Chapter 41: Truth

All the sand in the hourglass fell to the bottom.

It's time to change the guard.

Meryl had always wanted to be with her papa, but I convinced her to go back to the carriage because it would affect the battle tomorrow.

Anna comes to me.

「Meryl looked pretty unhappy.」

「I bet.」

「Fu fu, papa are also having a hard time.」

「Not as much as Anna. you usually deal with adventurers, you know. It must be hard to deal with them when they're so selfish.」

「Well, yeah. It would have been nice if everyone was like papa. It wasn't until I got to Royal Capital that I learned that papa was an unorthodox adventurer.」

「Haha. Well, have a seat. I'm sure we have a lot to talk about.」

「That's right. I've been wanting to talk to papa, too. That's good. Now the other won't have to hear about it.」

「What is it? What's troubling you?」

「No, no. It's not like that. It's already settled in my mind. I just want to confirm it with papa.」

「Confirmation?」

Anna gave a small nod.

「Hey, papa. Are you so obsessed with defeating the Ancient Dragon because you feel guilty about not being able to protect our home village?」

「......」

I'm at a loss for words.

A warm breeze blew, and the flames of the fire flickered and swayed heavily. The red light made the outline of Anna's face stand out in the darkness.

「...What do you mean?」

「Papa was originally an A-rank adventurer in the Royal Capital. Papa were so good that you were called a sword saint when you held a sword and a wise man when you used magic. It was said that it was only a matter of time before papa will be promoted to an S-rank adventurer. But... after a mission, Kaizer Cloud has effectively retired from adventuring.」

Anna stared at the fire and took a breath.

「After I came to Royal Capital and became a guild employee, I did a lot of research into the documents of the past. At first, I just wanted to know more about papa when he was an adventurer. But the more I researched, the more I came across the records of that mission. A mission to defeat a wyvern in a volcano. Papa succeeded in defeating the wyvern, but in doing so, papa awakened the Ancient Dragon. The dragon had burned down the entire village at the base of the mountain.」

「......」

「Papa has since retired as an adventurer. It's not like papa was injured beyond recovery during the mission. I talked to people who knew papa back then, and they said that papa brought home three babies after that mission. Papa hadn't even been married. They said papa took in the survivors of a village that was burned to the ground. Hey, papa.」

At that point, Anna finally turned her eyes from the fire to me.

「Those three sisters are us, aren't they?」

I can hear the dry sound of the branches in the fire exploding as they crackle...

The voice stood out clearly in the thick darkness of this place. It was a tone of voice with a core of conviction.

Anna had arrived at the truth.

The fact that I'm not their real father. The real reason I'm so obsessed with defeating the Ancient Dragon.

I guess there's no point in fooling around anymore...

「...Yes. That's right.」

I muttered to myself in resignation.

The moment I admitted it, I felt the weight I had been holding inside my chest begin to lift.

That's when I was reminded again.

I've been feeling guilty, haven't I?

「I knew it was true. I'm glad to hear it directly from papa.」

「...Do Elsa and Meryl know about this?」

「No. I'm the only one who knows. I didn't tell them. I didn't want them to be shocked.」

Anna hugged her knees and muttered to herself.

「Papa have been keeping this secret in your chest for a long time.」

「...I'm sorry. I've tried to confess it many times. But I couldn't. I just couldn't do it.」

I felt indebted.

I said that my failure to slay the Ancient Dragon caused the death of my daughters' real parents.

In a way, I am their parent avenger.

「Anna. Was it a shock...?」

「Yeah. Originally, I thought I didn't have a mother compared to other families around me, but I didn't think I was even related to my dad. I was surprised. Maybe it would have been better if I had been told when I was a kid.」

「...I was afraid to tell you the truth. I felt like if I did, we wouldn't be a family anymore.」

「Papa...」

「...Anna. Do you have a grudge against me?」

「...Yeah.」

Anna muttered.

「... Maybe I should be resentful. Papa was the one who separated us from our real parents. But…」

「But?」

「I've received too much love to hate papa. I've made too many irreplaceable memories. That's why I can't resent or hate papa. I still love papa.」

「Anna...」

「Today, when the Blood Wolf showed up in the woods. I watched from the back of the carriage Papa and the others fought. Elsa's swordsmanship, the way she stood, she looked just like papa. Even the little gesture when she sheathed her sword. The way Meryl kneaded her magic when she activated it. It was the same unconscious habits that papa had when you used magic.」

Anna said.

「When I saw that, I thought. We may not be related by blood, but there are many things that I inherited from my father. Blood ties, genes, and other such trivial things have nothing to do with it. It's the time we've spent together and the happy memories we've made that make us a real family. ... I'm sure Elsa and Meryl will think the same thing I do.」

「...Thank you. Anna.」

My vision blurred with tears.

The words of forgiveness pierced deep into my heart.

And I was proud to have such a kind and splendid daughter. From the side, I might be ridiculed as a foolish parent.

But I'll still keep my chest out.

As the father of these children.

As a family.