Chapter 22 Bonds of Love ③
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I look up, and there’s a naked man standing before me, claiming to be Baral—the same Baral whose body lies face-up at my feet. The corpse’s face is too mangled to compare, and my Appraisal doesn’t work on this guy. All I know is the body’s ID checks out as Baral, HP at zero. No way to confirm if this man’s the real deal.
Then it hits me. I glance at the corpse’s groin, then at the man’s. My eyes widen.
”No way… it’s really you!?” I blurt out.
”What the hell are you judging me by, kid!?” he roars, his voice a mix of shock and indignation.
I mean, a size that distinctive? I’d rather not believe there’s more than one like it out there. So, yeah, I’m convinced this is Baral. My stance shifts back a bit, though—his, uh, Baral is right at eye level.
”Your eyes aren’t meeting mine,” he says, sounding annoyed.
”Sorry,” I mumble, forcing my gaze up to his crimson eyes. The pressure radiating from him intensifies.
”Let me ask again,” he says, his voice low and commanding. “What are you doing, desecrating my body?”
”I’m taking your Soul Core to give to your daughter,” I answer, my voice steady, every word deliberate.
”You know my daughter?” he asks, his tone softening slightly.
I hold his gaze, letting my sincerity show. “Last night, I found her in the rain, lost with nowhere to go. I took her in.”
”I see there’s no lie in you,” he says, his eyes searching mine. “But don’t talk about my daughter like she’s some stray pet.”
”When I found her, she was so out of it, she seemed more like a doll than a person,” I say. “I thought if I left her like that, she’d break.”
His face darkens, heavy with grief. “Seeing her mother defiled and her father killed… that’d do it.”
His pain mirrors the ache in my chest. Etheline and I both lost our parents, but she saw it happen. Her burden’s heavier than mine. I can imagine her pain, maybe even empathize, but I’ll never fully understand it. Her grief is hers alone. Acting like I get it completely would make me no better than a con artist.
”So, kid,” Baral says, his voice steady again, “what do you plan to do with my Soul Core?”
”Right now, I just want to give it to her as a keepsake,” I say. “She’s in no state to think about what comes next.”
”That bad, huh?” he asks quietly.
”I think she’s regressing a bit, like a kid, from the stress,” I explain.
”You’ve got evidence for that?” he presses.
”She didn’t blink at bathing with a guy, and she tried to change her underwear right in front of me,” I say. “Anyone would notice.”
”Sorry,” he mutters, rubbing his neck. “The bathing part might be my fault. We used to bathe together until two years ago.”
”You’re the culprit!?” I snap, half-laughing, half-horrified.
”Don’t get too comfortable with my daughter, or I’ll curse you, savior or not,” he growls, his tone half-serious.
”A vengeful spirit saying that isn’t funny,” I retort. “But your daughter’s untouched, probably.”
”What’s that ‘probably’!?” he snarls, his aura flaring.
”If something happened before we met, I wouldn’t know,” I say, shrugging.
His pressure spikes, but I’m weirdly used to it by now. He’s just a grumpy old man to me at this point.
”Fine,” he huffs, calming down. “What’d you do with her?”
”Tried to feed her, but the onion soup reminded her of her mom, and she broke down crying,” I say.
”Yeah, that was my wife’s specialty,” he says, his voice soft with memory.
”She realized you were both gone and started screaming for you, half-mad,” I continue.
”I see…” he murmurs, his eyes distant.
”I held her to calm her down,” I add.
”You’re dead,” he says, his aura darkening, eyes glowing red like some undead king.
”She was sobbing in my arms, calling for you both over and over,” I say, unflinching.
”Stop talking,” he growls, his voice a guttural roar.
In his mind, he’s probably picturing me defiling his crying daughter. Truth is, I just held her until she fell asleep.
”Anything else to say, you scum?” he demands.
”If you kill me now, Etheline will be alone,” I say, holding his gaze.
His eyes narrow. “What about your parents, kid?”
”You know about the unique entity hunt in the lower levels a few years back?” I ask, my chest tightening.
”I was there,” he says.
”They died in it,” I say, pressing a hand to my heart.
I don’t say it out loud, but I wanted to stop Etheline’s tears because seeing her like that was like seeing myself back then. Pure selfishness. But if it helps her stand again, it’s worth it.
”Go on,” he says, his voice low.
”I couldn’t do anything back then,” I admit. “Their friends handled the funeral, and I barely managed to thank them.”
”Go on,” he repeats.
”Even after being alone, I was fine at first,” I say. “I didn’t feel the loss until something triggered it.”
”Go on,” he urges.
My throat feels dry, the old wound still raw. I don’t want Etheline to carry this scar. “She’s at my place now, clinging to a makeshift family. Even a screw-up like me—she needs someone to hold onto, or she won’t make it.”
”My daughter isn’t that weak,” he says, his voice sharp.
”Then do you know!?” I snap, my voice rising. “The pain of a kid crying for her parents, clinging to a stranger she just met? The unbearable loneliness eating her alive!?”
He flinches, silent.
”I haven’t gotten over it either,” I say, my voice breaking. “Time’s supposed to heal, but the scars stay. Some people might be strong enough to face it alone, but is leaning on someone really weakness? No—it’s a bond, a strength to rely on in pain. Don’t take that from her now!”
He’s quiet for a moment, then asks, “What do you gain from staying with her?”
”Nothing,” I say. “As long as Etheline, a single human being, can smile again, that’s enough.”
He exhales slowly, closing his eyes. When he opens them, he looks straight at me. “One last question. Are you ready to bear the weight of her entire life?”
”I decided that when I picked her up in the rain,” I say. “I’ll take responsibility for her life.”
”You’re more serious than I thought!” he exclaims, his voice tinged with surprise.
He closes his eyes, thinking, then meets my gaze again. “Take care of my daughter.”
”You got it,” I say. “I’ll do everything to make sure she’s happy.”
”You’re the real deal, huh?” he says, a wry smile breaking through.
Before I can respond, I cut in. “Wait, one thing. Are there any Baral family recipe books? She mentioned wanting her mom’s onion soup.”
”If anything’s left, check my wife’s room or the kitchen in the mansion,” he says.
”Got it,” I nod.
”And if you go to the mansion, check behind the shelf in the back of the basement storage,” he adds. “It’ll help you.”
”Basement storage, behind the shelf. Noted,” I say.
”Oh, I almost forgot,” he says, straightening up to face me formally.
”What’s that?” I ask.
”My name is Salvian Baral,” he says. “What’s yours?”
”Tatara Julon,” I reply. “Just a student, still wet behind the ears.”
”Julon… you’re their kid,” he says, his eyes softening. He must be remembering my parents’ proud stories about me from their battles together.
”Guess it’s fate,” he says. “Take care of my daughter.”
”You already said that,” I point out, grinning.
”She’s my only daughter,” he says, chuckling. “No amount of asking is enough.”
He laughs, and I can’t help but think we’d have gotten along over drinks if he were alive.
”After you take my Soul Core, see to my wife’s burial too,” he says.
”Planned on it,” I say. “I’ll make sure nothing’s left of either of you—not even ash.”
”You’ve got magic that strong?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
”Nah, my abilities are pretty average, so no crazy magic here,” I say.
”Then how?” he presses.
”I’m a Crafter,” I say, pulling a sealed glass cylinder from my Inventory. “I brought something I made to burn cleanly.”
”It’s a liquefied Mana Stone,” I explain. “I made it for some fuel experiments, but the combustion and heat output were so insane I shelved it.”
”How intense are we talking?” Baral asks, his voice curious but wary.
”Enough to reduce a Mithril Golem to a lump of Mithril,” I say.
”What the hell!?” he exclaims, his voice booming with alarm.
”Couldn’t melt an Orichalcum Golem, though,” I add. “The fuel burned out before it could, just exposing the internal structure.”
”So that’s what’s burning us!?” he roars, sounding horrified.
Baral’s freaking out, and I get why. My parents painted me as this quiet, genius kid when they talked to him—mostly about my everyday inventions, like the healing salve dryer or shower mods. To him, I was a tame prodigy. In reality, I’m the guy who’s given the City Mayor and her knight stomach ulcers with my wild creations. That’s the deal.
”Alright, I’ll get to it,” I say, nodding.
”Wait, make it quick before you burn me,” Baral pleads, his voice tinged with dread.
I nod, taking his words to heart, and start on his body. I slice open his midsection with my knife, reaching into the still-warm organs, guided by Mana, until I feel something hard near his heart. I grip it and pull out a crystal, slightly larger than my palm. It’s white, like his hair, with a faint purple flame flickering inside—a haunting, beautiful thing.
When I look up, Baral’s spirit is gone.
I tuck the Soul Core into my Inventory, then drape a cloth soaked in liquid Mana Stone over his body. I uncork a bottle of the stuff, pour it over both Baral and his wife, and set up a remote-activated magic ignition device. I step back from the plaza, finding a safe distance, and trigger it.
A deafening explosion rocks the plaza, blue flames erupting. The volatilized Mana Stone mixes with the air, creating a blast that obliterates everything, the heatwave vaporizing every fragment.
”Crap, I used too much,” I mutter.
I’d doused them to ensure a clean burn, but I overdid it. From my hiding spot, I see guards and adventurers rushing to put out the flames. As I turn to slip away, I catch Logas’s eye in the crowd. His look screams, You really did it, didn’t you?
* * *
The scene shifts to the Baral mansion.
I’m here to find the recipe book and whatever “useful” thing Baral mentioned. “One day… no, two, since it’s past midnight,” I murmur. “And it’s already this trashed?”
Most of the valuables are gone—only big furniture like sofas and closets remain.
”Guess they didn’t care about books,” I say, a small relief.
I wander, unsure where to start, and end up in a study. The bookshelves are ransacked, but the books are untouched. Muttering an apology to Baral’s Soul Core in my Inventory, I collect them all.
Next, I hit a bedroom—clearly the couple’s. It’s a mess, stuff thrown from shelves onto the floor. I spot a diary among the clutter. “Baral-san’s, huh? Got it,” I say, tucking it away. Glancing under the floorboards on a whim, I find a stash of dirty magazines. What’s with this guy? I grab those too, shaking my head.
The wife’s room is worse. It reeks, probably from looters getting high on Succubus pheromones and trashing the place. The closet and dressers are empty, especially the underwear drawers—creepy as hell. On her desk, I find scattered notebooks: diaries and recipes. I breathe a sigh of relief—one goal down—and keep searching.
The next room feels childish, stuffed animals and dolls strewn about. It’s Etheline’s. Her clothes, especially underwear, are gone, giving me a headache. I focus on notebooks, finding textbooks and notes on her desk—she’s the type to bring everything home. I collect them, then notice a worn, tattered stuffed animal. On impulse, I add it to my Inventory.
In the kitchen, the cookware’s been looted. I find a few notebooks with half-finished recipes—her mom was dedicated. I pocket them, feeling a pang of respect.
Finally, I reach the basement storage. Baral told me to check the back shelf. Everything else is picked clean. At the far end, there’s a built-in shelf, empty and trashed.
”He said behind it, right?” I mutter.
I tug at the shelf, and it shifts slightly. Odd for something supposedly fixed. I push harder, and a hidden door appears, unlocked. Inside, a Magic Circle glows, and in its center sits a massive chunk of ore.
”No way… how many kilos of Mithril is this?” I whisper, awestruck.
Baral, a high-level Explorer who could handle up to the 70th floor, must’ve gathered this. The Magic Circle pulses with his and another’s Mana—probably his wife’s. They were likely preparing it for Etheline’s Equipment.
I chuckle. “Guess I’ll deliver it for you.”
I heft the Mithril into my Inventory. Mission complete. Time to get out.
But as I climb to the first floor, voices and footsteps echo. Looters? Investigators? I peek from a distance. Their gear screams private militia. I catch snippets of talk about diaries—and Etheline.
”They’re after her diaries to find her?” I mutter.
Etheline’s gorgeous, no question. I barely glanced when cleaning her up, but if she inherited her mom’s beauty, it makes sense. “The bastard who framed Baral-san for heresy… now he’s after Etheline?”
If the guy who killed her parents gets her, it’s over. I can imagine him defiling her mom in front of Baral—Etheline would face the same fate. My guess is spot-on: a noble would do exactly that.
”If they know I was here, they’ll track me,” I say. “Sorry, Baral-san, I’m going with your curse plan.”
I modify a bottle of leftover liquid Mana Stone to drip slowly, rolling it down the hall. I set a timed ignition device, then bolt to the Mithril room, sealing the entrance.
A massive tremor hits, the explosion so intense I black out for a second. When I come to, I break through the wall and peek out. Eighty percent of the mansion is gone, the militia nowhere in sight. I sprint through the alleys, escaping.
* * *
I make it home, but trouble’s waiting. Etheline’s at the door, curled up, crying in her sleep. She must’ve woken up needing the bathroom, realized I was gone, and panicked. Searched the house, found nothing, and collapsed here, sobbing.
I’m confused, not knowing why she’s at the door. I feel a weird pressure from my Inventory—probably Baral’s Soul Core—and decide to wake her. I shake her shoulder, and her chest sways heavily under my shirt. I look away fast, half-convinced the Core will curse me if I stare.
Her eyes flutter open. She sees me, pauses, then throws herself into my arms, sobbing my name. I hug her back, my heart aching. I don’t realize this could foster dependency. For now, I decide to save the Soul Core talk for tomorrow and carry her to her room.
I decided to stay in my room with Ethelineine for the night, thinking she might panic if she woke up and I wasn’t there.
Lying side by side on the bed, I positioned her head against my chest where she could hear my heartbeat and closed my eyes.
Sleep came quickly, pulling me under.
That night, I dreamed of being chased by an enraged, towering Baral—a nightmare that left me tense and uneasy, even in my slumber.
—
This concludes the third chapter of the past arc. Originally, it was just supposed to be the sequence where I pick up Ethelineine, we take a bath, have a meal together, go to sleep, and I give her the Lonisera. Somehow, it stretched out longer than intended.
The next section should wrap up this fragment of the story and the Lonisera sequence. Thanks for sticking with it this far.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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