When Roland returned home, his father, Morda, had already sunk into delirium.
He lay in bed, constantly muttering incomprehensible words that could not be strung into sentences, occasionally growing extremely agitated.
Several doctors and monks from the Church of Light's Embrace were trying to soothe Morda, but clearly, this lesion deep within his brain was difficult to treat. Even with certain sublimation arts, all they could do was make Morda quiet down for a while.
"What happened?"
Even someone as mild-tempered as Roland was anxious. He hurried to his father's bedside, then turned to the medical staff beside him and patiently asked, "My father's condition was improving when I left. I thought he'd already come to terms with it... Back then, he could still slap me!"
"We're very sorry, sir, but your father..."
The medical staff hesitated before finally shaking his head. "Your father was once subjected to quite a powerful psychic influence. If he had remained in the illusion, that would have been one thing; if someone had exposed it and restored his clarity, that could also have returned his mind to normal."
"But your father never truly emerged from it. Although he broke free from the illusion, he would rather live within it. He was clearly awake, yet he never wished to awaken... This contradictory state has harmed him too greatly."
Roland stood there in a daze.
How could he not know about his father's condition? Lord Ian had explained in detail how he had uncovered the former Lord of Layan Territory's conspiracy—how he had deceived Steward Morda and brought disaster upon the territory. Helping Steward Morda break free from Ila's psychic power had been one part of it. At the time, Roland had breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that Ian had helped his father emerge from