Chapter 245

The everyday life in the hut, which seemed like it would continue indefinitely, changed one day.

First, Eve, who had grown fond of living with Peter and Emily, left home.

She only left behind a letter expressing her gratitude for their care.

According to the letter, it seemed that Eve had longed to see a broader world.

When Emily heard the news of Eve’s departure, she expressed her sorrow and frustration, saying it was unreasonable to leave without a proper goodbye.

[If I heard “Don’t leave” during the farewell, I thought I might have lingering feelings and wouldn’t be able to leave. I’m sorry for leaving so suddenly without a goodbye.]

Reading this letter, Emily had no choice but to reluctantly accept Eve’s decision.

If they had said their goodbyes, it was clear that Emily would have tried to hold Eve back.

The same was true for Peter, so both tried to accept that Eve had left as calmly as possible.

Though they worried, they believed that a sharp-minded child like Eve would find her own way regardless of where she went.

“Emily, it’s morning. It’s time to get up and have breakfast.”

“Ugh… just five more minutes, five more minutes…”

“…Alright. If you’re tired, sleep a bit more.”

However, each time they felt Eve’s absence, there was an undeniable sense of emptiness.

That’s how much space Eve had occupied in their hearts.

However, when something bad happens, good things also come.

“…Hehe, teacher. Did you sleep well?”

“Ah, Emily. What’s the matter? You’re awake earlier than usual.”

“Well, I guess I’m less tired than before because I’m not in pain anymore…”

“Really…? Oh, I see.”

Perhaps it was because something unfortunate had happened, there was also good news.

Starting from the day Eve left, Emily’s condition, which had been steadily deteriorating, began to improve miraculously.

“Is it alright to come this far?”

“Of course, teacher. I’m all better now.”

“…Good. That’s really good.”

Emily was recovering her health day by day.

Her once emaciated body began gaining weight.

Even in her breathing, which used to be shallow, vitality now flowed.

If this transformation, which she had long wished for, wasn’t called a miracle, what could be called one?

“Take care, teacher!”

“Yeah, Emily. Look after the house.”

“Yes, leave it to me!”

“Haha, I can count on you. Well then, I’ll be back.”

The emptiness left by Eve was undoubtedly significant, but Emily’s recovered health began to fill that void little by little.

Laughter now echoed in the hut more frequently than before, or perhaps even more than it used to.

This was partly because Emily had regained her health, but more so because Peter had changed.

For Peter, life had always been about preparing for the end.

Because Emily’s end would mean his own end as well.

However, that was no longer the case.

After his life ended, she would continue to live on.

That simple fact transformed Peter.

“Teacher, what are you thinking? You have a strange expression.”

“…Just thinking about how long I can live. I need to be alive until you become a proper adult…”

“What kind of nonsense is that? You have to live a long time.”

“Haha, yeah. I should live a long time, just like you said.”

The man, who had only been preparing for the end until now, began contemplating the future of the one who would live on after his death.

He could now think about a future, something he had never considered before.

And so Peter asked.

“Have you ever thought about what kind of person you want to be when you grow up?”

“When I’m older? Hmm… I haven’t really thought about it…”

And in response to that question.

“Ah! I just thought of one! I want to be a teacher like you, someone who can teach many things to others!”

The girl answered like this.

She wanted to be a teacher who could share a lot.

Peter thought that it wouldn’t be very good for her to want to be like him.

He didn’t consider himself a particularly admirable person.

However, if that was what she wished for, her dream.

Since there was only one thing he could do for her, Peter made a decision.

“…Really? Then I’ll have to teach you harder than before. Haha, I’ll have to study more to teach you.”

“Wha… I have to study even more than now…?”

“Let’s work hard together. Hahaha.”

He decided to live his remaining life to the best of his ability so that he could become someone as admirable as she wished to emulate.

That was the best atonement he could offer for her.

Peter made an effort to teach Emily many things as he had promised.

He shared the wisdom needed to live in the world—what he had learned throughout his life.

Though there were countless things to teach, time was limited.

As Emily grew, Peter aged day by day.

The toll of his youth spent on the battlefield caught up to him eventually.

There were still many things he hadn’t taught her.

And with little time left, he fervently wished.

Just a bit more, just a bit more.

To be granted a little more time.

But unfortunately, the heavens didn’t grant that wish.

And Peter realized.

That miracles are typically things that don’t happen; it was a painfully obvious truth.

As time flowed by, the little girl, Emily, had suddenly grown into a proper young lady.

“Cough, cough.”

“Ah, teacher! Are you okay?”

Meanwhile, Peter’s health worsened, forcing him to spend most of his time in bed.

He, who once cared for the sick, was now the one being cared for.

Peter smiled wryly at the fact while slowly looking at Emily, who had approached him.

When did she grow up like this?

Seeing her thrive under the care of a flawed person reassured Peter that he could leave without worry.

Still,

“…I have something to say. Will you listen for a moment?”

He felt that he didn’t have no lingering attachments.

Peter lightly grasped Emily’s hand, feeling that there wasn’t much time left to release those feelings.

When Emily nodded, Peter opened his mouth toward her.

“…There was once a man who was an orphan. Raised with the help of the country, he became a soldier per the nation’s wishes. The soldier fought in war after war and, one day, he killed a couple who were his enemies.”

“…”

“And then he learned that they had a young child who was still nursing. The man realized that he had made that child an orphan and for the first time, he became disenchanted with what he had been doing. In an attempt to atone, he took the child in and raised them.”

What Peter was speaking of now was his own lingering feelings, his secret, which he had never shared in his lifetime.

“The man hid the fact that he killed the child’s parents and raised them. He had many opportunities to speak the truth, but he always worried about being hated by the child, and thus he spent his life in anxiety.”

“…”

“It was a tormenting experience. To hide and deceive someone with a secret. At times, I thought it would have been better to confess it sooner.”

How torturous those days had been.

Would he be forgiven if he confessed the truth?

Wanting forgiveness yet ultimately lacking the courage to speak, those times had been unbearably agonizing.

Thus, Peter revealed his feelings with a wistful gaze.

“So it’s alright to stop now. Eve.”

“…Huh?”

At that sentence, Emily muttered in confusion, then asked,

“…When did you know?”

She inquired in a small voice, almost in surrender.

Her expression was one of great surprise.

Eve had no idea that Peter had realized everything.

She had sealed away her abilities to live thoroughly as Emily, so she hadn’t caught on at all.

Seeing the bewildered Eve, Peter responded.

“I just naturally came to know at some point.”

In retrospect, it was a natural conclusion.

The fact that Emily, who had been struggling, suddenly got well was something that didn’t make sense.

And that Eve, who had been doing well, had suddenly disappeared.

The identity of someone who would go so far as to masquerade as Emily.

Seeing Peter answer casually made Eve timidly ask.

“Aren’t you resentful? Since I deceived you while playing the role of Emily?”

To Eve’s anxious question, Peter replied.

“Maybe what you did was because you realized what I might do over the loss of Emily. Isn’t that right, Eve? You’ve always been a talented child. Why would I resent you for doing your best out of concern for me?”

Eve, seeming to be wrestling with her own thoughts, responded in a confused manner.

“If you knew, why didn’t you say anything sooner…”

“Well, I wondered about that myself. But it seemed like you wanted me to not know. After all, I did that.”

He answered that he was keeping it a secret because he hoped she wouldn’t find out.

He had also kept that secret because he wished Emily never learned that he was the one who killed her parents.

When Peter answered this, Eve looked at him with a slightly cryptic expression.

It seemed to ask why he was only saying this now. Peter chuckled bitterly and continued.

“Actually, I was waiting for you to tell me first. But I ran out of time, so I couldn’t wait anymore. Eve, while living with secrets is painful, it’s far more painful to never get to share those secrets. I realized that when I let Emily go. I regret not talking about it sooner. I didn’t want you to have the kind of regret I did.”

Knowing it takes great courage to reveal a secret, Peter had been waiting for her to reveal it first.

However, as the time had grown too short, he could only message her.

Peter wished for Eve not to have the same regret in the future.

“Teach… I…”

At Peter’s words, Eve’s eyes trembled as if there were an earthquake.

Out of guilt.

From anxiety and restlessness.

Deep down, Eve also struggled with the guilt of deceiving him.

But Eve couldn’t speak.

She knew she was not an ordinary human.

When Peter discovered that truth, she feared he might come to despise her.

Even now, she was anxious.

What if he viewed her as that kind of monster?

When she couldn’t even read his thoughts, at that moment, Peter spoke.

“Eve, I don’t care at all.”

As if he had read her thoughts.

“I forgive you for deceiving me. No matter what you are or where you’ve been, I don’t care. You are my student and a precious family to me and Emily. So, it’s alright.”

It was all okay. He said he forgave her and didn’t care.

That’s what Peter told her.

“Yes, yes…”

At those longed-for words, Eve found herself crying without even realizing it.

She was shocked by how he could say the very words she had wanted to hear.

Eve found great comfort in Peter’s words.@@novelbin@@

But then, as Eve looked into Peter’s eyes, she understood how he could say such things without using his powers.

Because Peter had been saying it all along.

Because he was the one who needed to hear those words most.

Therefore, wiping her tears, Eve said to Peter.

“…Teacher, do you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“Actually, Emily also knew all about the secret you kept.”

At her words, Peter looked surprised for a moment and then smiled, muttering.

“…Emily was a sharp child, so that might be true. I see, she must have known all along.”

“And if it’s Emily, she surely must have said something like this to you.”

Eve spoke, confident that she knew more about Emily than anyone.

“That she doesn’t care. Even if you were the one who killed her parents or didn’t tell her the truth, she would forgive you without a second thought. Because you are a precious family.”

And after hearing those words.

The one who had yearned to hear such words his entire life, but never received them,

“…Yeah. If it’s Emily, I can imagine her saying something like that.”

He smiled for a moment, murmuring quietly.

“Ugh… W-wait… Gah…”

Finally, he couldn’t hold back his tears.

Eve, who understood his feelings better than anyone, quietly comforted him until his tears ceased.

After a long time crying, Peter, with a relieved smile, said to Eve.

“Thank you, Eve. Hearing you say that has put my mind a bit more at ease.”

At his words of gratitude, Eve smiled silently, holding his hand.

“…Eve, do you remember what you told me before?”

“…What say?”

“…You said you wanted to be a teacher when you grew up. Do you still think that way?”

Eve nodded, recalling her words from before.

She still wanted to be someone who could share many things, just like him, with a warm heart.

And her mentor, the teacher she respected,

With a gentle smile, told her.

“You, will surely become a far better teacher than I…”

The teacher softly murmured in a low voice, closing his eyes as if falling asleep.

He drifted into a long slumber, wearing a happy expression.

Surely, he must be having sweet dreams.

“…Goodnight, teacher.”