Chapter 1120 – Blood and Family

000

It was good for Cleon to escape a crisis thanks to Fleur, but thanks to that, another crisis came to Cleon.

Oldburn, who had lost his temper in anger, was moving at a faster pace than before, continuing to throw loving punches and kicks at the bastard-like bastard who had no idea where he had come from after being caught touching his precious granddaughter.

[Fast, fast…! Is this person really an old man…!?]

[Is this the power of love? Although it is quite twisted…]

The speed was such that even Galatea and Caliburn were exclaiming in exclamations, and even for Cleon, who was dealing with it directly, it was a deathly pain.

＂Inooooom! This goyannooooom! How dare you! To my precious granddaughter!”

＂Ugh…!＂

A flash of light appears, and the muscles in my hands and arms tremble.

Even Cleon knows from the lessons engraved on his body that it is impossible to let down one’s guard against the force emitted by a body strengthened entirely by an exoskeleton suit.

Regardless of whether he was off guard, Emmett and Oldburn’s skill in controlling it was so great that all they had to do was follow it with their eyes and use their senses to hold the sword and block the onslaught.

However, we couldn’t just sit there forever, if we didn’t fight back at all costs.

“I’m sorry about Fleur, but…! I will take responsibility! Calm down!”

A declaration that comes out of his mouth.

In terms of the atmosphere, it wasn’t like that at all, but it was like saying ‘Grandpa, give me her granddaughter!’

Of course, Cleon may have been trying to calm his anger somehow and create an opening at the same time.

＂Chae, it’s a book!? This crazy guy, he’s an adventurer, but he thinks taking responsibility for a noble girl is so simple!?”

In this case, it was a cliché in a way for the father figure to load the shotgun and be angry at the young man who would become his future son-in-law.

Of course, in the case of Oldburn, it was not a shotgun, but a magic cylinder, and when swung and hit, it was a fist of steel that exerted an impact of about 20 tons.

Oldburn goes wild at Cleon’s words and tries to hit Cleon’s face with his fist.

In response to his attack, which clearly shows his murderous intent, Cleon manages to avoid it by lowering his head.

A fist passing overhead in a bloody distance.

Cleon quickly swung his sword upward, striking away the arm.

In the meantime, Oldburn shouts to Cleon.

“I don’t know what you said to seduce Fleur, but you don’t even maintain chastity before marriage!? And what are you taking responsibility for?”

＂Well, that is…＂

Cleon becomes speechless due to Old Burn’s shouting.

That’s right, not only is there no way to take responsibility right now, but if you look at the flow that led to such an act…

Oldburn’s anger was understandable to a certain extent, so he couldn’t refute or complain loudly.

[What are you trying to do, Cleon! How many people have been fucked like that so far!]

However, the accomplice (Galatea) would raise her voice in frustration at Cleon’s attitude.

[This is proof that Cleon still has a conscience~ Humans have a way of worrying~]

And, Caliban speaks as if he understands Cleon.

It seemed like an angel and a devil were each making sounds in Cleon’s ears.

＂Poetry, it’s noisy…!＂

As Cleon said that, he hit Caliburn and Galatea so hard that a ‘kang!’ Sound was heard.

Oldburn, whose arm had been thrown out by Cleon, who was leaning down, tried to hit Cleon’s back with his elbow to push him back.

At the moment when the holy sword and the magic sword, two swords with conflicting magical power, collided, a magical backlash occurred, creating powerful magical pressure in all directions.

＂Keuak…＂

Thanks to this, Oldburn’s body was pushed back significantly.

But even so, Old Burn never stopped talking.

＂No, an adult says, ‘It’s noisy’!? He was a man with no manners!”

“Oh, no, I didn’t tell you-“

Of course, Cleon may have raised his voice to suppress the chattering of Galatea and Caliban, but Oldburn seemed to think that Cleon had spoken to him, and raised his voice again.

‘It’s a big deal.’

Cleon truly thought so.

As a result of the atmosphere becoming strange, you continue to get caught up in the other person’s pace.

Oldburn continues to give off the air of a father-in-law, but never lays a hand on Cleon.

Of course, as Cleon, I had no intention of doing anything to him, but…

“What do you know about Fleur! How she followed me since she was a child! And how intelligent he was from a young age!”

Old Burn runs toward Cleon once again.

Instead of keeping the distance like before and quickly closing in on him and striking him with a single blow, I try to swing my fist repeatedly with all my emotions.

Then, Cleon somehow takes a deep breath and activates the power of Galatea and the imprint.

＂Galatea, Arondite!＂

Just before Old Burn’s fist reached him, Cleon slashed his black sword toward the floor.

Then, Galatea breaks apart with a sharp sound.

In that unexpected situation, Old Burn would stop for a moment.

Soon, the scattered black crystal-like pieces float in the air and take the form of a sword as if re-polished.

Standing there, he crossed his arms and took a stance.

＂Huh!＂

And, he gives strength to his whole body-

＂Swing!＂

Under Cleon’s instructions, the scattered pieces of Galatea spun around like a whirlwind in a blizzard, strangling Oldburn.

Let’s go!

As the sharp sword fragments hit his armor again and again, a metallic sound continued to ring out.

＇Okay, while your feet are tied like this-＇

Cleon thought so and grabbed Caliburn with both hands.

The goal was to insert Caliburn, who had unleashed divine magic, among the fragments of Galatea, which was causing a storm of dark magic.

As before, when the repulsion effect of conflicting magical power is activated, Galatea’s fragments will spread in all directions with a strong repulsion force.

If something like that exploded before your eyes, no matter how strong Old Burn’s armor was, there was no way it would remain intact.

It was the moment when Cleon, who had quickly completed the calculation in his head, rushed forward to execute it.

＂Haaa!!＂

[Wow!?]

When the strong sound of Old Burn’s cheers rang out, the fragments of Galatea that were wrapped around him flew in all directions at the same time.

The scene itself may have been the scene that Cleon tried to achieve with Caliburn.

The problem is that since the center was Oldburn’s body, there was not much damage to him.

It was simple to understand what was done.

The magic plasma used as propulsion during movement was sprayed in all directions.

＂…!＂

Even after Cleon saw the scene, he did not stop grabbing Caliburn and stabbing him.

Even though it is not as powerful as expected, there is no change in the fact that Caliburn is also a sword.

It was common sense that if you were stabbed, you would be pierced and hurt.

But Cleon must have known, too.

Kaang!

Cleon and Oldburn’s gazes cross as they make a sound.

Cleon tried to land a blow somehow, and Old Burn caught Cleon’s holy sword with both hands.

In a situation just before entering into a confrontation and a power struggle.

It was Oldburn that spoke first.

“I can’t give you Fleur…!”

That voice, mixed with a whisper, sharply pierces Cleon.

Squeak, Old Burn’s wrist turns, and the tip of Caliburn’s sword moves away from his head.

So what was Cleon like?

“… I don’t really need to get it from you.”

He said once again, and the tip of Caliburn’s blade returned to the direction aimed at him-

“What!? Are you saying we don’t need Fleur!? You said you would take responsibility, but you are a liar!”

Crack! Making a sound, this time Oldburn used more force to try to put Caliburn away.

However.

“That’s not what I meant! … Fleur belongs to Fleur herself, and she is not your property, let alone me!”

“Fleur is my family! The only one left! There is something wrong with wanting that child to be happy!”

“That has nothing to do with it! Just because we’re family, there’s no reason to restrict us! If you really want to be happy, listen to Fleur’s story!”

The tip of Caliban’s blade shakes every time the two people exchange words.

However, opinions only went back and forth in parallel, and there was no way for a proper conclusion to be reached.

In both cases, what you want will be the same.

Fleur’s happiness.

The conclusions about what to do for that happiness are just different.

“You’ve never had a family, so what do you know!”

＂…!＂

And the moment Oldburn raised his voice like that, Cleon must have been instantly enraged.

In a battle of strength maintained with the strength of the arms, the legs are suddenly raised.

Quang! And kicks Old Burn’s stomach.

As a result, Oldburn was pushed back, but he was able to escape the threat of being stabbed by Caliburn.

Instead, it was seen that Old Burn’s body was also staggering as the kick was full of his magic power, enough to penetrate the suit.

＂Kooooo much

“Ah. Okay. Obviously, I’ve never had a normal family like the one you know.”

The family that exists in Cleon’s memories is his parents, who disappeared when he was so young that he can’t even remember their faces.

Although it was only for a brief moment, the adults who protected them.

Ruthie, Eska, Talcheck, Sophia, and Resia.

However, it was only the addition of a human being to the ‘hero’s party’, and the ‘pseudo-family’ remained the same.

And because he experienced such a childhood, it was inevitable that Cleon would now have similar relationships with other party members-

… Somewhere, without even realizing it, she may have been filling her longing for her family through her relationships with them.

You may not truly understand what it means to be related by blood.

“But even so…! At least I understand Fleur’s feelings better than you!”

“On what basis are you saying that?”

Yes, claims require evidence.

If there was nothing to convince the other person, such words were just empty shouts.

Does it belong to Cleon?

Cleon understands her feelings more than Old Burn, and knows how to make her happy.

＂…＂

At Oldburn’s shout, Cleon fell silent for a moment.

Old Burn must have twitched the corners of her mouth, seeing that she couldn’t get an answer right away.

Yes, in the end it is someone else.

Even if they intervene in family relationships and are intertwined with the fate of the world, they are ultimately strangers.

The person who knows Fleur best is herself.

Therefore, he is the one who knows best how to make Fleur happy.

Oldburn would have had no doubt about it.

“For you, it’s too much. Anything that makes Fleur happy.”

A sound like something opening was heard from Emmett, the suit Oldburn was wearing.

It was the sound of the backpack with plasma-shaped wings that he was carrying on his back releasing its limiter.

A function that prevents the suit from accelerating beyond its limits and prevents injury to the wearer.

In other words, releasing it also meant that the next step would be the final acceleration and the finishing blow.

“Sleep!”

At that time.

When you think you hear a familiar voice that seems to grab Oldburn.

There was a need for everyone gathered there to figure out who the owner of that familiar voice was.

Because I thought the owner couldn’t be here.

Bang!

And, it broke through the biological wall inside Tiamat and revealed itself.

With a tattered appearance and bleeding here and there on the body.

A tall woman wearing house clothes, breathing heavily.

However, her name is because her body has the characteristics of a beast rather than a human – a shark.

＂Kshat…!?＂

Her Old Burn, looking at her in surprise, must have called her name spontaneously.

＂… Elder… Cleon…＂

She seemed to be quite exhausted and needed immediate medical attention, but she walked towards them, carrying her wounded body as if she was in good condition.

At her sudden appearance, Oldburn had no choice but to ask.

＂How did you get here… Or rather, how did you break the wall…?＂

In order to destroy the wall herself, she had to use explosives.

But she broke it with just her strength, without any tools.

“It’s a shame, but my sense of smell has been trained to find you no matter how far away you are. Right, to you.”

＂…＂

Now that I think about it, it seems like I was trained like that when I was very young.

But this is the inside of a living thing.

Naturally, the only smells around were the fishy smells of the creature’s intestines and internal waste.

But even in the meantime, Kshat found Fleur’s scent and ran all the way here to protect her.

The wounds on the body are probably the result of a battle with Tiamat’s descendants.

Her appearance was unexpected even for Oldburn, but-

＂… Stay calm. You are Fleur’s friend and squire. Because Fleur wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

Don’t let yourself attack you.

That’s what Oldburn said to Kshat.

However, Kshat continued her speech while posing with the courtesy of a butler toward Old Burn.

“No. It may be rude to say this, but the reason I came here is to stop the old man.”

＂… Even you.＂

“Lady Fleur’s wish is my wish. … And at the same time, I myself judged that the elder’s method was wrong.”

＂You’re cocky…＂

As Oldburn thought so, he wondered for a moment whether he should lay Kshat down first.

However, you will soon shake your head.

No, that was an unnecessary action now that the limiter had been lifted.

“It’s impossible for you. You are a very weak being compared to that young magic swordsman. What on earth is possible for you?”

It was not something that came from arrogance, but was a valid statement when looking at objective facts.

Sure, breaking through the wall and coming this far may be amazing, but at Kshat’s speed, he will never be able to catch up with Old Burn.

“… Of course, I was trained to protect the young lady with force. There is no need to use force to stop the elderly.”

However, Kshat is not at all discouraged and speaks to Oldburn.

＂What…?＂

Old Burn can’t erase her doubts, so he’ll ask her back.

Even during the conversation between the two, Cleon just quietly waited for Kshat’s next words.

“Yes. I know. Elder and Cleon. Of the two, which one understands you more?”

“Huh.”

At Kshat’s words, Oldburn must have laughed as if he was shocked.

… But at the same time, it would not have been possible to ignore it.

For Fleur, Kshat is someone she spent as much time with as Oldburn.

No, maybe it was Kshat who stayed with her for a longer period of time even on the days when she was away from her mansion.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re blood-related family, so I don’t intend to completely accept her words.

While organizing things in his head, Oldburn waited for Kshat’s next words.

And Kshat lays her hand on her heart – as if she had laid her hand on the Bible for her testimony – and speaks to Old Burn in a reverential manner.

“I assure you. Now, the person who represents Lady Fleur’s feelings and truly cares about her future is not the elder Oldburn. It’s Cleon.”

＂…＂

Of course, Oldburn is not greatly disturbed by Kshat’s words.

I just thought that they would say that.

＂No matter how much you say, if there is no evidence-＂

＂There is evidence.＂

What?

No matter how old he was, he could not help but be taken aback by Kshat’s confident declaration.

No, it is impossible.

It is impossible to know the whole heart of a person.

Only you can speak your mind.

And now Fleur is losing her mind.

It is impossible.

To my squire, Kshat, such a thing is possible-

However, the moment Oldburn continued his thoughts to that point.

Kshat lifts his tattered clothes, showing his abs clearly exposed.

It is a well-trained body.

But what does it matter-

＂…!?＂

But the next moment, what caught Oldburn’s eyes was the faintly glowing imprint on his abs.

It was the same type of engraving that Fleur had made shine on her stomach earlier.

＂I, with Cleon, had a relationship with Lady Fleur. And there, I saw his heart.”

＂…＂

Even before the shock subsides, an even more shocking fact comes out of her mouth.

In other words, this young magic swordsman did not just embrace Fleur-

＂Lady Fleur now. She is giving her heart to Cleon, to the point where she dreams of a future where she will create her own family with him! This is already to the point where I don’t mind saying Cleon and Fleur are family!”

“What!!! Hey, you son of a thief!!”

Oldburn exploded once again.

I couldn’t help but think of this as Cleon’s karma.