Ch.88Chapter 88. Kids These Days.

Egoweapon Pailoi.

For the past 3 months, I’ve considered this child as my companion.

Because of this child, I was able to overcome many dangers, and the trials that didn’t kill me only made me stronger.

Now that I’ve even received ownership from Tachia, Pailoi has become an inseparable part of me.

‘Only then can I kill mother.’

So I hoped what I saw then was just a fragment of a nightmare.

‘I need to become stronger than I am now to kill mother.’

Though I don’t know the reason for the hatred, when that child speaks of mother, they must be referring to Tachia.

But to say they’ll kill their creator, the person who provided me with a weapon and helped me avoid danger.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Pailoi. Why would I ever do that to Tachia…”

-No, daddy has to.

Despite my denial, Pailoi continued.

-I was drawn to daddy, and I have a duty to guide the one who drew me to my mission.

-Wooong.

A rough vibration arose from the spear.

Even as the whirlwind grew stronger from the physical force generated by mana, that voice was clearly reaching me.

A coldness that was neither the innocence I knew nor the brutality I saw in my recent nightmare.

-Because I was created to kill mommy.

Still a girl’s voice but.

With emotions so very adult-like and serious.

“…Pailoi.”

Is that really that child’s true intention?

Is the child’s purpose really to kill their own mother?

-Kuhehe, hahahahaha!

No, even at this moment, Gorgon’s laughter can be heard around the surging spear.

Since it hasn’t been able to manipulate me for the past 3 months, it has shifted its target to Pailoi.

“Drop that thing and come down right now, Pailoi.”

I sincerely hope so.

Otherwise, that child will really try to kill Tachia, and that would make me complicit in wielding that child.

-…Why?

Despite my wishes, Pailoi questions me.

The seriousness maintained until now began to waver at this moment of restraint.

-Daddy still isn’t satisfied with his power, right? You need to do whatever it takes to become stronger, so why are you rejecting a means to increase your power?

“I’ll listen to what you have to say after you come down. So first, shake off that thing and…”

-Weren’t you looking out for me?

Kwarreung. As the torrent of power intensified, the walls of space began to crack, and the floor was swept away.

As broken fragments and dust were caught in the vortex, heightening the sense of crisis, the voice from the spear also grew more intense.

-Unlike mommy, I thought daddy would look out for me. But if you’re going to be like this, why did you wake me up? I’ve been helping daddy all this time, and I thought if I helped daddy, daddy would help me too, so why…!

“Pailoi. Listen to daddy. I still don’t know anything about you…”

-I don’t care!! Someone who won’t help me can just disappear!!!

Pailoi came flying with raging emotions.

I know best how powerful and sharp that force is, having handled that child directly.

If I don’t dodge, my body will be torn to pieces. But since I prioritized persuasion, immediate evasion wasn’t feasible.

-Kwaaang!

But Pailoi’s spear tip didn’t pierce my body.

Before that could happen, Jaseong flew in from the impact, embraced my body, and helped me avoid Pailoi’s attack.

“Hyoseong Woo! Are you okay?!”

“…Brother Jaseong?”

“Stay still!”

Jaseong struck the ground with the shovel in his hand.

As the mana-infused force hit the ground, the surrounding land began to rise upward with a “kwarreung!” sound.

This was due to his unique ability, ‘Earth Reversal’.

He can temporarily reverse gravity on the land where he stamps his feet. Using the mana in his shovel to control the flow of the reversed soil, and combining it with the force when gravity returns to normal, one of his specialties is ‘creating earthen walls on the spot’.

-Kwakang! Kwang!

Pailoi’s body repeatedly collided with the barricade created in an instant.

Although the earthen wall had never been breached during our adventures together, severe cracks were forming all over it as Pailoi rammed into it.

-Come out right nooooow!!!

And a fierce shout from beyond the wall.

As I felt my skin tingling, I realized Jaseong was staring at me while defending against the attack with his back to the earthen wall.

“Hyoseong, you.”

“Brother, I’m sorry for getting you involved. What happened was…”

“You bastard. If you had a child, you should have said something!”

“…What?”

At his words, which seemed to understand everything, I unconsciously blurted out a dumbfounded response.

Jaseong tilted his head, questioning my reaction.

“From what I’ve heard, it seems that weapon considers you its father, right?”

“Ah, no. That’s correct. Though we’re not actually blood-related…”

“Whether blood-related or not, what does it matter? I’m also a single father with a daughter like you.”

“…You mean that Demon Tribe child?”

“Yeah, man.”

Thud, Jaseong tapped my head once with his heavy hand.

Though rough, there was a unique coarse consideration in it.

Despite the chaotic situation having nothing to do with him.

“When an adult takes in a child, they must take responsibility.”

Rather than expressing resentment toward me, he was trying to cooperate based on his own convictions.

“Are you going to give up just because of one tantrum?”

-Kuung, kung!!

The impact on the surrounding earthen wall.

Soon, when this wall collapses, a battle between Jaseong and Pailoi will inevitably occur.

And in the worst case, one of them might die.

“I want to talk.”

Yes, Jaseong could surely destroy an Egoweapon made of mythril.

After all, he’s one of the top-ranked powerful figures among the heroes.

“I want to talk with that child.”

Nevertheless, I chose to involve him in my selfishness.

Even though he might die.

“Then what I need to do is create a place where you and that child can talk.”

Even though I knew he would readily accept.

I couldn’t shake the thought that I had to use him for my own circumstances.

“…I’m sorry.”

“If you’re sorry, come help me with kimchi-making next time. When I do it alone, it doesn’t taste as good as when I do it with you.”

That’s something I’d naturally do if we stay connected.

-Bang!

First, I need to think about getting out of here safely.

“By the way, Hyoseong, earlier you seemed to be having a friendly conversation with that child, but it wasn’t this violent before?”

“Ah, about that. When I talked with that child, it was in a dream…”

As severe cracks formed on the earthen wall, I took this brief respite to summarize my conversations with that child.

“Yes, I see. So you talked in dreams, right?”

Jaseong nodded, resting his chin on his hand at my words.

Then, as if struck by a brilliant idea, he began to raise his shovel.

“Good, I roughly see what needs to be done.”

“Really? How exactly…”

-Kkaang!

With the impact that struck my head, my vision staggered.

Realizing my head had been planted on the ground, I painfully looked up at Jaseong and asked.

“Br-Brother… Why?”

“You said you talked in dreams, right? Then first, we need to put both of you to sleep.”

“But what…”

-Kkaang!!!

The shovel struck my head once more.

And so my consciousness was cut off by the hand of the bastard I had believed to be my brother.

And then…

****

-Kwaaang!!!!

Just before the earthen wall split, Nam Jaseong destroyed the barricade he had built with his shovel.

As the Egoweapon, hit by that strike, flew away, Jaseong placed his hand on his fallen brother’s nose and said.

“…Good, he’s still breathing.”

If there’s any damage, it can be treated later with holy power.

He should be prepared to hear a complaint or two when the other wakes up, but that’s something he must endure to resolve the situation quickly.

In urgent situations, even a few seconds of time wasted can be fatal.

“Little one! You seem to have a lot of complaints about your dad. Want me to give you some advice?”

But before knocking them both out, Jaseong took a moment to check the other’s condition by speaking to them.

If he speaks in place of the object of excitement, perhaps it might help calm the current agitation.

-…You’re not daddy.

And as expected, the answer followed.

-You can’t raise me. You can’t kill mommy.

“Hehe, look at you doing all sorts of things to your parents just because you’re upset. Kid, do you know what a blessing it is to even have parents? How could you try to strike them down with your own hands?”

-That’s none of my business.

Kwarreung. The flow of power began to roughen again.

Feeling his skin tingle under his helmet, he saw the spear floating in the air preparing to rampage again.

-I have something I must do. I was created for that…

What would follow is the rampage of a weapon with will.

Given how difficult it is to face even with a hero’s power, an ordinary person would either flee to preserve their life or inevitably choose to destroy that weapon.

“Fine, whether it’s a mission or whatever, cry all you want.”

But Jaseong doesn’t hesitate.

Though he still doesn’t understand how this situation is unfolding, there’s one clear reason why he should indulge his brother’s unreasonable request here.

“It’s an adult’s role to indulge a crying child’s tantrum.”

Adults should protect children, and the consciousness this weapon possesses is still young and immature.

He’s thrown himself onto roads to save children from being hit by cars, so how could he abandon his principles in an unfamiliar world?

-Why are you interfering with me? I…

As the paladin stood there blocking the way, the emotional outburst seemed to accelerate.

Is it because of the whispers happening to it even at this moment?

No, it’s been a long time since such things stopped reaching its ears.

The whispers of a mere Undead only served to remind it of what it had forgotten.

-It’s all for mommy’s sake, why do you keep interfering with me?

So everything blocking its way must be destroyed.

“Is that truly your will?”

Before the emotions could explode, it sensed someone approaching from the entrance of the altar connected to this room.

“Or is it merely a will borrowed from someone else? If it’s merely borrowed, why are you trying to forcibly follow it?”

“Huh? Old man! It’s dangerous here! If you come here…”

-Who are you!!

The paladin shouted, recognizing him.

But whatever it is, it’s just another obstacle.

-Daddy too, why does everyone not understand me! Stop interfering with me anymore!

Yes, everything except the purpose doesn’t matter.

Faced with the spear tip rushing with emotional outburst, the old man twirled the staff in his hand and let out a roar.

“HAAAT!!!!!!!!”

A booming sound erupted from the strike that followed the shout.

The Egoweapon, pushed back by that force, was planted on the ground, losing its previous momentum.

Just one strike.

That was all it took for the old man’s staff to break the power of the Egoweapon.

-Ugh, eeh…

A groan arose from the Egoweapon, proving the impact was not light.

Soon, the commotion that had occurred until then subsided as if it were a lie, and the old man who had struck the Egoweapon raised his staff and said.

“Kids these days.”

“When adults speak, you should show respect. Always rushing in without manners, making me use the rod.”

No, rather than an old man, he would be more aptly described as an old warrior.

The previous vigor and the look in his eyes at that moment could only be exhibited by a warrior who has fought life-or-death battles.

“Oh my, my back. It’s getting hard even to give a child a knock on the head.”

“…You’re the old man who occasionally comes to pray at the cathedral, right?”

As Jaseong approached, feeling a discrepancy between what he knew and what he saw, the old man chuckled and forcibly straightened his bent back.

“Yes, I’m just a humble old man who visits occasionally to find a bit of nostalgia from my homeland. People who know me call me Boss Jean, the guardian of the workshop alley.”

“Ah, yes. So you were a blacksmith.”

“No, not a blacksmith, but Boss Jean…”

-Wooong, woong.

A vibration arose from the spear planted on the ground during their casual conversation.

But it hasn’t awakened.

Though its consciousness was suppressed by the previous shock, it’s just the unconscious affecting reality like sleep-talking.

“My, my. It seems to have quite a restless dream. It looks like that young man over there has really gotten on its bad side.”

“Do you know something, old man?”

“I don’t know everything, but I should try to find out what I don’t know. After all, it was none other than I who drew that young man into this fate.”

Jean answered Jaseong’s question nonchalantly.

Then, stroking his beard as he moved forward, he looked down at the man lying on the floor and closed his eyes.

“…Tachia Pailoi.”

At this moment when the time allowed to him was running out.

“It seems the time has come to fulfill my promise to you.”

As if finally finding meaning in the life he’s lived so far.