Chapter 20
Back in the present...
Elina was carrying a sleepy Elyra in her arms.
The little girl's eyes were barely open after spending the entire day exploring the city.
"See? I told you it would be fun," Elina said with a smile.
"Yeah!" Eldern replied excitedly.
The moment they entered the inn, however, everyone immediately noticed something strange.
Several men were gathered around a table in the lobby.
Damnern.
Derrick.
Syno.
Zero.
The atmosphere was unusually heavy.
All four looked frustrated.
Especially Damnern.
His expression looked as if he had just spent hours chasing an answer only to find ten more questions waiting for him.
The sight immediately woke Elyra up.
Eldern blinked.
Even Elina looked confused.
"What happened?" she wondered.
Meanwhile, Leron quickly walked toward the black-haired man.
"Oi."
He lowered his voice.
"What happened?"
Zero rubbed his forehead.
"We hit a dead end."
Leron frowned.
"A dead end?"
Zero nodded.
"Lord Shadow is dead."
"...Eh?"
Leron froze.
"What?"
"His corpse was still fresh."
Zero sighed.
"He couldn't have died long before we arrived."
For the first time all day, Leron looked genuinely shocked.
Meanwhile, Elina immediately walked toward Damnern.
"Dear?"
Her voice was gentle.
"What happened?"
Damnern looked at her.
Or rather...
His eyes looked at her.
His mind seemed to be somewhere else entirely.
The discovery at the temple was still bothering him.
Who killed Lord Shadow?
And why?
The questions kept repeating in his head.
Seeing the awkward silence, Derrick immediately stepped in.
"So you're Damnern's wife?"
His usual cheerful smile returned.
Elina nodded politely.
"Yes."
She adjusted Elyra in her arms.
"My name is Elina Solv."
Derrick laughed.
"I already know."
He pointed at Damnern.
"Even though this guy never told me anything."
Elina couldn't help laughing softly.
That sounded exactly like something Damnern would do.
Then, without warning, she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him.
A tight hug.
The entire lobby became silent.
Derrick's eyes widened.
Even Zero blinked.
Damnern froze.
"..."
"..."
"How about now?" Elina asked softly.
"Feeling a little better?"
Still trapped in her embrace, Damnern slowly nodded.
A faint hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.
Derrick stared.
Then stared harder.
His brain almost stopped working.
The man standing before him looked exactly like Damnern.
The same silver hair.
The same face.
The same cold eyes.
Yet somehow...
Completely different.
"Is that really Damnern?" Derrick wondered.
His gaze eventually shifted downward.
A small blonde-haired girl was standing beside Elina.
Elyra.
Derrick crouched slightly.
"What's your name, little girl?" Derrick asked with a warm smile, reaching out to gently pat her head.
Smack.
Before his hand could even touch a single blonde strand, Elyra unexpectedly slapped it away with surprising speed. She fixed him with a piercing, ice-cold stare before silently retreating to hide behind Elina's leg, keeping her suspicious eyes locked onto the legendary warrior.
Derrick blinked in astonishment.
She's exactly like her father, he thought.
That was the only conclusion he could reach.
The same cold expression.
The same blue suspicious eyes.
Even the way she looked at people felt identical.
Meanwhile—
"Wow!"
Eldern's eyes sparkled.
"Are you the real Uncle Derrick?"
"The Sixth Strongest Warrior?"
Derrick immediately turned toward him.
"That's right."
A grin spread across his face.
He ruffled Eldern's silver hair.
Unlike Elyra, Eldern didn't resist at all.
The boy looked delighted.
Derrick laughed.
"This one is the complete opposite."
He looked at Eldern.
Then at Damnern.
Same face.
Same silver hair.
Completely different personalities.
"What's your name?"
"Eldern!"
The boy answered immediately.
"Pleased to meet you!"
Derrick laughed.
"That's a good name."
Eldern proudly puffed out his chest.
Meanwhile, Elyra quietly grabbed Eldern's sleeve and pulled him slightly closer.
Her eyes remained fixed on Derrick.
Why does this person keep laughing?
She genuinely didn't understand.
Eventually, Derrick stood up.
"How about dinner tonight?"
Everyone looked toward him.
"I haven't introduced my family to you yet."
A wide smile appeared on his face.
Before Damnern could reject the idea—
A heavy hand landed on his shoulder.
Derrick.
"Come on."
He grinned.
"I have a three-year-old son too."
Damnern sighed.
His eyes moved toward Elina.
Elina immediately nodded.
Clearly interested.
Damnern knew he had already lost.
"...Fine."
"That's the spirit!"
Derrick laughed loudly.
A moment later, Elina leaned closer to Damnern.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Dear..."
"Hm?"
"Why does Lord Derrick talk like an old man?"
Unfortunately.
Damnern answered much louder than necessary.
"Because he's forty years old."
The entire lobby became silent.
Derrick's smile froze.
Elina's eyes widened.
"Eh?"
"Seriously?"
She looked genuinely shocked.
Derrick looked nowhere near forty.
Then—
"I'M STILL THIRTY-SEVEN!"
Derrick immediately shouted.
The sudden outburst caused Elina, Eldern, Leron, and Zero to burst out laughing.
Even Syno looked away to hide a smile.
Then something unexpected happened.
A small laugh escaped Damnern.
Very small.
Barely audible.
But it was definitely a laugh.
Everyone froze.
The lobby became silent again.
All eyes turned toward him.
Damnern blinked.
"...What?"
He looked completely confused.
Why was everyone staring?
Meanwhile, Elina simply smiled.
There he was.
The Damnern she knew.
The Damnern who occasionally smiled and laughed around his family.
The Damnern that had been buried beneath stress and worry all afternoon.
Seeing him return, even if only slightly, made her happy.
Across the room, Derrick shook his head.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
"You really have changed."
He walked over and gave Damnern a firm pat on the back.
Then he headed toward the exit.
"Don't forget tonight!"
He waved without turning around.
"Syno."
"Zero."
"Leron."
The three immediately looked at him.
Derrick smiled.
"Good work today guys, especially you Leron"
"Thank you, Lord Derrick."
Leron answered first.
The others nodded.
"Do you guys also want to come to dinner tonight?"
Soon afterward, the four men left the inn together.
As the door closed behind them, the atmosphere inside finally became peaceful again.
"Elyra."
Damnern gently lifted Elyra into his arms.
The little girl offered no resistance and quietly rested against his shoulder.
His expression softened slightly.
"So?"
He glanced between his two children.
"How was today?"
"Did you have fun?"
Eldern's eyes immediately lit up.
"It was amazing!"
Without waiting, he began explaining everything at once.
"We saw so many shops!"
"And we ate ice cream!"
"And Mama bought us snacks!"
"And there was a man selling wooden swords!"
"And—"
Eldern continued talking excitedly without stopping for breath.
Damnern listened patiently.
A faint smile occasionally appeared on his face.
Meanwhile, Elyra remained quiet in his arms.
But Damnern noticed something.
Whenever Eldern mentioned something she enjoyed, her expression would subtly soften.
That alone was enough to tell him she had enjoyed herself too.
The family slowly climbed the stairs together.
Damnern carried Elyra.
His free hand held Eldern's.
Elina walked beside them with a gentle smile.
For a brief moment, the worries from earlier seemed far away.
The family spent some time resting in their rooms.
Eldern excitedly recounted the day's adventures while Elyra listened quietly.
Time passed quickly.
Before anyone realized it, night had arrived.
The inn became livelier as travelers gathered downstairs for dinner.
Then suddenly—
"DAMNERN!"
A loud voice echoed throughout the entire building.
Several guests nearly jumped from their seats.
Even the innkeeper looked toward the entrance.
Standing near the lobby was Derrick.
Completely unbothered by the attention.
Beside him stood a beautiful woman with long white hair and green eyes.
Her face was bright red from embarrassment.
"Dear!"
She immediately tugged on his sleeve.
Derrick scratched his head.
"What?"
His wife looked like she wanted to disappear on the spot.
"We're in public!"
"Oh."
Only then did Derrick realize everyone was staring.
"...Fair point."
His wife sighed deeply.
She had married him years ago.
Yet moments like this still happened far too often.
A few moments later.
Footsteps echoed from the staircase.
Everyone turned to look.
Damnern's family was coming downstairs.
Damnern carried Elyra in one arm.
The sleepy blonde-haired girl looked completely uninterested in everything around her.
His other hand held Eldern's.
The silver-haired boy carefully followed beside him.
Elina walked a step behind them.
Seeing the family together immediately caught Derrick's attention.
Then his gaze shifted downward, near his wife's legs.
A small boy with orange hair and green eyes was hiding behind her, peeking out timidly the moment he noticed unfamiliar people.
Only half of his face was visible.
The little boy peeked out once more.
The exact moment his green eyes locked onto Elyra, they widened in sheer wonder.
End of Chapter 20