episode_0440

“Are you running away from here?”

“Pfft!”

It seemed like he realized that he was facing an opponent he couldn’t handle after being subdued by Gabriel once.

Gabriel seemed to have never thought that he would run away, so he had no choice but to be helpless.

“What kind of guy is he?”

“Hahaha!”

Gabriel couldn’t hide his bewilderment at his junior’s cute behavior and said with a frozen expression on his face.

Then, he suddenly got angry and vented his anger.

“Because your mental state is so weak, the enhancement doesn’t stick! If you come later, don’t ever enhance me.”

“Haha, I’m still young, what can I do about it. You have to understand.”

“Tell me that kid’s name. I’ll remember it and when I meet him later, I’ll teach him a lesson.”

It seems like Therios might have made the worst choice.

If Gabriel had followed the reprimand when he had to return after his vacation, he would have been free soon.

Since it was his own misfortune, I willingly told Gabriel Therios’ name.

“I really want to see Therios get caught and squeezed by Gabriel later.”

※ ※ ※

After Therios ran away in vain, I took Gabriel upstairs.

“I didn’t know you would be so busy raising students this semester. You’re amazing.”

“It’s not that big of a deal, I just help talented students when I see them.”

“If another guy like that appears among the students, let me know. I will definitely give him a mental education.”

“Thanks for that. But Gabriel, why did you come here? Honestly, I didn’t expect you to come here during your precious vacation.”

It was Gabriel, of all people, who didn’t expect him to come to me during his precious vacation.

Gabriel straightened his posture and adjusted his waist before answering my question.

“It’s shameless, but I came here because I have something I want to consult with you about.”

“Consult with me?”

“When I hear stories from the kids, the only person I think of when I need help is you, sir.”

The day has come when Gabriel asks me for help.

I’ll see how it goes.

“Anything is possible. Tell me. What is it?”

“You might be a little surprised when you hear it. The issue I want to consult about is too personal.”

“What’s wrong with it being personal? Go ahead and tell me.”

“Thank you. The issue I want to consult about is related to my father.”

“Your father?”

Upon hearing the word ‘father,’ I could tell that this was part of Gabriel’s personal scenario.

If Gabriel’s scenario hasn’t ended yet, I can help him as much as he needs.

“Yes. My father retired from the Imperial Guard position and is currently taking a break.”

“Oh. Being in the Imperial Guard is a very high position. He must be amazing.”

“It’s not just because he’s my father, he really was an amazing person. That’s why I grew up idolizing him. I wanted to be a strong person like him.”

Gabriel was able to develop all his abilities properly thanks to his admiration for his father.

Because he wanted to be like his father, he always made an effort without being lazy.

But the father he admired collapsed.

The shock of finding out that his admired father had fallen must have been huge.

“The reason my father retired was due to an injury. He got injured while on a mission. If it was a minor injury, it would have been treated, but unfortunately, his left leg was severed.”

“He must have suffered a lot.”

Of all injuries, it had to be the leg.

Among injuries, it was a very fatal wound.

“Still, I thought my father would overcome it. In reality, my father continued his retirement life without any problems. So I was relieved. But that wasn’t the case.”

“Um… Is he suffering from PTSD?”

If it’s a wound that requires cutting off a leg, it wouldn’t have been easy to overcome the trauma.

Everything in life had to change.

Still, Gabriel thought he would be okay because he remembered the strong figure his father had shown.

But I knew what happened when a person who chose not to bend broke instead.

“Yes. He had never been drunk excessively before. Even if Your Majesty suggested it, he never drank to the point of getting drunk…”

Retirement life starting with losing one leg.

For someone like Gabriel’s father who led a disciplined life, the newfound freedom would have felt strange and bewildering.

Adapting to having nothing to do all day and having to spend time freely would not have been easy.

“I smelled alcohol on my father whom I met after a long time. It was strange, so I asked the butler, and he seemed embarrassed. My father had ordered me not to tell anyone.”

As I tried to find out more details, evidence of his father’s collapse began to emerge one after another.

“He drinks every day without fail. I know I need to stop him, but I don’t know how. I know I can’t just leave my father like this, but I don’t think his condition will improve if I intervene.”

Gabriel seemed to be feeling down about his own incompetence.

“What about suggesting that he cut back on drinking?”

“If he knows he’s been found out, he’ll probably try even harder to hide his condition, so I couldn’t do anything.”

“Well, once I heard the story, a solution seemed possible.”

“You have a solution?!”

It was a very serious issue for him, so he seemed surprised that it could be easily resolved.

“But convincing him might be a bit difficult.”

The solution I came up with was not a formal way to solve Gabriel’s personal scenario.

Just as knowledgeable as Gabriel, her father was also knowledgeable in the same way.

“Can you tell me in detail how you can solve it?”

“The easiest way is to ask Fran to treat your father’s leg.”

“Is it possible to treat a missing leg as well?!”

“You didn’t know, did you? Fran has done similar things in the past.”

Fran had once helped Rebecca fully recover from an injury.

Now, her skills were even higher than before, enough to grow a new leg.

“Of course, it won’t be a one-time recovery. You’ll need multiple treatments. But it’s not entirely impossible.”

“If that’s really possible, it seems like a good solution. He might have been frustrated and resorted to drinking because he couldn’t do anything due to his leg.”

“Yeah. I’ve been training with a sword all my life, and suddenly not being able to do that would make anyone depressed.”

“But as you said, I don’t think my father will accept it.”

Fran is clearly a military member.

Even if he’s discharged, using a soldier’s abilities for personal gain should be avoided.

Especially Talia’s direct unit often goes into contaminated zones to carry out missions, right?

“Knowing that Fran would have to exert a lot of effort to fix the leg, I don’t think my father will accept it.”

And it’s not a one-time treatment either.

“Yeah.”

“So that’s why you said persuasion is necessary. Honestly, I’m not confident. I’m not good at persuading others. Even if I convey the message well, my father rarely changes his decisions once made.”

Speaking out of turn could lead to trouble.

A person who willingly sacrificed his body for the country.

Calling a soldier to use his abilities for personal gain?

If it’s that stubborn father, he will definitely scold Gabriel for suggesting it.

“I knew it would be like this.”

“I haven’t even met my father, so it’s amazing how you know as if you’ve seen him.”

“…That’s just how you are, Gabriel.”

After overcoming a moment of crisis, the conversation turned to a different topic.

“There are other ways.”

“Are there other ways?”

“I hope we can resolve it in an easy way, but if the person doesn’t like it, what’s the point? It’s useless. But if you change your perspective a bit, instead of being rejected for not liking it, you can receive praise for being admirable and create a picture where you can show filial piety.”

“I don’t really understand what it means to change perspective.”

Before getting into it with Gabriel, she brought a glass of water and drank it.

Gabriel, too, seemed thirsty and downed the water I brought in one shot.

“To use this method, you have to set up a ball. And when you receive compensation, instead of receiving it in another form, ask to have your father’s leg fixed. How would it be if the daughter set up the ball and asked to fix her father’s injury as a reward?”

“!!!”

It wouldn’t be a bad thing from the empire’s perspective.

Isn’t it money going into fulfilling Gabriel’s request?

Just order the Awakening user in the military’s medical division to come and treat him.

There would be no resistance from the person involved.

It’s treating a family member of a fellow soldier, after all.

“Isn’t it a great plan? Your father wouldn’t get angry if he heard that story, right? The empire has ordered it, so there’s no way he would refuse. He would be proud of you instead.”

The result would be the same.

Fran healing Gabriel’s father’s body.

But the way it’s done would change, so the acceptance would be different.

Gabriel also seemed to realize that my method was quite feasible, as his eyes sparkled.

“If that could happen…”

Gabriel said with a hopeful expression.

“Surely my father will return to his old self! I was worried because I couldn’t be by his side, but I’m really grateful. Thank you.”

“But setting up the ball won’t be easy. It’s the worst to get hurt just because you set up the ball without thinking, you know?”

“Yes. I will be careful.”

Although she said she would be careful, her enthusiasm was already full of thoughts of setting up the ball.

It’s natural for her to become anxious as much as she worries about her father.