cycelia takes a turn down a hallway and enters an open, spacious, well lit hall. She plucks out one of the flowers and walks up to a significantly smaller sarcophagus.

「…Here.」

She says in a voice just above a whisper, placing a single chrysanthemum on the foot end of the sarcophagus lid. There is a silver plaque that reads「Otto Redwing」affixed to it.

She approaches another sarcophagus, and does the same. She then walks up to the grand, ornate sarcophagus topped with solid gold and set with gems. She sets the rest of the flowers down on its lid.

Cycelia then looks down at the plate, and raises her somber face, staring at the sarcophagus in grave silence.

「So, uh… Sorry about ruining your religious beliefs… I actually mean it, that dyslexiac aside.」

Straf breaks the silence, shrugging his shoulders, though his hands remain in his pockets. Cycelia shakes her chestnut head, then turns her wet, emerald eyes to Straf with a soft smile.

「No, you didn't ruin anything… Quite the opposite, Straf. I'm quite comforted now.」

She replies, then turns her gaze back to the fancy sarcophagus.

「Comforted? How? I thought you'd want to lop my head off.」

He asks, furrowing his brows. An amused huff escapes Cycelia's nose.

「Silly… I'm glad that Mercia is really watching, and it's not just an empty set of rules to get the peasants all over the world in line…」

Cycelia replies, speaking softly with a light smile as she looks at the sarcophagus in front of her.

《How do you manage to be so wholesome while being offensive, Lia?…》

Straf's face gains an awkward smirk, but he continues listening quietly.

「…I'm glad because no matter how unlikely it may be, I now know for sure I might be reunited with my family one day. With Otto, dad, mom, grandfather… Maybe even Albus.」

She adds, and shrugs her shoulders.

「Yeeeah…」

Straf nods along, rubbing the back of his neck with his mouth aslant.

「I know this feeling, and it's relief. You really solve all my problems, Straf…」

Cycelia smiles, tilting her chestnut head. She turns around, taking a few steps back to the doorway.

「…Let's head back.」

「Yeah…」

She says, and Straf follows along. As they leave into the hallway, Cycelia latches onto his arm, wrapping hers around it.

「…You really like gravestones, huh? Maybe I should open up a factory. It'll be always open for business.」

Straf remarks, smirking slightly as they head back for the stairs up…