Reincarnated User Manual

The Imperial Palace.

For Victor, the day of meeting Shiron was always a time of excitement, a joy she anticipated.

At dawn, a servant rushed in with an urgent report.

The news was that the leader of the terrorists had been executed, and hundreds of enemies were captured.

“…Why didn’t they just kill them?”

At the somewhat puzzling remark, Victor tilted her head.

Victor, who had known Shiron for a long time and even shared intimate moments with him, couldn’t understand why Shiron left those who were nothing more than dying embers alive.

“Maybe it’s an act of mercy? Perhaps it will set a good example and bolster his prestige.”

Louise, who sat across from her, smiled as she spoke.

“There’s no need to shed unnecessary blood in such chaotic times, and since he didn’t completely avoid punishment, it could enhance His Majesty’s reputation.”

“…Aren’t you being overly optimistic?”

Though Victor vaguely denied it, her face flushed red like a ripening maiden.

She didn’t know Shiron’s true intentions, but imagining it in a favorable light made her grin.

Before her gender was discovered, such fantasies were reserved for private moments. But now, with the servants dismissed and only Empress Louise by her side, she let herself act like a teenage girl.

Louise, finding Victor’s loosened demeanor adorable, looked at her fondly, and Victor unconsciously acted as if she were a young girl.

Her stiff tone softened, and their relationship felt much closer than before.

“That aside…”

Victor’s brief, embarrassing daydream was interrupted as she glanced at a particular part of the report with a troubled expression.

At the end of the list of the deceased:

[……Gaijin, Yoru.]

“So the slave I went through so much trouble to get has died. How am I supposed to face Shiron now…”

Victor sighed, resting her chin on her hand.

She had only recently received a report that Yoru, who had been captured, was made a slave. But what was this unfortunate news?

Yoru had been a heinous criminal, deserving of death.

Even if made into a slave, it would have been appropriate to at least destroy her dantian.

Thus, it was only natural that the high officials’ petitions flooded in, and various aftereffects came crashing down on Victor.

“I feel somewhat defeated.”

The emotion that suddenly washed over her was regret.

The slave she had gone to great lengths to acquire had died. Did this mean all her effort was in vain?

She had thought of repaying even a small debt of gratitude for Yoru’s matter, but now it felt like she was back at square one.

“If even Your Majesty looks downcast, what will we do?”

Louise consoled Victor.

“Sir Shiron will be arriving soon. You’ve dressed up so nicely; if you frown, your makeup will be ruined.”

“…You’re right.”

Victor chuckled softly and looked at the mirror.

It wasn’t her first time putting on makeup, but it was her first time doing so for a man.

“And right now, Sir Shiron is likely in a pretty somber mood. This could be your chance to get closer to him, don’t you think?”

“…You’re right about that.”

Feeling more motivated, Victor headed toward the Glass Garden, where the meeting would take place, with Louise seeing her off.

The Glass Garden was a greenhouse built specifically for Shiron, who found the formal atmosphere of the Alhyeon Room uncomfortable.

Even in the dead of winter, one could smell the flowers of spring, and in the summer, cool breezes blew, making it a cozy space to chat leisurely with someone dear.

That was why the first person Victor wanted to show the Glass Garden to was Shiron.

“I greet the ruler of the empire.”

“…Wasn’t Shiron supposed to come?”

Victor showed clear disappointment as he spoke. The person who had arrived early in the Glass Garden wasn’t Shiron, whom he had been eagerly waiting for.

Deviale straightened his deeply bowed back.

“Sir Shiron had an urgent matter and asked me to convey his regards.”

“…Shiron?”

Victor sat down in the chair that a servant pulled out for her. She had taken care to do her makeup and dressed with a neutral charm, only for her anticipation since dawn to vanish.

“What for?”

“He wishes to offer prayers for the souls of the deceased from this recent event.”

“But the report states that there were no imperial casualties…”

Victor furrowed her brow in confusion.

“Surely he’s not planning to hold a funeral for the barbarians, is he?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so.”

“…Cardinal?”

Victor cautiously addressed the large figure.

A thick teardrop was rolling down Deviale’s cheek.

“Why are you crying?”

“My apologies. I was overwhelmed with emotion.”

Deviale rubbed his eyes roughly, despite it being improper.

“The Lord… He has said to love your enemies as you love your neighbors.”

“…Ah.”

“Though their lives were taken, it was due to human weakness. But Sir Shiron, wishing to ease their passing, has personally chosen to practice the Lord’s teachings.”

“I see…”

‘Is this what all cardinals are like?’

That thought briefly crossed Victor’s mind, but she quickly dismissed it. After all, Deviale wasn’t the only cardinal in existence.

Victor’s gaze shifted to the woman quietly bowing her head beside Deviale. As if sensing her gaze, the woman slightly raised her head, and their blue eyes met.

“Who might you be?”

“My apologies for the late introduction. I am Iris Cardiore, Cardinal of Lucerne, and Captain of the 7th Unit of the Steel Knights.”

At Victor’s gesture, Iris straightened her back. As her short hair swayed, pointed ears that weren’t human were revealed.

“An elf? Or…”

“A half-breed.”

Iris answered smoothly. Although Victor’s question was rude, as if she had experienced it many times, her expression showed no discomfort.

“Shall I call you Cardinal Iris?”

“Please do.”

“What brings you here?”

Deviale, who had stopped crying by now, also looked at Iris. He waited for her response, not using holy power to heal his swollen eyelids.

“I have a message from His Holiness.”

Iris pulled out a rolled-up parchment from her sleeve and unfurled it.

“We propose forming an expedition to the Demonic Realm, led by Shiron Prient. We request that Shiron Prient be escorted to Lucerne.”

---

At that moment.

On the outskirts of Hugo’s estate, an unexpected construction project was taking place.

Pak—

“Alright, that should do it.”

Shiron spoke towards the pit, where a mound of dirt was rising. From within, Yoru, covered in dirt, emerged, panting heavily.

“Huff… Huff…!”

It might seem like an overreaction for merely digging a pit, but the depth of the hole, combined with the fact that there were easily over a hundred similar holes nearby, explained her exhaustion.

And, next to Shiron, there were rows of bodies wrapped in white cloth. The number totaled 102. These were the bodies of the barbarians who had died in the recent commotion.

Yoru, who had carelessly thrown aside her shovel, collapsed on the ground, panting.

“Do we… really need to… huff… dig graves?”

“We’re not even halfway done. We still have to place the bodies, cover them with dirt, and set up the gravestones.”

“…Didn’t I tell you? My people traditionally do tree burials or sky burials. There’s no need to carve gravestones; after all, we are born from the earth and return to it…”

Smack—

A spark flared in Yoru’s vision.

“Ouch!”

“You said you wanted to be responsible for sending off your people, didn’t you? Then you need to see it through to the end!”

After the incident was over, Yoru shamelessly made a request of Shiron.

She asked to be allowed to perform the funeral rites for her father and her people.

Even though Gaijin had used and discarded Yoru without a second thought, and had easily betrayed the bonds between parent and child, Yoru still couldn’t let go of her attachment to Gaijin.

After all, they were her parents who gave birth to and raised her.

Shiron had said that trash like her parents deserved to be eaten by wild animals, but Yoru, unwilling to turn her back on her parents’ grace, had begged him, even prostrating herself to convince him.

“…I’ll take responsibility.”

Yoru muttered as she steadied her trembling knees. She shook out her numb hands and feet and stood in front of a particularly large corpse.

‘…If I had known things would end like this, I wouldn’t have stayed in hiding.’

Yoru wiped her tear-filled eyes and pushed Gaijin’s body into the pit.

Thud—

“Goodbye… Gaijin.”

Yoru sobbed as she covered the body with dirt.

She whispered the names of her people, written in black ink, as she buried them, one after another, recalling the memories she shared with them. Each time, the flood of memories brought fresh tears to her eyes.

Sniff—

Sob—

“…I’ll make the gravestones.”

Perhaps moved by her endless crying, Shiron softened and used his power to heat his core, solidifying the ground and carving the stones.

The task was finally completed just before sunset. Although it only involved burying the bodies and setting up the gravestones, the sheer number of graves and the tears shed had made the process long and exhausting.

Shiron cleared his throat.

Shiron, who had been patting Yoru on the back, cleared his throat quietly.

“Now that we’re done, go wash up and get some rest.”

“…Thank you for granting such an unreasonable request. You had no obligation to fulfill it…”

“Yeah, yeah, just go to bed. You need to sleep so you can go to that village or wherever tomorrow.”

“…Okay.”

Yoru weakly nodded, watching Shiron until he disappeared from view.

Then, she headed toward the ‘house’ that had been prepared specifically for her.

[Blackie]

“…Sigh.”

Yoru sighed as she looked at the dilapidated hut. The red-haired girl had worked with her hands to build it, but honestly, it didn’t seem fit for human habitation.

‘I never thought I’d reach the day when I’d miss the shrine.’

Though the wooden planks making up the hut were new, the sawing and nailing were so sloppy that there were gaps everywhere. There were no windows, so instead of sunlight coming in, cold winds blew through the gaping holes.

‘I guess I’ll have to rebuild it later.’

Yoru let out a deep sigh and opened the wooden door.

Creak—

“…”

When the door opened, a silver-haired woman was standing inside.

“Are you really living here? Lucia is so cruel. Even if she’s treating you like a pet, this is too much, don’t you think?”

“…”

“Don’t be so tense. I won’t eat you.”

“…You’re Siriel, aren’t you…”

“You should call me sister.”

Siriel smiled warmly at Yoru.

“You seem pretty close to my brother.”

A cold sweat ran down Yoru’s back like rain.