Episode 35
And my bathing plans were thwarted again.
“Luan… … !”
This is because, immediately after setting foot in the main residence, he encountered his mother, Lucia.
My mother came running, her blonde hair flowing brilliantly.
“Now, wait a minute, I’m a mess right now…” … .”
I couldn’t finish my sentence and fell into my mother’s arms.
I could see my clean dress becoming stained with dirt and dust from my body.
“mother.”
“really.”
My mother spoke in a calm voice.
“… “I’m glad you’re safe.”
“… … .”
I swallowed back what I was trying to say due to my trembling voice.
‘… ah.’
mother.
My one and only family.
There isn’t a night that goes by that I don’t think about wanting to see it again.
I had a lot of words prepared.
But strangely, the lips did not separate easily.
I just patted my mother on the back and waited for her to calm down.
* * *
After reuniting with my mother and finally taking the long-awaited bath… … .
I changed into the new clothes prepared by the servant.
‘I can live a little better now.’
Satisfied with the strangely comfortable feel of the clothes, I headed to the guest room where my mother was staying.
My mother’s guest room was in a quite corner, and there were two familiar faces standing in front of the door.
It was Kayan and Arjan.
The two were talking about something with calm faces, but when I came, the conversation suddenly stopped.
“What were you talking about?”
“We were sorting things out with each other about what had happened. “I guess it’s information sharing.”
“okay? Did you two know each other?”
I tilted my head and asked, and Keian answered.
“Not long after Arjan came to my home, I helped him train a few times.”
“aha.”
I nodded roughly and said.
“Well then, it’s been a while since I’ve been clearing up some thoughts. “I need to talk to my mother.”
“yes.”
I have something to say to Keian, but I’ll put it off for now.
I passed them both and entered the room.
There was a faint scent of black tea in the room, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
Because it was the same scent as in my memory.
“You’re here. “Sit down here.”
“yes.”
I looked around the shabby room and sat in front of my mother.
“I only prepared black tea. Is that okay?”
“Sure.”
There are teas that go well with refreshments and teas that don’t, and my mother’s tea was the latter.
Good scent, subtle warmth, and deep taste.
Just one cup of tea is no different from something that has already been completed.
‘… ‘You really came back.’
It’s funny, but it wasn’t until I put the tea cup in my mouth and swallowed it that I realized that I had returned.
It is also absurd.
When I saw Kayan and Arjan, when I witnessed the true colors of the knights in the mountains, until the moment when I finally encountered the Jewel Beast -.
It means that I was unable to fully accept reality.
“Did anything happen?”
“Is it a big deal?”
“I heard the general situation from Sir Kayan. I heard that I came to the main house at the call of the head of the family. That’s why he went through the Jewel Mountains… … .”
Unexpectedly, my mother knew exactly what I was doing.
Is this because Keian’s intelligence is excellent? Or was my whereabouts itself information that was easy to understand?
I don’t know, but my mother seems to know what kind of place the Jewel Mountains are.
That’s probably why you’re worried.
It would be okay to lie and reassure people here.
“It was a lot of work. “To be honest, there were many dangerous situations.”
I just told it honestly.
There were two reasons. First, I didn’t want to lie about something like this.
Secondly, I thought he was a strong enough person to accept this level of truth.
“… … .”
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Even after hearing what I said, my mother drank her tea without any reaction.
Then he slowly opened his mouth.
“I see. “You went through a lot.”
“yes.”
“You’ve become much calmer since we haven’t seen each other?”
My mother said with a slight smile.
“They say that you achieve mental growth after going through a risk of death. In the mountains… “Did you almost lose your life?”
My mother’s voice trembled slightly, but I answered without thinking about it.
“It wasn’t a lot.”
“okay. “Arjan must have had a hard time.”
When I nodded, saying it wasn’t really wrong, my mother lowered her voice slightly and said.
“then… “Have you found out about Arjan?”
“He wasn’t an ordinary butler. “I don’t know the details, but I’ve seen him use special powers on many occasions.”
“I see… … .”
Mother continued.
“I had a little chat with Arjan while you were washing up, and he will be assisting you for a while.”
“yes?”
I tilted my head at the sudden words.
“There’s no need to do that. “Did your mother force you to do it?”
“It’s true that I asked for it, but I didn’t force it. In fact, I have often brought this up since I was at home, but each time, I stubbornly refused.”
“… … .”
“It just so happens that I owe you my life. “I heard that I want to serve you at least until the debt is repaid.”
I was surprised by the sudden words.
“A debt of life… … .”
“Is that wrong?”
“It’s not wrong, but… Because it’s the same here. Without Arjan, I would have died too. “It could be a situation where we saved each other.”
Then my mother looked at me with surprised eyes.
After speaking, I thought, oh no.
This is because Luan was too mature for what to say at this time.
“… … .”
My mother just stared quietly for a while.
It was an expression that seemed complicated in many ways… I also thought it was a necessary process.
Anyway, the fact that I have changed is a fact that cannot be hidden. Even more so for my mother.
If you make a lot of excuses, you can get over this situation now, but what about after that?
I can’t play nerd Luan forever.
In that case, it would be better to say, ‘After passing the critical moment of death, my son’s love for me changed a lot.’ I think it’s better to just accept it as is.
However, after being lost in thought for a while, my mother said something unexpected.
“You’re back when you were young.”
“… yes?”
I didn’t understand, so I asked one more time.
“When you were young?”
“okay. “As confident and brave as my favorite son.”
“… … .”
“You were always like this before the Guardian Ceremony, don’t you remember?”
I couldn’t help but be a bit taken aback by these words.
I thought I had grown or changed because of what happened in Yeongsan… … .
My mother seems to think that I have just regained my true nature.
“that… … .”
I almost denied it without realizing it, but I held back.
This is because I know that the thing that is most difficult for people to objectively understand is ‘myself.’
These are especially the words of my mother, who has watched over me since I was young.
Even considering that the bean pod is a bit wet, this means that there is a possibility that this is the truth.
My mother held my hand.
“Luan.”
“yes.”
“Blessing is not everything.”
This is something you often said before your return.
But words that never reached Luan Badniker at the time.
But now I know.
“yes.”
What my mother said is true.
Even without divine protection, you can become stronger than anyone else in the world.
There is no need for God’s protection to aim to be number one in the world.
“… Truly, it is so. “There is no reason for you to give up on life because of that.”
But my mother’s purpose did not seem to be simply to re-emphasize a truth that I had been unable to accept in the past.
I soon realized the intention… … .
‘You’re worried about the second protection ceremony.’
What if I don’t receive another blessing at this blessing ceremony?
He is concerned about the despair I will experience once again because of this.
“Don’t worry. I won’t give up. And even without your protection, I will become stronger than any of the matriarch’s children.”
“haha. “That would be nice.”
Of course, my ultimate goal is to surpass even my father, Iron Blood Lord… … .
It was obvious that if I said that, even my mother would treat me like I was crazy.
It was the moment when I smiled and held up the teacup.
smart.
There was a knocking sound.
“Come in.”
With my mother’s permission, the door opened and I saw Keian’s face.
His face seemed somewhat impatient, unlike usual.
“I’m sorry for interrupting your conversation, Master. “I think you need to go quickly.”
“me? “What’s going on?”
Keian spoke with an uncharacteristically stiff face.
“The council of elders has called you.”
* * *
Badniker’s main residence has five floors.
The 1st and 2nd floors are open to guests and are crowded with people, but there are almost no people from the 3rd floor.
This is because from here on, entry by outsiders is prohibited.
Still, it is not an unfamiliar place at all.
On this floor, there were rooms, classrooms, and a library for the main family members, and I visited there a few times before I was declared invalid.
But the place I am walking to now is a place one level higher than that.
Step by step-.
On the 4th floor, only the footsteps of Keian and I could be heard quietly.
It was rare to encounter people on the 3rd floor, but the 4th floor felt like it was a spoonful of extra space.
It feels like there are not only people, but not even a rat.
Perhaps it was equipped with some kind of soundproofing equipment, so it was difficult to capture even the slightest noise.
It feels like I’m walking through another world.
How long did he follow Keian without saying a word, without encountering anyone?
Keian suddenly stopped walking and said.
“This is the place.”
“… … .”
I saw a sneaky visit.
The door is extremely large.
Even if it were the entrance to some kind of ballroom, it would be like that.
The inside is probably as wide as the door.
‘I barely saw you on the way home.’
Simply put, the area occupied by one room is very large.
I held back my useless thoughts and opened the door.
Suddenly-.
“… … .”
The door opened easily considering its size.
However, the moment it opened, it felt like the air became heavy.
‘It’s dark.’
It is an overall dark place.
Maybe you have curtains drawn or maybe there are no windows to begin with.
Jerk.
I walked about seven or eight steps and stopped.
Because there was nowhere else to go.
It was blocked on all sides by a high wall, and a group of people could be seen sitting on top of the wall.
“Are you here?”
“Luan Badniker.”
Guys sitting on the wall as if they were judges.
The darkness in the room is so thick that I can’t even see the figure, let alone the face.
The authors are none other than the notorious Badniker’s Council of Elders.
I heard that the total number of people was 11, but when I counted them, it seems that not all of them were present.
“What did you call me for?”
I had a rough guess, but I pretended not to know and asked.
Although it’s unlikely, it could be because of the dispute that just happened with Hector.
“I have a few questions for you.”
“It’s about what happened in the Jewel Mountains.”
Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
“I would have sent five Fang Knights to guard you.”
“Where did they go?”
“Why are you the only one coming back?”
“Tell me one by one.”
“Everything that happened in the mountains.”
The group of elders had the characteristic of sharing among themselves what they could say at once.
I remember there was no grand reason.
To put it bluntly, a device to prevent their identity from being identified?
These insidious guys liked hiding their identities more than anyone else, but it was quite painful to listen to anyway.
Things whose faces you can’t even see keep talking in vague voices.
“Luan Badniker.”
“Why don’t you answer?”
“… … .”
In this situation that seemed like a crisis at first glance, I lightly licked my lips once.
The name of this room on the 4th floor is [Trial Room].
And I know one secret about this room.
‘A room that determines authenticity.’
In other words, a room where the truth can be confirmed.
I slowly opened my mouth.
“All members of the Fang Knights are dead.”
And before the old people in the council could say anything, he added:
“I killed some people with my own hands.”
This situation is an opportunity for me.
fantasy,
