Chapter 166
'So this is Merian Traverse.'
Luca felt a strange sensation while being embraced by Merian.
The warmth he felt from her was as cozy as sunshine.
The scent emanating from her oddly made him feel an intense longing.
And the sensation of her touch was, above all, comforting.
Her hug remained as a faint memory in his mind.
Experiencing it directly, he found his heart beating peculiarly.
'... How curious.'
It was a different feeling from when he'd hugged Pasmo.
Luca could only remain silent, overwhelmed by these indescribable emotions.
"Merian. Aren't you embarrassing the children?"
"Let me be! What's embarrassing about a mother hugging her children? Isn't that right?"
Saying so, Merian looked at her children with an adoring gaze brimming with affection.
Wylde replied apathetically.
"I don't find it embarrassing, but isn't it exhausting?"
"How could hugging my own son be exhausting!"
However, Merian was not very tall.
It was fine with just Luca, but trying to hug Wylde at the same time looked a bit burdensome.
Still, Merian insisted, clinging nonetheless.
Malox sighed and gently pulled her away from her sons.
Struggling in Malox's arms, Merian shouted,
"Let me go! I want to hug them a little longer!"
"Calm down. At least have a meal first. The kids must be hungry."
"Ah! That's right! Dinner!"
At Malox's words, Merian's eyes widened and she separated from his embrace.
Then, smiling brightly, she looked at her sons.
"I prepared the meal! Let's eat before it gets cold!"
"... Yes."
Malox and Merian couldn't visit the family manor often.
So whenever she returned home, Merian always served her children dishes she'd made herself.
Her culinary skills weren't extraordinary, but the food was more than delicious enough.
They left the main hall and headed to the dining hall for their meal.
Various types of food had already been prepared there.
"Here! Eat up!"
Merian beamed at them as they sat.
The dishes she'd made were not elaborate or beautifully plated—rather, they were rustic.
There was a light soup, slow-roasted pork, and potatoes boiled, mashed, and seasoned.
It was more like a simple home-cooked meal.
Yet in both taste and aroma, the food was plenty satisfying.
"How is it? Delicious?"
Watching her children eat quietly, Merian asked almost coaxingly.
To this, Luca replied evenly,
"It's delicious. Even better than the Academy's food."
"Really? Huhu! I'm so glad!"
It was only a brief compliment, but it seemed more than enough—Merian smiled radiantly.
Then, gazing at Luca, she said,
"Still, kids grow up so fast. It's only been two years, but you've really gotten much bigger."
"..."
Two years.
As a number, it didn't seem that long, but for parents and children unable to meet, it was actually quite a significant time.
Merian's expression turned bitter.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to see you more often, but we had things to take care of."
"Merian."
As if knowing what she was about to say, Malox called her name.
Merian puffed out her cheeks.
"What's the problem? The kids have a right to know, don't they? Why should we hide anything from children who've grown up this wonderfully?"
"..."
"They need to know. Why we, despite loving them so much, can't see them often."
At Merian's words, Malox thought for a moment before nodding gravely.
As the atmosphere grew somber, Luca, eating quietly, wore a puzzled look.
'What are they about to say?'
Honestly, he didn't know why they fought on the battlefield.
It was never mentioned in the settings, nor did it exist among Luca Traverse's memories.
He knew that, typically, in this world, battlefields were like staged plays—aristocrats, fearing the growth of commoners, started fake wars using surplus magical resources, thereby wasting them.
Of course, paradoxically, magical technology further advanced in this process, but that's how it was set up.
Within that context, the Traverse family was known for their prowess on the battlefield, so it wasn't odd for Malox, the family head, to go to war.
But for the matron, Merian, to go was slightly strange.
'Wasn't it just because the married couple was close?'
Honestly, that's what he thought.
Even now, just seeing how they acted together, their closeness was obvious.
'Still, no matter how good their relationship is, no parents would neglect their children just for that reason.'
From Luca's perspective, Malox and Merian were sensible people, and sensible couples wouldn't neglect their children simply for the sake of their own relationship.
"Where should I begin..."
That was when Merian started her story.
"To begin with, the continent is now more peaceful than ever before in our history. There's still the threat of barbarians and monsters, but there are almost no disputes of interest between the nations."
"You already know why there is still a battlefield where people risk their lives, right? It's the story about how the nobles started fake wars, fearing the growth of commoners."
"That too is just the official story. In truth, the families involved with magical studies have turned these battlefields into massive laboratories under the guise of war."
None of this was particularly new.
Even the last point could be inferred, considering that magical technology had developed abnormally fast because of the battlefields.
But Merian's story did not end there.
"But that's not all. They're researching taboos in the smoke screen of these battlefields."
"... Taboos?"
Taboo.
Luca's eyes widened slightly at the unexpected word.
"Yes. Taboos related to life. Mages and alchemists in this country use the battlefield to secretly harvest life force for research, hiding it from the church."
Merian wore a serious expression.
"A battlefield is saturated with rivers of blood, making it easy to harvest large amounts of life force. And it's hard for the church to intervene without solid evidence."
"That's why some unethical mages and alchemists—and even an 'unknown organization' whose identity remains hidden—are using the battlefield to research taboos."
"I help your father to stop their plans and to uncover their identity."
Luca's gaze grew sharp.
'An unknown organization.'
There was no need for further speculation.
At this point, it was clear who they were.
'Demonz is involved in the battlefield.'
It wasn't even surprising.
It was Demonz who started the Aldnoa War from the beginning.
So it was only natural that they were behind the bizarre state of the battlefields now.
'But it's odd. Is Merian Traverse really helping Malox Traverse resist Demonz on the battlefield?'
A sudden question occurred to him.
Merian didn't seem to have any particular power—how could she be helping Malox fight against Demonz?
As if reading Luca's thoughts, Merian said,
"I'm able to help your father because of these eyes."
She indicated her own eyes as she spoke.
Her eyes sparkled with the clear light of a lake, just like Luca's.
Luca replied with uncertainty in his tone,
"Eyes...?"
"That's right. The special power of the Melborne family: the Eyes of the Lakeshore. These eyes carry the power to purify evil intentions."
"...?"
A setting he'd never heard before.
Nothing like this ever appeared in the original work.
'If something like this exists, why was it never mentioned in the original?'
He didn't know exactly what it meant to purify evil intentions, but if that was the case, it seemed like something that should have appeared in the original.
Merian, watching his surprise, smiled gently.
"And Luca, you've inherited my eyes completely."
"Inherited... completely?"
"Yes. Unlike Wylde, who only inherited the color, you received the full power of these eyes."
Merian made eye contact with Luca.
The lakes reflected in their eyes seemed to mirror one another infinitely.
"I'm the only one left with these eyes. Our family was annihilated. By that 'unknown organization' now operating on the battlefield."
"!"
"That's why I leave you and go to the battlefield. It's for the family's revenge, and to protect you, who've inherited my eyes."
Only now did Luca understand why Luca Traverse became a target for Demonz in the original.
'So, it was because of these eyes.'
Come to think of it, Martin also tried to capture him rather than kill him.
Perhaps for something he possessed.
At the time, it just seemed vague, but now it was obvious they were after his eyes.
'... And come to think of it, people who locked eyes with me, like Milia or Herote, sometimes grew suddenly calm after appearing excited.'
That had happened with Milia and Herote.
Others too sometimes seemed inexplicably soothed after seeing his eyes.
"Luca, you haven't fully awakened them yet, but once you're able to wield the power of the Lakeshore, you'll be able to repel evil and save those under its control someday."
Merian said, her smile serene.
The lake reflected in her eyes gave him an odd sense of peace.
'... I see. Demonz wanted to gain the power that could threaten them. Luca Traverse is the same case as Etherna.'
Demonz had kidnapped and brainwashed Etherna to use Skybird's power.
They must have aimed to get Luca Traverse under their control for similar reasons.
'In the end... this, too, is because of Demonz.'
Luca let out a hollow laugh.
Even the reason his parents were absent from home was because of Demonz—he could hardly believe it.
Feeling that her explanation sounded like an excuse, Merian hurriedly continued,
"But fortunately, the atmosphere of that 'unknown organization' has weakened greatly. I think I'll be able to return home more often."
"When you say their atmosphere has weakened...?"
"I purified some of their subordinates, and from what I heard, they're busy dealing with incidents elsewhere and the organization is a bit disarrayed. So I think their numbers on the battlefield will be reduced for a while."
Incidents occurred elsewhere.
Most likely, she was referring to events caused by Luca.
'It seems what I did wasn't pointless.'
Cleansing the Academy, expelling Demonz's beasts from the Lamata Empire's royal family—it all seems to have dealt them quite a blow.
Luca slowly nodded.
"I understand. I hope we can see each other more often, at least during the school holidays."
"Yes! This holiday will be short, but next time, shall we go on a trip? It will be winter, so how about the southern provinces?"
At her suggestion, Luca and Wylde briefly made eye contact and replied flatly,
"We'll pass."
"We'll pass."
"Both of you at once?!"
They no longer wished to visit the southern provinces.
* * *
After that, the meal concluded without incident.
Malox and Merian were surprised that Luca ate even more than Wylde, but it was a small commotion that soon passed.
"The journey here must have been tiring, right? Both of you, take a little rest!"
After the meal, the family members went to spend their time as they wished.
Luca also visited his own room for the first time in a while.
He hadn't studied world history or art, so he couldn't describe the era or style exactly, but at least it was a room filled with furniture with designs rare in the modern day.
That was his first impression of the space.
'It's been quite a while.'
Luca became engulfed in emotion as he looked around the room.
It was here that Bella woke him from sleep.
Everything started from there.
'... A lot has happened.'
Only about half a year had passed, but so much had happened since then.
"Master, shall I help you change clothes now?"
It was then that Bella entered, carrying his outfits.
Not his school uniform, but rather luxurious clothes.
He used to wear such outfits when staying at the mansion.
Knock knock!
"?"
At that moment, someone knocked on his door.
Looking toward it, Luca found Wylde standing there.
"Haven't you changed yet?"
"No. Is something the matter?"
To Luca's question, Wylde gestured behind him and said,
"It's been a while since we've come home. Want to stretch out a bit? Care to join me?"
"... Hah."
So he wanted to "stretch out"—in other words, to spar.
At that, Luca felt his blood stir strangely.
"All right."
It would be his first spar with Wylde.