Chapter 393 – Lokhan Jarnshad

Dwarves look older than other races of the same age.

It could be because he is short but has a thick body, or it could be because he has a lot of hair, beard or hair.

Well, I didn’t pay much attention to it because it wasn’t a feature of Fei, who was of mixed race.

But Lokhan looked much older than I thought. … Like someone who doesn’t mind dying anytime.

White hair and beard. His wrinkled skin felt the weight of years, and his limbs, once full of muscle, were sagging.

It’s not just about getting older… Okay. It should be said that the emaciated atmosphere unique to a sick person made Lokhan look shabby.

The light breath that flows from the weakly open mouth, the blurry eyes that are not well focused. It’s all something that can only be seen in sick people who are about to die.

I’ve heard that it’s critical, but I didn’t know it would be like this. Faye, who opened the door with her eyes wide open at the news that Lokhan had woken up, hesitated.

Rokan slowly turned his head to look at Fay.

“Is it Fay? I really didn’t expect you to come.”

“… What if the caller is even more surprised?”

“That’s because I did something. Hehe… Cool!”

Lorcan started coughing violently as if he had just heard a laugh. Blood flows from the corners of his mouth whenever he shakes his tired body.

Fei’s expression became complicated when he saw his white beard dyed red. There seemed to be a lot of thought, but in the end Faye let out her sigh and greeted her.

“Long time no see, Dad. I heard you’re sick, but you look worse than I thought.”

“Thanks to this, I was able to see her face for the last time. Oh yeah. If this is the last time, I should say it before I forget. I’m sorry for all this time.”

“… Uh, how can you be so shameless? How much I suffered because of my father!”

Fei was moved for a moment, but Rokan only answered calmly, wiping the blood from his mouth.

“When you’re about to die, you put things down. Things like face-to-face, stubbornness, or shame.”

“Oops!”

Fey gritted her teeth as if she was about to shoot her. But this didn’t last very long.

“Whoa… What are you doing in a fever in front of a dying person? So? Did you just call because you wanted to feel a little lighter before you died?”

“If you look at it as a result, it will be. There are other stories, but… Before that, would you like to introduce your companions for a moment?”

“You called me knowing everything anyway. Just in case, no matter how much you appeal to me, Miss Helena will never heal your father.”

“Huh! Even though I am still a Jarl of this land, I must have never summoned a priest. It all didn’t work. No, it just made my condition worse. I don’t think it’s any different than a saintess. I just… Cool!”

Rokan stopped talking and vomited blood once again. However, this time the cough did not stop immediately as before, but continued for a long time.

As a result, the increased hematemesis goes beyond the beard and soaks the pillowcase. It was bloodletting that was much darker than normal blood and gave off a stench.

It doesn’t look strange even if he collapses right away. However, Rokan himself seems to have gotten used to it, so he covered it with a towel piled up within reach and handled it roughly.

“… How far did you say okay. I just wonder what will happen after I die.”

“What does that have to do with this…”

“Aren’t they the people who will become your family in the future? Could it be that I was wrong?”

“…”

Fei didn’t deny it even though she slightly furrowed her brow. It’s true, but I feel like I don’t want to nod because it came out of Rokhan’s mouth.

Instead of Faye, I nodded first. It was because I was thinking of keeping the minimum level of courtesy.

“Nice to meet you, Lokhan Jarl. My name is Yandel Lindelheit. As you said, you will become Faye’s family.”

“Nice to meet you. Rokan Jarnshard. I heard about the matter with the chamberlain from Lord Baru. Apologize on my behalf.”

“I didn’t just pass by, so it’s okay. I also heard the rough circumstances from Lord Baru’s daughter. But… Shouldn’t an apology be made to Fei-senpai, not me?”

“You are right. However, there are not one or two things to apologize for. Don’t worry, I’m going to do it all at once in a little while. … Anyway, I want to ask you one thing. Duke of Lindelheit. I heard you are very strong.”

“At least it will be enough to protect Fei-senpai.”

“Good luck. I couldn’t.”

Rokhan smiled wryly at her bony horse and turned her gaze to Faey.

“Fay Jarnshard.”

“… What?”

In a voice that had lost all of its strength from earlier, ‘This isn’t it… Faye, who muttered, glared at Lokhan with strength in her eyes again.

Putting aside the question of whether to forgive or not, the attitude of willing to listen to an apology. However, the words that came out of Rokan’s mouth were not words of apology.

“Your mother, Laura, did not unfortunately lose her life in a robbery. She was assassinated.”

“… To?”

Faye opened her mouth blankly and asked back. She suddenly noticed that she didn’t understand what she was hearing.

Rokhan told Fei over and over again.

“Laura was said to have been assassinated.”

“Bur, who is the culprit?! Who the hell…”

“I do not know. But if Laura was killed because of me, I thought Fayne could be the next target.”

“I… ?”

“Okay. I couldn’t lose you either.”

“…”

After saying that, Rokhan made a vague expression. As if drawing someone else over Fay’s face.

***

Laura.

She was a woman who ran a small general store on the edge of the Jarnshad estate.

I sold this and that, but the main products were potions and household medicine. Since she is one of the few people in the kingdom of Nidavaler, she was discriminated against wherever she went, but she was a real alchemist in terms of her skills.

While running her shop as usual, she had one of her unusual customers.

An outsider whose entire body is covered in black soot and light scratches… It was Lokhan in his youth.

“While inspecting, I wanted to make a new hammer out of explosive stones, a local specialty. However, it failed spectacularly, and the standing potion ran out just in time, so I asked the local people and arrived there.”

Lokhan admired Laura for her alchemical skills, and Laura was surprised that Lokhan did not discriminate against her other dwarves.

In fact, most of the discrimination against dwarves stemmed from the prejudice that they could not wield a hammer properly, whether they were blacksmiths or warriors, not simply because they were a different race.

However, Rokhan did not think that blacksmithing was the best. Because he believed that better things can be made by fulfilling one’s own usefulness in each field.

As if that was impressive to Laura, the two continued to keep in touch regularly even after her first meeting… So at some point, I fell in love.

“As always with the end of stories like this, reality was the problem. I am the eldest son of the Jarnshad family, who will one day become Jarl and rule this land. Since Laura is a commoner without a surname and even a human being, the family must have been unhappy with our relationship.”

As soon as Rokhan reached an appropriate age, Jarl, the former commander, immediately arranged an arranged marriage.

Her lucky marriage partner, Astrid, loved Lokan even though it was an arranged marriage, and thanks to her, Lokan was also able to continue her smooth marriage. She also gave birth to a son.

But even after her marriage, Lokhan couldn’t forget her Laura, so she secretly visited her several times. That’s how Fay was born.

“When Fayne became pregnant, Laura told me not to come to her anymore. He said it would be good for each other. I objected… Every time I went to see him, he hid, so there was nothing he could do.”

Thanks to this, Rokhan was able to become Jarl of Jarnshad without much noise.

After becoming Jarl, he secretly had someone check on Laura and Fay to see if they were getting along.

Then one day. Laura’s store was robbed, and word came that Laura had become friends while protecting her Fay.

“I canceled all my plans and went down immediately. So Laura’s body was collected… I brought Fay to the Jarnshad family.”

Of course, the family name was reversed. I thought it was just a hit when I was young, but no one knew that there would be a daughter in the meantime.

The thing that bothered me the most was Astrid, who was her wife, but… After giving her money and a few of her servants to drive her out, she eventually accepted Lokhan’s earnest persuasion and accepted her fay.

After several months, Fay, who had managed to adapt to the Jarnshad family, carefully told her about her dream.

“She was taken aback when I said that, like Laura, she wants to be a good alchemist,” She said. After all, blood can’t lie. It wasn’t long after she gave me a simple introductory tool that she was beyond her apprenticeship.”

It was Lokhan who was willing to give support to her fae in this way, but her attitude changed after her fae dream became a little more embodied.

“You want to make a weapon? I was both happy and displeased to hear that one day, with alchemy, I would surpass other blacksmiths and become a Meister like me. I was a dwarf that couldn’t be helped.”

Lorkhan did not believe that blacksmithing and alchemy were superior or inferior. He thought it was just a different field, like jewelry or tailoring.

However, when her field was invaded, her unique dwarven pride and stubbornness came out of nowhere.

Lokhan tried to stop her fae. She calmly tried to convince her, and sometimes scolded her harshly.

Of course it had no effect. Rather, it only strengthened her will to Fay.

“… So you’ve lost your temper? It’s to the point of being treated like a non-existent person. If I was going to do it, I had to do it until the end. I don’t know what you want to hear from me, but I have no intention of ever giving you what you want!”

Fei, biting her lip, must have remembered what had happened after that, and fired at her.

Lokhan, who had been listening quietly, shook his head slowly.

“No. Rather, it was I who was persuaded. Faye felt that if you wanted to do that, she should help her do it.”

So, Rokhan decided to prepare a gift.

Laura’s shop, which she couldn’t bear to tear down and had been neglecting until now. I was thinking of handing over the alchemy equipment I brought there to Fay.

“The longing came. I looked around the store that I hadn’t looked at before.”

An excellent craftsman can see through the skill of the person who wields the weapon.

Rokan found it.

That the marks left by the robbers were not those of civilians, but those of well-trained gunners.