Shafal, who was summoned, bit Idel, causing the man to later tease the dragon, saying “Wow, even though you’re a dragon, that didn’t hurt one bit.” Shafal’s unexpected appearance inevitably surprised both of my grandparents and my uncle, hence turning the situation chaotic.

In any case, to settle things down, I instructed Shafal to return inside me. After Shafal reluctantly returned inside me, I explained to my surprised grandparents and my uncle about Shafal, the young dragon who made his appearance just earlier.

“I see, the young dragon from earlier certainly had a silver color,” my grandfather murmured after hearing my explanation.

“I’m too confused about everything, so I can’t handle any more than this,” my grandmother added and proceeded to leave the room unsteadily.

Since my remaining grandfather and uncle seemed confused by the amount of information, we decided to call it a day for today.

As we were about to leave the room, Idel spoke to Father, “Can I have some alone time with Lark for a bit? Guldo-san?”

“Sure, but… is it okay if I know what you’re going to talk about?” he replied.

“Hmm, I’ll tell you later, Guldo-san. Let’s go, Lark.”

“Y-Yes.”

Idel then led me out of the room and stopped in front of a certain door in the hallway. After he opened the door and entered, I followed inside. It was a room with only the bare minimum of shelves, a bed, a table, and chairs.

Afterward, he sat down on a chair and asked me to sit down as well before starting to speak slowly, “Now then,” he said, “before we get to the main topic… do you have anything you want to ask me, Lark?”

“…Something I want to ask? Hmm… Oh, what kind of person was my mother? I hardly spent any time with her in the mansion, so I don’t really know her well.”

“My sister had a strict side to her, nevertheless she was rather kind person. When we were kids, if I misbehaved, she would scold me sometimes, but only because she cared for me more than anyone else, and if I got hurt and cried, she would bring me some herbs to treat me. She originally had a weak disposition, so we didn’t play outside together much, but still she went so far to help me with my studies. Till today, I still love her very much.”

“I see…”

Upon hearing Idel’s account, I felt a pang of remorse for not having more quality time with my mother. All that remained were the memories of the ten years I endured in that dreadful environment.

“Is there anything else?” Idel asked.

“Well… you mentioned that you were seeking revenge earlier, but what did you mean by that?”

“Exactly as it sounds. I desired to eliminate those despicable individuals who not only neglected to treat my sister’s illness but also exiled you, Lark. However, two years ago, I unexpectedly encountered the soldiers dispatched by the king before I could start my plan.”

‘The king… its Ars-san, right? Ars-san was also plotting various things to punish my former family who exiled me.’

Idel proceeded to elaborate, saying, “Upon discovering that the king himself intended to eliminate those despicable individuals, I shared the intelligence I had gathered with the soldiers and pursued them relentlessly. Finally, I completed the task and submitted a detailed report to the king. It was a lengthy process, you see? While the overtly malicious details were readily accessible, revealing the concealed aspects related to your previous family proved to be more challenging. Hence, it took me a span of two years to bring about their downfall.”

I see. It seems that Idel used a method of gathering information and applying social sanctions rather than physical revenge.

“Well, if there’s nothing else you want to ask me…”

“That’s right. That’s all from me.”

“I understand. Well, that works out better for me. I’m not much of a talker… Anyway, let’s get to the main point,” Idel remarked, gesturing with his right hand to create a dark void resembling a black hole in front of him. It resembled the spatial rift that appears when employing the “Useful Box.”

‘Did he also have a storage related skill?’

Idel inserted his hand into the void and retrieved a small wooden box. “Here, it belongs to Lark,” he stated, extending the wooden box to me.

“What’s this?”

“You’ll find out when you open it. Well, it’s something my sister entrusted me with, so I haven’t looked inside.”

Curiosity piqued, I wondered about its contents and opened the lid of the wooden box I received. Inside, there was a pendant in the shape of a locket. Additionally, there was another lid, and upon opening it, I discovered a picture of a woman whose face I recognized as being beautiful.

“Who is this woman…?”

When I showed the picture to Idel, he smiled. “Ah, that’s my sister. She crafted that, knowing that her time was limited.”

I closed the lid and put the pendant with the wooden box into the “Useful Box.” It was such an important thing that I wanted to keep it safe instead of wearing it.

Deeply bowing my head to Idel, I expressed my gratitude, “Thank you. With this, I can cherish the memories of my mother at any time.

“That’s good.”

Afterward, we went back to the room where Father and the rest of the group were patiently waiting.

Initially planning to leave, I ended up heeding the advice of my grandfather and uncle and staying in the mansion. Leticia was hesitant about staying in a nobleman’s house but eventually accepted their kind offer.

Consequently, we had a delightful time with the Shafalbach family. We enjoyed a pleasant dinner, took a refreshing bath, and later found myself in the garden, admiring the pendant I had received, as a gentle night breeze caressed my face. Reflecting on my situation, I couldn’t help but think, “If only my memories had returned a bit earlier.” If they had, I might have been able to utilize my initial skills to cure my mother’s illness and share a life with her.

Lost in my thoughts, I was approached by Father, who emerged from the mansion.

“Lark, what do you have there in your hands?”

“It’s the first and last gift from my mother. Idel-san gave it to me.”

“I see… That’s good. It’s nice to have a keepsake.”

“Yes.”

Father seemed concerned about me and swiftly returned to the mansion. For a while, I indulged in nostalgia while gazing at the image of my mother enclosed within the pendant.