Episode 38
Has my father’s “love for silence” disease flared up again in the meantime?
He was as wordless as when we first met.
‘Besides, why isn’t Agenor here?’
If I’m not around, he should be coming out on his own to train diligently and promptly.
Moreover, I haven’t even been able to thank him properly yet, but it’s hard to see his face.
I haven’t met Agenor properly since that day.
According to Laila, it seemed Agenor was also busy testifying.
However, since Agenor, like me, is exempt from attending the Intermediate Institution, he is supposedly staying in his own building.
‘Hmm, his brain works a bit slowly.’
After thinking for a long while, I lifted my head.
“…….”
In the meantime, Father remained silent.
At this point, it seemed certain that the silence disease had relapsed.
‘……Or is he making that displeased face again because he’s dissatisfied with something?’
That was definitely similar to the expression I saw once when I brought Agenor along, claiming he was my second disciple.
Even though my vision in one eye was a bit blurry right now, I was certain.
“Victory.”
Father’s mouth finally opened.
As someone carrying the heavy task of parental summons on my back, I had no choice but to listen intently.
“……is only called victory when it is achieved without injury.”
“Eh.”
What on earth does that mean?
I was flabbergasted.
“What do you mean, Master?
How can one always win without getting hurt?
That’s…….”
“The moment you called me Master, did you not decide to follow my words like law?”
“……W-well, that’s true, but.”
When did I?
I never said I’d follow them like law, you know?
I had a mountain of things I wanted to say.
But in any situation, the person with a guilty conscience was always the weaker one.
I tried to bite my lip, but stopped, startled by the stinging pain.
“I have always won without injury.”
“That’s because it’s you, Master.”
……Excuse me, I’m just a small fry who hasn’t awakened yet.
I wanted to say this, but somehow the words wouldn’t come out.
Of all times, why did I have to feel a bit sorrowful now?
‘I won a gang fight.
Does he think it’s easy to win at this age?
……He could at least praise me once before scolding.’
At times like this, I think it can’t be helped that this young body is quite cunning.
There are times when, no matter how much I endure and endure, my threshold inevitably lowers.
Embarrassingly, it felt like my eyes were about to turn red, so I lowered my head deeply.
Aw man, I even came here despite the muscle pain.
He could at least welcome me a little.
Then again, when has that father of mine ever welcomed me?
‘A man who makes it impossible to know what he’s thinking.’
I tried to bite my lip, but instead, I shut my mouth and clenched my teeth.
“Where are you going?”
“……I’m leaving.”
I had come to receive training, but looking at it again, I wasn’t in any state to train today.
Come to think of it, I don’t know what I was planning to do by coming here with this limping leg.
I just felt like I had to come, so I did.
Looking back now, I must have been possessed.
However, I didn’t get more than a few steps before I floated up.
It wasn’t of my own will.
A stream of water was wrapping around me.
Feeling my slightly damp clothes, I thought I’d rather have this stream of water splashed on my face instead.
‘If it were my dad, he would never have said it like that.’
The more I thought of my dad back on Earth, the more the muscles enduring the tears seemed to weaken.
I didn’t want to let go of my strength because I’d look weak.
It was pride.
Whether he knew my heart or didn’t even feel it was worth knowing.
I ultimately had to face Father with my messy face.
Seeing his face, which was more than calm and no different from usual, made my anger flare up.
What, what is it?
Did he lift me up just to show off his ridiculously handsome face even in this moment?
“Your body is a weapon.”
When those low words flowed out as usual, my crooked heart reared its head first.
I glared at him with an expression I wouldn’t normally make.
“So what do you want me to do?”
“If a weapon is not maintained, it rusts or breaks.”
“What does that have to do with—!”
“Your body is the same.”
“…….”
I was lost for words.
“As your Master, I have the right to rebuke you for neglecting your weapon.”
“…….”
……What.
He’s treating a person like a human weapon.
I should be angry, but I couldn’t feel the anger.
My gaze rolled aimlessly.
Because I might mistakenly think that his displeased expression was because of me.
“A weapon that is correctly refined and tempered can be used for a lifetime.”
“…….”
“This is advice I can give because I am a person who failed to forge that weapon.”
Suddenly, I thought of Pierre, who used to be alone in this space.
An orca who possessed incredibly powerful strength but was born with a sickly body as if receiving a penalty.
In nature, animals that are not normal are mostly culled.
But what if my father, who possessed a solitary and noble power, couldn’t even choose to be culled?
He expressed it as failing to forge the weapon.
Does that mean you also tried to get better somehow but failed?
“Lord Pierre was truly an object of everyone’s envy.
There wouldn’t have been a day until he closed his eyes that he wasn’t receiving attention.”
If he had failed and was under unwanted attention until the day he died.
No, that’s too much of a leap.
I know nothing at all about Father’s life.
I can’t judge based only on what I’ve heard indirectly.
Sting.
Before I knew it, the stream of water was washing away the wounds.
The dirt that had been stuck to me from running all the way here was washed down.
“Then, are you saying it’s my fault that I got hurt?”
I asked, enduring the stinging pain.
“Is this kind of victory wrong?”
In my long life, victory was only ever like this.
There were no other victories.
What do I have to do to win nobly like you?
If I don’t roll on the ground, I can’t even obtain the power of water that you grasped so easily.
“If you were going to follow every direction I set, you wouldn’t have asked me to make you my disciple as if dumping yourself on me in the first place.”
“What does that mean?
You said earlier to follow every word like law.”
“Preparing the process for you and presenting the goal are different.
Do you want me to live your life for you?”
“No, never.”
My life is mine.
In this life, I will definitely go back.
I stared stubbornly at Father.
“A Master and disciple are a relationship that will inevitably part one day.”
I wonder why.
Perhaps because of the sound of the wind, those words sounded a bit painful.
“Is it not because you wanted this that you requested I become your Master?”
It was as if he was asking if that was why I called him Master instead of Father.
It was a double-edged remark I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t known through Laila that Father was aware of this play.
How cunning.
“Master, were you by any chance worried about me?”
I grabbed Father’s collar roughly and asked.
Father stared at me without answering, then slowly tilted his head.
“You said your father cherished and loved you very much.”
“That’s right.”
“At a moment like this, what would that father who supposedly cherished you so much say?”
Well, that’s…….
“He’d say he was so, so worried, getting angry and scolding me.
And he’d hug me.
No, he would hug me.”
“…….”
“At the end, he’d tell me he loves his daughter.”
Recalling memories from a long time ago, I let my head drop.
Then, I loosened the strength in the hand gripping his collar and squeezed it tight instead.
“Master, can’t you just repeat one sentence after me?”
“What is it?”
“Repeat after me.
I was worried, Calypso Aquasiadel.”
“…….”
Nothing welled up in the eyes looking at me.
I was fine even with that.
So I spoke clearly.
“Even if it’s a lie, I want Master to say that to me.”
Because I finally knew the reason why I came all the way here even while limping.
I was staring at Father, and just as I was about to give up, Father’s lips slowly opened.
“I was worried, Calypso Aquasiadel.”
I was satisfied with just that.
I closed my eyes tight.
* * *
‘Alright. I’ve decided.’
Three days later, I made up my mind.
My aching legs and body were almost healed.
What a body with such good recovery; I felt slightly better thinking that even though I hadn’t awakened, I was seeing the full effects of the water power.
‘I’m boldly giving up on the parental summons!’
I thought about it while lying down, and no matter how much I thought, I couldn’t find a way to call Father without any issues.
The only way was to speak honestly, but the problem was that I didn’t know what would happen after that.
I didn’t want to bet anything on the uncertain side if possible.
“Mm?
So you’re going to attend alone as you are?”
I was able to see Agenor for the first time in a while two days ago, and Agenor came to the place where I lived.
At first, he seemed surprised to see the state of this building.
“So you like this kind of family atmosphere!”
He seemed to accept it in his own way.
Whatever he thought, I’m sure it was one hundred percent wrong.
“But will it be okay?
I heard the High Class is a place where parents must participate.”
