The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Episode 119: Love (3)

A man’s tears.

They are something rarely seen. The older you get, the rarer they becomes.

Men are trained not to shed tears in society.

Even in typical households, this holds true, and it’s even more so in the Baskerville Clan.

IronBlooded. A swordmaster devoid of human emotions.

Hugo Le Baskerville, the supreme leader of the Iron-Blooded Sword clan Baskerville.

The word “tears” doesn’t fit him at all when you think of him.

Even if a needle were stuck in his eyeball and blood flowed, he wouldn’t shed tears because he’s that kind of person.

So, when Vikir saw Hugo crying this morning, he was really surprised.

… He was very surprised.

In the era of destruction, during the brutal war ten years ago, there were few times when Vikir was this surprised.

So Vikir thought.

“There probably won’t be anything more surprising in the future.”

He thought that seeing Hugo cry today was as surprising as it could get.

… But.

Vikir had to be surprised once more. Even more so than when Hugo cried earlier.

“Eralerallel, peekaboo!”

Right now, Pomeranian is sitting with an awkward expression.

And where Pomeranian is sitting is on someone’s lap, and the one who’s trying to make Pomeranian laugh with this foolish act was none other than… well…

“I hate to admit it, but it’s Hugo Le Baskerville.”

Vikir rubbed his forehead with his hand.

Right now, Hugo, who has Pomeranian sitting on his lap, is undoubtedly the head of the Baskerville Clan.

Character collapse. It feels like all the common sense Vikir had up to now is crumbling.

It’s not just Vikir; anyone from the Baskerville family would be shocked to hear the conversation between Hugo and Pomeranian.

“???”

“???”

Right now, Butler Barrymore and Osiris Baskerville, who are standing next to Vikir, have their mouth wide open.

Vikir even thought this way.

“Did they brainwash him with magic or something?”

But whether or not, Hugo is still as nonchalant as ever.

“Hehehe, Do find this old man’s mustache fascinating, do you? Pulling is fun, isn’t it? Here, there’s more over here.”

“Mustache… dirty…”

“Hmm? Hehehe, dirty, you say! This old man even uses shampoo and conditioner on his mustache. I put on some essence today because you’re coming.”

“Grandpa… mustache… tickles…”

“Hmm? Grandpa? Oh, right, right, call me grandpa again. Hehe, I’m called grandpa now.”

Pure dogginess. Hugo’s reaction was completely different from what Vikir had expected.

“How’d he end up like this?”

Vikir recalled the recent past.

As soon as Hugo saw Pomeranian, he showed the same trembling eyes as before.

“Is, is, is that really Penelope’s child?”

“Yes. Black hair and red eyes are distinctive features of the Baskerville family. And judging by the portrait, it’s likely… Roxana, the First Lady, and even Lady Penelope have very similar appearances…”

“It’s not just similar! I thought Penelope had come back to life! It’s unbelievable!”

Pomeranian proved with her whole body that she is Penelope’s child.

The small mole on the back of the neck and the blue spot on the calf were also physical features that Hugo had. Moreover, Pomeranian was found in the Rokoko tribe, by whom Penelope was kidnapped, and she had a pendant made by Hugo himself.

Furthermore, Pomeranian herself had a fairly clear memory of her mother, Penelope.

“Mom… always happy… always smiled…”

Despite Pomeranian’s words, Hugo smiled but tears welled up in his eyes.

Through Pomeranian’s words, it seemed that Penelope had lived a relatively decent life.

“But still, Mom… always wanted to see Grandpa… but couldn’t go back many times… because of the dangerous Madam… can’t enter her territory.”

Hugo nodded.

Although Pomeranian was quite articulate for a five-year-old, it was still difficult to fully understand her. That’s when Vikir, who had lived in the Abyss for two years, helped with translation.

“Penelope always missed her father. She tried to return to the family several times, but a powerful monster Madam Eight Legs of the Abyss blocked her way, causing her to fail.”

“What!? So you’re saying that the monsters are the ones who separated me and my daughter!”

“That’s right. It was a dangerous existence known as the Nightmare of the mountains. Now, I have already killed and eliminated it.”

Hugo praised Vikir.

“Well done. You avenged what I couldn’t do. Impressive, impressive.”

If someone wronged you, you had to repay it. Even in the midst of this, Hugo hadn’t lost the pride of the Baskerville family.

Eventually, Hugo turned his head towards Vikir.

His eyes were moist with tears.

“I heard about my daughter’s last moments, and if she found happiness in her own way, then it’s fortunate in the midst of misfortune. It’s better than not knowing life or death. Moreover, she left behind my granddaughter, so I wonder if there could be a better day in my remaining life.”

Praise. Hugo’s extreme joy expressed in those words left Barrymore and Osiris astonished.

Even Barrymore, who was used to it, and Osiris, who had rare emotional expressions like Hugo, were both wide-eyed and looked surprised.

Finally, Hugo walked toward Vikir while holding Pomeranian.

Instinctively, Vikir crouched down and prepared to counterattack if necessary.

However, contrary to Vikir’s instincts, Hugo stopped in front of him.

And…

“Thank you, my son.”

Hugo bowed his head to Vikir, almost bending his waist ninety degrees.

In this unprecedented scene, Barrymore and Osiris once again had their mouths wide open.

After a brief silence, Osiris tentatively opened his mouth.

“Although my life’s not a long one… considering all the moments of my life… today may be the most surprising day.”

“I’ve lived quite a long time… but… I also think so, Little Lord.”

Barrymore, despite his still unresponsive mouth, managed to move it and replied.

Eventually, Osiris’s gaze turned to Hugo.

Parents are the mirror of their children, and children are the mirror of their parents.

Until now, Osiris had always tried to emulate Hugo’s figure, which was always thorough and calm in everything.

So he suppressed his emotions and restrained his ego as much as possible.

The small desires, from wanting to eat delicious things to forcibly ignoring the woman he was drawn to, were a form of self-restraint that was almost akin to self-torture. However, from today onwards, Osiris’ feelings towards Hugo have changed slightly.

“Did my father have such a side to him?”

In other words, it meant that he also had such a side to himself. And Osiris learned something today. He didn’t need to suppress the awkward warmth within him too much.

“Can I also live by doing what I want?”

There was no reason to strive for perfection. The humanity that came from a little sloppiness and imperfection could even make the normally composed father smile happily.

Osiris observed Hugo’s face, which was smiling broadly at Pomeranian as if it were a mirror.

Next to him, Barrymore was also surprised when he saw Osiris’s face.

“Oh my! The Little Lord is smiling! He’s smiling!”

Osiris, who had almost never smiled in his entire life, had a relaxed and comfortable smile on his face. Even the usually solemn butler Barrymore couldn’t help but be amazed.

Naturally, the sight of the Lord and the Young lord laughing made Barrymore, who had been serving them, burst into laughter as well.

A whirlwind of happiness that had never been seen in the Baskerville family began to blow.

…And at that moment, there was a voice that wiped the smiles off Hugo, Osiris, and Barrymore’s faces.

“I have something to report, Father.”

It was Vikir. Out of the blue, the atmosphere changed.

When Vikir spoke, Hugo, Osiris, and Barrymore all looked at him with serious expressions.

He was the one who had brought this great happiness today. In their eyes, which were directed towards the savior of the family, there was deep gratitude and appreciation.

Hugo quickly understood Vikir’s intention.

“Go ahead, speak.”

Punishments must be clear. That was Hugo’s philosophy.

He had come to find out about Penelope’s actions, killed the monster, and rescued his granddaughter, not to mention, that Pomeranian’s existence was previously unknown. This merit was truly immeasurable.

Hugo nodded in agreement with whatever Vikir had to say.

Osiris, who was standing next to him, did the same.

“Say what you want, my son.”

“If there’s anything I can help with, I’ll do anything, little brother.”

Vikir nodded.

Now that things had unexpectedly worked out well, it was time to aim for the final goal.

Before going to the Academy, there was something that had to be dealt with within the family.

It was revenge for the humiliation they suffered in the past, and the first step to prevent the impending era of destruction.

“There’s a monster I want to hunt.”

“…?”

“It’s a very dangerous one.”

…!

Hugo and Osiris’ expressions stiffened upon hearing Vikir’s words. They were both the leaders of the Baskerville family, the sword of the empire, fighting against monsters.

Hugo asked, “What kind of monster is it?”

“If you’re asking about the type of monster, I don’t know the details. However…”

“However?”

This time, Osiris asked. Vikir replied briefly.

“I only know the approximate location of where the monster is hiding.”

Upon hearing this, both Hugo and Osiris nodded.

“Alright. Where is that location?”

Vikir replied as if he had been waiting.

“It’s inside the family.”

…!

Both of their eyes widened.

Around this point, Vikir finally revealed his true intention.

“For half a day. Please lend me the Seven Knights of the Baskerville family.”

It amounted to half of the Baskerville family’s military power. It was a combat power capable of wiping out a minor country in a single day.