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The night party organized by Sentopolly was also a truly magnificent sight, celebrating the defeat of Chimera Clauzen. The Prime Minister had rented the biggest and most luxurious party hall in the city, as well as the garden outside. The best food was served, utilizing every last inch of the tables to fit the plates. There were more than two hundred participants as well, half of which were some of the most influential people in Sentopolly.

There were high ranking officials that had no clue of Chimera Clauzen’s ties with their country present, and even Gates and Debora, the chiefs of the Warriors and Spellcasters’ Unions were there. The chiefs of other unions, like the Merchants’, Fishers’, Medics, and various others were also there. Owners of large trading firms, renowned shipwrights, and the leaders of famous guilds that had not participated in the fight against Chimera also made an appearance.

Amongst all those famous personages was also the master blacksmith Gregor, the father of one of Chimera Clauzen’s top men Gregorius. Everyone was celebrating the fall of Chimera Clauzen, a common enemy for everyone in the world, but considering his personal situation he did not seem too cheerful.

「Hey, do you have a moment?」

He was sitting alone in a corner of the hall, drinking glass after glass until Mira called out to him. He seemed somewhat reluctant to look her way, or rather was too depressed to do so, but once his eyes lay on her he just muttered, 「Oh, you’re the girl from that time,」 and went back to drinking.

「Let’s go outside for a bit.」

Gregor seemed almost unresponsive in his sadness. Seeing that, Mira held onto his arm almost instinctively and dragged him out of the hall without giving him time to resist.

「What are you doing? Are you trying to scold an old man like myself?」

Mira dragged him out of the hall, through the garden, to a corner far away. Gregor watched the lively party with languid eyes, chuckling emptily at his own words.

「Oh look, at least you have enough energy left to come up with jokes. Maybe I don’t have to worry as much then.」

Mira summoned Pegasus as she said that. She climbed on his back, and vigorously gestured at Gregor to go with her. This finally prompted Gregor to actually pay attention to her, and wonder what was going on.

「You aren’t thinking of parting ways without seeing him one last time, are you?」

Mira looked straight at Gregor’s eyes as she spoke with a low voice.

Some time passed, and around the time Pegasus was starting to gather attention Gregor finally answered, 「Please take me to him,」 jumping onto Pegasus’ back with conviction. Mira had promised Pegasus she would spend a lot of time with him later, so he flapped his wings in a good mood.

「Mira? And Gregor? What’s going on?」

As Pegasus’ hoofs left the ground, Emera came running to ask what was going on. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, probably from alcohol.

「I figured I’d let them meet.」

Mira’s eyes looked at a spot in the distance as she said that. Emera seemed to understand what she meant, so after a quick nod and a smile she said, 「Have a safe trip.」

Pegasus flapped his wings and flew up into the night sky. The party seemed to become even more lively seeing that, but the noise quickly faded in the distance as Mira headed to the Fifty Bells’ branch.

「Oh… Father.」
「You foolish child…」

The father and son reunited in the basement of the branch after many decades of being separate. After that first exchange, both looked away awkwardly.

「Ohh ohh, is that your father? I’m sure he’ll understand our goals and ideals then. Quickly get him to bust us out!」
「And don’t forget about me, I don’t want to stay here either.」

The three Heads were restrained with special bindings made by the Fifty Bells, sealing all movement and spell usage. Only their mouths remained free, so their words could be recorded as evidence.

(This could take a while…)

A large rift had opened between Gregor and Gregorius, so both sides did not know how to address each other anymore. Mira realized it would take some time before they would really talk, and she did not want the other two heads getting in the way, so she used her Magic Eyes’ paralysis on them to keep them quiet.

Isaac and Jamal were watching from a slight distance, and seeing that they promised not to say anything stupid and rolled their bodies further away into the cell. Mira decided to let them go seeing that, and instead asked Mattie for help with dragging the two Heads away from the bars as well. After that Mattie shuddered seeing how mercilessly Mira rolled the two away with the help of her Sage Arts.

Now the father and son had more space to talk with each other. They remained silent for a while longer, but eventually Gregor began to say a word or two.

He never asked why Gregorius decided to harm spirits, or why he allied himself with such despicable people. He spoke of his current smithing projects, his memories of Gregorius’ childhood, and their relatives. All he spoke were things one would talk about when meeting a long lost son.

Chimera Clauzen’s crimes were heavy. He knew this could very well be the last time they saw each other.

Mira and Mattie sat down next to the door and watched the two. Mattie had been surprised to see Mira visit so suddenly, but now she understood the relationship between those two men. She took out a comic book and began reading it without saying a word.

Only one voice could be heard in the basement. Gregor continued talking on and on, while Gregorius listened in silence. He did not beg for his life, contradict anything, or attempt to justify himself, he just listened without saying a word.

「Well, farewell, my foolish child.」

After his long one-sided conversation, Gregor spoke those words and turned around.

「Is that everything you had to say?」

Mira stood up and asked that. 「Yes, I’ve said enough,」 was Gregor’s answer, his stern expression softening slightly. The emotional weight on him was not gone yet, but at least he seemed satisfied. Some fatherly love had seeped into his sorrow.

「Live a long life.」

When Mira left and the basement door was locked, a murmur broke the silence of the cell. It was a faint, almost inaudible voice, but it carried a heartfelt wish.

The ties between a father and son were a mysterious thing. Isaac and Jamal thought that, while slowly remembering distant memories from their forgotten childhood.

They did not feel like returning to the party right away, so Mira and Gregor chose to remain in the branch’s living room for a while.

One of them was a powerful adventurer that could fight alongside the Fifty Bells’ commander without holding her back and had been essential in taking down Chimera Clauzen’s main base. The other was a master blacksmith that everyone in Sentopolly had heard about. Mattie regretted not having stocked up on expensive tea for such an occasion.

「I’m sorry this is so cheap…」 Mattie said with an apologetic voice as she placed two mismatched cups on the table. They replied with 「Sorry for making you do all this」 and 「I blabbered on for so long my throat was starting to get dry, thank you.」 At the same time, Mattie’s regret grew even more as she wished she had bought a tea set for guests as well.

「My apologies for dragging you here. I just couldn’t remain still seeing you like that, even if I felt like I was bothering you.」
「Well, he’s still my son, even if he turns out like that… I really can’t thank you enough, Mira.」

The two made no comments at all about the tea’s taste, which almost bothered Mattie. They simply sipped the tea without any rush and talked to each other.

This meeting had been prompted purely by Mira’s subjective feelings. Something stirred in her when she saw Gregor in the party, making her wish they could meet at least once, even if both knew it was going to be the last time.

Gregor had always believed his son was dead until the day Mira first visited him. That changed that day, and he also found out his son worked for the despicable Chimera Clauzen.

The whirlpool of emotions he felt that day was impossible to explain with words.

「Also, I’m sorry for all the trouble my son caused you. Thank you for putting an end to it.」