Chapter 46

“Am I seeing things right now?”

Tiago blinked as he spoke.

“Not at all. You’re seeing very well.”

Sien, passing by, responded in a nonchalant tone. The noisiest place in the laboratory, the cafeteria.

Something unbelievable was happening there. The girl and Nergal were having a meal together.

“Senior, the world must really be going crazy.”

Tiago stopped in front of Rene, who was already seated with a tray.

Rene also had a face that couldn’t believe this reality. She deliberately sat where she could see the girl and Nergal well to observe the situation.

Tiago sat down and watched the pair.

“……”

“……”

Nergal, who had never once given his daughter a glance…

“What are those two talking about?”

“Focus, Tiago.”

“Yes…”

Tiago closed his mouth at Rene’s single remark.

Rene and Tiago forgot it was mealtime and stared at the girl.

The girl, who was stiff and rigid, seemed to struggle even to scoop her stew. In stark contrast, Nergal sat across from her, eating comfortably.

Surely, Nergal was only thinking about himself.

Tiago felt so sorry for the girl that he couldn’t sit still.

“I can’t stand this.”

Watching this, Tiago stood up. He was roughly planning to wedge himself between the two to ease the atmosphere.

“Tiago, where are you…”

Before Rene could stop him, Tiago moved. But someone blocked his path.

“S-senior Sien.”

“Clueless.”

Sien looked down at Tiago and threw out a word. Tiago, angry, was about to speak, but Alres, who was behind, acted faster. He grabbed Tiago’s shoulder from behind and restrained him.

“Senior Tiago, Senior Sien is right.”

“Alres, but.”

“Let them be alone, okay?”

Tiago returned to his seat due to Sien and Alres’s intervention. His face was still full of dissatisfaction.

“If the director makes Benny cry, I’ll think of the director as a hateful person for the rest of my life.”

“Same for me, Tiago.”

“Me too.”

Sien, who was listening, nodded slightly.

* * *

The girl felt like she was going to choke.

The stew, which usually went down smoothly, felt like a thorn in her throat today.

The girl stifled a cough that was about to escape. She couldn’t show such disgrace as spitting out food in front of Nergal.

‘Father…’

While eating, the girl glanced at Nergal’s face. It was the first time she had seen her father’s face so closely. She recalled her mother’s description of her father’s face.

〈He was quite decent-looking for a bookworm. If he took care of himself, he would have been handsome. But he never did. His frail body was also dull.〉

In short, she said he was unattractive. The girl sometimes looked for pictures of her father. In the blurry photos, there stood an awkward, frail man just as her mother described.

But now…?

“……”

Even when she first saw him, the girl thought her father looked younger than his age. He looked like a college student. Even standing next to Alres, who was actually a college student, Nergal didn’t look old.

‘Father looks… quite pure.’

He was indeed frail, but not ugly. The girl knew she inherited her large eyes from Nergal.

“Benny.”

“…Huh? Yes.”

“Is there something on my face?”

Nergal asked, noticing her gaze.

“Oh, no. It’s just… you have big eyes, Father.”

“Hmm?”

“My eyes are big too…”

The girl felt embarrassed even as she spoke. What was she saying now? It was perfectly normal for a daughter to resemble her father.

The girl thought Nergal would ignore her words. Or dismiss them as trivial… but…

“……Huh.”

The girl noticed Nergal staring intently at her. Instinctively, she held her breath.

Nergal meticulously examined the girl’s eyes. The shape of her eyelids and the length of her eyebrows. Whether her eyebrows were long or short, thick or thin… After considering each aspect, Nergal concluded.

“It’s true.”

That they were similar to him.

“Pardon?”

“You really do resemble me.”

“…Pardon?”

Nergal spoke as if it was genuinely fascinating. Watching Nergal, who was purely admiring, the girl awkwardly smiled. Nergal quickly ate the food on his tray and pushed the empty tray aside.

“Can I look again?”

Nergal asked, eyeing the girl’s tray, which was still full of food.

“Pardon?”

Meanwhile, the girl couldn’t keep up with her father’s words and actions. 

What was this situation…?

“I want to find more ways we might be alike.”

“…Oh.”

“Eat comfortably. I’ll be looking.”

Could I really eat comfortably?

The girl’s face was full of concern. Unaware that Tiago, watching from afar, was grinding his teeth.

The girl slowly moved her spoon, feeling her father’s gaze. It was burdensome, but she didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

“Um, Father.”

“Hmm?”

Nergal tilted his head.

“You know… Olive seems to like you. Olive is very shy. Sometimes she scowls when other researchers come.”

“Hmm.”

“So could you visit to see Olive often?”

At the girl’s words, Nergal shook his head.

“No, I’m very busy.”

“I mean just to say hello. For about 10 seconds.”

Nergal soon nodded, saying, “Ah.”

“That’s fine.”

“And could you say hello to me too… just for 10 seconds.”

“That makes it a total of 20 seconds.”

“…Is that difficult?”

“No, not at all.”

Nergal answered briskly.

The girl’s previously dark face suddenly began to brighten. Her lips twitched. Soon, her lips stretched wide, and she smiled brightly like a child.

Nergal quietly observed the girl. He didn’t know why she was so happy, but his heart felt warm.

“You’re different from others.”

Nergal said.

“Because I have perfect memory abilities?”

“No.”

The girl didn’t avoid Nergal’s gaze.

“You understand what I say.”

“Don’t others understand you?”

“Most don’t. They all dislike it.”

“……”

“Ire was like that too.”

Nergal laughed bitterly. The girl struggled with what to say and finally opened her lips with difficulty.

“Well… but I don’t dislike you that much, Father. Even though you neglected me.”

“I was busy.”

“I realize that now, that you’re busy.”

“I’ve always been busy. There’s a lot to do.”

“Yes.”

In the past, Nergal had similar conversations with Ire.

Back then, Ire thought Nergal’s words were excuses and said she was sick of them. Nergal was hurt by the indiscriminate criticism from her.

In the end, Nergal ignored her, and Ire did the same.

But the girl was different. She knew her father’s words were not excuses but sincere. From there, Nergal felt a sensation he had never experienced in his life.

Perhaps that feeling was ‘understanding.’

* * *

Returning to 14 years later.

“Your Eminence!”

The Papal States, a neutral country.

A priest called out to the young Cardinal Rahie. Beautiful golden eyes turned towards the priest.

“What is it?”

“Is it true? That someone knows the design of the NOK weapon…”

The priest stammered as he spoke.

The story just mentioned in the meeting was truly shocking. Because of that, the cardinals had a fierce debate. The priest couldn’t hide his anxious expression.

Rahie brushed his silver hair once and nodded.

“I was in Toramde that day. I didn’t see the situation directly, but my disciple was hiding there. Anyway, I was very disappointed in Toramde. I didn’t expect them to be so loose-lipped.”

“If His Holiness knows about this… information might have reached Rando.”

At Priest Lidams’ words, Rahie’s expression hardened.

“Be careful with your words. There are other priests besides cardinals here.”

This matter was a level 1 security issue, known only to the cardinals and the Pope. If other priests heard, rumors could spread uncontrollably fast.

Only then did the priest realize his mistake and his face turned pale.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Rando and the radicals will try to kill her. Soon, the girl’s identity will be revealed.”

Rahie said that before that happens, the moderates should act first.

“Are you thinking of protecting her?”

At the priest’s words, Rahie nodded.

“If the girl disappears, a gap will form between Rando, who succeeded in developing the destructive weapon, and Toramde, who didn’t.”

“But…”

“Don’t forget that the Papal States are a neutral country, Lidams.”

Rahie spoke with a hardened expression.

“Our neutral country must not get involved in war and must also play a role in balancing power.”