065
Dad.
It was the call he had longed to hear.
But it didn’t come from Shupetty’s lips.
“Who is this child?”
Diegon’s gaze turned cold.
Wasn’t this an unusual situation?
If this girl was truly Luarel, if she was the daughter he had been desperately searching for, he should have felt joy.
Yet, why did his heart feel so cold?
His discomfort deepened when his eyes met Shupetty’s, who was staring at him blankly.
“It is an undeniable fact.”
Breaking the frozen silence was a silver-haired girl, around twelve years old.
“From Velarion, across the sea to the north—West Gripel.”
“…..….”
“A region under the control of the revolutionary army. I found this child there.”
Her calm voice carried no trace of falsehood.
If Diorose Velarion were an actor, she would have been an extraordinary performer, capable of shaking the entire nation.
For a girl her age to fabricate such a tale so effortlessly before so many people—without even a hint of a change in expression—was an impressive feat.
“Pink hair and violet eyes. That alone was suspicious, but her age seemed to match as well, so I had my doubts. But how could I speak without certainty?”
“So?”
“My priority was to get her to speak first, so I took her in and cared for her. I didn’t have enough time to teach her proper etiquette and posture, but…”
As the conversation continued, the girl—who was being claimed as Luarel—lowered her head more and more.
She looked pitiful, as though she were being interrogated.
If she were truly Luarel, he should have embraced her immediately, wept, and apologized for letting her suffer through such an ordeal.
That would have been the right thing to do.
“But my feet won’t move.”
Strangely enough, Diegon found himself unable to take a single step forward.
It had to be a homunculus.
That was the only thought circling in his mind.
“If what you say is true, then… thank you.”
“Please, think nothing of it. I only wished for this child, Luarel, to find her rightful place.”
Diorose gracefully grasped the hem of her dress and offered a polite bow.
As she stepped back, the girl who claimed to be Luarel hastily turned to look at her, as if seeking reassurance.
Like a lost duckling clinging to Velarion, the sight was unbearably irritating.
“I never even considered searching toward West Gripel.”
The Baratheum Empire was situated on the left wing of the dragon-shaped continent.
Below it lay the Imperatora Empire, which resembled the tail of a dragon, and to the right was the Holy Empire of Whiterian.
The ship carrying his daughter and Aurora had capsized near Imperatora, and in his madness, Diegon had crossed into other empires searching for his family.
But not once—
Not even a single time—had he thought of looking north.
Given the ocean currents, they should have drifted south. Even if they had been carried farther, they would have ended up on Calzor Island at most.
But how could she have been found in the north, in West Gripel?
“None of this makes sense.”
Similar appearances could be found anywhere in the world.
Everything about this situation seemed doubtful, and Diegon did not budge an inch.
“G-Grandfather…”
The girl, who had been looking at Diegon with pleading eyes, now turned toward Galizard instead.
Yet she couldn’t bring herself to approach him and merely hung her head.
Staring at the so-called Luarel, Galizard finally spoke in a firm voice.
“What is your name?”
“L-Luarel…”
“How do you know your name is Luarel?”
“I… I don’t r-remember. But… there’s just one thing… that I do remember.”
A murmur began spreading through the room.
To anyone watching, it looked as if they were interrogating a child who had barely made it home.
“How pitiful… Look at how thin she is.”
“She stutters a lot. Could she have been abused?”
While the soft-hearted noblewomen shed tears and sighed in sympathy, Mikard quietly stepped behind Shupetty, standing in the gap between them.
Then Elzen followed.
Then Naiad.
And finally, Ilyad, who had been dozing against the wall, unaware of what was happening, rubbed his eyes and approached.
“Huh? What’s going on?”
Behind Ilyad’s blinking confusion, the girl stuttered.
“M-Mother… M-Mother said… Luarel, y-you have to live. You… must live no matter what. That’s… That’s the only thing I remember.”
If what she said was true, it was a truly pitiful story.
But only if it was true.
“Velarion’s role ends here. I have delivered her to where she belongs, so I shall take my leave.”
With that, the head of Velarion turned away without a trace of hesitation.
The banquet had already been completely ruined.
Anyone with a shred of awareness would know it was time to disappear—at least, those who were not Pashayens.
“Too many eyes are watching. For now, let us take the child in.”
“…Understood.”
Galizard let out a deep sigh.
After Diegon’s stiff reply, the head maid hurried over to the trembling girl and wrapped a shawl around her shoulders.
It was, truly, a disastrous birthday.
***
What… did I just hear?
“…Dad.”
A girl I didn’t know just called the Admiral her father.
Why?
“Because she’s Luarel?”
Then, if a lost family member had returned, I should be happy.
So why do I hate this so much?
“Am… Am I a bad child?”
My lips pouted.
I felt like I was about to cry.
After the banquet ended, I dragged my feet and wandered into the Admiral’s garden.
Beyond the gently swaying wildflowers, in a secluded spot obscured by tall reeds, I plopped down with a splash.
From my skirt pocket, I pulled out a small gift box.
It was a small, flat box containing a handkerchief.
“I was going to give this to him.”
I was going to tell him later.
I was going to ask him to come to the garden with me.
We had prepared a party.
Everyone had worked so hard… together.
“Hic…”
I didn’t want to cry. I really tried to hold it in.
But sitting here all alone, the tears spilled out before I could stop them.
[The Spirit King of Emotion ‘■■■’ wails and rolls on the ground.]
[The Spirit King of Fire ‘■■■■■’ blazes fiercely.]
[The Spirit King of Water ‘■■■■’ foams at the mouth and collapses.]
[The Spirit King of Earth ‘■’ hurriedly tries to comfort you.]
[The day isn’t over yet, little one. There’s still a chance.]
But… but the Admiral left with Luarel.
The Admiral and Grandfather—they all left.
They didn’t seem to have any attention to spare for me.
“Bwaaah…!”
Pop!
Out of thin air, Podong appeared, flapping its tiny wings as hard as it could before diving into my arms.
I had been sniffling, but the cool sensation made me momentarily forget my tears. I put down the gift box and hugged Podong tightly.
“I’m… disappointed.”
As if it understood, Podong’s bright blue eyes sparkled, and it let out a loud ‘Pyaap!’
Then, suddenly, it flew off and returned with a triangular party popper in its beak.
It was a birthday popper filled with shimmering confetti that would burst when pulled.
“But… but now… we can’t even use this.”
My words came out slurred from all the crying.
My nose was already stuffy, and I sniffled loudly.
“Little one, you should blow your nose into a handkerchief.”
At that moment—
The reeds rustled, and a tall figure emerged.
It was Brother Mikard—the same Brother Mikard who had left earlier with the Admiral, his face grave.
“B-Brother Mikard…?”
“Sheesh, I knew this would happen. Fluffy, snort. Go on, snort.”
With his long legs, he strode over and pulled out a handkerchief, pressing it right against my nose.
It was so close I could barely breathe!
“What are you doing out here crying all alone? We were looking all over for you. We thought you went to your room.”
“You… were looking for me?”
“Of course. Look at you, your face is a mess.”
Clicking his tongue, Brother Mikard knelt down.
Then, he reached out and gently ruffled my hair.
“Don’t be too sad that we couldn’t have the birthday party today. There’s always tomorrow.”
“Mmm…”
“You can give your gift tomorrow too.”
Technically, the quest deadline was ‘one day after the birthday’, so it was still fine.
A day later wouldn’t make a difference.
But… but the reason I felt so upset—
“I wanted to… call him Dad.”
