Chapter 75: Out of the Blue
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 75: Out of the Blue
“So, it’s the Lymain Treatment Center this time.”
I must have acquired some kind of regression skill that makes me wake up in a clinic every time I lose consciousness. Last time, it was Room 4 of the Mayerbridge Union Treatment Center.
My vision was blurry and my body felt like total crap; I must have been bedridden for quite a while. My last memory was eating the Dragon Heart Theodora gave me, shoving it into my body, and then vomiting blood as I felt my insides go up in flames.
“Ugh, why does my body feel so heavy?”
The bed was incredibly high-end. The blankets had a luxurious texture I’d rarely experienced even in my previous world. Between the plush pillows and everything else, merchant families really were something else.
I didn’t want to be an ungrateful brat and complain, but the beds at the Mounted Goat Inn were… well. I’d have to tell them to replace the whole lot once we made some money. Or at least see if we could do something about our own beds, even if we left the guest ones alone.
—Click, clack.
Someone’s coming.
Judging by the sound, it was a woman. Given the location, I figured it was probably Theodora.
—Creeeeak.
“Dora.”
As expected, it was Theodora. She had those distinctive large golden ears, a bushy tail, and slightly sharp eyes. But something was different. The youthful, girlish charm she used to have was gone, replaced by a very mature look.
She now had the face of a woman who lacked for nothing.
“No way...!”
Judging by her face, it looked like about five years had passed while I was out. I knew I’d been down for a while, but to think I’d been unconscious for that long. What happened to the Mounted Goat Inn during all that time? Did Father manage to delete his curse skill?
Sera must be a full-grown adult by now, fending off the advances of every young man in the Southwest. Was Tresha doing okay? I wondered if Iris had stopped teaching her because she couldn't pay the price.
Did the Sateria Appraisal Office eventually run out of customers, leading Ravi to starve to death? And Iris, with no one left to run errands for her... no, wait. That probably wouldn't matter much to her.
What about the Antonio Brotherhood? They probably looked for me for five years and eventually gave up when they couldn't find me.
“Theodora...! To think I’ve been asleep for five years...!”
I sat up and grabbed her shoulders. She must have been incredibly shocked, as her mouth hung open before she raised a hand and swatted mine away.
—Slap!
“W-what do you think you’re doing? Unhand me.”
“So much has changed in five years....”
Not just her way of speaking, but even her voice had changed slightly. Her makeup was a bit heavier, too—I guess she wanted to look more adult.
“Sit down. I am not Theodora.”
“Huh?”
What, was she Theodora Mk. 2 or something? How could someone look so much like her without being her? Especially since I was pretty sure this was the Lymain family’s clinic. A person who looked exactly like Theodora and was using the Lymain clinic, but wasn't actually her?
“Then who are you?”
“Renart Lymain. I am Theodora’s mother.”
“Oh, boy!”
No, wasn't that a bit of a stretch? If she’d said she was Theodora’s older sister, I would’ve bought it. She looked exactly like a version of Theodora five years older than the one I knew, but she was her mother? Was Theodora actually an Elf instead of a Beastkin? Unless they were a long-lived race, it was rare for a mother and daughter to look this similar.
“You wake up after two days and your first words are about five years passing? Have you developed a mental illness as well?”
“No, I really thought you were Theodora. You look exactly like her, just about five years older.”
“Ahem...! Silence.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Renart Lymain. According to Theodora’s mother, I’d only been out for about two days. Two days was still a fairly long time, I suppose. But seriously, she was Theodora’s mom?
Well, Sera’s father is a literal elementary schooler.
And not just any elementary schooler, but a female one. Since this was a Labyrinth City, looking young wasn't that big of a deal. Even if a talking cockroach claimed to be Theodora’s mother, I probably wouldn't be that surprised.
“My daughter seems to think quite highly of you.”
“Of me? Is that so?”
“What kind of reaction is that? Is there no talk of being lovers, or being unable to live without each other?”
“Well, it’s not really like that. Theodora treats me well, though. We have a give-and-take relationship.”
The mother had clearly watched too many dramas. I’d received plenty of things from the workshop in Theodora’s name. In exchange, I went into the Labyrinth with her. Come to think of it, I wasn't really doing much for her in return, which made things a bit awkward.
“You must surely harbor some ulterior motives toward my daughter. Out with it.”
“Uh... Theodora is pretty, sure. But what am I supposed to do about it? I’m just grateful for what she gives me.”
“What do you mean, what are you supposed to do...?”
* * *
Renart Lymain was flustered. She had already received information from Alfred and the workshop manager that her daughter, Theodora, was maintaining a continuous relationship with a certain man.
Since he was decent-looking, she thought her still-young daughter might have been charmed. Of course, the fact that he had physically overwhelmed Alfred—who, though it was an old story, had been a top-tier Battlemage—was a bit surprising.
But the Lymain name carried weight. It was a surname with a value so immense that even Theodora herself likely didn't fully grasp it. It was unacceptable for her to form a bond with a man based solely on appearances.
According to the stories from the workshop, she had been dumping low-value carcasses on the man. Then, she had supposedly emptied part of her carefully saved gold to buy him a gift, which led to an accident.
No matter how she looked at it, her naive daughter had fallen for a man who was after the Lymain name and was ready to give him her heart and soul.
Renart had immediately placed Theodora under house arrest in her room and waited for the unconscious man to wake up.
She intended to dig into his true intentions—whether he was acting alone or as part of a group. She had no intention of simply believing whatever came out of his mouth.
With the Antonio Brotherhood’s interference growing more intense lately, she suspected they might be targeting her daughter with such a petty scheme.
“Ha...! Mom, you’ve got it all wrong. Aven isn't that kind of guy.”
“Whether he is or isn't is for me to decide.”
“If you just talk to him... no, you’ll know just by seeing him sit there.”
“Hmm, my cute daughter. Are you in estrus? Are you craving a man? Well, it is about that time. The season where you become lenient and stupid toward a male you like.”
“What are you talking about?! Are you crazy, Mom?!”
Naturally, one couldn't understand a person’s character through conversation alone. Merchants were people who could perfectly craft their expressions, maintain their tone, and pour out hundreds of lies without batting an eye.
There’s no way.
Renart thought that Theodora must be at the age where she was desperate to marry, given her claim that she’d understand just by seeing him sit there.
“Theodora...! To think I’ve been asleep for five years...!”
But what was this? Upon their first meeting, Yoo Eon had mistaken her for a version of Theodora five years older. If it was an act, it was too reckless a gamble. If it was sincere, his ignorance of her identity seemed far too clumsy for a man targeting the Lymain family.
“Sit down. I am not Theodora.”
“Huh?”
How fascinating! Incredible!
Furthermore, during their conversation, Yoo Eon’s emotions wafted toward her as scents. With every word he spoke, pheromones of emotion blatantly pierced her sense of smell.
“My daughter seems to think quite highly of you.”
“Of me? Is that so?”
“What kind of reaction is that? Is there no talk of being lovers, or being unable to live without each other?”
“Well, it’s not really like that. Theodora treats me well, though. We have a give-and-take relationship.”
He’s flustered! What does he mean by that?
Between his inability to hide his expressions and his foolish lack of emotional control, if this was an act, he was a truly terrifying man. If not, there was no greater fool.
For some reason, even though he isn't a Beastkin, I can smell him.
Renart reflected on what she had heard from Alfred. Had he said the man was in a state where he couldn't hide the scent of his emotions because he wasn't a natural-born Beastkin?
“You must surely harbor some ulterior motives toward my daughter. Out with it.”
“Uh... Theodora is pretty, sure. But what am I supposed to do about it? I’m just grateful for what she gives me.”
“What do you mean, what are you supposed to do...?”
He’s flustered! He’s scared!
She had been certain he was a man who had come for the Lymain name, but her prediction had been proven spectacularly wrong. Renart herself was now flustered.
“Aven, was it?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“For what reason did you approach Theodora?”
“Well... I didn't exactly approach her.”
From Yoo Eon’s perspective, he was the one who was more bewildered. It was true he’d greedily accepted the expensive gift of the Dragon Heart, but he’d been suffering for two days because of it. He didn't expect an apology, but he thought he’d at least be asked if he was okay.
Instead, Theodora was nowhere to be found, and a parent had suddenly shown up to start an interrogation. To be treated like a premeditated criminal who approached Theodora with an ulterior motive—it felt a bit much. Especially when his body still felt stiff and sore.
“What are you so dissatisfied about?”
“O-oh, no. It’s nothing like that....”
Renart became certain with that last exchange. He was pretending otherwise on the outside, but on the inside, he was grumbling away. The scent of dissatisfaction was clear. His startled reaction upon being caught was the mark of a magnificent simpleton—something that could never be replicated through acting.
Was I really wrong? Did Theodora just bring home an idiot?
According to her plan, she was going to thoroughly investigate the affiliation and headquarters of the man who tried to deceive her daughter and steal their wealth, and then crush them completely.
But since those plans had all gone up in smoke, the hollow feeling of discovering her opponent was a moron after such meticulous preparation was immense.
Now my own head is starting to ache.
* * *
Theodora’s mother kept sighing deeply in front of me. I guess it was because of the trouble Theodora caused.
“By the way, where did Theodora go?”
“...My daughter is currently under house arrest.”
“Oh, man. Why go as far as house arrest?”
Was she being punished for hurting someone else? Surprisingly, the Lymain family seemed to have a strict upbringing.
“She used the family’s assets meaningfully without permission, after all.”
“Ah.”
So that was it.
“Uhh. Then what am I supposed to do now?”
“That... hmm....”
Theodora’s mother pondered for a moment before finally nodding.
“It’s a test. Come out to the clearing.”
“Out of the blue?”