Chapter 262: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (55)
Chapter 262: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (55)
My father didn't blame me for drinking since the break of dawn.
He simply suggested we walk for a bit to let the scent of alcohol fade.
I left the mansion with him, and we walked in silence.
The streets were teeming with people, their faces etched with anxiety. Every one of them was busy packing meager bundles of belongings.
Even though they lived in the heart of the territory, they were still residents of a rural estate.
Their household goods were humble at best.
Yet, every single item was stained with their blood, sweat, and tears. They looked miserable, unable to bring themselves to simply abandon it all and leave.
They surely wanted to take every trace of their lives with them.
But the time remaining was far too short for that.
Normally, whenever my father went out for a stroll, crowds would gather around him.
Thanks to his good nature, he never looked down on commoners.
At times, he would even take the lead in resolving their grievances. Because of this, the people of the territory respected and liked him, and I, too, had grown up receiving much love from them since childhood.
And now, those kind neighbors looked as if they could barely manage to look after themselves.
A few residents who happened to spot us were startled and tried to come over to greet us, but my father stopped them with a bitter smile.
He had no intention of taking away what little time they had left.
That was likely his reason for waving them off.
Thanks to that, I was able to continue this walk between father and son in a rare, quiet atmosphere.
Only the occasional whisper reached my ears, commenting on the faint scent of alcohol clinging to me.
I was someone who had practiced swordsmanship since dawn every single day.
It was rare for me to drink in the morning, and even if I did, I never showed it in public.
It wasn't surprising that people reacted with shock.
Though, I doubted it was as bewildering as the situation they currently found themselves in.
My expression darkened at the thought, and it was then that my father finally spoke.
"…Is it very hard for you?"
"Is what hard?"
The words that tumbled out of my mouth were blunt and irritable.
It was an attitude that would have earned me a scolding for being a rude brat, and I would have had no excuse.
It wasn't that I didn't understand what my father meant, but my head was a mess because of what happened last night.
Ria said she had no memory of the time before she came to the mansion.
It was meaningless to even ask 'since when.'
Because she said it had been that way from the very beginning.
I was the only one in the family who didn't know about such a crucial matter.
That was why I hadn't harbored any suspicion even after seeing Mitram in Ria's form.
I had only thought that something felt off.
That fact left me feeling so slighted and displeased that my expression showed no sign of softening, even during this rare time alone with my father.
Whether he noticed my feelings or not, my father simply wore a lonely face.
"What can we do? It is an Imperial Decree… We must think of it as fate."
I felt a surge of irritation at that word 'fate' again.
First Mitram, and now my father.
It was a word I had heard so often lately that I was sick of it, and my voice grew heated.
"…Father, aren't you even resentful?"
At my counter-question, my father's eyes turned toward me.
Those golden eyes that used to burn so brightly were now weary from the storms of time.
Seeing those eyes, where only a faint ember remained, I was pulled deeper into my passion.
"A noble is supposed to protect their territory! But to be unable to protect the land or the people, and to have to leave like we're being hunted…"
"It is impossible."
It was just a single sentence.
But those short words carried an inexplicable weight that forced my mouth shut.
My father's gaze was unwavering.
"That is why it is called fate. When humans cling to the impossible and pray for miracles, they only commit errors and fall into misery… One must not go against fate."
"So you're saying we should just abandon the territory?"
"What else is there?"
My father asked me in a low voice, as if soothing a child throwing a tantrum.
I could only bite my lip.
Perhaps because of the alcohol, only emotional arguments came to mind.
"If we gather our strength somehow…"
"A noble house is not a volunteer organization, Ian… Why would the Lainella family provide their precious Magic Corps to the territory of a complete stranger? The Yurdina family is the same."
Every point he made was valid.
In fact, I had already finished discussing the Yurdina family's private army with Senior Delphine, but I couldn't ask for their help in a situation this hopeless.
The subordinates of the Evil God were such formidable enemies.
Even with a thousand elite soldiers, one couldn't face them recklessly.
It was frustrating, but Mitram was right.
It was beyond our power to crush a plan the Dark Cult had spent over ten years perfecting.
At the very least, the elites of the Imperial Central Army would have to step in.
"And as you know, our Percus family is a humble house. Aside from you, there isn't even a knight worthy of the name… If we cannot stop it, we must minimize the damage."
"…Hundreds of people will die or be injured."
"If not hundreds, then thousands or tens of thousands might die."
With that, my father let out a deep sigh.
It seemed his heart wasn't entirely at ease saying those things.
That was only natural, of course.
As a noble, he was the one who had to make the most painful choice.
"You will find your own way to survive regardless, but remember this. A noble must always make choices and must know how to shoulder the responsibility for them. A wrong choice always demands a price… I do not wish to commit such folly again."
My father's face became quite pitiful.
I couldn't tell if it was because he was soaked in a sense of helplessness, or if he was recalling a sad past.
However, the phrase 'wrong choice' suddenly stuck in my mind.
Looking back, my father had warned me before I left to subjugate Mitram.
He told me not to be swayed by the tongue of the Dark Cult.
At the time, I thought it was just typical fatherly advice.
But after hearing the stories of Mitram and Ria one after another, a strange suspicion inevitably began to take root.
An impulsive question escaped my lips.
"What about my younger sister?"
It was an abrupt question.
My father gave me a puzzled look. A counter-question followed as if it were only natural.
"…What are you talking about?"
"I mean Ria. You said she has no memory of the time before she came to the mansion."
Even after hearing my explanation, my father said nothing.
He stared at me blankly for a long time before finally averting his gaze.
A predictable excuse flowed from his mouth.
"It's likely because she was very ill when she was young. Don't worry too much—"
"What about the Dark Priest?"
This seemed to be news even to my father.
It made sense, as I had sworn my companions to secrecy regarding that information.
I had kept it hidden because I thought revealing it would do Ria no good.
But it was news that had to be shared when I was alone with my father like this.
Furthermore, there were parts I still needed to pry into.
"That Dark Priest… he had the exact same appearance as Ria."
Even at those shocking words, my father did not turn his gaze back to me.
He simply let out a sigh like a faint lament and hung his head low.
My father asked in a deeply recessed voice.
"…Are you sure you weren't mistaken?"
"There's no way. It wasn't just someone who looked like her… It was Ria herself."
Of course, the mole on the collarbone was missing, but I had no intention of mentioning that.
It would be no different from confessing that an older brother knew about the mole on his sister's collarbone. Others would just call it creepy.
Though, who knows? Ria might actually like it a little.
That was how special our bond as a family was.
I simply couldn't bear the fact that my sister had a secret that even I didn't know.
In a weary voice, I had to ask my father once more.
"Father, what on earth is going on… Why can the Dark Cult create a duplicate that looks exactly like Ria?"
My father, who had been standing still, eventually closed his eyes tight.
After hesitating for a long time, he spoke in a faint tone.
"…This is not a story to be told on the street."
It meant it wasn't a private matter that could be disclosed to the public.
If it were the kind of story that could be, there would have been no need to keep it a secret in the first place.
I followed quietly behind my father.
Back through the streets, and into the mansion.
It was only after we reached the secluded back garden of the mansion that my father stopped walking.
My father's expression looked gloomy and lonely.
Even the servants who came out to greet us flinched and moved out of the way.
The conversation between my father and me had long since cut off.
I only hoped that my father would organize his thoughts and tell me the truth.
It was a secret that could no longer be hidden.
Fortunately, it seemed my father had reached a similar conclusion.
After a long sigh, my father finally unraveled the family secret.
"…Ria is not your younger sister."
It was something I had expected deep down.
Nevertheless, the moment I heard those words, I felt as if my heart had suddenly stopped.
I opened my mouth to say something, then closed it again.
The right words wouldn't come to me.
I didn't know what to say, or even what emotion I should show.
With a pained expression, my father laid out the story for me.
"To be precise, I should say she is a being genetically identical to your sister… I didn't want to hide it from you. It's just that you and Ria seemed to get along so well when you were young…"
It was then that the sound of something dropping—thud—rang out.
My father and I turned around, both feeling a sudden jolt of alarm.
It had been a mistake to choose the back garden as our conversation spot just because we didn't want to break the serious atmosphere.
Because there was one person who habitually came looking for me with a wet towel whenever I returned from a walk.
The protagonist of that habit was standing right behind me.
With black hair that cascaded far past her waist and golden eyes that looked like melted bullion.
It was my sister, Ria.
Whether it was a secret she hadn't known either, Ria's face had turned deathly pale.
Neither my father nor I could say a word in our flustered state.
As the silence among the three of us continued in the back garden…
Finally, Ria's mouth opened, her voice stammering.
"R-R-R—"
My father bowed his head with a sorrowful expression, and I pressed a hand to my forehead.
Inside, I felt like swearing.
I couldn't even imagine what Ria must be feeling right now.
"—Really?!"
Yeah, I really couldn't have imagined it.
Hearing Ria's voice, which had suddenly brightened with joy, my father and I were left utterly dumbfounded.
The two of us turned our gazes toward Ria with disbelief.
But no matter how much we looked, Ria didn't seem sad at all.
On the contrary, my sister's eyes as she asked that were sparkling with an inexplicable vitality.
After a long silence, I could only ask back in bewilderment.
"…Why are you happy?"
It seemed Ria was quite glad that we weren't biological siblings.
It made me feel slighted for no reason.