Chapter 372 - Episode Eighteen- A Certain Story of the Doom Tribe's Past (3)
Melzef and Nelea’s second child, the stoneless daughter, was named Mea.
However, because her mother, Nelea, disliked Mea so much, and because Melzef was too busy to come home often, she was sent to stay with relatives during her infancy.
The story of the red stone was not passed down among the children, but the fact that she was stoneless was enough to be teased.
The adults’ dismissive attitude was passed on to the children, and they were treated as if they were boils in the homes of their relatives.
In addition, the more the Doom tribe trained their bodies, the more magic power they consumed and the stronger their bodies became, but because Mea’s magic power was extremely low, she was unable to provide enough magic power.
She naturally spent most of her time reading books in the room she was assigned.
It was when Mea was seven years old.
She was in her room when she heard the doorbell ring, her face lit up, she put down her book and went out the door.
There were not many visitors at the relative’s house where Mea was staying, and when the bell was rung, it could have been Melzef who came to see her.
“Father ……!'”
When she opened the door, he saw Dafne, Melzef’s aide, standing there.
“Mea-sama! I’ve brought you some sweets! Come, eat together with me!”
“…… Oh, Uncle Dafne.”
Mea looked blatantly disappointed.
Melzef was a busy man and only visited Mea once a week, if at all.
Even when he did, he didn’t spend too much time with her, nor did he have anything fun to say.
However, Mea liked the time when Melzef came to visit her.
On the other hand, Dafne came to check on Mea almost every day.
Sometimes he even came twice a day.
Dafne was very caring and had a strong sense of responsibility.
He was eager to do something about it, because Melzef was a cold parent and he didn’t even know what Nelea was thinking.
“If time permits, the Orwell twin sisters are also welcome to join us at ……”
“…… Sister Lili and Sister Mar left Mea to go play.”
“Is that so! Then Mea-sama’s portion will increase!”
“…… Mea doesn’t have much of an appetite.”
“Then this Dafne will have more to eat! Really, I’m looking forward to it!”
“…………”
In addition to visiting the house where Mea was staying, Dafne sometimes took her to a vacant land or to the forest.
For Mea, Dafne had become a sort of substitute parent.
“We have some time today, so I’ll take you to the forest later.”
“………… Thank you very much.”
Mea’s response was not very positive.
Normally, when she is seven years old, she’ll start playing with children her own age.
“L-Look, there have been recent sightings of Nyarun, the pet magic beasts, in the forest! Maybe we can catch him!”
“…… Really?”
Mea showed a little reaction.
Nyarun is a rare magic beasts with an adorable appearance that is popular among children and adults alike.
“W-Well, Nyarun’s are whimsical, so we may not see one ……”
Dafne scratched his forehead with his finger and said as if he’s trying to cover it up.
Mea and Dafne went out into the forest, took a walk for a few moments, and returned just as the sun was setting.
“Mea-sama, don’t run too fast.”
“The Uncle Dafne today! Was so amazing! You’re able to drove back a wolf much bigger than Mea right away!”
Although they couldn’t find Nyarun in the end, Mea was very excited to see Dafne drive back the magical beast with his bare hands.
Dafne was also smiling at the scene.
I’m relieved. I was worried that I might be called a liar for bringing up the subject of Nyarun in an attempt to attract Mea’s attention.
“I’ve been working out for some time now, even though I look like this. But Mea’s father, Melzef-sama, is nothing like this. If he wanted to, he could easily jump from one roof to the other.”
“Mea’s father is amazing!”
“Yes, yes. He didn’t have time to come today, but …… I’m sure he’ll be back soon ……”
“Uncle Dafne may not be as good as Father, but you’re amazing!”
“Thank you very much. However, Melzef-sama is a real genius, after all. It’s really an overestimation to ask you to compare us. He’s never given it his all because he doesn’t know what will happen to this land if he really tries.”
The more the Doom people train, the more their bodies are transformed using their own magic power.
As a result, physical abilities fluctuate greatly depending on one’s magical background, physical constitution, and daily training, and individual differences in physical abilities are much greater than those of normal people.
Melzef was an extreme example of this.
If he were to let his emotions get the better of him, the aftermath could destroy an entire village, so perhaps Melzef’s indifferent temperament was to be expected.
“Really!? Mea will ask to if I can see it next time!”
“Tha-, that’s a bit …… I don’t know ……”
While Dafne was looking down and thinking, Mea was running ahead on her own.
“Mea-sama, don’t run too fast, it’s dangerous.”
Dafne says while watching Mea run.
As he watched, he realized that Mea had taken a wrong turn and was running the long way around.
“It’s not that way …… Well, that’s okay …… Ah.”
Defne noticed something and frowned.
Mea was running towards Mea’s parents’ house, Melzef’s house.
She is looking out the window to see what’s going on inside.
(If Lady Nelea finds us, we’ll be in big trouble ……!)
Dafne hurriedly chased after Mea and put her hand on his shoulder.
“M-Mea-sama, It’s almost time that Mr. and Mrs. Orwell will worry. Come, let’s go back. Okay?”
Dafne said, glancing into the window.
Melzef, Nelea and Darrell were sitting at the table together.
“I’ve got the spearmanship from my father and sorcery from my mother. Hehe …… To be honest, I’m a little bored when I’m hunting with my children friends.”
Darrell was talking enthusiastically about this and that, while Nelea was making happy comments.
Melzef was silent, but he seemed to be enjoying himself.
“Uhhhh …… M-Mea-sama, well ……”
Mea turned around silently and walked home with heavy steps.
He was watching her back, and then glanced back at the window one more time.
“…… What’s that book?'”
A thick, green book lay on the floor behind the dining table desk.
There was something written on the cover in arrayed letters, but it was in a very old format, and Dafne could not decipher it at all.
When Dafne rubbed his eyes, the green book was gone.
“Huh ……? I’m sure that just now ……”
It was then that Nelea seemed to notice Dafne, and she looked up and glared at him with cold eyes.
He smiled affectionately, bowed his head and left the place.