Chapter 363

“Yes–for revenge. I was going to turn all those bastards who looked down on me for dabbling in necromancy into a meal of corpses—they’ve been laughing at me since I was a student at Phileon Academy.”
“I see. From your records, you’ve handled quite a few undead with skill. Is there a special secret? I’ve noticed a few differences from other known necromancy.”
“Ughhhh—no wonder—what kind of magic is this body, I didn’t spend 50+ years wasting away.”
“That’s great, can you tell me all about it, every last bit of it?”
Adeshan smiled crookedly.
In front of her was a severed limb, Kier, tied to a chair.
His eyes were the same ashen color as Adeshan’s as he smiled through drool.
“Sure——, that shouldn’t be too hard—.”
Kearsarge began to recite what he knew.
His face glowed under the interrogation room lights, and he looked quite happy.
Uniformed Imperial Army officers stood behind a glass window, taking notes on the confession.
“It’s–it gives me chills no matter how many times I see it. Your abilities.”
“It’s the most dangerous power in the world, and it’s a good thing he’s the one with the shadow mana.”
The female lieutenant breathed a sigh of relief.
The mind control that came from Shadow’s mana could not be mimicked by any magic.
In the wrong hands, this power could have destroyed the world, but fortunately, it was being put to good use by a good man named Adeshan.
“—I wonder if it’s because of that ability that my heart skips a beat whenever I see you.”
The ensign next to him muttered mesmerized.
His gaze lingered on the side of Adeshan’s face.
Pale skin and a high nose.
Deep eyes that hold ashes.
Even though she was already a mother of two, she never finished lower than third in the secret Imperial Women’s Army popularity poll.
The lieutenant raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“She sounds like she’s going to get in trouble. Don’t you know who the Captain’s husband is?”
“I don’t know why, you’re my idol number one, Ronan, the hero who slayed the giant.”
“That’s the kind of thinking he does. I wouldn’t recognize a soldier like you by his tangerine peel.”
“You’re allowed to dream. Honestly, I’m sure the Lieutenant gawked when Mr. Schlieffen or Ronan came to visit, and he likes to be handsome, too.”
“—Shut up. Is that contempt of court?”
The two argued.
Of course, he didn’t forget to perfect his shorthand along the way.
How long has it been.
Adeshan, who had been sitting across from Kiersaj, stood up.
“Ike, he’s coming out.”
They hastily straightened their clothes.
Adeshan was then led out of the interrogation room.
The lieutenant holding each position saluted.
“Loyalty. Well done.”
“Yeah. You’ve been through a lot, too.”
“No. Are you done with the interrogation?”
“Yep. I don’t think there’s anything more to come. I’ve gotten a lot of good information from you.”
Adeshan smirked.
She used her mind control to rip everything out of Kearsarge’s mind, leaving nothing behind.
Not just magical lore and dastardly deeds, but the sordid details of your life that you wouldn’t even tell your parents.
Now the human Kearsarge would become a book, a book that would grace the shelves.
“Oh, and like I said, I’m leaving right away today.”
Adeshan checked his wristwatch.
It looked like we were going to make it in time.
“Yeah. Okay. What about that one?”
The lieutenant gestured toward Kearsarge.
He was still chuckling hysterically, unable to break free of his mental grip.
Adeshan glanced back through the glass and spoke up.
“Dispose of it.”
The voice was so sterile it gave me goosebumps.
There was not an ounce of sympathy in his ashen eyes.
The lieutenant nodded and drew his sword.
“I see.”
“Thank you. He’s been cooperating so well, I don’t think we need to send him to Rodolan.”
Originally, I was going to make him suffer for a long time, but I changed my mind halfway through.
She provided quality information and made my husband feel accepted by the kids.
She loves her family more than anything, so she decided to have some mercy.
“Why don’t people know the value of peace?”
Adeshan said to himself.
Nebula Clasier may be gone, but the army is still there.
Somewhere in the vastness of the stars, wars are fought and memorials are erected.
Throwing her coat over her shoulders, she took a step.
Behind him, he heard Kiersaj’s voice.
“Okay, wait a minute—is this—? Kaboom!”
I managed to regain my senses, but I wasn’t given the chance to leave a last will and testament.
There was silence, followed by the sound of swords being swung.
Adeshan checked his clothes for blood on the way out of the headquarters building.
Honestly, I was a little relieved when Lance said he was following Ronan and not her.
****
Phileon Academy.
A martial arts classroom located in Galerion Hall.
“Wow—.”
“Lance’s father is the best—.”
Their eyes were sparkling.
Their eyes were all focused on the video that floated in front of the class.
The video showed Ronan, Arcel, and Orse fighting an army of undead.
【Vanish! You insects!】
The climax of the video began with Orsay blowing his brass.
The sight of the ground crumbling under Asel’s telekinesis and the undead armies burning in the fire of the demon dragons was enough to ignite a fire in the hearts of the boys and girls.
“You mean to tell me you were also close with that demon dragon Orse—!”
“That’s Asel the Archmage floating next to you, I hear you’re an old friend from back home.”
The students were impressed not only by Ronan’s abilities, but also by his connections.
Even his friends were history books because he was the hero who saved the world.
Lance, who was watching the video with me, gagged.
“Ouch.”
“What’s the matter, Lance?”
“No, I just had a little stomach bug.”
Lance wiped the corner of his mouth.
I almost didn’t post it.
In fact, what he was using for his presentation was a cleverly crafted edit.
This was possible because Sechika had footage from his perspective.
‘Never the original. Never show me the original.’
Lance swallowed hard.
He gained a lot of respect for Ronan from this experience, but that’s another story.
If the original was shown for even 30 seconds, every single student in the room would either vomit or run out howling.
“Dad–I respect you so much.”
Lance muttered.
He didn’t think he could wake up from the dead and still be covered in blood.
Before I knew it, the video was coming to an end.
Ronan was the last man standing.
High in the air.
Ronan, who was on Orse’s back, plummeted to the ground.
Chaaaaaaaah!!!
The sight of a red crescent moon in the middle of the battlefield drove the students absolutely crazy.
“Yahhh! So cool!”
“The last time I saw you, you were watering the plants in your underwear—are you the same person?”
“Fuck, that’s it, that’s the hero!”
“Come forward, the one you just cursed at, yes, you, Sensen.”
Applause erupted from all sides.
Wilumph, who had asked to photograph Ronan at work, even climbed on top of his desk and did headspins.
The Emperor’s declaration that the continent was unified was unlikely to elicit such a response.
Lance smiled awkwardly as he recited his closing remarks.
“Thank you for taking a look. I’ve learned a lot from doing this assignment, and to be honest, I didn’t really know what my father did until three days ago, or to be more honest, I didn’t think he had a real job, but I’m not complaining. I mean, if I win a jousting tournament, I get a prize money to play and eat for the rest of my life, and if I save the world, I get to play a little, right?”
There was laughter all around.
Lance’s expression turned serious.
“But it wasn’t that. My father’s job was to drive out the shadows that still lingered in the world, and you were hiding it from me because you didn’t want me to be in danger. Ronan the Hero was still a hero. He was just wielding a sword in a different place, out of sight—.”
Lance dragged his feet.
He was squeamish and disgusted, but he genuinely admired his father.
This world was structured so that someone would inevitably have blood on their hands.
And peace could only be maintained because there was a man like my father, a man with far more blood on his hands than most.
That’s what Lance realized while working on this assignment.
His lips parted for a moment.
“—I couldn’t be prouder of a father like that, and that concludes my presentation.”
“Waaaaaaaah!!!”
There was another round of applause.
The cheers that erupted rattled through the Galerion’s coffin.
The professor who gave the assignment was also clapping with a very satisfied smile on his face.
“I mean it.”
Lance, standing still, spoke in a voice only he could hear.
****
“I’m back.”
It was dusk when Lance returned home.
Pileon was a dormitory system, but I was allowed to go home on Friday evenings and weekends.
The sunset streaming through the window was turning the living room red.
“Is anyone there?”
Lance scowled.
This was supposed to be the time when Erin would be greeting me with her bubbly personality.
That’s weird.
Time for everyone to stay home?
Lance loosened his tie and walked into the master bedroom.
“Welcome home. Son.”
“——?”
Lance froze.
The hairs on my body stood on end.
I slowly turned around to see Adeshan standing there, smiling broadly.
He was still in his military uniform, so it looked like he had just gotten off work.
“Uh, Mom, you’re home early today—?”
“That’s it. It’s a happy day, so we should go out to eat as a family.”
“—Good day?”
“Yes. I heard from Instructor Navarro, and he said you did a great job with your presentation. My husband and son seem to have gotten to know each other better, and Mom is so happy.”
Adeshan smiled, palms together.
It was his usual friendly laugh, but today it felt a little off.
As Lance let out a sharp breath, he heard a familiar voice.
“Oh—oh—oh—.”
“Eh, Erin?!”
Lance turned his head in surprise.
I was nervous and didn’t notice it.
In the corner of the huge bed, my sister lay face down in her pajamas.
She spoke in a voice that sounded as if she might lose consciousness at any moment.
“Do, run away—.”
“You—!”
Lance’s eyes widened.
On Erin’s hip was a furoshiki wrapped in ice.
Tears were streaming down her moistened eyes.
“Uh, I can’t feel my butt—.”
Erin gasped.
There was only one possible reason.
Suddenly, Lance’s hipbone throbbed in warning.
“Heh, heh, heh!”
“Mom didn’t want to do this either. But I had to break the one rule, and what was it?”
“I would never—do anything risky. Not when it’s life or death.”
“Yeah. Why would he do that if he knew what he was doing?”
“Uh, I don’t know what she’s talking about—I don’t know anything—!”
A terrified Lance rambled on.
Adeshan pulls something out of his pocket.
A sphere you’ve seen many times before, imprinted with a magic spell.
There was a flash of light, and then an image appeared out of thin air.
– If we don’t go, they’re gonna die. You stay here with Cecica.
– I also like men with big asses.
– Take Erin with you!
That was Lance’s group from above.
Judging by the conversation, he was about to jump off Orsay’s back.
How do I do this?
Where?
Lance’s face went white.
“Huhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
“Do you know how surprised my mom was? She was in the middle of a parade of troops and almost cried.”
“Uh, Mom. Well, it’s because—.”
“I don’t want anything else, son. There’s only one rule, and I really don’t want to think about it, but—just in case. If you were to go wrong—whoops. No, I don’t want to think about that.”
Adeshan’s breathing quickened, and his heart sank again at the memory.
She received the tool while working in the military.
If Asel had delayed his report any longer, she would have used her mind control on Kratyr and chased him south.
Suddenly, Lance, who had figured out the culprit, cried out in frustration.
“Seo, don’t tell me Sita is—!”
“You’re a quick thinker, son.”
As it turned out, the only thing that could be the culprit was the dream.
Her mother had cast the same spell on Sita that she had cast on Ronan.
“It just kind of popped out of nowhere.
Resentment reared its ugly head, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.
Adeshan clasped his hands and took a step forward.
“Well–you’ll have to pay for breaking the rules. Let’s get this over with and go eat.”
“Now, wait a minute, Mom, I did it wrong!”
“I know, that’s why he’s being punished. Cechika is probably being scolded by Aunt Marja right now.”
“Ha, just this once, please forgive me! I don’t mind the allowance cut or the grounding, please!”
Lance fell to his knees and begged for mercy.
It didn’t matter that Erin was staring.
He was a far cry from the hero’s son, with tears streaming down his face and a runny nose.
“I’m sorry, son, but the rules must be followed, and rest assured it will be done in one go, as stated.”
“Hee hee! No!”
Nevertheless, a miracle did happen.
Instead of being a loving mother, Adeshan is now a ruthless defender and enforcer of the law.
You were just interrogating a criminal.
Adeshan gave him a quick hug and the door to the master bedroom slammed shut.
“Yahhh-!!!”
A pitiful scream, unheard even in the interrogation room, echoed through the mansion.
Ronan chuckled as he hosed down the garden.
He and Sita were watching a video of Lance’s presentation that Nabirozé had taken.
“Yeah. I’m proud of you, too. Son.”
“Bam!”