Inheriting the Novel

Chapter 45 : Return (2)

Return (2)

After the Founding Festival came to an end and we were preparing to return to the kingdom.

I was harboring a certain worry deep inside.

'What if they ask me to stay in the empire?'

Of course, ordinarily, such a thing would be out of the question.

But if the princess of the empire set her mind on it and used every means possible, it wouldn't be entirely impossible.

I'd learned that Riya wasn't the sort of person to cross that line, but still, I couldn't help but worry.

After all, she sometimes showed behaviors I couldn't understand.

'Besides, it's certain that Riya harbors feelings for me...'

Whether it was a romantic feeling or the appreciation of a sovereign for an exceptional talent—it remained unclear, but that she had a positive feeling towards me, in some way, was certain.

'It's not bad news for me, for sure.'

She was beautiful, needless to say, and a woman who knew how to be considerate of others.

Who could possibly not have feelings for her?

If circumstances allowed, I wouldn't be agonizing like this.

'... Should I prepare some words of refusal, just in case?'

If I declined half-heartedly, there would surely be a huge commotion.

So I had no choice but to carefully select the words and expressions I'd use.

It was with those heavy thoughts that I greeted the day we left for the kingdom.

"Well then, until next time, Count Vanhart."

What greeted me was, unexpectedly, an unremarkable farewell. There was no special plea for me to stay in the empire or anything like that.

"Yes. I, too, look forward to seeing Your Highness again."

That was the end.

Riya neither said anything special to me nor tried to stop me from leaving.

In fact, as things turned out this way, I was left with a vague feeling—was it relief, or maybe regret?

'Did I overthink things?'

It was embarrassing; I must have worried about everything all on my own.

At the time, I didn't realize.

That the 'next time' Riya spoke of would be much sooner than I thought.

* * *

The territory of House Vanhart was located in the south of the kingdom of Talua.

It wasn't a particularly large territory, nor did it have any notable features, but to me, it was the most precious hometown.

"Oh my, young master! You're finally back!"

As I entered the mansion, Dorian, Monet's father and the chief butler of the mansion, greeted me with a face full of emotion.

"Dad!"

Monet ran straight to Dorian and threw herself into his arms.

Well, from Monet's point of view, she had never been apart from Uncle Dorian for this long before, so it must have felt like an even longer time.

I watched the father and daughter's reunion with a pleased smile, then approached Dorian to greet him.

"Uncle, have you been well?"

"Yes, of course. The Duke's retainers came during your absence and helped us a lot."

Dorian paused there, face full of deep emotion, and continued.

"I heard from the knights from the capital. They said you distinguished yourself in the recent war and even attended the Founding Festival of the empire."

It seemed he still hadn't received news about what had happened during the Founding Festival.

Well, with the distance, that was only natural.

"It just turned out that way."

"You truly are the pride of our house. The master should have seen you like this..."

With his eyes reddening as he spoke, the longing for my father was clear in his expression.

Dorian was the one who, ever since father started to change, had remained loyal and stayed at the mansion.

'Father...'

Thinking of my father, I couldn't help but feel unsettled.

'He' had only entered my father's body, not truly my father.

But at this point, it was hard to consider him a stranger.

Ten years is not a short time.

For all those years, he truly was my father.

After contemplating for a moment, I asked Dorian,

"Uncle Dorian, could you guide me to my father's grave?"

In order to settle the bond between my father and me.

* * *

My father's body was cremated immediately after his death and buried in the family graveyard.

It's the graveyard where, for generations, the heads of House Vanhart had lain.

My father was also enshrined here, his name carved into the arid stone wall.

"In the end, I never learned where he had come from."

Just as with Grancesia's profile, I wondered if I could see a profile, but nothing appeared.

Which made sense.

After all, he wasn't originally a person from this world where profiles exist.

"Actually, at first I was too shocked to think straight, but... I've since come to have a question."

The riding accident ten years ago.

If, at that time, 'he' hadn't possessed my real father's body, could my father have survived?

According to the original story, he would have, but there were many oddities.

'The doctor said it was a miracle he regained consciousness.'

If the doctor's words were true, then father likely wouldn't have escaped death.

'Even assuming he had woken after the accident, would father have gone out and saved Fabian? No. He probably would have just taken care of pending business.'

In other words, from the moment my father didn't open his eyes after the riding accident, the future of this world had already started to change.

Regardless of the possession.

"At first, I thought the root of all this was your possession... but maybe, before that, there was something else."

Otherwise, nothing made sense.

'I have to find out what that is.'

I may not know what it is now, but if I don't figure it out, it's bound to become an obstacle for me.

"You probably never truly thought of me as your son until the end, did you?"

Slowly, I opened the cap of the bottle of liquor I'd brought.

This was the drink 'father' had liked.

The one he always drank holed up in his room.

"But to me, you were my father. That's how I think."

Ssshhh.

Pouring the liquor over my father's gravestone, I recalled the last glimpse I'd seen of his back.

That lonely figure I'd seen on the day he departed for the battlefield.

"I hope your soul returns to its original world. Rest in peace, father."

I offered comfort to my father, who had died after facing endless despair alone in a foreign land.

And I hoped that my consolation wouldn't reach him.

That would mean his soul had returned to his original world.

[So, what now? Won't you be unable to chase Fabian if you stay holed up in your territory?]

As I left the grave, Grancesia—who had been silent until then—spoke.

"Come to think of it, aren't you a saint? Why didn't you bless my father or something?"

[... Sorry. I'm not really good at those things. I haven't really prayed much for others.]

I just asked lightly, but her somewhat lonely answer caught me off guard, so I changed the subject.

"Ah, anyway, there's no need to hurry after Fabian. The 'calamity of disease and demons' episode took place over several months."

[Ah, so that's why the damage got so bad?]

"Right. It normally takes time to identify the culprit and make medicine. Actually, we solved it abnormally quickly."

If I hadn't used Edward's knowledge to develop a cure, it would've taken at least another month. The damage would have multiplied exponentially.

[So you still have some breathing room?]

"Yeah. And the next episode's starting location was written down, so there's no need to deduce."

[Where is it?]

"Northern kingdom, Eintban."

A kingdom located in the land known as the earth of winter.

[Eintban? That's pretty far from the empire. Why go all the way out there?]

"The kingdom of Eintban sent a relief request to the empire."

While struggling to overcome the calamity of disease and demons and barely restoring order, a message from the kingdom of Eintban arrived.

It was a plea for aid due to continuous heavy snowfall.

"Of course, the empire, too busy with the epidemic, couldn't help..."

[So Fabian's the one who goes instead?]

"That's right."

Since the relief request only came after the incident was resolved, there was plenty of time.

Of course, I planned to go earlier. The fact that they sent a relief request meant they'd already sustained major damage.

[So, what are you going to do in the meantime?]

"What else?"

By the time I arrived in my territory, I'd already checked its synopsis.

"The things Father was trying to obtain for the sake of the future—as his son, I'll take care of them in his stead."

The things Father tried to get, knowing the future.

By now, many had come into others' hands, but there were still some left.

And they were quite important.

* * *

The county of Vanhart is where the novel "Sound of the Sword" begins.

Fabian's birthplace, and the place of his childhood.

That's why the synopsis here was especially thick.

And since it was the starting point of the novel, it wasn't entwined with major incidents, unlike earlier episodes.

In other words, it consisted of rather simple matters.

[So there isn't much important going on here?]

"No. There's nothing as important as the beginning of a story."

It's at the beginning that the protagonist inevitably gains their strength.

The stepping stones for Fabian's growth as the main character.

If I can take those for myself, 'beneficial' wouldn't even begin to describe the gains.

'Even though Father failed...'

With the fame I have now, I should be able to secure them.

What's more, there were accounts of major incidents that wouldn't occur until the far future.

"And there are even episodes that happen after Fabian returns here."

[So you can get information about things before they even happen?]

"Exactly."

The episodes at the top of my list of concerns mostly fell into that category.

As I reviewed the episodes once more, I muttered,

"Let's see... There are two things I need to do first."

[What are they? Are they important?]

"So important I'd regret it for life if I missed them."

There were leftover rewards from childhood episodes, but those could wait.

What mattered most was finishing the things with a 'deadline' first.

'These two are worth more than all other remaining rewards here combined.'

I opened the synopsis again to confirm the details.

'The Timmons merchant guild, and the dungeon in Kiten Forest.'

The Timmons merchant guild didn't have much to do with Fabian.

But according to the synopsis, it would be of great help to me, so I had to secure it.

And the dungeon in Kiten Forest was the most important place in all of Vanhart's territory.

'The episodes related to the dungeon must be resolved.'

The dungeon located in Kiten Forest, also known as the fairy forest.

Fabian would gain a great opportunity there.

The Moon Severing Sword, which heralded the rise of the Seven Heroes, and the hero called Sword God.

Damian Viet.

He was right there.