Chapter 393: Lokan Yarnshard
Chapter 393: Lokan Yarnshard
Dwarves always look older than other races of the same age.
It might be because they are short yet thick-set, or perhaps because they grow so much hair, whether it be their beards or the manes on their heads.
Well, since those traits hadn't manifested in Fay, who was of mixed blood, I hadn't given it much thought.
However, Lokan looked far older than I had imagined. He looked like a man who could draw his last breath at any moment.
His hair and beard were stark white. The weight of years was etched into his wrinkled skin, and his limbs, which must have once been thick with muscle, were now gaunt and skeletal.
It wasn't just that he was old. It was that specific, haggard aura unique to the terminally ill that made him look so pitiful.
The faint breath escaping his weakly parted lips, the cloudy eyes that struggled to focus—these were all signs seen only in those facing imminent death.
Perhaps she hadn't expected it to be this bad, despite hearing he was in critical condition. Fay, who had thrown the door open with a sharp, determined look upon hearing he had awakened, faltered.
Lokan slowly turned his head to look at her.
"Is that you, Fay? I truly didn't think you would come."
"...How can the person who called me be the one who's more surprised?"
"Well, considering what I've done... Heh... Cough!"
His laughter was cut short by a violent fit of coughing, as if something had caught in his throat. Every time his frail body jolted, fresh blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.
Fay’s expression grew complicated as she watched his white beard stain red. She seemed to have a thousand things on her mind, but in the end, she let out a sigh and offered a greeting.
"It’s been a long time, Father. I heard you were sick, but you look worse than I expected."
"Thanks to that, I was able to see your face one last time, so it is enough. Ah, yes. If this is the end, I should say it before I forget. I am sorry for everything."
"...H-How can you be so shameless? Do you have any idea how much I suffered because of you, Father?!"
Fay flared up for a moment, but Lokan merely wiped the blood from his lips and replied nonchalantly.
"When you are on the verge of death, you find yourself letting go of many things. Pride, stubbornness, shame... things like that."
"Ugh!"
Fay gritted her teeth as if to snap back at him. However, her anger didn't last long.
"Sigh... What’s the point of getting worked up in front of a dying man? So? Did you just call me here because you wanted to ease your conscience before you kicked the bucket?"
"In the end, I suppose that is part of it. Though there are other matters to discuss... but before that, would you mind introducing your companions?"
"You called for us knowing exactly who we were anyway. Just in case you're wondering, no matter how much you plead with me, Lady Helena isn't going to treat you."
"Ha! I am the Yarl of this land; do you think I haven't tried summoning a priest? None of it worked. No, if anything, my condition only worsened. I doubt even the Saintess could change that. I simply... Cough!"
Lokan vomited blood again mid-sentence. This time, however, it didn't stop quickly like before; the coughing fit dragged on.
The amount of blood increased, soaking past his beard and staining the pillow. It was dark, stagnant blood, far murkier and more foul-smelling than normal blood.
He looked as though he might collapse and die right then and there. Yet, Lokan himself seemed used to it, reaching for a stack of towels nearby to roughly clean up the mess.
"...Where was I? Right. I am simply curious about what will happen after I am gone."
"What does that have to do with—"
"Is he not the man who will become your family? Or was I mistaken?"
"......"
Fay knit her brows slightly but didn't deny it. It was the truth, but she looked like she hated nodding along to anything coming out of Lokan's mouth.
I stepped in and nodded on her behalf. I intended to maintain at least a minimum level of courtesy.
"It is an honor to meet you, Yarl Lokan. I am Yandel Lindelheit. As you said, I intend to become Fay's family."
"A pleasure. I am Lokan Yarnshard. I heard about the incident with the Chamberlain from Sir Baru. Allow me to apologize on his behalf."
"I didn't exactly let it slide, so it's fine. I also heard the general circumstances from Sir Baru's daughter. However... shouldn't your apology be directed at Senior Fay, not me?"
"You speak the truth. But there is more than just one or two things I must apologize for. I plan to do it all at once later, so do not worry. ...By the way, there is one thing I wish to ask. Duke Lindelheit. I have heard that you are exceptionally strong."
"Strong enough to protect Senior Fay, at the very least."
"That is a relief. Since I was unable to do so."
Lokan gave a bitter smile at his own pointed words and turned his gaze back to Fay.
"Fay Yarnshard."
"...What?"
Fay, who had been muttering "This isn't how it was supposed to go..." in a deflated voice, sharpened her gaze again to glare at Lokan.
Whether she would forgive him was another matter, but her attitude said she would at least hear the apology. However, the words that left Lokan's mouth were not an apology.
"Your mother, Laura... she did not lose her life in a tragic robbery. She was assassinated."
"......Eh?"
Fay's mouth hung open as she blinked in confusion. She looked as though she couldn't comprehend what she had just heard.
Lokan repeated himself, enunciating every word clearly for her.
"I said Laura was assassinated."
"T-The culprit?! Who on earth would—"
"I do not know. But I believed that if Laura was killed because of me, then you, Fay, would be the next target."
"Me...?"
"Yes. I could not bear to lose you as well."
"......"
As he spoke, a distant, longing expression crossed Lokan's face. It was as if he were overlaying someone else's image onto Fay's face.
*
Laura.
She was a woman who ran a small general store on the outskirts of the Yarnshard territory.
She sold various goods, but her main products were potions and household medicines. As one of the few humans in the Nidavellir Kingdom, she faced discrimination wherever she went, but her skills as an alchemist were the real deal.
While running her shop as usual, she received a peculiar customer.
An outsider covered in black soot and minor scratches... it was Lokan in his youth.
"I had gone out on an inspection and wanted to forge a new hammer using the local specialty, Explosion Stones. But I failed spectacularly. I had run out of my supply of potions, and after asking the locals, I ended up at her shop."
Lokan was impressed by Laura's alchemical skill, and Laura was surprised that Lokan, unlike other dwarves, did not discriminate against her.
In truth, dwarven discrimination usually didn't stem simply from being a different race, but from the prejudice that others couldn't properly swing a hammer, whether as a blacksmith or a warrior.
But Lokan didn't believe that blacksmithing was the absolute pinnacle. He believed that better things were created when everyone fulfilled their purpose in their respective fields.
That must have left an impression on Laura, for the two continued to stay in touch periodically after their first meeting... and at some point, they fell in love.
"As is always the case with such stories, reality was the problem. I was the eldest son of the Yarnshard family, destined to one day become Yarl and rule this land. Laura was a commoner without even a surname, and a human at that. Naturally, the family disapproved of our relationship."
As soon as Lokan reached a suitable age, the previous Yarl forced a political marriage upon him.
Fortunately, his bride, Astrid, loved Lokan despite it being an arranged marriage, and thanks to that, Lokan was able to maintain a smooth married life. They even had a son.
However, even after marriage, Lokan could not forget Laura and visited her secretly several times. That was how Fay was born.
"Once she became pregnant with you, Fay, Laura told me not to come looking for her anymore. She said it would be better for both of us. I protested... but whenever I tried to visit, she would hide, and there was nothing I could do."
Because of that, Lokan was able to become the Yarl of Yarnshard without any major scandals.
After becoming Yarl, he secretly sent people to check in and make sure Laura and Fay were doing well.
Then, one day. News reached him that a robber had broken into Laura's shop, and that Laura had died taking the culprit down with her while protecting Fay.
"I canceled all my schedules and went down immediately. I recovered Laura's body... and brought you, Fay, to the Yarnshard house."
Of course, the family was turned upside down. They had thought it was just a youthful indiscretion; no one imagined there was a daughter involved.
The one he was most concerned about was his wife, Astrid... but after his earnest persuasion, she, who had initially wanted to kick Fay out with some money and a few attendants, eventually gave in and accepted her.
A few months passed, and Fay, who had more or less adjusted to the Yarnshard household, cautiously spoke of her dream.
"I was startled when you said you wanted to be a great alchemist like Laura... but I suppose blood cannot be denied. Not long after I gave you some simple introductory tools, you had already surpassed the level of an apprentice."
Lokan had been happy to provide Fay with all sorts of support, but his attitude changed once her dream became more specific.
"You said you would forge weapons. You said that one day, you would surpass other blacksmiths with your alchemy and become a Meister like me. I felt joy and displeasure at the same time. I was a dwarf, after all."
Lokan didn't believe there was a hierarchy between blacksmithing and alchemy. He thought they were simply different fields, much like jewelry making or tailoring.
However, once his own field was encroached upon, his dwarven pride and stubbornness flared up.
Lokan tried to stop Fay. He tried to persuade her calmly, and sometimes he scolded her harshly.
Of course, it had no effect. If anything, it only hardened Fay's resolve.
"...So that's why you grew tired of me? To the point where you treated me like I didn't even exist. If you were going to do it, you should have stuck to it until the end. I don't know what you want to hear from me, but I have no intention of giving you the answer you want!"
Biting her lip as the memories of what followed resurfaced, Fay lashed out at him.
Lokan, who had been listening quietly, slowly shook his head.
"No. In fact, I was the one who was persuaded. I realized that if you wanted to do it that badly, I should help you."
So, Lokan decided to prepare a gift.
He planned to hand down the alchemical equipment he had brought from Laura's shop—the shop he had left untouched all this time, unable to bring himself to tear it down.
"A wave of longing hit me. I looked around the shop, a place I hadn't properly examined before."
A master craftsman can see through the skill of the one who wields a weapon.
And Lokan discovered it.
The traces left by the 'robber' were not those of a civilian, but of a well-trained assassin.