Chapter 459: Father and Daughter

…I want you to behead me here and now.

Mastigius wasn’t the only one who felt a numbing shock at the words professed by Filaret.

Hind, the Vice-Commander, had a distorted expression on his face, and even Lugis, who was supposed to be her comrade, had his fingers clenched and his eyes wide open. Their expressions were obvious.

The three of them were different, and yet they were the same. Each was unable to accept what the dark-haired girl just said and swallowed their saliva in shock and dismay.

Surprisingly, it was Mastigius, who had taken the words head-on, who seemed to be the calmest. At least, that’s how it seemed to Hind.

Mastigius placed his hands together and spoke in a relaxed tone. A slight spark was scattering around his eyes.

「…If those words were meant as a threat, then you’re too childish. But I don’t think those words were a threat.」

That may have been the first fatherly thing Mastigius had said to Filaret in a long time. Mastigius was aware that his eyebrows were wrinkled, and his lips were dry.

Mastigius knew that Filaret was by no means a fool. Looking at her actions and words from an early age, Mastigius realized that none of his children were as intelligent as this girl. Without a doubt, Filaret was the most talented of his children.

Except for the fatal flaw in her ability to use magic.

There was more than enough magical power in her body, and there was no flaw in absorbing magical power from the environment. Still, when it came to use her magical power, Filaret was not blessed with much talent.

It was like a person who had a water jug that held a large amount of water but had a mouth too small to drink from it. It was pointless no matter how much you could store it. If she could only release that magical power little by little…but she couldn’t it. For a sorcerer, this was a fatal flaw, even more so than the inability to store magical power.

Mastigius thought he couldn’t fully understand how much this had afflicted his daughter.

He knew that Filaret was far greedier than others in trying to absorb knowledge, and that she had practiced spells until her throat was dry, and that she had been working on new magical theories.

How could someone, even a father, really say anything about the fact that none of that would bear fruit?

And so, in the Bolvat Dynasty, sorcerers who couldn’t properly use magic were subject to persecution and ridicule. Even the prestigious Volgograd Family was no exception to this.

No, it was probably because they were such a prestigious family that thorns of pressure clung to Filaret’s shoulders and dug into her skin.

How much her soul was wounded and how much blood she shed. It was something that others couldn’t understand.

All Mastigius could do was to free Filaret from the cage that was Bolvat. She was by no means without talent in academics. Her talents would surely blossom if she went to a distant city-state. With that thought, Mastigius sent her off.

…And so, the Gospel War began in the midst of all that.

The walled city of Garoua Maria fell. Some within the Volgograd household even rejoiced upon hearing that Filaret was missing, or even dead.

It was because they felt that a girl of no talent was not fit for the Volgograd Family. That was a normal thought for a sorcerer.

But it was a great pity that, although Mastigius was favored by God because of his magical talent, his nature was by no means that of a sorcerer. This was largely due to his innate talent and the influence of his grandfather.

For Mastigius, Filaret’s death meant putting his hands around her throat to kill her. No, that wasn’t the truth. His own incompetence had pushed his daughter to the brink of death.

When he heard that his daughter was alive, and then when he actually saw her, the emotions that ran through Mastigius’ heart were extremely complicated. He felt relief and joy after knowing that she was alive. But he also felt great anxiety and skepticism at the fact that she was on the enemy’s side.

Yes, skepticism. That was the biggest emotion that Mastigius felt right now, and it was dwelling in his heart.

Filaret took a second before answering Mastigius’ question.

「Yes, Your Excellency. I’m sure you’ve thought about it, Your Excellency. Right now, only the devil is happy that we…the New Kingdom of Gharast and the Bolvat Dynasty…are crossing spears and risking our lives. 」

After saying that, Filaret took a quick breath. Her black eyes, suppressing the look of fear she had once shown, looked straight at Mastigius.

「In the past, demonic beings have repeatedly attacked us, but individually. That was a threat to the nation, but not to humanity. However, this time they have undoubtedly joined forces and are baring their fangs at us. The Great Demon has the other demons under his control, and those demons have the demonic beasts under their control…Your Excellency, this is now a war for supremacy of the continent between humanity and the demons. If we don’t join forces now, humanity will succumb. Instead of demons living in the gaps where humanity lives, humanity will hide in the gaps where demons live, and the world will become theirs in which we’ll live within their breath.」

And so, sooner or later, humanity will become livestock for those demons. If that’s the case, it makes no difference if I die here, Filaret said smoothly.

At least there was no falsehood in her eyes, and no wavering feelings were shown in her words. Whatever the circumstances, there was no doubt that the woman called Filaret was speaking those words as her truth.

Mastigius let out a small sigh so that no one else would notice. The wrinkles around his eyes deepened, and lightning flashed around his body. Beside him, Hind’s eyes were wide open.

He didn’t think everything Filaret said was wrong. Though both sides had their own motives, it was certain that those demons had formed something akin to an alliance. No, perhaps they had learned leadership.

Until now, those demons only had a tribal chain of command, but now they had a collective will, as if they had gained a leader. That alone was a threat. And now the Great Demons and demonic beasts were attacking together. That was undoubtedly a danger to humanity itself.

Yes, the messenger sent by Jace Brackenberry, the protector of the Gharast Kingdom, had said something similar.

…Time has passed when we choose our own means and claims, Lord Mastigius.

Mastigius remembered seeing those words engraved in the message sent from Brackenberry.

And so, Mastigius had a deep anguish that made his spine churn. What should he do? Was it enough to just fulfill his responsibilities as the Sorcerer General? What should he do now?

But even more than that was a deep doubt. It crawled around in his heart and now seeped into his eyes.

Mastigius’ gaze turned from Filaret to Lugis, who was standing next to her.

「Lord Lugis, I want to hear from you so there’s no misunderstanding. 」

Indeed, what Filaret was saying wasn’t wrong. Mastigius understood that when she told him to cut off her head as if to force him to think once more.

But Filaret’s eyes were too clear. They had just one color. It wasn’t wisdom or resolve, but something else.

Mastigius could sense, intuitively, that Filaret had accepted death and took it for granted.

This was by no means normal. It was beyond abnormal.

Mastigius couldn’t understand what had happened to his daughter. Should he call this “growth”? Or should he call it “distortion”?

If it had indeed distorted her heart, then who did it?

It was now clear. Thunder rumbled as if to envelop Mastigius’ whole body. He realized that it was impossible to stop his emotions from expressing themselves.

It was too hurtful to see his daughter, who was supposed to have died, appear like this. That was why he couldn’t bring himself to kill her “again”, much less ignore her. Deep within Mastigius’ heart, the emotions he had been holding back for many years rumbled like thunder.

「…Are you the one who deceived Filaret? 」

The only thing that kept Mastigius calm was his tone. His lips were tightly pressed together, and his heart was dancing with fiery emotions. From his tall, upright body, lightning flames spontaneously erupted, vibrating the air and making the atmosphere tense to the max.

Just moments ago, the father had been shaken by his daughter’s words, but now it was the daughter who was shaken by her father’s words. Her black eyes were wide open, and her pale cheeks were dyed like the setting sun. The details of Filaret’s expression answered the question that Mastigius himself had asked.

With that, Mastigius was convinced. As expected, the one who had deceived his daughter was the Hero Lugis himself.

In front of his thundery gaze, Lugis opened his lips in a very unpleasant manner and said the following words.

「…I wish you’d take back what you just said, General. Filaret isn’t a fool or a cheap woman who would be deceived by me. 」

Lugis spoke in a tone that seemed to be twisted from the depths of his chest and stood up to respond to Mastigius. A strange shudder filled the meeting room, and the gazes of the Sorcerer General and the Hero took on a mass of their own. The other person present, the Vice-Commander, had a pale face.

In the middle of it all.

…A thunderous sound came from far above as if something had exploded. And then, the demonic sound emitted by the magical devilish being filled the sky.

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Even though Filaret is not my favorite character, I must say she also had huge development since the beginning of the series. She became fierce and confident.

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