Chapter 78

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Pencilnia has returned to its daily routine.

Alro has met Lennon for the third time.

He really wants to come more often, but he's been told not to come alone, and it ends up being about two weeks between visits.

Every time he comes, Lennon cries, clings to him, and ends up yelling and cursing at him.

Still, Alro listens to him as devotedly as he can. He can only listen.

Lennon, whose tongue no longer forms words well, no longer calls Alro by name.

"Did you... bring it?"

"Huh?"

"I told you. The usual, you know."

"That... You can't bring anything in here."

Lennon, in a fit of rage, threw a pillow. It hit Alro and fell to the floor.

"I told you to bring it in secretly! Can't you even do that?"

"It's... impossible. They check my belongings before I enter. They inspect everything thoroughly."

"It's all your fault... How are you going to fix this?"

"Yeah... I'm sorry."

Sometimes, it seemed like he might be hit, but Alro could only nod or apologize. He couldn't do anything, so he faced his father sincerely.

Even when a fist was raised, he didn't close his eyes. He looked as if he was waiting to be hit.

Of course, Alro had a knight with him, so he wasn't hit.

"If you weren't here, I'd be working in the castle by now."

"Yeah..."

This time, Lennon began to sob.

Alro found it more unbearable to see Lennon cry than to be yelled at or hit.

His only father was in such pain, and he couldn't do anything to help.

Still, even when yelled at or screamed at, Alro didn't show any tears or a sad face. He thought he shouldn't.

He just kept apologizing to Lennon, looking apologetic.

"I'm sorry. If I save up a little more money, we can live together."

"Hurry up... Hurry..."

When Lennon fell asleep, the visit was over.

"Alro, are you okay?"

A middle-aged woman, who was in charge of the facility, spoke to Alro, who looked dark.

Her name is Furi.

She had been watching Alro from a distance for a while.

Actually, she had been asked by Rias to keep an eye on him.

Furi had one son who had already grown up. She thought teenage boys were unruly, but she was surprised to see Alro just endure and apologize.

Alro answered with a small voice, "Yes."

"I really want to come more often, but..."

He couldn't come alone. The distance was a bit too far to come every day. It took a whole day, so he could pay for the carriage, but he had to take a whole day off work.

"I think this is the right frequency. I know you're worried, but Alro, even on the days you don't come, Lennon lives just as he always does."

"Yes..."

It was hard to hear that he wasn't needed, but he accepted it.

He couldn't settle down and tried to help Lennon change clothes, but he couldn't do it well. Seeing the staff take care of things efficiently made him feel even more inadequate.

"Can I bring something as a gift?"

Bringing in personal items was strictly prohibited, including food and drink.

"I'm sorry, it's the rule."

"Is that so..."

Furi swayed her large body and sat down in a chair. It was a waiting area for the staff until the carriage arrived. Alro was given a chair and sat opposite her.

"Is there something you want to bring?"

"Lennon has been asking for alcohol..."

"Ah, I see."

"Can't I bring even a little? Just one cup a day?"

Thinking he might be scolded, he asked, but Furi kept smiling.

"He always asks for it."

Alro nodded. Most of their conversations were about bringing alcohol.

"If he gets even a little, he'll want more."

"..."

"When your father came, it took about two months for the alcohol to leave his system. He was terrified, saying that bugs were crawling all over his body, rats and bees were attacking him, and that someone was trying to kill him. It was very real to him. I think it was very scary. ——If he drinks again, he'll repeat this. And when the alcohol is taken out of his body again, he'll suffer the same pain."

Alro didn't realize his father was in such a bad state.

He knew he was delirious and had hallucinations.

But Furi must be downplaying it. It must have been very difficult.

"——And most importantly, your father's body can no longer tolerate alcohol. ——When he was drinking, didn't he vomit blood?"

"Sometimes..."

"His organs are in bad shape. Eating easy-to-digest food and resting like this is probably the best for him."

It was a reasonable statement.

He had expected to hear something like this, but it was still a shock to hear it.

Alro managed to nod silently, thanks to Furi's calm and gentle words.

"I'm sorry, I said something foolish."

That was all he could say.

Furi shook her head slowly.

"Wanting to do things for your father is not a strange thing."

Alro bowed deeply.

"Please take care of my father."

"Please raise your head. I'm doing my job, so that's fine. I'll make sure your father is healthy and safe."

Alro felt relieved to hear this without being pitied.

Still, Lennon's hoarse voice stuck in his head and wouldn't go away.

After meeting Lennon, Alro would immerse himself in training for the next few days.

Even in the rain or the freezing snow, Alro continued to swing his sword.

"You can't do that. Your body isn't fully developed yet."

The knight who was training him stopped him, but Alro ran to the training ground and moved his body with a fierce look. ——No, he was more like punishing himself.

Even if he was stopped, Alro would do strenuous training in his room. So, it was decided that it was better to let him do it where they could see him, in the training ground.

Alro's body became more and more covered in bruises and scars every day.

Rias had heard about this, but Cynthia didn't know what to do.

He must need to release his pent-up feelings somewhere.

The root of all evil is that father. Meeting his father is what is driving Alro to the brink mentally.

He should just stop. But can he be allowed to stop?

Alro is working hard, dreaming of the day he can live with his father again. ——Even though that day will never come.

"It's complicated..."

Cynthia's mutter was picked up by Rias.

"According to Furi, it's a common thing."

"What is?"

"A distorted dependent relationship like Alro and Lennon. She says the best thing is to cut it off physically."

"Is it... good to cut it off?"

Wouldn't a third party forcing their way into Alro's delicate heart leave deep scars?

He seeks his father so much. His father, the only family and the driving force in his life.

If he were given a leave, he would go straight to the facility. He must be frustrated that he can't go without a knight.

And he must be frustrated that he can't take care of his father forever. He's only 12 years old. He doesn't need to do such things.

"Furi said Lennon won't last long."

"Yes."

Even though he knows he shouldn't think this...

Wouldn't it be better for Alro to grow up healthily if Lennon were to leave this world?

He found himself thinking such things.

"Let's stretch it out as much as we can."

To the point where Alro won't sneak out to see Lennon.

Let's wait and see if something gets resolved.

—He would realize that this was a naive thought a little later.

Alro didn't know where to take this feeling.

There are things that exist and are harmful. He is one of them.

He was disliked by his mother and betrayed his father's expectations.

He is only alive because of Pencilnia's kindness.

He wants to be useful, but in this strong and stable household, where everyone lives wonderfully, he feels like the only dirty and hopeless one.

Especially after meeting his father, he hesitates to return to the mansion.

Useless. Troublesome. A harbinger of misfortune.

Just hearing his father's voice, dozens of such words run through his head.

He feels as if something dark and dirty is overflowing from inside him.

In fact, he is a dark ability user. He is said to bring misfortune to those around him. His mother and father became unhappy.

Then, shouldn't he not be here?

But he doesn't know what to do.

The only way is to save money and live quietly with his father. But he doesn't have the money.

In the end, his thoughts just go in circles.

Alro finished training and returned to his room, taking off his shirt, which was covered in sweat and mud.

Under the shirt, his body was covered in bruises and scars.

Alro stared at the scars for a while.

When the wooden sword broke and the fragments pierced his arm, the sharp pain made him feel as if his heart was suddenly lighter.

As if this dark and dirty thing was being purified.

Alro tried scratching the scar with his fingernail.

The thin scar, which was healing, broke open again, and blood seeped out.

The warm sensation of the blood made Alro sigh in relief.

He felt as if he could finally breathe.

—This is what he should have done.