Chapter 205 An Argument with My Father

Seglade lived in an inconspicuous inn in the working-class district of "Luca Port," not too far from the tavern and warehouse. She probably didn't stay at her parents' house because it was convenient for drinking and handling the affairs of the refugee relief team.

The reason was that Felita couldn't be found, so her family wasn't very friendly towards Seglade.

However, after only a year and a half, I never expected Seglade to have changed so much. Although I had always considered him a mediocre person, I never thought it would be this exaggerated.

Next to the warehouse is the tavern, a place Seglade frequents. It has the same unchanging double doors, and doesn't look as high-end as the guild's; it's just an ordinary wooden door.

The tavern was furnished with many tables and chairs, mostly made of wood. It seemed that the owner was not a particularly wealthy person, so he kept the layout costs to a minimum and spent most of his money on the merchandise.

For example, there are all kinds of wines and dishes, including some from overseas. You know, once something is labeled like that, the price will skyrocket. Would anyone actually try to buy such things in a tavern in a working-class area?

However... there probably are such people. Seglade is one of them. Because her family provides for the daily expenses of the refugee relief team, is she using those public funds to drink?

I was led to a wooden round table and sat down, while Seglade sat opposite me. The tavern wasn't just for the two of us; besides the rescue team, there were also most of the guys who hadn't gone home all night.

Leaving aside the others, the female swordsman sitting behind Seglade does catch my attention. After all, the area I cast the cold magic on no longer exists after leaving the warehouse, so she has returned to her revealing attire.

She has chestnut hair, which she has tied into pigtails in some way. With her delicate face and charming eyes, even without this revealing outfit, she would probably be a woman who would turn heads wherever she goes.

However... the problem is that her current attire is indeed quite revealing. Although it is armor, it covers almost everything that should and shouldn't be exposed: a full bust, a slender waist, a plump and round buttocks, and gleaming thighs.

She looks only seventeen or eighteen years old, yet she has such an unforgettable figure. If I had to compare her to Lilith, I would choose her without hesitation. Although I feel a little bad for Lilith, please forgive my damn lecherous nature.

And... just the fact that he has twin tails is enough to get a perfect score.

On the way from the warehouse to the tavern, I heard her name mentioned by other members of the rescue team; she seemed to be called Luna.

I have indeed seen similar myths about the moon goddess, who represents purity and romance, but they are completely at odds with this female swordsman.

In short, it's just a name, probably just a symbol, so Luna is not the mythical being described in the book.

Even so, the moon probably has the connotations of black and white, so it's reasonable that Luna, with such an opposite personality, would be born.

That said, she was the one who got me into a tough fight, exposing my weaknesses to the enemy, which is why I couldn't end the battle for so long.

However... Luna's figure is very much to Segrede's liking. After all, even I couldn't look away in time. In other words, this might be Segrede's new target after losing her mother.

The saying "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature" probably describes a guy like Seglade. Sylvie almost fell victim to his evil deeds. With her mother not around, I don't believe he could suppress those negative emotions.

Maybe... Luna is already pregnant, and you'll inexplicably have a younger sister or brother.

No, no, no... He is my father, so I should have some reason to trust him. Besides... it's not bad to appreciate it like this, at least it's a feast for the eyes.

Luna, who was sitting behind Seglade, was also looking at me, so our eyes would occasionally meet. Out of politeness, she would wink at me, after all, her attitude had changed somewhat after learning that I was Seglade's child.

"Hey, Leon... Leon?"

At this point, Seglade spoke first, probably wanting to break the deadlock in order to make the most of this rare family reunion.

In short, I would nod in response to Luna first, since it would be very impolite not to respond, before forcibly turning my attention back to Seglade.

"Father, it's been a long time..."

"Yes... Leon, it's so good to see you."

Seglade sounded unusually tired. Come to think of it, his father had indeed changed a lot compared to the one he remembered, even though it had only been a year and a half since they last met.

He was noticeably thinner, his eyes were listless, his beard looked like it hadn't been cut in ages, and his hair was frizzy and messy. He wasn't old yet, but wrinkles were starting to appear on his face, and his breathing and speech reeked of alcohol. He looked utterly颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being decadent, dispirited, or颓废).

I have never seen my father like this before. In my memory, although he was a bit of a scoundrel, he was at least sunny and cheerful. If you remove his lecherous nature, he would probably be the kind of sunny and cheerful big boy. But the person in front of me is completely different.

"Yes...yes...it's so good to see Father."

However, I was finally able to see my family as I had wished. Although that "human god" guy was full of nonsense, at least he didn't lie to me this time.

Even so, I still can't figure out why my father has become like this. Although his hometown suffered such a thing, most of the people around him are women, and they are dressed very provocatively. They should be living a very comfortable life.

“Um… Leon? You should know about that teleportation magic, right? The entire town of Collins…”

Seglade took the initiative to steer the conversation to the main point, which was indeed why I came to "Dororo," though it was entirely due to the advice of the "gods and men."

But when it comes to "Clins Town," I don't actually know the truth. I only learned about what happened after my family was moved from the "human god." But I have no idea how wide the area was or what other information there was.

For a moment, I didn't know how to answer my father's question.

"Leon? Why are you here? Is it because you have news about Felicia?"

"Uh...no...no."

"No? Then why did you come to Dororo? You must have seen the message!"

"A message? What message?"

I'm not sure what Seglade is referring to, but I haven't seen any similar comments along the way.

"..."

Seeing my questioning expression, Seglade suddenly frowned unhappily. Even such a simple emotion was something I had never felt before.

That being said...did I say anything that upset him?

Although I don't know anything about messages like that, I've come all this way with the hope of finding my family. Shouldn't family reunions be a happy and warm occasion? What's the situation now?

"I'm asking you, Leon! Do you know about the transfer of Felita, Sylvie, and Anna?"

"Know……"

"Then tell me, what exactly have you been doing in the past six months! Do you have any news about them?"

"Well……"

Seglade's voice was so loud that I was momentarily at a loss and unable to answer his question. Besides, I had been following the advice of the "human god" all along and had no information about my family.

"Leon! Tell me! What have you been doing for the past six months?"

"I……"

Speaking of the past six months, there is no doubt that I have suffered a lot. Whether it was being chased by the Seventh Prince at the beginning, facing Nighold, or even walking across the entire desert, I have experienced a lot of hardships.

However, thanks to Lilith and Katya's company, looking back now, it was actually a very memorable journey. Although there were many sad things, I don't intend to tell Seglade about them.

He was wanted as a murderer, or caused Lilith to lose an arm due to his own negligence, or was even imprisoned as some kind of sex animal.

In short, since Seglade asked about my experiences over the past six months, I should tell him something. In order not to worry my father, I have adapted the story based on the facts into the following five parts.

The first part is about accidentally saving Princess Bellshinoru and going to the "Kingdom of Kylorans". Since it was a sudden departure from Buryenne, it was necessary to inform the father of this reason in advance.

The second part follows Lilith and Katia on their journey to Robebia to find their family, passing through villages and the story of Melocas along the way.

The third part is about meeting Nighold in "La Noscea" and cracking a kidnapping case, but I didn't mention being wanted, so as not to worry Seglade.

The fourth part is about our group's feat of hiking across the entire desert. Since there was nothing to hide, I exaggerated a lot when I talked about this part, and even got more and more excited as I talked, which turned into a kind of performance art with body language.

Incidentally, I glossed over the matter of the "human god," since he was someone even Julius didn't know. If he appeared in the story, he would probably be seen as a lunatic, a strange child who worshipped some unfamiliar god.

In short, after overcoming numerous difficulties, we finally arrived at "Port Luca".

Just as I was about to continue telling the story of how I saved the orc tribe and became a hero to make my father proud, I suddenly shut my mouth.

—Because I saw that my father was very unhappy.

In other words, upon hearing my perfect story, it seems that something made Seglade very unhappy, and that's when she realized she forgot to mention her original intention of finding her family.

"In short, I did have the intention of finding it..."

"Enough!"

Just as I was about to continue speaking, Seglade suddenly interrupted me with a roar I had never heard before.

"I heard you clearly. For the past six months, you've only been traveling and having fun with your mistress!"

"Huh? What's going on?"

For some reason, Seglade's words made me inexplicably angry. It wasn't because he belittled Lilith and Katya as his mistresses, but because he was unhappy during this rare family reunion, as if he was deliberately picking a fight.

"I'm also trying my best to find my family! It's been a tough job for me too!"

"What hardship?! I couldn't find a single word about them in your account! You keep calling her Lilith! Have you ever thought about where Felicia is right now? She might be in mortal danger at any moment!"

"I……"

To be honest, I have no answer to questions like those about Seglade.

"Judging from your tone, I can't sense any hardship at all!"

"..."

To avoid worrying my father, I deliberately adapted my experiences into a story that sounded lighthearted, clearly wanting him to believe that I was no longer that little kid and to gain his approval.

But now...

"Leon! I'm asking you! You've been in 'La Noscia' for so long, why didn't you gather any information about the other relocated people?!"

I could only remain silent about this. Because of the "human god's" advice, I became dependent on him from the beginning and went to participate in the subjugation quest. Then I was delayed by the matter of the Mystic Eyes, and finally by the matter of Nighogd. So I forgot about this at some point.

"I...I was too busy, so I forgot..."

"Forgot? You have the time to help those complete strangers, but not to find out about the other transferees? Even so, shouldn't you have at least inquired about Felicia first?"

I shut my mouth. Seglade was right. Even the most important things need to be prioritized. Besides, the reason I came to "Robertia" was to find my family.

However, I only realized this now, but I had really forgotten about it back then, and it's too late to regret it now.

"Hmph! He didn't go looking for anyone, didn't send a single word, and didn't even send a letter. He abandoned his parents and instead took his lover on an adventurous trip. And then what? The first thing he did upon arriving in Dororo was to witness a kidnapping, and then put on a bra and pretend to be a righteous person?"

Seglade gave a mocking snort, then picked up a bottle of wine and drank the whole thing in one gulp. He even spat on the ground afterward. His manner clearly showed that he looked down on me.

"Seriously...who are you trying to impress with this act?"

To be honest, even though he is my father, he makes me very uncomfortable. Although I don't require him to abstain from drinking, isn't this a rare opportunity for the family to get together?

"I tried my best, okay? Even though I had no information about my family, I still tried my best to find them! Otherwise, why would I have come to 'Dororo'!"

"I never said you didn't give it your all!"

Seglade's speech was all in a tone that made people feel comfortable.

"Then why have you been criticizing me from beginning to end?"

I finally snapped. Even when facing my father, there are limits to my patience. Although I'm not old enough to rebel yet, his words were just too sarcastic.

"Why? I'm the one asking you why!"

What are you saying?

"What am I saying? Am I interfering with your lovey-dovey time? Well, I'm really sorry to have you stumbled upon a kidnapping!"

"You are really not the father I know anymore..."

"Really? Then should I apologize to you for not getting your son's approval?"

Now that things have come to this, I have indeed reflected on myself. Whether it's about my family or Lilith, I do deserve to reflect. But all the hard work I've done has been negated by this drunken father in front of me.

"Commander! That's enough. He's still young, and going too far with the insults won't make any difference."

I didn't respond to my father's reprimand. Suddenly, the scantily clad female knight stepped forward and put her hand on Seglade's shoulder.

Seeing this, I couldn't help but sneer.

So that's how it is? Although he speaks in a high-sounding manner, he's still a lecherous fellow whose nature is hard to change.