Chapter 57 : Confession (1)

As the night darkened and the moon rose, a grand banquet was held.

“Alright, everyone, let’s drink all at once. To the great Mahdi Ulus (meaning tribe) and Carmen!”

“Cheers!!”

The banquet was held to welcome the family, who had returned after a long time, and to entertain the guests.

We drank to our heart’s content, using the feast prepared by Mahdi’s wife as a side dish.

It was a traditional drink here, similar to Mayuju, and its sourness was surprisingly tasty.

The alcohol content was low.

“It’s been almost five years since we last met, Kalia. You’ve grown a lot, haven’t you?”

“…..You’ve become quite strong as well, brother.”

“To inherit the tribe, one has to be like this. I’m still not as strong as father, though.”

“Rather than that, why don’t you tell me how you’ve been? Was life in the Allein Kingdom okay?”

“….It was alright.”

The attendees were mostly Kalia’s family—her adoptive parents, siblings, and a few members of the tribe.

The conversation mostly flowed with teasing and joking around Kalia.

They teased her about how much her body had grown or questioned whether she’d find someone to marry at this rate.

It didn’t seem like something I could get involved in, so I just watched and laughed.

‘They must get along well.’

Despite the playful teasing, there didn’t seem to be any malice, so the relationship didn’t appear to be bad.

Usually, there are conflicts between biological children and adopted children.

But maybe since she wasn’t a direct heir, there wasn’t much to fight over.

After all, if there’s no threat to wealth or power, there wouldn’t be any reason to dislike someone—unless their personalities really don’t match.

‘By the way, I’ve never seen Kalia so quiet.’

We had been together for a year and a half, but this was the first time I saw her so shy and speaking in such a soft tone.

Instead of her usual stiff and businesslike attitude, she was using honorifics with a small voice.

When Mahdi said Kalia was introverted earlier, I thought he was joking, but it turns out he was serious.

‘She used to be like this when she was younger.’

It was cute, and I liked it.

It was a side of her that she only showed to her family.

I felt like I was witnessing something precious.

“At this rate, the alcohol will get cold. Let’s have one more drink before that.”

“Sounds good. Ishmael, was it? This time, you should make a toast. Anything will do.”

“Sure. Then… To the destruction of fools who believe in goddesses!”

“Cheers!!”

The nomadic drinking culture resembled that of Korea.

Especially in that it wasn’t just about enjoying the drink, but about drinking until one was completely drunk.

Even though the alcohol content was low, alcohol is still alcohol.

The alcohol, absorbed in abundance along with the greasy dishes, was enough to get anyone drunk.

“Oh dear, I will take my leave first. My stomach hurts…”

“I need to use the bathroom.”

As the remaining food decreased, people began leaving one by one.

Some left because they were sleepy, others because they felt unwell.

“I’ll also excuse myself now, Father. The long journey has made me tired.”

“Go ahead.”

As Kalia also left, I was considering whether I should get up since the fun had died down.

Mahdi, the last person still remaining, spoke to me.

“She’s a good girl, our adopted daughter. Don’t you think?”

*****

It was a somewhat sudden question.

However, being intoxicated and not fully alert, I answered without much thought.

“Indeed. It’s hard to find a beauty like her anywhere.”

“But her circumstances are truly tragic. It’s a pity.”

He poured more alcohol into his cup and, somewhat forcibly, poured some into mine as well.

“Do you know where she was born? Artium. A small village isolated beyond the mountain range.”

“It was a refuge for the demon race.”

“Yes. It was their own land, free from human interference.”

The Artium Empire, despite its vast territory, has a very small population.

Its sparse population results in weak internal control and management.

There are even communities living independently in the outskirts and remote areas.

Moreover, primitive beliefs and folk religions, not goddess worship, are still widespread in various places.

The oppression of demons is relatively weak.

Because of this, it is one of the countries with the largest and most concentrated demon populations in the continent.

But the fact that Mahdi is mentioning it like this means.

“She must have been attacked by someone.”

“You’re quick to catch on. That’s right. She was massacred by a bunch of fools.”

We both sighed at the same time, as if on cue.

There are always idiots in every group.

Professor Jirobo was right.

“Were they fanatics?”

“Something like that. They were a group of fools who were driven out from Allein after inciting witch hunts.”

“On their way to Artium, they expanded their target from witches to demons.”

“They had even armed themselves with guns and armor they had somehow acquired.”

I could roughly guess what had happened.

Those trashy bastards were a group of brainwashed people who would shudder and hate demons.

They must have been wandering around, claiming to cleanse the world, when they accidentally discovered a demon village.

Then, with their superior numbers and weaponry, they must have massacred everyone in sight.

Even though demons have superior physical abilities compared to humans, it would have been hard to stop a group of lunatics charging at them in numbers.

“I happened to be passing by on business and witnessed the incident from a distance. But I didn’t interfere. I thought it wasn’t my business.”

“How cruel.”

“It was practical. After all, my group wasn’t large, and getting involved would have only brought trouble.”

He clicked his tongue and drank another glass of alcohol, almost emptying the bottle in one go.

“After the mob left and the village was in ruins, I looked around to see if anything useful was left. Then I met a child. A child, crying in front of their parents’ bodies, covered in deep wounds and in a pitiful state.”

I didn’t say anything.

I didn’t dare interrupt Mahdi’s sorrowful confession.

“At the time, I ignored her. I thought she would die soon, and I’d never see her again.”

“…”

“But a few months later, when I visited the city to deliver goods for trade, I saw her again. She was wearing ragged clothes and digging through a trash bin for food.”

He let out a bitter laugh and looked at me.

“Can you believe it? She had stubbornly survived, not dead, and clung to life. A child who had lost everything—her family and her home—fought desperately to stay alive. In an environment where even adults couldn’t survive.”

I hadn’t imagined she had suffered so much when she was young.

Maybe that’s why she always paid so much attention to food and meals.

“Seeing her like that, I was amazed, so I took her in. I made her my youngest daughter and gave her a new name—Kalia.”

“So, that’s why Kalia called you ‘Father.'”

“Exactly. I may not have been a great father.”

Another drink.

He looked at me with a drunken face, intrigued.

“Kalia was a quiet child. Given her past, she never opened her heart to anyone. There were times she screamed in her sleep, haunted by nightmares of her parents’ death.”

It made sense.

How could she forget the family she lived with for years being slaughtered right in front of her eyes?

“You saw it just now, didn’t you? When her siblings were teasing her, she blushed and went along with it. If it had been in the past, she wouldn’t have been able to do even that. The conversation itself wouldn’t have flowed.”

Mahdi grabbed my hand.

His wife, who was sitting next to him, spoke as well.

“So, I’m asking you. Please take good care of Kalia from now on. You’re the only one I can ask.”

“….So that’s why you mentioned becoming my son-in-law and having children when we first met.”

“Exactly.”

Mahdi lowered his head heavily.

“I said it half-jokingly, but the other half is sincere. The only man who could take responsibility for that child’s life is you. It’s impossible to pair her with another demon, especially since she has two pairs of horns…”

“Two pairs of horns? What do you mean by that?”

“Ah, that was a slip of the tongue. Don’t mind it if you don’t understand.”

I don’t understand what the two pairs of horns mean as an important difference. I’ve only met Kalia as a demon so far, so I don’t know.

I’ll have to figure it out later.

“Understood.”

I bowed my head to the couple, who had shared such important information with me, with the utmost respect and a little bit of apology.

“However, I don’t think I can give you an answer right away. I’m not sure if she will accept me if I confess, and there are other circumstances as well.”

“What kind of circumstances?”

“It’s difficult to explain.”

How could I explain the tangled history between that damn goddess and me?

If I told them, I’d be lucky if they didn’t think I was delusional and ridicule me.

I can’t do anything unless that’s sorted out.

“However, once it’s settled, I will definitely establish a relationship with Kalia. I can swear to that.”

“….I understand. Please hurry, if possible. Neither Kalia nor I have much patience.”

“Of course.”

After the farewell, I stood up.

I wasn’t in the mood to drink any more, and staying there would only make the atmosphere awkward.

“Haah.”

As I stepped outside, the wind was quite chilly.

Maybe because it was winter.

“I should go to bed too.”

I recalled where the assigned ger was and started walking.

Or, I tried to walk.

“…… Ishmael.”

“Kalia? I thought you were going back–“

“Shut up and follow me. You’re such an indecisive coward.”

Before I could even process it, Kalia, who had appeared from somewhere, dragged me by the side and kidnapped me to the bed.