It was late at night in the tavern, and all the customers had long since left, leaving only two men sitting at the bar in the corner, drinking.
Paul recounted what had happened at the Adventurers' Guild that day in bits and pieces. After listening, Geese nodded in sudden understanding.
"So that's how it is."
Geese picked up his glass, took a sip, then put it down, his tone becoming serious. " Paul, I think you should go and apologize to Rudeus."
"Apologize to that guy?"
"Why apologize? I didn't do anything wrong!" Paul scoffed after hearing this.
He then turned his gaze to Geese beside him.
" Geese... I thought you could understand me, but I didn't expect you to come to me just to act as a mediator and persuade me to apologize to him."
Geese shook his head, unsurprised.
Paul's character was something he'd already experienced back in the days of Black Wolf's Fang: stubborn, concerned with saving face, and willing to suffer for it—these were flaws he hadn't changed in over a decade.
"You're wrong... Paul."
Geese said calmly, "I didn't come here specifically to be your intermediary. I just happened to run into your son in the Great Forest, and he gave me a ride. And coincidentally... I learned you were here."
Paul sat up abruptly, his previously cloudy eyes suddenly brightening.
Is that Luo Ge?
Geese's lips twitched slightly as he looked at his excited expression.
"No, it's senior Rudeus."
"... I see."
Paul deflated like a punctured balloon, visibly slumping back into his chair, listlessly swirling his wine glass.
Geese shook his head upon seeing this.
"Hey Paul, aren't you having too high expectations for your son?"
Paul chuckled, his tone matter-of-fact. "My two genius sons, one born a magician, the other Sword God with the potential to become a god, isn't it perfectly normal for me to have high expectations for them?"
"Normal?"
Do you think this is normal?
"Of course it's normal."
In response to Geese's question, Paul nodded, with an expression that seemed perfectly natural.
Geese looked at his face and suddenly sighed.
"If I remember correctly, the Black Wolf's Fang disbanded around the time Zenith was pregnant, which was twelve years ago, right?"
" Geese, why are you bringing this up?" Paul, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"Oh, I just wanted to remind you."
Geese swirled his glass, his tone unhurried, "By that calculation, your two children are only just twelve years old this year... After all, they're still just minors."
"A child that age, in other places... would probably still be in school."
"Hey, Geese, are you mistaken? My son is a genius!"
Even geniuses are still minors; that's an undeniable fact.
"Besides, if it were you, you might not do any better than them, right? You yourself couldn't do it, so why should you expect your child to do better than you?"
"I... I..."
Paul was speechless after Geese's retort; he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word for a long time.
He scoffed and turned his face away.
Although he had begun to accept Geese's words in his heart, a stubborn excitement still lingered, and he was somewhat unconvinced.
Geese didn't continue the pursuit. Instead, he picked up the bottle and poured Paul another glass of wine, then slowly began to talk about the dangers of the Demon Continent.
He talked about the monsters there, the harsh environment, and the attitude of the demons towards humans.
... each and every single incident was described in detail and specific terms.
Paul listened, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
"Since the Demon Continent is so dangerous..."
"Then why did Rudeus make it sound so easy?"
Geese put down the bottle, looked at Paul with a puzzled expression, and then suddenly fell silent for a second.
"I guess it's because I don't want you to worry too much."
Don't you want me to worry?
Paul's expression froze.
"I'm telling you, Paul."
Geese leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, and looked at his old captain with a scrutinizing gaze. "I see now. Although you're a father now, you're a completely incompetent one."
"To be honest, putting everything else aside... aren't you being a little too biased towards the two children?"
"Eccentric?"
"Is there?"
Isn't that obvious?
Seeing that Paul was actually asking questions in return, Geese couldn't help but tilt his head, "If it were Luo Ge who came back now, would you still blame him like before?"
Will it?
" Paul, ask yourself honestly, would you lose your temper with Luo Ge?"
These words were like a needle, precisely piercing the softest spot in Paul's heart.
He froze, his glass of wine hanging in mid-air.
Paul instinctively asked himself the same question.
If Luo Ge were to return, what would he do?
Although unwilling to admit it, Paul knew the answer in his heart.
He most likely wouldn't blame Luo Ge; in fact, he'd probably rush over and hug the child, even if the child pushed him away in disgust.
He would hold him tightly, making sure he was back alive.
Seeing Paul's expression, Geese knew he was right.
He patted Paul on the shoulder, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "Save your breath, Paul, they're both your children."
Paul suddenly spoke up, his voice low. "No, isn't that kind of thing normal? Luo Ge sacrifices so much for his family... so isn't it normal for me to favor him a little more?"
"After all, Luo Ge risked his life for his family... he even went to the Demon Continent alone."
" Geese, say something! What did I do wrong?"
He looked up at Geese and questioned him, then a bitter smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
" Geese, do you know him?"
" Luo Ge was killed once before. I suffered terribly every day back then. I hated the guy who killed Luo Ge, but I hated myself even more. I hated my own incompetence, being a father who couldn't protect his own child."
"So what?"
Geese interrupted him.
"..."
Paul was stunned.
"So?"
Geese repeated, his gaze fixed on Paul, "So you want to lose another child, Paul?"
"Hey Geese, what exactly do you mean by that? Explain yourself clearly!"
Geese waved his hand, his tone eerily calm. "Isn't it obvious? Luo Ge is human, and he can die."
" Rudeus is human, and he will die too... Although I have never met Luo Ge, I suppose he is far superior to Rudeus?"
Paul did not deny it.
"Even Luo Ge was even more talented than Rudeus, died once. Why are you so sure that Rudeus, the other child, won't die after being transferred to the Demon Continent?"
Paul was completely stunned.
Geese's words struck him like a hammer blow, pounding into his heart, and the nightmare from years ago kept replaying in his mind.
With Geese's prompting, Paul suddenly seemed to understand something.
Is it because she had lost Luo Ge before that she cherishes him even more when faced with the feeling of regaining him?
Some things, you only realize how precious they are once you've lost them.
Because he almost lost Luo Ge, he poured all his attention and affection into that child.
And what about Rudeus?
That same twelve-year-old child was taken for granted, with the assumption that "since he's a genius, he should do better," and that "since he's the older brother, he should shoulder more responsibility."
But did he forget that just because Luo Ge died, Rudeus wouldn't?
Paul suddenly remembered the expression on Rudeus's face when he stood in front of him at the Adventurers' Guild earlier that day.
The initial expectation in those eyes was shattered by his words, one by one, until finally, the person left numbly.
He broke the heart of his other son with his own hands.
" Paul..."
Geese's voice pulled him back from his memories.
"Wash your face properly, and go apologize to Rudeus tomorrow."
Paul remained silent and did not speak.
Just then, Geese patted him on the shoulder again, his tone much gentler than before. "Speaking of which, Paul, you've already lost one son, you don't want to lose another, do you?"
This sentence was like a key, finally unlocking the locked door in Paul's heart.
What pride?
What face?
To hell with them all! Paul doesn't want to lose his child again.
He lowered his head, his hands resting on the bar, his shoulders trembling slightly.
After a long silence, Paul finally spoke in a hoarse voice, "... I understand."
He raised his head.
His eyes were red-rimmed, but his gaze was clearer than ever before.
"Tomorrow?"
No, I'll go apologize to him right now.
Geese looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"That's more like it."
"Before leaving, stay with me and finish the last half glass of wine."
Paul downed the drink in his glass, then turned the glass upside down on the bar and stood up.
My steps were still a little unsteady, but my direction was very stable.
" Geese."
"Um?"
Thanks.
Geese waved his hand, not following after him, and said to Paul's retreating figure, "Surely you'll apologize? Just lower yourself a little, show your vulnerable side."
"I see."
Paul did not refute this.
And so, under Geese's watchful gaze, Paul left the tavern alone, the cool, silvery moonlight shining on his cheeks.
Paul looked up at the night sky, took a deep breath of the cool air, and murmured to himself.
" Rudeus, will you forgive me?"
Paul didn't know the outcome, but he knew there were things he had to do, because some things... once lost, can never be regained.