Chapter 282 Father
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I was born in a village in the Count Pilbirin territory.
The village was known for its quarrying industry, and most men worked in the quarries. My biological father was no different. My mother passed away from illness soon after I was born, so my father raised me alone.
The village was wealthier than others because of the quarries, and I never lacked anything growing up. But as a young child, I had one big complaint.
It was a childish worry—something that seems small now—that my father, busy with work, didn’t pay much attention to me.
Whenever I mentioned this, he’d say, “This is for your future,” and head to work whenever he had time.
My father was scared. After losing his wife suddenly, he feared what would happen to me if he died too.
Driven by that fear, he worked tirelessly, day and night, for my sake. And then, the accident happened.
Most people only quarry during the day, but some worked late into the night, including my father.
Around dusk, a loud roar came from the quarry. When villagers rushed to see what happened, they found the quarry had collapsed, leaving nothing recognizable.
Everyone was shocked and couldn’t understand what had happened. After a moment of silence, one villager shouted her husband’s name and ran toward the rubble.
Others followed, desperately clearing stones and calling out for their loved ones.
”──Father!!”
Before I knew it, I joined in, digging through the stones with my hands, calling for my father despite the sharp rocks cutting my skin. Many villagers tried to rescue him, but we couldn’t find my father or anyone else that day in the massive pile of stones.
The rescue efforts were set to stop early the next morning.
The village knew no one could survive being buried under so many stones.
As my father had feared, I was left alone and taken to another house. But life there didn’t heal my emotional pain; it made it worse.
The family that took me in didn’t see me as family. They treated me like an animal, with hatred.
When asked why they took me in, they said it was for money.
The collapsed quarry couldn’t be restored quickly; recovery would take time.
Naturally, there would be no income during that period. Villagers were expected to unite and rebuild, but reality was harsh.
Many stones from the collapse were too small to use, but some were large enough for building materials.
When such stones were found, villagers neglected rebuilding to earn some income.
If one person did this, others followed, thinking rebuilding was pointless. They left the work to others and searched for valuable stones instead.
These actions only provided temporary relief, delaying reconstruction and pushing the village further into hardship.
Most villagers lived in poverty, but the family that took me in knew about my father’s inheritance and took me to get it.
My father worked tirelessly to leave me a significant inheritance, hoping for my happiness. Ironically, if there had been no inheritance, I might not have been taken in by that family. Instead, another family might have welcomed me out of kindness.
Living without proper meals, facing violence whenever I complained, enduring days where I wasn’t treated as a human—yet one day, that hell ended suddenly
”Hey, are you Melgis? I’m Golarf. From today, you’ll be my new family. Nice to meet you.”
I’m grateful to have been rescued from that hell by him… That’s how I feel now, but back then, I was full of anxiety.
I was somewhat relieved to escape that house, but I was more uneasy about being taken in by a stranger and going to an unfamiliar place. It’s natural to feel anxious.
By then, I had grown aware of myself as a woman and understood about men’s desires, which I disliked.
Though I was nervous about the future, it didn’t take long to realize my worries were unfounded.
He first gave me a warm meal, clean clothes, and a soft bed.
At first, I thought he might dislike a dirty and unhealthy girl, but I grew anxious when he didn’t make a move even as it got late and I fell asleep. So, I decided to ask him the next morning.
”When will you make a move?”
I still vividly remember his face from that moment.
At first, he looked puzzled, but then, as if he couldn’t hold back, he burst out laughing.
”Hahaha! Well, I see, I see! If a man takes in a girl your age, I guess that’s how they’d think, so that’s why you looked so worried… but still ──pfft, kufufufu!”
”What’s so funny?”
”Seems I look quite young, but unfortunately, I’m not that energetic anymore.”
Hearing that, I tilted my head.
To me, he looked like he was in his thirties, and at least compared to the head of the family that took me in, he seemed youthful.
Understanding my thoughts, he traced his finger along his ear, and its shape changed.
”Have you heard that elf ears are longer than normal people’s?”
”Elf? You?”
”Yeah, even though I look like this, I’ve already lived for 500 years.”
”Five hundred years!? But when you talk about elves, isn’t it that their skin gets saggy and their faces are full of spots because they’ve lived so long?”
”Ah, that’s a lie I told 300 years ago.”
”U, a lie?”
”Yeah, elves are rare, so many people target them with the strange belief that seeing them brings happiness, right? But because they’re so rare, almost no one knows what they truly look like. That’s why they spread that believable lie to deceive such people.”
”I see… I understand.”
”If I were about 200 years younger… but I probably wouldn’t be attracted to a child who’s not even one-quarter my age.”
I wasn’t fully convinced he was an elf, but I was relieved to know he had no intention of making a move.
However, soon another worry hit me: “If not for desires, why did he take me in?”
”Then… why did you take me in?”
”That’s because──”
He stared at my face thoughtfully for a moment.
”Hmm, what should I do… I was thinking of telling you this later when you’re older, but since you can’t relax without hearing it, I’ll tell you now.”
He had no choice but to explain why he took me in.
He was one of the founders of Grelego, an organization that no longer exists. Those who inherited its ideals are still active. Many had been harmed by the empire’s darkness, and he was taking in and raising such people. My head was overwhelmed by all the unfamiliar stories, but one thing stood out.
”Wait… then, that accident was──”
”A fight between nobles. That’s the truth. Specifically, it was about the Count Pilbirin’s quarrying business—no, more like interfering with another noble’s project using the stone materials. That’s how both the Count Pilbirin and your father got involved.”
”What, so… my father was innocent and was killed, and I… was treated like that…”
No matter how badly they treated that family, I never thought like that—until I learned it all stemmed from the nobles. For the first time, I felt a murderous intent.
”Who… who is that noble? Where are they from?”
”What good is asking that? What can a little girl like you do?”
”Shut up!! That doesn’t matter!”
”It’s good you’re spirited, but if things go well only because of momentum, you wouldn’t be in this situation. Even if you take revenge, it won’t heal your heart’s wounds. Besides, you’re a powerless girl who can’t survive without help. What would happen if I threw you out now?”
”──”
”If you understand, don’t say stupid things and take your seat. Let’s have breakfast.”
I felt ashamed and like crying.
I was too weak, only able to accept my situation, unable to say anything else.
But luckily, I could see myself clearly enough to think I was pathetic.
If I had been more childish, I might have run out impulsively and died somewhere.
I swallowed my emotions and sat at the breakfast table.
Understanding his purpose, I thought that as long as I obeyed him, I wouldn’t face pointless violence. More than that, if I could become someone like Grelego, maybe I could avenge my father.
Then, my life with him began.
I expected harsh training, but contrary to my expectations, it started with classroom learning.
Grelego doesn’t eliminate all suspicious nobles; doing so would collapse the empire.
That’s why I was told it’s necessary to have knowledge to distinguish between nobles to keep alive and those to eliminate.
Grelego’s education wasn’t just in the classroom. There were things I couldn’t learn just by studying, so we traveled to various towns.
Seeing new scenery, hearing new stories, trying new foods… I understood this was to gain knowledge, but it was also what a young me dreamed of—an idyllic scene of a loving parent and child. I found myself looking forward to going out with him, something I had wished for countless times but never had with my biological father.
He often left for extended periods, sometimes gone for several days, but he always brought back souvenirs, spent free time with me, and showed me affection.
I knew I was taken in to carry on Grelego’s will, and the affection he showed was part of that. But even if it was calculated, I, starving for parental love, strongly desired it and craved it even more.
At that time, I truly admired him as if he were my real father, but I never called him “Father.”
This was because what he sought was a child to inherit Grelego’s will, not his own child.
If I had called him “Father” and been rejected… thinking of that terrified me, and I couldn’t bring myself to seek or give affection to him.
All my feelings for him stayed in my heart, and I continued to behave as the excellent piece he desired.
By the time 4 years had passed, I had grown up and started working at Spear of Shouhyou. The time I spent with him decreased, and he took in a new child, raising them elsewhere.
He often returned with souvenirs, about 3 or 4 times a year, and talked about a step-sister I had never met. But in my heart, I felt as though my father had been taken away, and I was terribly jealous.
”Hey, Melgis, it’s been a while!”
”It’s been a while… it’s only been 3 weeks.”
”Huh? Ahaha, we used to see each other more often, so 3 weeks feels long to me.”
By this time, I had noticed the inconsistency in his behavior.
For an elf, 3 weeks should be nothing, yet after 5 days, he said it had been long, and now, after 3 weeks, he said it was no time at all from an elf’s perspective.
However, at that time, such things were trivial to me, and I was inwardly overjoyed that he had returned.
”Here, this is a souvenir.”
”Thank you as always, but I am no longer a child, so there is no need to worry about me that much.”
”Hmm, this has become a habit, so please accept it without saying so.”
”It’s not that I dislike it… but I will accept what I can get.”
Wearing a facade of indifference, I received the souvenir and noticed a small wooden box on top.
”What is this?”
”Ah, that is separate from the souvenir… Melgis, do you know what day it is today?”
”Today? …No, I do not know.”
”Hehe, today marks 4 years since you came to this house, and that is the gift for celebrating that.”
”I see.”
”Huh? Is that all?”
”If there is anything else I want to say, it would be why it is this year, roughly.”
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply