Funeral Arrangements
A quiet weekend afternoon.
Wanting to clear her mind from recent chaos, Bell was tending to the cemetery.
She swept the paths, dusted off the gravestones.
Tossed out withered flowers, and placed fresh blooms where none remained.
With each stroke of her hand, her thoughts faded away.
And so Bell slowly returned to her usual calm, composed self—
Hey, Bell.
Kgh...!
...Or so she was trying, until I showed up.
...Captain?
I saw you while passing by.
The NOA cemetery is tucked behind the Rhys estate.
By the way, I didn't expect to see this.
See what?
Hmph. Of course I do.
I told you, I'm the one in charge here.
Well, it's not just me. My entire family helps maintain it.
So you do it because it's one of your family duties?
I won't say it isn't part of it. But no, it's not something I do reluctantly.
The Rhys family oversees all deaths that occur within NOA.
Most of the dead end up here in this cemetery. Even whatever remains of them.
Funerals are handled however each person can afford, but no one pays to be buried here.
Once you're laid to rest, everything from there on is managed by House Rhys.
Highborn, lowborn. The rich, the poor...
The gravestones may look different, but every grave receives the same level of care.
There's only one thing in this world that treats everyone equally.
And that is death.
Upholding that equality, offering peace to all who pass.
...Wouldn't you call that noble?
I take pride in it.
Hmm...
Of course, most people don't get it.
It's instinct to fear death, I know...
But just because you look away, doesn't mean you get to escape it.
Everyone dies in the end.
Yet even so, they avoid the subject. They treat death like it's taboo.
That's what I really don't understand.
Until now, I just thought she was rude because she had a bad attitude or a twisted personality.
Whatever. People hate the Rhys family anyway.
Rather than to deal with death itself...
It's easier to dislike people who talk about death.
Maybe it's just that her view of death is different from everyone else's. Maybe that's why she talks the way she does.
For Bell, it isn't something terrifying or tragic. It's just a part of life. A normal thing.
Well, if something terrible happens to you in the near future...
And your pitiful little life comes to an end...
I'd be more than happy to help you wrap things up.
Ugh... Th-that was...
I-I already apologized for that!
Y-yeah! If that really did happen, I would've done my best to help.
A peaceful rest might be a better choice than a life full of misery, after all.
Of course I did.
...
...Huh.
...Didn't expect you to get it.
Hmm...
...
Life is just chaos. Compared to the eternal stillness of death, it's—
Not really necessary.
...
I... I know that...!
...F-fine!
I'll... I'll work on it, okay?!
I thought she was just a spoiled kid from a noble family.
But the truth is, she grew up in a family that's always been close to death, with values completely different from everyone else's.
No one really understood those values. And she never cared enough to explain them. So people just saw her as rude.
But now, I think I'm starting to understand her.
...If you're done, then just leave already!
You're distracting me!
Can I just watch you work for a bit more—
No! I said NO!!
Deciding to respect her personal space, I gave a quick farewell and headed back to the quarters.
Even from behind, I could feel the sheer force of her "just leave already" glare burning into my back.