Chapter 41: Igor’s Past

"Come here."

Before he knew it, Qiu Nuoya was sitting on Igor’s bed with Igor gently ruffling his hair.

As always, Igor was incredibly close.

Qiu Nuoya wondered what kind of treatment this was supposed to be.

Ah.

Was it like a slime?

The same way Qiu Nuoya treated Mochi?

If Igor simply saw him as something comforting or like a pet, then Qiu Nuoya had no right to complain.

After all, he treated Mochi the same way.

"Ah... this feeling really brings back memories..."

"Um, Igor, did you perhaps have a younger sibling or something when you were younger?"

"Hmm... Not exactly a sibling."

Igor smiled faintly.

"I had a daughter..."

A daughter!?

So Igor had a child after all!?

"Wait, Igor, were you married?"

"Yeah, I was..."

Igor looked away slightly.

"She lives in the royal capital."

Qiu Nuoya was too shocked to respond.

Was this something he was allowed to ask about?

The fact that Igor was living here alone made it sound like some kind of long distance separation.

Though, that did not quite fit.

Adventurers could choose where they worked, and there should have been plenty of opportunities in the royal capital as well.

Then... Were they divorced?

If that was the case, Qiu Nuoya had to be careful not to ask something insensitive.

"Don’t make that worried face," Igor said with a small smile. "It’s not like my family and I have a bad relationship. It’s just that I couldn’t stay in the royal capital anymore, so I left."

"...Why alone?"

"My wife was born and raised in the royal capital. She told me she didn’t want to move out to the countryside."

Igor sighed softly.

"Originally, the reason I could no longer stay there was my own fault. It was something I brought upon myself, so I left alone. But I still send money to support them."

Qiu Nuoya had expected many things.

He had not expected such a heavy story.

He struggled to think of the right response.

"Nuoya is about the same age as my daughter was when we separated, so I guess I just..."

So that was why Igor was always patting and fussing over him.

Qiu Nuoya understood.

He was being treated as a substitute for the child Igor could no longer see.

Even being carried around because it would be dangerous if he got lost made sense now.

If it had been his daughter, Igor probably would have been even more careful.

"Don’t you want to see her?"

Igor looked down.

"I don’t even know what kind of face I could show if I went to see her now."

He smiled bitterly.

"There are probably still people in the royal capital who haven’t forgotten about me. And I don’t think it would be right to disturb my daughter’s life."

"Disturb her life?"

What did he mean by that?

And who were the people who had not forgotten him?

What exactly had Igor done in the royal capital?

Igor was a genuine adventurer, so there was no way he was a criminal.

But perhaps he had done something that caused trouble for others?

Qiu Nuoya remained silent, unable to ask.

Noticing his hesitation, Igor slowly began to speak.

"Earlier today, I told you about my fighting style, didn’t I?"

Igor’s voice became quieter.

"The reason I couldn’t stay in the royal capital was because of that. I seriously injured a former party member."

Qiu Nuoya froze.

"Fortunately, they survived. But the party was destroyed, and the injured member suffered wounds so severe that they could never return to adventuring again."

Igor clenched his hand slightly.

"Becoming a Berserker wasn’t something I chose. It was unavoidable. If I hadn’t entered that state, there’s a chance everyone in the party, including me, would have died."

He lowered his gaze.

"But I was still the one who injured my companion."

Igor gave a small, pained smile.

"Even if I wanted to say, ’At least you didn’t die,’ how could I possibly say that to someone who lost their entire career because of me?"

Qiu Nuoya listened quietly.

For the first time, he saw not the powerful adventurer known as Igor the Tempest Blade, but simply a man carrying the weight of his past.

Igor held Qiu Nuoya tightly, burying his face against Qiu Nuoya’s head as he let out a long sigh.

"None of my party members ever blamed me. But there were plenty of people who loved spreading rumors, and I ended up running away from everything, leaving my family behind..."

"Haha..."

The words "I ran away" carried a self deprecating tone, making Qiu Nuoya feel the loneliness Igor had been carrying.

"After that, I wandered around alone while continuing to send money back home. During one of those journeys, I met Viktor. Only recently have I finally started feeling like I am no longer afraid of interacting with people."

"I see..."

Being afraid of interacting with people.

That was a feeling Qiu Nuoya understood.

There could be many people around someone, yet even while surrounded by others, loneliness could still slowly eat away at the heart.

"Why am I telling this kind of story to a child?"

Igor laughed bitterly.

His voice lacked its usual energy.

Qiu Nuoya had always thought Igor was the typical cheerful type who brightened up the atmosphere wherever he went.

But apparently, he had been carrying a much heavier past than Qiu Nuoya had imagined.

"Children can listen too, you know. I can’t give any amazing advice, but if talking to me makes you feel even a little lighter, then I’ll listen."

"Haha. Nuoya, are you sure you’re not lying about your age?"

Igor chuckled.

"What kind of mature response is that? You’re making me want to rely on you without thinking."

"If you’re okay with relying on me, then please do."

It was not completely wrong to say that Qiu Nuoya had hidden his real age.

He also carried a guilty feeling because he was deceiving people.

So, perhaps he could at least do this much.