47 – 23. Child Who Should Never Be Born (1)
“Only two more times, I don’t think my sanity can hold up any longer after that.”
With those words, his vision returned to darkness once again.
This time was also filled with shocking revelations. Perhaps it was because of the previous experience?
Instead of being shocked, he tried to imprint the scene he had just witnessed into his mind.
“Was the relationship between Ariel and Ian close from the beginning?”
Now they were practically enemies, but before regressing, Ariel and Ian seemed to cherish each other like siblings.
Even combining this life and the previous one, it was hard to imagine a closer relationship between siblings.
Even that alone was a surprising fact, but Ian focused on something else.
“I don’t know exactly how many times, but Ian had regressed countless times. And it was all for the sake of Ariel.”
Ariel, who became a hero after receiving Elysion’s choice in his dreams.
For the sake of saving her, Ian had repeated his regression to the point of collapsing mentally.
“If I think about it that way, the sentence written in the diary about the path for family and empire makes sense.”
Working for the empire must have been about Ersabeth, who seemed to be his lover before regressing.
Working for the family must have been about wanting to make his parents stop fighting and live happily.
A crazy life that had repeated regression countless times for his younger sister and loved ones.
His gaze didn’t leave his mind until the end.
“It seemed like he had reached his limit.”
Although he had said he could still endure to reassure Elysion, it might not have been true.
“Two times is the maximum. It means that even if he loses consciousness immediately, it wouldn’t be abnormal.”
Ian let out a deep sigh and lowered his head.
The unanswered questions still weighed heavily on him. But would pondering change anything?
If he truly wanted to uncover all the hidden secrets, all he had to do was follow the system’s lead and discover them.
“If I uncover them and make an effort to create a happy ending.”
For that, he needed to become stronger.
Fortunately, the system was helping him this time too.
[Confirmed the second secret!]
[Nelthalion’s divinity has been enhanced!]
“Ian! Look at this! I’ve become incredibly strong!”
Before the notification even ended, Nelthalion was leaping around, beaming from ear to ear.
Unlike the previous time when he had just two arms attached to a slime body, he had transformed into the size of a young child, around six years old.
“Even the skin color has changed. He used to be just a blue slime.”
Now he just looked like a six-year-old kid. If anyone saw him, they might think he was the younger brother.
“Of course, Nelthalion won’t be visible to others, so I shouldn’t worry about that… but my heart is still uneasy.”
His original form was that of a monster with a thousand arms. Would he revert to that appearance when he grew up?
“I’m not sure right now, but… if it’s the same appearance when he grows up.”
From Noble mtl dot com
It might be something to consider for the future.
Would it be awkward to have his monster form following him around when he’s all grown up?
“If it’s visible to others, it might be intimidating. If not…”
Perhaps his current cute and playful appearance was better.
Was Ian acting too worried, constantly pondering without praising himself?
“Ian! Give me some praise!”
Nelthalion, who had jumped into his arms, looked at Ian with hopeful eyes.
“Ian! I’ve grown so much, haven’t I? I can even control my strength now!”
“Really?”
“Yes! From now on, you won’t get hurt, Ian! I’ll make sure you don’t get injured!”
Being able to control his strength… it couldn’t be anything but good news.
“Is this really a good thing?”
The one who made the greatest contribution in facing Mammon and Ba’alzephon was none other than Nathalion’s fists.
They were greatly impressed by Nathalion’s fists, which leveled countless regions.
But the tremendous power had a considerable recoil.
“It was almost impossible to control. And the recoil affected me as well.”
With all his strength, he squeezed for about two minutes. Blood leaked from the holes in his body.
It was enough to use as a finishing move, but substantial bleeding came at a high cost.
“It’s fortunate that they stayed still. If they had moved, I might have died first.”
If time dragged on, excessive bleeding would definitely occur.
There were only two ways to prevent the worst situation.
“Either I reach a level where I can control Nathalion, or Nathalion adjusts to me.”
But honestly, isn’t the former an unlikely possibility?
“After all, it’s an ancient god. It’s not easy to grow to the point where I can control a being with such terrifying power.”
How long would it take for that to become possible? Master? Maybe I’ll need to become a Grand Master from the legends.
Until recently, aiming for a Master was almost impossible, when I was still in the Expert realm.
In such a situation, Nathalion’s divine power recovered and matched him?
There couldn’t be a better situation than this.
“hehehehe. Now I can hug Ian too!”
“Yeah. Hug me as much as you want.”
It was when he embraced the grown-up Nathalion.
Creak! Crunch!
The space covered in darkness began to have light seeping through its cracks.
“I guess it’s time to go back now.”
It was disappointing that the rest was over. But there was still work to be done, so he couldn’t afford to relax.
***
He woke up thinking about defeating the enemies threatening his family and returning to the Golden Return, but Ian’s welcome was not cheers, but a heavily impressed expression from Eri.
“I’ll let it go this time, but I can’t agree to those plans in the future! Do you understand?”
“The Golden Return is a load of bull. It’s not even the Silver Return.”
When he first woke up, she was the one with a raised corner of her mouth. But like a gradient, her anger grew larger and larger.
Of course, Ian couldn’t say anything. He had reassured her and made her worry at the same time.
“Is it true that you were covered in blood and carried up? And you were lying down for four days?”
“Yes. Do you know how worried I was? It was the first time the squad leader saw me in such a bad state.”
Ian nodded as he chewed on the raw potato in his hand.
This was what Eri said.
After defeating Mamon and Baalzephub, she became covered in blood and fainted on the snowy field. Selia, who was waiting nearby, safely brought her to the rear.
Fortunately, thanks to spontaneous regeneration, there were no injuries, but she fainted for four days.
“She must be furious.”
The moment I learned about the details, I naturally understood why she was angry.
Not only did she worry the princess, but Selia, who disliked her, had also carried her.
Even though she was always someone who never hesitated to give words of encouragement and support, she probably wouldn’t let this one slide easily.
“I unintentionally caused you to worry. It was an unforeseen incident that went to that extent.”
“If you’re sorry, then rest well until you recover. Don’t say you’ll do work again.”
“Understood… But can I have some water? My throat feels a bit clogged from eating only potatoes.”
“Here.”
Thunk!
What Eri put down was a soup with steam rising from it. It was a soup with sliced potatoes stuck into it like cubes.
I looked at her, wondering why she gave me this when I asked for water.
“While you were lying down, the potatoes grew extraordinarily. There were so many that it became difficult to handle, so please eat this instead of water.”
In the end, I lowered my head at her nonchalant gaze.
“Well, what can I do. I was in the wrong.”
To avoid losing my sanity from continuing this conversation topic, I decided to change the subject first.
“By the way, what happened with the family affairs while I fainted?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. For some reason, the people who had left began working diligently.”
“The departed started working diligently?”
“At first, I was wondering what was happening. They even shed tears. It’s useless to stop them. Some of them have been staying up all night for three days straight.”
“Wouldn’t it be strange for them to suddenly work so diligently? Don’t they have ulterior motives?”
“I had doubts too, so I personally investigated. You might not have known, but there were several departed who went missing after the squad leader dealt with the demons.”
“Missing departed…”
Eri seemed to assume that the missing ones ran away, thinking they would be assassinated. But Ian didn’t think so.
According to Bedon’s words, it was undoubtedly the influence of greed that wrapped around the family.
That means there were those who had gone only as far as becoming or almost becoming a mage by the means of their master Mamon.
It was natural for them to follow the procedure of disappearing as the hosts supplying magic disappeared.
“So, were there any who stood out?”
“I’m sorry, but we have yet to discover the cause. However, all the individuals I’ve been closely observing have been confirmed to be missing.”
“Understood. Let’s postpone the investigation for now and focus on preparing the backlog of tasks.”
If those individuals whom Eri had taken an interest in were from influential families, it was unnecessary to dig too deep. Wouldn’t it be better to devote that time to other matters?
“With this incident, it is possible that our family once again faced a crisis in the eyes of the world. It is important to demonstrate our strength, especially in times like these.”
After going through all the effort to create this opportunity, it was not possible to give up, was it?
To continue enjoying prosperity, it was necessary to rebuild the family and continue holding events such as tournaments.
“It may be challenging to conduct the event while rebuilding the knights. But please proceed as quickly as possible. Once my condition improves, I will help as well.”
“You don’t have to worry about the knight-related issues. They have already been resolved.”
“They have already been resolved?”
Of course, since all the hostages were rescued, it was possible to minimize casualties. However, it was difficult to accomplish tasks such as repairing equipment.
And it hadn’t even been four days yet.
“Was that even possible?”
It was not a difficult problem, but rather an impossible one. How was it resolved?
The answer was unexpected.
“The help of the platoon leader was crucial for resolving the knight-related issues. Since he arrived late and couldn’t assist in the battle, he focused on rebuilding the knights. There were also acquaintances of the platoon leader among the supporting forces, which expedited the process.”
“What about the equipment then?”
“The Liya family offered full assistance with the equipment. All the equipment in need of repair was sent, and we are currently using temporary equipment.”
“In that case, there’s no need to worry.”
Although the business involving leather was the main source of income. If the craftsmen who made the equipment also provided assistance from the Hest family, it would be good.
“I should consider hosting a tournament in the Hest family as well.”
If you are the receiver, then there must also be a giver, right? It wouldn’t be honorable to accept help and keep silent.
“Then let’s proceed with the tournament as quickly as possible.”
“Understood. Please rest comfortably.”
With those words, Eri left the room.
It was a moment when she keenly felt the harmony of the warm sunlight and the subtle coolness in the room.
Knock! Knock!
Click!
Once again, the door opened, and someone entered.
“Is Eri back again?” Ian thought to himself as he turned his head.
He could see.
“… My Lord.”
“Shulkin, my own creation?”
A man approached with bloodshot eyes and a small dagger in one hand.
“Could it be…?”
He thought they might attack, but Shulkin simply knelt on the ground after placing the dagger in his scabbard.
With a trembling voice, gasping for breath, he spoke, trying to hide his tears.
“I couldn’t serve faithfully for Volkanoth, and I was disloyal…”
He bowed deeply, saying, “Please, end me…”
I will be excited if beautiful female knight said that, not old man butler……
The beautiful female knight in Ag Sen mind : Kuh! Just kill me already!!!