"I never thought you would still be alive, too."
With Sephiroth's reassurance, Olga became willing to talk to her father. She also remembered the argument they had had before Lord Lanternfish swallowed them all those years ago.
"Anyway, I'm not going to forgive you. Your stupid research was what got Mom killed..."
"...Yes. I'm so sorry."
Achiu struggled to keep his voice calm, hoping to conceal his grief.
If he let his daughter learn the truth, wouldn't she have to shoulder the burden of "getting her mother killed" as well?
That was why he refused to tell her. Just as he had back then.
"Sir, running away is not a good solution, especially when you are running away from your own daughter."
Sephiroth's steady voice came through his helmet. Even with its faint mechanical undertone, it brought a little calm to Achiu's troubled heart.
"The situation earlier wasn't suitable for introductions. My name is Bondrewd. I am an Alchemist."
"Ah, my apologies. My name is Miskina Achiu. I'm this child's father."
Now Sephiroth had also "officially learned" the father and daughter's full names.
However, Achiu's heart sank when he heard Sephiroth's introduction, especially the part about being an Alchemist.
In his eyes, this man must have come in pursuit of the forbidden substance, pure gold.
But judging by his daughter's condition, the man seemed harmless, at least on the surface. The question was whether that was merely an act.
"Your daughter has grown into a wonderful young woman. Things she once couldn't understand are now within her grasp. You should respect her as an independent person, rather than hiding everything 'for her own good.'"
As Achiu pondered, Sephiroth's words seemed to see straight into his heart, flowing into his ears like honey.
Achiu felt that this man was an elegant