Chapter 40

Johann’s sudden visit to the cabin was entirely for Rafaella’s sake.

He had been deep in thought, comforting his daughter, who sobbed bitterly on the garden bench, saying she missed her mother.  

‘Is this pain I feel for Rafaella what they call fatherly love?’  

Johann no longer wanted to see his daughter in sadness. He wanted to erase all traces of sorrow from her young face and fill it with joy and laughter.  

‘…I can’t believe I’m thinking like this.’  

Perhaps it was the memories of the child that came to him with headaches, or maybe it was the discomfort of watching his daughter endure emotional hardship recently. Whatever the reason, he had one wish: to see Rafaella’s smiling face.  

For that, her mother was necessary.  

But he couldn’t immediately bring the woman from the north to Rafaella’s side.  

‘…I suppose I have no choice but to use that method.’  

He contemplated a method he rarely used unless absolutely necessary.  

“Rafaella, do you miss your mom a lot?”  

“Sniffle, yes.”  

Rafaella nodded her head.  

“Then I’ll try to make it so you can meet her a little sooner.”  

“…Really?”  

The child stopped crying and looked up at her father.  

“But Mom is far away, so she can’t come right away….”  

“With a little magic, it’s possible.”  

“Magic?”  

“Yes, a little special magic.”  

Rafaella’s tears had completely stopped, and her expression was now filled with curiosity.  

“But this magic is a secret, so you can’t tell anyone about it.”  

He whispered to his daughter, placing a finger on his lips.  

“Can you keep it a secret?”  

“Yes, I’ll keep it.”  

Rafaella nodded and replied in a small voice, just like Johann.  

“Then I’ll explain it properly in your room later.”  

He carried Rafaella to her room. After crying her heart out and feeling better thanks to Johann, Rafaella eventually began humming a tune.  

Her singing tickled his heart.  

Leaving his daughter in the care of the maids, Johann went to find Samuel to inform him of his plan. Samuel moved to carry out his orders.  

Next, Johann visited his mother to inform her of his upcoming plans in advance.  

“You’re planning to use teleportation magic?”  

“Yes. Rafaella seems to be struggling too much.”  

“It’s impressive, truly, that you’re willing to use that magic for your child.”  

“There doesn’t seem to be any risk of being discovered, either.”  

He averted his gaze, looking slightly embarrassed.  

“That’s a good thing. Rafaella is changing you for the better.”  

Isabella smiled warmly at her son. She admired his willingness to do anything for his child.  

Teleportation magic was so advanced that only a handful of people in the Valerius Empire could perform it.  

Shortly after becoming a Swordmaster, Johann had challenged advanced magic out of curiosity. Thanks to his innate mana and persistence, he succeeded in teleportation magic after just a few attempts. His massive mana reserves, said to occur once in a century, had facilitated his quick success.  

When Johann informed his parents of his success, the former Duke’s face hardened instead of showing joy.  

“The Imperial Family wasn’t exactly pleased about you becoming a Swordmaster at such a young age. If they find out you can use teleportation magic as well, who knows how they’ll react….”  

The former Duke sighed heavily.  

“It’s probably best to keep this a secret for now.”  

“Yes, Johann, that would be wise.”  

Isabella also looked at Johann with concern.  

At the time, Johann was still young and had been intoxicated by the joy of his success. But his father’s words brought him back to reality.  

‘I must protect His Highness the Crown Prince. I can’t become a liability.’  

Following his father’s advice, Johann refrained from informing the Imperial Family about his ability to use teleportation magic. He resolved to use it only when absolutely necessary and when no one else was around.  

Since then, Johann had only used teleportation magic once—when he was returning from a monster subjugation mission and was unexpectedly stabbed by a trusted knight.  

While living in the cabin, he hadn’t even carried a sword, let alone used teleportation magic. After returning, he hadn’t encountered any urgent situations that required its use.  

Now, however, he was willing to use this extraordinary magic solely to allow Rafaella to meet her mother a little sooner.  

‘She’s even developed emotional scars.’  

He justified his decision to use teleportation. It wasn’t an indulgence; it was a necessity.  

“I’ll perform the teleportation magic in my room. It will take about two days, during which only Samuel will enter and leave my room.”  

Samuel would inform the household staff in advance that the Duke of Blumhart would be extremely busy for the next two days and would remain in his room working. He would also ensure that only he, Samuel, would have access to the Duke’s room, citing the Duke’s potentially irritable mood from overwork.  

Aside from his family, only three people knew that Johann could use teleportation magic: his aide Samuel, Arthur—the captain of the Blumhart Knights—and Harry, who had accompanied Lia to the north.  

All three were utterly loyal to Johann. As long as he wasn’t caught, there was no risk of his secret being revealed.  

“But is it okay to show teleportation magic to Rafaella’s mother?”  

“She only cares about Rafaella, so she’ll keep the secret.”  

“Alright. Use the best healing mana stone, as it will strain your body.”  

“Yes.”  

He nodded.  

Teleportation magic was an extremely advanced form of magic that also caused physical fatigue. During the spell, the caster had to hold a mana stone imbued with strong healing properties. Even so, it didn’t entirely prevent exhaustion.  

“Johann.”  

Isabella called out to her son as he was about to leave.  

“I’m so proud of you. You’re going to be an even better parent than we were.”  

He felt embarrassed by his mother’s warm touch on his shoulder. He hadn’t done anything particularly remarkable for Rafaella yet.  

“I’ll take good care of Rafaella, so go and return safely.”  

***

“…I’ll tell you exactly what magic I used when you’re a little older.”  

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Rafaella, but children were prone to making mistakes, so it was better to be cautious.  

“Really? You’ll really tell me?”  

“Yes.”  

Rafaella’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she lay on her bed, looking at Johann.  

Although she was very curious, she decided to wait patiently, harboring a strong desire to grow up quickly.  

“So, for the next two days, I’ll be in my room but not really there.”  

“You’re going to bring Mom back?”  

“Yes, but aside from Samuel and Grandma, everyone else will think I’m in my room.”  

“Even I will think you’re in your room?”  

“That’s right.”  

Nod, nod.  

“Will you be okay without me for two days?”  

“…Yes, Grandma and Auntie Peppy will be here.”  

“Really?”  

He asked again, just to be sure.  

“Really!”  

Rafaella answered cheerfully.  

Unlike with her mother, she seemed to enjoy being left alone.  

“Well, then, shall we go to sleep now?”  

“Yes, but instead of a story today, can you sing me a lullaby?”  

“What?”  

He paused, holding a storybook in his hand.  

“I want to hear the lullaby Mom used to sing.”  

Was it because he had encouraged her to express everything she felt earlier?  

‘She wants to hear her mother’s lullaby, but I can’t say no to that.’  

The problem was that Johann wasn’t confident in singing a lullaby. He couldn’t even recall ever singing in his life.  

“Rafaella, I’m really sorry, but I can’t sing a lullaby.”  

“Why not?”  

“…I’ve never sung one before.”  

“…Liar.”  

The child puffed up her cheeks and muttered.  

“You used to sing to Raffy.”  

“…I’m sorry.”  

Having lost his memories of his daughter, Johann felt like a sinner before her.  

At first, he had felt no guilt and only discomfort.  

“Then I’ll teach you.”  

Feeling better after seeing his apologetic expression, Rafaella offered.  

The child earnestly tried to teach her father a lullaby, but it didn’t yield much success.  

Exhausted from teaching him, Rafaella eventually fell asleep.  

Johann gazed at his sleeping daughter.  

‘…She still doesn’t call me Dad.’  

He had thought they had grown closer since he started taking care of her.  

Johann suddenly wanted to hear his daughter call him “Dad.”  

‘Maybe she’ll say it after I bring her mom back.’  

At dawn the next day, Johann reminded Samuel once again and began casting the teleportation magic in his bedroom.  

Holding a healing mana stone in his left hand, he drew a precise teleportation magic circle in the air with his right hand.  

The completed magic circle emitted a bright white light.  

Within the magic circle, he inscribed the coordinates of a small northern town, Winster.  

As soon as he finished entering the coordinates, the glowing magic circle engulfed him in an instant.  

Now, his bedroom was empty.  

***

Arriving on the outskirts of Winster, Johann stopped by a few inns just in case.  

He considered the possibility that Harry might have stayed behind while Lia went ahead.  

At one of the inns, Harry, who had been training since dawn, was startled to see him.  

After Johann explained the situation and asked why Harry hadn’t accompanied Lia to Lorem Mountain, he half-listened to Harry’s excuses and asked for the location of Lia’s village.  

Harry gave him detailed directions to the village and bought freshly baked bread from a nearby bakery.  

“Miss Lia didn’t take much food with her, so I thought it might be useful.”  

With the bread Harry gave him, Johann headed toward Lorem Mountain.  

“Are you sure it’s okay for me not to go with you?”  

“It’s fine. You’d only get in the way.”  

Although Harry’s presence might have eased some of the awkwardness, it could also have made things more uncomfortable.  

He needed to ask Lia why she would leave Rafaella, after all.  

Without resting, Johann climbed the mountain and reached the village.  

On his way to the cabin, he encountered a few villagers, but they all avoided him with startled expressions.  

‘It’s like they’ve seen a monster.’  

Johann, unsure of the exact location of Lia’s house, asked a passerby, but the person recoiled in shock and hurried into their home.  

Feeling exasperated, he considered asking someone else but had a strange sense that if he continued down this path, he would find her cabin.  

‘It’s worth a try.’  

Eventually, he stopped in front of a cabin that gave him a strong sense of déjà vu.  

‘This must be the place….’  

Johann knocked on the door and waited briefly.  

Moments later, the door opened, only to be slammed shut with a loud bang.  

He stared at the closed door, bewildered.