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Tl: Sam

…

It’s strange.

When I cried a lot, I felt refreshed. That’s what it showed on Nemil’s face.
I think that crying together might have helped me to accept Grandpa’s death.
Of course, I’m still sad. I may cry again.
But at least I felt like I could move on after accepting it.

Messy

“！？ “

A wet handkerchief was suddenly pressed against my face, and I was startled.
With a smile on her swollen face, Nemil muttered.

“Ahhh, you’re a mess.”
‘No, you’re messed up too.”
“Right….Ah.”

A string pulled from my cheek onto my handkerchief. This is probably…

“Sorry, I have a runny nose.”
“…… it’s fine, it’s fine.” “Sorry.”
“I said it was fine.”
“No, it’s my birthday present. I used it before I knew it…”
“Ah…”

That’s what she meant. To be honest, I forgot it was my birthday. That’s why it’s my favourite color.
So this handkerchief was navy blue.

“I’ll buy another one…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Saying that, I took the handkerchief from Nemil’s hand. It was more soggy than I had expected.
It was soaking wet.

“I’ll take it. It’s my favourite.”
“Eh.”

…… What’s with that face? Why are you pulling back a bit? This stuff will be fine once it’s washed…

“Do you like it with snot on it?”
“It’s the colour!”

Messy!

I grabbed it with all my might.
What are we doing?
What are we laughing at?
In front of Grandpa?

What the…

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It was a good funeral.
It wasn’t weirdly humid, and everyone in town gave Grandpa a lively send-off.
We were all convinced that this was the right thing to do, including the two of us.

At the burial, Nemil and I cried again. But so did the others.
I consider it a natural emotion, because it was so. Abaayo, Grandpa.

After a hectic few days, that dreary afternoon.
Me and my parents were invited back to Stainey’s house.

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“Sorry to bother you. Thank you for your help at the funeral.”
“No, no.”

I was looking absently at my parents, who were greeting each other, and I was sitting opposite them.
I raise my hand lightly to Nemil, who is sitting opposite me. Nemil also raised her hand in the same way and gave a small laugh. I’m glad, it seems she’s smiling normally. I feel a little relieved.

Aside from my parents, I wonder what the reason is for me being invited here too.
I can imagine many things, but I’m not sure about any of them. Maybe I’m wrong.
I don’t know. I know that.

But in the midst of all this, I had a hunch. I knew it was time for me to make up my mind.
I want to. I haven’t been able to make a statement because my birthday fell through.
If you say now is the time, then I’ll give you a big kick in the nuts.

Hey, Nemil.

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“As you know, Magpott-san, my father was an oracle.”

Nemil’s father, who had straightened up his residence, began the conversation in this way.
This man is Grandpa’s eldest son, a formal primary school teacher. Sometimes he used to invite Grandpa.
I remember he used to invite him as a skills teacher.

“The oracle and the blessings have long since died out, but we cannot let them die out.
I can’t let them die out. That would be a betrayal of Rona, the goddess of grace. That is why,
In our Stainey family, we have had oracles for generations.” “…………”

Nn?
Wait a minute.
I hadn’t thought about it, but was the oracle hereditary in the first place? That means Grandpa inherited the oracle’s work from his parents…
The tradition of Keishin Rona has existed for a long time, so it must have been passed down from generation to generation.

But Nemil’s father, who is in front of him, is a school teacher.
Don’t tell me he’s going to give up that job and follow in his father’s footsteps now?
No, in such a famous and innocent job…?

“I can see the doubt on your face, Tran boy.”
“Huh? …Oh, Ahh, excuse me!”

That father pointed out with a wry smile, and I was quite flustered. Apparently.
I was apparently making a weird face. My parents laughed too.

“Well, I know what you were thinking. If it’s been passed down from generation to generation, why would I be the one to take it over?
I mean, if I’ve been in this business for generations, how come I’m in another job as a matter of course…?”
“That’s right.”

I dared to answer honestly. I thought it would be quicker to talk about it.
Dad laughed sadly and nodded a few times.

“…I don’t need to tell you this now, but the oracle profession’s reason for existence is already gone, It is infinitely thin. The Lonamoros religion is already in decline, and those who want to obtain the blessings is really very small. That’s why this job was decreed to be inherited by the youngest child, not the eldest.”
“Youngest son inheritance…?”

It was my father who said that. Apparently he hadn’t heard of it either. Of course, so did my mother. Nemil also looked as if she had never heard of it.
I thought about the meaning of the phrase.

The youngest son inherited.
So it’s not his eldest son, but his youngest son who will inherit.
It’s not well-known, but it’s bad to end it. So the youngest son inherits. What can I say?
It’s really a ‘just leaving a legacy’ kind of inheritance. There’s hardly any demand for it,
Why go to such lengths? That youngest son is a poor lad, isn’t he? If it were me, I wouldn’t have…

Huh?
That means that it’s his brother or sister who will follow in Grandpa’s footsteps. In other words, Nemil’s.
Nemil’s uncle or aunt. But did she have such a person?

“I had two younger brothers.”

As if he had seen through my question, he took a breath and continued.

“As long as there is a provision for the youngest child to inherit, it is only natural for an oracle to have more than one child. My father, of course, was the same. …But unfortunately, my brothers and sisters left the world at a young age.”

Huh? So you’re saying that Nemil’s uncles are already dead?
I glanced at them, and apparently my parents already knew that fact.
So what’s going to happen to the successors after all?

“…After my brothers passed away, my father didn’t want to have any more children.
So I was the only child. By then I had already become a teacher.
I think my father couldn’t ask me to leave that now either.” “…So what happens then?”

It was my mother who asked.

“There is no son to succeed Rutger-san. Then the next oracle…”
“It’s very rare, but in this case it would mean leaving a generation blank. This means that my generation will be skipped and my son’s generation will carry out the youngest child’s inheritance.”

“Eh?”

I shouted out.
Because I understood almost instantly what Dad meant.

In short, it means that Grandpa’s next oracle will be ‘his youngest child’.
That means…

“Nemil.”
“Eh?”
‘You will succeed him. That was my promise to Grandpa Lutger.”

The words of the pronouncement rang in my ears with cruel clarity.

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