"So… what was that?" I asked.
"Most of what remains of my mana," Verd replied, withdrawing his hand from mine. "I wanted to give you all of it, but… I still have something I must do after this—"
He paused, his voice faltering.
"I know the Elven Kingdom stripped you of your ability to use mana and magic—under Seth's manipulation."
He took a breath and continued.
"I'm sorry I can only give you the capacity to store mana, but not for the aptitude of any magic itself—because Seth still holds control over the majority of my soul fragments." His smile wavered. "But I believe you'll find a way to use utilize it somehow."
Silence lingered.
"This won't make up for what the Elven Kingdom did to you," he said quietly. "I know that better than anyone. But could you—"
He clenched his fists.
"…Instead of punishing them… you give them—guidance? Help them understand their mistakes?"
His voice dropped.
"No matter what horrible stuff they did… they are still my fami—"
"I will not."
I cut him off with an icy, unwavering tone, to show that there was no hesitation—no room for negotiation.
"Even if they were deceived by Seth," I straightened. "They'd done it in the worst way imaginable."
My gaze hardened.
"They could have asked—politely. Even if their kindness was fabricated, even if their sympathy was nothing more than manipulation, as long as they keep it to themselves until the end, I'm certain my past—naive and easily manipulated—self would have agreed to the given, unfortunate role, without much hesitation… without asking many question."
My voice lowered.
"Instead, what they did are: they toyed with an innocent boy's fragile heart—after dragging him out of his home world without his consent—purely for their own convenience.
"They forced him to endure pain beyond comprehension.
"They mocked him, sneered at him, until all he could see was—how miserable his life choices were."
I stared straight into Verd's eyes.
"And when they were finished… they trashed him away—fully aware, fully willing, and fully content to let him rot—slowly—in the deepest depths of hell."
I stared straight into his eyes, a deep scowl etched across my face—so there was no mistaking about the seriousness of my statement.
"So tell me, Mr. Verd. Should that boy forgive them after all the cruelty they'd done to him?" I clenched my fists, resulted with my knuckles turning white. "Cruelty, that they termed 'amusement.'"
Verd didn't answer.
"Do they deserve forgiveness," I continued, "just because one of their kin asks politely?"
He shook his head—weakly.
"...No," he whispered.
"Correct. Absolutely not," I declared.
"That day, they miraculously find a way to kill the Yuu who only knew how to be kind to others."
My fists clenched tighter, nails biting into my skin.
"So now, the Yuu who remains—the one who's only kind to himself—will deliver their punishment."
I paused.
"They will receive what they deserve. Not out of cruelty—"
I looked away slightly.
"But because consequences exist."
I exhaled.
"That, is the current Yuu's way of showing his kindness."
Verd lowered his head.
"…I thought so…" he muttered. His shoulders slumped. "I suppose… it can't be helped. They— do deserve whatever you're planning to do."
His voice grew heavier.
"I should've taught them better. I always warned them not to look down on other races just because they're elves—a race famed for their long life and magical superiority."
He shook his head in resignation.
"But pride twisted their sense of right and wrong."
I narrowed my eyes. "Why are you telling me this?"
Verd hesitated, then dejectedly bowed his head.
"Lis…" he said softly. "She is my great-granddaughter."
The words settled heavily between us.
For once, I had nothing to say.
"I never met her directly," he admitted.
"But by examining Seth's memories from the body double he sent to the surface, I learned the truth. The current Elven Queen… is my granddaughter."
"You're royalty?" I asked, softening my expression.
"In a sense," he replied. "I was a duke. My sister was the Elven Queen in my time."
He exhaled slowly.
"The current elven royal family are my direct descendants," he continued. "In other words—my family… my— responsibility."
His voice wavered.
"So… I— I also deserve all the hatred you harbor towards them."
"What the hell are you even saying?" I snapped.
He raised his head to meet my gaze, but he said nothing.
"Sure, Seth manipulated them by masquerading as you," I said. "But what makes they thought that it was the actual Verd—someone who's known as the 'Savior of Mankind,' someone who sacrificed himself for the greater good everyone but himself—
"from what you told me earlier, you had a good relationship with the Emperor of Draconia and his people. You valued your friendship with the human race, right?"
He nodded.
"—Then why did they think it was very Verd-like," I pressed, "to summon people from another world without their consent? To toy with their emotions. To discard them once they were no longer useful. To mock them simply because of the fact that they were— human?"
I shook my head.
"No. People like that aren't your family." I said firmly. "Family are those who recognized you, acknowledged you, support you, compromised with you, and shares burdens with you—that's what my mother taught me."
I took a breath.
"I know those words might sound irresponsible coming from someone filled with hatred. But I believe those are true. From my narrow perspective, anyone lacking some of those points doesn't deserved to be called family.
"Because they'll only stands for you when you're beneficial, and the moment you become a burden—they'll abandon you."
Verd bit hard on his lower lip. I couldn't tell whether he was angry, disagreed with me, or was simply frustrated by his own powerlessness.
"You don't deserve any hatred from me, Mr. Verd," I said calmly.
He closed his eyes and lowered his head, then answered in a low groan.
"No… I do."
"Why?" I asked, slight irritation creeping into my voice, he's just so stubborn. "You've done nothing wrong to me. And so far, you've only helped me—also, Verdra seems trust you a lot.
"If anything, I feel sorry for you. After everything you did—everything you tried to protect—it all turned into something completely different from what you wanted them to be."
"You're being too harsh on yourself, Mr. Verd," Nyxia said gently as she stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Your Highness…"
"Yuu is right," Lydia added bluntly. "Those who failed to recognize the real you were not worth to be called family."
"Hahaha!" Crona laughed heartily. "Listen, young Verd. You don't need to worry so much. We're nothing more than mere relics of the past. Just leave everything to the current generation."
She glanced at me.
"And from what I've seen from Yuu, they seems more than capable enough of making the world a better place. If anything, he's more fit to be your son than anyone else, your face and hair color were eerily similar—if you don't includes the height."
"Ahem." I cleared my throat knowingly.
Verd inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as he gathered his thoughts.
He inhaled deeply— then exhaled it. "…Yes. I suppose you're right, Your Highness."
He straightened slightly.
"...I'm nothing but a mere ghost now," he continued. "I'll leave everything to Yuu's judgment."
"That's better," Crona said. "And weren't we supposed to ease Yuu's tension?"
"Yes… I'm very sorry, Yuu," Verd said with a faint smile.
"I'm the one who should apologize for being so stubborn," I replied calmly. "But I won't retract everything I've said."
"I understand," he said quietly.
"Oh my, oh my," Nyxia mused. "I didn't knew Yuu could get this heated over something."
"I'm sorry, Lady Nyxia," I said firmly. "But this is just who I really am. Even if your view of me has changed—even if you no longer approve of my relationship with Verdra—I won't give her up."
I glanced up, meeting her silvery eyes head-on.
"Not even if you forcefully trying to stop me."
"Hehe," she giggled softly. "I wouldn't dare interfere with my daughter's love life.
"Oh. And my view of you hasn't changed—if anything, I like you even more now. A strong man with strong resolve is exactly what a dragon—no, what any woman—could ask for. My daughter certainly secured a good catch."
"And it's not like we could stop you anyway," Lydia added calmly. "You blew Nyxia apart from the inside in a single strike, and froze Crona solid as if it were nothing."
Nyxia's and Crona's brows twitched.
"Though I hate to admit it," Lydia continued, folding her arms beneath her chest, "I was the weakest among them. Your display of prowess was… terrifying, to say the least. I can't even imagine the pain they had to endure under your merciless assault—well, Crona seemed to enjoy it."
"Hey!" Crona protested.
"You still felt pain even as souls?!" I exclaimed, guilt creeping into my voice. "I-I'm really sorry!"
"Don't worry," Lydia reassured me. "We've endured far worse. And we don't want you to hold back just because you're facing us—your life is far more important than people who's already long dead.
"Besides, you and Verdra finished us relatively quickly—and for that, I'm thankful. So it wasn't as bad as you think."
"Oh, my. Lydia," Nyxia said irritably. "You can say that because you only died once at their hand."
"There are advantages of being in the backline," Lydia replied flatly.
"Such as not being turned into abstract art repeatedly." her inner thoughts slipped.
For the first time since I met her, Nyxia frowned.
"Hmm…" she hummed ominously. "We promised to always treat each other equally, didn't we?"
She turned her gaze toward me.
"Listen, my son-in-law," she said with a dangerously gentle smile.
"Yes!" I straightened instinctively.
My survival instincts screamed louder than my common sense.
"This is a humble request from your soon-to-be mother," she continued sweetly—her smile utterly devoid of warmth. "After you return out there… please kill Lydia one more time."
"Understood!"
"Hahaha!" Crona burst out laughing.
Lydia could only sigh in resignation.
"Was this how dragon-family bonding supposed to look like…?" I muttered.
"So, Yuu," Lydia said, smoothly changing the subject, "what was that power you used against us? Sir Verd said earlier that you lost your ability to use mana—so how were you able to cast something that powerful?"
"The idea of a human using magic is strange enough," Nyxia added, regaining her composure. "Let alone one capable of killing the strongest of the True Dragons in a single strike. What exactly was that?"
"Isn't it normal for someone contracted with a True Dragon to gain similar abilities?" I asked.
"Yes, it is," Nyxia replied. "But usually, the abilities shared between a True Dragon and their contractor are limited—telepathy for instance. As for the master, they gain the ability to control mana, and magical aptitude matching the dragon's."
She continued, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Even then, it's relatively weak. Nowhere near what you used against us. And you were able to manipulate cold—an element my daughter doesn't even possess."
I pondered for moment.
"...I don't know the term used in this world," I replied. "But according to the 'literatures' from my home world—and how the skill named on my status page—I believe it's called Psychic Power."
"Psychic power?" Verd echoed.
"Yes," I affirmed. "It works similarly to magic, but instead of channeling mana, it uses brain power to manipulate existing matter. None of you have heard of it?"
Verd glanced around at the others. They all shook their heads.
"No," he said. "It seems no one from our era knew anything about it."
"I see…" I mused. "Maybe it's also a recently implemented concept—like the Lv system."
I summoned The Book of Safekeeping—It actually worked, even inside my subconscious realm. Thank God—I flipped through its pages, searching for something.
"Woa—!" Crona gasped as the others leaned forward in surprise. "What is that, Yuu?"
"My skill," I replied plainly, pulling out an item. "Mr. Verd, could you pour your mana into this?"
I handed him a Soul Slate I'd obtained from a treasure chest.
"Hm?" He tilted his head, puzzled. "Sure."
He took the slate and poured his mana into it.
—————————————————
Name: Verd Vistrich (Elf)
Lv: 5443
Vitality: B | Strength: C | Mana: S | Agility: B | Dexterity: A
———
Skill: Soul manipulation (Lv2)
—————————
"What's all this, Yuu?" he asked.
"That's—"
I gave him and the others, a quick and easy-to-understand explanation.
…
"I see," he said afterward. "So it seems I also have a Lv."
"May I try it as well," Lydia said calmly—though the curious gleam in her eyes betrayed her composure.
The rest of the ladies took turns using the Soul Slate.
—————————————————
Name: Nyxia (xrxx xrxxxn)
Lv: 7599
Vitality: SSS | Strength: A | Mana: SS | Agility: A | Dexterity: A
———
Draconic transformation | Draconic Ecdysis | Draconic Vow (Null) | Human Transformation | Ice Magic (Lv10)
—————————
—————————————————
Name: Lydia (xrxx xrxxxn)
Lv: 7204
Vitality: A | Strength: A | Mana: SSS | Agility: S | Dexterity: SS
———
Draconic transformation | Draconic Ecdysis | Draconic Vow (Null) | Human Transformation | Fire Magic (Lv10)
—————————
—————————————————
Name: Crona (xrxx xrxxxn)
Lv:7228
Vitality: S | Strength: SSS | Mana: A | Agility: SS | Dexterity: A
———
Draconic transformation | Draconic Ecdysis | Draconic Vow (Null) | Human Transformation | Lightning Magic (Lv10)
—————————
"No wonder Verdra is stronger than all of you," I muttered under my breath.
"I knew she'd be stronger than us," Nyxia said slowly. "But how strong is she, exactly?"
"Aside from SS in Agility and Dexterity," I replied, "everything else is SSS."
Her smile twitched. "W-what a terrifying daughter…"
"I'm curious," I continued. "If people from your era couldn't increase their Lv, how did you all become this strong? These numbers are absurd, even by today's standards."
"Training," Verd replied simply.
"And time," Lydia added. "True Dragons grow stronger as they age."
"I see…" I muttered. "That explains why Verdra had a lower Lv cap than yours when I first met her."
"You're not going to try this too, Yuu?" Crona asked. "It's kind of fun, being able to see how strong you really are."
"I can't use that—" I paused as something clicked. "Actually… since Mr. Verd gave me some of his mana, I might be able to."
I took the Soul Slate, and poured my mana into it. I can feel the familiar sensation of mana flowing through my veins, there's no doubt—I have my it again.
—————————————————
Name: Yuu Yanagi (Human)
Lv:7109
Vitality: F | Strength: F | Mana: G | Agility: E | Dexterity: C
———
Draconic Vow (Verdra) | Draconic Ecdysis | Draconic Vow's telepathy
—————————
"G…" I slumped my shoulders. "That's even lower than my other stats—"
I straightened a moment later.
"…Still. Better than nothing, I guess."
"How did you beat us with stats that depressing?" Crona asked innocently, peeking over my shoulder.
"Did you know," I sighed, "that depending on how you phrase things, you can seriously hurt someone's feelings?"
The words had barely left my mouth when the world around us began to blur.
"It seems our time is running out," Verd said quietly. "Is there anything you wish to ask before we part, Yuu?"
I shook my head. "I think I'm good." Then, after a brief pause, I added, "Thank you, Mr. Verd. If it weren't for you… I would've given up already."
"Don't mention it," he replied solemnly. "This entire ordeal was the mistake of people from the past. And yet, we dragged you into it all the same because of ours powerlessness. For that… I'm truly sorry."
"We'll miss you, Yuu," Nyxia said, her voice gentle and warm—like a mother tucking a child in for the last time.
"Haha. Take care out there, Boy." Crona added, her usual cheer just a little softer than before.
"You were… a good company," Lydia said at last. Her expression remains unreadable, but I could sense a slight of loneliness in her tone.
"Yeah." I smiled crookedly, scratching the back of my neck. "Thanks. I'll make sure to tell Verdra about my pleasant time with you all."
"Yes, you should. Please—" Nyxia paused briefly. "...Tell her that I'm really sorry for not being there for her… Please tell her—her mother loves her dearly, all three of them."
"Yes, I certainly will."
For a moment, it really felt like the end.
"Why are you all talking like this is a farewell?"
Verd's voice cut through the air—flat, sudden, utterly unceremonious.
The blurring of my subconscious realm feels like as if it was halted for a moment.
"…Huh?" I blinked, confused.
The three women at presence also had the same exact reaction as me.
"The only one saying goodbye here," he continued, "is me." He turned slightly. "Lady Nyxia. Lady Crona. Lady Lydia. From this moment on, you will remain with Yuu. You will guide him. Watch him grow."
He paused, then added casually.
"I trust there are no objections."
""""What?!""""
All four of us spoke at once.