I Am Really The Best Anti Hero In Another World!-System Of Anti Hero!-Chapter 46 - A Heavy and Painful Burden

"...Do you really believe that boy can help her? We've searched so hard and found nothing... What makes you think that in this lost little town things will be any different...? He must be lying!" said the woman as she slammed the door shut.

The old man continued walking slowly toward the stairs, murmuring,

— ...I really don't know...

with his head bowed.

"What do you mean you don't know? You entrusted her life to someone without even being sure?!" the woman exclaimed, her voice choked with emotion.

He gave her a quick look, and soon she muttered an apology, lowering her head.

The old man sighed,

— ...I understand what you mean. He did entrust her to me, but...I have no idea how to save her. I didn't know before, and even after we left that place, nothing has changed... What was he thinking, after all? I've searched every nook and cranny and still found nothing. And he knew that...! He believed I could find some solution by taking her out from under his wings and putting her at risk, leaving only the two of us to protect her!

Anger flashed in his eyes as he raked his hands over the railing, then the old man sighed once more, struggling to keep his composure:

— For all these years, while we hid, I kept searching for a way to cure her...but what has that accomplished? Just like before, nothing was found. Not even a miserable clue... And while we traveled with her the world over, limiting her actions as much as possible, we even had to hide from her that her own father pushed her away. Because that's exactly what he did. He knew I wouldn't find a way to save her, so he simply traded her for that bastard. And by doing so, he finally found the 'perfect son'—not only because that boy bears an uncanny resemblance to him, but even in character, it seems.

After hearing all that, the woman, her head bowed and trembling, whispered,

— Sir... I can't believe he actually abandoned his daughter like this...

The old man regarded her for a brief moment, then turned and sat on the stairs, saying:

—...I understand you...I'd say the same, if it weren't for the fact that I know him."

He slowly lifted his head, gazing at the blue sky unfolding above the trees, and continued:

— In the beginning, he knew how to hide it very well. But later, when he realized that his beloved daughter could not be used to boost his influence through marriage—nor, for that matter, through military might—he simply distanced himself. And while everyone around thought he was searching for a cure for her, the truth was that his greatest concern at the time was to find a new wife to replace his late one. And, consequently, a new son to replace his 'useless daughter'... And he really did that...

At that moment, tears began to stream slowly down the old man's face as he added:

— Five years after the first one died, he found a new wife... and also had a new son, a boy as talented as he himself... Now tell me: do you remember seeing him with her after that boy was born? Don't lie—I know you've always been by my niece's side.

"...No..." replied the woman.

The old man lowered his head, wiping away his tears, and murmured:

—...Well... to answer your question: yes, I left her fate in someone else's hands.

Surprised, the woman quickly lifted her face, but before she could speak, the old man went on:

— Because he knew that it would be impossible to find a cure, and so he preferred to impose on me the burden of watching her die slowly. And, obviously, that task falls to me.

"So, you mean to say that..."

"Yes... that boy is simply the outlet for all my anger and frustration for being unable to keep alive the only thing she left me in this world."

"But, sir! That means you're going to...!"

"She has no more time... If that scoundrel had spoken the truth, things would be very different today. But, since that was an obvious lie, I brought that boy along so that, at the very least, I wouldn't have to witness her being consumed by the flames... I'm tired... Tired beyond measure of continuing like this until everything comes to an end."

A profound expression of sorrow was reflected on the woman's face as, looking once again at the sky, the old man continued:

—...Sincerely, I truly hope, deep down, that this boy can help her... though I know it's impossible... But... if it happens... I will owe you an enormous debt. A debt that I will probably never be able to repay in my entire life.