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Episode 118: Bad Snitch Hunting (I)
“Heinrich, when did you come in?”
Apparently, Victoria had also been in and out of this room, but she didn’t seem to have noticed him.
‘It’s easy for a wizard to hide his presence from the public.’
‘…That being said, Heinrich is too big!’
“Ummm…”
Heinrich mumbled, rubbing his sleepy eyes with the back of his hand.
“I’ve been sleeping for a while, Sister.”
Heinrich’s eyes curved as he said,
“Don’t scold me for sneaking in.”
“What the…”
As I snorted in exasperation, I patted his messy silver hair that was like a puppy’s and looked up.
“Don’t hug me, you’re forbidden.”
“…….”
He was trying to get me to hug him.
…I’ll hold it in though it’s cute.
I patted Heinri on the shoulder.
Heinrich closed his eyes and made a languid sound, cracking his neck as if in a good mood.
“It’s good that Sister is in El Dorado.”
“…….”
“Because I can see you often.”
Heinrich slowly lowered his eyelids and whispered.
“It’s so good that it’s like a dream.”
“…….”
Today, I found the boy I knew. In Heinrich’s face.
He’s so happy that it’s like a dream… When I heard the pure expression that the 11-year-old him would say, I could guess how much he must have missed me alone in El Dorado.
I said with a smile.
“I will always be here. I am not going anywhere.”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
“Promise me.”
With an anxious face, Heinrich raised his finger.
‘Heinri…’
I had already broken my promise to him. And yet, sticking out the thinnest finger on his body and asking me to make a promise—
Other than this, there’s nothing to hold onto.
Even after experiencing the possibility of having a promise broken, he had no choice but to lean on that small hope.
‘I feel sorry and sad.’
‘Heinri, I’m not leaving anymore.’
Whether I marry you or not, I won’t leave you behind like I did before.
Bang.
In an instant, I remembered the boy who was trapped inside the shield and cried sadly as he slammed on the barrier with a small hand.
“Sister, are you lying? …Why did you prepare this!!! Are you really trying to leave me?”
I still have vivid images of you from that day. How could I do that to you?
“Yes, I promise.”
I smiled and hooked my finger with his.
At that moment, the anxiety faded on Heinrich’s face, and a pretty smile appeared on it.
“Sister, I’m here because I have something to brag about.”
“What?”
“The master of the magic tower will retire soon. So, he’s going to pick the ‘next master’ of the tower. But who is the most likely candidate? …It’s me!”
“Wow!”
I was genuinely surprised.
All the previous masters of El Dorado’s magic tower were basically grandparents!
‘Our young Heinri is going to be the master of the magic tower? How good is our baby!’
“It’s really great, Heinrich. Indeed, our Heinri is a genius~”
Oh, my baby.
“You’re so cool!”
Heinrich’s high nose rose even higher. He shrugged and straightened his shoulders like a cat showing off.
“They’re going to vote soon and I’ll probably be elected. It’s almost like a nominee? It’s like the atmosphere has already been set.”
“Huh? Isn’t it a disadvantage to vote?”
‘Actually, you’re not the popular type. Unless it’s a vote on appearance.’
“Oh, it’s okay! The election of the next master is based on a thorough ‘skills system’.”
With a shrug, the kitten pointed at himself and blinked.
“It’s okay to have a bad personality!”
“…….”
Dun dun dunnnn.
‘…Ah, your judgment is fairly objective, isn’t it? Our baby.’
I gave a quick thumbs up.
“Indeed, our Heinri is the best!”
“Right?”
“Yes!”
Heinrich looked as happy as he was supported by me, but his expression gradually darkened a little as he fell into contemplation.
I caught onto the dark cloud and asked right away.
“What’s the matter…?”
“Actually, Sister, I have a problem.”
“What?”
Heinrich’s expression seemed like he was hesitating about whether to speak or not. This kid was usually reckless, so it was clear that it was a big concern.
As I was quietly concentrating, he opened his mouth and continued speaking.
“I got a call from my biological father.”
“……!”
Heinrich’s father.
A great archmage, but a merciless man who abandoned the courtesan woman and her child with him.
Living in the same El Dorado, he has never contacted Heinrich.
‘…He would have heard that Heinrich was adopted, but he still pretended not to know.’
If the child you had abandoned became the child of another nobleman, you would usually take a peek, but this cold-hearted man did not.
‘Is it different from the original?’
I recalled the contents of the original for the first time in a while.
‘The contents of the birth father came out only as a narrative.’
He was a biological father who appeared only as a narrative to explain how unhappy Heinrich’s childhood was and why he became such a character.
‘In the end, even until Heinrich has a miserable and devastating ending…’
He never showed up.
But let’s think about it in another way.
Right now, Heinrich was smiling brightly in front of me with such a soft and pretty face, but in the original story—
‘He was framed as a traitor.’
If he revealed himself as his biological father, he would surely be dead.
By the hands of the original Sislin.
Maybe it was because he was afraid that he didn’t show up?
But now that things have changed, he might show some affection.
‘Even if you don’t love enough to risk your life, your child is your child.’
That possibility could not be ruled out.
As I was pondering the possibilities, Heinrich asked me.
“Should I tell him to screw off?”
Heinrich rubbed his chin and frowned.
“It’s bad. Now. Throwing it away and pretending not to know.”
A wounded voice leaked out.
“It’s bad luck.”
“…….”
“He didn’t even come to my mother’s funeral, that guy.”
I felt the pain of Heinrich, who must have been miserable at that time, and my heart throbbed.
This came to mind: a boy leaving a flower on his mother’s grave with his young and small hands, and crying in front of it without anyone else in the world.
It was a scene that made me cry while reading the original novel.
My eyes darkened.
“…Well.”
Nevertheless, in the current country, I would have no choice but to advise him to meet first.
I misunderstood that my mother had abandoned me, and it was only after my mother passed away that the misunderstanding was able to be cleared up.
Parents who abandon their children have their own reasons.
However…
“If you don’t want to meet, you don’t have to.”
There was no obligation for the child to understand why.
Just by being abandoned, the child had to live with scars and pain that could not be erased all his life.
Heinrich had the right to live only pursuing his own happiness.
More than anyone else, I supported it.
In response to my reply, Heinrich pondered for a moment, then asked cautiously.
“You… Do you regret meeting your mother?”
I answered immediately.
“No.”
“…….”
“I have no regrets.”
Thanks to this, I also found out why my life was twisted, and I felt like I had finally found my ‘roots’.
And, who my main enemy is.
I knew how to deal with Gerard from now on.
It was like having a new goal in my life, whereas before, it was simply to become a ‘bakery owner’.
I want revenge on Gerard.
For my mother and myself.
Life was clearer than ever.
“It made me know who I am and what I have to do.”
I replied calmly.
“I have no regrets, Heinrich.”
“…….”
Heinrich was long lost in thought. As if he was countlessly mulling over my words.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
“Duncan.”
After meeting Annette, Heinrich, who had been thinking for a long time, opened his mouth.
“Yes, Grand Duke.”
With his delicate and beautiful jawline resting languidly in his palm, Heinrich waved the item between his fingers.
It was an invitation from the Magic Tower.
An invitation from Grand Duke Valentino, one of the nine archmages of the tower.
His signature was written in strong cursive.
「Belsac Valentino」
A man who abandoned Heinrich and his mother.
—It was the name of his biological father.
Basically, the nine archmages belonging to the Magic Tower also lived in the Magic Tower.
So, Heinrich was invited there.
Even after calling Duncan, Heinrich’s eyes were fixed on the vase on the table meaninglessly for a while.
As if the focus was not in front, but was cast in the distance.
He met Annette and dwelled on it for a long time, but the matter of meeting his biological father was not easily resolved.
‘Will I not regret it too?’
Heinrich remembered Annette’s words.
“I have no regrets.”
Conversely, if he stubbornly ignored it.
Could he not regret it?
‘It’s someone I’ll meet at the tower anyway.’
Heinrich thought dryly. Still, he muttered, covering his eyes with his large hands.
“Is he feeling guilty now? It’s too late. To take care of your child.”
Even though he was sarcastic, the stains of emotion that an abandoned person would have swirled in his purple eyes.
Then he bit his lip and ordered.
“Accept the invitation of Grand Duke Valentino. I will go to the tower, so tell him to set a time.”
“Yes, Your Excellency!”