Chapter 116 - 115: The Untold Story.

(Ranulf POV)

{Auhtor: Ranulf is narrating the following lines to someone.}

"I am sorry to inform you but your son and wife are dead. Your wife--- she died protecting her country from an entire army and in the end, she died fighting one of the most frightening demoness that existed in this world. Your son---- he got caught up in the war."

What is this man speaking about? does he not know that such jokes are not acceptable? we both are not even close to be on joking terms. 

"You shouldn't joke about such things, its-----"

"Sir, we are not joking."

Huh? what? they are probably mistaken. There is no way---- right? 

Eira held my hand as she got behind me, asking "Uncle Ranulf, they are joking, right? Aunt Alice is really strong, they are lying, right? I mean Grey is weak, but Aunt Alice must surely have protected her. Grey is a good boy, he doesn't want any part in the war and all. Grey doesn't even want to fight and he didn't even want to get stronger. There is no way such a thing would happen to a person like him. There is no way."

I placed my over Eira's head to calm her down, her body was trembling pretty badly. 

"I will go there and check myself, ready the wagon." 

"I will join you too, Uncle Ranulf." 

Just like that, we went on a month's journey towards Amon village. That time I didn't want to trust what others are saying. 

How could I even trust anyone right now? 

The whole world seemed like a stranger to me. Traveling through the forest, I finally reached Amon village. But as I drew closer to the village, my gut feeling was getting stronger and stronger. 

To be honest, at this point, deep inside I knew the fact that my son and wife were gone, but a part of me really wanted my wife to pop out of nowhere and laugh on my face saying that it was a prank.

I swear that I won't get angry, so please tell me that this is a prank, please Alice. 

As I drew closer to the village, there was no mistaking it, at this point even I couldn't lie to myself that the very ground I am standing at is a battlefield.

"Please sir, Follow me." said the man. 

Without any question I and Eira followed him to the place, he led us to a certain place. There were various decaying bodies all around the place. 

He eventually stopped near a particular grave. At that point I realized what will be his next words will be and I was able to sense who was lying under that grave. 

But I still wasn't ready to hear those words...

Pointing towards the grave he said, "Here is where Miss Alice is resting.", he walked towards another grave as he said, "Here is where Master Grey is resting."

I couldn't hear anything after that, there wasn't anything I couldn't deny at this point. I couldn't lie to myself, the bare truth was right in front of me. 

I looked at Eira, she didn't cry or her cry was louder than anything, I don't remember what it was. But still to this day, I remember the way she was seated in a kneeling position in front of Grey's grave.

No, I think I remember the way she blankly stared at Grey's tombstone as tears ran down her cheeks, but her expressionless face was really terrifying. The words she spoke out were even more terrifying, well, there was something noble in those words that I can't deny. 

"I will protect everything that is weak, that is my responsibility. People who even think of ruining someone's life who doesn't want anything but peace, I will destroy those people. I will become the queen of my country and correct everything that is evil from this world, I will do it in honor of Grey. I will become the strongest for Grey."

Maybe those words were her way of coping. Eira who has lived most of her life alone due to her poor affinity for magic. she was happy in being with Grey, that is precisely the reason why she spends most of her time and days in our house with Grey since with Grey she felt like home. 

But now her home was destroyed, she didn't know what to do, but she didn't want to end up alone once more in her life. So she desperately bounded herself with an ideal, but that ideal itself will continue to become a curse for her rather than helping her. 

Maybe that day I should have hugged that kid and told her otherwise, maybe I should have done better. 

Maybe I should have gone with Grey and Alice myself, maybe I would have been able to protect my wife and my son. 

"Sorry Grey, I am really sorry for being such a useless papa." 

I came back home to find Emilia asking me various questions but I wasn't able to provide her with a single proper answer, I was numb. I didn't know what to say to her. 

Her parents were dead and she started calling me papa, she accepted me as her dad and I as a dad was lying to her that her brother will come back one day. I wasn't able to say that his brother was dead, how will I able to say such a thing? 

In truth, I was just a coward. But eventually, she got to know that her brother and mother were dead, it was a cruel sight to see her cry like that. 

Years passed by and we got through the pain, we got back to our normal life where we pretended to live a normal life to hide our pain. But I was never able to get rid of my loneliness, 

Sometimes I wish to take my own life so that I could meet Alice and Grey sooner, but I can't leave my Emilia behind, I will take care of her since I am her dad. I will be the best dad.

It's been nearly six years since the death of Alice and Grey and I have been trying to find the real truth of their death. The church was one of my main suspects, so I am keeping eye on them.

Some days ago I heard the news of the Chipworth town incident, so I came to this town to investigate the incident. It was a horrible incident, to say the least. 

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I was at the bar and I met this young man with a black mask, he was the informer I hired to get every possible information about the church. But I got drunk and ended up talking to this young man on the roof.

Apparently, he didn't want information, he just wanted to hear my life's story. It was definitely suspicious.  But for some reason, I couldn't deny the offer. I always wanted to talk to someone about this

I told him everything about my story, well, it was anyways nothing that can harm me. It was just a story that bottled inside of me. 

"Your son, how was he?" the young man with a black mask asked.

"He was an innocent little guy. He never wanted to harm anyone, he just wanted to live a normal life. I was honestly surprised to see a kid like him, a kid who doesn't want to have anything with getting stronger, a kid who just wanted to discover the world and meet various people. Being around him always made you forget what kind of world we lived in.

He didn't want to fight, he never tried to fight. Honestly, I thought that he would hate me for giving him the same curse as me, my small mana care. But he never really cared. 

I promised him that I would protect him so that I could let him live his life happily. But I failed. 

If dead are really watching their loved one from afar, then I want my son to know that her sister is living the peaceful life that he always dreamed of, so-----" 

I looked at the glowing night sky, looking above I spoke "So, Grey if you are listening from above, please rest easy and in peace, because your dad is taking care of your little sister."

The young man in black mast chuckled, he placed his hand over his mask as he looked at the sky with me. 

"That really puts me at ease knowing that Emilia is leaving a peaceful life, A life I couldn't have. At least Emilia is living that life." 

The young man took his mask off as he kept looking at the sky. The moonlight fell on his face, reflecting on his snowy white hair, his purple-indigo eyes shined along with the moon. 

His lips curved into a gentle smile as he looked at the moon. 

"you have done a good job till now, dad. Mom must be really proud of you and I am proud of you too, Dad!!"