Chapter 41
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Chapter 41
The two of them headed straight home.
Vivian asked Curtis Rohan to put her down, worried his arm might hurt, but he kept her cradled against him even after they left the Forest.
All the way until they arrived at the Home.
Vivian had so much she wanted to tell Curtis Rohan—about the spirit and everything else—but she returned quietly nestled in his embrace.
Both the child who had endured such an ordeal and the father who had nearly lost his daughter needed time to gather their emotions.
When Curtis Rohan set Vivian down at the Home, the Dark Spirit that had been clinging to her hair descended into the child's palm.
Feeling Curtis Rohan's gaze upon the spirit, Vivian finally broached the subject.
"Dad, this is the Dark Spirit. It turns out it was the one calling to me all this time. I named it Kamang."
As Vivian spoke its name, Kamang trembled as if introducing itself.
"But it's not a bad spirit! It appeared when I was trapped in the Cave and helped me. It saved Rachel too."
Vivian hastily added this, worried Curtis Rohan might disapprove of the Dark Spirit.
Though it was Curtis Rohan who had taught me not to be swayed by prejudice, that lesson had concerned the demon race, so I couldn't help but feel some anxiety.
But.
"That's fortunate. Our daughter has gained a reliable friend."
Contrary to those worries, Curtis Rohan accepted the Dark Spirit's existence without hesitation or reluctance.
In fact, he seemed almost unsurprised, as if he had already suspected it.
Observing Curtis Rohan's reaction, Vivian carefully broached the question she had truly wanted to ask.
"Dad, you know... the Dark Spirit only responds to those who carry demon blood."
"..."
"Could it be... Mother was a demon?"
Demon blood becomes nearly diluted after three generations.
The fact that I had been chosen by the Dark Spirit meant there was demon ancestry in my grandparents' or parents' generation.
When I first encountered the Dark Spirit, the situation had been so chaotic that I hadn't given it much thought.
But now that everything had settled, the scattered puzzle pieces in my mind clicked into place.
Father, who had severed ties with his family upon marrying Mother.
And...
[Back then, Father only believed the history he was taught and thought poorly of that person. And... he regretted it.]
Even the distant longing in his eyes when he spoke of the demon race.
His eyes widened in surprise at Vivian's sharp deduction, then crumpled sadly as a hollow laugh escaped him.
He knelt before Vivian and met her gaze.
The child did not look away.
Her eyes were resolute, as if ready to accept whatever truth came from his lips.
Yet still, he could not find the words, his lips trembling before he finally managed to begin.
"Vivian, I'm... afraid."
"Of what?"
"That your mother's existence might become your sorrow."
He confessed with a sigh that was neither quite laughter nor tears, lacking the courage to face the wound that knowing the truth might inflict upon his child, and he lowered his head.
When he finally managed to look up again, the eyes of Vivian that met his were not wounded at all.
"Mother is... of course, I was so young that I don't remember much... but she's still a kind and precious person, isn't she?"
I no longer remember my mother's face clearly, but the feeling and emotion that someone loved me so very much remained with me.
So even if my mother was a demon, nothing would change.
The fact that she cherished and loved me so dearly wouldn't change.
Vivian smiled reassuringly and embraced his neck.
"I'm okay, Curtis Rohan."
As if comforting him.
Dias, who had been blinking blankly, carefully held the small warmth that had grown so much and learned to comfort him, making a silent vow.
'You must never know, Vivian.'
Not my mother's true identity, nor who took her last breath.
It was enough that I alone would bury the painful truths of her nature and vengeance, and live on.
* * *
"Mmm...."
I opened my eyes to the sensation of morning sunlight tickling my eyelids.
Before me was Curtis Rohan's face, still seeming to wander in the land of dreams.
Normally, this would be the time I'd be opening the Bakery and preparing breakfast.
'Well, a person who can't even fight wandered through the Forest all day yesterday and caused such a commotion—he must be exhausted.'
Ordinarily, I was a dignified nine-year-old who slept independently from Curtis Rohan, but last night I indulged in a bit of neediness.
Of course, it wasn't because I was afraid to sleep alone, but because Curtis Rohan seemed so shaken.
'Hmm, then maybe I should prepare breakfast instead of Curtis Rohan today!'
I slipped quietly out of bed so as not to wake him.
'After breakfast, I should head to the Villa.'
Curtis Rohan said he simply overexerted himself and collapsed, but I was still worried.
I wanted to go to the Villa right away, but if I did, Curtis Rohan might be startled when he woke up.
So I decided to prepare breakfast in the meantime.
As I thought this and headed toward the door, I felt something very light drop onto my head.
Looking at my reflection in the window, I saw Kamang perched on my head.
At the same time, the events of last night flashed through my mind, and I truly felt that I had become a Spirit Summoner.
When I extended my palm, Kamang descended onto it as if understanding my words.
"Hello? Did you sleep well?"
At that, Kamang's small body trembled in response.
Realizing that being in his true form would be difficult beside me, Kamang had maintained his small form ever since defeating those bad men last night.
'If I had rejected Kamang because of others' prejudices when he's this good and intelligent, I would have regretted it.'
I felt anew a sense of pride in my choice as Kamang and I quietly left the Room.
Then I came down to the first floor, tied on my personal apron, and began cooking.
The easiest thing was a sandwich.
I tore up cheese and lettuce to add, then cooked bacon and eggs to place on top.
'Just spread jam on the bread and I'm done!'
Meanwhile, Kamang moved between my head, shoulders, and the table, quietly watching me cook.
Finally, I placed the top slice of bread and completed two sandwiches.
"All done!"
Kamang, who had been watching from beside me, trembled as if wanting to applaud.
'Oh no.'
Only then did I realize I had forgotten to account for Kamang's portion.
'But what do spirits eat?'
There was still so much I didn't know about spirits.
I pulled out bacon, my favorite topping from the sandwich, and offered it.
"Want to try this?"
Kamang examined the bacon for a moment, then expanded its body to match its size before swallowing it whole in one gulp.
The cheese and lettuce I offered next were also consumed in a single bite.
"Hmm, omnivorous then..."
I was thinking I'd have to search for a book about this once we got to the Villa.
"Oof!"
Curtis Rohan descended at some point and scooped me up into his arms, peppering my cheeks with kisses.
"There's my little one. Cooking for your old man too. Look how grown you've become, so grown."
"Ugh, your stubble is prickly!"
Kamang trembled while watching me struggle and writhe in distress.
...It almost seemed like it was enjoying itself.
Curtis Rohan held me like that for a while longer, only releasing me after I complained I couldn't breathe and landed several blows on his back.
I noticed he was deliberately being more playful to keep me from thinking seriously about what happened yesterday and about my mother's true identity, but I pretended not to notice.
Because that's what he wanted.
"Well then, let me taste this sandwich graciously bestowed by our princess."
I waited until Curtis Rohan took a bite of the sandwich before bringing up what I wanted to say.
"Dad, I have a favor to ask."
At that same moment, Curtis Rohan put the sandwich he'd taken a bite from back down.
"I haven't even finished the bribe yet."
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org