Chapter 118

Chapter 118

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]

Chapter 118

Chapter 118 Love (2)

Vikir felt a shiver running down his spine throughout his body.

Goosebumps crept up on his arms.

“...What did I just hear?”

LOVE?!?!?!?!?!

Even in an era of destruction, it was an unexpected word, to the point that even a seasoned warrior who had overcome countless battles, a master of all trades, doubted his ears.

The last person you’d expect the word “love” to suit in this world was Hugo.

Yet, there it was, coming from his lips.

Vikir sensed that all the strategies he had built were collapsing from the beginning.

And whether he liked it or not, Hugo spoke with discomfort and resentment.

“Yes. She’s the woman I’ve loved all my life. It’s a bit strange to say this, but we fell in love at first sight.”

Hugo’s response, almost like a soliloquy. Hearing it, Vikir thought to himself.

“I didn’t ask.”

There was no need to hear a detailed answer. Just as Vikir was about to bring up the next matter.

“But! Our love is once again put to the test. We were pursued by trackers in Baskerville.”

“....”

Vikir wasn’t particularly curious, but he decided to listen to the end.

Hugo continued to speak even as he sharpened it.

The love story of Hugo and Roxana that followed was tumultuous.

A typical romance fantasy cliché. But this poignant emotion transcended eras.

Hugo Le Baskerville, a handsome genius who excelled in everything and had a wealthy household.

And Roxana, a poor but spirited and cheerful girl.

Their love broke through all opposition from their surroundings and eventually led to a happy ending.

They argued over trivial misunderstandings, laughed and cried at the supporting characters who tried to steal their love, sometimes lamented their cruel fate, and finally overcame the opposition of both families to bear the fruit of their love.

Vikir nodded quietly.

“...So the result was Penelope?”

Penelope La Baskerville.

Hugo’s pupils shook even more when her name was mentioned.Expploore uptodate stories at novelhall.com

It was a much stronger reaction than when Roxana was mentioned.

“What kind of answer are you expecting?!”

“.......”

Vikir remained consistently composed, causing Hugo to let out a sigh as if in amazement.

“Yes. That’s right. My first child, Penelope. She existed.”

Hugo mentioned the name Penelope and shivered for a moment.

Vikir, with his watchful eyes, silently observed Hugo, who was usually full of gaps. It was the first time he had seen such a strong figure in the realm of Master being showing signs of wavering. Perhaps even Barrymore, who had assisted him throughout his life, had never witnessed such a sight.

Hugo spoke further.

“Roxana was a fragile woman. Shortly after giving birth to Penelope, she became quite ill. And I raised that child with all my heart.”

Penelope was a bright and cheerful child.

Having inherited a strong mind from Hugo and a kind heart from Roxana, she grew up receiving the love of all the Baskervilles.

And then, ‘that incident’ happened.

Penelope, who had gone for a walk, was captured by the Rokoko tribe, known for hunting humans.

He had a look on his face as if he heard some ridiculous nonsense.

However, Vikir had never uttered idle words.

As Hugo slowly realized this fact...

Tak!

Vikir reached into his pocket with his left hand and placed an object on Hugo’s desk.

Upon seeing it, Hugo’s eyes widened as if they were about to burst.

“...What is this?!”

It was a pendant, an artifact salvaged from the nearly destroyed village of the Rokoko tribe by the red death.

Inside, there were portraits of Hugo and Roxana in their youth, and Penelope as a child.

“I... I made this! I personally crafted this pendant in the workshop and gave it to Roxana as a gift. And in the end, I’m sure I hung it around Penelope’s neck...”

Hugo, shaking so much that he seemed to be shaking the pendant in his hand, grasped it with a hand that almost seemed to tremble.

In an instant...

Clunk!

Hugo’s hand trembled so violently that he dropped the pendant under the table.

Vikir swiftly caught it before it fell to the ground, and Hugo screamed as if having a fit.

“Give it back! Give it back to me!”

“Calm down, Father.”

Hugo was so disoriented that he was practically babbling to thin air.

To the half-dazed Hugo, Vikir calmly returned the pendant.

“...Oh...”

The pendant contained faded portraits, the solid metal plate on the lid seemed to have been worn out.

His first daughter, Penelope. Where could she be? Was she still alive? If she had died, where were her remains? What were the circumstances before her death, and what thoughts had she had? How lonely and desperate must she have been? Did she resent her father for not coming to save her? Did she think her father had forgotten her and fell into despair?

Hugo always feared it.

Perhaps his daughter had blamed him until the end. He had always been strict, never giving a warm word, and never receiving any news, never appearing. Did she resent her father for not blaming him for her miserable fate?

The more he thought about it, the more Hugo lashed out at himself. He had never shown affection to any of his children. Even if his children didn’t feel affection for him, it was easier that way. It was easier than thinking about Penelope living a painful life somewhere.

Especially when he looked at his sons who had the same face and personality as him, he was plagued by intense self-loathing.

...But.

The moment he looked at the pendant that had been worn down from too much caressing, Hugo felt an emotion that had frozen in a corner of his heart for years melt away like a long-standing snowdrift.

Hugo, thinking about his daughter who had clung to this pendant until the end, couldn’t hold back and tears welled up in his eyes.

A single teardrop fell onto the cold stone floor.

And then, Vikir said something that made Hugo’s eyes light up again.

“Father, She had a daughter.”

“?”

Was it because of Vikir’s dry and emotionless voice that Hugo didn’t understand the situation?

“??”

Hugo still had a blank expression, seemingly not grasping Vikir’s words.

“???”

So, as if confirming it, Vikir said to Hugo again.

“I mean, you have a grandaughter.”

After a while...

“!”

Hugo’s eyes widened to the point where they couldn’t get any bigger.

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]