Chapter 330
Chapter 330
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 330
Chapter Title: Side Story 14. Father and Son
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"Hmm... this should be about right."
Adeshan murmured as she took off her glasses, having finished her work. This extended the contract with the Karabel Merchant Group by another five years. Sunlight filtering through the wide window warmed her office.
On the desk, huge as a dinosaur, the various agenda items for the month were neatly organized. She had always enjoyed this kind of thing anyway, and having handled similar tasks as student council president at Phileon, it wasn't difficult at all.
Suddenly, Adeshan's gaze fell on a picture frame in one corner of the desk. Inside the small square frame was Iril and Schlieffen kissing, with people around them scattering flowers.
It was a "photograph," developed by Didikan and now commercialized. Seeing herself and Ronan smiling brightly in it, she let out a soft chuckle.
"...I miss them."
Ten years had already passed since that day. Time enough to change mountains and people. She, who had seemed like she'd remain a young lady forever, was now a married woman with children.
As Adeshan twirled her fountain pen, reminiscing about the past, there came a knock.
Knock knock. A familiar voice followed.
"Mom."
"Huh? Lance?"
Adeshan tilted her head. The door slowly opened, and in walked a boy with a sulky expression. It was Lance, her and Ronan's firstborn son.
Turning eleven this year, Lance was already suffering from early puberty. His black hair and thick eyelashes were the spitting image of her own. When no reply came despite waiting, Adeshan asked again.
"What's wrong, my son?"
"...Why did you marry such a worthless guy?"
"Wh-what? What kind of talk is that all of a sudden?"
"Come see."
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Adeshan faltered. Lance toddled over, grabbed her hand, and pulled her to the living room. There, sprawled on the sofa, was a disheveled, hairy vagrant fast asleep.
"Krrreeee... phewuuu..."
"Snoooore..."
A snoring sound emanated from under the magazine covering his face. It was Ronan, who had only returned home that morning. Their second child, nine-year-old daughter Erin, was nestled in his arms, sleeping soundly.
"Goodness me. Go sleep in bed."
Adeshan chuckled at the sight. Whether dating or now, nothing had changed. Seeing the honey-dripping look in her eyes, Lance recoiled in horror and asked,
"...Mom. You weren't blackmailed into marrying him or something, right? Like, he has dirt on you?"
"Kid, what are you saying? Why would I do that?"
"But it makes no sense logically. You're so busy, and Dad just sleeps all the time."
Lance pouted. Not knowing the details of Ronan's past, he simply couldn't understand why they had married.
Even from an objective viewpoint, Adeshan was a perfect mother. Despite handling territory management and various duties, she never neglected housework and always cooked at least one meal a day herself.
Of course, she doted on her children endlessly, so Lance and Erin grew up showered in love. Her self-care was impeccable too—she didn't look like the mother of two at all. If one had to find someone prettier, maybe Aunt Iril, married to Uncle Schlieffen.
By comparison, Ronan was just some unshaven uncle. People praised him as the hero who saved the world, but knowing the truth, Lance couldn't defend him. He muttered,
"The more I think about it, the less sense it makes. You're so busy, and Dad just sleeps all the time."
"You can't say that about your dad. For all his looks, he works so hard for our family. He comes home late every day because he's busy working."
Squatting down, Adeshan tapped her son's nose with her index finger. Come to think of it, Ronan usually finished work and came home around when Lance was already asleep, so maybe that made sense.
"And your dad is a truly capable man. The reason we can live like this, smiling every day, is all thanks to him. My son, do you believe Mom?"
"Hmph. Even if so, he definitely hates me."
"No way, kid."
"...But he didn't even come to my entrance ceremony. And I was top of the Martial Arts Department."
Lance muttered. In fact, Ronan hadn't attended his son's ceremony. Considering the family tradition where everyone showed up regardless to celebrate, it was certainly unusual.
"Th-that was..."
Principal Naviroje had even asked separately if Ronan wasn't coming, which had amplified the shock. As Adeshan fumbled for words, whoosh! A breeze from the balcony blew the magazine off Ronan's face.
"Urgh... ahn. Damn it..."
"Oh, he's awake."
Ronan stirred and opened his eyes. Still short on sleep, his head spun. Slowly lifting his head, he saw his soundly sleeping daughter on his belly and his son glaring daggers from afar. Yawning widely, he waved.
"Yawwwn... good morning, son."
"Morning? The sun's high in the sky."
"Why so prickly today? Did you wet the bed in your sleep?"
"Wh-what kind of nonsense is that! Why bring up something from forever ago?!"
Lance's face turned beet red as he yelled. As expected, he couldn't like this man. Ronan set Erin down on the personal sofa and chuckled.
"No need to yell if that's not it. You'll wake your sister."
"Dad's the one spouting nonsense! I'm not a kid anymore!"
"A hairless kid like you saying that holds no weight. And when you're desperate, you might pee or poop yourself sometimes... Heek!! N-no way!"
"Wh-what's wrong?!"
Startled, Lance shrank back. Ronan's perpetually half-lidded eyes were now wide open. Had something appeared? As he scanned for a usable weapon,
Suddenly, he somersaulted right up to Adeshan, grabbed her hand, and said,
"I thought an angel appeared, but it was my wife. My apologies."
"Oh, come on. You too..."
Adeshan blushed. Ronan kissed the back of her still-held hand, then scooped her up like a princess. Staring intently at her face, he clicked his tongue.
"Your hair's damaged. Face full of fatigue... must be tough because of this little monster?"
"Who're you calling a monster! Put Mom down!"
Ronan extended his leg and lightly tapped Lance's butt. Furious, Lance tried to charge, but the leg blocked him completely. Adeshan shook her head.
"It's just a bit of fatigue. And hardship? It's all stuff I do because I love it."
"What a gentle heart... I can say for sure, one of the two best events in my life was asking you to marry me."
"What's the other?"
"You accepting my proposal. Now, let's go!"
"Kyaa! N-not right now!"
Ronan spun her once and pretended to head to the bedroom. Adeshan let out a happy scream and patted his shoulder. Unable to watch, Lance dry-heaved.
"Urk."
"Son. Sorry, but take Erin and step out for a bit? One hour... no, two hours. Go play."
Rummaging in his inner pocket, Ronan handed Lance a silver coin. It was an event that sometimes happened when their chemistry peaked.
Lance took it with the expression of someone eyeing a rat corpse. With a small sigh, he hoisted his sleeping sister from the sofa onto his back.
"Mm... big bro?"
"Let's go, Erin. This house is hopeless."
"Mmm...?"
Unaware of what was happening, Erin was carried on his back. Her snow-white hair cascaded down below Lance's nape. Pausing before the door, Lance turned to glare at Ronan and growled,
"I hate Dad."
"Is that so. I like you, though."
"Eeeek...!"
His pale face flushed red again. Though he had more to say, Lance ultimately slammed the door shut without another word.
Bang! The sound of his stomping faded beyond the front door. Ronan, standing still, smirked.
"That kid's temper. Wonder who he takes after."
"Hehe, he's the spitting image of you when you were young. Of course, his face takes after me more."
"Lucky thing. If his face was like mine too, he'd be picking fights everywhere."
"I like this face, though. Need a bit more sleep now?"
Adeshan gently stroked Ronan's cheek. The rough stubble and dark circles revealed his hardships. After a light kiss, Ronan set her down.
"Thanks. I'll sleep one more hour."
"Don't just sleep a bit—sleep deeply. You've been overworking lately. I'm worried you'll collapse."
"It's fine. It's work. That... is Lance really upset?"
Ronan asked cautiously. Though he hadn't shown it, he worried about his son too. Adeshan sighed.
"Yeah. Especially missing the entrance ceremony—that hurt him deep. At this rate, he'll resent you for a while... You sure we shouldn't tell him the truth?"
"Of course not. Never tell him. Boys that age would chase adventure over caution."
Ronan said firmly. He knew taking the hate temporarily was far better in many ways. Adeshan nodded reluctantly.
"You're right. Caught the culprit?"
"Not yet. Investigation net's tightening, but no decisive lead. Even Asel's racking his brains, so it's no ordinary foe."
Ronan clicked his tongue. He was pursuing a string of disappearances in the capital lately. Nearly a hundred men and women had vanished in the past month, leaving no traces and terrifying the citizens.
The reason he'd joined the search unasked was simple: half the victims were children. Ronan roughly swept back his bangs.
"I've dealt with all sorts of crap, but this is a first. No traces, victims' fates unknown. Just who the hell is behind this?"
"No wonder even shadow mana can't track them..."
Adeshan let out a groan. Had the long peace dulled her senses? Ronan hugged her reassuringly and growled low.
"Don't worry. I'll protect our kids. Whatever it takes."