29 – former father-in-law

At the call of the former father-in-law, I follow her through the familiar hallways.

I’m a little distraught that I’ll be seeing my former father-in-law soon.

The one who longed for the best sword in the Empire. And the one who lives drunk and has no interest in anything in the world. William Brandt.

That is the artisan in my memory. I’m curious about such a person’s interest, but I don’t like it. That’s why the steps are a little heavy.

In front of the unusually rugged door, I stop my slightly heavy steps. Iris knocks on the rugged door.

“father. I brought Sir Alic.”

After she finishes talking, wait a bit before opening the door. Beyond the door was a room too crude for a duke to live in. Unusually in a clunky room with no common ornaments, a display case full of alcohol filled the wall.

Not in the room where people live, but in the room near the wine cellar, empty bottles are rolling around on the floor. And the strong smell of alcohol wafts from the room.

In such an unusual room, an old artisan with black hair, which is rare in the empire, was drinking. The old father-in-law’s face was reddish and his eyes were cloudy, as he continued to drink despite our arrival.

I saw it in my last life, but I can’t get used to it. It’s not nice to see the broken figure of the man you once admired.

The drunken man looks at us and opens his mouth only after he has finished drinking.

“Go back.”

“All right.”

The conversation, which is too desolate to be a woman, stimulates old memories. It’s not nice.

While feeling that emotion, Iris quietly leaves the room. And there is a heavy silence in the room. In that heavy silence, cloudy eyes look at me.

From those cloudy eyes similar to those of a defeated soldier, I felt an irresistible energy. The energy makes it a little difficult to breathe.

After a while, the drunken man opens his mouth.

“Would you like a drink?”

“I will decline.”

I like alcohol, but I refused because I didn’t want to drink with someone who was so drunk.

After my words, the drunken man slowly gets up and takes out a drink from the display case. He opens the lid of the bottle he took out and pours it into his mouth. After emptying half a bottle of alcohol that looks poisonous, he opens his mouth again.

“Are you disappointed?”

It’s a messy word, but it’s not that I can’t understand the meaning. To the question of whether he was disappointed with the broken appearance of the one called the best sword in the empire, he answered honestly.

“Yes. Disappointed.”

“Yes, I guess.”

The drunken man pours his drink again.

“Do you know why I called?”

“I do not know.”

“I guess so.”

The flow of the drunken man’s words was strange, but he didn’t care. It’s just the words of a broken person, so I don’t think deeply about it.

“Just say it. I’m going to pretend I wasn’t engaged.”

When the person who first proposed the engagement to the family suddenly asked to do something that had never happened, his head creaked and made a broken sound.

“I will give you the business that I decided to hand over, and I’ll take care of the cancellation fee generously.”

The man who sold me would like that and agree. Not too long ago, I would have agreed. But, now I’m not sure.

The last life was painful, so he wanted to break up the engagement to escape. Now that I had a small hope, the thought of running away was gone. However, no clue was found to solve the curse that caused the pain.

Since this is the state, if I go on like this, I might live in the same pain as I did in my last life. No, it’s very likely. So it is wise to break up. It is something to be welcomed. Reason says so.

However, emotions do not approve of that statement. Even though it hurt enough to die, I still love her and I object. Seeing her various aspects in this life, I object to her as I have come to love her anew.

I am confused by the confrontation between reason and emotion. I don’t know what is right. However, I don’t want to break up with her without knowing why.

“Can you tell me why?”

“Does the reason matter?”

“Yes, it is important.”

The drunken man empties his drink and opens his mouth.

“Nothing. It’s just a whim.”

I can’t understand that. To accept and pass on such words, the blooming hope and love for her are not light.

“For that reason, it is unacceptable.”

At my words, the drunken man burst into laughter. Then he reaches for the liquor in the display case and pours in a little.

“It was a cheeky, funny answer.”

After those words, the world becomes heavy. An irresistible intangible aura presses me. The weight of the power that presses me down makes me choke. The body creaks, loses strength and is about to collapse.

grit and resist I know all too well that I can’t overcome this energy. I know this well because I have lived through countless battles and struggles. Still, I don’t want to fall. I don’t want to give in to the whims of a drunken and broken man.

The life I have lived is not light enough to fall down and surrender so lightly.

Ignoring the screams of my body, I forcibly hold on. Raises mana, emits momentum and resists. squeeze everything out of me

Even so, I can’t overcome the momentum that oppresses me. can’t push Just standing was the limit. We forcibly continue beyond that limit.

Because of the screaming body, I can’t tell how much time has passed. I turn my eyes and look at him. It wasn’t long before I looked at the bottle of the person who was drinking with vigor.

collapse The weight of the heart is clearly different, but I hated being stamped and pressed by the difference in status.

I hated it, but the world was cruel and the weight of my heart was extremely meaningless. The body reaches the end of its limits.

At the end of the limit, I glared at the drunkard. A relaxed and savoring man empties all the alcohol and puts down the empty bottle. At that moment, the irresistible energy disappears.

The power that weighed me down disappears, and the strength is released from my body. It staggers ungainly. I don’t want to collapse just because of my pride, so I force myself to turn and lean against the wall for support.

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Leaning awkwardly against the wall is unsightly, but it’s better than collapsing.

“You look tough.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the words. I want to be sarcastic about that, but I can’t open my mouth. I didn’t even have the strength to speak at the cost of overworking my body because of my pride.

“Your daughter… seems to like you.”

The flow of the drunken man’s story became strange again. I want to ignore that strange flow and answer his words, but I still don’t have the strength to open my mouth.

“You don’t seem to have the strength to answer. Then listen.”

A drunkard takes out another drink. The sight was ridiculous. No matter how much he is a superman, if he drinks strong alcohol like that, it’s obvious that his body will be ruined.

Another useless idea. It’s none of my business what he does.

A person who is drunk takes a sip of alcohol and opens his mouth.

“I worked hard to block my daughter’s useless feelings, but because of you, it was all in vain.”

That word makes my teeth clench. How can emotions be useless? The overflowing emotions that couldn’t boil over gave a little strength to my body, and I could barely open my mouth.

“Why are emotions useless!”

I want to say more. I want to vomit more of these feelings, but I have no strength. Mouth does not open Only those words that I spat out as if screaming evil were the last strength given to me. Legs lose strength. In the end, he slumps to the floor ungainly.

Seeing me like that, that person burst into laughter. I get annoyed with that look.

People who used to laugh at me erase their laughter.

“For a normal person, emotions matter. It becomes the driving force of life, and it becomes the purpose itself. However, we are not. Emotions are the poison that kills us someday.”

There was a hint of sadness in his voice and face. It reminds me of a sentence I saw in the witch’s book.

“After the death of his beloved wife, I automatically picture him in my head when his blocked emotions are restored.”

That sentence lingers in my head. That sentence makes me understand that sadness. Because I understood his feelings, I could understand his words.

Those who have sorrow drink alcohol. The bottom of the strong drink is visible. I throw down the empty bottle and open my mouth.

“Do you know the fate of having to suffer until death because of a cursed fate, the feeling of having to embrace the corpse of a loved one and live with regret for the rest of your life!”

Sorrow turns into angry anger.

“I killed my emotions to tell you not to live like that, but you ruined everything! You ruined my daughter’s life!”

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Lost fury is directed at me. However, the intangible aura doesn’t weigh me down like before.

It was pitiful to see a drunken, broken man screaming and venting his anger at me.

“Don’t get hurt, don’t have feelings, I chose you, who doesn’t matter much, as my partner… It’s my mistake…”

Resentment turns into desolation and eats him up. The giant admired by all the warriors of the empire is dwindling in despair.

I hate that look.

I hate to see the evil feelings of the witch still remaining in the world, dropping and destroying the giant I longed for.

Even so, the taste is bitter because there is nothing to do for him who has already been broken.

“You said something useless…”

A locked voice lingers around the room.

“Let the things that happened here be nothing for a moment. I will call you back later with my daughter.”

There are many things I want to say to him, but I swallow them. To him, who has already been immersed in gloomy emotions, it seems that no matter what he says, he will not be able to reach him, so he just promises the next time.

In order to give the broken giant some time alone, he forcibly moved his weak, wobbly legs.

When the door is closed, the sound of sobbing can be heard from beyond the door. the appetite is bitter