Chapter 271: A Funeral with No Mourners
A bright sunny day didn’t feel right for a funeral. After all, in most stories, funerals happen under gloomy, cloudy skies.
But today, the weather was clear. Even the temperature was warmer than it had been the past few days, so Armand didn’t need to wear his heavy coat.
Still, even though the weather was nice, he had to show some respect for the "mood of the dead." So he wore a long black coat to the cemetery. With his short jet-black hair, from a distance, he looked like a man completely wrapped in black.
This was why Armand usually didn’t wear black. At formal events, he usually chose white, so at least his appearance wouldn’t look so dark and serious. But since it was a funeral today, he didn’t have a choice.
"Here, we..."
The priest was reading a serious and respectful eulogy. The people around showed sad expressions, but honestly, very few of them were truly mourning the dead.
Because this was the funeral of Viscount Scassia, or rather the former Viscount now.
His second son had naturally taken over the title of "Viscount," and he was the one standing nearby now. He looked like he was trying hard to look sad, slapping his own thigh to force out some tears, but he was clearly trying not to smile.
Leaning against a dead tree, Armand looked up at the bright sun, then looked down and tapped his toe on the ground, bored.
He didn’t feel sad at all about the old man who had died, of course not. After all, he was the one who killed him. Armand was the murderer behind this whole incident.
It had been more than a month since Armand burned down that old house.
The Viscount’s body was discovered last month. At that time, Armand had only just woken up, so the investigation was handled by Carle. But Carle also had no good opinion of the old Viscount who only ever sucked others dry like a leech. So when the family said they didn’t want to look into it too deeply, the case was quickly closed as a "robbery."
No one suspected Armand, and no one would ever think to link him to the case.
Even though the old Viscount wasn’t very powerful or well-liked, he was still a noble. So when he died, they still had to go through the proper funeral process. Luckily for the knights, the old man’s son was eager to take over the title and didn’t give them any trouble. With a few simple documents, the case was officially wrapped up.
As for today’s funeral, it was mostly for show. The dead man had been a Viscount after all, he couldn’t just be thrown in the ground without ceremony.
But to be honest, there wasn’t even a real body left to bury. The fire had burned everything to the bone. Even if you managed to find some charred remains, you couldn’t tell who they belonged to. This was really just a symbolic grave, an empty tomb with a name on it.
How sad. Viscount Scassia, a man who spent his life scheming, ended up being buried in such an ugly, shameful way. His soul in the afterlife was probably suffering from high blood pressure and a pounding headache.
Armand had come here today with Carle. Carle’s wife hated the old Viscount, so she didn’t come at all. She just asked Carle to show up on her behalf.
After all, for someone like Melian, who loved money more than anything, a man like the former Viscount Scassia, who was always asking for loans and leaving behind unpaid debts, was nothing more than a parasite. Or maybe even a maggot.
But since Carle was the officer in charge of the case, he had to be here. As soon as he arrived, people who were connected to the old Viscount pulled him aside to talk, so he couldn’t get away for a while.
That left Armand alone, standing in a daze.
As for why Armand came…
He was feeling… a complicated mix of emotions.
Fortunately, Carle didn’t ask too many questions. When Armand said he wanted to come along, Carle quickly agreed, saying it was nice to have company when visiting such an unpleasant place.
Even though Armand hated the man deeply, he still clearly remembered being tied up and stuffed into a box by the old Viscount to be taken away by the House of Nightingales, he still came to the funeral.
Of course, he wasn’t mourning the man himself. What he felt sad about was the name "Scassia."
After all, he was also part of the Scassia bloodline. He was supposed to inherit the title of Viscount Scassia. That name didn’t just belong to the dead old man, but also to his beloved father… and to himself.
Now that the old man was dead and replaced, Armand could already see the slow fall of the Scassia family.
His father’s hard-earned glory would soon fade into nothing. Just like a grain of sand blown away by the wind, it would vanish without a trace.
Even now, the name "Armand Systalia" couldn’t appear on the family record.
Thinking of that, Armand felt like…
He wasn’t sending off the old man today. He was burying the name Scassia.
But… it had nothing to do with him anymore.
“Hey, you're the Commander, right?”
“...?”
As Armand was lost in thought, a man's voice interrupted him.
He looked up and saw a man whose face was half-hidden by his messy bangs. He wore a pair of outdated black square glasses.
This guy stood out the most at the funeral. Not because of his face, but because he was wearing a white lab coat while everyone else wore black. There was even a pen with a cartoon design clipped to his chest.
“Ah... and you are...?”
Armand felt like he almost recognized him, but couldn’t place where they met.
His memory had been worse lately, likely due to the poison's effects, so he just smiled politely, a little embarrassed.
“It’s me! We met at the old house last time. My cat even scratched you back then. Sorry again about that! Did the wound heal? No scar, I hope?”
Seeing Armand’s confused look, the man smiled and quickly introduced himself. Though he looked cheerful, there was something else hidden in his eyes behind the hair.
Armand looked awkward. He figured this man was someone he met when visiting Evelia and Rachel, but because of his health at the time, he couldn’t remember many details.
“Ah... yeah...”
He remembered a bit about the Viscount and visiting the gray house afterward, those were hard to forget. But the man in front of him didn’t seem important at the time, so he hadn’t paid much attention.
“Seems like important people forget things easily. I thought you'd remember me, so I came to say hello.”
If Armand could recall their last meeting clearly, he might realize this man’s current demeanor was very different from before.
It was just like when a lazy researcher suddenly finds an interesting experiment or result, he suddenly looked full of energy.
“Haha, sorry about that.”
Armand didn’t say much more. He just gave a polite smile and scratched his head.
“No worries. You’re a busy man, after all. Managing the whole knight order every day, of course you wouldn’t remember a small guy like me.”
As the man spoke, he stepped out from behind the tree and took two steps forward. Compared to before, when he seemed like he was keeping a distance, this was now a normal face-to-face conversation.
Although Armand was taller and looked stronger than the man, maybe because the man’s eyes were always hidden behind his bangs, Armand couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy around him, like there was some kind of “mystery” that made him nervous.
“Sir, do you still need something?”
Armand smiled as he asked the man, since it felt like he wasn’t just here to say hello. Otherwise, he would have left already.
“Ah, I just noticed you look a bit more tired than last time. The knight order must be really hard work, huh?”
“Haha, well, it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“I see. That’s good. You are our commander, after all, you can’t fall sick so easily. You don’t look so well today. You should get more rest.”
“Mm. Thanks for the concern.”
As Armand chatted with the man, he coughed lightly a couple of times. His throat felt a little tight.
“......”
Then, Armand thought he heard something like a sniff. It felt like the man had leaned in and taken a small sniff of him.
“Is something wrong?”
That strange move made Armand feel even more awkward.
“No, nothing. It’s just the cold weather, I’ve got a little cold, so I’m sniffing a bit. You should be careful too. Don’t fall ill so easily.”
“...Ah, right. Thanks for the advice.”
For some reason, Armand felt strange.
Even though the man’s words sounded normal, it felt like the way he looked at Armand had a teasing, almost playful tone. That line “don’t fall ill so easily” sounded more like “I’m not done playing with you yet” than actual concern.
“Well then, Commander, I won’t bother you any longer.”
“Alright. Take care.”
“......”
The man had started the conversation suddenly, and ended it just as suddenly. To Armand, it didn’t feel like a simple greeting. It felt more like the man had approached him with a purpose, maybe to confirm something or gather information.
‘Was he sent by the Second Prince? Was he here to check on my movements? Did I say anything suspicious just now?’
With those thoughts in mind, Armand checked himself over, his coat and his pockets, worried that something had been planted on him or that something was missing. Luckily, after a full check, everything was fine.
“What a strange guy…”
Muttering to himself, Armand turned back and leaned against the tree again.
He had only been out for a little while, but he let out a big yawn.