The Extra Wants To Live

Carl should have called his mother a little earlier.

He should have been a little more careful.

He should have done a little better.

He should have told her that he loved her a little more.

Just a little more, just a little more, just a little more... No matter how much he tried to hold on, the fact that it was too late didn't change.

Carl, who had never felt the cold even in the snowy winter, felt the coldness from his mother's chest unbearably cold.

Camilla stepped out of Carl's shadow and hesitantly wrapped her arms around his trembling back, which had grown much taller than hers.

Even she couldn't figure out why she was acting this way.

However, she couldn't stand the sight of Carl, whom she had been watching for over a year, flashing before her eyes.

This small room was the only place where Carl, who had been acting so cruelly and ruthlessly, deceiving everyone, could reveal himself.

And the only person to whom Carl could reveal his somewhat immature, innocent, and childish side was Lilly.

It had been a year and a half since Carl was born into this world.

In front of his mother, Lilly, his only family member, Carl was able to reveal himself as a child longing for his mother's love.

He whined like a baby, toddled when held, fell asleep in her arms, hummed and danced, giggled, loved, and was loved.

Camilla watched quietly from his shadow as Carl, who acted as if he were a messenger of God or a devil, burst into laughter as a son who loved his mother.

Even Camilla, who had been working under the cruel and ruthless being known as Adrian and had done countless dirty deeds, felt afraid of Carl, but at some point, she began to find him very lovable.

After all, everything Carl did was a desperate attempt to protect his mother, Lilly.

And now, that lovely child was standing in front of his deceased mother, reading her letter and crying sadly.

Camilla closed her eyes, holding Carl carefully, to comfort and share warmth with him, who was shivering from sadness and cold, even though they had never had a proper conversation.

As if night had fallen, the black hair flowing down in a curling motion obscured Carl, who was crying like a child.

Today will be okay.

Even if he forgets everything for just one day and cries like a child, misses his mother, and struggles with sadness, it will definitely be okay.

There is no fourth prince, no grand duke of the empire, no one who plants laurel trees here. There is only a mother who left her beloved son behind, a son who lost his beloved mother, and a woman who wants to comfort him.

Only after reading the loving letter his mother left behind, Carl was able to accept that his mother was truly gone for good.

The night sky, with its beautiful twinkling stars, was gradually getting further and further away.

***

Lilly's funeral preparations were made in no time.

Although it was not the job of a royal physician, Milton took good care of Lilly's body. And thanks to Aric, Carl was able to quickly create a sarcophagus with the support of the imperial magicians.

Also, when Carl requested a priest for Lilly, who was a devout believer of the Düren sect, a priest of the Düren sect came in less than an hour as if he had been waiting.

Naturally, there was a temple of the Düren cult in Himmeln, the capital of the empire.

It would be more strange if there were none since the Düren cult was the state religion of the empire in the first place.

However, unlike on Earth, religion does not have much influence among the aristocracy, as transcendent powers such as mana do exist.

"Archbishop Gilius, I didn't expect you to come here in person. I apologize for taking up your time."

"I would have made time for you even if you didn't call me. Since you called me when you had time, how could I be lazy?"

So, it was quite unusual for a member of the royal family, and the fourth prince and archduke of the empire, Carl, to request a priest from the Düren cult for the funeral of his mother, Lilly, even though she was not his biological mother.

It was so unusual that Archbishop Gilius, the head of the diocese of Himmeln, came running himself, carrying his heavy weight.

Gilius was a kindly old man with a white beard, a clean-cut bald head, and the wrinkles of age that followed his smiling face.

However, the position of archbishop, especially of Himmeln, the capital of the empire, is by no means a position that can be obtained through good nature alone.

Gilius was a devout believer with divine powers as a bishop, but he was also a skilled and sinister politician.

Carl, who was most active in the recent purge of heresy in Palton Territory, completed his mission admirably.

He attached Vire, who was appointed to an important position in the future, and developed a suitable friendship with him.

Through Sister Leader Laynna, who reported on Carl by synthesizing even the smallest information she had obtained through Vire, Carl was evaluated as someone worth investing in within the Düren Church.

Currently, within the Düren Church, Carl was seen as a bridgehead for the reconciliation of the Empire and the Church, and more precisely, for the strengthening of the Düren Church's influence over the noble class.

Instead, Carl could gain strong support from the commoners by riding on the Düren cult's back, in addition to the honorable title of 'Laurel Planter.'

That is, Archbishop Gilius knew that Lilly was a devout believer of the Church of Düren, and from the moment he heard of Lilly's death, he had kept his schedule open so that he could rush out at Carl's call at any time.

The archbishop himself visited the palace and presided over the funeral of the Archduke's mother. Not only Gilius but all the high priests of the Düren Cult were watching this.

"This is the necklace I was planning to give to my mother as a gift. I received it from my sister, Vire. If it is not too much to ask, I would like Archbishop Gilius to bless it."

"Of course. I heard she was a very faithful person. I am truly sorry."

"I would like the funeral to be as quiet as possible."

Gilius smiled gently and nodded at Carl's words. But inside, he felt a little regret.

'It's better to make it as big and flashy as possible.'

This is a major event that would greatly affect the future influence of the church. Of course, it would be better to make it so that everyone could see it clearly. As a politician, Gilius could not help but be displeased with this.

'But, indeed. The story about the Archduke and his mother was not a lie.'

On the other hand, Gilius, as a devout priest, was quite satisfied with Carl's words.

The story of the beautiful relationship between the honorable Archduke and his devout mother was quite a topic of conversation even among the upper echelons of the religious order.

Gilius, who realized that Carl wanted to hold a funeral purely for his mother, without any political intentions, would also officiate Lilly's funeral without any political intentions.

It was not too late to talk about worldly things like politics after the funeral.

As he looked at Carl, who was accepting his deep sorrow and looking at him with eyes like a calm lake, Gilius could feel that the young Archduke was a much more 'great' man than he had thought.

The funeral was held at the Imperial Mausoleum located in the Imperial Palace.

Carl asked Aric directly for this, and Aric, who managed the somewhat limited affairs of the empire on Azgoth's behalf, accepted after much thought.

Making a sarcophagus wasn't that big of a deal.

However, allowing the construction of an imperial tomb, which is only permitted for the imperial family, was a very serious matter. This was to formally accept Lilly as a member of the royal family and acknowledge her as Carl's mother.

Naturally, there was enormous backlash.

Immediately after Carl had asked Aric, the nobles of the political world rose up and criticized him in all sorts of ways. They vehemently opposed it, invoking imperial discipline, imperial law, and even long-forgotten imperial customs.

It couldn't be otherwise, because Lilly was just a nanny, of humble origins, and a devout member of the Düren sect.

It was absolutely impossible for such a Lilly to be enshrined in an imperial tomb that even high-ranking nobles would not dare to dream of.

This was actually something Aric did for Carl, disregarding the law and discipline, and so he had to silently endure the countless accusations and backlash that were poured on him.

However, when Emperor Azgoth showed his tacit approval by not reacting to this, the opposition of the nobles eventually had to wither away.

Not many people attended Lilly's funeral. Because it was such an unusual case, no one dared to attend even though they were aware of it. As a result, the only people who attended Lilly's funeral were Carl, Gilius, and Catherine, Bilford, Harmon, Milton, and Nero, who were officially known as Carl's people.

Even Milione, known as an ardent supporter of Carl, and figures from the military did not attend. This was not an easy thing for them to accept either. Milione couldn't move because he had to deceive everyone.

Instead, he showed his support by remaining silent and not opposing the entombment of Lilly in the imperial tomb.

The funeral, presided over by Archbishop Gilius, was a very simple affair.

Because no one was there to see it anyway, and because Karl did not want it, it was held as a funeral for the believers of the Düren Church, not for the nobles or the royal family.