Common grave

ㅤ This wasn't what Yuri expected when Estelle came to him late in the evening, dressed in her traveling dress, asking for help… She carried a heavy sack over her back, bending under its weight. Even Yuri, unprepared, almost dropped it on his foot as he took it from Estelle. "What do you have there—bricks!?" he said, expressing surprise. "Well, something like that," Estelle laughed awkwardly, completely perplexing him. Yuri realized it was best not to ask unnecessary questions: Estelle always lived in her own little world, continuing to explore the other world around her. And Yuri never refused to help with that. Estelle lured Yuri into the forest closest to the capital. Fortunately, she didn't lead him deep, but stopped at the edge, finding the place quite aesthetically pleasing and peaceful. "Here!" Estelle said enthusiastically. Yuri finally threw the heavy sack off his shoulders. Estelle quickly pulled out a garden trowel, partially revealing the other contents of the sack—an engraved tombstone. 'Don't tell me…' flashed a sudden thought, bordering on madness. When Estelle pulled out a carefully copied Monster Book, adding the number of those killed along the way, Yuri finally believed in his theory, but his mind still refused to accept it completely. "You're not serious, are you?" he blurted out involuntarily. "Huh?" Estelle said, distracted. She immediately smiled warmly. "There's another trowel. I need two holes: one for the grave and one for the tombstone. Please help." '…She's serious…' was easy to understand. Yuri, however, had understood and accepted Estelle's peculiar way of thinking since their journey, but for some reason he sincerely believed that the stupidity about a grave for slain monsters had faded from her mind over time. 'And which of us is more naive now…?' Yuri didn't argue; there was no point. He calmly knelt down, picked up a trowel, and began digging a hole to insert a tombstone. One—a common grave. 'Good thing she didn't decide to make a separate grave for each monster…' Yuri quietly thanked all the spirits. And Estelle did it all seriously. She poured her heart into it, carefully placing a copy of the Monster Book in a beautiful coffin-shaped box, covering it with soil, and sprinkling the seeds of easy-to-care-for flowers on top. Yuri exhaled with relief and stood up, hoping it was all over. It had long since fallen dark, and the night chill brought on an unpleasant, chilly feeling. Vesperia shone brightly in the sky. But… Estelle folded her hands in front of her chest, offering a prayer for the repose of the souls of the slain monsters. Yuri exhaled, already resigned, and stood beside her, supporting Estelle's determination to do everything right, as her heart desired. She was so sincere in her silent prayer that Yuri couldn't help but think about the past. About the monsters… 'There were almost five hundred species of them… And we killed more than one of each… We are bloodthirsty maniacs…' Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the innocent Estelle, who had come with a smile to bury the memory of the slain monsters. A tender and naive smile, full of spontaneity and purity. And now, Estelle smiled at him as if nothing had happened, finishing her prayer. She took him back to the capital. To commemorate… ㅤ