The Man Who Remained — His Second Life Began with a Humble Bow of Apology.

No Matter Who You Are, No Matter When It Is – No One Can Ever Win Against That.

Finally, Roza understood.

She realized just how limited her own imagination was, and that reality far surpassed anything so small and trivial.

And within that reality, there existed beings to whom one could never hope to defy.

Even if it meant feeling a searing, burning pain, she could not stop it.

There was simply… no way to win against something like this.

Such thoughts ran through Roza’s mind with utmost seriousness as she desperately wrestled with her soup.

It was hot.

Simply, purely hot.

But even so, she felt it was a waste of time to blow on it to cool it down.

And so, nearly burning the inside of her mouth, Roza continued to bring spoonful after spoonful to her lips with single-minded determination.

She devoured the chunks of vegetables, slurping noisily.

Her manners were, to put it mildly, quite poor – but there was no one to scold her.

Someday she would need to correct such behavior, but today was not that day.

No matter how many years she had lived, Roza was still a child.

Cross, Aura, and Ellie, who sat with her at the table, watched Roza with warm, gentle eyes.

“…Uhhhwaa. I can’t believe something this delicious even exists… Or rather, there’s so much stuff in here it doesn’t even look like soup! Is this… a stew? Or maybe boiled vegetables? But there’s meat too, so what is it?”

As Roza muttered these words, Aura let out a small chuckle.

“You’ve cleaned your bowl so thoroughly it looks like it’s been licked. Would you like some more?”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes, of course. However…”

“However what? That I shouldn’t eat too much? Or that thing about ‘those who do not work shall not eat’? I’ll do anything for this soup.”

“No, it’s nothing like that. Please eat as much as you like. Of course, I’m not asking anything in return. It’s just… we still have more food to come, so please save a little room.”

“…Eh? There’s more food? …Seriously?”

As if to confirm Aura’s words, the maids quietly placed bread before Roza.

Soft, warm, white bread.

In every way, it was different from any bread Roza had ever known.

“…I feel like I’m going to cry.”

With those words, Roza took the bread in both hands and bit into it with all her might.

She couldn’t hold back.

Tears fell gently from her eyes.

But these were not tears of sadness.

They were not tears born of a painful past or tragic circumstances.

These tears flowed simply because it was delicious.

Just from that pure, simple reason – Roza cried.

“I thought that if you ate too quickly, your stomach might get upset, so I prepared a gentle dinner… but seeing you like this, perhaps I should have made something more substantial,”

Aura murmured as she watched Roza after the meal.

Two bowls of soup, four pieces of bread.

However, only a single plate of salad.

Though she hadn’t left any of it behind, it seemed the salad hadn’t been to her liking.

“I’m sorry, Cross, Ellie. Especially you, Cross. It probably wasn’t enough for a man.”

To Aura’s apology, Cross shook his head.

“No. It’s good to have something like this once in a while. Besides… isn’t this actually better than what you usually prepare?”

Aura looked slightly surprised at his words.

“You noticed?”

“Yeah. Just a feeling.”

In truth, it was exactly as he said – the quality of tonight’s ingredients far exceeded what Cross used to eat in the Demon King’s castle.

They were of such a level that they could be served at a banquet.

Especially the flour and butter used in the bread – Aura had spent nearly every last coin and favor she could muster, using even her status as Demon King to obtain them.

At the very least, she wanted Roza to eat something like this.

That was Aura’s wish for her.

“Well, tomorrow I’ll prepare a more proper dinner.”

She smiled gently at Cross.

“No, don’t bother. We’re leaving at dawn tomorrow, right, Ellie?”

“Yes. We plan to carry out His Majesty’s command to head to Hourai starting tomorrow.”

The two confirmed with calm resolve.

“But you’ve just had a battle… You must be tired. Why not rest a few days…”

“I’m not the type to leave work unfinished and take it easy. Besides, I want to go on an adventure. Right, Ellie?”

Cross spoke cheerfully, and Ellie smiled softly.

“That’s just like you, Cross.”

“Sorry for being so restless.”

“Not at all. As your knight, it is my duty to follow wherever you wish to go. Please, as you desire.”

Hearing her words, Cross smiled and nodded.

“……………”

Aura fell silent, still smiling.

Then, after a moment…

“Please… if possible, could you stay until tomorrow?”

She lowered her head deeply.

“…Huh? What’s this about? Is something wrong?”

Cross asked, and Aura spoke in a quiet voice.

“It’s just… I sent a message earlier, and the reply came back faster than expected… It seems someone will be arriving tomorrow.”

“Who?”

“To meet with Roza… A Pureblood will be coming.”

“Yes, Cross. Let’s depart tomorrow as planned.”

Ellie answered without hesitation.

“Ellie, you know how different things are with or without Cross here!”

“I do know. And that’s exactly why I made this judgment.”

“I am the Demon King, you know!? The highest authority here!?”

“I am Cross’s knight.”

With that, the two began bickering, leaving Cross out of the conversation entirely.

“So… what’s going on?” Cross asked, prompting them to explain.

“In short, we would like you to meet with the Pureblood,” Aura said.

“…Huh? Why me? I don’t know anything about formal etiquette.”

Cross tilted his head.

“It’s just… I’m not very good with Purebloods…”

Aura spoke with a troubled expression.

“…Hmm. But if I mess something up, it’ll cause problems too…”

“It’s fine. I will be by your side, and I won’t put the blame on you. Just… as the one who directly saved Roza, it would mean a lot if you spoke to them.”

Aura looked at Cross with earnest pleading in her eyes.

It was the first time he had ever seen her like this.

“You really don’t like them that much? Are they that difficult?”

“…Normally, they’re quite courteous. But this time, they will certainly be in a very good mood, since they’re coming to take Roza home.”

“Still, you don’t want to deal with them?”

“Embarrassing as it is… yes.”

She spoke in a small, apologetic voice.

“…Ellie, what do you think?”

Ellie smiled and nodded.

“If that is what you wish. But know that it may involve some political complications.”

“Well, after all they’ve done for us, this is the least I can do to repay them.”

Cross smiled, and Aura visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Hey, hey. Where’s dessert? I’ve been waiting forever.”

Roza’s voice brought the three back to the reality of their dinner.

“Ah, I’m so sorry. Please, bring out the dessert.”

At Aura’s words, the maids nodded and headed to the kitchen.

“…Your Majesty, consider this a favor you owe Cross.”

Ellie whispered softly, and Aura nodded slightly.

Part of her was relieved to have such a dependable knight at Cross’s side, and part of her felt a faint annoyance at how much more troublesome things might become.

“Wowww!”

Roza let out a squeal, her eyes going wide.

What was served as dessert was nothing special – just ice cream.

A perfectly white, round scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Indeed, being from the Demon King’s castle, it was high quality – extra airy and incredibly soft with a fluffy texture and rich taste – but it was not something so exceptional that it should inspire awe.

Yet to Roza, who was seeing ice cream for the first time, it was the newest, most amazing thing she had ever laid eyes on. Sparkling with tiny melting droplets, it looked like a jewel to her.

“…I feel like I finally understand why I was born.”

With an almost enlightened expression of bliss, Roza spoke.

Each time she scooped up a bit of ice cream and brought it to her mouth, her face lit up with such radiant joy that it seemed she might ascend to heaven then and there.

To Cross, that expression was too dazzling to look at directly.

“…She’s heavy.”

“Hmm? Did you say something, Cross?”

Ellie asked, and Cross shook his head with a smile.

“No, it’s nothing. Just… seeing a child so happy makes me happy too.”

“That’s true. Though, technically, Roza is far older than either of us.”

“Even so, a child is a child. Their job is to laugh, to enjoy life, and it’s our job to protect that.”

That was obvious to Cross.

And the fact that Roza could find such pure joy in something as simple as ice cream – it only proved how much she had been deprived until now.

It had always been like this.

Protecting others had been a crushing burden for the powerless Cross, and he had nearly drowned under its weight countless times.

Yet never once did he think of it as a nuisance or wish to abandon it.

“Aura. When Roza goes back to her own people… will she be happy?”

“I don’t know for sure. But… probably. Purebloods are incredibly gentle with their own kind. Given that she is a child, they will likely spoil her endlessly.”

“Well, that sounds about right. After everything she’s been through, that’s exactly what she deserves.”

“…Yes. Perhaps you’re right.”

Aura smiled softly at his words.

“More, please!”

Roza held out her empty bowl toward Aura.

Aura smiled back.

“No. If you eat too much, your stomach will hurt.”

At her refusal, Roza’s face fell, like a puppy abandoned on the roadside.

“…Okay… I understand… I’ll be good…”

It was a face that stirred deep guilt in the hearts of those who saw it.

Aura tried to stand firm, but in the end, she couldn’t resist.

“…Just half, okay?”