Ch.62???

Droplets bloom.

Like countless bubbles rising and falling.

Surging in an instant, subsiding in a moment.

Among those many, many bubbles.

A slender finger touches one droplet.

And then.

Peers into it.

……

Barren branches growing thick, dense forests, and mountain valleys.

They must signify places untouched by human hands.

The wind, cutting like a blade through the darkness, soon tears apart and shakes the branches that had barely begun to thicken.

It even snaps trees with shallow roots, breaking them at the waist.

While it may be spring inland, even that is nothing but hardship here.

With a bundle of broken branches gathered and carried on his back, he headed deeper into the valley.

A small hut stood where he was heading.

After setting down the branches to be used as firewood, he moved to an area slightly away from the hut and filled a jar with water from the stream, parts of which were covered with thin ice or partially frozen.

He carried it back, then shouldered a new jar and repeated this process several times.

Dawn passes.

Still, it’s early morning.

Yet the forest morning is, as always, cold and utterly dark.

Having finished his basic preparations, he diligently gathered his hunting tools.

Moving skillfully through the forest paths and between trees.

He ended the faint breathing of small animals caught in traps.

Expertly separated skin from flesh.

Removing blood and entrails, scattering them, setting new baited traps.

Then moving on again.

Roughly covering the smell of blood with snow, sand, and soil.

If the wind blows strongly, the beasts’ sense of smell would surely detect him.

So he tries to move considering the wind direction, but nature’s capricious temperament doesn’t always cooperate.

At such times, there’s nothing to do but accept it.

Even so.

All he caught in his traps were tiny creatures.

He somehow satisfied his disappointment by even digging out insect larvae from inside some trees, beneath the bark.

Only when the sun began to pierce even the forest interior did he return to the hut.

Opening the door with practiced ease, he stepped inside.

Looking around the almost empty interior, he took a deep breath.

Sitting blankly, he pushed firewood into the bare stove and lit it.

Then he sat in a nearby chair, quietly watching the scene.

Just then.

The door opened and someone entered.

“I’m back.”

The man remained still for a moment before turning his gaze in that direction.

But.

He couldn’t see.

As if the world had broken, everything distorted and twisted.

…Nothing.

Something had come and gone.

Incomprehensible.

“……”

No.

It’s just that he could no longer comprehend it.

That’s what it comes down to.

Where did things go wrong?

He knew.

Countless times, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times he had repeated, recalled, and agonized.

Though the conclusion was all too clear, he wondered if perhaps it had nothing to do with that fact.

“……”

Yes.

Perhaps that’s precisely when things went awry.

He accepted Alesia’s proposal.

He allowed her to accompany him.

Was that why?

According to the Demon Lord, he had become far too weak.

No, he had become so pathetic he couldn’t even recognize it.

He had certainly managed to overcome crises, trials, and difficulties before, if not skillfully, then somehow.

But the decisive factor was…

…In the end, the sword of Grandeus did not accept such a self.

That’s the story.

Just that small failure.

Yet somehow, from that point on, everything seemed to unravel.

In the end, all he could do was head somewhere far away.

Burying his original goals and contract obligations forcibly in the recesses of his memory.

He devoted himself to what was truly an escape.

But how did the rumors spread?

That he had allied with the Demon Lord, that he was the successor—all sorts of stories circulated.

Those tracking him gradually increased.

Of course, he defeated them all.

But even that had its limits.

No, he still managed to hide well.

He and Alesia set up a home in a distant place, intending to live well.

Although the life guaranteed was miserably inadequate for the future.

At that time, I was too exhausted.

“……”

He adds dry firewood.

Like a phantom, the flames consume the wood, examining it like prey.

Years passed like that.

They had a child, and just as they were getting used to life.

Everything collapsed.

Alesia died, and the child was taken.

After that, he truly searched everywhere with the sole thought of finding his child.

As a result, he became a grand slaughterer, accumulating all sorts of false accusations and infamy.

Now he couldn’t properly set foot anywhere.

…That didn’t matter.

But the child still remained undiscovered.

Not even a clue.

Having nothing to rely on is this burdensome?

No matter how much he racked his brain, tried to grasp clues.

Where should he even begin?

He had already tried everything he could.

“……”

He adds more firewood.

Hunger sets in.

Outside, light was already gradually fading.

Just a blink and it’s like this.

What has he been doing?

Nothing.

…Nothing at all.

The Demon Lord had left with the child, saying it would be more fun that way.

What did he say back then?

[Don’t you think an escape with a predetermined end is, well, miserable?]

No matter how much you deceive yourself with self-deception.

In the end, the sun rises and the moon sets.

“……”

He realizes.

It was because he had been complacent, because he had sought comfort.

That’s why this disaster occurred.

All tragedy ultimately stemmed from his own weakness and foolishness.

If it hadn’t been for him, she wouldn’t have ended up like that.

And…

That child wouldn’t have been treated that way from birth.

“……”

He must find them.

But where to begin?

This is where the difficulty starts again.

Even this thought, this contemplation, this agony has been repeated tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times.

It’s not easy.

It’s not easy.

As the sun sets and the moon rises.

His body gradually ages.

Yet his motivation refuses to revive.

Heading somewhere again.

It would mean slaughtering and enduring everything that stands in his way.

……

Fa… …ther?

His eyelids lifted involuntarily at what sounded like a voice calling from afar.

“……”

He steps out of the hut door, gripping the sword he had been holding.

When had he been holding it?

He doesn’t know.

“Huh?”

When he opened the door, there stood a young man, a girl, and a man he had never seen before.

The three of them were standing there.

Among them, one young man.

His gaze is involuntarily drawn to that young man.

Snow-white hair like drifting snowflakes.

Perhaps similar to silver.

His two eyes as firm as gold.

Even the contours of his face… were similar.

“……”

To feel fate in such a way.

It’s simply absurd.

“Are you the owner of this place?”

The young man asked in a polite tone, but.

“Are we here to see some forest sage? We’re here to find a murderer, a slaughterer!”

The girl beside him snapped in an irritable tone.

“Ahem!”

The man cleared his throat at this, as if to remind them to be tense.

“……”

What does it matter.

One thing is clear.

“Are you the hero’s child?”

At that, the red-haired girl smirked.

“Oh? He knows that. You’ve become famous, our hero’s son?”

“…I told you not to say that.”

The white-haired young man frowned as if embarrassed.

“Excuse me, but we’d like to ask if you are the person we’re looking for.”

The man, despite clearly having some understanding of who he was facing, still maintained formalities.

“……”

I remained silent.

What was I supposed to say?

Your father is also my father.

And you, the little red-haired one, judging by how perfectly you’ve inherited the imperial family’s traits, you must be from that lineage.

…As for the man, I’m not sure.

“……”

What am I supposed to say?

“So, what business do you have?”

The girl stepped forward and accused him.

“If you’re that rumored slaughterer, you should face proper punishment. Turning over a few territories, cleaning up various guilds and back-alley organizations might have been good deeds… but you’ve harmed too many innocent people.”

“……”

Innocent, she says.

Of course, there might have been innocent ones.

But if I were to consider each one individually.

When would I ever swing my sword?

When would I ever track them down?

“How did you find my location?”

“What good would knowing that do you?”

The girl’s attitude was the very definition of arrogance.

But why?

It wasn’t so annoying.

Despite being far removed from any sense of familiarity or comfort.

Strange.

“…So. What do you want to do?”

“Ah, saying it twice would be nagging! Either get arrested, or if you resist… we’ll take your limbs.”

“Hey. You really… Hah!”

The young man touches his forehead with a troubled expression.

“Her words were a bit harsh, but that’s exactly what she meant.”

“Don’t you think you might be harassing the wrong person?”

“Your physical characteristics are too distinct.”

Black long hair and an average build.

A beard that had grown wild without being trimmed.

“Black hair might be common in the Empire… but this isn’t even imperial territory.”

“…And you’re going to take me in?”

“Because I was asked to.”

The red-haired girl interrupts again.

“It’s a direct order from my sister-in-law, so I can’t just let it go.”

“…Hah.”

Sister-in-law.

If I trace the relationships in the imperial family that would make this little one call someone sister-in-law…

“…You’re Enjul’s daughter from the collateral line.”

The red-haired girl gasps in shock.

“Huh?! How do you know that?! Did I mention my name or status earlier?”

“……”

This confirms it.

“…Eraseu?”

It can’t be Seraseu.

Much less Elhermina.

Then… it’s obvious, isn’t it?

It doesn’t matter if I’m mistaken.

‘Even coming this far, bad karma remains bad karma, I suppose.’

A wry smile escapes involuntarily.

Moreover, that young man before me.

…Isn’t he that man’s child?

“Can’t we resolve this through dialogue?”

Perhaps reading my fighting intent, the young man asked cautiously.

“Then stand back. If you never come near this area again, I’ll let it go this time.”

“What?! Let it go?! You crazy bastard?!”

The fiery girl apparently took this as a clear insult.

She immediately summoned fire in her hand and shot it toward me.

“Huh?”

It dissipated pathetically.

“……”

I still have.

This kind of thing left in me.

Coincidentally.

“Don’t you know that if you kill me, the Empire will crumble?”

And not just the Empire.

Now, I am merely a medium for a curse, a transmitter, a carrier.

Yet I’m this unfortunate.

Even though the curse hasn’t even been activated yet.

“Well, do as you please.”

I need to rescue the child.

But even if I rescue them, the future that remains for that child is nothing more than becoming a medium to receive the curse I pass on.

Perhaps.

…It would be better to die as soon as possible.

No, didn’t the Demon Lord say?

That even death would lose its meaning.

“……”

I had foreseen this tragedy all along.

Why did I commit such a regrettable act?

I just…

‘I just wanted to be a little more comfortable.’

That it was such a great greed.

That I would have to remind myself of it every day.

“Come.”

All that remains is an insignificant sword.

The immediate task of defeating my father had no meaning.

Even now, father is the strongest on the continent, enjoying his prime without time to age.

But what about me?

My body has aged, dulled.

Far from my prime, both body and mind.

Aren’t I dying day by day?

It’s my fault.

I should have shouldered it all alone.

Intoxicated by the kindness of receiving support, of having a shoulder to lean on.

…I made too great a mistake.

‘I don’t like it.’

Not even regret emerges.

Much less wishing to go back to those times.

Because what has happened has happened.

So I…

“—!!”

Whether I die at the hands of these people before me.

Or buried in some other trial.

In the end, my conclusion will remain unchanged.

——

Pop!

The droplet bursts.

Delicate fingers.

The tip of that nail finally exerted force and popped the droplet.

What might have been.

But a story that never was.

And so again.

It burst away without a trace.