A crude, cobblestone path snaked its wayFigures draped in somber black trudged along, their shoulders bowed beneath the weight of a single wooden coffin."They're coming."Survivors, gaunt and weary, returned from the crucible of war.Their faces, etched with the lines of hardship, bore witness to the storm of conflict that had ravaged their lives.And within that coffin they carried, lay a great swordsman who had faced the invasion of demonkind - a valiant warrior, now eternally silenced.A hero deserved a hero's welcome, yet the path remained eerily empty, save for a solitary figure.Under ordinary circumstances, this man would have remained aloof, an indifferent observer.But these were far from ordinary circumstances.The woman within that coffin… she was his wife."......."Silently, he acknowledged their arrival.The procession bowed their heads in solemn greeting."We greet the Mukgeom."An ironic moniker, considering his chosen weapon. "Thanks to you, we have learned so much.""The manuals you have written were a great help for our soldiers on the front lines.""It is humbling to hear such praise from knights of your caliber," he replied, a bitter smile playing on his lips. As one incapable of wielding a sword, his contribution had been limited to the realm of theory and written word."Please, lay her to rest here," he gestured towards a nearby clearing. "With no one to welcome her, there is no point in entering the castle."The procession, their faces etched with shared grief, nodded in somber agreement and gently lowered the coffin."Do you have a place to go?""....."There was only silence.But it wasn't unusual."Indeed, who among us has a home to return to?""May you find peace," they chorused, bowing their heads in respect before departing.He knew he would likely never see them again.He was grateful for their final act of loyalty in bringing his wife's remains to their final resting place.The burial site lay a short distance from the castle, yet the journey, aided only by a cane, seemed to stretch into an eternity. "My apologies. As you know, I can't use one of my legs."By the time he reached the pre-dug grave, the sun had completed its cycle, painting the sky with hues of dawn. Beads of sweat, like scattered jewels, traced paths down his face, one escaping to land on the polished surface of the coffin. A humorless chuckle escaped his lips as he wiped it away."It seems the most precious jewel I can give you is this."Creak—I slowly opened the coffin.Inside, artificially arranged roses serve as decorations.Amidst the blooms, lay a woman of exquisite beauty, her hands clasped, her eyes serenely closed.Rianna Helmund.First daughter of the illustrious Helmund family.A remarkable swordswoman who vanquished countless evildoers and slaughtered transcendents.The woman I truly loved.My wife."It's been a full ten years, and yet you remain as beautiful as ever."A hollow laugh filled with disbelief escaped me.They had said she had fallen in battle, yet she appeared as if she had just returned from a grand ball, her features unmarked by the ravages of war, her skin still radiating a youthful glow. The scent of roses, a lingering perfume, seemed to emanate from her, as if magic had been employed to preserve her body."I imagined I would have so much to say upon seeing you again, yet now that you are here, words seem to fail me."Even with her lifeless form before him, he found himself gazing awkwardly at the rising sun."Did you ever wonder why I fled?"Five years.A fleetingly brief marriage, abruptly ended by his cowardly retreat.The reason was simple.Born a commoner, he was tormented by the Helmund family members, and Rianna Helmund, as if disappointed in me, chose to stand aside."I resented you greatly. Did you resent me as well?"Even now, ten years later, meeting like this..."Or perhaps you laughed with relief?"In the end, what they have here cannot be called a proper reunion."There's nothing more pointless than questions without answers."If he had to pick the thing he was most curious about—"Were you, till the very end..."Swinging that enormous sword,With your final breath,"Were you still the Great Helmund?"A woman who lived solely for the Helmund name, a woman who had abandoned her husband."Hehe, haha."A humorless laugh, sharp and brittle, escaped him.It felt like the final, crushing blow to their shattered relationship. Standing beside her lifeless form, he felt like he was sealing their fate, nailing shut the coffin of their broken bond."You must be smiling now," he whispered, a poignant farewell to the woman who had always worn a smile as naturally as a rose. He had finally let go of his regrets, ready to close this agonizing chapter of his life."Farewell then."As he reached out to gently unclasp her hands, his fingers brushed against something unexpected. A callus, rough and textured from years of sword fighting. But nestled between those calluses, on her left ring finger, rested a simple ring.Their wedding ring. The one he had bought with all his meager savings, the one that her family had scorned for its simplicity.Seeing it still there, on her finger…"......"He was speechless, staring at it in stunned disbelief."You…"A sigh, a mixture of grief and a bitter, ironic amusement, escaped his lips."Even in death, you still manage to surprise me."****"Hmm?"The familiar ache in his right leg, his constant companion for the past decade, was gone.He reached for the cane beside his bed, but his fingers met only air. Disorientation washed over him. His body, stiff and aching, felt… fluid, almost youthful."Where…?"This was his room.To me more specifically, it was the room he used ten years ago in Helmund.Of course, his wife and he slept in separate rooms. He used the guest room.Back then, it had felt like a subtle statement, a reminder that he was an outsider in his own home.His reflection stared back at him from the ornate mirror across the room.Isaac.It was his face, but younger, the lines of age erased. Jet-black hair framed his face, a stark contrast to the silver he now saw in the mirror. And his leg… it was whole, miraculously healed.The disability he'd lived with for ten long years was gone."A dream?"This had to be a cruel trick of his mind.Yet, the intricate details of the Helmund estate, the familiar scent of the expensive woods, felt alarmingly real.Creak—Click—"Brother-in-law!?"At that moment, the door opened, and someone entered the room.A man with red hair and sharp features—the hallmark of Helmund—and an impressively tall stature.This is Alois Helmund, the third son of Helmund."Alois Helmut?"Just as he remembered him.Alois was almost the only one in Helmund who was kind to him."What are you doing? My sister's been waiting for you!""Your sister, Rianna Helmund?""What's gotten into you today? You worked so hard with me yesterday to prepare for the wedding anniversary!"'Wedding anniversary?I prepared something with Alois Helmund?Familiar words line up, forming a sentence naturally in my mind.'Our fourth anniversary?'At this point, there was only one year left before he fled from Helmund."Since I helped you out this time, she'll definitely be happy for sure. You've really worked hard, Brother-in-law."Yes, that was true.He glanced at Alois and let out a hollow laugh.The final attempt to restore a marriage gone awry.And also...'The trap that pushed me further into despair.'He remembered the accident, the searing pain, the shattering of his leg, the whispers of pity and disdain that followed.'The day my leg was crippled in an accident.'The day he became Mukgeom, a mockery of his former self.And now,The culprit—"Hurry up, brother-in-law! She's going to be furious if we keep her waiting!"—who took away his leg——He was urging Isaac to hurry.