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Chapter 09
When I saw the black coffin in the distance, the reality hit me all at once.
The father I knew… might have died in front of this labyrinth.
As I tried to hold back my tears alone, a soft touch landed on my cheek.
“Theo?”
A tiny hand, like a maple leaf, tapped gently against my face.
The baby didn’t understand the situation, but perhaps sensing that my expression was grim, his face fell into a deep frown.
“Theoo…”
I bit my lip tightly and hugged Theo. Beside me, Aunt Marsha dabbed at her tears and let out a sorrowful sigh.
“You know… our dad isn’t here anymore.”
“Buuu…”
“The dad who was kind, gentle, reliable, and humble—the perfect dad—is gone… he’s gone…”
Goodbye, Dad… Alec. Thank you for everything.
Rest peacefully for a while, then quickly return with your memories.
“Oh my! What shall we do with these poor children! Alec!”
Aunt Marsha collapsed over the coffin, sobbing uncontrollably. Even the junior priests watching wiped their tears.
“Oh, God. Please watch over… these pitiful… children. Though humble, our temple will, huff… conduct the funeral rites properly.”
I could no longer hold back my trickling tears and cried loudly.
“Thank, thank you… Please, make it as grand as possible…”
“Alec, Alec! Who’s going to look after our cat now?”
“Waaah… even a cat detective… Waaah…”
Once the crying started, it wouldn’t stop. At that moment, a strange magical sensation touched my fingertips inside the basket where I had been carelessly placed.
[Well, you kept looking… Hey, that man isn’t your dad…]
The voice of the plant from the herbal pouch. It seemed to speak to me through the last remaining magic in its roots.
[The man in that coffin was an herbalist who lived alone in the mountains… sigh. Well… he had no one to conduct his funeral, so maybe it’s for the best.]
The absurd voice faded quietly.
“Dad… goodbye…”
“Oh, Alec!”
“Ah… we’ll prepare the funeral in our temple… sob…”
“Uuuuhhh!”
Even Theo, who had only been pouting, finally burst into tears. The room was utterly chaotic.
“What’s going on?”
A man hiding behind a pillar.
Calec exhaled unconsciously.
“Why are they like that?”
Frowning at the viewing room, he pressed the hood of his robe down and lifted his sleeves to cover his face and head.
Why are they crying so pitifully?
From afar, the back of a little head, crying with tears and sniffles like a candy, came into view.
“Dad! I’m here!”
Yesterday, I was supposed to be the dad.
I’m not dead.
Calec made a bewildered expression. Judging by the situation, it seemed like he was improvising a performance, yet his hands ached from watching the heartbreaking crying.
“Hah, seriously…”
He leaned against the pillar, watching the child’s tears with a complex expression. It included some self-mockery.
Yesterday, Lilin had rushed off as if she would return at any moment. Holding the ring, he had planned to open the mansion doors if she came back. But she didn’t.
Not in the late afternoon.
Not in the evening.
Not at night.
Not even at dawn.
Not even when the morning sun shone bright.
Calec twisted his lips into a smile.
Small but skilled… daring to chase me like this?
At that moment, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
“Excuse me, Sir, but inside the temple, you need to remove your robe.”
It was a passing priest.
Calec, the most famous person in the capital, had to hide his identity in the temple to avoid unwanted attention.
He muttered while hiding his face even deeper.
“…I have an unsightly scar on my face.”
“Oh, I see. My apologies. God will watch over you.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
Calec habitually smiled but then froze.
What’s happening?
The lies came out easily. He wasn’t the type to lie to get out of situations or to wear a fake smile. But now… it felt like he had done this a hundred times before.
And…
He looked down at his gray robe—a cheap fabric meant to pass as a pilgrim’s.
It feels as comfortable as my own skin…
He jumped in surprise. What? I’m used to this ragged cloth? Me? A noble from birth?
…He remembered the plain man from the crystal ball yesterday.
Damn… what? Alec Balt? Ridiculous.
He clenched his fist tightly. Muscle memory, apparently, remained.
Looks like the appearance was changed using that magical artifact.
He had noticed the subtle habits from the video, like touching his ear.
Appearance-altering magic is rare—even the tower’s mages don’t fully understand it. Where did I get that?
It was a high-level artifact, only obtainable by someone like the tower’s head.
I need to get it and verify it.
His sharp eyes narrowed. The ear cuff was clenched tightly in one of Lilin’s small fists. Even while crying, the child had carefully opened a backpack, placed earrings and a keychain inside, and closed it with a snap, then carried it in front of him. He seemed to instinctively sense danger.
…I need to take that disgusting bag first.
But stealing from a child hurt his pride.
I’ll coax him, take the ring first, and figure out the origin of that magic artifact.
I, Calec Winterbalt, never fail to do what I intend.
Unaware that he was being completely manipulated by Lilin, Calec arrogantly lifted his chin.
“Your Excellency, I didn’t expect to find you here.”
Ruska quietly approached after noticing him.
Calec turned coldly, averting his gaze from Lilin’s flushed face.
“Ha. Ruska, wait until the funeral ends, then bring those little ones to the mansion.”
“Yes, understood.”
Ruska tilted her head.
“But… whose funeral is this?”
Calec frowned.
“…Mine?”
“….”
The secretary, who had been silent, adjusted his glasses and said in a rare excited tone:
“I will contribute.”
Is he crazy?
I left the temple with puffy, swollen eyes.
Ah, that was really sad, but somehow I feel a bit at peace now.
Though I pretended otherwise, I must have been quite exhausted and confused. Crying, however, made me feel somewhat relieved.
“Lilin?”
As soon as I stepped out, a long shadow fell in front of me.
“Uh? Who… ah.”
I blinked my heavy eyes and looked at the man.
It was the secretary standing near Dad yesterday, dressed humbly this time, like a commoner. Behind him stood a simple carriage.
“I suppose you have an idea why I came. Shall we go immediately?”
Oh, of course.
I knew Dad would get impatient over the ring.
I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and lifted my head with alert, sparkling eyes.
“I’ll go!”
Recovery complete!
The man raised his eyebrows and handed me some documents.
“Good. Please sign here to confirm you boarded the carriage.”
“Huh?”
His glasses glinted as he pushed them up.
“It’s my rule to leave proof of all operations. Please cooperate.”
Ah, so the boss changes his words often…
“Yes, sir.”
I quickly scribbled my name.
“And you… Potato Bun? Please sign too.”
Theo’s cheeks puffed up at being called that while holding my hand. People often called him King Potato, Honey Bun, or Chestnut, due to his rounded curves.
“I’m not Bun, I’m Theo…”
“Ah, my apologies.”
Theo dipped his finger in ink and left a small mark on the paper, then rubbed it against the man’s pant leg in revenge.
Whose little brother is this? Smart kid.
“L-Lilin? Who is this person?”
At that moment, Aunt Marsha, who had been watching quietly, could no longer hold back and asked.
