The reason he thanked Selis was not because she had brought the young lady back to her old home, but because she had allowed her to learn the truth—that Owen had always loved her.
That’s right, the collection room, filled with “evidence of fatherly love,” had been a gentle deception from the start.
After Owen was buried, the Butler had already followed the will and buried all the magic artifacts from the collection room together with Owen in his grave.
The real collection room had long since been emptied.
But a few days ago, Selis arrived in Senegal City.
She sought out the Butler, and after learning the truth of Owen’s deep love for Aixi, she arranged everything—
She placed that dust-covered Full Family Portrait in the collection room, and solemnly put in the longsword Owen had forged with all his heart but never got the chance to give.
It was she who allowed Aixi to know the truth.
“No need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Aixi’s father.”
Selis leaned against the wall, her tone tinged with emotion.
“To give up one’s lifelong beliefs for the sake of one’s child—such courage is not something everyone can possess.”
As a Saintess raised in the Aos Empire, she understood better than anyone how difficult it was to change a person’s beliefs.
Owen, even after becoming a Grand Magus, had always been guided by the idea of the Supremacy of Magic.
But ever since his own child was found to have no magic talent, he decisively abandoned that belief.
The longsword he forged with his own hands was proof of that.
His love for Aixi surpassed even his love for himself.
Aixi cried for a long time in the collection room.
After all the grievances and misunderstandings in her heart melted away into tears, she emerged from the room, her eyes swollen.
Beneath the hanging stars, Aixi sat on the balcony, resting her head gently on Selis’s shoulder, like a fledgling bird finding warmth in its nest.
“My father, really… After Mother was gone, it was as if he became a different person, completely unfit to be a father.”
“But then again, if he had told me sooner that he loved me, maybe I wouldn’t have left Senegal City, and I never would have met you all, would I?”
She murmured to herself, her gaze empty, her words filled only with memories of her father.
Selis said nothing. She only listened quietly, occasionally responding with a soft sound, as gentle as a forgiving mother.
As Aixi’s voice grew fainter, Selis finally spoke:
“Have you decided on a name for the sword?”
“…Let’s call it ‘Morning Radiance’. After all, it’s thanks to it that I learned how much my father loved me.”
Morning Radiance?
Muttering the name to herself, Selis knew that this sword meant far more than its simple name implied.
She could see through Aixi’s true feelings. Aixi longed to grasp this sword, to slice open the skies of the Capadovia Empire, to overturn the notion of the Supremacy of Magic.
Magic should not be the only measure of a person’s worth.
Gripping the sword tightly, Aixi suddenly let out a soft laugh, a little “complaint” in her voice:
“But honestly, my father may have loved me, but he still didn’t understand me well enough. I don’t just lack magic talent—I’m not even gifted in swordsmanship.”
“Even if he left me this sword, I can’t use it at all.”
She said this, but her eyes as she looked at the longsword were filled with happiness.
Selis curled her lips into a smile and prompted:
“Why not try infusing it with magic power? Who knows, there might be a surprise.”
Infusing magic power?
Hearing this, Aixi gathered her magic and poured it into the sword.
In the next instant, to her astonishment, the blade of the longsword began to emit a blinding light, like moonlight in the night sky.
Then, the form of the sword began to change.
When the radiance faded, the longsword had already transformed into a giant hammer—perfectly suited to her most familiar style of combat.
“This is…”
“Your father must have foreseen this. That’s why he made this a Magic Weapon, able to change its form according to your will.”
Selis pointed out the special quality of the weapon, and Aixi’s eyes grew red again. But this time, after rubbing her eyes, she turned to Selis and asked tentatively:
“How did you know?”
Selis blinked, momentarily at a loss for words, but soon regained her composure and answered softly:
“…I guessed. Your father was a Grand Magus. Even if he didn’t know what his daughter was best at, he would still craft the weapon that suited her best.”
Putting down the giant hammer, Aixi nestled back against Selis, breathing in the scent of Lavender that drifted from her, asking nothing further.
Her intuition told her that Saintess Selis was hiding a secret from her, but right now, she didn’t want to think about it.
Her heart was already overflowing with happiness, leaving no room for doubt.
……
The next day, in the morning light, Aixi and Selis prepared to set out and return to the Rose Knights.
But before leaving, Aixi went once more to her father’s grave.
Holding a bouquet of fresh flowers, she slowly knelt before the cold gravestone.
“Father, forgive your daughter for understanding your feelings only now.”
With her head bowed, she spoke to the gravestone as she always had:
“The longsword you left for me—I’ve named it ‘Morning Radiance’. Not bad, right? I thought long and hard about the name, so you mustn’t laugh at me.”
“Our Estate’s lease has expired, and it’s now up for sale. When it’s finally sold, maybe all traces of our life together will slowly fade away…”
“But don’t worry, I’ll visit you often. The memories of the past are the greatest treasure of my life. Thank you, Father.”
As she spoke, she gently pressed her forehead against the cold stone, as if trying to draw the last warmth from it. At that moment, a gentle breeze swept through the cemetery.
The breeze brushed softly across her cheek, like the comfort and response from her father that she had longed for over the years.
She placed the flowers gently before the grave, then stood up and bowed deeply to the gravestone.
“I have to go now, Father. There are people waiting for your daughter, and your daughter must continue to grow. Don’t worry, from now on, I’ll use the Morning Radiance you gave me to protect myself.”
With that, she looked long and hard at the gravestone, as if trying to etch its image into her heart, then turned and walked away.
Within the graveyard, only the breeze continued to stir the scattered petals, dancing alone in the air.
In front of the Manor, the Butler and the other servants stood by the carriage, all of them with deep reluctance on their faces.
Aixi asked with concern, “What will you all do after the Manor is sold?”
The Butler clutched his handkerchief tightly and shook his head:
“Don’t worry, my lady. The master already gave us enough money long ago to ensure our lives from here on. Our staying here was always to thank the master.”
“That’s right.” Another servant stepped forward, eyes red,
“We don’t know magic, but the master never looked down on us for it. That’s more than enough reason for us to serve here our whole lives.”
This farewell might truly be their last.
Hearing this, Aixi nodded vigorously, silently tucking away all her attachment and gratitude.
“My lady!”
After climbing into the carriage, just as it was about to depart, the Butler’s aged and urgent voice sounded from outside the window.
Aixi immediately lifted the curtain and gazed at those familiar faces who had watched her grow up.
“Take good care of yourself!”
As the carriage slowly rolled away, she waved her arm hard to say farewell to her hometown, and to her past.
man what a good chapter, this novel is better than i thought