Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Deep Conversation - 3
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My home, which I'd returned to after so long, was cleaner than I'd expected.
Uncle Ben must have come by to tidy it up again. He didn't need to go to the trouble.
I headed to the backyard with the rest of the party.
The same backyard where I'd once crossed paths with that bastard Kaild.
I spoke up.
"Alright. This should be a good spot to summon them."
"......"
"Adwin?"
"Hyung. I've been thinking... how about I just summon the souls directly to you?"
I tilted my head.
Adwin scratched his head and continued.
"When we met Risel noona and Grade-nim, or when we met Neril noona and May noona, I had no choice but to lend them my body. They couldn't talk to souls directly."
"......"
"But hyung, you can chat with Trail hyung's soul just fine, for some reason. And the other heroes' souls too."
"That's true, but......"
"So I figured it'd be best if I stepped aside. It felt like that's what you'd want."
I couldn't help but admire Adwin's thoughtfulness.
He was still young, but his consideration rivaled an adult's.
I shrugged.
"I'm grateful for that."
"Got it. Then come on over, Trail hyung."
Trail let out a little hiccup.
[Eh? Why me too......]
'I can't hear you. Perfect timing, anyway. Last time we only exchanged quick greetings, so catch up with the party now.'
[What should I say first?]
'Start by fixing that tone of yours.'
Trail cleared his throat.
[I'm really not good at this sort of thing.]
'Just talk like you do with me, I told you.'
[......]
'You know it too. My party members are all great people. You'll fit right in.'
Trail fell silent for a moment.
But he soon replied with resolve, sounding serious.
[Fine. I'll give it everything I've got.]
He sounded like he was heading into a final battle.
I nodded to Adwin.
He chanted the incantation.
And at the same time, he summoned Trail's soul into his body.
Soon, Trail spoke.
"Nice to meet you."
"Huh? It's not our first time."
"Ah. Right. Yeah. I tend to spout nonsense when I'm nervous. Anyway, nice to meet you."
"I just said it's not our first time. Whatever, let's head inside."
Neril smiled gently and led the party into the house.
That left me alone in the backyard.
No.
Just me and my father.
While summoning Father's soul, Adwin had also cast a spell on me that let me see souls.
That's how I could see him.
Souls generally all look alike, making them hard to distinguish.
But I knew with an inexplicable intuition that was hard to put into words.
"......"
That flickering blue soul before my eyes was my father.
I said.
"How long has it been?"
[......]
"Father. Can you hear me?"
[Y-Yeah.]
I tilted my head.
"That's not the reaction I expected."
[......There was a soul I met recently in the afterlife. He told me about what happened in Hasfil lately.]
"......"
[That you told the lord about what went on between me and Dian.]
So that's how it was.
He already knew everything that had happened.
I let out a light sigh.
"I'm not summoning you to rehash that."
[Maide. I......]
"No. Don't make excuses. Mother didn't make any at her trial either."
[I wanted a child.]
"I said no excuses."
I glared at the soul.
"Mother couldn't have kids, so you abused her? By that time, you already had a son named 'Maide Mohan,' didn't you? Oh, but I wasn't biological, so that didn't count?"
[......!]
"Your words amount to the same thing: you never saw me as your son."
[Y-You knew?]
"And even if that were true, it doesn't justify the abuse. You knew Mother's condition when you married her. You promised to love and cherish her regardless."
Father's soul fell silent, at a loss for words.
I cooled the heat rising to my head and continued.
"I'll say it again: I'm not bringing up the past to settle scores."
[Then?]
"Like I just said, I know you're not my biological father. Where did you get me from? What happened that day?"
[......]
"Tell me."
He didn't open his mouth easily, perhaps due to regret.
That's why I'd come to our house specifically—I'd figured it might turn out like this.
I glanced around the backyard as I spoke.
"I learned how to chop firewood from you here."
[......!]
"But my weak arms dropped the axe, and it landed right in front of my foot. You came running over in a panic."
[......]
"You checked my unharmed foot, said it was a relief, and hugged me tight. I remember that."
The soul trembled faintly.
I continued with the softest expression I could muster.
"At least in that moment, you saw me as your own son."
[I always did.]
"Yes. I'll believe that. So don't worry."
[What?]
"Even if I learn the secret of my birth, I'll still see you as my father."
That must be why Father hesitated to speak.
At the very least, I was loved by both him and Mother.
I couldn't deny that.
But why hadn't those two loved each other?
Even after all these years, it still pierced my heart.
Even a hero couldn't do anything about human emotions, it seemed.
Soon, Father spoke.
[Our territory has the tallest mountain on the continent.]
"Baharma Mountain."
And the core of the Withering Demon King.
[It was the end of a week of fruitless hunts, and our livelihood was starting to look dicey. So instead of my usual hunting grounds, I headed to Baharma Mountain.]
"......"
[Then a downpour hit out of nowhere. We couldn't go up or down, so we found a cave to spend the night.]
"No way?"
[Yeah. Deep inside the cave, I heard a baby's cry.]
Father let out a deep sigh.
[At first, I thought it was an abandoned infant, but looking back now, it was odd. Who'd climb the continent's tallest mountain just to ditch a baby?]
"......"
[And you—the baby—weren't even in a cradle. No blanket wrapping you, not a stitch of clothing. You were buck naked, literally.]
"Where's that cave?"
[Climb to the midpoint of Baharma Mountain, and you'll see a tree stretching toward the sky. It's bent a little. Head about 300 meters in that direction, and you'll find it.]
Got it.
I'd start there.
I figured I'd heard enough.
But Father's words weren't over yet.
[Dian asked which came first.]
"What?"
[My abuse of her, or her starting to meet my friend.]
"......?"
[Which one started first.]
It felt like a hammer had slammed into my head.
Seeing I couldn't respond, Father spoke in a self-mocking tone.
[She probably said she only turned to my friend for comfort because she couldn't take my abuse anymore.]
"You're saying that's not true?"
[Who knows.]
"Who knows? Don't brush it off like that!"
[I'm being serious. I have no idea. Dian knew my friend well. He worked at the tool shop, and I often bought hunting gear from him.]
"......"
[He even delivered ordered items to our house sometimes. Probably when I was out hunting and the place was empty.]
"......"
[At some point, Dian started mentioning him a lot. Always praise.]
I gritted my teeth.
"That's all just your assumptions, Father."
[Exactly. That's why I said I don't know. Which came first.]
"......"
For a split second, the Eye of Omniscience came to mind.
Father's abuse.
Mother's affair.
Whichever came first, the Eye could reveal it.
"......"
But I decided not to check.
Whichever it was, Father was dead, and Mother had spent over a decade in prison.
It was over.
Still, I couldn't help lamenting.
"I really grew up in a house full of lies."
[I have nothing to say to that.]
"That's enough. Thanks for telling me."
[But there was one truth.]
He continued softly.
[We loved you.]
"......"
[That's the truth, Maide.]
Suddenly, my vision blurred.
I looked down and raised my voice.
"Adwin!"
From inside the house, Adwin must have heard—Father's soul began to fade.
Returning to the afterlife.
I said.
"If we meet again, let's share a drink."
Father chuckled lightly and replied.
[Don't come too soon.]
By the time I finished talking with Father, the sun was setting.
We decided to spend the night at the house.
I summarized only the key points from my conversation with Father.
"A cave on Baharma Mountain. That's where he said he got me from."
"A cave?"
"Yeah. There's a marker tree, so it should be easy to find. Let's head up early tomorrow morning."
"Got it. But...... ahem. Never mind."
Serein trailed off ambiguously.
She was probably curious about the 'other parts' of my talk with Father.
But she seemed to think she couldn't ask, since even Adwin had stepped out to respect my privacy.
I shrugged.
"Nothing much to report."
"I-I wasn't really curious anyway."
"It's written all over your face. Not just you—all of you."
The party gave awkward smiles.
Neril changed the subject.
"Anyway, how should we sleep tonight? The house is small."
"Like when we camp—just circle up in the living room."
"Sure. But Maide, you sleep in the study."
My eyes widened.
Neril continued in a gentle tone.
"This place is full of your memories. Spend one night soaking them in alone."
"Neril."
Without thinking, I took her hand.
She lightly traced my palm with her fingers.
"It's a place tied to a lot. But tonight, I hope you only remember the good ones."
"Hmm. That might be tough."
"Maide."
"It'd be different if you were beside me."
Neril's eyes went wide.
I pressed on seriously.
"Last time with May, I was there for you. Pay your debt."
"Y-You sure that's okay?"
"I'm asking."
She nodded faintly.
Everyone smiled warmly.
Everyone except one.
"H-Hold on a sec."
Adwin shouted, his face beet red for some reason.
"The soundproofing here looks bad?"
"......"
Wham.
Jenia ruthlessly flicked his forehead.
"You little punk."
The next morning.
We climbed Baharma Mountain.
Or rather, we flew up.
The view of Baharma from Agril's back was spectacular.
Serein spoke up.
"It's ridiculous that a place like this holds the Withering Demon King's core."
"Now that you mention it, we never got the Withering Jewel. What a shame."
"Isn't it normal not to get it? Regular heroes don't carry demon king relics around."
"Maide's not a regular hero."
"I should just stop talking."
Anyway, after searching for a while.
Offense pointed.
"That's it."
Among the dense surrounding trees, one stood out, shooting straight toward the sky.
But for some reason, despite its size, it was bent like flexible reeds—a bizarre shape.
Following the bend led my gaze to the cave.
Gulp.
Jenia swallowed.
"We'll learn Maide-ssi’s true identity in there."
"You're wrong on two counts."
"Huh?"
"First, this is just bait to summon Impellium. Not about revealing my identity."
"That's true, but."
"And identity? I'm just a regular hero who wants to retire. Save that word for Bellosian or Impellium."
The party stared at me intently.
Their faces said my words weren't landing at all.
I averted my gaze slightly and said.
"Anyway, let's land."
"Ah, right."
Jenia sent Agril back.
We landed with Neril's magic and hurried toward the cave.
No paths in this uninhabited spot, so it was a bit rough, but after a few minutes' struggle, we entered.
"Nice, we're in. Now what?"
Neril's voice echoed through the cave.
Yeah.
I'd thought some vibe would hit once we got here.
[How about sleeping? You've always met Impellium in dreams.]
'Not always. I met Adin wide awake when we fought.'
[Hmm.]
'But no other ideas, so maybe nap?'
Too early in the morning for sleep, though.
Magic might help...
Huh?
Suddenly, the party's faces blurred.
A brilliant light soon enveloped us.
I shouted urgently.
"Everyone, stick to me!"
"No need. It's already over."
"Who are you?"
"Come on, how many times now? That question hurts."
The next moment.
Before us was the same room where I'd once spoken with Impellium.
A beautifully tidy room.
Soft breeze flowing through the slightly open window, swaying curtains.
Plush-looking bed and carpet.
And nine teacups. Nine?
......
Why nine?
I looked around quickly.
There stood my entire party, blinking in surprise.