Chapter 468: The Father is Not Singular

Villages are built in livable places.

Places with running water nearby, grass for livestock to graze, or flat terrain suitable for farming tend to attract people, and that’s how villages form.

As its name suggests, Black Ravine Village was built beside a ravine.

But more important than the ravine itself is the water that flows through it, and more than the water, it’s the blessings that flowing water brings that contribute to village life: lush grass, clean well water, and so on.

Still, because the ravine was the most visible landmark, people accepted the name Black Ravine Village.

Despite the name, the ravine isn’t somewhere people would normally visit.

Wet rocks alone are hazardous, and thirsty wild beasts come by every day.

Unless you’re a woman doing laundry or a butcher finishing his work, there’s no reason to approach it.

“Come on, Father!”

And so, Hilde and I launched a surprise visit.

Mountain water is cold, especially in the early morning before the sun is up.

As soon as I dipped my hands in the icy stream, a chill spread through my entire body.

Suddenly returning to my senses, I began rising hesitantly.

“…Are we really doing this? Shouldn’t we heat the water first and let it cool down?”

“How would we light a fire? What would we put the water in? And even if we did heat it, how long would you wait?”

“Well, I could try with Standard Magic…”

I trailed off and shook my head.

Using mana here would be foolish.

Hilde could use magic too.

If she can wield Holy Power through acting, she could easily learn basic Standard Magic.

But instead of paying the price of black magic, it’s more efficient for a Star General like her to just warm the water with her body heat.

Overwhelming strength tends to ignore efficiency anyway.

“Standard… Magic?”

“No, nothing. Haa… I can’t exactly skip bathing, can I…?”

Hygiene is directly tied to survival.

Mumbling in resignation, I reached for my Bio-receptor.

The Clothing Packet, one of the Military State’s Seven Major Inventions.

Yuel, who gathered every good thing for the sake of the State, especially coveted it.

I’d worn regular clothes in the Duchy, but naturally reached for my packet when escaping.

Military-issued packets are durable and practical.

Once deactivated, the alchemically crafted fibers rewound themselves into thread.

Coiled around the limbs and finally gathered at my left wrist, the strands retracted into a small packet that popped out from the device.

The long journey had left it worn and dirty.

“Ugh, it’s freezing…”

Wearing only my shirt and underclothes, I braced myself and leapt into the water and I regretted it immediately.

The skin-piercing chill had me screaming as I scrubbed my body and clothes in desperation.

Too cold to get back out now.

It’s a sunk cost fallacy.

If I leave now, I’ll just be colder, so I might as well make the most of it.

I scrubbed off the grime from my slippery skin.

While I flailed like a soaked puppy, Hilde neatly undressed and folded her clothes atop a rock.

So that’s what all the fussing was.

Carefully folding clothes took time.

Clothing packets really are great for this kind of thing…

Wait.

“Hilde.”

“Yes?”

“Why did you take off your clothes and fold them? Where’s your clothing packet?”

“Huh? I’m not from the Military State, remember? I don’t have a Bio-receptor like you, Father.”

True, she’s not from the Military State.

But she does have one!

A special type, made for her Transformation Art!

I was about to say something, but gave up after seeing her ‘performance.’

Whatever.

Who cares how she takes off her clothes?

“Also… please don’t stare. It’s embarrassing…”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

She’s still wearing underwear!

Sure, she’s a girl, and modesty makes sense, but acting all shy after being so brazen this whole time is just…

Wait a second, this is acting too!

Why the sudden demure maiden act?

I said I’d watch from the audience, not play a co-star!

“Uuuu…”

Hilde shyly covered herself and finally waded into the water, shivering as she knelt to submerge herself.

…Without using any Qi Arts.

Just enduring the cold with her bare body.

“Now that’s what I call dedication to a role.”

I mean, I don’t have any Gam Qi Arts to use, but she had consciously suppressed her natural flow of Qi.

While she’s acting, she likely won’t use any of it.

Well, whatever.

If she runs into a vampire, she’ll use it then.

Not my problem if she’s cold now.

“Fine, do what you want. I’ll wash with my back turned.”

Submerged any longer and I’d catch a cold.

Turning around, I rinsed the filth from my body in the flowing stream.

Once I got into a rhythm, Hilde finally stood and began washing herself as well.

For a while, only the sound of water rippling filled the air.

Once I’d thoroughly scrubbed myself and my packet clean, I turned to check on her.

“I’m done. Hilde, how much lon—”

“Kyah! Ah!”

Hilde flinched and dropped down into the water, covering herself.

Through the splashing droplets, glimpses of pale skin flashed, though she was still in her underwear.

What the heck.

Why…?

While I puzzled over it, Hilde spoke with a blushing, bashful expression.

“Y-you said you wouldn’t look…!”

“This is ridiculous. We’re fugitives! Are you really going to fuss over that in a situation like this?”

“That?! Maybe you’re used to this because you’re always hitting on women, but I’m not!”

“I’m not either! Where are you even getting that from?!”

It’s not like I’ve had a real relationship in all these years!

…Well, I did keep some women close to get their support, but still!

“Why does it take you so long to wash, anyway?”

“D-don’t ask things like that! Girls take time, okay?! Even with all your ‘experience,’ you don’t know that?!”

“I mean, I do, but…”

You could just use Qi Arts…

That was what I wanted to say, but held my tongue.

Whether she’s acting or not, you don’t need to rush through washing as if you’re grilling beans over lightning.

Even Historia took her sweet time in the dorms.

Usually she can transform, apply makeup, and change clothes in under a minute, so why the fuss now?

But, I suppose bathing is different.

“Sigh. Fine. Take your time. I’ll wash your clothes.”

“Ah, I-I should do it myse—”

｢No. The weather’s cold, we can’t afford to waste more time. I’ll have to rely on Father just a little.｣

Hilde, who had started to reach for her clothes, shrank back and nodded.

“Okay. Then… I’ll leave it to you.”

She’s really lost it.

Hilde’s acting had always been a series of carefully calculated movements.

Predicting how the other person would respond, choosing the most natural behavior, mimicking others to craft her character, every step was deliberate.

But now, Hilde had erased all of that.

She locked away everything she’d built in her consciousness and became someone else.

So thoroughly that even I, a Mind Reader, found it confusing.

“…At this rate, she might forget how to use Qi altogether. Though… probably not.”

It should be fine.

As long as she doesn’t need it immediately, there’s no issue.

I reassured myself as I scrubbed her clothes in the stream.

The only silver lining was that the sheer absurdity of it all briefly made me forget the cold.

…Now that I’m thinking about it again, I’m freezing.

Shivering, I forced myself to finish the laundry.

“…Nope, not fine at all!”

It was fine up until we finished washing and brought a bucket of water back to the burrow.

But after that, under the blanket, Hilde’s lips had turned a ghastly shade of blue, and she was trembling violently. Anyone could see she was showing clear signs of hypothermia.

Shivering pitifully, Hilde murmured.

“S-sorry… ‘I’ was… being stubborn…”

“Yeah! Stop being so stubborn and use your Qi Arts already! You could drive off a chill with ease!”

“If ‘I’ just had a little more… talent with Qi…”

“You’ve got more than enough! You’re talented, absurdly so, you’ve fully bloomed already!”

“Don’t… a-abandon me…”

“Who’s abandoning who?! Just don’t leave me and run off somewhere weird on your own! I still need you!”

｢He’s saying such warm things… It just makes me want to lean on him more…｣

No!

Don’t make such a cozy expression while you’re freezing!

That’s not what I meant!

We haven’t even escaped yet, what if you overdo the acting and your body gives out?!

“We can’t start a fire underground either. Hah… this is tough.”

She’ll be fine, right?

Hilde is a master of Qi Arts.

If her life is truly in danger, her Qi should instinctively activate to protect her body… Hopefully. But honestly, even I can’t be sure.

If I felt even a shred of manipulation behind this—like if she was testing me or toying with me—I’d scoff and leave her be.

But now? I’m not so sure.

If this woman, who’s obsessed with acting, decides not to use her Qi until she’s literally on the verge of death, I wouldn’t even be surprised!

“Well, fine. Since we decided to rest here for a few days, I’ll go along with your nonsense for now. But don’t think I’ll indulge you forever.”

“Th-thank… you…”

I watched her shivering under the blanket and pondered.

To raise body temperature, we needed heat, but we couldn’t light a fire in a tiny space underground.

So instead, I pulled out the Seven of Spades, Lightning Spool. and submerged it in the bucket to warm the water.

But that would take some time.

“Hilde.”

“…Yes?”

“Take your clothes off.”

Before she could react, I added quickly,

“They’re soaked. No matter what you do, you won’t get warm wearing those.”

I was wearing a Clothing Packet, which I washed while still in packet form.

It was damp, but barely wet inside, truly the Military State’s Major Invention.

Hilde, on the other hand, had taken off her clothes properly to wash them, so they’d soaked up every drop of that freezing river water.

She was practically wrapped in a sheet made of ice.

Honestly, this was more urgent than starting a fire.

“But…”

“You’re the one who insisted on this. If you don’t like it, use your Qi.”

I meant it sincerely, but to Hilde—who was “unable” to use her Qi—it sounded like cold sarcasm.

She squirmed as she trembled.

“…It’s ‘my’ fault… so…”

“If you know that, then just—”

“Here…”

After a long shuffle under the blanket, Hilde extended a hand with her wet clothes.

I snatched them up and hung them on a makeshift clothesline of twigs.

Then I whipped up her blanket.

“Huh?”

“If you’re not going to use your Qi, there’s only one option left. You’ve taken yourself hostage to stick with your concept.”

Body heat.

It’s all we’ve got.

I slipped under the blanket with her and deactivated my packet.

Now just as bare as she was, I pulled her trembling body close.

Our ice-cold skin met.

It was ridiculous, but Hilde still faltered in surprise.

“F-Father…”

“Look how cold your body is. If nothing else, your dedication to the role is impressive!”

It’s true.

She’s using absolutely no Qi at all.

Anyone trained to her level would subconsciously control their body even without consciously activating Qi Arts.

Especially those who’ve mastered Gam Qi Arts, they can completely suppress any trembling or pain-induced flinches.

They’re always ready to fight in peak condition.

That’s why what Hilde’s doing is even more impressive, willfully denying all that.

It’s another level of Gam Qi mastery.

Completely useless, but impressive nonetheless.

Unable to meet my gaze, Hilde hesitated.

But slowly, as warmth started to return, she loosened her arms and gently wrapped them around my back.

Then, pressing her body fully against mine, she embraced me.

Flint is cold, but it sparks when struck.

As our chilled bodies overlapped, a faint warmth began to rise.

Hilde murmured.

“It’s… warm…”

“That’s because you’re way colder than necessary. You should’ve regulated your temperature better.”

“Sorry… I’m still… not used to Father yet…”

“I wasn’t talking about your attitude. I meant your body.”

Has she installed a mental filter or something?

She hears everything I say through the lens of her ‘concept.’

Despite my blunt tone, Hilde calmly leaned into me and spoke.

“Being in Father’s arms like this… brings back old memories…”

“Old memories? I’m hugging you for the first time in my life.”

I don’t know how you built your setting, but that’s all your doing.

I’m not going to forcibly rip off your mask, but don’t expect me to play along.

Hearing my cold response, Hilde flinched.

“…Sorry. ‘I’… must have confused you with a previous ‘father’… ah!”

Her expression suddenly crumpled.

I replied with visible irritation.

“Previous father?”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! Please don’t abandon me!”

“Why would I be mad? It’s not like I picked you up or anything.”

It’s not quite regression… or is it?

Hilde’s acting right now feels like she’s deleted everything except a sliver of remembered facts.

Her memories exist, but they aren’t being accessed from her Spiritual World.

She’s perfectly isolated herself from her past roles.

This performance is rooted deep in her past, before she was the “Camarilla,” before she was part of the Crusader even.

“So let’s hear it. What number dad am I?”

“Can I… say it?”

“I’m not the type to fish for specific answers. Just tell me.”

Hesitant at first, Hilde soon answered with determined eyes.

“…Excluding the father I don’t remember, you’re the tenth.”

“What were those other fathers like?”

I asked to understand what they had in common, but her answer caught me off guard.

“They were honored guests… who had long-term contracts with my mother…”