CH 66

School grounds in the evening. 

After eating, some children were taking a walk.

Cheshire and I sat side by side in the pergola on one side, silent for a while. 

“Cheshire, you.” 

“Mhm.” 

“You spoke so well…?” 

How can he keep holding on to my mother, who runs away when she sees me, explaining and clearing up misunderstandings? 

Of course, it was a little scary because it was too aggressive.

Why is he keeping his mouth shut in his work when he has such a personality that he can burst into cider?

I didn’t know he was such a child. 

“Thank you… It was really frustrating, but you told her so my heart was refreshed.”

And even silently protecting me when I was depressed.

I got emotional again.

“You know, Cheshire.”

“Ung.” 

“I told you before… I said it’s okay even if I don’t have a mother….”

“Mmhm.” 

“Did you really think I would be okay? But after seeing my mother’s face, um, it wasn’t like that again….”

“….”

“I thought I could talk to my mom at least? Even if we don’t live together.” 

To be honest, I was a little embarrassed, but I kept moving my fingers and saying.

“If she ask me how I’ve been doing, I’ve thought about what to answer. Also, my brother… I thought I should be nice to him if she introduced me to him.”

“….” 

“But looking at it just now, it seems my mother doesn’t want to do that.”

Is it because Cheshire listened to me silently? I couldn’t stop talking. 

“I’m still young, so I’ve never had a child…. So I don’t know.”

“….” 

“Because she’s a mother. She didn’t raise me, but she gave birth to me.”

“….” 

“While greeting each other… I thought we could have a relationship like that.”

I was an orphan in my previous life.

Maybe that’s why I was very envious of my friends who were loved by their parents.

It was a feeling that I always felt when I put strength in my head to reflect on the original work and think of my past life.

I felt sorry that I couldn’t feel that way about my Dad. 

I’ve already been reincarnated, and this time, unlike my previous life, I’m not an orphan, and my Dad loves me a lot. 

“I guess I’m greedy.”

Is it because of the memory of that previous life?

Obviously, I thought it would be nice to have my Dad alone.

But the moment I saw my mother.

I thought that I wanted to be called affectionately by my mother, and I wanted to be loved.

“Phew.” 

I sighed as I looked at Cheshire.

It was a truly shameless complaint in front of Cheshire, whose father and mother had abandoned him. 

“I’m sorry for saying this, Cheshire….” 

“You don’t have to try.”

“Ung?” 

Cheshire looked at me and said. 

“There are many people in the world. There are people who abandon their children, and there are people who do not love them. Some people discriminate even though they are the same child.”

“Uh, yes. Right.” 

“Your mother, unlike you, raised her son herself, so she must be more affectionate. She might not be able to afford to love you too.” 

“Ung.” 

“So don’t try. You don’t have to struggle to be loved by someone who doesn’t want to love you.” 

I blankly looked at Cheshire.

“Besides, you have a father who loves you enough.”

“…That’s right.” 

Dad will be upset if he sees me depressed because of my mom.

There’s nothing my Dad couldn’t do for me just because my mom wasn’t there. 

“Hmph!” 

I clenched my two small fists. 

“That’s right! You’re right! Thank you, Cheshire!”

Cheshire smiled slightly as if he liked my brightened expression.

“Are you not hungry? You left without eating because of me.”

“No, I was almost done eating. You…” 

Cheshire, who was talking, looked at me and looked at me with worried eyes.

“Do you want me to get you a plate?”

I looked at Cheshire. 

The evening moonlight was shining in his red eyes and on his face.

Unlike when we first met, Cheshire’s eyes were not empty. 

No, on the contrary, the way he looked at me was even friendly. 

“Hehe.”

I laughed because I liked it.

“No! I ate them all too. Well, just looking at your face makes me full. Because you are handsome.”

“What? Don’t say that.”

I slipped close to Cheshire, who spat out bluntly.

“Thank you so much, Cheshire. I’m completely fine now. Like you said, even though I don’t have a Mother, I have a Dad.” 

“Yeah.” 

“And.” 

I rested my head on Cheshire’s shoulder.

“You are here too.”

“….” 

Cheshire, who gave me his shoulder, stayed by my side long. 

I looked down and saw his right hand flinching, so I said with a smile.

“Please pat my head!”

While Cheshire was thinking, his hand touched my head.

His stroking hands were clumsy but affectionate.

“Hehe.”

As I breathed in the evening air, I suddenly missed my Dad. 

“What’s my Dad doing now?” 

“Do you miss him already?” 

“Uhm, not already….” 

My mouth pouted automatically.

“Actually, I’ve been missing him since yesterday. It’s scary and awkward to sleep alone without my Dad….” 

Cheshire sighed.

“He must be working.”

“Ung, I guess so….” 

*****

Slaaash—! 

The wind cut through the air like a blade.

With just one blow, the group of beasts, which looked like about a hundred of them, burst into the blood and fell.

Elevado.

Only people who have reached the level of a sword can use this ability. It lets them fly mana in the form of many swords and fight hundreds of thousands of enemies.

‘It’s still crazy.’

Axion Libre, the vice-captain of the Doss Order of the Paladin, felt the power of a single body that was unbelievable even at first glance and stuck out his tongue.

His subordinate Philip, who was next to him, was also surprised.

Gulp, the sound of swallowing saliva was clear.

“Captain, really… what is that?” 

Philip unfolded the imperial map he was holding and drew an X on it.

There are already seven Xs on the map. These were areas that had been subjugated.

Philip shuddered.

“This is it.”

Enoch Rubinstein grabbed the sword as soon as his daughter entered the training center.

And, like a person who wants to finish his delayed homework, he planned to go to every demonic place throughout the empire.

“Vice-captain, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah.” 

“How many days has it been since we went to subjugation?”

“What do you mean days? It is eighteen hours.”

Philip was stunned.

Even then, it took a while to find the warp gate and move from one place to another.

In fact, when confronted with demon beasts, it took less than 10 minutes to subjugate them.

“I will ask you one more question.”

“Yeah.” 

“How many members of our punitive force are there now…?” 

“Are you asking because you really don’t know?”

“I know, but I can’t believe it.”

“You, me. And, him.”

Axion pointed at Enoch approaching from a distance.

“I, I, I’m surprised, really…”

Usually, the subjugation party consists of at least 50 people and at most 300 people.

In principle, it is necessary to include those who are capable of defense or healing.

That’s why subjugating the beasts was dangerous and hard.

Of course, this principle doesn’t apply to Enoch Rubinstein, a monster worse than that beast. 

“….!” 

Krrrr—.

At that time, the growl of the demon beast was heard from the rock gap above the gorge.

Axion and Philip quickly looked up.

“Ah…” 

But it was a surprise.

The beast, in the form of a wild dog, was drooling and trembling.

As if it was terrified.

Beasts without intelligence are fearless and unable to communicate. But it was clearly terrified and trembling.

It was obvious what it was afraid of.

At that moment, Axion felt pity for the monster he had to catch and kill.

It was such a strange feeling.

“Yeah… you would have done it to live….” 

Philip, too, raised his eyebrows with a pitiful expression and stretched out his hand upwards. 

It looked like a dog, and the trembling look seemed quite cute.

“Uhh. I’m sorry. Why did you come out when the captain came out….”

Slash–! 

At that moment, the beast’s head flew off.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

Philip gulped down his saliva and looked back at him.

Enoch, who was approaching, was looking down at Philip indifferently.

“What are you doing? Do you need a pet?”

“N, no!” 

Philip, who had strong military discipline, straightened his back.

Enoch, who was staring at Philip disapprovingly, put his sword in the scabbard and walked past them.

“Next.”