One World, One Family (5)
“It must be about time for you to take out that headless thing.”
“From the beginning… did you not even plan to kidnap and use her as a hostage?”
“She’s the only one who can lead me to this space. That’s why I got her help. She created this place and trapped herself in it.”
“That child?”
“That child was too considerate. She even gave up her own future… to show us her affection.”
“What the hell are you talking about? She’s just a 9-year-old kid!”
As Reed shouted in disbelief, the hero glanced at him.
And then he turned his head away.
“I had a god to serve. I was the last of a religion that had lost its followers.”
Reed had heard about that once before.
It was a story which Rosaria was told when she showed the religious symbol to Isel.
“That child was the god I worshiped.”
“A god?”
“The little child who suddenly came to you, came in the form you most desired, and tried to help your unfortunate fate at the end.”
Reed made an incomprehensible expression.
“Why would you try to make me unhappy?”
“Because that was the tragedy of the Adeleheights family and her last will. The remaining disasters, the debts of the future, all had to be carried and extinguished as her final love for this continent. Out of respect for her will… I had to become a disaster for her.”
He got up and adjusted his sword.
“But in the end, I was just a person who only looked at the past.”
The sword pointed downward, spinning around, and the tip of the sword pointed towards himself.
The hero was pointing it at himself.
“With this, I will seal myself for the last time. This is the last thing I can do for the continent as a hero.”
The sword pointing at him went deep.
Very slowly, painfully, but the hero had a comfortable expression.
He spoke to Reed for the last time.
“Don’t look at the past. Raising your head and looking at the future is the hope given to you.”
At the same time, the space crumbled, and Reed was enveloped in a bright light.
When he opened his eyes again, he realized he had returned to reality.
He wondered if it was just a long dream, but the vivid memories and pain still remained.
‘Damn…’
His arm hurt so much he felt like he was going to die, but Reed couldn’t move.
His whole body ached, and he had lost too much blood.
He would die like this.
He didn’t want anyone to see him in this state.
Reed hurriedly gathered his mana and tried to clumsily stop the bleeding.
That’s when it happened.
Someone stood in front of Reed.
The small figure was about the size of Rosaria.
But if it had been Rosaria, she would have undoubtedly called out to her father in her childish voice.
Her voice was different.
“What are you doing, Reed?”
***
* * *
Dream big tl dot com
***
The place the hero headed to after passing Phoebe, the watchdog of Silence Tower, was Rosaria’s room.
It wasn’t difficult to find.
There was undoubtedly a 9-year-old child’s room, and the hero went inside.
The hero stood in the middle of the room and looked around.
It wasn’t a search, but rather just looking around.
He already knew where Rosaria was hiding.
Inside the wall of the built-in closet.
He could feel Rosaria in there.
“Are you in there?”
There was no answer.
The hero spoke again.
“I’m not here to hurt you. Can you give me some time?”
There was still no answer.
The hero looked resigned and then opened his mouth with difficulty.
“I am a hero. I am the one who defeated the Demon King you know. In return, I bear the curse of being trapped in the flow of time. And all my descendants who inherit my blood will suffer from tragedy. That is the fate of your father, of the Edelweiss, no, the Adeleheights family.” 𝒷ℯ𝓭𝓷ℴ𝓋𝓮𝓵.𝒸ℴ𝓶
The hero continued.
“But I want to end that tragedy now. And for that, I need your help.”
Still, there was no answer.
Did he waste his efforts?
Just as he was thinking that, a voice came from beyond the closet.
-I know your voice, sir. It’s the same as the man I saw in my dream! Right?
“…Yes.”
-Did you come to hurt my dad?
“It was only for the sake of the world.”
-It’s good for the world. But my dad is also someone who works for the world. So why do you hurt him?
Rosaria questioned the hero with a cautious voice.
The hero took off his mask.
“I’m trying to do something for the world. For that, I need your power.”
-What kind of work is it?
“It’s sealing the power. The power I received is the power to turn back time. If I have that power, he will go back to the past many times and repeat this process. I want to seal that power.”
-How?
“Just open the path that only the Holy Sword could reach. It’s a space that no one can enter if they don’t possess the qualifications.”
-Holy Sword? Oh, that maze!
The hero raised his head at the sound of the squeaky wall opening.
Rosaria, who had been hiding inside, peeked out and looked up at the hero.
Silver hair and red eyes.
He, who had been calm in the face of anyone, trembled when he saw Rosaria’s face.
“Is going there helping my dad?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Seeing her nod repeatedly, Rosaria opened the door wide and came out.
-Meow!
The elemental spirit, Meowmeow, growled and guarded against the hero.
“Meowmeowf, don’t do that. He’s a hero.”
-Meow.
At Rosaria’s words, Meowmeow immediately changed to innocent eyes.
Rosaria looked up at the hero and said,
“Let’s go!”
Rosaria led the hero to the place where the sword was.
When they arrived in front of the storage room, they realized they had forgotten the most important fact.
“Now that I think about it, I didn’t ask my dad for permission, so I can’t go in…”
“It’s okay. That much…”
The hero cut through the door and destroyed the obstacle blocking their way.
“Hero, you’re so strong.”
Rosaria admired him, and the hero followed her, seemingly indifferent to the compliment.
The two approached the Holy Sword.
The Holy Sword wasn’t shining and was waiting in its place, covered in dust.
“But how do I open this?”
“Leave it to your instincts. Then, the path to this place will open.”
“Instinct…”
Rosaria didn’t like to use magic according to her instincts.
However, since it was for the sake of the continent, she decided to trust her instincts for once.
She waited for the ability within the Holy Sword to manifest, not knowing any formula or equation.
Pah-!
The entire Holy Sword began to emit light.
The hidden power of the Holy Sword was fully unleashed.
“Is this it?”
“Yes, thank you.”
The hero reached out to pick up the sword.
But then, he hesitated with a sudden doubt in his mind and turned to look at Rosaria.
“I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“Why did you come out of there?”
She must have been warned to not come out when she was hiding. But he couldn’t understand why she came out just because the hero called her.
“You’re a hero.”
“So?”
“Heroes don’t do cowardly things.”
At Rosaria’s words, the hero silently looked down at her.
The undeniable purity.
He wanted to say that there is no one to trust in this sinister world but swallowed the words, feeling like it would be a useless remark.
It was time to part ways according to the original plan, but the hero couldn’t bring himself to do so.
“Would you like to come in with me?”
“Yes!”
Though the question was blunt, Rosaria answered with a bright smile.
He wanted to talk a little more.
He wanted to take in the pure days of the goddess he had loved a little more.
Monsters appeared in the maze and attacked them, but the hero already remembered all their patterns.
Overcoming fear was no longer a problem, and they reached the center of the maze with unstoppable momentum.
Worried that Rosaria might be scared, he glanced at her, but she didn’t seem frightened at all.
Rather, she seemed to be savoring the joy of being the hero’s companion, even if only for a short time.
“Hero.”
Rosaria asked.
“Were you special from the moment you were born?”
“Is that what my records say?”
“Yes!”
It’s hard to read one’s own records.
He used to enjoy his ever-changing story up until 200 years ago, but now he couldn’t tell how it had changed.
Wondering how to tell her, the hero decided to share the truth.
“I wasn’t special. I was just a human who would become stronger if I trained, that’s all.”
“But you defeated the Demon King! You were chosen by the Holy Sword!”
“I didn’t completely eliminate him. I just sent him to the future, with your ability.”
Rosaria blinked a few times as if she had misheard, then raised both her hands and spoke.
“Did I do that? Rosaria doesn’t know anything.”
“That’s right. It might not exist now. He can use the past. And you have the ability to go to the future.”
“An ability to go to the future?”
“Postponing tasks.”
“Gasp! Dolores unni always tells me that.”
She asked with wide eyes, wondering how he knew.
Seeing her like that, the hero unconsciously stroked her head lightly.
“Those who see the past have regrets, and those who see the future have hope. That’s why they were called the gods of hope.”
You didn’t like that.
The hero swallowed those words.
Talking more would only create lingering feelings.
“I… I regret what I’ve done.”
Not creating something based on regret, but completely eradicating regret.
That’s why regret accumulates in places that cannot be seen.
It consumes oneself, and faith hardens.
What had consumed the hero was the sin of using and abandoning his family and descendants.
Rosaria didn’t know the hero’s complicated situation.
All she knew were the heroic tales of the hero.
“I want to be a hero like you. I want to defeat evil and plant hope in people!”
What could he say to this girl who took him as a role model?
He wanted to tell her not to become like him, but he couldn’t say that.
“You must always remember that. The fact that anyone can be a hero.”
“Why? Why can anyone become a hero?”
“It’s not because you’re special that you become a hero… Remembering that anyone can become special is the key to becoming a true hero.”
“I don’t understand the difference.”
“It’s to plant hope in everyone. Saving the continent isn’t done alone. If I think I’m special, it will lead to arrogant results. In order to save the continent, hope is needed for everyone. Not simply relying on someone, but the courage to break through the darkness. Praise that courage and lead people.”
Hearing that, Rosaria nodded her head with a touched expression.
It was too difficult a conversation, but still, she felt what he intended to say in her heart.
“Yes!”
The hero smiled.
It was a very faint smile, but it was a face that had gained a little hope.
There would be no more things for him to regret.
“You must save everyone.”
The sin of following a foolish belief.
Repayment is not through penance with a humble prayer.
Only death.
The hero waited.
For someone to go through this long maze and come in to save a daughter, not a goddess.
***
“Reed, what are you doing?”
She wouldn’t dare to call her father’s name rudely.
Reed raised his head.
A gothic girl with a large parasol on her shoulder was looking down at him.
The Tower Master of Black Sky, Freesia.
She was looking down at him with her eyes filled with a red glow.
He wanted to think that she wouldn’t know it because the room was dark, but the situation was too crude to deceive her eyes.
Freesia didn’t speak for a while after saying that.
She wasn’t waiting for an answer.
For her, the answer was not the problem.
She just couldn’t accept this scene and stood there.
“Reed, what did I say I hated the most?”
“……”
“That’s right. Your body recklessly rolling around, thinking it’s yours. That’s what I hated the most.”
She didn’t answer, but Freesia nodded and murmured.
Her shadowy hand reached out and lifted Reed’s body.
“Gasp!”
Reed gasped for breath as if vomiting.
The consciousness he barely held onto blurred.
Freesia looked up at him, engulfed in cold madness.
“You think you can die comfortably after bewitching me with all sorts of sweet words? There’s no way.”
Freesia stretched out her arm.
She shoved her hand into the place where Reed’s right arm had been.
It wasn’t even a random rummaging.
Like a black magician who studied pain, she knew which parts hurt the most and saw through them all.
“Argh!! Aaaah!!”
Reed’s scream echoed in the storage room.
Her voice, filled with ecstasy, cried out as if mingling with his.
“That’s right! Reed! Scream like that! Wail like a newborn baby! Wail because it’s painful!! Feel that you’re still alive!”
After tormenting his nerves for a while, Freesia withdrew her hand.
It was impossible to tell whether it was pure joy or twisted madness.
Cold sweat ran down his entire body, and he couldn’t breathe.
Freesia grabbed Reed’s neck with her small hand.
“You… can’t die. As long as I’m alive. Because I’ll watch you suffer.”
Squeeze!
The sound of flesh collapsing resonated inside Freesia’s mouth.
Her mouth, which didn’t bleed a single drop even when she stabbed the Holy Sword into her chest, started to turn bright red and began to overflow.
Tower Master Conference (1)
The next day, Phoebe’s behavior became strange.
She greeted with a lively face as before, but she was lingering around Reed like an anxious puppy.
Glancing up and occasionally pursing her lips, she made Reed have no choice but to open his mouth first.
“What’s the matter?”
“Oh? Ah, well… How’s your research going?”
She asked with an uneasy voice and awkward greeting.
Reed pretended not to notice her condition and nodded.
“Good.”
“Isn’t it too hard for you to do it alone?”
It was hard.
It was unavoidable.
Even though he took breaks while constantly replenishing his Mana, after about 8 hours, he felt drained and lost all his desires.
“It’s bearable.”
“Should I help you?”
“You focus on the tower work. That’s helping me.”
“I’ll assign some assistant mages to you. It’s going to be a dangerous experiment…”
“No, it’s not that dangerous right now.”
“Then at least let me…”
The conversation went back to the starting point.
What should this situation be called?
It felt like a large dog sneaking up into bed and sticking to him all of a sudden.
The fact that she was worried made him feel good, but she was so tenacious that it was extremely annoying.
‘She must have seen the blood and sweat.’
He couldn’t help but understand why she was worrying like this.
She must have seen the blood and sweat-streaked clothes in the lab, and though she didn’t think it was Mana exhaustion, she might have thought it was fatigue.
So, she wanted to lend a hand, and her concern for him was as tall as a chimney.
How adorable was this subordinate?
He even thought it was a bit excessive, but this was enough to make him laugh.
“Don’t worry. There will definitely be times when I’ll need your help later, so do it then. And…”
“Yes, tell me.”
“Since I’ll be sweating a lot in the future, order a few sportswear made of durable materials.”
“I understand. Is there anything else you want me to do?”
Her face seemed to say ‘Please let me do anything.’
It seemed like saying there was no need for anything else would sound like a cruel breakup.
Reed thought carefully.
“Close your eyes for a moment.”
Phoebe obediently closed her eyes.
For some reason, her lips were pouting out.
Reed wasn’t interested in the cherry-like lips.
He brought both gloved hands to her cheeks.
Then, with his thumb and index finger, he stretched them out.
“Ugh…”
‘It doesn’t stretch as much as I thought.’
It looked like a bean powder-covered rice cake, so he thought it would stretch a lot.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
Phoebe asked with a muffled tone if there was any effect.
‘There is a slight healing effect, though.’
“It’s just a personal question.”
Reed let go of the stretched cheek.
Phoebe held her pinched cheeks and asked him.
“Has the problem been solved?”
“It’s solved. Thank you.”
Phoebe smiled, her eyes glistening.
She didn’t know what the problem was, but she was happy to know that she had helped.
Reed began to immerse himself in his research again today.
* * *
Two days later, in the morning.
As Phoebe tidied up the clothes, she said,
“How’s the status of the ley line Mana?”
“The concentration is below 10%, and there are areas that have exceeded 12% from the 12th day, but it was just an intermittent crustal movement that occurred during the dispatch.”
“What about the monster’s movement?”
“Recently, a group of goblins tried to attack the residential area, but they were promptly reported to the kingdom and sent an army. They succeeded in early suppression.”
“As expected, our Tower Master! You’re perfect.”
This was the situation where they were practising the conversations to be exchanged in the Tower Master’s conference in advance.
It wasn’t a usual thing, but maybe Phoebe suggested it first because she thought the other Tower Masters would act sensitively after missing a Tower Master’s conference once.
“Shouldn’t we start moving soon?”
“Wait a minute!”
“It’s not necessary to worry about such minor things as clothing…”
“Is it not!? It’s definitely going to stretch! Like a cheese made out of goat milk!”
Isn’t it Phoebe, not the Tower Masters, who is more sensitive?
Since Reed had seen how Phoebe was tormented by the Tower Masters, he couldn’t tell her to stop.
“It’s enough to say ‘No problem’ in the documents. They probably won’t like it since I missed without permission.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Having said that, Reed spent 30 minutes checking with Phoebe before she let him go.
“Tower Master, fighting!”
With both hands raised in cheers, Reed climbed into the sky carriage.
“Let’s get started.”
“Yes.”
The sky carriage started and began to lift into the air.
Although the carriage looked like a sled without a horse and seemed to rock smoothly while riding the air currents, it didn’t feel like anything once actually riding it.
“It’s not a big deal.”
While riding in a luxurious carriage, he smoothly travelled through the air without any shaking.
He looked down for a few moments before he got a little bored, and Reed took out an object stored in his storage magic.
The object was a Magnesium Ingot.
Type: Material Item
An ingot made from the byproduct of a Salamander eating iron.
<Manufacturing Lv. 3>: The Magnesium properties are intact.
<Magic Science Lv. 4>: The Magnesium properties are intact.
The ingot was the result of 428 trials and errors, which led to the creation of a perfect Magnesium Ingot.
Reed’s work over the past three days had been merely to create this ingot.
‘It’s a bit vague to call it an achievement…’
However, just by creating one ingot, the progress of his research had significantly increased.
[Research Progress: 20%]
It had been three days, and it had reached 20%. That was enough to say that it was proceeding in some way.
‘No one would be interested in that, though.’
Since Magic Engineering was despised, the outcome or prospects themselves would not be of interest.
The main focus of this Tower Masters’ Conference would undoubtedly be Rosaria.
‘I told Leto to spread the rumor that I adopted a dumb child.’
There wasn’t a single person who believed that rumor.
What was even better was that the disbelief left room for uncertainty.
In the world of magicians, uncertainty is something that causes a sort of mental disorder.
So, they would question Reed to make sure they found the truth before this mental disorder killed them.
‘I’m looking forward to it. Already…’
Although Reed wanted to be noticed, the main purpose was still for Rosaria.
Nothing had changed in that respect.
