Chapter 106.1: On the Day Spring Arrives (1)
Inside the temple of ‘Where Spring Falls Asleep’.
Two women engage in a fierce war of words.
“Cain is the Demon King.”
《You’re saying my son will kill the Demon King there?》
…….
It’s Caterina and Chloe’s verbal duel.
The Holy See’s elites, initially tense, had adjusted to Edmund’s indifference, who acted as if it were none of his business.
Edmund, too, remained indifferent to whose words held truth.
Saintess or witch.
Caterina or Chloe, both sensed the change in the surrounding atmosphere and ended their argument, Chloe floating through the air to stick by Edmund’s side.
Whirrr━.
Chloe, for a moment appearing clearer, then turned slightly transparent.
Caterina frowned at the strange, faint whirring of gears.
《Is Cain really like the Demon King? That small, cute child who didn’t know anything beyond his mother’s embrace?》
“He could be.”
Hoooo━.
At Edmund’s dry response, Chloe instantly crossed her arms, her eyes blazing.
It was clear she was ready to give Edmund a piece of her mind before the Saintess if he didn’t speak properly.
“Lord Edmund, are you not on Cain’s side?”
Caterina inquired.
She had naturally assumed that Edmund, being Cain’s biological father, would defend him, so his agreement with her was perplexing.
“I shall draw my sword for a moment.”
Edmund politely forewarned them, lest he startle the Holy See’s elites, and drew his longsword.
Clang━.
He then plunged it into the stone floor before him, standing it upright. Its unwavering stillness spoke volumes about his absolute control over his power.
He then stood to the left of the sword and asked,
“This sword is drenched in the blood of monsters, but also heavily stained with the blood of humans. Does that make this sword evil?”
“…….”
An ordinary silver longsword.
However, its owner was Airian’s strongest, Edmund.
In his hands, it must have pierced and cut down countless enemies, no less than any renowned sword in the world.
Edmund shifted his position, this time standing on the right side.
“It’s merely a weapon forged from iron. If it were inherently born to kill, it would be evil, but what if it saved more lives than it took?”
《…….》
However, Edmund had never killed without reason, driven by his emotions.
His principle was to bear the full weight of taking a life if it couldn’t be avoided.
Neither Caterina nor Chloe could readily respond to the weight they sensed on Edmund’s shoulders.
“From what I’ve heard, both Chloe through her ‘miracle’ and the Saintess through ‘revelation’ witnessed the same scene.”
《That’s right.》
“Indeed.”
Shing━.
Edmund sheathed his sword.
With a fluid motion, he returned the blade to its scabbard and spoke,
“Some will look upon this sword and curse it. They’ll say it’s bloodthirsty. And some will praise it, for protecting countless lives.”
This wasn’t knowledge gleaned from books.
The wisdom of a man who had always fought on the front lines began to melt away the deep-rooted conflict between the witch and the Saintess.
“This sword is nothing, yet it changes based on the perception of the beholder. In that sense, both of your words hold truth.”
If opinions differed despite witnessing the same moment, it meant the interpretation changed depending on the observer.
Edmund, who had been listening attentively, interjected.
“And I have my own interpretation.”
He then opened his mouth to express something even more crucial.
“Chloe.”
《Yes.》
Edmund extended his hand.
While he wouldn’t grasp it, Chloe rested her hand atop his, wanting to at least feel the gesture.
“Cain could become the Demon King. Or he could become the Hero. Or he could become the Count of Ethelred, or even an ordinary adventurer, wandering from quest shop to quest shop.”
《Our child is━》
Cutting off Chloe’s outburst, Edmund reiterated,
“After your passing, I failed to be a good father. I didn’t know what it meant to be a father, and you were more important to me than our son.”
《…….》
“That’s why I don’t know the Cain who has grown up. It’s absurd for me to try and be a good father now, but there’s one thing I want to ensure.”
Chloe turned to look at him.
Outwardly, she was the same girl who had first met Edmund at the ball, but within, she was the Witch of ‘The Wind That Cannot Dream’, who could see the future.
As a father, as a head of the family, and as a man who walked the path of the sword, she listened intently to Edmund’s words.
“I want him to live according to his own will. Whether he becomes the Demon King or the Hero, I want him to make his own choice.”
《You know, Edmund. The future I see has never been wrong.》
“…….”
《The future I observe never changes. That’s why I cannot ‘dream,’ and we are not free.》
Edmund nodded.
He, too, believed the same.
Initially, he had struggled, but no matter what he did, the future Chloe foresaw always came to pass.
Swish━.
However, he soon raised a finger, pointing at Chloe.
“That was then.”
Edmund then pointed the finger at himself.
At its end stood Caterina, who had been listening with a stiff expression.
Her eyes widened slightly as Edmund pointed the finger at himself.
“But not anymore. Because I lived.”
《Ah!》
As Caterina listened, she understood why Chloe had spoken with such certainty.
At the same time, she realized that her very existence had shattered Chloe’s ‘miracle.’
Edmund met Chloe’s gaze.
“The condition for allowing you to remain here was for me to enter the Eire dungeon, as per the agreement with Glumiêm and the Marquis.”
《And I saw you starving to death there.》
The Saintess also lowered her head.
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