Chapter 233: Green Circle (2)

When Ianco first met Yuria, he was only 25 years old.

Since he was 43, it was a whole 18 years ago.

At that time, as the general manager of Green Circle, he had one serious worry.

What that was, was infertility.

No child was conceived between him and his wife.

Ianco did everything to have a child.

He fed her expensive elixirs, looked for artifacts helpful for pregnancy, visited mages or clerics, and even visited necromancers.

However, no matter what effort he made, it was in vain.

A child wasn’t conceived, and only his beloved wife’s body grew weaker day by day.

It was as if she had been cursed.

‘Is it that we’ve been cursed by the Five Divine Beasts as the price for hunting Spiritbeasts?’

Then one day, a new offer came down from the Naimus Empire.

It was precisely a Divine Beast hunt.

The target was the Ruler of the Frozen Sea, Kasanne.

Having only defended her own nest during the past Divine Beast War, she was a loner who had long been excluded from the forces of the Five Divine Beasts.

On top of that, there was information that for some reason, her vitality had weakened to a quarter recently.

It was a hunt worth trying.

At that, Green Circle poured out all the resources they had and made full preparations.

Receiving support even from the Naimus Empire’s Black Knights, they majestically headed to the northernmost tip of the continent.

The hunt began like that.

No, a fierce and desperate battle.

As a result, the Divine Beast who had ruled the Frozen Sea since ancient times laid her frail body on the cold earth.

Ianco stood still and looked into her eyes, from which life had completely vanished.

He saw white crystals frozen beneath her eyes.

Those were clearly tears.

‘Even a Divine Beast sheds tears.’

He thought it could be possible.

Although the appearance differed for each Divine Beast, Kasanne could speak and her appearance was almost identical to a human’s.

Except that her hair was incredibly long and her skin color was bizarrely white.

‘Rather than that, where is she looking?’

Ianco followed her dead gaze.

At the end of it was a snow-covered hill.

‘Come to think of it, she seemed to care about that place throughout the battle.’

It was also the decisive cause of Kasanne’s defeat.

If she had focused entirely on the battle, both Green Circle and the Empire’s Black Knights would have become cold ice statues in the frigid blizzard.

Furthermore, Kasanne breathed her last at the place furthest from the snow-covered hill.

As if trying to prevent that place from being discovered.

‘There’s something there.’

Ianco, having instructed his subordinates to clean up, headed to the hill alone.

And.

‘T-This is……!’

He discovered a small life soundly asleep in the snow.

……It was so.

Yuria wasn’t Ianco’s flesh and blood.

Nor was she human.

Her true identity was Kasanne’s child and a Divine Beast.

Those who knew this secret were only his wife, who wasn’t here now, and Johnny.

However.

Ianco didn’t care.

Because as soon as he saw Yuria, he felt that some immense destiny was connecting him and this newborn baby.

So he took Yuria in and raised her like his own child.

Ianco had never considered Yuria a Divine Beast.

After his wife died of illness, his love for Yuria grew even bigger.

The problem arose as Yuria grew up.

And awakened the ability to communicate with Spiritbeasts.

Sometimes among the hunted Spiritbeasts, there were less developed cubs.

Such cubs were brought to the camp instead of being sent to the factory because their abilities hadn’t awakened yet.

It was to sell them to rich nobles or raise them until their abilities awakened.

So-called adoption business.

However.

“Dad. Can I play with this kid? It says it wants to be friends with me.”

“……What? H-How do you know that?”

“Um. Because I just feel it?”

Ianco couldn’t manage his expression for a moment.

To think she could feel a Spiritbeast’s feelings.

“…….”

It was a moment where many thoughts crossed his mind.

After that incident, Ianco didn’t deal with Spiritbeast cubs or sub-adults.

He didn’t raise them, nor did he sell them.

He didn’t catch cubs in the first place.

Because for some reason, Yuria came to mind.

Like that, he folded the adoption business.

Naturally, there was opposition from subordinates including Johnny, and complaints from various nobles who were main customers, but Ianco silently pushed ahead.

Still, he couldn’t cut off the main job which was Spiritbeast hunting, and it was one year after that when Yuria discovered the reality of Green Circle.

Yuria got angry and requested him to fold the business immediately.

But no matter how precious Yuria’s request was, he couldn’t fold a business where many people’s interests were entangled so easily and immediately.

He tried to persuade her, but Yuria was adamant and didn’t accept it.

And eventually, that incident happened.

Yuria, who secretly followed him and found out the location of the production factory, released all the Spiritbeasts and destroyed the factory.

“……Aah.”

Looking at the blazing flames, Ianco screamed.

Because the money was a waste?

Because the credit built up with trading partners and high-ranking nobles of the Naimus Empire flew away?

No.

Because Yuria was in danger.

The production factory where countless people’s capital went had flown away.

Most of them were power holders of Naimus, and they had no mercy.

The arsonist could be considered dead life.

In that situation, Ianco made a quick decision.

He decided to take the blame for everything himself.

Ianco immediately kicked Yuria out of Green Circle.

As coldly as possible.

His insides were burning, but it couldn’t be helped.

Because this was the only way to save her.

Afterwards, he framed the arson of the factory as his lack of management.

As a result, that decision was correct.

Because Yuria was safe.

Although he lost an arm and an eye, Ianco was happy just saving his one and only daughter.

He was curious about news of Yuria, but he held it in.

Because the eyes of the Naimus Empire were still watching them.

“Leader Ianco. It seems you’ve recovered to some extent, so when do you plan to do Spiritbeast hunting?”

“You took responsibility. You have know-how. Wouldn’t it be fine to start again? The high-ups are waiting. We will provide capital support.”

“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of doing business again.”

He completely let go of the Spiritbeast artifact business.

Instead, under the name of Ianco Mercenaries, he did work protecting Spiritbeasts and exterminating magical beasts.

Like that, he waited for the time Yuria would return.

Then he coincidentally heard news of his daughter.

A freshman of Frey Academy who received the Honorary Merit Medal.

The next Magic Swordsman to succeed the Royal Knight Sigaro Isaac.

While Ianco was preparing to meet Yuria again, Yuria herself was adapting perfectly in the new nest called Frey Academy.

The complex emotions he felt then were…….

While happy and proud, on the other hand, it was sad.

‘Is this what it’s like to send off a fully grown child?’

It might have been for the better.

Since Frey Academy was a place where success was guaranteed.

‘Cutting ties back then was rather a good thing.’

As a person from another country, he also knew well what kind of place the Frey Empire and the Academy were.

Green Circle was a group of poachers.

If the fact that she had been part of such a place was revealed, it was clear that great harm would go to Yuria.

Ending his thoughts and returning to the present, Ianco suddenly looked at the pendant he was holding in his hand.

A gift he prepared to give on the birthday Yuria turned eighteen.

Inside the small and transparent glass bottle ornament, glittering powder was falling like snow.

It was the wing powder of a Spiritbeast, a Fairy.

‘Dad. Can I play with this kid? It says it wants to be friends with me.’

When he cleared up the adoption business and released all the sub-adults into nature, the Fairy that was Yuria’s friend left wing powder for Ianco.

Fairy wing powder possessed a mysterious power, and Ianco, knowing that, put the powder in a glass bottle and made it into a pendant.

“This has become something I can never give you forever. Regrettably.”

The secret must be maintained.

The reason he adamantly opposed bringing her despite knowing Yuria’s ability was needed to investigate the monsterization phenomenon was also this.

He had to avoid creating situations where their relationship could be exposed as much as possible.

Ianco didn’t want his existence to become an obstacle in Yuria’s future.

“Why did he bring the kid in the first place…….”

This wasn’t the first time Johnny didn’t listen to him.

Did he want to solve the monsterization phenomenon that much?

It was also Johnny who brought the monsterology doctor named Edric.

If so, Johnny’s actively changed attitude was quite welcome from Ianco’s perspective.

Because just a while ago, Johnny didn’t feel inclined to leave the money-making Spiritbeast artifact business and do other work.

‘Though the method is regrettable.’

Still, since he said he brought her without the Academy knowing, it was fortunate if you could call it that.

Anyway, since Yuria declared she would stay here until the monsterization phenomenon was resolved, like it or not, they came to live together for a few days.

Actually, it was good.

Of course. How could hearing news little by little from afar and seeing his daughter with his own eyes and talking be compared on the same line?

The latter was unconditionally better.

Even if the atmosphere wasn’t good, unconditionally.

‘If hiding my true feelings deep down and acting like I dislike it on the outside is a problem, then it’s a problem.’

There are so many things I want to say to my daughter.

Being blocked by reality and unable to say them was too big a problem and torture.

‘Still, seeing her like this is better.’

Smiling, Ianco tidied up the pendant he had taken out into the box and put it into the drawer of memories.

That touch was extremely precious and yet cautious.

***

Arriving in Roenberg City after leaving Icata, we covered our faces with face masks and split into two as planned beforehand.

Dayle and Rachel to Georgetable City, the gateway to the neutral countries.

And I remained in Roenberg City.

The reason for dividing the team like this wasn’t much.

Because Dayle and Rachel had experience going to Georgetable City.

On the other hand, I don’t.

The neutral countries are places not covered in the original work.

Also, grouping Dayle and Rachel as one team and me moving alone was much safer too.

‘Since we don’t know what will happen.’

It was personnel distribution keeping even the case of friction occurring with Green Circle in mind.

“You know if something happens, right? Call of the Blood Moon!”

Right before transferring to the airship bound for Georgetable.

Dayle tapped the button of his vest containing Eclipse and shouted.

“Call without delay, Boss!”

“Yeah. I got it.”

“Take care of your body.”

“You guys too.”

Parting with them like that, I headed straight to the destination.

To the nest of that crazy drake, Laiadon, where it inhabits.

But what is this?

At the place I arrived after staying up all night, what I faced was Laiadon alive and well, eating a troll.

The guy was enjoying a mukbang without discovering me using [Stealth].

‘What. Is it before the raid yet?’

It could be.

Or the target might have changed in the meantime.

Or if not that.

‘The information might have been wrong in the first place.’

The time Luis investigated the Ianco Mercenaries’ tracks was extremely short. So the accuracy of the information could be low.

‘Then did I do it for nothing?’

It was too early to give up.

Since they might not have started yet.

So I decided to scour Roenberg City.

Because the Ianco Mercenaries might be there.

However.

“Ianco Mercenaries? I don’t know well.”

“Are there mercenaries with such a name? There must be so many mercenaries here.”

Finding them wasn’t easy.

There was too little information to begin with.

But it wasn’t certain whether they would come or not, so I couldn’t just go back to Laiadon’s nest and wait blindly either.

‘The night is late too.’

Should I go in for today?

It was when I was pondering.

“Uh?”

I met a person very unexpectedly and heard their information from him.

“……Mr. Bedrock?”

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