Chapter 124: A Conversation Between Son-in-Law and Mother-in-Law
by rosalie“What did you just say?”
“Don’t you understand? Xavier, the one you love, will fall in love with a new saintess every time. Right now, since this is the first remake, you’re the first one.”
“I came into the remake? Not the original?”
“Of course. When you revise the original, it becomes a remake. I brought you here as the new saintess of my remake.”
“Then what about Crown Prince Arthur? That man… he’s regressed, hasn’t he? He knows Rosetta is the saintess.”
“Oh, you’ve figured that out already? That’s unexpected. When I forcibly brought you into this world, the backlash caused the original Arthur de Fabian to deviate. He wasn’t reset and ended up implanted into the remake with his memories of the original intact.”
“So, it’s like he regressed to when Rosetta appeared.”
“Ding-dong-dang!”
Goddess Maha gleefully mimicked the sound of a xylophone. At the same time, as befitting her status as a creator god, a xylophone and mallet appeared in her hands, and the cheerful sound echoed throughout the sacred temple.
Ugh, this is infuriating!
“Author, turn around!”
“Why?”
I couldn’t take it anymore!
I couldn’t slap her face, so I smacked her back with my palm. Due to the nature of the chiton dress worn by goddesses, her back was fully exposed, and a red handprint appeared on it.
“Ow! That hurts!”
“So it works? You really have a physical body?”
“Of course! A spiritual entity needs a physical vessel to manifest! Ow, it hurts.”
“I’m barely holding back from punching you in the face.”
“What, punch?”
The goddess flinched, covering her face with her hands, and took a few cautious steps back.
“Would you really hit me?”
“If you say one more word, I just might.”
It wasn’t even satisfying to hit her.
Thanks to her divine powers, the red mark on the goddess’s back quickly disappeared.
In any case, the conclusion was that I had to break the curse and change this damned world.
I could choose to ignore it and live my life.
‘But if I don’t change the ending, Xavier will end up loving another woman instead of me. And he might die young…’
“So, all I have to do is break the curse and ensure the Beast Kingdom doesn’t fall?”
“Exactly! Change the ending, and I can go home too!”
Excited at the thought of changing the ending, Goddess Maha jumped up and down in place.
“……”
I desperately wanted to hit her again.
＊
“Mother, I’ve arrived.”
At that moment, Xavier was braving a snowstorm to visit the Count of Graham’s estate in the Pins region. Covered in snow, Xavier looked like a snowman.
“Oh, Xavier!”
Naomi rushed to the front entrance to greet him enthusiastically.
“You’ve become even more dignified since becoming the Countess.”
Ever since the Emperor had bestowed the title of Count upon the Graham family, their influence had grown significantly. They had become a high-ranking noble family with both wealth and title.
“Oh ho ho. And you’ve grown even more handsome, Xavier. But what are those?”
Naomi blinked, pointing at the large box Xavier was carrying. Beside him, over a dozen boxes were stacked.
“These are holy power storage devices that cure the plague that’s currently spreading.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Yuria specifically asked me to deliver them.”
“Yuria did?”
“She seems to feel a great sense of responsibility as a saintess. She worked tirelessly to create these holy power storage devices.”
“My daughter made these?”
Naomi’s eyes glistened with tears as she watched Xavier set the box down.
“Oh, I’m getting emotional. I can’t help it.”
“Mother, please use this.”
Xavier pulled out a handkerchief from his inner pocket and handed it to Naomi, who had turned her head away.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Oh my, where are my manners? I’ve left an esteemed guest standing in the foyer. Let’s move to the drawing room and have some tea.”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
Naomi hurriedly called for the maids to prepare for the unexpected guest. She walked ahead of Xavier, instructing the butler to ready the drawing room.
From a distance, Xavier watched her. He handed the box to a servant and quietly called out to Naomi.
“Mother.”
“Yes?”
Naomi turned around after ensuring the butler was heading to the drawing room.
“Could you accept this?”
A small dagger suddenly flew through the air in the empty lobby. To be precise, the dagger left Xavier’s hand and flew straight toward Naomi’s forehead.
Thwack. Naomi bent backward at lightning speed and caught the dagger in her mouth. A green aura seeped from her body.
Slowly straightening up, Naomi spat the dagger into her hand and stared intently at Xavier.
“…You’ve figured it out?”
“Yes, Mother. I’ve discovered your secret.”
Silence filled the drawing room.
Hot tea sat between Xavier and Naomi, but neither touched it, quietly observing each other.
“When did you know?”
“When you hit me at the reception. It hurt a lot. A Swordmaster’s body doesn’t feel pain from a mere strong hit.”
“Ah… so it was then?”
“Yes.”
Naomi let out a bitter laugh and picked up her teacup.
“Go on.”
“Yes.”
The sound of tea being sipped echoed softly in the drawing room. Seeing Naomi’s discomfort, Xavier spoke up.
“I’m sorry for prying. You must have your reasons for hiding.”
“No, it’s fine. I knew this day would come.”
“Why are you hiding? You’re Naomi Cahill, the renowned dagger master who wields aura.”
“…Because of love.”
“Love?”
“I do have regrets. I followed my father, a general, to the battlefield, achieved many feats, and honed my skills to become one of the world’s finest masters. Then I met Douglas.”
“You mean Father?”
“Yes. That man, who brought supplies on a heavily loaded carriage, was so full of life. He was the only one who treated me as a person after I’d been battered by the battlefield. Everyone else feared me or tried to use me to gain favor with my father.”
“I see. My father once mentioned how surprised he was when the dagger master who swept through battlefields suddenly disappeared.”
“Everyone must have been. But my father fully supported my retirement. Now, I live a sweet life with the man I love.”
“Don’t you miss the battlefield?”
“Ha, do you know how many I’ve killed on the battlefield? I don’t miss it at all. I never wanted to live and die there. You must feel the same.”
“Yes.”
“It’s fortunate I wore a mask while on the battlefield. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to have Yuria, protect her in the Bern Mountains, or enjoy tending to my garden.”
“You were in the Bern Mountains as well?”
“……”
Naomi fell silent. She picked up her teacup again, gulped down the tea, and coughed violently.
Watching her wipe her mouth with a handkerchief, Xavier cautiously asked again, his face pale with tension.
“Were you the one who dropped the pose fruit…?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did it hurt a lot?”
“It’s fine.”
Xavier slowly sipped his tea. Though his movements were graceful, ripples formed in the tea. Perhaps it was the steam, but his cheeks flushed, and he felt as if his head was on fire.
Naomi silently laughed as she watched her embarrassed son-in-law’s handsome face.
“You two were so frustrating that I had to step in.”
“It’s fine.”
Xavier fanned his face with his hand a couple of times, turned his head, and cleared his throat.
“I’ll explain everything to Yuria, so please wait a little longer.”
“Yes, Mother. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you.”
“Your skills haven’t dulled. May I occasionally ask for a sparring session?”
“A spar?”
“Of course, I’ll arrange a private location where no one can see.”
“Sure! I’ve been upset thinking my skills have deteriorated compared to my prime. If our Swordmaster Xavier teaches me, I’ll gladly accept!”
“Really?”
Joy spread across Xavier’s face.
Since Swordmasters were rare, even generals often couldn’t match their level, leaving Xavier without suitable sparring partners.
“Finally, I can stretch my body again. I’ll need to polish my babies and get them ready.”
“Babies?”
Seeing Xavier’s surprised expression, Naomi chuckled.
“Oh, don’t misunderstand. I mean my daggers.”
The two continued their conversation until the tea grew cold. As Xavier prepared to leave, he looked at Naomi and said firmly.
“I won’t hold back.”
“I wouldn’t want you to. If you go easy on me, I’ll never see you again.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
As Xavier bowed politely and turned to leave, Naomi spoke.
“Stay with my daughter forever. That’s all I ask.”
“I understand.”
Determination was evident in Xavier’s voice as he responded.
The carriage carrying Xavier braved the raging snowstorm and biting cold to return to his residence. Thanks to the warmth of the magic stone, the horses managed to move.
‘Stay with my daughter forever. That’s all I ask.’
It was a natural request for a mother with a daughter.
Though he answered her, reality was cruel. Ordinary masters didn’t have to worry about their lifespan, but he was cursed.
‘Is Yuria’s sacrifice the only way to break the curse?’
When he finally arrived at the ducal residence, the servants rushed to take his coat and hat and brush off the snow. Even as they attended to him, his mind was elsewhere.
‘Not yet.’
Half in anticipation and half in worry, Xavier’s gaze searched for someone. That longing turned into reality as she appeared at the top of the lobby stairs.
“Xavier, I’m back!”
An uncontrollable love overflowed from the man’s soul.
“I’m back too, Yuria.”
He thought as he watched the woman running toward him like an eager puppy.
I love you, and I hope for the day I can cast off this cursed fate and tell you so.