Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Sia Lachesis
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‘I saw it.’
The principal’s list contained the names of people suffering from contamination.
I flipped through a few pages and found the name I’d been looking for.
‘Sia Lachesis’
It wasn’t the family head’s name.
But it was the name of someone potentially even more important than him.
Sia Lachesis was the family head’s daughter.
“Hm...”
It hadn’t been long since she’d been contaminated.
Maybe I could make use of this.
I leaned back in the transport ship’s seat as it resumed its journey.
The destination was the opposite side of the planet.
About three hours remained until arrival.
I’d dig up more information in the meantime.
*
Unlike at the Clotho residence, things were quiet at the Lachesis family home.
The guards who’d been waiting in advance were polite, and the attendants ushered us into the reception room as if we were ordinary guests.
Thanks to that, Tana and I were able to sip tea in the reception room and wait for the family head at a leisurely pace.
“You’ve finally come.”
The family head made his appearance.
His face looked weary and drained, somehow.
Perhaps that was why his tone felt so curt.
“Nice to see you again.”
“Hello. I’ve heard all about what you did at the Clotho residence.”
“There was an unfortunate incident.”
Tana replied as if it were nothing.
‘Have they met face-to-face before?’
Even so, a closer look showed his attitude was different from earlier.
He was clearly minding his manners.
Yet the family head, irritated for some reason, kept up his aggressive tone no matter how we acted.
“...Unfortunate incident? What kind of unfortunate incident turns a house into that kind of mess?”
“As I told you, there was an unfortunate incident. Isn’t it a relief it ended at that level?”
“Hoo...”
Tana didn’t budge, so the family head let out a deep sigh.
After a moment of silence, he pressed his eyes hard with his thumb and index finger, then straightened his posture.
“I have nothing more to give. I’ve handed over everything you needed, and what’s left barely feeds my household.”
“We still need you.”
“What more...!”
The family head suddenly scowled and ground his teeth.
‘Severe mood swings.’
It didn’t seem to be just because of Tana.
I’d seen someone like him before.
My college senior.
He’d hustled hard and opened his own coffee shop before turning thirty.
Married young, had a kid—his name would come up now and then over drinks with friends as a success story.
Then one day, I ran into him by chance.
He was such a wreck that I doubted it was the same person.
Unlike the still tidy family head, his face and clothes were a disaster, but those bottled-up eyes and emotional rollercoaster were spot-on identical.
Anyway, over a drink, I got the story out of him.
Turns out his mom had just passed, his shop was on the verge of shutting down, and his newborn daughter had been diagnosed with leukemia, lying in a hospital bed.
One disaster after another piling up.
Honestly, when I heard it back then, I was just speechless.
All I felt was this vague frustration—empathy was beyond me.
“...No, no. You seem determined, so go ahead and try to persuade me as you like. Not sure my words will get through at this point... But that’s as far as it goes. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bother me anymore.”
Tana maintained her icy expression, but she was clearly at a loss.
Even if I were in her shoes, I couldn’t see any way to turn his heart.
‘Hard to butt in when he puts it like that.’
The Lachesis family head had drawn a hard line.
He’d cut us some slack since we’d come in person, but that was it—no more.
Truth was, the Human Union’s request had been to leverage his influence until the defense line was fully established, so without his voluntary cooperation, there wasn’t much we could force.
“...No helping it. Thanks to your help so far, we’ve saved a lot of time. And about your daughter...”
“Enough! Don’t bring that up again. I won’t see you out.”
The family head turned away.
Tana hesitated a moment before standing.
But I stayed seated, not following her.
Her eyebrow twitched as she called my name in a low voice.
“...Leonard.”
I ignored Tana’s call and addressed the family head instead.
“Is your daughter very sick?”
He glanced back and forth between me and Tana.
Tana looked a bit flustered by my sudden move.
The family head, assuming I had nothing to do with her, didn’t snap and instead asked me a question.
“And you are...?”
“Leonard Monarch. A superhuman temporarily attached to the Central Knight Order.”
“...I see. You know my name. Asking about my daughter?”
“Yes. If it’s not too rude, I’d like to hear.”
If he said no, I planned to drag the principal into it.
But the family head answered with surprising candor.
“No reason to hide it.”
His eyes drifted bottom-left, as if thinking of his daughter.
“My daughter got caught in an air raid while helping refugees with her mother. She survived, unlike her mother, but the contamination is severe. She’s bedridden.”
“That’s awful. So, are you considering the ‘procedure’?”
“...No. I can’t ruin her purity like that.”
He muttered it more to himself.
Resolve and torment flickered across his face.
“But doesn’t she need to live first?”
“...Surviving like that isn’t living.”
I prodded once more.
“At this rate, your line might die out.”
“You think I don’t know that! To save her life, they’d have to replace everything but her head. She’s not some robot—how could I allow that!?”
The family head raised his voice, frustration boiling over.
At least it didn’t seem like he valued her life lightly.
‘Whew...’
What a tragedy.
When human life hangs in the balance, he hesitates over trivialities.
But it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
‘This isn’t just a personal matter.’
People in high positions like him can’t just change mindsets like that.
They’ve been raised that way their whole lives, and their servants and associates mostly share the same views.
If he decided on his own, his very position would shake.
Even if the procedure saved her, problems remained.
Could the family head’s daughter live her life after losing her purity, surrounded by that environment?
She’d be pointed at, shunned, an outsider forever.
‘Just like the original Lemon.’
I waited until his anger subsided, then asked again.
“Does your daughter oppose the procedure too?”
“...Yes. She chose death herself.”
His despair was plain.
The family head fell silent for a moment, then murmured so quietly it was barely audible.
“If only it weren’t for that...!”
Self-mocking tone.
That’s when I knew it was time to lay my cards on the table.
“Lachesis family head. Sorry to bring this up now, but I have something important to say.”
Puzzlement filled his eyes.
“...?”
It soon turned to astonishment.
*
Thud, thud.
Footsteps echoed down the corridor.
The interior, arched with stone materials, felt cozy, and sunlight streaming through the windows gave it a warm glow.
Outside the windows lay a garden thick with trees and flowers.
The work of a skilled landscaper, its asymmetrical layout drew the eye.
In that captivating garden stood a single girl.
Seated on a mobile bed, she blended so perfectly with her surroundings that she looked like a painting.
“That must be her.”
Tana nodded toward the girl.
There couldn’t be two sick girls here, so her guess was spot-on.
“Doesn’t look much like the family head, though.”
The Lachesis family head had a round, generous face.
The girl, by contrast, was slender.
A refined beauty that evoked a wise and graceful wife.
Her figure was hidden by loose clothing, but it was probably much the same.
“...Still, newbie. You sure about this?”
“Yeah.”
Tana couldn’t hide her dubious look.
Her face said she regretted not stopping my impulse.
“Screw this up, and it’s real trouble. If the Lachesis family head decides to obstruct us, the defense line formation could collapse.”
She wasn’t exaggerating.
In the Triple Link region, the Lachesis family head wielded both prestige and influence.
If he actively interfered, the area would plunge back into chaos.
“If it looks like it won’t work, tell me now.”
“Haha, I don’t want to cause an incident on my first day either.”
“...You’re already causing one.”
Tana furrowed her brow slightly.
“Your first impression wasn’t like this...”
“Trust me till the end.”
She muttered for a bit, then reverted to her cool demeanor.
“...Fine. Since it’s come to this, do what you want. I’ll take responsibility for whatever happens.”
“No need.”
I nodded to the attendant waiting behind us.
“This way.”
The attendant adjusted the wall, and the smooth corridor panels slid open on both sides, revealing the path outside.
I stepped through into the garden.
The girl, who’d been staring blankly at the garden, finally looked my way.
“...”
Face-to-face, she didn’t seem all that young.
Her slim build made her look petite, but more like a peer.
Maybe even older than me.
‘One late bloomer.’
The Lachesis family head was over a hundred.
His first daughter, born around eighty—plenty of reason to dote on her.
“Who are you?”
Her voice still held strength.
Her eyes carried wariness, almost a glare.
“I’m Leonard, a superhuman with the Central Superhuman Unit. I’m here to treat you.”
“Treat...?”
Her eyes lit up.
She glanced briefly at the attendant behind me, then asked again.
“You can really treat me?”
She cut straight to it, skipping all the hows and ifs.
I simply nodded in affirmation.
“Yeah.”
“What’s the price?”
“None.”
She frowned at that.
Then she spat out one word.
“Liar.”
A wry smile crossed my face.
I really hadn’t set a price.
The family head had offered material compensation, but we’d turned it down.
From my side, it was voluntary aid, so calling it a flat-out lie felt a bit off.
“...Haha.”
“What did my father promise you?”
“I do want something from your father. But I’m not demanding anything for the treatment.”
“...You’re too soft. Father would’ve given you anything.”
I shrugged.
I got her mindset, but this was basically free service on our end.
I’d originally planned to charge exorbitant fees to the wealthy—non-students only.
With a powerhouse like the Lachesis deputy governor as her father, I should’ve taken something.
‘If she weren’t suicidal.’
If we hadn’t judged the Lachesis family head a moderate who could be useful, I’d have fleeced him proper.
But for future plans, we needed his voluntary help—so we had to give first.
“So, will you accept treatment or not?”
“I will. But what’s the risk of dying?”
“Why do you ask?”
“If I’m gonna die, I want one last meal. It’s been forever since I chewed anything...”
She blushed a little, embarrassed by her own words.
My eyes drifted to her baggy clothes.
Probably couldn’t process food normally, getting nutrients some other way.
I gestured to the attendant as I replied.
“Since you’re eating anyway, get treated first—then enjoy something delicious.”
Her eyes blinked a couple times, then curved into a smile.
The attendant maneuvered the mobile bed, wheeling the girl back inside the building.