Ch.356Chapter 356 Epilogue – Who on Earth Is This Person? (3)

I saw them.

Those evil beings hiding in that gloomy demonic realm, trying to taint this world with twisted divinity.

Now that we’ve overcome everything and restored peace, recalling them only brings annoyance rather than any particular sentiment.

Still, I had to give credit where it was due.

Those irritating creatures from the demonic realm were all incredibly strong. So much so that I could only defeat them after countless time loops and repeated failures.

But even those beings who possessed twisted divinity and made me shudder…

“It’s truly an honor to meet the hero who saved an entire world.”

They clearly couldn’t match this man who offered excessive praise while extending his hand for a handshake.

Though I had no way to express what I perceived beyond simply saying he was strong.

Anyway, as if entranced by his outstretched right hand, I extended my own and grasped it.

Through my hand, I felt the distinctive roughness of a swordsman who had wielded a blade for many years.

His smooth, handsome face without a single beard made it difficult to gauge his age, but the moment our hands met, I knew.

The contours of his hand, too rugged to be described as merely rough, spoke of accumulated years far beyond comparison to any ordinary person.

How many times had that sword been swung in those hands with felt contours? How many evil beings had fallen to that blade?

And for how long had he been wielding that sword?

Finally, how righteously and uprightly must he have lived through those long years for his pitch-black eyes to remain so utterly untainted?

These were the thoughts running through my mind as I shook his hand.

Since he hadn’t revealed anything himself, it felt awkward to ask directly, so I could only speculate internally.

“My daughter is indebted to you. As a token of gratitude, I’d like to treat you to dinner, if that’s acceptable?”

To his proposal, which seemed to scratch right where I itched:

“Thank you.”

I accepted his offer immediately, lest he change his mind.

Why would I refuse a free dinner?

And since meals are rarely had in silence, I might learn something about this person through conversation.

“Well then…”

As I followed his footsteps toward the dining hall prepared in the lodging—which he seemed to have already familiarized himself with—I carefully considered what I should ask him.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

I didn’t forget to escort Shizu, who would accompany me wherever I went.

The dining hall we arrived at.

As we sat at the table prepared by the man who introduced himself as Alcor,

Plates of food carried by waiters were placed on the table, as if they had been waiting for our arrival.

The delicacies were similar to what I had seen yesterday, yet never tiresome.

Starting with appetizers made from seasonal vegetables with minimal processing to preserve their natural flavors.

Various seafood dishes from the abundant southern coast, grilled, steamed, or served raw like oysters.

Meat dishes prepared from livestock raised in the southern plains, no less bountiful than the seaside.

After tasting dishes of such quality that it would be disappointing to call any of them anything but a main course,

Fresh desserts made from dairy products, natural byproducts of the livestock industry.

While the composition was not much different from yesterday’s meal, I could enjoy dishes with slightly higher quality in subtle ways.

The problem was that, unlike yesterday, I couldn’t fully focus on the food.

“That concludes my introduction.”

The cause was Alcor’s words as he calmly finished introducing himself amidst the coming and going of dishes.

Though his tone was calm, the facts he revealed would surprise anyone who hadn’t experienced great ordeals like Shizu and I had.

He came from what we commonly called the “Elevated Place.”

After observing that this world had returned to normal after Desire and other twisted divinity holders had arbitrarily closed its doors, cutting off exchange,

He came here to understand what kind of place this world was and to reopen exchange, while also expressing gratitude to the one who saved the world.

Despite his calm tone, these were still shocking revelations for most listeners.

“I see…”

Having lived through countless time loops, this was merely something that made me think, “Ah, so that’s it!” So my response reflected that.

“You don’t seem very surprised.”

I could see Alcor’s surprise at my reaction as he slightly raised his left eyebrow.

This person seems to have a habit of raising just one eye, not both, when surprised.

I should remember that. I probably won’t have many chances to surprise him in the future.

“As you might have guessed from looking at me, I somehow expected something like this.”

I calmly explained why I wasn’t surprised by his self-introduction before spearing the last piece of steak on my plate with my fork.

“…Hmm.”

Alcor let out a short hum and began observing me as I brought the fork-speared steak to my mouth and chewed.

His pitch-black eyes revealed a strange sparkle as he looked at me and,

“…?”

Then turned to look at Shizu.

Staring directly at someone could be considered quite rude in certain situations.

Yet strangely, meeting Alcor’s gaze as he observed Shizu and me didn’t feel unpleasant.

How should I put it—it was like he was reading not our outward appearances but the texture of our inner selves and souls.

It would be difficult to feel discomfort when someone looks at you with such mystical eyes.

Besides, though I called it observation…

“…Indeed.”

He finished his observation before I even finished chewing and swallowing my steak, so it would be silly to claim any emotional response to it.

“That young lady aside, you feel somewhat special.”

After finishing his observation, Alcor revealed that he had sensed something about me.

“What do you find special about me?”

To my question that revealed my curiosity,

“Time.”

“…”

With just one word, Alcor hit the mark and left me speechless.

Time, haha, time.

Could he really discern such a thing just by looking at someone he met for the first time today?

As I revealed my slight surprise through my expression,

“Altair. Would you take the girl to the guest room?”

“Yes, m…master.”

“You don’t need to call me master.”

“Understood. Teacher.”

Sensing that our conversation would be lengthy, Alcor instructed Altair to put Flora, who showed signs of sleepiness, to bed.

“I might be late. Don’t wait up for me either.”

Alcor gave these final words to Altair, waving goodbye to his disciple and daughter as Altair bowed and withdrew from his seat.

“Mmm… I’m not sleepy yet…”

The last sound I heard from the two as they left was Flora’s whining voice as she fell asleep in Altair’s arms.

“…Hehe.”

The smile that formed on Alcor’s face as he watched the two disappear was similar to that of a parent looking at their young child.

Given that he showed the same expression not just toward his daughter but also toward the young man who was both his butler and disciple,

Alcor’s attitude toward his butler and chief disciple seemed to be imbued with affection, as if treating his own child.

It wasn’t particularly evident in his speech, so why did it feel that way?

“He’s my future son-in-law.”

My question was immediately answered by Alcor, as if he had read my thoughts.

“My daughter has liked that boy since she first learned to walk. If her feelings don’t change as she grows up, I plan to give my blessing without hesitation.”

Hehehe

Many things were revealed in Alcor’s expression as he laughed while saying this.

Hmm, son-in-law, is it?

It seems like it would take at least another 10 years for his daughter to reach the age Shizu was before my regression, so if nothing happens until then…

Ah, what am I thinking?

I lightly tapped the side of my head with my left hand to dispel these stray thoughts.

“Hmm, thinking about children made me digress. Since this might take a while, I think we should order something to drink. Don’t hesitate to order whatever you want, it’s on me.”

After seeing Alcor offer drinks with the purpose of continuing our conversation with Shizu and me,

“No alcohol. Let’s stick to coffee or tea.”

I immediately stopped Shizu, whose eyes were sparkling and lips loosening at the thought of drinking alcohol.

If I let her have alcohol, at night… ahem, I should stop these unnecessary thoughts.

“…Okay.”

Though she obediently listened to me, Shizu revealed her subtle disappointment, and just as a wry smile was about to form on my face,

Snap-!!

With a crisp snap of his fingers, Alcor skillfully called over a restaurant employee and said:

“Bring me a bottle of kvass, if you have it.”

He ordered an extremely cheap and popular alcoholic beverage that didn’t match his aristocratic appearance.

It was a moment that shattered my expectation that he would drink something grand like a strong spirit or fruit wine.

Though slightly taken aback, I quickly composed my expression as the waiter turned and walked away.

“It was my teacher’s favorite drink—the one who taught me swordsmanship and life lessons.”

Alcor said with a slightly embarrassed expression, seeing that I still couldn’t hide my surprise.