Ch.284284. The Children

At the breakfast table.

Darius was clearing his throat while watching Deia and me cautiously.

It was nice that he had been so passionate about family bonds during yesterday’s drinking session, but he seemed to remember how persistent he’d been to the point of embarrassment.

“Ugh, my ears hurt.”

“Kheuk!”

As soon as Deia teased him, Darius immediately bowed his head and bit his lip.

Deia snickered, apparently finding his reaction quite amusing. Darius’s shoulders trembled before he suddenly raised his head.

“Everything I said yesterday was sincere! I’m not ashamed at all! My genuine feelings about how precious you both are to me…!”

“Let’s just eat, you idiot. I’m going to choke on the cringe.”

“Emotions get diluted when you keep talking about them.”

After Deia and I threw in our jabs, the eldest son pushed out his thick lips in a pout and resumed eating.

I thought there wouldn’t be much conversation after that.

Yesterday’s dinner had naturally turned into a drinking session where both of them had talked until their voices were hoarse.

But the eldest son, perhaps feeling some responsibility for the quiet meal, opened his mouth again.

“Deia, are you really going to do what we talked about yesterday?”

“…What.”

Though her tone suggested she already knew what Darius meant, she deliberately expressed annoyance.

“Ahem, I mean the blind date. Didn’t you agree to go on one?”

“Ah, that. I suppose I will.”

Deia answered calmly while putting food in her mouth. Though she seemed annoyed, I felt relieved that she was accepting it rather than denying it.

‘That’s a relief.’

I was almost proud of how cleanly Deia had sorted out her feelings.

Darius, probably thinking that a major family crisis had been averted, continued with a bright smile.

“Good, good. I went to a gathering of northern nobles and among the men I talked to, there are some decent…”

“Have Deus introduce someone.”

Deia interrupted, staring directly at me. Darius, who seemed to have more to say, looked at me with a crestfallen expression.

“I don’t really know any nobles personally.”

At best, there was Gideon’s Zeronia family or Erika’s Bright family.

But I had no desire to introduce any man from either family to Deia.

“His Majesty said he would arrange it. He wouldn’t introduce anyone strange, right?”

That was true.

However.

“I can’t introduce anyone right away. I have things to do when I return to the royal palace.”

“Oh, that’s fine. Take your time.”

Deia said this while stabbing a cut potato with her fork and putting it in her mouth. Her nonchalant response rather bewildered both Darius and me.

Still, it was good that she was accepting the blind date.

“This is the stew I made yesterday. I used bear meat, and it turned out delicious without any gamey smell.”

Illuania placed a plate of stew in front of me, timing it perfectly with the end of the conversation.

I was starting to feel full and didn’t want to eat more, but Illuania stood stiffly beside me, clearly hinting that I should eat.

“You’re too thin. You need to eat more.”

“That’s true. You’re thinner than before.”

“Yes, it’s best to eat as much as possible. When I touched you during the photo yesterday, I felt like you might break if I tapped you.”

Deia and Darius chimed in as if they’d been waiting for this moment. When I glanced at them, they immediately focused on their meals as if nothing had happened.

I suppose I had already been quite thin when abandoned at the general store, and my frame had become even more gaunt. It would probably be good to put on a little weight.

“Especially since you used to consume many unhealthy things in the past, you should eat plenty of healthy food now.”

“…That’s a heavy statement.”

“I’ve been regretting it a lot lately too.”

Alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and more.

Deus had enjoyed quite a variety of substances, so his physical condition was never good.

I should consider it fortunate that he never contracted any sexually transmitted diseases.

Illuania, who had been with Deus during her prostitute days, was also eating healthy foods lately for Sebia’s sake.

She couldn’t even breastfeed, concerned that something harmful might remain in her body.

“By the way, where is Sebia?”

Who takes care of Sebia when Illuania is working?

In the past, there was Owen, but Owen is gone now.

“Findenai is looking after her.”

“…”

My heart sank for a moment. I couldn’t imagine Findenai taking good care of a baby.

Perhaps sensing my emotion, Illuania covered her mouth and laughed.

“It’s fine. Findenai is careful with Sebia, and Sebia likes Findenai too.”

Illuania added that Sebia probably thinks she’s being raised by a dog.

Findenai would be quite displeased to hear that, but if the mother trusted her enough to leave her child with her, I had to go along with it.

I subtly changed the subject.

“How is Soho?”

She’s been locked in her room for two days now.

Food is being brought to her, but there’s been no response. I’m not even sure if she’s eating.

“She’s skipping all her meals. I haven’t been able to see her face either.”

“I see.”

Before I left Norsweden, I had hoped she would find her answer. But at this rate, it seemed like it would take some time.

“I should go see her today.”

It seemed I needed to visit Soho right after breakfast.

* * *

After finishing breakfast, I went straight to Soho’s door as I had said. The Dark Spiritmaster and Stella followed behind, seemingly concerned about how the girl’s story would end.

[What are you going to say?]

The Dark Spiritmaster stepped forward slightly and asked. She wasn’t someone who used to worry about others this much, but as I’ve changed while being with her, she too has changed in various ways.

[You should think carefully before speaking. She’s still young and hasn’t properly established her identity yet.]

Stella, not a former Saintess for nothing, offered skillful advice.

[But her connections and environment have changed. To be honest… I don’t think Soho has made a positive change.]

“I know.”

But that’s Soho’s choice too.

What I could do for her was limited, and she needed to find the answer herself.

“Soho.”

Knock, knock.

I knocked and called her name, but there was no response from inside.

But at my fingertips.

The tingling sensation on the back of my hand when I touched the door.

[Hmm?]

[What’s wrong?]

The Dark Spiritmaster and Stella asked simultaneously, but without answering, I turned the doorknob and went inside.

[Huh?]

[…]

A foul stench wafted from the room. A damp, sticky scent I’d smelled many times before, like thick caramel mixed in.

The smell of a corpse.

The Dark Spiritmaster and Stella looked up at the girl hanging from the ceiling with bewildered expressions.

The girl had used a bedsheet to hang herself from the ceiling light, and her body was still swinging back and forth, suggesting she had just died.

“Sigh.”

Soho’s corpse.

If someone else saw this, they would grieve that the young girl couldn’t bear the cruel truth that confronted her.

They would blame me, a spiritmaster, for contributing to a girl’s death.

A tragedy.

A situation that could be described in one word.

But if there was one thing to correct, it was the difference in perspective between others and myself.

“Soho…”

I muttered her name in a low voice and gritted my teeth.

I had considered this possibility. But I didn’t think she could attempt such an extreme change in my mansion without me noticing.

“What are you trying to achieve by showing me your corpse?”

At that moment.

Right above the door.

“Kieeeeek!”

Another Soho who had been hanging from the ceiling lunged at me.

It was quite a calculated attack.

Creating a fake corpse to divert attention before attacking could have been a fatal blow, but…

“You chose the wrong opponent.”

From the moment I realized there was no soul in the corpse, I knew she wasn’t dead.

And I was prepared.

My tightly clenched fist swung forward. The mana I had been holding grabbed Soho and slammed her to the floor along the trajectory of my punch.

“Kieeeng!”

The girl let out a beast-like cry, not a human sound.

Soho’s hanging corpse disappeared like smoke, leaving only the real Soho struggling in my mana’s grip.

Fingernails grown sharp like blades.

Two tails extending above her buttocks.

Cat whiskers on her cheeks.

Fox ears protruding sharply.

Beast-like eyes turned yellowish-brown.

“So… this is your choice.”

The crossroads between human and monster.

Did the girl truly believe this was the right path?

It was something to consider.

* * *

“Coochie coo.”

At the entrance of the Verdi mansion.

Findenai, holding Sebia, had a rare innocent smile on her face as she played with the baby.

Kyaa!

Sebia also reached out to Findenai, showing her happiness. The baby’s small hand grabbed Findenai’s nose and pulled it.

“Hey, hey, hey!”

Findenai protested in a nasal voice, but the baby just laughed with delight.

That sight contained an irresistibly cute charm.

“Who do you take after to be this cute? Huh? Huh? You little rascal!”

Kyaaaa!

“I can’t stand it. You’re so cute I have to eat you up.”

Findenai opened her mouth wide and gently bit Sebia’s chubby cheek. Even that made Sebia laugh as if it were fun.

Seeing Sebia’s reaction, Findenai couldn’t help but smile with pleasure.

At the same time, her heart raced at the thought that someday she too might give birth to and raise a child like this.

“If a child is born between the master and me, they’d definitely be good-looking, smart, and good at fighting.”

Findenai, who never imagined she would have such thoughts, bowed her head.

The wolf’s face, reddened with embarrassment, was seen only by the baby who could only babble.

“Well, they said it was for patriotism!”

She declared boldly, trying to shake off her embarrassment. The members of the junkyard had told her to form a close relationship with the kingdom’s spiritmaster for the sake of the Republic of Clark.

While making such excuses, Findenai continued playing with Sebia, but…

“Ex-excuse me.”

A man cautiously called out to Findenai from outside the mansion.

He looked haggard, with a gaunt face and thinning hair, not particularly appealing in appearance.

Moreover, as he approached, Findenai deliberately kept her distance for Sebia’s sake due to the strong tobacco smell that assaulted her nose.

“Who are you?”

She tilted her head, asking since he didn’t seem like someone she’d seen in downtown Norsweden.

“I-I’m Goben. I work as a coachman.”

“Goben? Coachman?”

Though her response was indifferent, Findenai’s eyes followed Goben’s gaze.

He was looking at Sebia in Findenai’s arms.

An eerie uneasiness rose within Findenai. She felt like this ominous man was about to say something she shouldn’t hear.

Her instinct was correct.

“I heard Illuania works here. Is that child in your arms possibly her child?”

“…Yes, why?”

At Findenai’s answer, Goben’s eyes welled up with tears as he thrust his face forward and said:

“Th-then.”

A truth more unwelcome than expected.

“That child is mine too.”