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Chapter 138: Interlude – Heir of the Iron Fist (1)
After the battle with Lactasia.
Due to the side effects of using ‘Intensify,’ I was half-unconscious and transported to Berald’s mansion.
“Ugh...”
A dull pain, as if someone had struck my entire body with a hammer.
As soon as I opened my eyes, the pain hit me, and I groaned, squinting in response.
‘This aftereffect is worse than I thought.’
Well, considering how absurdly powerful Intensify is, these side effects are probably to be expected.
‘It would have been much worse than this originally.’
Fortunately, thanks to Iris’ healing magic, the aftereffects of Intensify were minimized.
I glanced behind me at Iris, who was hugging me and sleeping soundly.
Seeing Iris’ sleeping face made my heart race.
“Mmm…”
Maybe because I moved, Iris slowly opened her eyes.
“Ah… you’re awake, Dale?”
“Yeah.”
“How’s your body feeling?”
“Thanks to you, Iris, it’s much better.”
As I spoke and tried to sit up from the bed, Iris grabbed my waist and pulled me back down.
“No. You’re not okay yet.”
“No, I’m fine now.”
“Ah ah, you're not fine until the healer says you are.”
She pretended to scold me but smiled softly.
A soft white light flowed from her body, touching my skin and seeping into me.
The dull pain that had felt like a hammer striking my body gradually subsided.
“How is it? The pain’s gone, right?”
“… Ahem.”
The gentle sensation filling the space where the pain once was made me awkwardly clear my throat.
“Your back… is broader than I thought, Dale.”
Iris tightened her arms around my waist and whispered in my ear.
I couldn’t see her face, but from her playful tone, I could tell she was smiling mischievously.
“…Iris.”
“Dale.”
I untangled her arms from around my waist and turned to face her.
Our eyes met.
We were close enough to feel each other’s breath.
Our lips slowly approached━.
“…Isn’t it about time you let go?”
Just then.
A cold voice cut through the moment.
“Y-Yuren?”
I quickly sat up, startled, and saw Yuren standing by the door, glaring at us with icy eyes.
Holding a basket of fruit, Yuren walked over and sat down in a chair beside the bed.
Perhaps irritated at having our private moment interrupted, Iris narrowed her eyes and spoke with a slight edge.
“Oh my, you didn’t even knock. Didn’t the Helios family teach basic manners?”
“Better than a healer who doesn’t leave the patient even after treatment is over.”
The air in the room turned tense.
Both wore smiling faces, but the atmosphere was thick with hostility, like a battlefield.
‘Wait, Iris doesn’t even know Yuren is a woman, so why is she acting like this?’
Just imagining the chaos that would erupt if Iris found out Yuren was a woman gave me a headache.
“Dale. You must be hungry, right?”
“Oh, yeah. I guess I could eat.”
“I’ll peel some fruit for you.”
Yuren said, pulling out an apple from the basket and expertly peeling it.
‘Wow, look at her peel.’
The apple peel was almost translucent, sliced so thinly it was impressive.
As I admired Yuren’s skillful knife work, she soon finished cutting the apple into bite-sized pieces.
“Here, Dale. Say ‘ah~’.”
She offered me a piece of apple on a fork, holding it up to my lips.
A blonde handsome man peeling and feeding me an apple right after I woke up.
‘Please don’t do this.’
Even though I knew Yuren was a woman, her current appearance was undeniably male, and it made my head spin.
“What’s wrong, Dale? Not hungry?”
“N-no, it’s not that…”
As I struggled internally with this awkward situation━.
Bang!
“Brother Dale!!!”
The door flew open as Berald stormed into the room.
“A-are you feeling okay?”
“As you can see, I’m fine, man.”
“Phew. You have no idea how worried I was when you suddenly collapsed!”
Berald exhaled a sigh of relief, clutching his chest.
Yeah, seeing his face calmed my complicated thoughts a bit.
“Hm? Yuren, did you peel those fruits for my brother?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Haha! Well, nothing like some sweet fruit to help with recovery!”
Berald snatched the fruit plate from Yuren, grabbed a piece with his thick fingers, and brought it to my lips.
“Here, Brother! Say ‘ah~!’ Let your little brother feed you!”
“……”
The apple Berald fed me tasted like the bitter reality of life.
* * *
In his bedroom, Gilbert Ryu slept peacefully on the bed.
Iris stood beside him.
“Alright… I’ll start the treatment.”
The high-grade magic stones we acquired from the recent ruins exploration—there were three of them.
More than enough as offerings for the treatment.
“……”
The tension in the room was palpable.
Berald nervously tapped his foot.
With a hand on his shoulder, I watched Iris.
“Oh, Seven Gods of Heaven.”
Iris began to recite the incantation with her hands clasped together.
Her eyes turned into the colors of a seven-colored rainbow, and the room filled with a brilliant white divine energy.
With one hand on the magic stone and the other on Gilbert’s forehead, Iris continued her prayer.
“Please look upon this wounded soul with mercy, embrace him with your gentle hands, and guide him so that he does not lose his way.”
Whooosh!
As the incantation continued, one by one, the lights emanating from the magic stone began to dim.
As the light from the magic stone faded, the divine energy grew stronger.
Like a storm, the pure white radiance swept through the room.
And then—
“…Mm?”
Gilbert slowly opened his eyes.
Sitting up from the bed, he glanced around and then looked at Berald.
“Oh! It’s the big brother!”
“……”
Contrary to the cheerful voice, Berald’s expression darkened.
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“…Ah.”
A faint sigh escaped from Iris’s lips.
She bit her lower lip and shook her head.
“…I’m sorry.”
Even with three high-grade magic stones offered as a sacrifice for the healing spell, Gilbert’s wounds could not be cured.
“Haha, it’s alright. I did say from the beginning that it might not work.”
“Still! We can keep trying if we gather more sacrifices, so don’t be too discouraged!”
Iris tried to console Berald.
“…More sacrifices.”
Berald’s gaze shifted momentarily to his waist.
Attached to his belt was the 'Legacy of the Iron Fist,’ which he had obtained during their recent ruin exploration.
“Berald, you don’t mean…”
“……”
Berald raised the deep blue gauntlet hanging from his waist.
“Sister Iris, didn’t you say before that artifacts could also be used as sacrifices?”
“Well, yes, but…”
Iris trailed off and looked in my direction.
I let out a deep sigh and looked at Berald.
“Berald, I understand how you feel, but don’t be too hasty. There will be plenty of opportunities to gather more sacrifices.”
“I know.”
Berald offered me a faint smile and held the gauntlet out to me.
A silent gesture asking me to use it as a sacrifice.
I looked Berald straight in the eyes and spoke.
“Berald, this gauntlet is a legacy left by the Iron Fist.”
“I know.”
“A treasure that countless heroes have sought for the past 500 years.”
“I know.”
“You might never find an artifact of this caliber again.”
“I know.”
Berald nodded silently.
But he didn’t take back the gauntlet he had offered me.
“Berald…”
“I know it all, even without you telling me.”
Berald spoke, still wearing a faint smile.
“I know I’m being too impatient right now. I know this gauntlet is a priceless treasure. And I know that I may never hold something like this again in my life.”
Berald gently caressed the gauntlet as he continued.
“The truth is, my relationship with my father wasn’t the best. I was always lacking as a son, and my father never seemed to be pleased with me.”
“After my mother passed away from illness, our relationship grew even more distant. I can hardly remember the last time we shared a meal together.”
“I’m not very smart, so I don’t know what the wisest choice is.”
But still.
Even so.
“I remember when my father used to carry me on his shoulders when I was little.”
“I remember being scolded harshly when I secretly took toys from the other kids in the neighborhood.”
“I remember when my magic studies weren’t going well, he comforted me, telling me not to rush and to take things step by step.”
So.
“I hope my father will remember me too.”
As he spoke, Berald gave a wide grin.
“……”
I accepted the gauntlet from Berald.
A treasure I never found in my previous life.
A powerful artifact that could possibly help change the future.
Suddenly, I recalled what Berald had said to me before he died in my past life.
- Even if I die, please at least remember my name.
Yes.
You were that kind of person.
In the past life.
And now as well.
You might not remember it, but I do.
Because of someone like you,
I am who I am now.
“Iris, please use this as a sacrifice and cast the healing spell again.”
“…You know that once an artifact is used as a sacrifice, it loses all its power, right?”
“Yeah.”
I knew that.
“…Alright.”
Iris accepted the gauntlet.
Whoooooosh!
This time, an even more intense light filled the room, incomparable to before.
And then—
“Ah…ugh!”
Gilbert groaned, clutching his head in pain.
The suffering man slowly raised his head.
“Ugh…where…am I?”
His eyes, filled with confusion, looked around the room until they settled on Berald.
“Berald…? When did you get so tall?”
“…Hah.”
Berald covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking as he nodded.
“Yes. I am Berald… Berald Ryu, son of Gilbert Ryu…”
Sniff, sniff.
Transparent tears fell from Berald’s lowered face, streaming down his cheeks.
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