LIGHTNOVELONLINE [Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
—————–
Chapter 270: The Nephew (2)
***
The word ‘uncle’ echoed in his head and rang out.
Damien was so embarrassed that he couldn’t think of anything.
“Hahaha! Damien, you don’t believe it either, do you? I was like that at first too.”
His father said with a loud laugh.
“Speaking of which, I should go see Louise. I wonder if she needs anything!”
With that, his father shot out of the living room like a bullet.
“You should also go see Louise quickly.”
His mother grabbed Damien’s hand and led him away. Damien shouted in embarrassment.
“Uh, Mom, wait a minute. I need some time to think…”
“Don’t you want to meet your sister?”
His mother’s grip was surprisingly strong. Damien was led by his mother into Louise’s room.
As he entered the room, he saw Louise lying on the bed. His brother-in-law, Ballad, was sitting on a chair next to her.
“Oh, Damien! You’re back!”
Louise got up from the bed as soon as she saw Damien. Damien was surprised and stopped her.
“Why are you lying down? Is there something wrong with you…?”
“The doctor said she needed to take it easy because it’s early in her pregnancy. So she is just lying down for a while. You don’t have to worry too much.”
Ballad explained to Damien and he was relieved to hear that.
“Damien, wasn’t the trip hard? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Louise took Damien’s hand and asked.
“Sister… um… I heard… so… congratulations.”
Damien said with difficulty. Louise smiled shyly.
“Thank you for the congratulations.”
Damien felt his throat constrict.
His sister would never know. That he didn’t deserve to hear those words of thanks.
In his previous life, Damien had killed his entire family with his own hands. He had robbed his family of their happiness and trampled on their future.
All of this was what his family deserved. Damien had only given it back to them. So he didn’t deserve to be thanked.
But why?
His eyes grew hot. His throat tightened and he couldn’t say anything.
“Damien? Why are you crying?”
Louise asked with a surprised face. Damien covered his eyes with his hand and said.
“It’s nothing… It’s nothing.”
“Are you that happy to be an uncle? Well, stop it. What will people think if a man cries so easily?”
Louise said, wiping away Damien’s tears with her thumb.
But the tears that had once started couldn’t be stopped easily.
“That’s right. What’s the point of crying over something like this?”
A familiar voice rang out then. Damien turned his head to the side.
He saw a young woman sitting in the corner of the room, tearing apart jerky.
It was Veronica, the Killer Ghost.
The moment he saw Veronica, his tears abruptly stopped. It was because it was too ridiculous.
“Why are you here?”
“Your mother caught me.”
“Mo… mother?”
Damien made a bewildered expression. How long had she been here to use such a title?
“You really stayed because she caught you?”
“And the food was delicious.”
“What nonsense…”
“Benny! Was it that delicious?”
Then, his mother chimed in with a delighted expression. Damien was even more dumbfounded at her words.
Benny? Benny?
They had become so close that she would use such a pet name?
“I’m not telling lies. Every dish you make is delicious.”
“I’m so glad you said that. Is there anything else you want to eat? Tell me anything.”
“I’d like to have the pumpkin pie I had last time again.”
“Okay, let’s have that for dessert today.”
Veronica smiled brightly and rejoiced at her words.
“Mother, when did you become so close to that girl?”
“That girl. You can’t address our Benny like that.”
Damien felt goosebumps rise on his body whenever he heard the word Benny.
“I always wished I had another daughter. I never thought my wish would come true like this.”
Damien was at a loss for words.
No matter what, that Veronica Sanchez? Taking a Killer Ghost as her daughter?
“Oh, by the way, I drove away the wolves in the forest as you asked, Mother.”
“Oh, thank you. The townspeople were getting anxious because of those wolves anyway.”
What was even more absurd was Veronica, who had been tamed by his mother.
“Eh, I don’t know.”
Damien decided to take it easy.
***
In the Evening, Damien enjoyed a meal with his family.
“Brother! It was too much to just send one letter while you were away for so long!”
Abel, his younger brother who had returned from his inspection tour, grumbled at Damien.
“He was too busy, you know.”
Olivier took Damien’s side. But Abel’s expression didn’t change.
“Yeah, yeah, he is a busy man. But at least he came back safely.”
It wasn’t just Olivier. His father also took Damien’s side.
“It would have been nice if you had sent letters more often, though…”
Damien listened to Abel’s grumbling and enjoyed his mother’s food.
Now that he was a high-ranking nobleman, he could leave the cooking to the servants without any problem.
However, the Countess always made the food herself.
She said it was her pleasure, so Damien didn’t stop her anymore.
“Damien, come with me for a moment.”
After the meal, his father called Damien.
Damien finished the pumpkin pie he was holding in his hand and followed his father.
“The night air is cool tonight, isn’t it?”
His father said, looking up at the night sky. As his father said, the cool breeze felt very good.
“Your mother did a great job. I had a full stomach.”
His father patted his stomach and said with satisfaction.
“Aren’t you going to ask me what I’ve been up to?”
“I want to ask.”
His father said flatly.
“But you’re not going to tell me, are you?”
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize. When you’re your age, you’re bound to have a few secrets from your family. I was the same way.”
His father’s voice was cool and refreshing, as if he was sincere.
“But that doesn’t mean I’m not worried.”
His father looked back at Damien.
“Damien, promise me one thing. Promise me that you will never do anything dangerous and that you will always come back safely.”
Damien couldn’t say anything for a moment. His father urged him on.
“This guy, looks like he doesn’t want to promise because he’s not sure.”
“No… I will promise you. I will definitely… come back safely.”
“You must keep your promise.”
His father patted Damien’s shoulder and returned to the castle.
Damien was left alone and looked up at the sky without a word.
“…Nephew.”
It was something that had never happened before. The future had been changed by Damien’s actions.
Perhaps that was why. No matter how much time passed, he couldn’t believe it.
“My sister’s child must be smart and cute.”
The thought of his nephew filled his heart with warmth.
Happy. Excited. Words couldn’t express the emotions that welled up from the depths of his heart.
He wanted these days to go on forever.
But Damien knew. It was too early to dream of happiness.
“Dorugo.”
Just saying the name made his blood boil. His chest felt like it was going to collapse.
Damien clenched his fist. Hard enough to draw blood.
He couldn’t suppress his anger any other way.
“I haven’t killed him yet…”
As long as Dorugo and Pandemonium were still out there, Damien couldn’t dream of happiness.
He was anxious. He was scared and afraid.
Because if he made a mistake, all this happiness he had gained would be gone.
His family would all die again, just like in his previous life, and he would be mocked by the Dark mages.
Even his unborn nephew would lose his life and suffer a terrible fate.
“Kilo.”
Damien said softly. Kilo and the dwarves emerged from Damien’s shadow.
-You called?
“There’s something you need to do.”
-Just tell me. I’ll make sure to follow any order.
“Start remodeling this castle today.”
Kilo’s eyes lit up at the word remodel.
-Ooh, remodel… What level are you looking for?
“I want the best. Make it an impregnable fortress that can repel any enemy.”
-That’s an interesting request. Don’t worry. I’ll use all the skills to remodel it.
Kilo clenched his fists. He was clearly raring to go.
“And one more thing, you have to do the work without the people in the castle knowing.”
-Huh? Why are you attaching such a troublesome condition?
“My family will be anxious.”
If they suddenly strengthened the castle’s defenses, there was a high chance his family would become anxious.
It was also difficult to convince his family about the dwarves’ souls.
“This is just in case. I don’t intend to let the enemy set foot in the castle.”
-If the master orders it, I must obey. I’m thinking of starting work today, so can you hand that over?
At Kilo’s request, Damien took out two objects from the subspace.
They were models that looked like miniature buildings.
However, these were not models, but real buildings.
They were miniaturized versions of the dwarves’ facilities and warehouses. This was another dwarf technology.
They had been made portable in case they ever had to leave the city long ago.
-Don’t worry, I’ve scavenged all the materials left in the city. I’ll turn it into a place so magnificent that even the Master Class won’t be able to set foot in it.
Kilo said as he received the objects.
-Kids! It’s time to work! Since we’re all dead anyway, let’s work like crazy!
At Kilo’s words, the dwarves all cheered.
Even after the death, they were still dwarves. They could not abandon their craftsmanship.
The dwarves left Damien behind and disappeared.
Left alone again, Damien looked up at the night sky.
“Maybe I should think about a gift for my nephew.”
The thought suddenly crossed his mind. His heart swelled with warmth.
But Damien’s wish was not to be.
“Master Damien, I apologize for coming so suddenly.”
Agnes, the disciple of the Cheongyeum.
Agnes had come to see Damien. Damien had no choice but to greet Agnes while playing cards with Abel.
“Pandemonium has performed a large-scale demon summoning ritual in the Tartarus Kingdom.”
At those words, Damien felt the blood in his veins turn cold.
This was something that had not happened in his previous life. The future had changed again.
But there was one more thing to be surprised about.
“Master left to suppress this incident and has gone missing.”
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]