Chapter 300
Chapter 300
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 300
>Chapter Title: Dad, Are You Bullying My Friends?
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Leodis wiped the corners of Aster's eyes clean before pulling fresh clothes from his subspace pocket and changing.
The outfit he'd been wearing had burned away in the flames, so calling it a change was a bit of a stretch, but anyway.
Once he was neatly dressed, Leodis buttoned his shirt, straightened his clothes, and cast a glance into the darkness.
"You're here?"
"...Yes, Patriarch."
Emerging from the shadows was Alfredo.
"You found it well enough."
"You gave the signal, Patriarch. But..."
Alfredo looked at Aster with a strangely complicated gaze. His eyes held a bizarre tangle of guilt and confusion.
Leodis's voice slipped into his ear.
"Got any spare clothes? My subspace pocket broke."
Leodis held up the subspace pouch, which had stopped working after he'd pulled out that last set of clothes.
It was a masterpiece crafted by the continent's finest artisan and top artifact maker, but apparently, it couldn't withstand the magic of a transcendent archmage. Or maybe it was impressive that it held out this long.
"I have clothes."
"Then help me get dressed. Turns out I'm no good at putting clothes on kids."
"...Yes."
Alfredo bowed his head to Leodis and approached the unconscious Aster.
He used an artifact to dry Aster's soaked body, then dressed him in clothes from his own subspace.
His hands moved with practiced skill, as if he'd done this many times before. Once the process was complete, Leodis's voice rang in his ear again.
"I'd like to light a bonfire."
"I'll prepare it right away."
With that, Alfredo vanished into the darkness.
He returned soon after, arms full of dry firewood.
Alfredo carefully stacked the wood into a conical shape on the sandy beach and lit it.
Soon, the crackling of the bonfire blended softly with the gentle crash of waves along the shore.
Crackle, pop.
Leodis settled by the bonfire, and it wasn't long before his gaze fell on Aster.
"You're cold, aren't you?"
"..."
Alfredo didn't reply. Leodis had already moved.
He draped his jacket over Aster, not caring that sand would get on the expensive fabric.
Returning to his seat, Leodis watched Aster for a moment before looking up at the sky.
The sky was dazzlingly clear.
The clouds that had hidden the stars earlier were gone, replaced by the moon and stars asserting their presence.
Leodis gazed at the full moon, entranced.
There was something magical about the moon.
Not literally infused with mana, but some hypnotic power that bewitched people.
And that power was enough to captivate even Leodis, whose emotions were faint. That's why he couldn't tear his eyes away.
"Nice."
He meant it.
The soothing whisper of waves tickling his ears, the bonfire's warm glow, the brilliant moonlight pouring down.
And though not his son, he'd spent some quality time with his son's friend. ...At least, that's how Leodis saw it.
But such moments couldn't last forever.
"Alfredo."
"...Yes, Patriarch."
"Bring Damian over?"
"..."
Alfredo fell silent.
He always followed the Patriarch's orders without question, but this one was hard to obey.
Leodis tilted his head at the old vassal's silence, then turned to look at his face.
Alfredo's expression was deeply troubled.
What to call it.
"..."
Leodis's lips quirked down slightly, his face hardening as he furrowed his brow. Moments later, his expression mirrored Alfredo's, and his mouth opened.
"Sad?"
"...No, how could I presume."
"Worried, then? About Damian? Or this kid? Ah, or is it that? You're concerned that if I step down as Patriarch, Damian becomes the next head, and this might upset him?"
"No, no. Patriarch... Didn't I swear to serve you as my final master? It's just..."
"Just?"
At Leodis's question, Alfredo worked his lips, like someone steeling himself to say the unsayable.
But the hesitation was brief.
Alfredo opened his mouth, as if resolved.
"The old you... would never have made this choice."
He'd said it.
No regrets.
Even if this one phrase earned Leodis's wrath, even if it cost him his life.
No, Alfredo hoped Leodis would get angry. Hoped for a human reaction.
But.
"The old me... was pretty heartless, huh?"
Leodis tilted his head, glancing at Aster under the jacket.
It was a question implying the old him wouldn't have covered him like this... but not because he didn't understand what Alfredo meant by 'choice.'
A joke, in other words... learned humanity.
Alfredo squeezed his eyes shut, unable to hide his despair.
"It was a joke, but it didn't land?"
"You've... gotten worse."
"Is that so? I wouldn't know."
"You must stay away from the Grimoire. If this continues... there's no turning back."
The Grimoire held demonic power and allure, but demanded a cruel, merciless price.
In the case of Blandoga's Grimoire 'Imor'...
"Alfredo."
"...Yes, Patriarch."
Alfredo snapped out of his thoughts at the low voice and bowed. Leodis's voice slipped into his ear.
"Not much time left for me."
"..."
"Maybe even less."
Alfredo could say nothing.
He knew exactly what his master meant by 'time.'
"Anyway, Alfredo. Could you bring Damian? Oh, and young Chenby and Miss Evelyn too."
"..."
Alfredo bowed his head deeply, hiding his distraught face. Leodis tilted his head again at the sight.
For a moment.
"No need to worry. Probably."
At Leodis's words, Alfredo bowed even lower and left.
Leodis watched him go, then looked up at the sky.
Alfredo's words echoed in his mind.
A choice the old him wouldn't have made... He pondered it briefly, then shook it off.
The moonlight was blindingly bright.
Stinging his eyes.
* * *
Damian arrived at the beach quite some time later.
Stepping from the carriage, he spotted Leodis by the bonfire and froze.
"...Dad?"
"Yeah, son."
"Dad!"
Damian beamed and waved.
Leodis waved back, a faint smile on his face.
Meanwhile, Chenby and Evelyn couldn't hide their shock at the sudden appearance of the Blandoga head.
Who would expect to meet the lord of Blandoga like this?
But the surprise was fleeting.
"Hello. I'm Chenby, Damian's friend. It's an honor to meet you... Uh, thank you."
Chenby tried to greet him calmly despite his nerves, but it wasn't easy.
His mind blanked, wondering if he'd messed up, but luckily, Leodis smiled kindly and accepted it.
"Feel free to relax. And this is...?"
"Evelyn de Franja greets the lord of Blandoga."
Evelyn offered a flawless noble greeting, her poise so refined it could belong to a lady raised in etiquette from birth.
Leodis took her in for a moment.
"Yes, you're Evelyn. Hmm..."
Damian's voice cut in then.
"But why are you here? Why's my friend asleep? Tired?"
"Your friend... well. Shall we sit first?"
"Yeah!"
Damian plopped down across from Leodis, with Evelyn and Chenby on either side.
Somehow, it ended up with the bonfire between Damian and the two, and Leodis and Aster.
"The flower of camping is the bonfire, right? We sleeping here tonight?"
"That might be tough. Probably..."
Damian grinned innocently, clearly enjoying this, while Chenby seemed intimidated by Leodis.
Evelyn, meanwhile, found the situation uncomfortable.
...For different reasons than Chenby.
'Weird.'
Evelyn eyed Aster, asleep across the fire under Leodis's jacket in noble attire.
It felt alien, different from when he'd left.
No, the fact that he was asleep at all was strange.
Even in the Second Black-White Slums, he'd always sense her approach and wake up.
Yet here he was, deeply asleep in front of a total stranger, oblivious to their arrival?
Leodis's voice rang in her ear right then.
"You're still clumsy at hiding your gaze."
"..."
Evelyn clamped her mouth shut.
Her body tensed, mouth dry.
Her vague unease sharpened into clarity, scrambling her thoughts the moment she recognized it.
Her face paled pitifully, and Damian noticed right then.
"Evelyn? What's wrong?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Your face looks bad."
"My face..."
She tried to play it cool, but failed.
So Evelyn gave up acting and squeezed her eyes shut.
To regain her composure somehow.
By now, even Chenby sensed something off, but Leodis spoke.
"Son."
"Yeah, Dad."
"If your friends died, would you be sad?"
A chilling question.
Uttered without menace, intent, or anything—but Evelyn felt her mind reel.
Because it came from the lord of Blandoga.
But oblivious to her turmoil, Damian stayed innocent.
"Hmm... probably?"
"Yeah, I see."
Leodis nodded as if understanding, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over Chenby and Evelyn.
Damian caught it and tilted his head.
Leodis spoke then.
"No need to worry too much, Evelyn. Nothing will happen. Probably."
Better if he hadn't said it.
Evelyn felt her hard-won calm shatter and fought to steady herself.
Now even Damian noticed something was wrong.
"Dad, are you bullying my friends?"
"I'm not doing anything."
"Evelyn's scared."
"Kids are scared of a lot of things."
"Evelyn's older than me."
"Age doesn't make the scary stuff go away."
"Oh."
Evelyn felt like she might lose it.
Oh what? No, what kind of conversation even was this...
If she could, she'd sew those father and son's mouths shut. Of course, if she could handle them that way, she wouldn't be this rattled.
As Evelyn struggled to pull herself together.
Leodis chose his words carefully. He had to be cautious with his young son.
His mouth opened soon enough.
"Son."
"Yeah, Dad."
"Do you like playing with Aster?"
"Playing with friends is always fun."
Leodis smiled warmly at Damian's innocent grin, then spoke.
"How about we take him home?"
"Home?"
"Yeah, so you can play together anytime. Sound good?"