Oh my god, my heart is about to give in.
While the trial stone in Cascia exploded, I picked her up with almost imperceptible speed and ran away with one arm. After running for a long time, father and daughter returned to the previous square, and I, leaning on the spring water, was panting like a dog.
It's not that I'm tired, but I'm completely scared out of my wits.
As for Nero, since I pulled her by the tail, she is now lying on the ground, half dead.
After so many years, starting from the sword I personally destroyed Cascia and took, I was determined to raise my daughter as an ordinary farm girl, so that she could have a happy and innocent life under my protection, without experiencing any hardships. But it seems that fate is playing tricks on me. Servilia, the former High Mage, is unexpectedly passed down to her daughter, Cascia, who inherits the excellent bloodline of her majesty.
I'm such an idiot. I actually let Kirwen's daughter touch the trial stone. Am I out of my mind?
It seems that I need to quickly handle the procurement matters and then leave this cursed place.
"Dad," Cascia, whose hair is a bit messy, looked a bit confused. "Why did the trial stone explode?"
"Because..." I tried to calm myself down. "The size of the flame judges a person's magical talent, but if it explodes, it means that the person's talent is zero. That's how it is."
"Oh, so I don't have any talent."
Cascia felt a bit sad, after all, she still had some yearning for these things.
"Yeah, but it doesn't matter." I rubbed my daughter's head. "Anyway, we're just commoners. Not having magic is not a big deal."
Magic can go to hell. I will never let my daughter get involved in it.
Besides, because of magic, I have already suffered too much.
"That's true." Cascia was still disappointed. "But with a lot of money earned from magic, we can move to Gianda, right?"
"Dad doesn't want to move to Gianda."
Regarding Gianda, your Dad's mindset is like that of a fugitive, trying to avoid it as much as possible. I must have been brain-dead to think of living in that cursed place.
But speaking of this, my daughter suddenly made a 180-degree change from the innocent girl she was before. Her pupils widened, her mouth twitched, and she smiled strangely twice.
"If we move to Gianda, Dad won't be harassed by that sow anymore."
...
Are you talking about Miss Katarina?
Almost as a conditioned reflex, I couldn't help but cover the powder compact in my pocket.
This was entrusted to me by Miss Katarina. I avoided Cascia when I bought it just now, I must not be caught.
"Don't forget the gift, Isaac~" I still heard Miss Katarina's enchanting breath in my ear.
"C-Cascia, let's go eat something," I immediately tried to change the topic. "There's a barbecue stand over there."
Since we escaped in a hurry just now, we haven't had a chance to enjoy the lamb fried rice with green onions. And right in front of the square fountain, there happens to be a barbecue stand.
As for Cascia, she was starving. When she heard that I was going to buy barbecue, her mood naturally became cheerful.
The barbecue seemed to be made by skewering chicken breast and vegetables together, with generous portions. After sprinkling some cumin and pepper, it becomes quite heavy.
While waiting for the skewers, I bought some apple juice from the side to get rid of the greasiness from the meat.
As for the cup and other things, I brought them while traveling, so there is no need to worry.
This square is one of Gianda's landmarks, so the infrastructure is relatively good and there are many seats. However, my daughter seemed to be particularly fond of the fountain, so we took our food and returned to our original spot.
"Dad, this tastes so good!"
"Well, there's seasoning powder." I took a bite of the chicken breast. "Spices like cumin are only available in big cities."Nero was also enjoying himself, biting into the grilled meat and making happy murmuring sounds.
"Try the apple juice," I handed it to Cascia. "It tastes good."
Back when we lived in Gianda, it was the Abbott, my favorite drink.
"Wow," my daughter said, holding the cup. "It's so sweet."
"Of course, only apples grown around Gianda taste like this. You won't find it anywhere else," I explained the travel-related issue to my daughter.
But Cascia suddenly had a puzzled expression.
"Dad, didn't you only come here once before?" Cascia said. "How do you know so much?"
Today, from the Templar Knight to the Trial Stone, I knew almost everything about Giante, which aroused some suspicion from my daughter.
"Dad is just curious and has a good memory, that's all. What's so strange about it?" I randomly touched Cascia's head. "Eat quickly, it'll taste different when it cools down."
But even as I tried to shift Cascia's attention, she continued to stare at me with a doubtful gaze.
"Dad, could it be..."
Her unwavering expression.
"...could it be something you're hiding from me?!"
"N-No, of course not."
Under Cascia's alarming air, I stood up in panic.
"It's Mom, isn't it?! She's here!"
Huh... huh!?
My heart made a thud sound, as if something had broken.
Mom... Mom?!
