Ch.355Chapter 355 Epilogue – Who on Earth Is This Person? (2)

What’s this? Red hair? I didn’t expect to see a hair color typically found only on the western continent here.

I’ve never seen anyone with the same hair color as mine among the countless tourists wandering around this southern region.

Today seems to be full of surprises.

I had thought nothing could be more surprising than yesterday—proposing to Shizu, her accepting, and creating unforgettable memories with her that night.

But in the few hours since meeting that mysterious girl…

Quite a few surprising things have happened.

Seeing that man who just picked up the little one is one of them.

Looking at him, I felt some of my earlier questions being answered.

When I first met that girl—Flora—

I couldn’t properly sense her through my ki perception.

At the time, I dismissed it, thinking I simply couldn’t sense anything from a little girl who couldn’t possibly have any aura around her.

But seeing the man who appears to be her father, I naturally understood why I couldn’t sense it.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t sense anything.

It was that what surrounded them was too immense for my ki perception to grasp, causing me to subconsciously reject recognizing it.

Both that man and the young girl now held firmly in her father’s arms…

They were surrounded by an aura too overwhelming for my ki perception to properly register.

However, while I could recognize its enormity, I couldn’t identify what it actually was, which left me with questions.

“Altair Inseok. I told you to contact me before running off if Flora went somewhere far.”

The man, who had already put down his daughter, turned toward his butler before my thoughts could fully form and roughly tousled the butler’s hair.

It seemed odd to call such a slowly extended hand “rough,” but there was no better way to describe it.

Calluses and scars—glorious marks naturally etched through countless real battles and training—

Were clearly visible on the man’s hand as he patted his butler’s head, making even this simple gesture seem powerful.

Of course, it only appeared that way.

The man’s touch toward the butler’s head wasn’t angry or meant to hold him accountable for taking his daughter away.

“Still, I was relieved to hear you went with her. I’m satisfied that it turned out as expected.”

It contained only the highest praise a superior could give to a subordinate.

He had a warm character that matched his hair color.

“Thank you, sir.”

The butler, who accepted the man’s praising touch with a bowed head, was equally admirable in character.

Even though we’d only briefly encountered each other, this person was already causing me various surprises.

Who exactly was he?

Perhaps my gaze had intensified with my wandering thoughts.

Even from a reasonable distance, he seemed to sense my stare.

“Hmm…?”

As the man turned his head in my direction while joyfully sharing his reunion with his daughter…

I could fully observe the man whose mere back view had slightly surprised me.

First, I saw his face bearing a refreshing smile, clearly happy to have met his daughter.

“…Oh.”

What followed was an inexplicable exclamation from the man’s lips upon seeing me.

I wasn’t sure why he made such a sound.

But it didn’t hold any particular significance for me.

Because seeing the man’s appearance immediately made me realize several things.

First, I somewhat understood why Flora had mistaken me for her father at first glance.

We resembled each other. The red hair of similar saturation I’d seen earlier and the pitch-black eyes I could now confirm as he turned his head were so similar to mine that it felt like looking at my reflection in a mirror.

People from the western continent who inherited dragon blood have red eyes to match their red hair.

Even in the portrait of my mother, still carefully preserved by my father’s hand at home, she had red hair and red eyes.

In my case, with mixed blood, I inherited the hair but had black eyes instead of red, making me quite rare in appearance.

Flora’s father had the same physical characteristics as me, so I could understand why the child might momentarily confuse me with her father.

But while understanding one thing, I encountered something else I couldn’t comprehend:

‘…We look alike?’

That was Flora and Shizu’s impression—that this man and I resembled each other.

No matter how precious I might consider myself, I know my place.

Even though my expression has softened considerably lately, I still don’t think I have a good face, given how stern I look when problems arise.

Compared to me, what about the appearance of Flora’s father?

Handsome—his face was branded with a handsomeness that made me question if such a simple word could adequately describe it.

Apart from the hair and eye color we shared, he was overwhelmingly superior to me in every other aspect.

Distinct features, a balanced appearance that was neither excessively sharp nor too soft.

Moreover, even with natural, unaffected expressions, he exuded a benevolent impression.

His face bore the kind of looks that could captivate the opposite sex just by walking down the street.

“He is handsome.”

If Shizu, who spoke with a neutral expression despite her words, acknowledged his good looks, that said it all.

Like me, who never comments on anyone’s appearance except family and Shizu…

Shizu never mentions others’ appearances in my presence.

For such praise to come from her lips meant something.

I wondered if she was indirectly complimenting my appearance by saying I resembled such a handsome person, but I still found it difficult to understand her intentions.

Well, that didn’t bother me either way.

As I mentioned, Shizu’s expression showed no particular emotion when complimenting the man’s appearance.

Even I couldn’t help but think he was handsome just by looking at him, so what other emotion should I feel?

If someone is handsome, you call them handsome—you can’t call them ugly.

I’m past the age of feeling jealousy over such things.

Wait, that’s not the point. Let me stop these useless thoughts and continue observing.

After regaining my focus, I carefully observed the man who had turned his head toward me.

As the parent of a girl around ten years old, he must be at least 10 years older than me.

But his age was impossible to determine from his appearance alone.

An extraordinary youthfulness and vitality emanated not only from his solid physique, perceptible through his clothing, but also from his handsome features.

How should I put it—strength radiated from his entire body, and if that wasn’t enough, it also emanated from his handsome face, not just in appearance but in essence.

A long, long time seemed to be carved into his statue-like features, making even all the experience I had accumulated through countless time loops feel insignificant.

I recognized his strength when looking at his body, not just his face.

I could tell he was a swordsman like me from the glimpse of his rough hands when he patted his butler’s head.

But seeing his face turned my recognition into certainty.

He was strong. Strong enough that it wouldn’t be strange if he considered someone like me as dust.

Despite my competitive spirit that had led me to challenge opponents I couldn’t defeat throughout my numerous lives including regressions…

The person before my eyes now emanated a strength that would give even someone as reckless as me pause.

I briefly turned my head to look at Shizu, who was observing the man alongside me.

Unlike me, who had merely managed to destroy one of Desire’s eyes in dragon form before fainting from exhaustion…

Could Shizu, who had boldly faced Desire head-on and ended its life, compete with this man? I vaguely pondered this hypothetical scenario.

Strangely, I couldn’t imagine it.

I found it equally difficult to imagine both Shizu struggling and this man having difficulty against anyone.

It was strange. Who would have thought I’d have such complex thoughts about a man I’d just seen from a distance today?

Regardless of my complicated feelings, I had to acknowledge what needed acknowledging.

“I have to admit it.”

I simply expressed my impression with one calm statement after properly facing that person.

That single word of acknowledgment contained multiple meanings.

It included things I don’t usually care about, like appearance.

It also expressed my feeling that I probably couldn’t match the sword wielded by those callused hands, which left me with mixed emotions.

I tried to dismiss these feelings with a bitter smile, hoping that if I continued my efforts without laziness, this discomfort would wash away like water.

“…Admit what? That the sword resembles that person as I said earlier?”

“No, that I’m not as handsome as him.”

“Cal, you are handsome.”

“…Thanks.”

Her single comforting word felt so precious that I wanted to reach out and pat her head, but…

“…Oh?”

An exclamation that came without warning stopped my hand.

I quickly turned my head in surprise.

“…Well now.”

I found myself facing Flora’s father, who was stroking his chin with an interested expression as if he’d discovered something amusing.

…Wait, when did he come over here? I didn’t even sense his presence.

I nearly gasped at his overwhelming presence that had suddenly approached without warning.

“So it’s you. The one who removed the barrier that blocked passage between worlds.”

My intended gasp was replaced by…

“…What?”

A question filled with confusion.

The man smiled gently at my reaction and extended his right hand toward me.

“I’m Alcor. I express my gratitude on behalf of the higher realms.”

He introduced himself and offered me a handshake.

Only then, only then could I perfectly understand the nature of what was emanating from this overwhelming person’s body—something my eyes couldn’t fully comprehend.

It was divinity. Pure, straight, and clean divinity, completely different in dimension from the twisted existence of the demonic realm beings I had encountered, hated, and despised countless times.