Chapter 373

“Wow, there are still so many of them! Come here and look at the fish!”
“Wow! Wow! It’s real! Can I fish?”
Iril gestured.
Turning her head, Aria opened her mouth in admiration.
Beneath the blue waters of the river, a school of backed Sacramento mullet swam by.
It was an unassuming fish, but it was a different kind of fish than the aroana in the tank.
“Hmmm, be careful not to fall into the water.”
Schlieffen coughed as he rowed.
The mother and daughter were squatting side by side on the edge of the raft.
I couldn’t take my eyes off it because I felt like I was going to fall off.
Turning around, Iriel grinned and waved.
“Ehehe, don’t worry, I’m a good swimmer!”
“Me too! Erin taught me the other day!”
“Even so—whoops.”
Schlieffen pursed his lips.
I managed to make it to the new button, but I couldn’t get rid of my nervousness.
He and his family have been exploring Nimbus since the morning sunrise.
Should it be called a rural experience rather than tourism?
We got our hands dirty, dug potatoes, milked cows, sat on stumps and drank freshly milked milk.
The raggedy clothes didn’t cause too much of a stir in the neighborhood.
After lunching on a packed lunch that Iriel had brought, he became a sailor and piloted a raft.
I was delighted, of course.
It was a long shot, but like a plant that requires only sunlight and water, Schlieffen could live off the happiness of his wife and daughter.
‘It’s fun. But I don’t have time for this—.’
It was just unnerving.
What he should have in his hands now was a sword, not an oar.
At this point, Nabiroze and Jaifa would still be growing stronger.
“What the heck does he want to show me?
Schlieffen’s lips curled in compulsion.
Iriel had risen to his feet by now and was approaching at full stride.
“Ehhehe, let’s go to another place now. Ah! If we go downstream, we can get close to our house!”
“—OK.”
Schlieffen did just that.
There was an irresistible magic in Iril’s sparkling eyes.
The current meant I didn’t have to paddle much.
They got off the raft and soon found themselves in front of a small house.
The ivy covering the exterior walls was beautiful.
The bags that held the potatoes were still on display in the backyard.
Iriel breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that his surroundings are empty.
“Phew, thank goodness there’s no one here, I was afraid there would be a crowd of tourists—.”
“That’s right, you’re lucky.”
Schlieffen blurted out.
In fact, it wasn’t all luck.
He contacted the islands’ tourism board the same day his trip to Nimbuton was planned.
As one of the most popular tourist destinations, renting Ronan and Irene’s birthplace was no easy task, even for the Duke of Gracia.
Schlieffen did, of course, but he wouldn’t reveal it until the end of the trip.
Aria blinked.
“Heh, what is this place, a warehouse?”
“Ahaha, it might look like that to Aria. It’s not a warehouse, this is her mom’s house.”
“Eek, this is a house?!”
Aria was stunned.
It was a huge shock to her, having lived her entire life in the Gracia mansion.
It was smaller than the shed that housed the snow removal equipment on the corner of the estate.
Iril stroked her hair gently.
“Mommy and Uncle Ronan have lived here for a long time, and my maternal grandparents even longer. Shall we go inside first?”
“Yes! I’m in!”
Aria nodded.
She held her mom’s hand tightly and opened the front door.
The smell of old wood and dust was palpable.
The inside was even more dilapidated than the outside.
“Ahhh–things really haven’t changed.”
Iril snorted.
Memories bloomed everywhere I looked.
The dining room table you ate at with your family, the chair with one wobbly leg.
The big cauldron where Ronan saved his money for something he wanted to do someday—.
She was in the middle of time traveling.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, Aria raised an eyebrow.
It’s like a rabbit sensing a popularity contest.
“What’s wrong, Aria?”
“Mom. There’s something in that room.”
“Huh?”
Iril looked away.
Aria stared at the master bedroom.
She began to walk away, as if mesmerized by something.
“Oh, come on, let’s go, what do you have?”
“Oomph–that’s definitely here somewhere.”
Arya paused as she entered the master bedroom.
The room was surprisingly small, with only a large bed for two people and a small closet.
Schlieffen and Iril watched her in silence.
At one point, Aria, who had been sniffing up to her nose, suddenly rolled over and crawled under the bed.
“Aria—!”
“Ouch, that’s Jeezy!”
The couple freaked out at the same time.
Iril grabbed her by the waist and tried to pull her out.
After a long pause, Aria jerked away.
“Found it!”
“Huh? The book is called—.”
Iril froze.
In her fern-like hands, she held a thick, oversized book.
Mate!
Iriel clapped his hands.
“Wow, it’s here, I couldn’t find it somehow!”
“Hee hee!”
Aria’s shoulders slumped.
She calmed her racing heart and turned to Iril.
“I’m surprised–is that your mom’s book?”
“Uh, yeah. It’s actually a children’s book that belonged to Ariane’s maternal grandfather. I used to read it to Ronan every day because it had so many funny stories in it. Hehe, it’s so nice to see you.”
It was a book I read every day until I lost it.
Iril brushed off the cover.
The dark green cover was made of thousands of strands of slender vines woven together.
“Wait a minute, you don’t mean that book—.”
Schlieffen’s eyes narrowed.
I hadn’t realized it until just now, but the book had a strange quality to it.
Upon closer inspection, you can see that several strands of vines of different colors make up the text.
An ancient language that is no longer spoken.
Schlieffen read the words slowly.
[Harmony: Blaire].
“Oh, my God.”
Schlieffen’s face hardened.
No matter how many times I tried, the result was the same.
Blur of Harmony.
One of the only undiscovered spellbooks written by Cain the Savior.
Iril glanced over at Blaire and smirked.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“This is not a normal book, did you feel anything as you read it?”
“Nyeh? What do you mean?”
“Literally, did you hear any strange voices or feel nauseous?”
“Uh–of course, it’s just a book, you can’t possibly have that happen to you, I’ve read it so many times.”
Iril was clueless.
Schlieffen started to say more, but then gave up.
I didn’t have the mental capacity to keep track of everything that bothered me.
“——That’s great. Aria. How did you find this?”
“Huh? I just felt it coming, so I followed it.”
“Creepy?”
“Yeah. I can feel it now, like it’s whispering—it seems to be responding, so I let it out.”
Aria laughed.
Schlieffen was too shocked to say anything.
He prided himself on his ability to sense mana, second only to Asel, but apparently his six-year-old daughter had caught up.
“—Okay. Good job.”
“Ehhhh.”
“Ma’am, would you mind if I kept that book?”
“Huh? Nah, I don’t care.”
Iril obediently held out the blade.
Schlieffen tucked the last of the forbidden texts deep into his backpack.
Iriel said it was an ordinary children’s book, but it was too dangerous to be in the countryside like this.
—Hey, that went well.
After a moment of silence, Schlieffen spoke up.
“Ma’am. I think I’d better get back, I’ll have an escort posted, and you and Aria can take your time sightseeing.”
“Eh?! Why all of a sudden?”
“Actually, the book Aria found earlier is no ordinary book. It’s a very dangerous artifact, far from being valuable. I’ll take it to a safe place in case something happens to it.”
His voice was serious.
The reasoning was impeccably logical.
In fact, all three volumes of the Grimoire of Cain were the highest risk artifacts.
But none of that mattered to Iril.
She spread her arms wide, blocking Schlieffen’s path.
“No, I haven’t even been to the place you want to show me yet, and I’m falling in love with it! No way!”
“But—.”
“I told you there was nothing wrong with the book. It’s just that you’re anxious, isn’t it? You feel like you’re falling behind even now. You’ve been nervous the whole trip, you.”
Iril whispered in his ear.
I didn’t want to agitate Aria.
Schlieffen’s eyes widened as he realized the full implications.
“——!”
“You didn’t think I didn’t know? Really?”
Iril’s cheeks are inflated.
Schlieffen had no defense, only a cold sweat.
He planned to train as soon as he could actually get back home.
Find the hardest training you can, to sharpen your storm blade.
Checking Schlieffen’s wristwatch, Iril said.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t take you right away, but it’s been a while, and we were supposed to leave around this time.”
“Time—where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“First, promise me you won’t run away again.”
“——I promise, and I apologize for being shallow.”
“Okay. I’ll take it.”
Pulling away, Iril smiled.
Schlieffen’s face flushed red with a sunburst of laughter.
I almost got myself in trouble trying to clumsily get out.
“Wow—funny—.”
“Oops! All of a sudden!”
Aria surreptitiously pulled out her blur and read it.
Her eyes sparkled as she read the fairy tale of Orse the Demon Dragon.
Iril crept closer and hugged her from behind.
“Princess Aria, let’s go to your mom’s favorite place one last time.”
“Hiehie, you’re wrong!”
“Oh, it’s a storybook that my mom has read. Shall we go?”
“Ugh, I want to go too!”
Aria nodded quickly.
Blowing her a kiss, Iril took Schlieffen’s hand and led her away.
“Come on, you’ll love it.”
****
It’s late at night.
There was darkness everywhere.
The sky was cloudless and clear, but the light from the waxing moon was dull.
Schlieffen asked with concern in his voice.
“Ma’am, are you okay?”
“You deserve it, you’re overprotective anyway!”
Iril shook his head.
They said it was no problem, but I couldn’t help but worry.
They were riding up a mountain in the middle of the night.
The winding mountain road was narrow enough for only one person to pass.
The lanterns in their hands were the only source of light.
“But I’ve been walking for quite a while—I’m worried about hurting my beautiful feet.”
“I’ve been on this road since I was a kid, so it’s okay, let’s go!”
Iriel took a steady step forward.
I didn’t fall or stumble once.
Rocks and tree roots were everywhere, but she didn’t hesitate.
“Koooo—koooo—.”
Aria was already exhausted and had fallen asleep.
The raft trip was followed by a hike.
The sticky liquid that oozed from her mouth was soaking Schlieffen’s back in real time.
“I can’t believe I used to come here–I used to love it.
Schlieffen didn’t mind.
However, it’s hard not to be impressed by the fact that Iril has been coming here since childhood.
The streets are long, and it’s a very rough place.
I wonder where the fascination lies here.
The breeze on my cheeks was eerie.
Suddenly, Iril, who had been walking ahead, spoke up.
“You know.”
“Yes?”
“Did I ever tell you an old story?”
His voice was uncharacteristically calm.
The footsteps still hadn’t stopped.
She said without looking back.
“That was before Ronan was born.”