My father had a child back then?!
"My mind is a mess right now… stop dodging and just explain what happened."
"At that time, You had already been born, but I hadn't completed the Sacrificial Ritual. So You was like a body without a soul.
Out of recklessness, I left the tribe in haste, entrusting myself to my teacher, and went to where your father, Ari, was. That's when I found out they had already married… and my dearest friend was pregnant, about to have their first child together.
I told Ari about my situation, but… he rejected me outright, calling me insane."
Of course he would. Any sane person would think you're insane.
"So I had no choice but to use my authority as a High Dryad. I erased his memories of his wife and child… and made him believe you were his real child.
It was extremely difficult—your father was one of the few humans in the world who had reached the level of a Half-Virtue!"
"Wait! Wait, wait, you've only made things more confusing—my father was a Half-Virtue?! Then how did he suddenly become so weak… a mere knight?"
"As I said, I used my authority. And due to his resistance, he lost hundreds of his skills before the brainwashing could fully succeed. His physical strength remained great, but without skills, his power level dropped drastically."
Losing skills causes you to lose all your power?
Then why didn't that happen to m—
I see now… It's because of Authority.
The authority of a certain Path protects you from such consequences… if I'm not mistaken.
Even though I lost all my skills back then, I grew stronger instead of weaker.
Perhaps that's the benefit of having a fully realized Path, or perhaps…
Virtues don't need skills at all.
But…
Does that mean she was also the cause of his death?
If he hadn't lost his power, wouldn't he have survived?
My feelings were tangled…
If she had a hand in his fate, then I can't say I'm blameless either…
Whether it was my fault or not, my father chose to protect the village for my sake, and died rather than let the monsters destroy it…
I—who thought I was his real son…
Suddenly, silence consumed the room, as both of us were devoured by a guilt that couldn't be absolved. Time seemed to slow as we sat, trapped in our thoughts.
…
"I know what you're thinking… Ari's death was my fault—because of my selfish desires. The same goes for Anya. If I hadn't taken Ari away from her, she wouldn't have disappeared."
"She disappeared? And what about the child?"
"At that time…"
That day—after she had erased Ari's memories—my mother went to Lady Anya to tell her the plan. If Anya had rejected her the same way my father did, my mother had intended to brainwash her as well…
But Anya… simply smiled and accepted reality for what it was. She knew nothing could stop my mother's madness at that point.
Still, she asked for one condition in return:
"I have no power to stop you, and no energy left to fight you… but please, just do one thing for me."
"What is it?"
"This child—I don't want him to be born into a world without his father. You said you'd take Ari for only a few years until your son matures. Then do something to delay this child's birth… until Ari returns to me."
Mother said she could never forget the sadness and regret etched into Anya's face as she spoke…
So much so that even in her madness, she briefly regained her senses. But what was done had already been done—no amount of regret could change that.
My mother used the last of her power as a High Mage to cast a temporal slowing spell that would delay the child's birth for at least seven years.
"That's what I believed at the time… but the spell was broken before the seven years were up."
"Why?"
"I don't know. All I remember is that I suddenly felt the spell dissipate. If I recall correctly, it ended after just three or four years."
"Does that have anything to do with her disappearance?"
"Maybe. After we parted ways on the Continent of Joy, I went to her home to check on her and tell her what happened to Ari—but I couldn't find her. Still, I was in a hurry to return to the tribe, so I didn't search further."
So… the time spell was canceled. That means my half-brother was born.
But whether he's still alive… that I can't confirm.
Well…
Looks like I've found myself a new goal~
"Son… aren't you angry with me?"
"Why would I be? What you did makes me want to kill you, but I know the blame doesn't lie with you alone. I bear part of the guilt for what you did too…
You… aren't you going to ask me who I really am?"
"I won't. To me, you're my son no matter who you were… and I accepted that a long time ago."
I wonder if you'll still hold on to that belief in the future…
…
The night passed swiftly, and the sun soon reached its midday zenith.
Once our long conversation ended, the sounds of the bustling tribe filled the air once again.
My mother left the room, and I sat to gather my thoughts and current objectives.
She had left me a photocrystal—an ancient one—with an image of her old party.
In it were my mother—unchanged in appearance—and my father as a young man. The other two figures were Lady Anya… and the other Sword mad.
At the very least, this image could help me find Anya—and my half-brother.
Only minutes passed before the Elder of the tribe came to visit me.
Don't I deserve some time to rest at least?
"Did I interrupt your peace?"
Not at all~
"You little brat."
"Did you just say your true thoughts out loud?"
"I guess I'll speak more freely with you now, Elder."
"I don't mind—especially since you're the son of our glorious Lord."
"So you came at this time knowing my mother would visit me?"
"You already know I was eavesdropping, so why even ask? I won't deny I feared my pupil might lose her mind after what happened yesterday."
"If you were in my shoes, would you have acted any differently?"
"I know and admit that what that fool did was close to forbidden… but after hearing her past, have your thoughts on her changed? Or would you still act the same?"
"I am who I am. And my mother is my mother. As someone who's lived for a long time, I've experienced what she did hundreds—if not thousands—of times. My life was like a fragile thread that could snap at the slightest pull. That's what shaped me into who I am now… but still…
What my mother did is unforgivable. At least from the perspective of a son, if not as Telodeos, the one who has seen it all."
"You sound just like your master—always dancing around the answer with pretty words. But I hope you understand… you're the only one she has left."
"My master? So that old man couldn't keep his mouth shut this time either."
"Anyone would brag about a disciple like you. I too hope my pupil surpasses me someday."
"Hasn't she already?"
"In strength, yes. But not in spirit. Her personality still needs more time. After all, experience is the finest whetstone for anyone."
"So… you didn't come here just to tell me that, did you?"
"You're quite sharp. I came to tell you of another past—one your mother never mentioned.
A past important not just to me…
but to all Dryads across history…
The story of the Chosen Dryad!"