The Unbound World’s “Normal” is Difficult - Chapter 30

“Clemens von Rotner?”

Liesel’s eyes widened when he heard the name of the person who was sent to jail.

“Well, that’s who you have the pig warden send fake reports right? You’re in charge of this prison. Why again?”

“Attempted murder of royalty and sending innocent people to prison in exchange for power,” he said.

“For example – a prostitute who was imprisoned as an adulteress in communication with demons for refusing to serve the king of a country.”

Liesel blinks his long eyelashes as Gilbert tells him, glancing down at the thick letter.

“Was it not the King of Louden who sent an innocent man to prison, but the Prime Minister?”

However, Heidemarie, who is supposed to be happy, does not seem to care about them at all, just staring at the chessboard on the table, she asked Gilbert.

“What about Elma?

It was a cautious voice.

“She won’t come back here? I wonder if she’s doing well.”

“Oh.”

Gilbert’s voice contained laughter as he responded.

“I’ve heard that it was Elma who accused the Marquis of Lotner. While investigating the Marquis’s remaining crimes, she found out that she prevented him from laying a trap he was going to set, and now Elma is a bit of a hero in the castle.”

“The letter was sent to the guards by a young medical guru named Dennis, who had replaced the captured Clemens and was temporarily assigned to assist in prison-related duties, but he was so devoted to his “hero” that he used more paper to describe Elma than he did to send information about Clemens.”

“Elma is quite popular in ‘the free world’. Congratulations, Marie. You win this bet too.”

“Great.”

When Gilbert celebrates, Heidemarie laughs softly and unties her hands.

“I’m really glad.”

Despite Heidemarie’s overly relaxed and happy expression, Liesel was completely left out of the conversation.

“What do you mean? What’s the point of being happy that you won the bet and she didn’t come back? I mean, Lotner is the one who is your enemy, right? Can we just go through with it?”

He was confused.

“I knew that Heidemarie’s imprisonment was probably a false charge, but I was a little surprised that the main culprit was not the king but the advisor, and even more curious that he hadn’t reacted in any way to the fact that he had been caught.”

“No, but if you think about it, Heidemarie has never tried to exonerate herself before.Her obsession was just to prepare a comfortable living space.”

“If that’s the case, it’s also a bit of an uncomfortable hypothesis to plot revenge with Elma after all this time.”

Heidemarie giggled at Liesel, who looked lost, completely unsure of his theory.”

“Hey, Liesel. I have a special answer for you. You see. I’m rather grateful to Marquis Rotner.”

“What?”

When Liesel raised a well-formed eyebrow, Heidemarie raised herself off the couch with a contrastingly gentle smile.

“A suspicion was placed upon me. It was through a survivor of the demon race that I conceived the child. It is – it’s true.”

“Huh?”

Heidemarie bends down gracefully, cheerfully pointing out to Liesel, who replied in a bare voice, she said cheerfully. And reached out to the chessboard, picked up the glossy black piece, and dropped a kiss with perfectly shaped lips.

“Isn’t that surprising? I didn’t come to this prison with that kind of reference in mind. You and everyone else must have half-believed that Elma was a child of the demon race.”

“No, that’s exactly what I’d call ‘halfway’ or skeptical.”

“I often felt an element of impersonality in Elma’s outstanding talent. But because of her masters, or rather her “family,” who were even more outstanding than that, I thought, ‘Even a human being can do this much.’ In any case, in the prison where the out-of-the-way people gathered, it didn’t matter if Elma was of demon blood or not.”

That’s why Liesel and his friends never thought to pursue Elma’s true nature. Pointing it out squirmingly, Heidemarie nodded, “Exactly.That’s exactly what I wanted.”

“What?”

“If you hide the trees, you hide them in the forest. If you want to hide the outsiders, you hide them in the woods, and if you want to hide the people, you hide them with the people who are out of the way.”

She stroked the black piece with a loving hand.

“Elma’s father, you know, was the last survivor of the demon tribe. It’s a horrible name for a demon, isn’t it? He himself was a much gentler man than most human men. He was just a man with a little dexterity and power, who was hunted from his childhood just because he was a demon and lived in hiding.”

An impersonal person. A threatening presence. Regardless of its true nature, if it turns out to be a demon, it will be dismissed as a heretic and stoned. When she conceived a demon child, Heidemarie rejoiced and feared the malice that would befall her child.

“And then I got an idea….To ensure a robust cradle. Hiding my children, who are different among the different ones, and raising her with “normal” love.”

Heidemarie gave Gilbert a glance and smiled as if remembering a long time ago.

“You must think it’s reckless for a woman to take control of a prison, don’t you? But I had Gil. A kind-hearted hero. When Gil realized that Elma’s father, the demon race, was simply an oppressed human race, he put down his sword and formed a friendship with her, even declaring that he would take care of his wife in his stead when he died. But that’s why Gil was deprived of a hero’s name.”

“Ha…that’s what it’s all about.”

Those with scars on their shins, never dared to go deep into the past. Told in detail for the first time, Liesel nodded vaguely.

Heidemarie only replied, “Yes,” and looked down at the chessboard again.

“Surrounded by a loving and unique ‘family’, Erma has been able to live her life without feeling alienated or persecuted. A perfect cradle, I was satisfied. I was so grateful to the king or the advisor who sent me to prison. But when I heard of King Louden’s death, I realized that he was dead.”

A sad exhale escaped from beautifully reddened lips.

“Even kings, clothed in wealth and power, are no match for longevity. Parents can’t live longer than their children. A fact that is all too commonplace. I had forgotten all about it as I stacked up my life in a place far from the norm.If I die, this cradle will surely be bound to be taken over by someone in the ‘family’. But what happens to Elma if that person also dies. After spending most of your life, you’re suddenly thrown out into the mundane world and scrambling to get in there. Or will it die quietly in its cradle, with no one in the family.”

Heidemarie did not want neither of those futures for her daughter.

“And she, in any case, is [Arrogance], right? We don’t try to understand other people deeply, and we assume that the measure we have is absolute. That’s because we’ve been pouring our love and our values into her for so long.

Family compassion poured out. To excess. But the one-sidedly too-loving environment deprived her of interest in others. And also, there was no one in this prison who could pour out the love of family, but the love of man and woman, or friendship. Building a relationship while growing. To know the tenderness of love, but also the fear and annoyance.

Understand that your “normal” is different from the “normal” of others. They are, after all, inevitably only learned outside the cradle. By the time the person named Erma is complete, it will be too late.

Let her go from her parents while she’s still alive, and let her learn “love” and “normalcy” differently than in this prison, and integrate her into the circle of people. I decided to do so.

You can call me selfish, shallow, whatever you want. But it was the best I could come up with. I just wanted to get her out of this prison and” hope that she was safe and accepted by the people–”

Heidemarie put the Black Queen’s pieces, pompously, in the middle of the chessboard.

“And so I won the bet.”

Then she gracefully held out her arm toward Gilbert, who had been silent the whole time.

“I’m sorry you had to wait, Gilbert. My bet is done. Now that we’ve seen Elma’s departure from the nest, there’s nothing left to regret.”

The moment she told him, Gilbert gasped. He stared at Heidemarie intently and then asked in a whisper.

” Heidemarie. Now…”

“Yes. I accept your proposal.”

For Gilbert, who was standing there, unable to take his opponent’s arm, Heidemarie took a step closer and gently laid a crumpled palm on his bony hand.

“Fifteen years. I’m sure he’ll forgive me, too.”

Gently lift your hand and drop a kiss on the instep, as if to check the temperature of the skin that touched each other. It was a natural gesture of affection, like a couple who have been together for years.It was Liesel who was left behind in the conversation.

He alternately looked at Heidemarie, who smiled serenely, and Gilbert, who was speechless with emotion, and said, “What? Huh? And inserted a hand into his hair.

“Isn’t it true that you guys have been hitting it off for a long time? Huh? What? Does that mean, Gil, that you were helping to take over this prison for Marie, who wasn’t even your own woman?”

“Oh.”

Earnest Gilbert, while hugging the fearful Heidemarie, explained to Liesel with a mysterious face.

“I fell in love with Marie at first sight, because she was already my friend’s wife at that time. After my friend’s death, I still had an obligation to my friend, and she also said she wanted to prioritize being a mother, so we talked about it until Elma came into her own.I was going to stall and get away with it. I’ve been doing this for fifteen years. It’s been like this for fifteen years.”

While accepting the embrace, the good-looking prostitute chuckles. She gave a mischievous glance to Liesel, gently quieting Gilbert, who was strongly caging his arms.

“Hey, Liesel. You called me ‘vindictive and helpless,’ but don’t you think Gilbert’s lust or affection is even more helpless than mine? “

“I know. I used to think Gil was the most modest or straightforward of us, but from this moment onwards I’m changing my mind. How can you look like a bundle of common sense and moral fiber, and yet reign as the king of the prison for fifteen years, abandoning the title of hero for a woman who is not your wife?”

Liesel shrugs in dismay. Then Gilbert, branded as untreated by both of them, gave a complicated look at his rebuttal.

“What’s wrong with persistence in trying to get a desirable woman. Love is a virtue to be celebrated outside of the prison, and to continue to like what you like – it’s quite normal.”

Heidemarie chuckles at the sound of a puffy, confused voice. Then, nuzzling her face into his chest, muttered to himself as she sang.

“If that’s the case, how difficult it is to be ‘normal’ for Elma?”