Chapter 67: The Reunion (1)
After escaping the world of sorcery, Irene Pareira was busy.
And he couldn't take a break during such an important task as the demon subjugation.
He did his best with the mindset to clear away the mistakes he made in the past.
However, in the midst of that, he never forgot the precious people who were the reason he changed.
School Master, Ian.
Ilya Lindsay, Judith, and Bratt Lloyd.
And Lulu, the cat sorcerer.
Among them, he longed for Lulu the most.
He could still remember.
The excitement when he looked under the bed after breaking out of the barrier after 5 years, only to be disappointed when he found something else…
But now, all those feelings were irrelevant.
Because the real Lulu was in front of him.
"Lulu!"
Irene jumped up from the bed and stepped forward. Lulu was there.
From what he knew, the black cat was floating in the air.
He stretched out his arms to hug Lulu.
When Lulu raised her front paws and stopped Irene.
The pink soles were quite cute to see. Very cute.
Of course, in such a serious atmosphere, Irene wasn't ignorant enough to say that.
So he asked.
"Why?"
"We'll talk later. First, listen to Jack Stewart."
"Huh?"
"What this person has to say will lighten your mind. Probably."
With that, Lulu moved back.
Irene, who was staring blankly at Lulu, turned to Jack Stewart.
A Serious face.
It wasn't different from the face he had in the demon's cave, but he knew he had to ask.
So he did.
"Sir Jack Stewart?"
"Yes, young lord Pareira."
"Do you have something to say?"
"Yes. In the demon's cave… I heard that you're having a hard time because of that."
"Who sai…"
"Me."
Irene looked at Lulu.
Lulu still had a serious face.
"It's true that you care about the things that happened back there. Your heart is shaken. Even if it wasn't because of what Viscount Gairn said."
"…"
"And it isn't like you don't care about what the Viscount says."
That's right.
The fact that Irene's sword didn't move because of his will but because of the man in his dreams was important.
And it was true that Viscount Gairn's words affected him.
'At that time… I really didn't care about the hostages.'
He focused on slashing down the demon.
Of course, in the end, no one was sacrificed, but if things went wrong, two lives could have been lost.
All because of his actions.
His sword was shaken.
Especially if it meant endangering someone's life.
And such a fact burdened Irene into feeling guilty.
However, the following words of Jack Stewart denied it.
"The only person in the subjugation force who cared about my life was Irene Pareira."
"Sorry?"
"No one cared for my life. Vice-captain Hill Burnett, my subordinates… even my lord, Viscount Phill Gairn."
Jack Stewart recalled that time.
The gazes of the subjugation troops were complex instead of showing pity for him.
Hill Burnett's cold eyes, which were ready to sacrifice Jack for the sake of the continent, and Gairn's disgusting eyes, which were prepared to give him up for the sake of his family and honor.
No one cared about Jack Stewart's life.
Phill Gairn only valued Ryan Gairn's life.
But Irene was different.
He alone raised his sword for Jack.
"It wasn't like that."
Irene spoke with a stiff face.
He just wanted to kill the demon. He never thought about saving anyone.
That was what he thought, which was why Jack's words made him uncomfortable.
However, he couldn't find any way to refute Jack's following words.
"It doesn't matter to me how the young lord felt, to be honest."
"The important thing for me is that only young lord Pareira wielded his sword."
"And I am alive and well thanks to that."
"If it wasn't for young lord Irene Pareira, I would have died. I wanted to tell you that."
With quick words, Jack Stewart thanked him.
His words were sincere.
His feelings were sincere.
In the midst of great anger, sadness, and despair, gratitude for him bloomed like a flower.
Irene looked into the man's eyes and could feel it.
When Lulu said.
"It's bad that your will has been shaken. Very, it's very serious."
"…"
"However, because of that one person, no two people were saved, and more than that… isn't that supposed to be a very, very, very good outcome?"
At the sage-like words from the cat, Irene had no choice but to nod his head.
After enough time elapsed for the intense emotions to subside, Jack continued to speak.
It was close to a confession.
He spoke about how the meal was poisoned to prevent Irene Pareira from taking an active role.
And when that didn't work, he spoke about how they tried to interrupt the battle.
And the instructions to do all those things had come from the mouth of Viscount Phill Gairn.
"I know that my fault is great. Even if it was the orders of my Lord… I shouldn't have done that. Both as a knight and a human. Doing such things as a member of the subjugation force to take down the demon… I apologize. I'm really sorry."
A bad story.
Of course, it wasn't a surprise. Because it was something, Irene had already guessed.
But just because he knew it didn't mean that he was prepared to listen to it like this.
"I will humbly accept any punishment. Young lord, Irene Pareira."
"…"
Irene Pareira was confused.
He had been subjected to malice, disregard, and ridicule by countless people.
So, he knew several ways to deal with that. He used to avoid it, but now he was facing it.
However, it was the first time in his life that a person who mistreated him had visited him personally and asked to be punished for his misdeeds.
'I'm flustered.'
Of course, he had no intention of forgiving Jack Stewart.
Because this man was someone who didn't just hurt him, but his family too.
But right now, there was nothing he wanted to do.
'And…'
Irene looked at him.
Far away, he could see Lulu floating at the back of the room.
Right. He wanted to talk with Lulu.
He didn't want to waste the reunion with his precious cat just because of Jack Stewart.
"We can talk about that later."
"Young Lord Pareira…"
"I have no intention of forgiving you. But right now, there is too much my brain has to process, so just leave me for now. Understood?"
"… yes. I will definitely pay for my sins."
Once again, asking for forgiveness, Jack Stewart stood up. And opened the door to leave.
But why was Lulu following him?
In surprise, Irene shouted.
"Lulu!"
He didn't just shout.
He dashed and closed the door before Lulu could leave.
Which resulted in Jack Stewart getting pushed out by the door! He was confused, but no one cared.
A moment's silence.
Irene tried to make contact, but Lulu avoided it.
Coming down from the air, trudging towards the corner of the room.
And with the cat's back facing the room.
That sad look, he knew it.
'You think it's because of you that I entered the world of sorcery.'
Perhaps, Lulu had the same thoughts as Kirill.
Because Irene had been separated for five years from his family, Lulu was blaming herself.
But it wasn't true.
It definitely wasn't true.
Irene could say it a thousand times if needed.
It was because he entered the world of sorcery that he managed to grow. And it wasn't a bad thing at all.
Lulu knew that better than anyone but couldn't stand it.
The closed heart of the black cat wasn't something that would open easily.
"If I taught you a little better, you would have manifested other abilities."
"You wouldn't have been away from your family for five years."
"Kirill wouldn't be so sad."
"It was all because of me. Sorry."
Irene shook his head.
He told her that it wasn't her fault. It was thanks to Lulu that he was able to grow up so splendidly.
Thanks to Lulu's wonderful teaching, he was able to become one of the few sorcerers on the continent and sharpen his swordsmanship, allowing him to finish the demon subjugation safely.
Did his sincerity work? Lulu's ears perked up.
But that wasn't enough. Lulu's ears dropped again.
Lowering her head, she spoke in a gloomy voice.
"I am an unlucky black cat. Unlucky black cat."
"What is that supposed to mean? You said that it was a superstition and held no basis whatsoever."
"Even superstitions have power."
Especially the famous ones.
Lulu paused for a moment and continued to explain.
"Even if it's a baseless story, it will become a reality if many people start believing it. Even an existence without any power becomes great when many people support it. The will of many people gather to become sorcery and change the laws of the world. Have you heard of Animism?"
"No."
"I'm talking about the belief in inanimate objects. In ancient times, people believed in the sun and worshiped huge rocks, and so on. But that isn't all bullshit. Some sorcerers claim that the God of the Holy Kingdom was born that way."
"…"
"I'm a horrible black cat. Because that's what a lot of people believe."
Irene was bewildered by the new things he was told.
It wasn't an unbelievable story at all.
Priests would be furious if they heard that, but after awakening sorcery, he thought that Lulu's words might be true.
But if someone asked him if he was convinced that the black cat brought bad luck, he would definitely say no.
Irene strode towards the corner of the room.
Shocked, Lulu tried to run away, but it was too late.
He spoke, holding her paws before she could use sorcery.
"From today on, a black cat is a symbol of good luck."
"…"
"… what do you mean? Black cats are bad."
"No. I believe that black cats are good. It's been that way for a long time, but I'm even more confident now."
"Don't say strange things!"
Lulu yelled loudly.
To Lulu, Irene said.
"I believe more strongly than everyone else put together. You are a cat which brings good luck."
"…"
"So, there's no other problem, right?"
A voice that was calm but stern too.
This time, even the stubborn Lulu couldn't resist.
The black cat stopped struggling and quietly embraced Irene Pareira.
And said,
"… I missed you."
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