52 – 24. Unqualified Person (3)
What should I talk about?
“The weather is nice, isn’t it? It feels refreshing and pleasant! hahahaha.”
“I was worried that Cheongwol Manor wouldn’t have much to see. I’m glad it’s good.”
“No way! It’s charming and lovely.”
Although she had shouted asking me if I wanted to go for a walk while caught up in the atmosphere.
I was struggling to find the right words.
“I feel like I should say something, but talking about family seems inappropriate.”
There wasn’t any particular reason for suggesting we come out for a walk.
It was because I wanted to comfort Ian.
Despite pretending to be casual, he must have been heavily affected by how his family treated him. The pain in his heart must have been immense.
Erina Igor was already drunk.
Lia ambitiously created this time together, thinking she should try to console Ian even if she herself was uncertain.
But then, there was another problem.
Thump! Thump!
The sound of footsteps echoing through a dimly lit path.
There was no conversation.
Ian was walking absentmindedly, staring into space. Lia was only walking beside him.
How long had they been doing this? She wondered if dialogue was really necessary just for the sake of comforting him.
“What good would it do for me to say something to Ian…?”
Genuine empathy and consolation can definitely help troubled individuals.
However, in life, there are times when quietly watching over someone from the sidelines is better.
“It feels like now is one of those times.”
She didn’t know anything about his family situation or his current state of mind, so saying consoling words without thinking could potentially have adverse effects.
Right now, it’s probably better to simply be here by his side.
Was it because the path was narrow that they were so close to each other? She could feel his warm body temperature.
In that moment of pleasant warmth, Lia remembered the events from earlier.
“I expected there to be some tension in Ariel and Ian’s relationship due to their unusual circumstances.”
But reality exceeded her expectations by far.
How much had Ian suffered? When she first saw Volkov, she couldn’t help but wonder if he really was a viscount.
Everything was a mess. The only things that were somewhat in order were the farming section and the knights being done.
“Even the farm seems to be doing better now that Ian is interested.”
In the beginning, when she had no confidence, it must have been even worse.
Even if it was an exaggeration to say that Ian saved their family.
He created a new specialty product in Bolcanov, where there was not a single proper specialty item, and sucked the nobles’ money, even creating the Dante Tournament.
With continuous success, he could not only capture the attention of the nobles but also bring Bolcanov to prominence.
It may seem easy in words. But Rhea, the daughter of a viscount, knew how difficult it was.
“Even our family took years to create new businesses.”
Ian did it in just a few days.
If she were Ian’s mother, she would not only be proud of him, but also want to do everything for him.
But Letitia far exceeded Rhea’s expectations.
“He only makes food that Ian can’t eat… What’s that all about?”
Is it reasonable that his mother doesn’t know a fact that she herself, who has not met him for long, knows?
“If she doesn’t even know that her son has allergies, it means she has no interest.”
Honestly, she couldn’t understand.
As someone who received abundant love from her siblings and parents while growing up, this was something inconceivable to her common sense.
Naturally, Rhea couldn’t calculate how much pain Ian must be feeling right now.
“Despite such a painful past, he persevered and reached his current position.”
Thinking like that made her heart ache even more.
How difficult it must have been.
It was embarrassing for her to think that she had just wanted to follow Ian because she thought he was amazing, without knowing about such a painful situation.
“After all, it’s not worth following just because I’m following…”
Even if she learned from him for a few months or even years, she would never catch up to his relentless determination.
Since then, Rhea gave up on following Ian and instead resolved herself with a different mindset.
“Now you don’t have to struggle alone, Ian.”
To comfort him, she would brighten up the painful memories of the past and overlay them with a brighter future.
That was what she could do for Ian.
“I don’t ask for much. I don’t even think about taking Eri’s place.”
On the surface, they were the leader and member of a squad, but she already knew that their relationship was extraordinary.
I had no intention of taking it away. There was no need to insist on the first place from the beginning.
There was only one thing that Rhea wanted.
‘Ian, because you saved me back then.’
This time, it was her turn to rescue Ian from the deserted island of loneliness.
That was all.
Having made up her mind, she intertwined her fingers with Ian’s.
“Rhea?”
“Is it too dark… Can I hold on to you, even if it’s a little scary?”
“Do as you please. I don’t mind.”
“…Thank you.”
Feeling the faint warmth from their tightly held hands, Rhea walked along the path.
The northern temperature that had been tormenting her until just now and the oppressive forest no longer bothered her.
***
After parting ways with Rhea, Ian didn’t go to his room, but went up to the mountain behind Cheongwol Hall.
It was already late dawn, but he couldn’t fall asleep at all.
‘Is it because my heart is unsettled… But I can’t keep holding onto Rhea forever either.’
She was the one who suggested they walk first, but it wouldn’t be right to keep holding onto her for how long.
After about ten laps around Cheongwol Hall, Ian couldn’t forget Rhea’s sleepy face.
That was the reason.
“It feels refreshing.”
Climbing the mountain alone in the pitch-black night.
In front of him, a beautiful stretch of hyacinths sparkled under the moonlight.
‘According to the diary, Ian used to come to see hyacinths every time he was struggling.’
When he was rejected by Celia.
When he faced controversy from Hailey.
Or when he was sad because there was no food to eat, Ian mentioned that he came to a field full of hyacinths to spend time.
Of course, it must have been a place near the Trishla Manor, not here. But there was a similar place here too.
‘When Alex Volkhanov proposed to his wife, as he forgot to prepare flowers, he plucked a hyacinth nearby and gave it to her.’
It would be a shocking event to propose while handing over a flower on the roadside,
But according to the ancestors, Lady Sunjomo always planted hyacinths all over Volkhanov territory so that they could always be seen.
“Even now, I can see the hyacinths that can only be seen in March and April, thanks to the fact that they are maintained with magic power and do not wither.”
“Hoo…”
Lying down in the flower garden, Ian got lost in his thoughts while feeling the cool breeze blowing.
To be honest, it didn’t really bring comfort to his heart.
Just looking at the swaying flowers was all he could do. Even for someone with a rich sensitivity, it didn’t really help Ian at the moment.
But it still felt refreshing. He decided to be satisfied with that.
“Now there are only four or five enemies left.”
He had witnessed the demise of Asmodeus, Mammon, and Baalzephon, three of the great Seven Devils.
That means there are five left.
“Sloth, Envy, Wrath, Pride… and Masein.”
However, it seemed appropriate to exclude the King of Sloth from the list.
Looking at the reactions of the diary and Lilith, it didn’t seem like the King of Sloth harbored enmity towards him.
“In fact, I haven’t seen the King of Sloth in the original work either. When I went to kill Masein, he just cleared the way for me.”
In order to confront Masein, you must first defeat the seven demons. However, strangely enough, the King of Sloth never revealed himself until Masein was captured.
The reason is unknown. What was he thinking? Was there really a transaction between them?
But one thing was certain, he didn’t seem to hold as much intense hatred as the other Demon Kings did.
“In that case, the enemies I should be thinking about are Envy, Wrath, Pride, and Masein.”
If we follow the order of appearance in the original, then Envy would come next.
“Envy. The most annoying one.”
Thinking of the King of Envy, Ian furrowed his brow.
The King of Envy, Leviathan, was not an opponent to be taken lightly.
“If we only consider power, she would be on par with Baalzephon. But the biggest problem is her sneaky fighting style.”
Leviathan. Ian called her a parasite.
The reason? It’s simple.
“Her fighting style is parasitic. While typical demons fight by revealing their true form and engaging in direct combat, Leviathan is different.”
She possesses healthy characters and makes them fight against each other.
It’s like turning yesterday’s ally into today’s enemy.
Even worse, if your comrades in Heroic Academy die, they cannot be used again unless you reset the data, making it more malicious.
There was only one way to defeat her without killing the character. It was to beat her until she revealed herself just before dying.
‘But it’s not as easy as it sounds. I’ve accidentally killed the kids I cherished more than anything, not just once or twice.’
Already infuriated by the parasitic fighting style, the problem didn’t end there.
“What annoys me even more is that Leviathan might choose anyone as its host.”
Already uncomfortable dealing with it, it was a situation where you couldn’t predict who it would cling to.
There were ways for certain individuals to manipulate the favorability of one party member and make Leviathan choose them as the host, but it was because it was a game. If you did something like that in reality, your relationship would immediately deteriorate.
The issue was not something to be taken lightly due to the high level of risk involved.
“What should I do…?”
He was thinking like that when…
Thump! Thump!
Sounds of someone walking started coming from behind.
Was there someone climbing the mountain besides himself in the middle of the night?
“Or perhaps they’re aiming for me?”
They might think he’s become paranoid. But it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared.
Considering the possibility, Ian covered his hand with mana. He shifted his gaze towards the direction where the sound was coming from.
And he could see her.
A woman with brown hair, approaching through the bushes and towards the grassy field.
She was someone Ian knew very well.
“You…”
“Huh? I-Ian senior?”
Although she was a normal farmer’s daughter, she became a divine archer later on with the guidance of an elf’s teachings.
Reina.
“Why are you here, senior?”
If it were now, she should be by Ariel’s side. But she stood there with an expression that even Nara had lost.