30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?!-Chapter 256: The Obvious Story He Wants to Hear (4)
It was as unsteady as the wobbly steps of a newborn bird just learning to walk.
“Whew! Whew...”
The child, who could only crawl, now looked like he was struggling to walk unsteadily, and it seemed utterly ridiculous that a grown adult would walk like that.
However.
“Hang in there, Iliad! Just a little bit more!” “Keep going, Father!” “Just a few more steps... just a little more...!” “Wow! Amazing!”
Rather than laughing, the people cheered him on with unwavering seriousness, and they were ecstatic at his every step.
Drip, drip...
“Hah, hah...”
Iliad was drenched in sweat, and his body was soaked through.
The constant spasms in his legs revealed just how excruciating and painful the experience was for him.
Though it seemed like he might need help, if they intervened now, all of his efforts would have been for nothing.
So.
“Just a little more, just a little more...!”
Encouragement was all they could offer.
“!!”
With a fierce, almost desperate shout, his steps stretched another ten paces.
Thirty paces in total.
-Waaaaaa!!
Iliad, having taken those monumental thirty steps, raised both his hands triumphantly, and the crowd rushed to him, roaring in joy and congratulating him.
And in the midst of this.
“...If someone didn’t know better, they’d think he won the World Series or something.”
Ihan couldn’t help but sigh.
Of course, he was happy too, no doubt about it.
“I told him to take it easy and rest for a while... but he just doesn’t listen at all.”
It had already been three long hours of this, so it was strange that he wasn’t sighing more.
...
Ihan thought he might finally understand how doctors must feel when their patients refuse to follow instructions.
***
Undoubtedly, Iliad's body had become completely broken to the point that it was impossible to repair it.
Before he became a demonic being, he could have at least walked with a crippled leg, but after undergoing the process of becoming a demon, the damage to his body became so severe that his inability to walk now seemed like a blessing compared to the permanent disabilities that spread across his entire body.
In a way, it was an expected result.
By recklessly using his life force to forcibly heal his body, it was only natural that his physical condition would deteriorate, and on top of that, his lifespan had drastically shortened. To make matters worse, his heart had been destroyed and then restored, meaning that its durability had weakened as well.
Thanks to the miraculous treatment of an aura user, his drained life force was replenished, and the regeneration of his heart was progressing without too much trouble. However, even so, there was no way his body could be considered normal after all the destruction.
Aura wasn’t a cure-all, and the world didn’t work like a fairy tale where everything always ends positively.
In truth, Iliad was now in a position where he needed to worry not about walking, but whether he would /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ even survive until tomorrow.
“W-wait! The head of the family is walking!?”
“???”
It should have been expected, yet the moment word spread that Iliad was toddling around in the training ground, the area was immediately filled with people.
It was a training ground so vast it could fit three baseball stadiums, and yet, it took less than five minutes for it to fill with people. Could you believe that?
In a sense, Iliad walking again was like a miracle for House Offen, something beyond imagination.
[Waaaaaa!]
The same cheer from earlier echoed once more.
Ihan had joked about it being a World Series victory, but this was probably even more intense, wasn’t it?
“Is this the Super Bowl or something?”
“What’s that?”
“...It’s a thing. But why are you here? I thought you’d be busy cheering for your son.”
“Well, Iliad won’t hear my cheers anyway. He’s so focused.”
“Hmm, so you knew that?”
“...It’s probably rude to say, but I can't get angry because I have my own karmic debt.”
Felicia grumbled, but Ihan wasn’t particularly surprised to find her standing next to him.
However, while it didn’t surprise him, the next words did.
“...How did this happen?”
“What?”
“Iliad. How is my son walking again?”
“Oh, that? It’s nothing major, really...”
“Nothing major? My heart is racing here!”
Felicia still couldn’t hide her astonishment, though she was clearly overjoyed. This reality felt like a dream to her.
Once again, I’ll assert that my son...!
“He was completely broken. But you’ve raised him again...”
Felicia was immensely happy. It was as if the joy she felt when Iliad was born had been rivaled.
But at the same time...
“Curiosity is unavoidable, I suppose.”
She had lived for over ninety years and explored a third of the entire continent—an adventurer of considerable renown. She had experienced enough to be unfazed by most things, yet this phenomenon was something she had never encountered before.
Raising someone who had been completely broken... What kind of miracle was this?
“Were you a saint, by any chance?”
“Do I look like a devout man?”
“No. If anything, you’d be more likely to swing an axe at the heavens.”
“...I’m not that reckless.”
“Stop talking nonsense and just tell me. How long are you planning to keep this old woman waiting?”
“It’s not like I’m the one in charge of this...”
Ihan was baffled, but he understood that it wasn’t easy to suppress someone’s curiosity, especially when it was about their own child.
So, with little hesitation, he finally answered.
“It’s not that special. Right now, the guy is in a sort of puppet state.”
***
What Ihan did wasn’t really anything special.
“I just made him feel ki,” he said.
“Ah, so it’s the ‘Munhak’ that you founded?”
“It’s not that grand to be called Munhak...”
The principle was simple.
It was about drawing out the primal strength inherent in the human body. Strength from muscles, bones, tendons, and organs.
And Ihan?
“I simply taught him the basic sensation of ki in his body. In other words, I showed him a new path.”
“...And just with that, he’s able to move like that?”
Felicia’s skepticism grew as she listened.
She understood the principle, but it was hard to believe that it was just that which allowed Iliad to walk.
Honestly, something like that could be done with aura if you had it, and it wasn’t a difficult process.
That meant it was something she had already attempted herself, so Ihan’s words weren’t making sense to her.
And as expected, she voiced her doubt.
“Of course, it would be impossible for you. You don’t truly understand the complexities of the human body.”
“Huh?”
“I’m what you’d call an ‘expert.’ I understand the movements of muscles, the bones, the organs, and the complex structures of the human body, including the nerves.”
There was an undeniable confidence in his tone, the confidence that only comes from experience.
But this confidence was reasonable.
Is it easy to stimulate the body in a way that looks simple?
Is it easy to teach someone these techniques?
It’s only possible because of experience—because he’s done it hundreds of times.
“I used to experiment quite a lot as a spellcaster,” he thought to himself.
In this sense, Ihan was one of the rare experts on bodily functions, and that was why he could do what he did.
“I put two things into Iliad’s body. One is the core that allows him to feel ki, and the other is a mechanism for transmitting power.”
“Mecha...what?”
“Something like that. To put it simply, Iliad’s legs and arms are not moving naturally. It’s more like they’re being manipulated, like a puppet on strings.”
Invisible threads controlled his legs, arms, waist, and shoulders.
It might sound easy when explained like this, but...
“Talking is easy, but if you ask me to do it, I wouldn’t be able to. You can’t do it without a special brain.”
It was only possible for someone like him.
He manipulated the threads of ki to stimulate the muscles, understood their role and structure, and only after that could he make Iliad take each step.
Even Ihan himself knew that this was no easy task. After just ten seconds, his head would start to throb, and blood would pour from his nose.
But Iliad... he was different.
In terms of raw talent, he was one of the brightest minds from the southern region.
“If it were an average person, it would’ve taken them at least three months to take a single step, right?”
“...”
“That’s how much Iliad can walk now. But still, you should know this: from now on, he won’t be able to use swordsmanship or martial arts. All his physical energy will have to go into moving his body. He’ll need constant stimulation with aura and replenishment of life force every day. His muscle mass will remain like a bottomless barrel until it exceeds the average for men.”
He gave these additional pieces of advice as though he was laying down the final nail in the coffin.
However.
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“Why, then... would you do all this for us?”
Felicia was grateful but couldn’t understand.
No matter how much she was a disciple’s parent or had some connection to them, they were ultimately strangers, weren’t they?
And yet...
“Why go to such lengths for us? To you, I or Offen are just annoyances, aren’t we?”
He had never asked for anything in return.
Not money, nor fame, which he rejected vehemently. Even aura users, he kept his distance from.
And yet, he had freely given them his knowledge.
He had helped make her son walk again.
“We haven’t done anything for you...”
Regret and guilt filled her heart as she fidgeted with her fingers.
“You’re 'good people.'”
“...Huh?”
“You’re kind, so I helped.”
“......”
His reason was uttered in such a nonchalant way, as though it was the most insignificant thing.
“It’s really just that simple. I like happy endings, even in fairy tales or plays. My favorite happy ending is when the good, hardworking people live happily.”
“......”
“But unlike fairy tales, the real world isn’t like that. The good often die too soon or fall into despair, and no one helps them. On the other hand, the bad ones live well. They have so much because they live poorly.”
“......”
“And that’s really frustrating. So I thought, if possible...”
He would help the good people around him.
“Just a little help is all it takes. With that little bit of help, the dreary story becomes a comedy, and that brings me some sense of fulfillment.”
Yes, this was the kind of story he wanted to see.
Good people becoming happy... It’s such a clichéd, predictable story.
But.
“That clichéd story is exactly what I want to see.”
“......”
“It’s a silly reason, isn’t it? But what can I do? It’s already done.”
“......”
“Oh, and in that sense, there might be something you can give me?”
“...Something I can give you?”
“The ending.”
“??”
“Do you remember the advice I gave you? Try it now.”
“???”
***
Iliad was in pain.
Every step he took was agonizing, and with each movement, his head throbbed, feeling as though it might burn away from the inside.
It would probably continue to hurt, even if he got used to it—no, even if he did get used to it, the pain would likely never fully disappear.
Still...
‘I’m... I’m just getting started.’
Iliad was grateful that he could try. The possibility that his effort could lead to a reward was something beyond measure, something he could never take for granted.
A life where you can try, where effort is met with a possibility of reward, was infinitely more brilliant than a life where you couldn't even try.
Iliad smiled joyfully...
“-Iliad, my son.”
“Mother?”
Iliad, drenched in sweat, showed confusion as he saw his mother suddenly blocking his way.
Was she about to tell him to stop? That he had overdone it?
Iliad was about to wave it off, assuring her that he was fine.
It wasn’t that much, and right now, he just wanted to enjoy this joy a little longer.
He was about to say that...
...but instead, he heard her words.
“I'm so proud of you...”
“──.”
“I’ve always been so proud of you.”
In that moment, Iliad wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him.
Why, in the middle of the busy training grounds, was his mother saying such things, and why was she suddenly praising him like this?
No, more than that...
‘...This feels strange.’
Why was he so flustered? Iliad realized that he had never heard such words from his mother before.
He’d heard plenty about being a genius or how wonderful he was, but this kind of praise...
“All these moments—I've always been proud of you. When you were born, when you took your first steps, when you showed your talent with the sword, when you showed me your first drawing, when you became head of the family at such a young age, when you gave me grandchildren, even when you became a demon—I've always been proud of you. There’s never been a moment when I wasn’t proud of you.”
“......”
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“I’m so proud of you. You are my treasure, my pride.”
“..........”
Now, what expression was he wearing?
Iliad had no idea.
Was his face twisted? Was he embarrassed?
Or maybe...
Drip, drip...
“...I’m sweating so much. It’s just... too much sweat.”
“I see, I should wipe it off.”
“Yes, it’s so much. My eyes are stinging...”
“...Yeah, I can tell...”
The two of them stood there for a while, awkwardly facing each other and exchanging trivial words, while the crowd quietly stepped aside.
...It was a rare moment of honesty and openness between the mother and son, and watching it felt like a bit of a mischievous act to those around them.
“How’s that? Are you satisfied now?”
“About a 6 out of 10?”
“...You’re a bit mischievous.”
“Mischievous?”
“Yeah, mischievous.”
Chuckle.
“For such an obvious story, that’s a pretty high score.”
