Chapter 245
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 245
Chapter Title: Grandmother
For a moment, Loan couldn't understand the Governor-General's words.
It was strange.
Just a moment ago, he had been feeling secretly proud of how much smarter he'd become, so why were her words so difficult to grasp?
Loan stared at the Governor-General without even blinking.
The Governor-General said.
“My daughter's name is Claire. She was the wife of Leopold Grafton, the man known for assassinating the former king. She was the Crown Princess of the Grafton Kingdom. You look just like her.”
Crown Prince Leopold's assassination of the former king is the most tragic event in Grafton's history.
History books and records always covered the incident briefly. Even mentioning it was considered taboo.
As a result, Loan was only now learning the Crown Princess's name for the first time.
He struggled to speak.
“My mother's name was Claire.”
“The former King William was my friend. When Claire told me she wanted to marry his son, I was overjoyed. When you were born to them, I was even happier. It felt as if all the blessings in the world had been bestowed upon you. I wanted to cast aside my position as Governor-General and stay in Grafton, to be by your side every day.”
Loan lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling upon the Governor-General's trembling hand holding his own.
“Then… are you my grandmother?”
The words felt awkward even as he said them aloud.
The shape of the word felt strange, its pronunciation unfamiliar.
It was his first time meeting a blood relative, so he didn't know what he was supposed to feel or how he should express it.
He felt a sense of joy, yet also a strange sorrow. And oddly, a flicker of anger.
“Yes. I am the one who should have protected you from the moment you were born. Failing to do so has been the regret of my life. I'm so sorry, Loan. My grandson.”
“…”
Loan still didn't raise his head.
Watching her hand tighten its grip slightly, he managed to continue speaking.
“What were my parents like?”
Through the Governor-General's subsequent story.
Loan learned that his father had loved books and that his mother had been skilled with the sword and bow.
As a child, Leopold was quiet, while Claire was a tomboy.
Claire, who had been entrusted to the Grafton royal family for her upbringing, would forcibly drag the library-bound Leopold out to roam the mountains, fields, and all corners of the royal castle.
Leopold often cried because of Claire, but at some point, he started calling her ‘older sister’ and following her around like a shadow.
She said it was hard to believe when the two of them announced they were in love and asked for permission to marry.
But even former King William and the Governor-General had to admit they were a perfectly matched pair.
“Their marriage was a joyous occasion for the continent, and you were a gift.”
It all felt less like his own story and more like a bard's tale, a romance novel, or beautiful lyrics detached from reality.
This was especially true because he knew their tragic end.
The Governor-General, sensing Loan's thoughts, said.
“No one knows what truly happened that day. Besides King Simon, there is no one left who does. But I am certain. Your father, Leopold, would never have assassinated the former king. Covet the throne? Impossible.”
“Are you saying he was framed?”
The Governor-General nodded gravely.
“It is only speculation, but I know that the one who assassinated the king was the current King Simon. That bastard framed your parents to cover it up. And in the midst of facing their deaths… they managed to send you away, to save you.”
They were words unbefitting of the Governor-General, who had just been stressing the importance of ‘evidence’.
Her emotions were also highly agitated.
Just as he was about to turn his head away, finding it difficult to watch her…
Suddenly, the source of his spirit deep within him reacted. The mental image of a teardrop surfaced before his eyes.
The faint memories contained within it, the hazy afterimages, suddenly became clear.
His mother and father, smiling brightly at him.
The ones who clapped as they watched him take his first steps.
The Governor-General—no, his grandmother—looking just as she did now, holding him in her arms and shedding tears.
An old man—his grandfather, King William—at a loss, unable to pry the small hand gripping his long beard.
His father, desperately barricading a door, shouting for them to escape.
His mother, running through a long underground passage with him in her arms. The final smile she gave as she entrusted him to Helen's care.
As all those scenes flashed vividly before his eyes.
*Drip—*
The teardrop, which had been a mental image, now formed for real and fell onto the Governor-General's hand covering his own.
Loan could now feel his grandmother's anger in his heart.
He understood why she looked at him with such an apologetic expression.
He understood the source of the deep sorrow he held within him.
“And yet, I could not right this wrong. I am still failing to protect you even now. I miraculously found my grandson, whom I thought was dead, and I want to hold you in my arms and keep you safe, but I cannot. Instead, I am sending my grandson… to a place that may well be his grave. I am leaning on you like this. I'm so sorry…”
He understood why she was saying this, what she was feeling.
His grandmother had done nothing wrong.
If anything, he was grateful that she had waited for his mind to mature.
Loan gently wiped the fresh tearstain from the back of her hand and said.
“You've already given me more than enough, Grandma.”
Was it because he called her Grandma?
The emotions on the Governor-General's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a look of pure surprise.
Loan continued, asking.
“The light in the spirit world that drove away the Eye and the Dream, that was you, wasn't it?”
“…”
“And I'm guessing you've been preventing the Eye from finding me all this time.”
“How did you know that?”
“I just had a feeling. Thank you.”
“For something so trivial.”
“Thanks to you, I've grown up well and even learned about my parents. But… nothing has changed. I am still a Runner of the Union's Faith Division. I have to deliver the will of the Council of Six Duchies to King Simon. I will carry out my duty.”
Only, what he needed to uncover had changed.
He had intended to use the Grafton mission to find out who his birth parents were, but now…
It was about whether they were truly framed.
It was time to reveal whether King Simon had orchestrated it.
As for what came after that…
*‘Let nature take its course.’*
He resolved to do so.
Loan comforted the Governor-General for a while, and as they ate the meal she had prepared, he heard a little more about his parents.
It was nearing evening when he came out of the main building.
Director Lazaros was at the bottom of the stairs.
“It seems the Governor-General's story ran long.”
“Yes… It seems she had a lot to say that she couldn't for a long time.”
Lazaros nodded silently.
Loan looked at him and bowed his head.
“Thank you for taking such good care of me all this time. From when I first came here until now. I sometimes felt it was a bit excessive, but I think I am who I am today thanks to your care, Director.”
“Oh, what are you saying all of a sudden…”
Lazaros wiped the sweat from his forehead in bewilderment. He did so even though the wind was quite cold.
The change in Loan's aura over the past week also played a part.
He seemed more mature.
As he marveled inwardly, Loan continued.
“Please take even better care of the Governor-General from now on.”
“Of course.”
He didn't bother saying that he now knew his identity, nor did he ask Lazaros to keep it from others.
This was the man who had even taken a vow of silence regarding Loan's constitution.
“I've been away for too long. I should have been paying attention to the Council.”
“Ah, yes. I was waiting for you, thinking we should discuss that matter before you leave.”
The two talked as they walked.
During the week Loan had focused on his mana training, all preparations for the Council's launch had been completed.
Loan's letter, which had been needed for the process, was replaced by a handwritten letter from the Governor-General.
Five of the six duchies had signed the treaty to launch the Council.
The one missing was Barcino.
Lazaros said.
“A battle broke out over the bridge area, and now it's divided into two camps. The entry point into Grafton territory has been completely seized by Grave.”
He said that contacting Barcino was slow because entry to the bridge area was impossible.
They would have to go straight south, take a ship, and re-enter through southern Barcino, but it was questionable whether they could make it in time.
“The other duchies are sending envoys as well, right?”
“The situation in each nation is difficult, but this event is not just to celebrate the ceremony. The envoys in the eastern Union will arrive here within ten days.”
The duchies' envoys.
They were also the ones who would participate in the tournament held to celebrate the coronation ceremony.
Tower Master Werner of Schwerin and Acting Scribe Vertlot of Versa had already arrived, which left Siong, Rodos, and Ferrara.
“Barcino is the problem, then.”
Loan thought for a moment before continuing.
“Since I can pass through Barcino on the way to Grafton, it would be best for me to meet the Duke in person. I'll get the treaty signed and go to the royal capital with the Barcino envoy.”
“Then I will inform the envoys from Siong, Ferrara, and Rodos to head directly to Grafton without passing through here.”
“Yes. Then I'll depart as soon as I'm ready.”
The next day.
Loan first visited the blacksmith.
Carrying the 'Passage of the Soul' was rather cumbersome, so he wanted to find a way to simplify it.
Alik and Gradin were in the middle of a heated discussion over some blueprints.
It seemed Gradin had now fully adapted to this place.
After a cheerful greeting, Loan got straight to the point.
“Hmm… a strange object indeed.”
Alik, Gradin, and the other dwarf artisans gathered around and diligently examined every inch of the perforated bowl.
And a discussion followed.
“It's crude and ugly, but it strangely catches the eye.”
“What's the material?”
“It seems to be mixed with steel from the Tik Mountains. It's soft, but it has that characteristic wave pattern.”
“In a mere bowl?”
“Either its use was different, or they were very serious about handling food.”
“I can feel some kind of unknown energy. Do you know what it is? It's like mana, yet peculiar.”
“It might be closer to a divine object than a magical tool.”
Loan, who was listening, chimed in.
“If it's a divine object, does that mean a god made it?”
Gradin answered.
“It would be more accurate to say it was made using a god's power. From an age long ago when gods existed. An item belonging to those who wielded divine authority. If it's a bowl, I'd guess it's related to a god of cooking or something of that sort.”
“Are there still many such objects left?”
Alik took over the answer.
“Most have disappeared, but there is one divine object in the Union that everyone knows. To be precise, Mika has it.”
“Commander Mika has one?”
“He went around bragging with his own mouth that the sword he uses is a divine sword passed down through the Frenville family for generations. And from what I confirmed, that's true. Though it also felt like a demonic sword, as if it called for blood.”
It seemed the sword shaped like a broken claymore was a divine object.
Alik continued.
“Anyway, I haven't seen any others. So if this thing is a divine object, it's something very special.”
He briefly wondered how they would react if they saw Commander Garcia, who had transformed into a mechanical human by resonating with the black box.
Loan said.
“I think you're probably right. It does have a special ability.”
But Loan didn't say what that ability was.
This was a very familiar occurrence for blacksmiths, so they weren't particularly offended.
“So, what do you need us to do?”
“Please change its form while keeping the bowl's ability intact. It's a bit cumbersome to carry around.”
Alik and Gradin looked at each other and shook their heads at the same time.
Alik said.
“This is different from mana, so I don't know if it's possible. When we made the Sheville, you somehow managed to hold onto the mana… but this is a different problem.”
“I don't think it's a particularly different problem. How about I change only its physical properties while maintaining its characteristics so you can reforge it?”
“Is that even possible?”
Loan gave a slight shrug and said.
“I'll give it a try. I think I've gotten a little smarter.”