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“What… Did you say?”

I felt my breath stop at Gadius’ sudden claim. It’s been a while since I started living near him, but couldn’t remember ever doing anything that could get me busted.

“Since you are not denying it, I suppose it is the truth.”
“…How did you realize it?”
“It was in the letter. Maxwell asked me to take care of you.”

I remember seeing Gadius reading the letter just before we departed yesterday. Now that I think about it, he did act strange back then.

So that letter was from Maxwell…

“…That damn old man has gone and done it. I’m gonna tear his beard off the next time we meet!”
“That makes even me anxious so please spare him from that. Rather than that… Hey, Reid. Just how should I react to this?”
“What?”

I asked back, unsure how to respond to Gadius’s perplexed reaction. Seeing my confusion, he sighed and took out a bottle of alcohol. Then he took a tumbler from the shelf and filled it.

“I… I think of you as a friend. Enough that, if I had to choose between you people and my hometown, I would abandon it and take your side.”
“I’m happy to hear that.”
“And for that very reason, your death brought me regret that would not disappear no matter how much I lamented it. So, seeing you before my eyes now brings me an honest joy.”

Gadius was not a talkative man. So him opening up to me like this honestly made me happy, but it also felt awkward.

For that same reason, Gadius took the alcohol cup and downed it in one go.

“But I am also angry at you now. Cortina aside, even Lyell and Maria mourned your death, you know? And even little Finia.”
“I know that painfully well.”
“…Then, why do you not reveal yourself?”

Gadius stared right through me, his gaze mixed with anger.

I could understand where he was coming from. But I couldn’t agree with his opinion.

“Then, what about you?”
“What?”
“Would you be able to reveal yourself? After being reborn as the daughter of the same people whom your foolish death brought so much pain. I would have happily revealed myself if I was a total stranger to them. But no, I am Lyell and Maria’s daughter. They loved that daughter from the bottom of their hearts. How could I just come out and say that it was me all along?”
“That’s…”
“I became able to speak half a year after my birth. They had raised and loved me as their daughter all that time, but you should already know that, right?”

Gadius lost his words, and instead focused on filling his now empty cup. After pondering for some time, he once again faced me.

“Then what about Cortina? She was overjoyed to find out that you revived and is looking forward to meeting you now. You cannot keep this up forever, you realize?”
“Well, yeah…”
“When are you going to tell her?”
“No way I will.”
“What?”
“At the very least, for now. Lyell and Maria think of me as their own daughter. That’s partly true, but I don’t plan to reveal myself for as long as they live. I will keep on being their daughter until then.”
“But do you not pity Cortina? She is as dear a friend to me as you are.”
“I know that.”

I knew how stubborn and a strong sense of duty he had since my previous life. He felt that he had a big debt towards Cortina for getting me killed.

They had reconciled, but the debt did not disappear. Of course, I wasn’t bothered by my death, but he still hadn’t come to terms with it in his heart.

“Little Finia would also be pitiable at this rate.”
“I realize that too. But both Cortina and Finia are from races with long lifespans. Lyell and Maria would most likely pass away first.”
“I wonder about that.”
“Huh?”

Gadius gave me a nostalgic look after hearing my claim. He gave a light sigh and continued with a faint smile.

“I see that your nature to be inattentive to details is still with you even in this lifetime.”
“Just say it clearly, will you?”
“The white girl that is guarding you… Did you forget that self-proclaimed goddess provided them with life-extending medicine?”
“…Oh.”

Now that I think about it, Whitey did give me some medicine to save Lyell and Maria from growing old. Due to that, they have grown even stronger than they were during their golden days, and it also gave me a lot of trouble.

“Maxwell’s estimation was that it doubled the lifespan at most, but that is still a long time.”
“Kh… I overlooked that.”
“Finia would be fine, but Cortina would have started growing old by then. Do you plan to make her wait that long?”
“No, well…”

He looked at me in exasperation as I agonized, and once again downed his cup.

“Pah. Well, I suppose that is who you are. I want you to open up to them as fast as possible, but since Maxwell asked me to help you in his letter, I will respect your wishes.”
“That would save me. But yeah, help me so Cortina, Finia, Lyell and Maria don’t find it out.”
“Okay. But leaving that aside.”
“What now?”

His gentle smile was gone, replaced by one full of mischievousness. That expression added a strange charm to his stern dwarven face.

“Your battle style seems to have changed quite a bit since you reincarnated. Will you let me see it for a bit?”

With those words, he slammed one of his log-like arms down.