MHYFMAMD Ch 34

That night.

 

“Here. This is the letter Grace gave me.”

 

Tenesia handed him a piece of paper.

 

She added, noticing Dietrich’s confusion.

 

“I wasn’t able to bring the letter, so I wrote down what I could remember.”

 

It wasn’t something she had originally planned to do.

 

She had intended to write it, but the situation wasn’t favorable. Even without Dietrich, there were many eyes around.

 

She could already imagine what would happen if she got caught falsifying something.

 

So, in the end, Tenesia had to pretend to recall the contents of a letter that didn’t exist and write it down on the paper.

 

“…”

 

Without a word, Dietrich took the letter. His eyes scanned the rough paper without hesitation.

 

‘It has to work.’

 

The more time passed as he read, the more nervous Tenesia became.

 

The contents of Grace’s letter didn’t matter even if they were trivial. The point was the information. It had to be something that Dietrich would be interested in but that he didn’t already know.

 

She couldn’t mix in any lies. Dietrich would surely figure it out, no matter what.

 

As a result, Tenesia had to struggle to recall the memories of Grace.

 

“…Grace had a Familiar?”

 

“If what I heard from Grace is true…”

 

“She didn’t say anything to me.”

 

“Grace might not have wanted to reveal it.”

 

“She didn’t want to tell her husband, but she openly confided in the Lady.”

 

Dietrich wore an openly distrustful expression.

 

It was likely because neither Grace nor Akelart had ever disclosed this information.

 

It was understandable that he was suspicious, but it was also true. Familiar. It was a bond that used to tie partners together, but now it was a contract that had disappeared.

 

A Familiar is another part of my life.

 

That was what Akelart’s head of household, who was also Grace’s father, had said.

 

A being similar to, yet different from, a spirit. It is said that they enjoy eternity, appearing in the mortal world for only a single moment during their lifetime.

 

And, naturally, the moment they appear is when they form a bond. For them, it was more of a play than a bond, though.

 

The beings they formed bonds with came in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes a dragon, sometimes a human, sometimes an otherworldly race.

 

Long ago, aside from Akelart, there were humans who formed bonds and carried Familiars with them.

 

However, as time passed, faith naturally declined.

 

Rather than praising unreachable gods, people began to trust more in rapidly advancing magic and technology. As faith in the Earth Goddess and the chief gods faded, fewer and fewer people displayed pure faith.

 

As a result, those who could still form contracts with Familiars gradually disappeared.

 

Apart from Akelart, it is rare for humans to have Familiars.

 

“If she had a Familiar, why did my wife never show it to me? At the very least, if she had brought it, I would have expected them to live together.”

 

“I don’t know about Margrave but for ordinary people, it’s an unfamiliar existence. Grace didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble because of it.”

 

A being that has disappeared is gradually forgotten. Among the people living in the same era, it’s safe to say that the existence of Familiars is almost unknown. So much so that they weren’t properly recorded in history or literature.

 

“She said she could no longer trouble you, Dietrich.”

 

“…”

 

Dietrich stayed silent for a moment. He looked as though he was holding back a sigh.

 

“I knew there was a relationship called Familiar, but it’s the first time I’ve seen someone who actually made a contract.”

 

“The people of Akelart are special.”

 

“The whereabouts of the Familiar…”

 

Tenesia shook her head.

 

Even though it was her Familiar, the sensations weren’t shared. Unless there was a major impact, she couldn’t know where it was.

 

‘I guess it might have left this place altogether.’

 

Since Grace’s body had died, it was possible that the Familiars realized the contract was over and left. Or, at the very least, the contract might have been severed.