NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 209: Flood Of Confessions
Indeed, it was a ridiculous story, even to myself.
So, I fully understood why the silence ensued.
After all, it’s only natural for anyone to react this way when their only daughter, who hadn’t been seen for years, suddenly showed up claiming to be the founder of the family. It’s a situation where it wouldn’t be strange to be treated as a lunatic, regardless of whether she was really their daughter or not.
But for some reason, not only Yuma, who already knew the situation, but also Glen showed no reaction.
No one said a word. There was no attempt to choose words carefully. Even the heartbeat felt through the skin was eerily calm.
The only heart pounding wildly as if it would burst at any moment was Lucia’s.
‘Why is there no reaction?’
Lucia repeatedly wiped her face to hide her flushed expression. Her face was so hot that she wanted to hide somewhere immediately, but having already blurted it out, she couldn’t.
‘Even if he’s my father, I shouldn’t have spoken so casually. No… I shouldn’t have said not to draw the sword when I hadn’t even drawn it…’
Glen was staring at Lucia with an endlessly serious expression. He frowned and stroked his half-shaven beard. The golden eyes were visibly filled with complex thoughts, which even Lucia could sense.
“…Sigh.”
“…”
“How is it that no one is surprised? You’re making me feel awkward for nothing.”
“…”
“Hey, at least say something. I’m Kyrie of the Prient, you know…?”
“…”
“I’m saying I’m Kyrie, the founder of the Prient family… you know.”
“Yuma.”
Glen, who had been silent for a long time, called out to Yuma as a habit. Usually, if there was something he couldn’t handle, he would call Yuma. He had heard that his father and grandfather did the same, so he didn’t find it strange to rely on Yuma even at such an important moment.
“Did you know about this beforehand?”
“No. I was only informed unilaterally a few days ago.”
“Then, can you believe Lucia’s claim as it is?”
“No? How could anyone believe such a thing?”
“Yuma!”
Lucia glared at Yuma, fuming.
“Weren’t you supposed to believe me?”
“…Why do you think that?”
“You said, ‘No matter what the letter says, you are still you.’ Isn’t that context completely believing me?”
“How could it be interpreted that way?”
Yuma narrowed his eyes and stared at Lucia.
“It’s troublesome if you misunderstand. The letter did describe in detail why my horn is cut in half, but that alone isn’t enough to prove you are the hero Kyrie.”
“Blood Yuma.”
“…Indeed, in the past… I was shamefully called by such a title. It’s not difficult to find those records if you look into the documents.”
“The bounty on your head is 190,000 gold…”
“…Which vermin put a bounty on me? I’ve never heard such news…”
“The chairman of the alliance. Something Kabram… I don’t remember well, it was a long time ago.”
An endless back-and-forth conversation.
Glen, who had been silently watching their conversation, slowly widened his eyes.
‘…Could it be true?’
Lucia claiming to be the ancestor. Honestly, it was so absurd that it was almost impossible to believe, but just like the conversation happening right in front of him, there were some points Glen couldn’t completely dismiss.
‘Perhaps.’
The power of the prophecy passed down through generations.
Glen recalled his first encounter with Lucia.
Was it the day he was returning after escaping the demonic realm? Suddenly, a scene filled his vision.
A girl who looked exactly like him was sighing repeatedly in an empty cabin. The girl really resembled him, perhaps even more than his own son, Shiron, whose birth he had witnessed.
Thus, as if possessed, he set out to find the child in the prophecy. Searching the continent with just a fragmentary prophecy was reckless, but the future of the girl kept pouring into Glen’s mind as if driven by fate.
And the prophecy stopped when he reached a remote cabin in the countryside.
Lucia, holding a light, stood firmly against something evil. The dignified young figure gazed at Glen with sparkling eyes.
-Who are you, mister?
A girl who must have been about ten maintained a composed attitude towards the stranger. Whether it was because she was an extraordinary child or because she had just buried her parents, Glen didn’t know at the time…
‘Perhaps…’
The more he thought about it, the more the questions he had tried to ignore started to fit together. Today, he felt like a corner of his cloudy mind had cleared.
Exceptional martial prowess despite not having Prient blood.
A particularly calm disposition since childhood.
The boldness to not be frightened by the demonic aura emitted by demons.
And now, Lucia was vividly talking about the past with Yuma as if she had lived through those times.
‘But…’
Even amidst this, there was one question he couldn’t resolve.
‘Is it possible to be reborn with memories intact?’
However, within seconds of the question arising, Glen dismissed it. After all, the family’s power to see the future couldn’t be fully explained either.
‘There are still too many things in the world that can’t be explained…’
This, too, was fate.
Glen decided not to resist the grand flow. He never knew how to resist fate because that was how he had lived so far.
Having reached a conclusion, Glen stood up abruptly. Lucia and Yuma’s gazes focused on him. Receiving their full attention, Glen slowly opened his mouth.
“Really. Are you the ancestor…?”
“Yes! I am Kyrie!”
Lucia answered energetically. To be honest, she wasn’t sure if they would believe her, but it seemed Glen somehow believed Lucia’s words.
She didn’t think he was lying to himself for the sake of his deranged daughter. The way he used honorifics and his strangely cautious attitude made Glen look like he genuinely believed Lucia was Kyrie.
“Yuma, I’m sorry for deceiving you. I was Kyrie.”
Lucia exhaled excitedly and looked at Yuma. Yuma took a step back from the blazing spirit.
“Really… are you Kyrie?”
“What more do I need to prove here? We’ve had many conversations, haven’t we? Or do you need me to reenact the situation when your horn was cut off?”
“…No, that’s enough.”
Yuma took another step back from Lucia as if hiding her remaining horn. The situation was confusing, and so was her mind, but seeing the usually more composed Glen Prient accept it, Yuma judged that there was no point in continuing to doubt.
Yuma held her dizzy head and spoke.
“Though there are extraordinary aspects, for the lady to actually be the hero Kyrie… This is truly surprising.”
“See! You should have believed it earlier!”
“But why are you revealing it now?”
“…Huh?”
“Did something happen? Revealing that the lady is Kyrie… or Kyrie’s reincarnation is a rather dangerous statement, and earlier you almost caused an uproar with the lord.”
“…That wasn’t my fault.”
“How is it not your fault? You heightened the tension with unnecessary words like ‘don’t draw your sword.’ Even if you are a reincarnation, it’s rude to speak casually to your father in this life. Do you still insist that it’s not your fault?”
“…”
Lucia bit her lip at the pouring scolding.
“I’m sorry. I got carried away in the moment…”
Lucia bowed her head towards Glen. In that figure, there was no trace of the hero who shone with great renown 500 years ago.
“Really… Kyrie, the divine swordmaster and the greatest hero?”
Glen looked down at Lucia’s head with a contorted face. He had just acknowledged that Lucia was the reincarnation of the great ancestor, but now he felt a creeping urge to retract his words.
It might seem harsh, but Glen had grown up reading fairy tales about the great ancestor in his childhood, so he had a faint sense of admiration.
However, you can’t take back what you’ve said. Glen decided to stand by his words. He wondered what it would have been like if he had denied it till the end, but he resolved to take responsibility for his statement.
“You don’t have to be so harsh…”
And Glen made a new resolution. He felt a strong intuition that if he didn’t do it now, he would have to keep it buried in his heart forever. From the moment he foresaw his own death, Glen had vowed to reveal everything he had hidden from Lucia.
“Because you are not my daughter.”
“As expected…!”
Lucia clenched her fists and shouted.
“I knew it! You damned con artist!”
“Lord, what on earth do you mean?”
“I’m sorry for deceiving you, Yuma. But at that time, I had no choice.”
“…No, then… what on earth…”
Yuma held her head, overwhelmed by the betrayal pouring in without a moment to gather her thoughts. But that had nothing to do with Lucia. Lucia, whose face was flushed with rising blood pressure, even pointed her finger without any intention of calming the confusion.
“You damned child kidnapper! You bastard! Do you know how much I suffered because of that?”
“I’m sorry. But isn’t this also fate? I believe I guided you to the place where the ancestor should be.”
“…What?”
How can he be so shameless? Lucia was very displeased with Glen, who justified his actions without apologizing.
“An-ancestor? You! You spoke well!”
Betrayal, anger, and rising blood pressure. The resentment that had been knotted in her heart finally exploded.
“Ancestor, my foot! I never had children!”
Thud—
Yuma collapsed to the ground.