Reformation of the Deadbeat Noble

[Lindsay Family - Side Story]

Clack! Clack!

The Lindsay family’s carriage made its way along the straight road. And its speed wasn’t fast.

Maybe at the time when Ilya Lindsay’s condition was unclear, it had moved quickly, but they didn’t have to overdo it this time.

‘No, it is an emergency…’

He looked at the scenery outside the carriage as he became lost in thought.

For 150 years or maybe even longer, a single devil hadn’t appeared. And what happened now was no joke. According to the words of the Commander of Black Knights, Ignet Crescentia, this devil wasn’t inferior to a Great Devil.

And heard that there were demons lurking around too.

As a descendant of a hero and one of the few powerful people on the continent, he was in a situation where he had no choice but to be nervous.

However, it wasn’t the well-being of the continent that weighed on him so much. Joshua Lindsay, with his eyes closed, recalled Carl Lindsay, who had disappeared.

‘Son…’

His son, who wasn’t proud of this position as the eldest son, had a weak heart which didn’t match his talent.

And even back then, he had a strong speculation that a Devil might have had something to do with his disappearance.

Without an existence of that level, no one could enter the Lindsay family unnoticed. And now Joshua’s suspicion grew stronger.

What was his son’s condition?

Was he dead? Or was he alive?

Was he living in pain? Was he having a hellish time as the test subject for a devil?

Perhaps…

Wooong…

Huge energy rose from Joshua Lindsay’s body.

Although it wasn’t spread widely, an energy like that made fear rise for others.

Ilya Lindsay opened her mouth before the energy went outside the carriage.

“Dad.”

“… yes, daughter.”

Shhh.

As Joshua smiled, the energy subsided.

It was a mistake. He couldn’t even control his heart in front of his daughter. He felt like he had failed as a father.

Thinking of his son, he felt like blood would come out of his clenched hand, but there was nothing he could do now.

Within the union, including the Holy Kingdom, all he could do was narrow down the search without any leaks.

So, what should he do now?

He should focus on Ilya, who was right in front of him…his lovely daughter.

‘Not everything is bad; there are some good things around me too.’

As he continued to have small chats with his daughter, he brightened.

There was no need to force a calm smile.

He was naturally turning brighter with each talk, and seeing her present state, made him smile more.

There was no anxiousness.

There was no longer an obsession.

And there was no nervousness.

Looking at Ilya, who was looking at him with soft eyes, Joshua’s eyes smiled.

It made him feel even better as he thought that his advice was what played a role in the growth of his daughter.

‘… It hurt a little when I saw her run out before our talks were done.’

Joshua Lindsay’s eyes trembled at that thought.

As a father, he did cool things and made sure that the atmosphere with his daughter was calm, and he even wanted to take a picture of it and show it to his wife too. But all these dreams of his were shattered by that guy.

He was disappointed. Very disappointed.

But if asked if his feelings about Airn Pareira were negative, then Joshua would shake his head.

‘My role was important, but Airn played a bigger role than me… it must be him.’

He realized it when he first arrived in Rabat.

That his daughter had changed. That she was completely different from 2 years ago, back when she was obsessing over Ignet without even knowing the reason.

And that now, the entire reason his words had made an effect on her was because Airn had slowly changed her, and it was understandable that his daughter had fallen for that man.

And…

‘Honestly, Airn isn’t too lacking for a son-in-law.’

At the moment of parting, that was the reason he gave advice to Airn.

To help him grow. To help him grow into a better hero.

So, one day, he hoped that Airn would be reborn as a great man and a greater son-in-law who could meet his strict standards.

…of course, no one knew when the day would come.

“Dad, dad?”

“Huh? Ah. Sorry. I was lost in thought…. Sorry. Really.”

Joshua apologized over and over. This was a common occurrence since it was his first time having such talks with his daughter.

A situation where each of them were being careful. Of course, Ilya didn’t react sensitively.

Rather, she made an unexpected suggestion after thinking it over.

“Do you want to have a light drink in the evening instead of just a meal? Dad?”

“D-drink?’

“Yes. I actually have a good bottle of wine.”

Ilya took a bottle out of her bag.

When Joshua saw the name, ‘Ragbullan 16’ on it, he was startled. It was something he loved.

And it was also a drink with a unique taste that could make one frown.

“It’s from Durkali… it was a gift from a friend in the Orc land. It tastes good.”

“… you learned to drink.”

“Yes. Since mom doesn’t like drinking, I wanted to have it with dad, so I learned a little.”

‘Learned a little?’

Joshua wasn’t sure how to understand that.

His daughter had learned to drink. As a father, he was sad and happy. And he felt a bit weird too. Of course, he didn’t make it an issue.

Looking at his daughter, who was offering it to him, he smiled.

“Haha, you are old enough to know about alcohol… Thank you. Great! How about a light drink in the evening?”

“Sounds good.”

“Right. Who told you about alcohol? That… Airn?”

“No. Airn doesn’t like alcohol much.”

“Then? Who was….”

“Another friend called Bratt Lloyd, who I was traveling with."

“Ah, see. B-bratt…”

‘Another man…’

He smiled, suppressing the angry thoughts inside him.

A lot had happened, but right now, Joshua was the happiest person.

[Ilya Lindsay - Side Story]

A month and a half passed since their departure and the return of the Lindsays to their estate.

Numerous people, including Olivia Lindsay, the lady of the house, came to greet her daughter.

“Thank you all. Really.”

She replied with a smile.

In the past, Ilya would lock herself away from the world but not anymore.

She accepted the goodness of the people around her. And didn’t care about the malice which was mixed in.

She thought that it was a waste to concern her heart about such a thing.

‘Thank you, dad. Thanks, Airn.’

The two people who made her who she was.

Ilya walked around the garden thinking about them.

‘A lot of flowers have bloomed.’

Since it was a warm May, flowers were blooming. She didn’t know the name. There was a time when she was interested in such stuff, but after the age of 7, she didn’t care.

She silently walked, immersed in her own memories.

Her older brother who would stroke her hair with a warm smile.

And Ignet, who stood in front of her brother.

The two swords that clashed and intertwined, the stiff face of her father, the flustered vassals of the family, and Carl Lindsay, who just stood there and didn’t know what to do.1

And a small girl with Adonis flowers in her hand.

“…. And then I saw that there was no one.”

Ilya looked around the garden.

After the day Carl was defeated, many things disappeared from the Lindsay family. She remembered thinking about planting the Adonis too, back when she was coming back from Krono, but she couldn't as her brother had disappeared by then.

In a way, to her, the Adonis was a flower that held a bad memory.

“…”

No.

Ilya closed her eyes.

Her brother.

Ignet.

Neither their fight nor anything which came as a result of that fight mattered. She erased it all from her mind.

Erasing it one after another and only asking herself one thing.

Do you like that flower?

After a moment’s doubt, she nodded.

“… I must have been holding it since I liked it.”

At her clear answer, she burst into laughter.

It was nothing, and it was really not a big deal.

Tomorrow she would tell her dad to buy some flowers.

After she mumbled to herself after a short while, she walked to her room. And on the way, a cool breeze blew from behind.

A fresh and cool wind was blowing at the Lindsay family, which had been troubled for too long.

Airn, Kirill, and Lulu looked on at the Lindsay family’s carriage as it disappeared into the horizon.

No, it wasn't that. Even though Airn was looking there, his mind was focused on what had just happened.

‘Please come over.’

‘If you don’t come on time… I will come to you in person and torture you immensely.’

‘Promise.’

‘Sure, promise. Hehe.’

Ilya Lindsay disappeared with a light smile. Her last appearance would remain in his memory for a long time.

At the same time, the sensation he felt a few times before was blooming.

When he saw Bratt and Judith.

Or the tickling feeling he would feel when his eyes met with Ilya’s.

“…”

Airn didn’t pay much attention to it.

He was a dull person when it came to such things, and he was afraid of something.

He looked at his younger sister, Kirill. And then the tickling sensation subsided.

'I happen to be traveling with Kirill.'

It felt strange.

The younger sister in his memory was very young.

Kirill was a tomboy and was a stubborn child whom no one could control but her mother.

How can he avoid accidents as he traveled with her?

Of course, she had become a lot more mature now, but…

“Brother.”

“Yes?”

“What are you worrying about? Don’t think of weird stuff.”

“…”

Was she reading his mind?

Airn, who thought that it was terrifying, turned his face away.

“But, can we ride the Griffin together?”

He remembered the past.

The Griffin was something Kirill had created when she was 11 years old, which led to people calling her brave instead of cute and adorable.

It wasn’t big, so it could be cramped for two adults.

Of course, he didn’t ask because he was worried. Since Kirill grew, the Griffin too, must have grown.

However, the words which came out of Kirill were unexpected.

“We aren’t going to ride the Griffin.”

“Huh?”

“That would be too short of a trip. This is the first memorable journey with my brother.”

“…”

“Why? You don’t want to?”

“No, no! I like it!”

“You were late with your answer.”

“Ah, that…”

“Airn likes the idea so much that he felt moved! So, I guess you replied late! Right? Right?”

“…”

“Right, Airn?”

“Yes, that is right.”

Airn looked at Lulu and nodded.

Lulu nodded as well.

Kirill, who had been staring at them with expressionless faces, burst into laughter.

“Great! I’ll believe that. Well then, let's get going!”

“Sure!”

Kirill Pareira, who moved confidently, and Lulu, who followed her.

Airn Pareira, who had been dazed for a moment, pursued them.

And the sun was shining ever so brightly in the clear sky.

1. She's remembering the day of the fight between Carl and Ignet after she defeated him.↩