TISND Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Joshua entered the building, his hair damp as though he had been sweating profusely.

“Father?”

Seeing the two of them in the guild, Joshua looked visibly flustered.

“What brings you here? Haha, it hasn’t been that long since I left.”

Could it be you missed me? he tried to reply nonchalantly, but a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.

“Where have you been?”

“I just went out for some exercise,” Joshua replied with a forced smile.

“I’ve gotten sluggish from staying indoors all winter, just eating and sleeping. So I thought I’d stretch a bit and went out for a workout.”

Caligo watched him stumble through his explanation and quickly moved closer to inspect his belongings.

“F-Father!”

And then—

“This…”

What Joshua had been hiding wasn’t a typical knight’s sword.

“It’s an assassin’s dagger.”

There was a clear distinction between the swords used by knights and those wielded by mercenaries.
Knights primarily carried swords for defense, but their techniques were not designed for quick assassinations.

Assassins, on the other hand, specialized in concealment and speed, often using daggers. The blade was curved, sometimes even coated with poison.

Primrose wasn’t an assassin guild, of course. They mainly protected trade caravans from bandits or provided escort services for nobles.

However, they were certainly well-versed in assassination techniques, as they occasionally undertook dangerous assignments, including deployments to battlefields.

The fact that Joshua had been learning such perilous skills was alarming.

“This is just something I carry for fun,” Joshua stammered.

“Don’t lie to me.”

For the first time, Caligo raised his voice.

“…What is going on here?”

Bahen, who had been observing the situation, turned to the man standing behind Joshua. Like Joshua, he was drenched in sweat.

“Well, Joshua kept asking me to teach him,” the man admitted.

“With an assassin’s dagger?”

“He said he didn’t want to learn fencing with a rapier but instead wanted to learn the swordsmanship mercenaries use. He kept insisting…”

Joshua was well-loved at the guild, despite being a noble. Initially, there had been concerns about him, but his friendly demeanor and sharp intellect quickly won everyone over. Many saw him as a nephew or son figure, making it hard to refuse his requests.

When Joshua asked to be taught dagger techniques and pleaded for secrecy, some couldn’t help but oblige. Moreover, Joshua was diligent in his work, rarely caused trouble, and often practiced on his own.

However, during his private training sessions or under the instruction of inexperienced teachers, accidents happened, leading to unexpected injuries.

Because these incidents occurred strictly within the guild, even Joshua’s assigned guards seemed unaware of them. Joshua, knowing he was being watched, likely acted cautiously to keep his activities hidden.

“You were injured and yet continued training? And you kept this secret from me, the guild master?”

“I’m really sorry, Captain… But Joshua begged me to keep it a secret,” the man confessed.

The atmosphere grew heavy.

“I… I’m fine. It wasn’t a serious injury, and it didn’t hurt that much,” Joshua said, desperately trying to explain.

“So, please don’t worry about it.”

“We’re leaving,” Caligo said firmly.

“W-What?”

With a stern expression, Caligo let out a deep sigh.

“The agreement you and I made about this place was that you would never engage in anything dangerous.”

“But…,” Joshua hesitated.

“I respected your decision because of that promise. But if you’ve been hurt, that changes everything. It’s time to leave this life behind and return home,” Caligo declared firmly.

“Father!”

“You can learn swordsmanship in Frantor.”

Joshua, unwilling to back down anymore, began to raise his voice as well.

“Swordsmanship? What swordsmanship? That’s no different from dancing! I want to learn how to fight!”

“What did you just say?”

Helena knew how much Joshua loved and respected Caligo. Normally indifferent to teasing, Joshua would become defensive when it came to his father.

For Joshua to stand up to Caligo like this was a first.

“Why won’t you let me go to the battlefield? I can fight! I want to learn how to fight!”

“You’re only twelve.”

“So what if I’m twelve? I’m not a child! Stop trying to protect me all the time!”

“Joshua.”

At that moment, Helena intervened.

“Think about what you’re saying. You are a child. And protecting you is the right thing to do. How could anyone send a twelve-year-old to the battlefield?”

“I never asked to be protected!” Joshua shouted, his voice trembling with emotion.

“Who asked to be protected? Why are you always shielding me?”

“I’m done listening to this. We’re going back to Frantor,” Caligo said coldly.

“No! I won’t go back! I’ll never go back!”

The father and son’s voices grew louder and more heated. Helena wanted to step in, but the tension between the two was so overwhelming that she hesitated.

“If you’re going back, then go with Helena. I’m not going!”

“Joshua!”

“Stop meddling in my life! You’re not even my real father!”

“Joshua!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Helena raised her voice. Joshua immediately realized the gravity of his words and bit his lip.

But that didn’t mean he was willing to relent.

“…I’m not going back.”

In the end, Joshua stormed out of the building.

—

Hearing those words—’not even my real father’—had clearly left Caligo shaken. Helena noticed that his face seemed paler than usual.

He looked exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

Helena carefully sat beside him on the bench set up in the guild yard.

Caligo was the first to break the silence.

“If you hadn’t come, I probably wouldn’t have even known Joshua was hurt,” he said with a bitter smile.

“I always hoped the children would live their lives without ever knowing the pain of fighting. Because I know how it tightens around you, like a noose.”

Helena thought hard about how to console him, but it wasn’t easy.

“It’s always hard to draw the line with kids. Should we keep their secrets just because they ask us to? Should we give them everything they want? Forcing them to do things they don’t want to do is just as difficult.”

“Well, I don’t know if this will comfort you, but… this is your first time being a parent, isn’t it?”

“It is,” he admitted with a rueful laugh.

“Maybe that’s why he said I’m not his real father.”

“Joshua probably regrets saying that. He loves you more than anyone else.”

“Still… maybe he’s right.”

Caligo looked up at the sky.

“I haven’t been a good father to him. I hurt him by marrying Melissa.”

“You didn’t have a choice, did you? It was an arranged marriage set up when you were young.”

“Even so, the fact remains that I hurt them.”

He seemed lost in thought.

“I wasn’t always there for them.”

“You were busy.”

“That’s just an excuse,” Caligo said with a sigh.

“I wanted to create a good family, but for some reason, it never turned out the way I hoped.”

In the shadows of Frantor, battles still raged on, and in the political arena, people remained wary of him.
All Caligo wanted was a happy family, yet external circumstances constantly interfered.

Our marriage was likely not what Caligo truly desired, Helena thought with a bitter smile.

If it weren’t for the emperor’s decree, their union would never have happened.
Surely, he would have wanted a warm, gentle wife—someone far from a woman like me.

But what’s done is done.

Helena took a deep breath and spoke.

“Stop dwelling on the past, Your Grace.”

“…What?”

“Get a grip. You’re not about to give up now, are you? For children, neglect and indifference are forms of abuse.”

“…”

“I’ve told you before—I want you and the children to be happy. That wasn’t a lie.”

“…”

“So, stand up and take action before there’s more to regret.”

“What should I do?” Caligo asked quietly.

“You’re not planning to stop being a father just because you heard those words, are you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then start by figuring out why Joshua did all this.”

“…”

“Why did he lie about being at an academy to come to a mercenary guild? Why is he so desperate to learn the sword?”

I truly want you to be happy. You and the children.

Seeing the clarity returning to his gaze, Helena smiled softly.

“After that, you need to talk with him. Discuss what comes next and work things out.”

“…”

“Of course, at first, your opinions might clash, and there may be arguments. But talk with him anyway. Explain that all you wanted was to keep him safe, Your Grace. If you don’t give up and keep communicating, you’ll find a solution.”

Helena, like him, wanted to build a happy family.

She would lie awake at night, imagining what a happy family might look like, secretly yearning for it.

“Go to him, Your Grace.”

Even though it was a dream she could never achieve for herself, she hoped Caligo would.

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