Chapter 139

Episode 139. Interlude – Descendant of the Iron Fist (2)

“……”

Gilbert quietly reached out his hand as he looked at Berald, who was sobbing.

Gilbert’s hand gently patted Berald’s head, which was bowed down.

“Father…”

When Berald lifted his head, his face drenched in tears.

*Whack!*

Gilbert’s hand slapped the back of Berald’s head with a crisp sound.

“Gah!”

Berald screamed, clutching the back of his head.

Gilbert clicked his tongue, glaring at Berald.

“What kind of man cries like a baby and throws a tantrum?”

“W-what? That’s the first thing you say after waking up after years?!”

“Seeing my son, whom I haven’t seen in years, bawling like this makes my blood boil.”

“Ugh, this grumpy old man!”

“What did you say, you brat? Is that how you talk to your father? Huh?”

The two, father and son, began to raise their voices and argue.

‘What is this?’

Iris and I (Yuren and Camila didn’t come, thinking they might interfere with the treatment) stared blankly at each other as we watched the two fight.

“Father, you’ve always been like this! You need to be more considerate!”

“Is that something you should be saying to me?”

“Hah, are you saying I’m inconsiderate?”

“No, to be precise, it’s not that you’re inconsiderate, but that you’re just dumb.”

“Ugh! Is that something you should say to your child?”

“It’s only because it’s me that I’m just saying it and letting it go! Anyone else would’ve left out of frustration!”

“Damn old man!”

“You disrespectful brat! What kind of parenting did I do to raise a child like this?”

“Is that something you should be saying?!”

Now, the two were grabbing each other’s collars and shouting at the top of their lungs.

As we quietly watched this scene, the door burst open, and a middle-aged woman with a warm demeanor entered the room.

“Ah, sir…! You’ve regained consciousness!”

Anna, seeing Gilbert, covered her mouth and shed tears of joy.

But that was short-lived.

“Anna! Look at this disrespectful brat! Huh? He dares to call his father a damn old man!”

“That’s because you suddenly slapped my head out of nowhere!”

“……”

Anna’s expression gradually hardened.

The warm demeanor disappeared, and her face twisted into a fierce scowl.

“Sir, young master.”

Her cold voice instantly cooled the heated atmosphere in the room.

“Y-yes. What is it?”

“Ahem! Is there a problem…?”

Gilbert and Berald, avoiding Anna’s gaze, exchanged nervous glances.

Anna smiled faintly as she looked at the two.

“Behave yourselves.”

“……”

“……”

It was a moment that clearly revealed the hierarchy within the “Ryu” family.

* * *

After the brief commotion settled.

Berald told Gilbert everything that had happened during his absence.

About how Gilbert had been severely injured in the battle against the Devil God Church five years ago.

How he had suffered from delirium as a result.

How Berald had enrolled in the Reynaldo Hero School, formed a party with me, Yuren, Iris, and Camila, and everything else.

“Huh. Five years… It’s been five years?”

Gilbert let out a hollow laugh and rubbed his forehead.

“…You don’t remember anything?”

“No. I vaguely remember. It’s not clear, but…”

Gilbert slowly recalled the memories of the past five years.

With a bitter smile on his lips, he turned to Berald.

“You’ve suffered a lot because of your useless father.”

Gilbert gently placed his hand on Berald’s shoulder.

Berald bit his lip and turned his head away, avoiding Gilbert’s gaze.

“…What are you doing, acting so out of character?”

“Haha. Yeah… It is out of character.”

Even so.

“Well done, my son. You’ve grown so much in the time I didn’t see you.”

Gilbert smiled faintly and patted Berald’s head.

“……”

Berald clenched his lips tightly and bowed his head deeply.

“Are you crying again?”

“W-who’s crying?!”

Gilbert chuckled.

“Haha. Who did you take after to be so tearful?”

“Huh, it must be you, father.”

“Tsk, you brat. I’ve never cried once in my life!”

“From what I remember, it’s been more than five times…”

“Ahem. Shut up.”

Gilbert coughed awkwardly and turned his head away.

He then looked at me and Iris and asked.

“Are these the ones who helped you?”

“There are two more.”

“Bring them here.”

Berald nodded and walked out of the room.

Soon, Yuren and Camila entered the room with Berald.

“Ah… Hello.”

“It’s an honor to meet the head of the Ryu family.”

Yuren and Camila greeted Gilbert.

Gilbert looked at the two and slowly rose from the bed.

*Stagger.*

As Gilbert wobbled, losing his balance for a moment, Berald hurriedly tried to approach him.

“It’s fine.”

Gilbert shook his head and firmly stood up on his own two feet.

His massive frame was comparable to Berald’s.

Though his body may have aged, the aura he exuded was like that of a fierce beast.

“Thank you for staying by my son’s side.”

Gilbert bowed his head respectfully.

My party members and I bowed our heads in return.

“By the way, you said you enrolled in the Hero School, right?”

“Haha. Yes. I’m in my second year now.”

“So, did you meet all these party members at school?”

“That’s right.”

Berald nodded and introduced each of us one by one.

“This handsome guy here is Yuren! He’s the young master of the famous Helios Family!”

“Helios? The Helios Family… Could it be…?”

“Haha. That’s right! Yuren is the descendant of the ‘Sun’s Sword’!”

“…Huh.”

Gilbert let out a disbelieving laugh.

He looked at Berald and Yuren and muttered softly.

“…If this is fate, then it must be fate.”

“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Never mind. So, who are the others?”

Berald excitedly continued introducing everyone.

“This is Camila!”

“Senior.”

“Ahem! Anyway, Camila is an outstanding knight, even selected as a candidate for the ‘Sword of the Holy Kingdom’!”

“A candidate for the Sword of the Holy Kingdom…?”

“And this beautiful lady here is Iris! She’s the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom! She’s the one who healed you, father!”

“The Saintess of the Holy Kingdom?”

Gilbert looked at Berald with a dumbfounded expression.

“Wait, what exactly have you been doing at school to get involved with such prestigious people?”

“Haha. It’s all thanks to Dale!”

Berald turned to me and let out a hearty laugh.

“Dale is the leader of our party and like a mentor to me!”

“Oh?”

Gilbert looked at me with interest.

“You’re the leader of the party?”

“Yes.”

“Haha. To have the descendant of the Sun’s Sword, the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom, and a candidate for the Sword of the Holy Kingdom in the same party, and yet you’re the leader…”

Gilbert shook his head in disbelief, unable to fathom how extraordinary this “Dale” candidate must be.

“How did you get to know this person?”

“We met during supplementary classes last year!”

“Ah, I see. Supplementary classes… Huh?”

Supplementary classes?

“…Berald.”

Gilbert’s eyes suddenly turned fierce.

“Huh? What is it?”

“Don’t tell me your grades were so bad that you had to take supplementary classes?”

“Uh, well…”

Berald trailed off, hastily avoiding eye contact.

Gilbert roughly grabbed Berald’s ear.

“Ow! What are you doing?!”

“What am I doing, you brat?! Huh? What did you do to mess up your grades so badly that you had to take supplementary classes?!”

Though Gilbert had raised Berald quite freely since childhood, he was still a father.

What parent in the world wouldn’t worry about their child’s grades?

“Ugh! I’m so frustrated, I could burst! Supplementary classes…!”

Supplementary classes were only for those ranked in the bottom 30 of the overall candidate evaluations.

He had always wondered what kind of fool would need supplementary classes, and now he found out that his own son was one of them.

“Sigh. I knew you weren’t the brightest, but…”

Gilbert let out a deep sigh.

He turned to me and spoke.

“You must have had a hard time because of my son.”

“Haha. It wasn’t that bad.”

“Right. You said you met during supplementary classes, right? Haha. To think there’s still such a fine young man who voluntarily mentors juniors during the precious summer vacation season…”

“…Huh?”

Mentoring? Fine young man?

What is he talking about?

“Come to think of it, I also received advice from seniors a few times during my candidate days. It’s true that you gain wisdom different from what the professors teach.”

“……”

Ah, I see.

So, he thinks I’m a kind senior who took time out of my summer vacation to help out struggling junior candidates during supplementary classes?

“Haha. You’re Candidate Dale, right? To have formed a party with a junior you met while helping with supplementary classes… I can see what a fine character you have.”

“……”

“Reaching out to those who are left behind is the true virtue of a hero. Please continue to guide our Berald well.”

“Ah… Yes. Of course.”

I awkwardly smiled as I shook Gilbert’s outstretched hand.

“Ah, by the way, how are your grades at school, Candidate Dale?”

Gilbert’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, clearly wondering what the grades of the leader who had the descendant of the Sun’s Sword, the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom, and a candidate for the Sword of the Holy Kingdom in his party must be like.

“……”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

As I remained silent, Gilbert tilted his head in confusion.

After a moment of thought, he let out a soft sigh of realization.

“Hahaha! Don’t worry, I won’t compare your grades to scold my son. You can tell me freely.”

“……”

“What’s your overall ranking?”

A cold sweat ran down my spine.