### Chapter 26: Night Talk
“Hmm?”
With her eyes half-closed, my mother was illuminated by the gentle moonlight streaming through the window. Her eyes, dark and hazy like mine, were staring down at me, slightly dazed.
I was somewhat reluctant to meet that gaze.
“That’s…”
“Well, let’s just say it’s complicated…”
Her eyes were wandering, unsure of where to look. I wanted to turn away from her scrutiny, but she held me tight as if afraid I’d run away.
“In a few words, I can’t really explain it all. Honestly, I’m a bit confused myself…”
“I fell asleep like a rock and woke up to find the Church Army had arrived… They attacked me, a whole bunch of them, so I had no choice but to fight back… Carlos was there too, he helped me… He was hurt pretty badly, and the dorm supervisor has… well, she’s gone now… I still have no idea what exactly happened…”
I knew I was sidestepping the question; I just wasn’t ready to spill the beans.
Even if I did, what good would it do?
My body has become something other than human, or maybe… I’ve already turned into a monster from the Abyss. The Church caught me that missing year and used me as a test subject… If I told my mother the real deal, I couldn’t imagine how she’d react.
Deep down, she’d probably struggle to handle it…
And besides, saying all that wouldn’t solve anything; it would just lead to even worse problems.
Especially at a time like this, with the North claiming a huge victory, and my father’s coronation still pending. While the Southern region’s Carnes has fallen, there are still plenty of lords eyeing the North’s “Winter Moon.” They won’t easily submit, so a truckload of trouble is right around the corner. Both my parents will be busy enough dealing with it all, and there are way too many issues that need careful handling…
My situation could just complicate things further, so vague and half-hearted explanations were probably for the best.
“Wait, Carlos was there too?”
But my mother clearly wasn’t on the same page. She didn’t understand that my evasions only made her more curious: “What was he doing there? You never mentioned he was with you… He was hurt badly? Is he okay?”
“He should be—”
“Should be?”
“After the fight, his companions took him away…”
“And who was the dorm supervisor? Was she the one in charge at the academy? What happened when you fell asleep and woke up? Did you faint… And what about the members of the Gate of Truth? That guy with the golden mask? Were you… involved with those kinds of people in the Eastern Continent?”
Uh-oh.
Which one am I supposed to answer? Mom, you’re firing questions at me too fast!
Ugh…
“Mom, that’s all in the past now…”
I tried to make my voice sound a bit weary, even faking a yawn: “Let bygones be bygones…”
“How can it be bygones?”
Unexpectedly, her voice shot up an octave: “You being like this… makes me uneasy! We’ve completely fallen out with the clergy, those Church Knights dare to attack the Northern Army, and if you hadn’t come back in time, your father and I would have—”
Suddenly she stopped, pausing to think, her tone calming down.
“Once your father is crowned king, the entire empire will be at war with them. The declaration might come sooner than we think, and one day the Pope will hear you’re still alive… When that happens, do you plan to face everything alone?”
I opened my mouth.
But before I could respond, she continued: “But we all want to help you. Me, your father, your two brothers, and even… Victoria, we all want to assist you.”
“We’re family, Pepé; through thick and thin, we should trust each other completely… Only then can we get through one challenge after another, and prevent those regretful things from happening again…”
“Mom…”
“But you won’t even tell me what happened in Woodward Forest, why the Church betrayed you, or any of the reasons behind it…”
Her voice fell: “Do you truly feel like you’re all alone?”
That tone hit me hard, making me feel suffocated, like I had something stuck in my throat.
“Ha—”
So, I took a deep breath.
What do I even do now?
“Mom…”
“Could it be that you’re in contact with those heretics?”
Suddenly, my mother seemed to realize something, her drooping eyelids snapping open a bit.
“You said there was a heretic leader who saved you and brought you to the Eastern Continent. But why would she save you? You… you aren’t involved with those from the Gate of Truth, are you—”
“Mom!”
I helplessly cut in, “Where are you even going with that?”
Talk about jumping to conclusions…
“So tell me, what happened?”
“Since coming back, you seem like a whole different person… You won’t say anything. You… you’re my treasure, the one I love the most in the world. How can I possibly feel at ease knowing this?”
But if I say something, you’d probably feel even less at ease…
Those matters…
Mom, can you really handle this?
Will you still see me as your precious daughter and not just a monster?
You won’t think that maybe your precious girl, at the moment of falling off a cliff, or possibly afterward, treated as a “patient,” repeatedly subjected to brutal bl**d exchanges, chewing on unknown flesh…
In battles of the past, where I’ve bled profusely, my body shattered and mended, consuming countless bodies and souls with chaotic powers, even merging with divine essences…
Even if you knew all this…
Would you still not think that maybe your precious girl has long been dead during this lengthy and torturous process?
And all that’s left is a horrendous monster named “Silvya” who doesn’t d*e or age.
Can you at least promise me that?
“Because…”
Who can tell me whether I should share all this with you or not…
“The Church… is very complicated, you know that, Mom. They… they made me a Pope Knight, but to many in the higher-ups, knights are merely pawns for their interests… Carlos too, and the girl who came with me, Sword Demon Anacelis, we’re all in the same boat…”
“Looks like you still don’t want to tell me.”
My mother sighed softly, suddenly falling silent.
After a moment…
“No, it’s not that…”
I wanted to try to explain.
But it seemed my mother wasn’t in the mood to listen anymore.
“Is the Gate of Truth really done for?” she asked, her voice soft and almost tired-sounding.
“Yeah…”
“That heretic leader who saved you… is she dead? Did your Grandmaster Sword Saint…?”
“Yeah.”
After a moment’s reflection, I nodded: “I think she won’t be coming back.”
Another brief silence followed.
“Ugh, I really can’t make sense of this…” my mother said, her eyes closed now.
“Mom, let’s face the future unafraid, okay?”
“Mom just worries about you…”
“I… I know…”
“Pepé…”
“Yeah, Mom, I’m here…”
“Are you still dizzy?”
“Seems like it’s not so bad anymore…”
“Uh-huh…”
“It’s been ages since I held you like this to sleep…”
“Tonight is definitely going to be a good dream…”
Mom seems… really disappointed…
What do I do…
Maybe… I should share just a little with her?
Just a tiny bit…
Otherwise, these feelings might stick in her throat like a fishbone, keeping her awake at night…
Dare I reveal even a little?
Like—
“Mom, actually…”
“Snore, snore, snore…”
“…Mom?”
Her breathing became steady.
Ah…
She’s asleep.
