There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 170

* * *

After Veleron left, silence settled between Philomel and Eustis.

“……”

“……”
The temporary treatment center, where they were, had been set up in a chapel inside the Grand Temple.

Clerics with healing abilities were busily treating the wounded.

A cleric had just examined Elencia.

“There are no particular problems with her health. I believe she will regain consciousness soon. The burn on her arm has been treated.”

It was truly fortunate.

The Emperor also sighed softly.

Philomel looked at the Emperor beside her and asked, “Your Majesty, are you feeling alright?”

“Although my lifespan has been reduced, I don’t feel it much. I only feel a slight muscle ache throughout my body.”

It couldn’t have ended with just that, but he was putting on a brave face.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for Your Majesty’s decision, we wouldn’t all be safe now.”

“You are the one who defeated the evil god. I only did what I had to do as Emperor. And I am the one who owes you a great debt.”

A sincere and warm gaze was directed at Philomel.

“Thank you sincerely for saving Elencia.”

“That child saved me too.”

Elencia had defied even a god to save Philomel’s life.

Veleron said it was an accident because she had three consciousnesses in one body….

‘But I think it was a miracle created by that child’s will.’

The Emperor nodded slightly.

“She is a strong child. So are you.”

The atmosphere was warm and pleasant. Philomel decided it was the right time to respond to the Emperor’s apology.

“I will probably never forget what Your Majesty said for the rest of my life.”
The Emperor’s words that she had overheard behind the door when she was young. Those words represented Philomel’s bleak childhood.

“But now, even when I think back to that time, I don’t feel very depressed.”

Many memories had been made since then.

Philomel took a moment to reflect on the past and finally said, “I forgive Your Majesty.”

It was over.

It felt like ending a very old chapter.

Eustis pondered her words, then looked at Philomel, meeting her gaze directly.

“Are you sure?”

He held out his hand. Philomel took it, and they shook hands.

Both knew that even if Philomel forgave him, they couldn’t have the relationship Eustis wanted.

In the end, Philomel and Eustis could not become family. Not because they weren’t blood-related, but because they had revealed their true feelings too late.

However, even if they weren’t family, they weren’t nothing to each other.

“……May I contact you sometimes?”

Philomel gladly answered his hesitant question.

“As much as you want.”

Just then, a commotion disturbed the quiet chapel.

“Phil! Are you here?”

Someone was loudly calling for Philomel outside the chapel. Someone she knew well.

The Emperor spoke first.

“It seems your father has come. Go quickly.”

Philomel widened her eyes for a moment, then smiled.

“I need to tell him not to disturb the patients.”

Someone was also looking for the Emperor.

“Your Majesty! The Princess has regained consciousness!”

Hearing the cleric’s words, the Emperor hurried away.

“I must be going now.”

“I’ll visit you later!”

“Yes. Elencia will be happy too.”

Philomel watched the Emperor go to meet his real daughter.

Surely, the two fathers and daughters would have many bright days ahead. She felt it.

Meanwhile, the voice calling for Philomel had reached the entrance of the chapel.

“Oh! Are you guys safe? You stubbornly survived.”

The Tower Master, finding his sons by the door, spoke casually.

Philomel knew it was his way of showing he cared.

“He’s really not honest.”

Philomel walked towards the entrance of the noisy chapel, towards her family.

* * *

Several months later, at the Magic Tower.

Philomel took a letter to her room and opened it with a pounding heart.

The letter began:

[To my dear Philomel,]

After the greeting, there was news from the writer.

[I got scolded by my teachers again today for not finishing my homework! Living as a princess is quite tiring.]

Philomel smiled softly. She could picture Elencia, tearful, struggling with her overdue assignments.

The two had become correspondents. Communication stones were more convenient, but letters had a unique charm.

[But I will never be lazy! Also for Philomel who worked hard for me.]

There had been rumors about the princess who suddenly disappeared and reappeared, but they soon faded away.

‘Indeed, a high-grade megaphone [a magical item used for amplification].’

Philomel had used the last high-grade megaphone for Elencia. Now, Elencia was a princess diligently working to become a proper heir to the throne.

Philomel was reading the letter with a pleased expression when she paused.

[But if I may be so bold, is there a special reason why you don’t reply to my dad’s letters?]

Wrinkles formed on her brow.

[Wouldn’t you write back even just one line? Dad is very gloomy, although he doesn’t show it. Sorry if it was unnecessary meddling. From your friend, Elencia.]

The letter ended there.

“Why didn’t I reply……”

Philomel put down Elencia’s letter and muttered in disbelief.

“Because the letters didn’t come.”

She was only now learning that the Emperor had sent her letters.

Why hadn’t a single one of his letters reached Philomel? The reason was obvious.

Philomel immediately left her room and burst into the Tower Master’s office on the same floor.

“Phil, welcome!”

The Tower Master faltered at his daughter’s cold tone.

“Do you have something to tell me?”

“Tell you? What do you mean?”

“Why are you stealing other people’s letters!”

“Who’s stealing!”

“Le Guin, if you return them willingly now, I won’t get angry.”

Probably.

He sighed and took out a bundle of letters from the drawer. Fortunately, the envelopes were still sealed.

‘He didn’t check the contents.’

Philomel’s anger subsided somewhat.

“Why did you do this?”

The Tower Master grumbled.

“Isn’t that too much?”

“What’s too much?”

“You called the Emperor ‘Dad,’ but you still call me Le Guin.”

“……How did you know that?”

“Kadin heard you shouting ‘Dad!’ at the Grand Temple.”

She had forgotten Kadin’s animalistic senses and excellent hearing.

“No, there were circumstances then. Besides……”

Strictly speaking, the target she called Dad was not the Emperor.

Instead of making excuses, Philomel stared at her father.

From Le Guin’s point of view, he had reason to be upset. His daughter called another person Dad.

‘Hiding the letters was a trick born from a sense of crisis.’

Let’s let it go this time.

“But don’t do this again. I’ll really get angry. And…… from now on, I’ll call Le Guin ‘Dad’ too.”

At those words, the Tower Master’s eyes sparkled.

“Really? Say it quickly!”

“Ah…….”

The words didn’t come out easily.

It was still too embarrassing!

“I can’t do it. I’ll call you after some more time has passed.”

“Why!”

“I need to prepare myself mentally.”

“Why do you need to prepare your mind just to change a title?”

“I need it.”

“Just say it!”

“Wait, Le Guin.”

“No! Dad! Dad!”

“Dad.”

It wasn’t Philomel who said it. Lexion was standing by the door.

“I’ll call you Dad to your heart’s content, so please do your work, Dad.”

He wasn’t alone. Kadin poked his head out from beyond the door.

“You wished to be called Dad. Tell me sooner! I’ll call you Dad from now on too, Dad!”

“What Dad, you old geezer.”

The voice belonged to Jeremiah.

The Tower Master shouted.

“I don’t need your Dad voices!”

“That’s too much. Isn’t this discrimination against children?”

Lexion feigned tears and placed a pile of documents on the desk with a thud.

“I called you Dad, so please look at the documents quickly.”

Kadin also said brightly.

“I called you Dad too, so give me some monsters for sparring!”

Jeremiah didn’t even call him Dad and took it for granted.

“There’s an item I want among your possessions. Give it to me.”

“That’s why I hate you guys!”

The Tower Master’s annoyed shouts echoed throughout the tower.

Philomel smiled contentedly. It was a scene from her peaceful daily life.

“Do your work!”

“No!”

“Monster!”

“Item!”

“No! No!”

But the quarrel between father and sons was escalating. It wasn’t very peaceful.

“By the way, is the time travel device completed?”

Philomel pointed to an object in the corner of the room. It looked like a huge grandfather clock and was one of the Tower Master’s inventions.

Le Guin had been tinkering with the time travel device that he had developed and abandoned. He said he found good materials at the evil god’s base.

He shook his head.

“Not yet. The theory is perfect, but I’m missing the last step.”

Lexion added, “Time is the realm of God, after all.”

“I was hoping that my Estellion [a magical power source] was the power of the Creator God. I filled the Estellion, but it doesn’t work.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Philomel approached the time travel device.

“It looks like an ordinary clock.”

She touched the clock hands, not thinking much of it. Since it didn’t work, she thought it would be okay to touch it lightly.

However, accidents happen from carelessness.

Tick-tock.

At that moment, the stopped pendulum moved. The clock hands began to spin wildly.

“Phil, get away!”

The Tower Master shouted, but Philomel was swallowed by the light from the clock. It was instantaneous.