“-Dad, I’m heading to work.”
“Dad, you’re leaving already?”
“Hey, you said you’d play with us today.”
“Cheh....”
At the age when they just wanted to play, his children grumbled softly, and the man who now bore the na "Dad" scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Because he felt guilty.
He had been so busy these past few days that he hadn’t been able to pay enough attention to his children.
Then—
“You little rascals, your dad isn’t going out to play; he’s going to work! Are you going to keep whining?”
A well-tid reinforcent stepped in, and the children’s complaints were swiftly subdued.
“Honey....”
“You need to be firm too. Say, ‘Hey! Listen to your dad!’ ...like that.”
“I just feel bad for them....”
“Co on, you can play with them next ti. Oh, and be careful. I read in the paper that the royal family and the temple are at it again.”
“...Got it, got it.”
“Just say it once! Now, go on, get to work!”
“...Alright.”
Listening to his wife’s encouragent-laced nagging, the man smiled wryly but still set off for work.
For the sake of his reliable support—his loving angel—and the three little angels that God had sent him.
A man called dad, husband, and provider.
Yes, just an ordinary man, a head of a household like any other, took another step out into the world today.
The day at work would no doubt be exhausting and difficult, but still, he could endure.
Because, after all—
...He was a father.
***
“—I heard you scratched that girl up real nice? That guy was impressed. Said you did a proper job.”
“...Huh?”
“You t with Hayes Roche, didn’t you?”
“Oh, that?”
Ha-ha....
Derrick laughed awkwardly.
Thinking about it now, he and those other two had really done sothing outrageous.
—Hmm....
—Sothing’s off.
—It’s strange.
—What the hell is wrong with these lunatics...?
They—aning Derrick, Lady Irene, and Prince Roen—hadn’t planned it, but by sheer coincidence, they had all visited Hayes Roche, who was widely regarded as either a temple spy or a heretic.
She had changed drastically overnight, looking utterly devastated, baring her teeth in the darkness and growling like a beast.
Despite enduring brutal torture and interrogation at the hands of the Inquisitor Pierre, her spirit hadn’t been broken. She exuded a ferocity no different from a crazed fiend, so much so that an ordinary man might have instinctively shrunk back in fear.
But they—
—Was she always like this?
—She definitely wasn’t this kind of person.
—Where did it go wrong?
...They didn’t care whether she had turned into a beast or caught rabies.
—You bastards, do you even know who I am?!
Her fierce presence had no effect on them.
Instead, they rely tilted their heads, scrutinizing her as if evaluating an exotic animal in a cage. The one thing they had in common was that they were observing her—assessing her.
Once their evaluation was complete—
“Haaa....”
They all sighed at the sa ti.
As if they had expected to see a rare panda but had instead found a person wearing a panda costu.
Eventually—
“...She’s not it.”
“Aaaaaaah!!”
Whether it was stress, rage, or sothing else, Hayes Roche’s eyes filled with blood as she let out a frenzied scream and thrashed violently.
They had done sothing even the relentless torture of the Inquisitor couldn’t accomplish. Yet, the three of them remained unfazed, rely tilting their heads as she shrieked.
...That had been half a day ago.
“—You’re well-inford.”
“Redhead was impressed.”
“...Ahem.”
Derrick cleared his throat, as if embarrassed, while Ihan shrugged.
He hadn’t ant to say it in a teasing way, but it seed to weigh on Taechang’s conscience.
Ihan smirked and smoothly changed the subject.
“But what about the others? Weren’t you with them?”
“Oh, the two of them? They’re both busy. Prince Roen went to the Lionel estate, and Lady Irene was practically dragged to the Galahad estate. She was nearly caught up in the ss, so the Duke is keeping a close eye on her.”
“...You’re still using honorifics? Weren’t you guys getting along?”
They had fought together in the Magic Tower, yet nothing had changed?
“Well, it can’t be helped.... I did beco an ally of Prince Roen, but it’s just an alliance, not friendship. And things are still awkward with Lady Irene.”
“No camaraderie at all?”
“...Didn’t really develop any.”
“...What a brag.”
“Anyway, we’ve confird Hayes Roche’s identity. Her real na is Susan, a woman who was exiled from a remote mountain village eight years ago.”
“Nice deflection....”
Ihan considered teasing Taechang a little more but decided to let it go in favor of more interesting information.
“Exiled from her hotown?”
“Yes. She was the village chief’s daughter, but apparently, she was an absolute nace. The villagers suffered a lot because of her. After the chief passed away from old age, the villagers banded together and drove her out.”
The Inquisitor’s specially formulated truth serum was definitely impressive.
The case had barely been opened, yet they already had a full background check.
“Shortly after being exiled, she set fire to the village out of spite and fled. The soldiers caught her for arson, but she disappeared while being transported through an underground tunnel....”
“The radicals kidnapped her?”
“More or less.”
The story that followed was predictable.
Susan wasn’t the only one abducted—countless others had been taken. The radicals had sohow obtained noble bloodlines and incubus lineage, experinting on them. Of those who survived the mutations, one of them was Susan.
“She was likely subjected to brainwashing. The content of the indoctrination was sothing along the lines of ‘I am special, and one day, I will beco both a noblewoman and a saint.’”
“...So that’s how Susan beca Hayes Roche?”
“The identity forgery was spectacular. If you weren’t around, Instructor, we wouldn’t have known she was a temple spy. If their plan had succeeded, the kingdom would have been in chaos....”
The very thought was chilling.
Taechang shuddered as he mumbled, while Ihan scolded him for exaggerating.
“You’re exaggerating.”
“I’m not. I’m just stating facts. Instructor, you prevented the collapse of Pendragon. Though... it seems to have landed you in trouble.”
“......”
“...You really hate this, don’t you?”
“Wouldn’t you? Now they want to turn into a circus act.”
Tsk!
Ihan clicked his tongue sharply.
Just a day earlier, when Raphael had brought up the indulgence, Ihan had imdiately felt like he had been played.
The mont he heard that the temple wanted to publicize him, a strong sense of rejection welled up.
Because—
“I was finally living quietly....”
Famous people always said it, didn’t they? That they wanted to be rich but stay completely out of the public eye.
Ihan had absolutely no desire to beco famous.
He was an introvert, after all.
With the temple’s interference threatening to end his peaceful life, it was only natural that he felt disgusted—and that he wanted to et the one behind it all.
“I’d like to see the bastard’s face....”
He ground his teeth.
“...Instructor, do you really think this was done by an individual? Not an organization?”
“The temple is full of useless morons. There’s no way they could pull off sothing this clever.”
“......”
“There has to be soone. A brain calling the shots behind these idiots.”
It had to be a sharp, relentless strategist.
“Soone like Jeong Do-jeon or Han Myeong-hoe?”
“...What’s the difference?”
“One is a revolutionary who wants to overturn the nation; the other is an ambitious man who wouldn’t hesitate to bite the king for his own power.”
“...You’re giving them a lot of credit.”
“I have to. I can’t predict this bastard’s next move.”
“......”
“Not even by instinct. They’re too unpredictable.”
This wasn’t soone who carefully crafted plans over ti—it was soone who thrived on improvisation.
That was why they kept flipping the board before Ihan or anyone else could react.
So—
“...Maybe I should improvise too.”
“How?”
“Simple. I’ll just—”
***
“—Just to be clear, you’re not thinking sothing like, ‘On the day I receive the indulgence, I’ll tear the temple to shreds and flee the country,’ right?”
“......”
Blink. Blink.
“...I’m going to lose my mind.”
Faced with those pure, innocent—no, feral—eyes that seed to say, Why not?, Damien Follet, Ihan’s drill instructor, felt his blood pressure spike.
This guy, as expected.
“...Haa, Instructor, an indulgence isn’t just so get-out-of-jail-free card. It’s more of a symbol. If you actually use it, you’ll be cursed. For real.”
“Really?”
“An indulgence is a [sacred relic]. It’s made from the remains or possessions of saints and holy figures. Receiving one is rely a mark of honor—nobody actually uses them. In fact, there’s not a single recorded case of soone doing so.”
“But it’s made to be used, isn’t it?”
“Even so, you can’t use it! It’s a sacred relic! Just having one is enough to ward off most curses, hexes, and magic. It’s even nicknad an ‘extra life.’ Do you really want to waste it?”
“Yes.”
“...Can you at least think before answering?”
“......I did. I thought about it, and I think I can use it.”
“That was five seconds! You only thought for five seconds!!”
As always, Ihan toyed with Damien, making the man rage like a berserker. He charged with his hamr, only to be swiftly subdued.
It took Ihan a whole extra minute today.
Proof that Damien’s skills had improved.
“Damn it...!”
No matter how much stronger he had gotten, the fact that he hadn’t landed a single hit made it all the more frustrating.
Still panting on the ground, Damien suddenly muttered—
“...Instructor, I know you pretty well. Or rather, I was forced to get to know you well.”
“?”
“I know you have little attachnt to Pendragon. Lately, it seems like you’ve gotten a bit more grounded because of my fellow trainees, but even so, no one would be surprised if you just up and vanished like the wind one day.”
“You’re pretty perceptive.”
“Damn it, I had to develop so survival instincts under your training!”
“Hmmm.”
“Haa! Anyway, my point is this. You might be thinking, ‘I can leave this country anyti,’ but my fellow trainees and plenty of others need you. So for once, use that thick skull of yours and actually think before making a decision, damn it!”
“...Is this advice or a tantrum?”
“I hate that I’m even saying this, so cut so slack, damn it!”
“......”
Yep, he’s out of his mind, too.
Clicking his tongue, Ihan shook his head and turned away, heading back inside.
But—
“...Kid’s grown up a lot.”
—A smile played on his lips.
He was proud of Damien’s growth.
I’m not planning on leaving, you idiot.
Unlike before, he had developed attachnts.
Even if he didn’t want to leave, though, the world kept pushing him toward the edge.
Which ant...
Creeeeak.
...he needed to make a bold move of his own.
Shff.
Ihan reached into the corner of his drawer and pulled out a black mask.
He had sworn never to take it out again.
“...Just this once.”
Clasping his hands together, he solemnly prayed over the mask.
Not to any god—he never did that.
Instead—
“Fairy of Spring, please permit this one act of ‘righteous theft.’”
With a silent plea to the one entity he had so history with, Ihan donned the mask.
Now was the ti to put his skills to proper use.
Reviews
All reviews (0)