What did this head of the family really want from me?

This question haunted me. I guessed, but I wasn't sure.

So, plan B.

I developed a plan to go on stage in front of everyone. That would be very undesirable for Albrenive at the moment.

The way to test your opponent is to prevent him from carrying out his plan.

Albreniv wanted to keep Misha's awakening a secret. So before Plan B came to fruition, I gave a little demonstration.

As a result of continuing the conversation in the Ignorant Barbarian Mode, I was finally able to grasp his true intentions.

"I know you used that item.

He was referring to the Frost Spirit Ring, a numbered item that allowed a contract to be made with the Ice Beast Skadia when a hidden element was activated.

There is nothing strange in the fact that the chief of the tribe knew about this. If he didn't know about the use of this item, then there would be no reason to treat Misha as a stranger.

This was a potential scenario that I took into account. However, Albrenive was not yet sure of this.

"This object?" What are you talking about?

The probability of a 25-year-old beastman from the Red Cat tribe making a natural contract with Scadia was close to zero, but close to zero and zero were strictly different things.

"Hmm.

That is why he wanted to listen to us. He may have had suspicions, but there was no evidence.

"Your game is clumsy.

Clumsy, damn it. Do you know how many people I've already cheated?

"What are you talking about?" Keep it simple.

"I mean the item that allows you to sign a contract with the Ice Beast Skadia. You can't say you don't know that," Albreniv stared at me, silently demanding that I tell the truth.

Do you think barbarians look like fools?

— Does such a thing exist? Then why didn't you give it to Misha?

"Because it is very valuable. I can't give it to someone who isn't even my child.

As soon as I heard this, I quickly checked Misha's condition. As expected, she looked like she was about to cry. However, I decided that I would console her later. I continued to behave like a barbarian who knows nothing.

"A valuable item?" Isn't that even stranger? How can I have something like this?

"Who knows. Perhaps you got it from a magic tower that you often visited.

What the hell?! Does he really know everything?

Without realizing it, my body tensed. To correct the mistake, I decided to stare at the head of the family.

— ... Have you researched me?

I was a barbarian who was just infuriated by behavior that had crossed the line. That wouldn't make my actions seem so awkward now.

"Didn't I tell you?" Your game is clumsy.

Damn, I believe in my acting skills.

I did not move and asked irritably:

"So what is this thing?" Why do you keep bothering me like this?

"I can't tell you that.

"What?"

"You keep denying. This is a subject that cannot be revealed to the outside world. If you confess, I'll tell you.

And? What the hell?

There was no contradiction in his words. Of course, if he was just asking me, it's not surprising that he doesn't reveal the name of the item.

But...

Why is this so strange?

A sense of incongruity blossomed. Intuition, which had defeated countless sons of who tried to talk to me, spoke to me.

Something was wrong.

So I asked again:

— Does such a thing exist at all? Do you have any other hidden goals?

And he directed all his concentration to carefully observing the head of the Karlštejn family: a fleeting hesitation, a change in facial muscles, his gaze and the way his voice sounds.

— Of course. What other goal can there be?

I was not an expert, but I viewed every moment of this short sentence with suspicion. Then I instinctively realized that he was lying.

Ha, yes, that was it.

Thanks to this, my last suspicions were dispelled. I could have been exposed in another way.

"Tell me honestly," Albrenev said. "If you're not saying anything because you're worried about this child, I'll take care of her."

Why did he say such contradictory words?

That would explain everything if it wasn't Misha, but the ring he was hunting for.

It is not surprising that he constantly repeated "this subject".

Soon I was convinced of this. Albreniv knew about the Ring of the Frost Spirit, but only half of it.

He knew it existed, but he didn't know what it was.

Finally, I imagined the situation in my head. The head of the family invited me to his home. Whether Misha was his real daughter or not did not matter; He didn't seem to be enthusiastic about his children at all. His real goal was something else: an item that could be used to make a contract with a Spirit Creature. If I really knew something about it, he wanted to find out.

After all, for a beastman, it had to be important and invaluable information. That is why he presented to me Misha's miserable situation, believing that she was my Achilles' heel. They must have wanted to use it for trade or blackmail.

"By the honor of a warrior, I do not know of such a thing.

I used my trump card. The reason No1 why barbarians were cheaters for me was the warrior's oath.

—…

Bewilderment was deeply engraved in Albrenive's eyes. Having confirmed this, I struck the final blow before I missed the moment.

"But I will definitely find out what it is. Just wait.

Muttering, as if to control my anger, I watched his face.

His eyes shone with deep disappointment.

God, his game is worse than mine.

***

"Forget our conversation today.

With this order, we left the Karlštejn house. Mike's face has been empty since then, and I did not start a conversation. I also had something to think about.

At least, everything went without the worst scenario.

When I learned about the invitation of the Karlštejns, I had two reasons why I gladly accepted.

The first is the possibility of Misha's escape. If the head of the family tried to place Misha in a large clan, I had to prevent this. After Ervena and Einar, I could not allow Misha, whom I had spent so much effort to raise, to run away. It was terrible just to think about it.

The second is to prevent suspicions that I am an evil spirit. If the head of the family knew the secret of Misha's awakening, he would have to visit her at least once to hide it properly. However, I didn't know that he would summon me because of this, knowing only half the story.

*Creak*

As we passed the garden, the gatekeeper threw the gate wide open. Apparently, the previous one took a break after treatment, because it was the first time I saw this face.

It seemed that the interlocutor recognized me.

"Y-goodbye."

When our eyes met, he even bowed slightly and saw me off.

Soon I turned around for the last time and looked at the mansion in which Misha lived from childhood to adulthood. The manicured gardens were magnificent, and the fountains sparkled with magnificent jets of water. The mansion itself was not much different from the others.

Unlike the inn where I was staying, the architecture was ancient and had a majestic style. However, the cold anger surrounding the mansion remained unchanged. Like the first time I saw this place, I felt like I was looking at a dungeon full of monsters. Now I understood that she had survived here for so long.

"You did a good job.

When I said that, patting her on the back, Mike came to her senses and shook her head.

"Nothing special. You've done all the hard work...

Well, that's not what I meant.

"And yet, wasn't it the hardest thing for you?"

I smiled and slapped her on the back again.

"Oh!" It hurts!

Yes, it was more like an ordinary Misha.

"If you're awake already, lead me." I don't know the way back.

"Ha, really... What would you do without me?

"If you hadn't been here, I wouldn't have come here at all.

—... Really.

We walked through the streets, talking idly. There were happy faces everywhere.

"Dad, this is the barbarian who used to be!"

The beastmen walked, laughing, and chatting happily with their families.

"Bjorn, let's eat."

"Why do you want to eat?"

"Hmm, well... Was it a long day?

Misha and I stopped at a street vendor and bought a few snacks, which we ate on a bench in the square. There were no problems with food on the go, but it was nice to rest.

"You know, Bjorn?"

— Speak.

"Why didn't you ever ask?"

"What?"

After we rested for a while and watched people come and go, Misha asked me a question.

"Aren't you curious?"

"About what?"

"Is it true... I am my father's child...

So that's what she was talking about. I grinned and looked at Mike. She did nothing wrong, but Mike lowered her head and stared at the ground.

"I'm not interested.

"Really?" Not a bit?

"Yes, what does it matter?"

"Wow, you really don't care about me...

What does it mean?

I was about to give her a slap on the head, but I stopped.

She said it hurts.

I thought about ruining her hair like in the cartoon, but it was too rough. There was nowhere to go, my hand dropped to my knee again.

I looked elsewhere and turned to Mike. After all, she was my teammate. Is it not possible to resolve some misunderstandings?

"It's not that I'm not interested, it's that it's not important.

"Huh?"

— Researcher of the 7th rank, Misha Karlstein. It's you. It doesn't matter who your parents are. The fact that you're a comrade I can trust with my back doesn't change.

"Wow...

Mike opened her mouth as if she had heard something exciting. Then she smiled and looked at me.

"How did those words come to your mind?"

— ... Are you looking for a fight?

"Hehehehe, I say thank you. It gives me strength.

It was a relief. Having rested long enough, I was about to get up when Misha grabbed me by the sleeve.

"Bjorn?"

"What?"

"It's a secret, I'm only telling you this, okay?"

"Lay it out quickly."

"I... Really a half-. My mother told me. Before death. While I apologized.

Ah, uh... uh...

I thought about what to say and decided to just nod my head.

—... Got it.

"What?" Why aren't you surprised?

I already guessed. But I didn't know the details.

"It's not that important, is it?"

"You're an emotionless barbarian!"

Soon we got up from our seats. Then we left the Holy Land, entered the city, and arrived at the public platform.

Just as we had bought the tickets and were waiting for the carriage, she said:

— By the way. How did it happen? You swore an oath to my father. It was definitely..." Mike stammered.

I was genuinely puzzled. I didn't even think about it, either because I was so comfortable with her now, or because it was in front of the head of the Karlštejn family.

"This... It was a lie, right?

I sighed and nodded. What's the point of hiding something if she knows everything?

I just had to play it well.

- Yes, it was a lie. Because you are more important than the honor of a warrior.

— ... It's true?

— Yes.

Misha was silent for a long time. And immediately the time of alarm came.

—…

—…

Of course, she didn't have any strange thoughts, did she?

When I decided to speak first, so as not to continue this suffocating silence, Mike jumped to her feet. Then she spat out something incomprehensible.

"Oh! I forgot something at home, so I'll go and come back!

— ... A what? A carriage will arrive soon...

"You go first!"

… And she was blown away like the wind.

What the heck... Am I in the ass?

***

*Rustling pages*

Sitting in his office, Albreniv Karlštejn hurriedly turned over the pages of a book. Finally, he found what he was looking for.

[№... you can make a contract with the Ice Beast Skadia with the help of... ...]

All his doubts began with this book and an expository passage in which, because it was completely torn apart, only one readable sentence remained.

The [Complete Book of Relics VI] contained descriptions of hundreds of numbered items. The important thing was that the explanation was always correct. That was what these books were—books of truths whose value was not even worth discussing.

If I didn't know this, I could be genuinely happy.

When that kid told me she woke up, to be honest, he was happy. He thought that now he would not have to hide the shame of his family. However, the problem was what kind of Spirit Creature it was. Was this really a coincidence? He couldn't shake the feeling of anxiety.

He questioned the child many times and soon came to the conclusion: She did not awaken naturally.

If his prediction was correct, she might have been helped by that barbarian, Bjorn Yandel.

"I can't tell you anything related to Bjorn. I swore an oath to the Guardian Spirit..."

However, the child refused to talk, mentioning the oath to the Guardian Spirit. Though the oath had no power or meaning now, in an age of declining tradition, a child who had never been able to rebel was the first time he had made excuses and lied to him. It would be difficult to get the right answer in this way.

It would be better to get to the bottom of this barbarian.

Albreniv changed the direction of his pursuit. Further, suspicious circumstances continued to surface. The barbarian was friends with the mage of the Altemion School, Arua Raven.

Coincidentally, he remembered her. She was the competitor he met when he wandered around the neighborhood to get another [Complete Book].

Then a hypothesis arose.

What if the mage got her hands on the [Complete Book of Relics]? And what if she told the barbarian about it?

It makes much more sense.

He decided to target the barbarian rather than the daring mage girl. During the investigation, he found out that their relationship was almost like that of a married couple, so it seemed more effective to use Misha.

To think that it was really a natural awakening.

He didn't believe in anything like an oath. The barbarian was inactive. He did seem careless, and Albrenev felt that he regretted his ignorance of this child.

Interesting. Even this paltry blood has talent.

As his thoughts went so far, someone knocked on the door. It was Berossus, his assistant.

"Misha asks you to meet.

"Let her in immediately."

After waiting for a while, the assistant left, and the child entered.

"I... I didn't say something before...

"Ah, don't worry about that. I will keep my promise. No one will consider you not a member of the family anymore.

Strangely, Misha did not react in any way. He believed that she would be happy.

He even added:

"That means you're my daughter now.

These were the words that the child most hoped for, deprived of love and resentful of his family. However, this time was different.

— ... Why don't you say anything?

"Because that's not what I'm here for!"

"What?" He was stunned by the disrespectful tone.

What is this change in attitude?

Before he could adjust, Misha met him face to face.

"Father." No, you're not even my father. Do you know that? I don't even have a drop of your blood in me.

"What?" He was genuinely puzzled, not because he didn't know it, but because he didn't expect to hear it from her.

"My mother told me before she died. In fact, I am not a blood relative of the Karlštejn family. I have come to tell you this. I hate you... But I feel sorry for you.

Was it because he hadn't expected her to behave like that?

Albrenev was not offended by this bold statement. He was just curious.

"Why are you doing this?"

He knew who Misha's real father was. He secretly watched as his wife confessed to this before she died. He simply did not show it until Misha became an adult, for the honor of his family. He decided that everything would be decided if she died in the labyrinth.

"If you hadn't said that, I would have really accepted you as a member of the family.

He gave her what she had always craved. Why did she refuse it?

"Why?" Why throw away the opportunity with your own hands?

As if there was no point in answering, she turned and headed for the door. But did her opinion change in the end?

She only turned her head and said:

"I'm just... Wanted!

For Albreniv, these words were incomprehensible.