Chapter 118   Love (2)

Vikir felt a shiver running down his spine throughout his body.

Goosebumps crept up on his arms.

“…What did I just hear?”

LOVE?!?!?!?!?!

Even in an era of destruction, it was an unexpected word, to the point that even a seasoned warrior who had overcome countless battles, a master of all trades, doubted his ears.

The last person you’d expect the word “love” to suit in this world was Hugo.

Yet, there it was, coming from his lips.

Vikir sensed that all the strategies he had built were collapsing from the beginning.

And whether he liked it or not, Hugo spoke with discomfort and resentment.

“Yes. She’s the woman I’ve loved all my life. It’s a bit strange to say this, but we fell in love at first sight.”

Hugo’s response, almost like a soliloquy. Hearing it, Vikir thought to himself.

“I didn’t ask.”

There was no need to hear a detailed answer. Just as Vikir was about to bring up the next matter.

“But! Our love is once again put to the test. We were pursued by trackers in Baskerville.”

“….”

Vikir wasn’t particularly curious, but he decided to listen to the end.

Hugo continued to speak even as he sharpened it.

The love story of Hugo and Roxana that followed was tumultuous.

A typical romance fantasy cliché. But this poignant emotion transcended eras.

Hugo Le Baskerville, a handsome genius who excelled in everything and had a wealthy household.

And Roxana, a poor but spirited and cheerful girl.

Their love broke through all opposition from their surroundings and eventually led to a happy ending.

They argued over trivial misunderstandings, laughed and cried at the supporting characters who tried to steal their love, sometimes lamented their cruel fate, and finally overcame the opposition of both families to bear the fruit of their love.

Vikir nodded quietly.

“…So the result was Penelope?”

Penelope La Baskerville.

Hugo’s pupils shook even more when her name was mentioned.

It was a much stronger reaction than when Roxana was mentioned.

“What kind of answer are you expecting?!”

“…….”

Vikir remained consistently composed, causing Hugo to let out a sigh as if in amazement.

“Yes. That’s right. My first child, Penelope. She existed.”

Hugo mentioned the name Penelope and shivered for a moment.

Vikir, with his watchful eyes, silently observed Hugo, who was usually full of gaps. It was the first time he had seen such a strong figure in the realm of Master being showing signs of wavering. Perhaps even Barrymore, who had assisted him throughout his life, had never witnessed such a sight.

Hugo spoke further.

“Roxana was a fragile woman. Shortly after giving birth to Penelope, she became quite ill. And I raised that child with all my heart.”

Penelope was a bright and cheerful child.

Having inherited a strong mind from Hugo and a kind heart from Roxana, she grew up receiving the love of all the Baskervilles.

And then, ‘that incident’ happened.Penelope, who had gone for a walk, was captured by the Rokoko tribe, known for hunting humans.

No one knew how the invaders had found out about Penelope’s walking route.

The Rokoko tribe, known as cannibals, disappeared into the depths of the Black Mountain with Penelope in tow.

From that day on, Hugo lost his mind.

The Iron-Hearted Swordmaster, with a heart of steel and blood of iron, gave up all his assets and power in the Imperial Capital and moved his entire family to the border region.

The reason was to expand the Empire’s territory by subduing the monsters and savages of the Black Mountain.

Hugo, who had abandoned all his wealth and prestige, threw himself into his work as if he were insane.

The Cold Blade, a legendary blade, rolled the heads of countless enemy leaders on the ground.

But he had his limits when fighting alone.

To kill even one more savage of the Black Mountain, Hugo entered into numerous strategic marriages and produced children who’d inherit his martial talents.

The Emperor spared no support when Hugo volunteered for an expedition to the frontier and stepped away from the center of power.

There were no limits to the number of soldiers he could command, and there were no prying eyes.

He was exempt from taxes, and various subsidies were provided for various reasons.

Hugo mobilized all his resources to subdue the Black Mountain and continued to revitalize the Empire.

For decades.

Even in the border region, the birth of a massive family that no one in the Imperial Capital could ignore.

Thus, the ‘Ironblooded Sword Family Baskerville’ was born.

Vikir nodded as he listened to all of this.

“…I see. No wonder something seemed strange when he joined forces with Morg.”

Vikir recalled a fact that Barrymore had hinted at back then.

The reason Hugo allowed the joint expedition with Morg, was because a girl from the Morg Clan was also kidnapped by Rokoko.

Could it have been because Hugo saw his first daughter, Penelope, in her?

Vikir remembered that Barrymore had reflected on this incident and said, “My lord has become the cold-hearted person he is now after that incident. If only his daughter Penelope had survived, it might not have been like this…”

From Vikir’s perspective, there was no way to know what Hugo’s personality had been like before. It was a matter from before he was born. However, Vikir was well aware of Hugo’s personality, having witnessed it over two lifetimes.

A bloodless and fearless master, single-mindedly devoted to the glory of the Empire and the prosperity of the family.

However, witnessing Hugo in front of him, tormented by the old love story, brought an incredibly unfamiliar feeling.

“…Yes, that’s how it was.”

Hugo’s voice trembled gradually as he spoke, and there was a moist redness in the corners of his eyes.

Vikir was on the verge of shedding tears at this unexpected sight.

But he couldn’t get lost in that appearance.

The person before him had become a ruthless human who had sent son after son to the battlefield against savages, driven by the shock of losing his first daughter and a barbaric,

Even if it was his own granddaughter, her blood was mixed with the savages.

Vikir drew Beelzebub, ready to draw his sword at the slightest hint of danger.

With extreme caution, he spoke with a trembling voice.

“Thank you for answering.”

“…”

Hugo quickly dried the moisture in his eyes as he spoke. Then, he raised his bloodshot eyes and glared at Vikir.

“Why the hell did you ask such a thing? If it was just to satisfy your petty curiosity…”

But Vikir interrupted Hugo by raising his hand, silencing his words.

Then, he asked his question directly.

“What would you do if you found out that the first wife’s daughter, that is, the bloodline of ‘Penelope La Baskerville,’ still exists?”“What did you say?”

Hugo furrowed his brow in response to Vikir’s words.

He had a look on his face as if he heard some ridiculous nonsense.

However, Vikir had never uttered idle words.

As Hugo slowly realized this fact…

Tak!

Vikir reached into his pocket with his left hand and placed an object on Hugo’s desk.

Upon seeing it, Hugo’s eyes widened as if they were about to burst.

“…What is this?!”

It was a pendant, an artifact salvaged from the nearly destroyed village of the Rokoko tribe by the red death.

Inside, there were portraits of Hugo and Roxana in their youth, and Penelope as a child.

“I… I made this! I personally crafted this pendant in the workshop and gave it to Roxana as a gift. And in the end, I’m sure I hung it around Penelope’s neck…”

Hugo, shaking so much that he seemed to be shaking the pendant in his hand, grasped it with a hand that almost seemed to tremble.

In an instant…

Clunk!

Hugo’s hand trembled so violently that he dropped the pendant under the table.

Vikir swiftly caught it before it fell to the ground, and Hugo screamed as if having a fit.

“Give it back! Give it back to me!”

“Calm down, Father.”

Hugo was so disoriented that he was practically babbling to thin air.

To the half-dazed Hugo, Vikir calmly returned the pendant.

“…Oh…”

The pendant contained faded portraits, the solid metal plate on the lid seemed to have been worn out.

His first daughter, Penelope. Where could she be? Was she still alive? If she had died, where were her remains? What were the circumstances before her death, and what thoughts had she had? How lonely and desperate must she have been? Did she resent her father for not coming to save her? Did she think her father had forgotten her and fell into despair?

Hugo always feared it.

Perhaps his daughter had blamed him until the end. He had always been strict, never giving a warm word, and never receiving any news, never appearing. Did she resent her father for not blaming him for her miserable fate?

The more he thought about it, the more Hugo lashed out at himself. He had never shown affection to any of his children. Even if his children didn’t feel affection for him, it was easier that way. It was easier than thinking about Penelope living a painful life somewhere.

Especially when he looked at his sons who had the same face and personality as him, he was plagued by intense self-loathing.

…But.

The moment he looked at the pendant that had been worn down from too much caressing, Hugo felt an emotion that had frozen in a corner of his heart for years melt away like a long-standing snowdrift.

Hugo, thinking about his daughter who had clung to this pendant until the end, couldn’t hold back and tears welled up in his eyes.

A single teardrop fell onto the cold stone floor.

And then, Vikir said something that made Hugo’s eyes light up again.

“Father, She had a daughter.”

“?”

Was it because of Vikir’s dry and emotionless voice that Hugo didn’t understand the situation?

“??”

Hugo still had a blank expression, seemingly not grasping Vikir’s words.

“???”

So, as if confirming it, Vikir said to Hugo again.

“I mean, you have a grandaughter.”

After a while…

“!”

Hugo’s eyes widened to the point where they couldn’t get any bigger.