episode_0017

At Branco’s request, I hesitated for a moment.

It is a well-known fact that Bogeurt won’t live much longer.

Not just because of his age, but also due to his illness.

Even if I were to hear tomorrow that he had passed away, it wouldn’t surprise me.

I understand the feeling of cherishing a father whom you respect as a son.

I understand, but understanding is one thing…

“It doesn’t seem possible.”

I shook my head.

“If it’s about skills, I can boast that I’m not inferior to my father. And when it comes to money, I can somehow…”

Branco raised his head and urgently spoke.

“No, that’s not the issue.”

I let out a deep sigh.

“Do you know your father’s personality?”

“Uh…”

“If it’s Bogeurt, he will definitely come. He will come no matter what, even if he knows he might die on the way… right?”

“But, but… if it’s Mr. Lashwood…”

“While we haven’t seen Bogeurt for nearly 20 years, it’s obvious how he has lived. Ambitious, talented, and stubborn. He must have never backed down. That’s why he achieved success to that extent.”

“Still…”

“The old man never changes. It would be the way he has lived so far, steadfastly believing in that way alone and not turning his eyes to anything else…”

Such a life.

I somewhat envy it.

I can never follow that path.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t possess it.

“Mr. Lashwood…”

Branco closed his eyes tightly and hesitated.

“…But still, but still…! How can you leave it as a child?!”

A tear rolled down his eye.

“Then let’s ask the opposite. What do you think Bogeurt considers as his ultimate goal in life?”

“What…?”

“Paying back his debt to me. That’s what he wants… Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“That’s…”

“Does your father not know that he is going to die? He’s not a fool; of course, he knows. And even while preparing for death, he found something he wanted to do. Is it right as a child to stop him from doing that?”

…”

Branco stood there speechless, mouth agape.

“I believe respecting his own will is the best course of action.”

“But, but, but…”

“It’s difficult. There’s no right answer. But whatever you say, Bogeurt won’t be convinced. That’s certain. You might be able to hold him back forcibly… but he will definitely fight back. Then you’ll spend the remaining time with each other with hurt feelings. Think carefully.”

I left Branco behind and entered the mansion.

“Mr. Lashwood.”

Linde called out to me.

“Why?”

“…”

“If you called me, say something.”

“Well…”

“You’re not sure what’s right?”

“…Yes.”

Neither side is wrong. Branco wishes for his father to spend his remaining days as comfortably as possible, and Bogeurt wants to end his life without regrets.

“But… then why…”

“It’s a good thing for you.”

“What?”

“When Sangcheol died, you didn’t have such worries. That’s why you set out on a futile goal of finding and gathering your kind.”

“Oh, no! Dad surely meant to…!”

“Can we call it family when we gather our kind and call them that? Did Sangcheol approve?”

“…”

“When we decided to live apart after escaping from Batori, Sangcheol agreed.”

“What does that…!”

“Don’t you remember? The reason we made that decision.”

“…Ah.”

“While our presence can be a source of strength for each other, sometimes we just want to forget everything. What we experienced there… it’s better to forget…”

Almost 200 years have passed.

Yet, occasionally, those memories resurface like scars.

Of course, time has passed, and memories have become somewhat hazy.

Nevertheless, the sensations from that time.

The emotions.

Despair, fear, resignation… Those things that never had a definite form still linger quite vividly even now.

Deeply ingrained scars occasionally send shivers down the spine even after many years have passed.

Perhaps we all share the same sentiments.

Though our ways of living may have changed, that one thing remains the same.

That much, I can be sure of.

“Well…”

“…”

“…In that case, what should I have done? When everyone I know is leaving…”

“So, think about it. Take your time. Delve deep.”

“…”

“You have plenty of time to think. It’s our destiny.”

“Yes.”

We passed through the mansion’s garden and entered through the door.

Krisha, dressed casually, walked towards us from the other end of the corridor.

“Are you coming now?”

Krisha asked Rinde.

“Yeah.”

“What’s wrong? Your expression…”

“Oh, it’s nothing, really…”

Krisha immediately turned to me, her face contorted.

“I must have told you clearly to take care of Rinde…!”

“I did my best to protect her. She’s not injured anywhere. If you’re worried, go check yourself.”

“…”

“I’m really fine. There are no injuries. It’s just that, um…”

“There was something going on. I want to discuss something with you later. But before that, we need to talk about something else.”

“Something else?”

“The blessing you write. Can it be bestowed upon someone else?”

“Blessing?”

“Huh?”

Rinde widened her eyes and looked at me.

“Blessing… like?”

“It’s nothing special. Like reducing pain, strengthening the body, you know. A blessing that directly strengthens the body. I saw you using something like that before. You probably haven’t mastered the monk’s martial arts, right?”

“I have. I can’t do anything about pain, but I can reduce fatigue and make the body as strong as steel. Are you asking for that? It’s not recommended, as it can only be used on one person, so during battles…”

“No, use it on yourself during battles. I want to use it for something else.”

“Something else?”

“Didn’t you tell Branko anything?”

“I didn’t say anything in particular. He was busy inspecting only the ceiling and the upper floor.”

“Right… That guy won’t be the one to fix our roof. Of course, he’ll come to help, but there’s someone else.”

“Who is it?”

“That guy’s father. His name is Bogert.”

“His father? …He didn’t look particularly young either.”

“Yeah. Bogert is a complete old man. He’s on his last legs. So…”

“I refuse. Are you out of your mind?”

“He wants to do it.”

“Then you should have refused too! Having such an old man fix this big mansion? What if something happens to him?”

Krisha raised her voice.

“Wait, Krisha…”

“Rinde is clueless!”

“Just give him a blessing or something. It will lower the chances of him dying.”

“If you didn’t ask in the first place!”

“Let’s calm down first…”

“Do I look like I’m not calm?! As a knight, I cannot tolerate such things!”

Krisha’s tone completely changed.

Truly a legendary knight.

The strong knights I’ve seen all had a strong sense of justice.

The excessive obsession she showed when we first met was probably rooted in her affection and love for Rinde.

“I absolutely can’t help! No, change the person!”

“I can’t change it. He’ll definitely come. He owes me a debt from before…”

“A debt?! Are you trying to save money by exploiting a sick old man?!”

“No, it’s not like that…”

This guy, once he gets worked up, he just won’t listen.

He was like that before, too; too hot-headed.

Looks completely composed, though.

“Kr-Krisha. That’s not it! The man…”

“Linde, are you really going to live with a scumbag like that? If that’s the case, I can’t accept it! I’ll bring you back even if I have to force you!”

“Am I the scumbag? Then what were you trying to do by trying to kill me out of the blue? Does your so-called god forgive killing people at will?”

“What…!”

Krisha took a step back.

“That… that was my mistake. I admit it. I’m sorry. But… but this is not right. Making a sick old man repair this mansion is inhumane. I may not belong to any denomination, but as a paladin, I uphold universal values.”

Now, there might be some room for conversation.

I know this guy was originally a paladin.

A paladin has no choice without a sense of justice.

I’m not particularly angry about his attempt to kill me back then, nor do I have any intention of blaming Krisha.

It was related to Linde, so my eyes just rolled, but normally, this must be his true nature.

“Whatever you say, that guy will come. Whether carried by someone or crawling on his own. He said he would do it himself.”

“So you…”

“I refused. But he didn’t listen.”

“Still, you should have persuaded him!”

“How about this then? No matter what I say, he definitely won’t listen. So, do you want to try persuading him?”

“What?”

“Whether you will persuade him. I can’t. It’s not that I don’t want to, I just can’t. No matter what I say, he will definitely come here. So if you don’t like that, stop him yourself. Telling me won’t help.”

“Fine. I’ll talk to him myself.”

An immediate response without hesitation, how naive.

Krisha has accomplished great feats and must have met many nobles or royals, but that doesn’t mean she is adept at human relationships or persuasion.

Especially for paladins who cling to a simplistic sense of justice.

“Where does he live? I’ll go persuade him today.”

“It’s too late today. Let’s go tomorrow. I’ll come along… By the way, those people who were here earlier, they won’t come tomorrow, right?”

“They won’t come anymore. I’ve met each one properly and sent them back.”

“You must have been quite busy.”

“I’m used to it, so it’s fine.”

By the way, her way of speaking to me has completely changed.

Can this be considered a positive change?

“Although it’s sudden, can you stay here? Won’t your country say anything?”

…”

Krisha avoided eye contact.

There will definitely be trouble later…

Oh, and that sword of his is undoubtedly a national treasure, yet he uses it as collateral so casually…

Even though Krisha said it’s her possession, there are things she can’t do as she pleases.

She must know that much, but she’s really going to great lengths to stay with Linde.

Well… the Maze Viscount, the owner of the Labyrinth City, will take care of it.

That’s not the important part now.

“Well, let’s leave that aside. What happened in the Labyrinth… No, forget it. Let’s visit Vogert tomorrow and talk after that.”

“I’m fine even now.”

“No, let’s go tomorrow and talk. It’s an important matter, so I want to finish everything first and discuss it carefully.”

“…Alright.”

Both Linde and Krisha seem to have a suitable opportunity.

The person I’m talking to now and the one after meeting Vogert tomorrow will probably be somewhat different.