Childhood Friend
Naturally, the one who interrupted the conversation was Darin’s son, Kael.
“Ka… Kael…”
Caught completely off guard by the unexpected three-way confrontation, Darin froze in flustered confusion. The amber eyes that had sparkled with excitement and emotion only moments before now wandered aimlessly, lost.
“Did I not specifically instruct you to remain quiet whenever I am alone?”
In truth, an ordinary parent would have had no reason to panic like this. They might have snapped, “What am I, a child? How dare you speak to your mother that way?” or simply declared with pride, “I was just talking with my friend.”
“N-no, it’s not like that…”
Yet Darin hung her head low like a criminal who had committed some grave sin, fidgeting restlessly. The memory of her first visit to the imperial capital for the victory parade must have come flooding back.
Contrary to her firm belief that no one would spare a glance for a married woman of a certain age, the nobles’ eyes had all fixed on the unfamiliar girl with vermilion hair. A few of the bolder ones had even tried to strike up conversation by pretending familiarity with Kael.
So who had truly been put in the awkward position that day? The person herself, Darin? No—it had been her son, Kael. Outside of Bayorn Territory she was a complete nobody, while Kael was already a celebrated hero for defeating the Demon King.
A parent who could not even answer the barrage of questions, forcing her child to become a human shield. Darin had felt herself become a nuisance to the one she loved most, and the unexpected flood of attention had turned her mind as blank and white as fresh paper.
Even so, boldly declaring herself the boy’s true parent in front of them had been impossible; her background was far too humble. If the parent of a praised hero carried the label of commoner, it would only tarnish his renown.
Darin had initially planned to brush it off as a mere acquaintance, and she had done exactly that. The capital nobles’ persistence, however, was no ordinary thing. They clung tenaciously until they extracted the answer they wanted.
She had only thought that it was unthinkable for parents not to attend their own son’s victory parade—that she absolutely had to be there—without ever considering the aftermath. The notion that simply ignoring the attention would make them leave of their own accord had been the shallow insight of a country mouse.
Fortunately, no one at the parade recognized Darin. The social gatherings she had once attended were nothing more than small tea parties for country noblewomen twenty years earlier.
Moreover, the noblewomen of the families she had shared tea with had long since fallen, ruined by the Bayorn family’s severe punishments for their affairs.
Still, even if she had been reading the room carefully, had she truly done something so terribly wrong? Kael, returned after three years, clearly seemed rougher than before.
“But I didn’t leave my seat, did I? I didn’t go looking for the Hero either—he was right here, so I just spoke to him…”
“Do you believe I am expressing displeasure over that?”
“…No.”
The face of the child who had always been so gentle with her crumpled into something frightening. Seeing him so angry, so unlike his usual self, made it plain he had been tormented by people that much.
To soothe the timid woman’s heart, Kael had led his mother to the rear of the hall. The brief absence had been solely to shake off the bothersome figures clinging to them.
“I was shortsighted…”
One way or another—whether the Hero had been nearby or not—it was true she had acted out of unsatisfied curiosity and done something unnecessary. Spouting excuses out of fear of her son’s reaction had been a mistake as well. Darin was a woman who might err, yet she knew how to reflect.
What on earth was I doing?
His mother had ignored his words, attended the victory parade, and caused this entire mess. If she was casually socializing while he cleaned up the aftermath, even blood relatives would feel hurt.
“I’m sorry, Kael. I won’t do it again.”
Thus Darin had no choice but to apologize to her son. She had been excited about going out for the first time in decades, yet somehow she had only disappointed him and now looked dejected. The true reason for her son’s anger, of course, lay elsewhere.
“Do you two know each other…?”
From Lucas’s position, however, there was no way he could know any of this. Ordinarily he would have snapped at Kael for butting in, yet listening to the exchange made it clear their relationship was far from ordinary. It was also the first time he had seen the rough barbarian treat anyone with such courtesy.
“I need an explanation, Kael.”
“What explanation do you need?”
“What exactly is your relationship with Darin?”
“Darin? Do not casually put this lady’s name in your mouth. And that is none of your business.”
The tone was pure annoyance—get lost. Lucas’s curiosity only thickened further. Though Kael never acted familiar with him, such open rudeness was rare.
And “this lady”? For a mere count’s-house barbarian to use honorifics—if she was someone Lucas did not know, did that mean she was a princess of a fallen kingdom?
“…Strange. Your words are rough, unlike the gentleman you usually pretend to be.”
“I have never pretended to be a gentleman. That is merely your judgment.”
“Anyway, I happen to be interested in her—and curious as well. I have no intention of backing down, you know?”
Outwardly a clean-cut, handsome blond youth, yet his manner was as sly as a snake. The Hero’s unyielding stubbornness scraped steadily at the barbarian’s nerves.
Kael glared at his comrade in silence, expression murderous. Though Lucas possessed a sturdier build than most men, he looked almost fragile beside the giant barbarian.
“Haa, this bastard…”
Far from flinching, Lucas only spat a curse and met the stare with his golden eyes. Of course he did. For someone of his caliber, a mere difference in physique was no threat at all.
“Kael, ease up on those eyes. Since hyung always spoils you, you’re starting to cross the line?”
“Bullshit. You’re younger than me.”
“…Bullshit?”
Among men, the hierarchy of power is usually settled without words; the gap in strength can be felt just by looking. Yet strangely, even after confronting the infinite authority of that cheat-like power, the Bayorn barbarian had never once bowed his head to the Hero.
Thus the ranking between the two men remained undecided even after the journey’s end.
Lucas was fiercely competitive, yet he had never cared about this particular matter. He firmly believed himself far stronger, and he had been busy spending nights with his harem members at the inn.
This really won’t do anymore, will it?
Yes—“until now,” that is. Lucas thought as much. Was it finally time to settle the order of this childish staircase game?
“You—don’t you know who I am? I’m the Hero blessed by the gods, you know?”
His tone was frivolous, eyes curving into exaggerated crescents as he smiled. Yet beneath it all, rage boiled.
In Lucas’s mind a picture was already forming. That woman must be the hidden fiancée Kael had mentioned before. Come to think of it, treating one’s partner with care was an old custom among Bayorn men. Calling her “this lady” earlier had been overdoing it, though.
Well, there was not a single clue in her appearance that Darin was Kael’s biological mother, so such a misunderstanding was only natural.
Except for her breasts and hips, her petite frame and youthful face looked mid-to-late teens at most, no matter how generously one estimated. Kael’s own appearance—white hair and blue eyes—matched the successive lords of Bayorn. Whether unfortunate or fortunate, mother and son shared no resembling features to an outsider’s eye.
Stealing another man’s woman isn’t my hobby, but…
Just because there’s a goalkeeper doesn’t mean the ball never goes in.
“Was the gods’ blessing bestowed only upon your body? Your actions and thoughts are worse than a brat’s.”
Driving that arrogant barbarian into despair would feel most satisfying.
Moreover, from the perspective of Lucas—who had been a fellow transmigrator—a woman from the same hometown was someone he truly did not want to lose. She was beautiful, her character seemed fine, and he could not help but covet her. Premarital relations were taboo among nobles, so now was the perfect moment to claim a virgin.
“W-wait!”
Darin, who had been at a complete loss and kept her mouth shut, finally stretched out her hands to separate the two. She had thought it was the usual bickering between friends, but it clearly was not.
“H-Hero, why are you acting like this? Your reaction seems far too much. Kael! How can you speak so carelessly either? I don’t know exactly what the relationship between you two is, but colleagues have gathered in a good place—you shouldn’t be flushing your faces at each other like this!”
The way she spoke was exactly like a parent scolding two immature children. And that was, in fact, correct—though the age difference was a little small.
“Then at least tell me this. What exactly is your relationship with that barbarian?”
“Yes…?”
“Looking at it, there seems to be quite an age difference, yet why does that fellow use honorifics toward you, and why do you speak to him informally? Thinking about it, there are many strange points even for a fiancée.”
“Uh? Th-that is…”
Did she truly look that young? Even with her baby face, claiming she looked younger than her son in his early twenties seemed a stretch—but how was she supposed to answer? Declaring herself his biological mother felt impossible after the earlier incident. And nothing suitable for a cover story came to mind.
What should I do?
She loved Kael so much, and she was so proud that such a child was her son. Yet Kael’s thoughts might be different.
No. There’s no way Kael would feel that way. How deeply that child treasures me. But still…
Even if the child himself said it was fine, critical gazes from others rendered it meaningless. A child of barbarian blood, half of unknown commoner origin? Perfect material for the mouths of nobles who loved to gossip without rest.
If even the slightest scratch appeared on her son’s reputation because of her, what then? Darin did not want to cause trouble even if she could offer no help.
It was true she had enjoyed conversing with the Hero. Yet judging him trustworthy after a single meeting was rash. Gladness was one thing; trust was another entirely.
Then the first principle of nobles:
If you do not know what to do, remain silent—then at least you will score in the middle.
She had no choice but to cling to that.
“Now that I look at it, that crazy bastard was a lolicon? Always bitching at me for meeting any woman.”
Suddenly calling her son a lolicon… The age difference between her Kael and herself was clearly fifteen years, so why did she have to hear this? Shouldn’t it be the opposite? In any case, Darin simply pressed her lips shut and sent her gaze toward Kael.
“Haa…”
Kael scratched the back of his neck and let out a shallow sigh. That look was a request for help from a mother who judged that her child’s explanation would be far better than her own—she who had zero experience with social gatherings. Kael showed clear reluctance as he looked at her, yet because it was a parent’s request he could not ignore it.
I don’t particularly want to explain, but Mother dislikes conflict, so I have no choice.
A very brief span of contemplation arrived in Kael’s mind. What would be best to tell the Hero about his relationship with his mother?
Honestly revealing she was his biological mother carried a high chance of disrupting future plans.
Calling her a little sister was impossible—there was already a female sibling, Piel.
The setting of a nanny who had raised him from childhood held the most plausibility, yet considering her appearance and age it seemed she would only draw excessive attention instead.
Turning his head this way and that to “worry” felt thoroughly unsuited to him. On the battlefield, splitting a problem with an axe made everything vanish. Yet because his mind was quite sharp, the contemplation did not last long. Conveniently, several fallen noble houses still lingered near Bayorn Territory.
Having found a solution, a smile slowly rose to the white-haired man’s lips. With this much background, even that freeloader would have no choice but to accept it.
“She is my longtime childhood friend.”