My house, which I returned to after a long time, was cleaner than I expected.

Uncle Ben must have been taking care of it again. There was no need for him to, though.

I went out to the backyard with my companions.

It was the same backyard where I had once faced off against that bastard Kaeld.

I spoke.

“Alright. Calling him here should be fine.”

“……”

“Adwin?”

“Hyung. I have been thinking… What if I just summon the soul directly to you?”

I tilted my head.

Scratching the back of his head, Adwin continued.

“When I let Lisel noona and Lord Grade meet, and when I let Neril noona and May noona meet, I had no choice but to lend my body. Since they couldn’t talk to souls themselves.”

“……”

“But you, for some reason, can talk just fine with Mr. Trail’s soul, right? And with the other heroes’ souls too.”

“That’s true, but…”

“So I thought it would be better if I stayed out this time. I kind of figured that’s what you would want.”

I couldn’t help but admire Adwin’s thoughtfulness.

He was still young, but his consideration surpassed that of most adults.

I shrugged.

“I would be grateful, honestly.”

“Alright then. Trail hyung, you should come too.”

Trail hiccupped.

[Huh? Why me too…?]

‘Don’t play dumb. This is perfect. Last time you only exchanged a few greetings, so now’s the chance to sit and chat with the party members.’

[What should I even say?]

‘First off, you will need to fix your way of speaking.’

Trail cleared his throat awkwardly.

[This really isn’t my kind of thing…]

‘Just talk the way you do with me, I’m telling you.’

[…]

‘You know too, right? My party members are all good people. You will fit right in.’

Trail stayed silent for a moment.

Then, as if he had made up his mind, he answered earnestly.

[Alright. I will stake everything I have on this.]

Why does he sound like he is heading into a final battle?

I gave Adwin a nod.

He began chanting a spell.

At the same time, Trail’s soul was drawn into his body.

Soon after, Trail spoke.

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Huh? This isn’t the first time though.”

“Ah, yes, you’re right. I tend to say nonsense when I’m nervous. Anyway, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“I said it’s not the first time. Anyway, let’s go inside.”

Smiling softly, Neril guided the party back into the house.

That left me alone in the backyard.

No, not alone.

It was just me and my father.

As Adwin summoned my father’s soul, he also cast a spell on me that allowed me to see souls.

That was why I could see him.

Normally, souls all looked so similar it was hard to tell them apart.

But by some strange, indescribable sense, I was certain.

“……”

The wavering blue soul before me was my father.

I spoke.

“How long has it been?”

[…]

“Father. Can you hear me?”

[Ye… yes.]

I tilted my head.

“That’s not quite the reaction I imagined.”

[……Recently, I met another soul in the underworld. That friend told me what happened in Hasphil not long ago.]

“……”

[That you told the lord about what happened between me and Dianne.]

So he already knew.

Which meant he knew everything.

I let out a light sigh.

“That’s not why I called you here.”

[Mide. I…]

“No. Don’t make excuses. Mother didn’t make excuses at her trial either.”

[I wanted a child.]

“I said not to make excuses.”

I glared at the soul.

“You abused Mother because she couldn’t bear children? But back then, you already had a son named Mide Mohan. Ah. But I guess since I wasn’t your real son, I didn’t count?”

[…]

“Those words mean the same thing, that you never thought of me as your child.”

[You… You knew?]

“And even if that were true, it still wouldn’t justify abuse. You knew Mother’s condition and still chose to marry her. You said you would cherish and love her all your life, no matter what.”

Father’s soul stayed silent, with nothing to say.

I cooled the heat rising in my head and continued.

“Again, I didn’t call you here to reproach you for the past.”

[Then why?]

“As I said, I know I’m not your biological son. Where did you bring me from? What happened that day?”

[…]

“Please tell me.”

Perhaps because of the misery in him, he couldn’t open his mouth easily.

That was why I had deliberately chosen to meet him here, at our house.

I swept my eyes across the backyard as I spoke.

“It was here you taught me how to split firewood.”

[…]

“But since I was weak, I dropped the axe. It nearly fell right onto my foot. You panicked and ran to me.”

[…]

“You checked my uninjured foot and, relieved, hugged me tight. I remember it clearly.”

The soul flickered faintly.

I softened my expression as much as I could and went on.

“At least in that moment, you truly thought of me as your son.”

[I always did.]

“Yes. I will believe those words. So you don’t need to worry.”

[What?]

“Even knowing the secret of my birth, I will still continue to see you as my father.”

That must be why he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

At the very least, I had been loved by both Father and Mother.

That much could not be denied.

But why hadn’t the two of them loved each other?

Though many years had passed, that question still pierced my heart.

Even a hero, it seemed, could do nothing about matters of the heart.

Soon, my father spoke.

[In our territory stands the tallest mountain on the continent.]

“Mount Baharma.”

And the core of the Demon King of Destruction.

[That day, after a week of failed hunts, our livelihood was in danger. So I headed to Mount Baharma instead of my usual hunting grounds.]

“……”

[But suddenly, a heavy storm struck. I couldn’t go up or down, so I looked for a cave to spend the night.]

“No way…”

[Yes. From deep inside the cave, I heard the cry of a baby.]

Father let out a deep sigh.

[At first, I thought you had been abandoned. But thinking back now, it was strange. Who would climb the highest mountain on the continent just to abandon a baby?]

“……”

[And besides, the baby wasn’t even placed in a cradle. No blanket wrapped around you, not even a scrap of clothing. You were literally naked.]

“Where exactly was that cave?”

[Climb halfway up Mount Baharma and you will see a tree stretching toward the sky. The trunk is slightly bent. From that bend, go three hundred meters in that direction, and you will find it.]

Good.

That’s where I will head first.

I figured I had heard enough for now.

But Father wasn’t finished.

[Did Dianne ever tell you which came first?]

“What do you mean?”

[My abuse… or her affair with my friend.]

“…?”

[Which did she say came first?]

It felt like a hammer slammed into my head.

Seeing I couldn’t answer, Father spoke in a bitter tone.

[She probably said she met him seeking comfort after she could no longer endure my abuse, didn’t she?]

“Don’t tell me… you’re saying that’s not the case?”

[Who knows.]

“What do you mean, who knows. Don’t try to brush it off like that!”

[I really don’t know. Dianne knew my friend well. He worked at the tool shop, and since I had to get hunting gear from him often, I saw him a lot.]

“……”

[Sometimes he even delivered items to our house. I’m sure there were times he came by while I was away hunting.]

“……”

[At some point, Dianne started mentioning him often. Always nothing but praise.]

I clenched my teeth.

“That’s just your speculation, Father.”

[Exactly. That’s why I said I don’t know. Which came first.]

“……”

In that moment, I thought of the Eye of Omniscience.

Father’s abuse.

Mother’s affair.

Which came first could be seen with the Eye.

“……”

But I decided not to check.

Whichever it was, Father was dead, and Mother had spent over a decade in prison.

That matter was already over.

And yet, I couldn’t help but feel bitter.

“I really did grow up in a house full of lies.”

[There’s nothing I can say against that.]

“That’s enough. Thank you for telling me.”

[But there was at least one truth.]

He continued in a low voice.

[We loved you.]

“……”

[That much is the truth, Mide.]

For a moment, my vision blurred.

I lowered my head and raised my voice.

“Adwin!”

Hearing me from inside the house, Adwin caused Father’s soul to waver.

He was returning to the underworld.

I spoke.

“Let’s share a drink when we meet again.”

Father chuckled lightly and replied.

[Don’t come too soon.]

By the time I finished speaking with Father, the sun was setting.

We decided to spend the night at the house.

I shared only the important part of the conversation.

“The cave in Mount Baharma. He said that’s where he found me.”

“A cave?”

“Yeah. There’s a marked tree, so it should be easy to find. Let’s head up there early tomorrow morning.”

“Yes. But… hm. Never mind.”

Serein trailed off awkwardly.

She was probably curious about the ‘other details’ of my talk with Father.

But since Adwin had gone out of his way to preserve my privacy, she must have thought it wasn’t right to ask.

I shrugged.

“There’s nothing else worth reporting.”

“I-I wasn’t particularly curious, you know.”

“It’s written all over your face. On everyone’s faces.”

My companions responded with awkward smiles.

Neril smoothly changed the subject.

“Anyway, how should we sleep tonight? This house is too small.”

“Same as when we camped, just lie down around the living room.”

“Fine. But Mide, you should sleep in the study.”

I widened my eyes.

Neril continued in a gentle tone.

“This place holds so many of your memories. You should spend at least one night surrounded by them.”

“Neril.”

Without thinking, I grabbed her hand.

She lightly traced her fingers across my palm.

“There must have been all kinds of memories here. But just for tonight, I hope you only dwell on the good ones.”

“Hmm. That won’t be easy.”

“Mide.”

“Unless… you’re there with me.”

Her eyes went wide at my words.

I continued seriously.

“Last time with May, I was there with you. Now it’s your turn to repay the debt.”

“W-would that really be okay?”

“I’m asking you.”

She gave a small nod.

Everyone smiled warmly, everyone except one.

“W-wait a minute!”

Adwin suddenly shouted, face bright red.

“This house doesn’t look very soundproof, you know?”

“……”

Whack.

Xenia smacked him hard on the head.

“You little brat.”

----------------------------------------

The next morning, we ascended Mount Baharma.

More precisely, we flew.

The sight of Baharma from Agril’s back was nothing short of spectacular.

Serein spoke up.

“To think this place is the core of the Demon King of Destruction… it’s absurd.”

“Come to think of it, we never got the Gem of Destruction. A shame.”

“Isn’t that normal? Heroes aren’t supposed to carry demon king’s gem around.”

“Mide’s not your average hero.”

“At this point, I should just stop talking.”

After some time searching, Offense spoke.

“There it is.”

He pointed at a tree that stood taller than all others, stretching toward the sky.

But strangely, despite its massive size, it bent gracefully like a reed, swaying lightly.

Following the direction of the bend, a cave came into view.

Gulp.

Xenia swallowed hard.

“So, this is where we will learn Mr. Mide’s true identity.”

“You are wrong on two counts.”

“Huh?”

“First, this whole thing is just a bait to lure Impelium. It’s not to uncover my identity.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“And second, true identity? I’m just an ordinary hero who wants to retire. Words like ‘true identity’ are for people like Velosian and Impelium.”

My companions stared at me with looks that said, don’t spout nonsense.

I glanced away and muttered.

“Anyway, let’s go down.”

“Ah, yes.”

Xenia dismissed Agril.

With Neril’s magic, we landed safely and made our way toward the cave.

The path was rough with no traces of human presence, but after a few minutes of struggle, we managed to enter.

“Alright, we’re inside. But… what now?”

Neril’s voice echoed through the cave.

Good question.

I thought maybe once we got here, I would feel something.

[Why not try sleeping? You always met Impelium in dreams.]

‘Not always. When I fought Adin and Velosian, I met him wide awake.’

[Hmm.]

‘Still, with no other options, I might as well try.’

It was morning though, and I didn’t feel the least bit sleepy.

This called for magic…

Huh?

Suddenly, my companions’ faces blurred.

A dazzling light wrapped around us.

I shouted quickly.

“Everyone, stick close to me!”

“No need. It’s already over.”

“Who’s there?”

“Come now, isn’t it a little sad to be asked that, after all the times we have met?”

The next moment.

Before us lay the room where I had once spoken with Impelium. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on NoveI~Fire.net

A beautiful, neatly arranged room.

Soft breeze flowing in through a half-open window. Curtains swaying gently.

A plush-looking bed and carpet.

And nine teacups. Nine?

“…..”

Why nine?

I quickly glanced around.

All my companions were there, blinking in confusion.

----------------------------------------

TL: So many lies, bruh. No wonder Idria was so strong. I still like his dad, though.

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