Memoirs of the Returnee - Chapter 305: New Year (3)

“My father was ill,”

Derian confessed slowly, recounting his past and reflecting on it simultaneously.

“lt was an incurable disease, so he abdicated in my favor at a very young age. I became the head of the family at nineteen.”

It was the story of the Glofeld family.

I placed a glass of water in front of him. The nonsense about the gathered souls judging his sincerity was just that—nonsense.

“My father’s body began to stiffen. His whole body turned to stone, like a curse or petrification. Eventually, except for his index finger, he couldn’t move anything.”

The head of the Glofeld, a noble family that had achieved wealth and glory, was ironically unable to own his own body.

“That’s when the family made contact. They said they could create a new body and free my father from his constraints. They said it was possible to perform such a miracle.”

It seemed that Glofeld’s encounter with Libra was not about immortality but about incarnation—no, receiving flesh.

“As I listened to them, I looked at my father, at his index finger.”

Suddenly, a faint smile spread across Derian’s lips.

“I saw that finger move so purely, with such desire. It was like seeing a child.”

A fond memory played across his face as he remembered his father.

“I saw hope in my father’s eyes. That’s why I agreed and promised to cooperate as much as I could…”

However, his smile quickly faded, and his face became lined with worry.

“I only found out later how they conducted their experiments. You might think it’s an excuse, but that’s how it was at the time.”

Derian clenched his fists tightly on his knees. He continued in a mournful tone.

“At first, it was simply an experiment to create dolls. However, the dolls that received souls had many problems. Either the body would disintegrate, or the soul would collapse. Time just passed hopelessly, and they said they had found another method…”

A sigh escaped him.

“lt was human experimentation. They planned to extract a soul from a human body and transplant my father’s soul into it…”

Derian couldn’t continue.

I looked into his eyes.

“You felt betrayed. It was something that, as humans, should never commit.”

Did he truly regret the events of that day?

“I wanted to give up. But I kept thinking of my father.”

At least, his emotions now seemed genuine.

“lt was 50 years. A full 50 years. My father was trapped in a body that could only move its fingertips, harboring just a sliver of hope.”

Tears streamed down Derian’s face. Suddenly, he started to cry.

In front of his father, even a grown son becomes but a child.

“Just because I give up doesn’t mean the experiments would stop. That’s all they wanted… Yes, there were many ‘deluded old men.’ I decided to wait and see their experiments. That was my sin unto death.”

Derian looked at the cup of water on the table. He muttered as if speaking to a spirit.

“What they wanted to achieve ultimately couldn’t be achieved.”

The reason why it couldn’t be achieved.

That reason is important.

But it must not be questioned.

I must appear as an agent of the soul. If I interject my opinion, my subjectivity, it would break the immersion and breed doubt.

“No matter how much you overwrite the flesh, the world recognizes human deception.”

Deception.

“The world distinguishes between the body and the soul. The soul is given only one body. If that law is broken, the world seeks to exclude it. That is what is called causality, or the ‘irresistible force’ of natural force.”

Artificially created dolls cannot bear the weight of a soul, and bodies not artificially created cannot deceive the eyes of the world.

“However, one day, Libra discovered a method to deceive the eyes. My father agreed, but soon gave up.”

“Gave up.”

I murmured unknowingly.

Derian continued with a bitter smile.

“That’s right. I don’t know the reason. But he just stroked my arm, aged by his finger. He touched the face of his grandchild. Then, with a smile-like expression, he seemed to say it was enough…”

Derian nodded.

“After that day, Glofeld completely withdrew from their experiments.”

His clear eyes looked at me.

“Mage. As you said, I valued my family more than others. This is my indelible sin and confession. But the one who committed the sin is me. So, can you not just kill me instead of my son?”

Derian was at least honest. There was no falsehood in his words.

He neither glorified his family nor claimed righteousness. He merely narrated the whole story.

“Take this water.”

I offered him the cup of water I had placed on the table.

“I don’t know if all the soul’s anger has disappeared. This cup won’t heal it. But if your son’s symptoms improve, it means you’re given a chance.”

“A chance?”

“That’s right. Since you are the one who sinned, you are also the one who must make it right.”

The vile faces that sacrificed others for their own glory and longevity. Their day of reckoning was not far off.

“Someday, you will have the chance to make it right. Until then, remember this moment.”

Glofeld’s Derian.

This old man was surely someone who could help me.

I watched Derian from outside the tent. Clutching the cup of water I had given him, he hurriedly climbed into the limousine.

The antidote should alleviate the symptoms of Derian’s son, Beckron. Of course, it’s only temporary. If Derian and Glofeld betray my expectations, I won’t give them a second chance.

“Shion. What kind of person was he?”

Suddenly, Soliette approached and asked.

I raised an eyebrow and responded.

“A good father, a good son, but a bad man.”

Humans are always dual-natured.

Starting with myself, I’m a murderer. No matter the euphemisms or purposes attached, that fact doesn’t change.

There are certainly people who deserve to die, but the moment one kills such a person, they themselves become deserving of death.

I am all too aware of this proposition.

“Hmm… Did you find out anything?”

“Yes, quite a bit.”

I relayed to soliette the stories I had heard from Derian. Soliette nodded, her face a mix of complexity.

“Dolls couldn’t bear the weight of a soul, and they tried using human bodies to contain souls, but even that didn’t work well.”

Because dolls cannot withstand the weight of a soul.

Because bodies cannot deceive the eyes of the world.

“So… did all the experiments ultimately fail?”

“No. They said they found a way.”

“A way?”

“Yes. Here’s what I think.”

I thought of Derian. I thought of his son, Beckron.

“The grandson. Maybe they were planning to use Beckron.”

“The grandson?”

“Yes. There’s a saying, isn’t there? ‘Children take on the soul of their parents’”

Here’s my theory.

Derian’s father was probably initially agreeable to Libra’s proposal to use his grandson. The idea that transplanting a soul into the grandson’s body could deceive the world’s eyes, granting freedom to roam the continent with enticing words.

“Then could it be that Mr. Beckron…”

“No. Derian’s father just died.”

However, at some point, he might have seen his son loving his grandson.

A son who had a child in his late fifties. A son smiling happily with his grandson, carrying on his bloodline.

At that moment, the father might have given up his regrets.

Or, perhaps, ‘resolved’ them.

He might have found the meaning of life.

“The purpose of life varies from person to person, but at the very least, ‘continuation’ cannot be the purpose. There is no life that lasts forever. Nor should there be.”

The purpose of his life he realized was probably not the family name, but his family.

His proud son and grandson that he had raised.

“…IS that so.”

Soliette chewed her lip and nodded.

“lt’s complicated.”

I fell silent, lost in thought.

If my imagination is correct,

If so,

Could the person named Sherlock possibly…

“Soliette.”

I turned to look at soliette.

“Yes?”

“There’s something I want to talk about.”

Soliette seemed to sense my seriousness and adjusted her expression.

I hadn’t told her about my father yet. Before the regression, she would have figured it out on her own, but now-

“Will you listen to my story?”

I had planned to confess to her first.

It seemed like the right time now.

Jade leaped to the location marked by Shion Ascal. There were no cheap disguises like wearing a mask or a stocking over his head. He was bare-faced and unadorned, except for wearing an artifact to avoid video recording.

Jade greatly disliked this accessory, but it was quite helpful at times like these.

Thud—

Jade landed. From the outskirts of Edsilla to Blocker’s hideout, it took just three leaps.

“…”

The hideout was a large farm. A luxurious mansion was hidden deep within a farm that cultivated crops, decorated like a red-light district.

Before approaching Blocker, he expanded his senses.

He had come to civilize barbarism, yet violence itself was a breach of dignity.

Therefore, he intended not to create any witnesses.

“Three hundred eighty-four.”

After assessing all the personnel in the vicinity, Jade took a step.

With just one step, he crossed the farm road and arrived at the mansion.

Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!

Loud music and the smell of alcohol filled the air, and hundreds of beasts jolted at Jade’s sudden appearance.

“What, what the hell is this guy!”

“Holy shit, fuck!”

Jade pointed out the most conspicuous beast among the vulgar creatures.

“You must be Blocker.”

The man, Blocker, sat in the seat of honor, smoking a cigar.

“…”

Despite the unexpected visit, he showed no sign of panic.

“What’s with this noble lord?”

“Hey. Are you crazy?”

His subordinates were about to step forward, but Blocker stopped them.

“I recognize that face. He’s a distinguished guest, stand down.”

Blocker prided himself on being a ‘master’. He had the skills and confidence to match.

“How did you find this place? There should have been a Barrier.”

To him, Jade also seemed at least a master.

No extraordinary senses were felt, but since he had penetrated his own Barrier.

“…”

Jade took gloves out of his pocket and slipped the stiff items onto both hands. He had no intention of touching the filthy skin of these beasts.

“You’U need to explain why you’ve come.”

Blocker raised his Magic Body and snapped his fingers crisply. Numerous large figures appeared inside the mansion. They were monsters he had hired as insurance.

Jade, without even glancing in that direction, replied.

“l’ve come to cull.”

And then, he took a step forward.

Meanwhile, in the WIP hospital room where Glofeld’s Beckron was admitted:

“…lt’s remarkable. His condition has significantly im proved.”

At the doctor’s words, Derian and the other family members wore bewildered expressions.

“Is that really true?”

Beckron’s wife asked with a face about to burst into tears. The doctor, flipping through the chart, nodded.

“Yes. We’ll need to continue monitoring, but… he’s definitely passed the critical phase.”

Derian chuckled dryly and placed a hand on his forehead.

The cure was just a cup of water.

A cup of water given by the astrological mage, imbued with the intent of the soul.

Thanks to that, Beckron had been revived.

“Was it the IV treatment that worked?”

“…Ah, the IV did nothing.”

Derian suddenly shook his head sternly, looking at Beckron who was still gasping for breath, and then smiled faintly.

“lt was thanks to the astrological mage.”

It was unthinkable that it was just the IV. The words of the doctors, who hadn’t even determined the cause of the illness, couldn’t be trusted.

Now, Derian had no choice but to believe in that astrological mage.

“Astrological mage, you say?”

“G0 on, leave US.”

Derian waved his hand dismissively. The doctor, though puzzled, eventually stepped out.

“…”

The hospital room was silent.

Derian silently watched Beckron. His foolish-looking son had already opened his eyes.

He nodded at Derian, who nodded back.

No further words or gestures were necessary.

Derian wiped the tears that welled up in his eyes.

“My daughter-in-law.”

“…Yes, father-in-laW.”

The daughter-in-law sobbed as she responded. Derian stroked her hair.

“You’ve done well. You saved this good-for-nothing. It was all thanks to your arrangement.”

This worthless Beckron had messed up everything with the astrological mage.

The persuasion was entirely thanks to the daughter-in-law, so this guy owed his life to her.

“No… it was what I had to do.”

The daughter-in-law wiped her tears with her sleeve.

“lt’s a relief, a great relief, my lord… Sob.”

Tears suddenly burst forth like a waterfall from Derian’s seasoned eyes, endlessly streaming down.

“…Come here. Everyone.”

Derian opened his arms wide and embraced them all.

The three of them cried and laughed together, and Beckron quietly joined in.

It was an uncommon sea of tears for a noble family of the Round Table.