C120
Doha's daily routine was very simple. When the morning sun rose, he would get up and tidy the blankets. Then, after stretching slightly, he would go to the bathroom and wash his body.
His breakfast mainly consisted of salads, soups, and simple toast.
On exceptionally hungry days, he would eat oil pasta with vegetables and clams, or a sandwich with arugula, apples, and cheese. He always cooked for himself.
When he hired a servant, he would usually inform them that he received a reward from the temple. At first, there were many trials and errors, like burning bread and making unidentified pasta, because he had never cooked anything before.
In his childhood, when he had no power, he didn't have space or money to cook, so he ate hard bread. However, Doha was different now. Thanks to his innate sensitive taste, his cooking speed was very fast.
Moreover, since he had been living alone for over a decade, there was no food he couldn't make anymore. After breakfast, he would clean the house. It was too big for one person to live in, so it took quite some time to get used to it. Still, Doha enjoyed cleaning.
It was fascinating and fun to create a clean space with your own hands. After cleaning, he would take a light walk. It was also enjoyable to go to the market and buy groceries.
"Mr. Bellion! The apples are incredibly cheap today! Come on, hurry up!"
"Mr. Bellion, don't you need more meat?"
Kind-hearted merchants called out to Doha here and there. Since he settled in this village three years ago, he had always been walking around the market at the same time and had learned quite a bit from the merchants.
His life as "Doha Bellion" instead of "Mikhail Dohabellion" was very strange. He seemed to feel very little about the joy of reclaiming his real name, yet such small joy would quickly fade in the face of great loneliness.
The path home with a shopping cart was sometimes terribly silent. His house was lonely, far from the center of the village, so Doha was the only one walking down the street.
As he walked, not fully comprehending, memories from the past began to bloom and surround him. Sometimes, they were memories of when he was bewildered by Lariette's magic, and sometimes, the memory of whispering to her, telling her not to leave him, haunted him.
However, the most painful memory was the day they laughed and chatted together with Lariette.
Among them, a feeling of loneliness that seemed as if his whole body was crumbling, as he recalled the sensation of that moment when he was acknowledging his feelings for her in the dessert shop.
However, after going to the Candel mansion about two years ago and helping Lariette's daughter, the pain had eased. Probably because it alleviated some of the guilt.
After taking a walk, Doha had lunch with fresh vegetables and meat. Upon finishing, he spent time with his hobbies such as reading books, exercising, and listening to music. Thus, Doha's days passed so smoothly that they became boring.
Until 'he' comes.
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Even on that day, Doha was having a very ordinary day. After returning from the market and having lunch, he was relaxing on the couch, reading a cookbook, while thinking about what food to have for dinner and which ingredients to use first.
"Is it lasagna again?"
Doha, who had been pondering over chin bumps for a long time, finally decided on the menu and closed the book. At that moment, the incident happened.
Uuung-!
In the middle of the living room, there was a portal that opened out of nowhere on the floor that Doha had caressed and polished all morning.
"What is this...?!"
Doha frowned and watched as the carpet he had painstakingly chosen was scattered through the portal. Despite the embarrassed voice, his mind remained completely rational.
"Could it be the paladins? You're still trying to catch me."
In an instant, a holy spear materialized in his hand. Doha naturally grasped the spear and continued his thoughts.
"How did you find the location? Who reported it? Life here was quite comfortable, but it's unfortunate that I have to move."
Such was the life of a fugitive. By the time he settled somewhere and adapted a little, paladins sent from the temple would find him.
Their skills always fell short compared to Doha, so Doha often managed to escape their attacks.
However, while it wasn't difficult to escape, it was challenging to settle in a new place. Creating a new identity, finding a new home, and devising new interiors for your new home... It was fun at first, but then it became regretful to leave behind the house and furniture of that kind. Doha looked around his house, waiting for the paladins to come out through the portal.
"I really liked that table. It went well with the tablecloth. Can I get another table like that...?"
It was a look of regret. However, when he sensed movement in the portal, Doha's face turned cold. It was an attitude that he couldn't underestimate those who wanted to commit suicide. Doha was confident that no matter who came out of the portal, he wouldn't lose. He trusted that he wouldn't be ashamed.
On several occasions, the priests he encountered joined forces with the Paladins to capture him. Joshua, his exclusive priest, was one of them.
"Did Joshua hold a grudge against me when he was stunned by my spear?" Doha tried to recall the face of his former subordinate, but it faded away.
And finally, someone appeared in the portal. Doha was so surprised and embarrassed that he opened his mouth wide. It was because an absurd person with an absurd greeting appeared.
"Hello, big brother!"
Estella, ten years old this year, emerged from the portal with a bright smile.
Tack~
The window slipped from Doha's hand and rolled across the floor.
"Uh... How are you here...?"
"Why and how did Lariette's daughter end up in this place? —Doha pointed at the child with a desperate expression. The child then smiled and responded with a face resembling Lariette."
"I didn't say thank you back then! If there's something to be thankful for, I'm a good kid if I say thank you, but I almost became a bad kid because I couldn't do that, and I didn't want to be a bad kid, so I asked my first brother to ask my second brother, and I made a magic door like this because the doctor brother and I were connected!"
Doha lost the confidence of not losing for the first time. What the hell is this girl talking about? His mind went blank. He simply couldn't understand; just by reasoning, it seemed like she asked Lariette's second child to create a portal to thank him.
However, it was impossible to grasp how the second child, who was a teenager, opened the magical portal, and what it meant that their energy and the energy of the third child were connected.
"Doctor brother, thank you."
Especially, that title was the strangest. Still, what kind of brother is your brother to you, who is roughly the same age as your parents? Doha sighed as he touched his greasy forehead with his finger. Instead of being embarrassed, he had to figure out what was happening in front of him.
"Little one, there are three things you need to know.
"I'm not a kid, I'm Estella..."
"First. This is trespassing."
"What's trespassing?"
"Is it a ladybug?" Estella laughed as she recalled the cute ladybug. Doha sighed deeply once again."
"Second. Does your mother know you're here?"
This time Estella closed her mouth. It seemed like she had gone without Lariette's knowledge. As she pursed her lips, she looked around and sighed.
"There must be a commotion in Candel." Doha thought that and clicked his tongue.
"Third. I am four years older than your mother, so drop the strange titles."
"Do you hate being called big brother? Strange, my brothers like it... And it means your face is totally like a brother's."
"I hate it."
"Then, how should I address you?"
"Don't call me."
As Doha kept responding, Estella puffed her cheek, dissatisfied. Although that face was adorable, it was only a burden for Doha.
"I heard your gratitude very well, so you can go back now. And don't do anything like this again in the future."
If you don't want to be scolded, it's better not to tell your parents. She smiled refreshingly and led the child to a still-open portal. Estella looked at Doha with a gloomy face and soon followed him in silence.
However, Estella was the girl who resembled Lariette the most, both in appearance and character. In other words, it meant she couldn't control her actions.
"Alright, see you next time!"
Estella smiled brightly like cherry blossoms in spring and disappeared into the portal. Doha, who was left alone, stared at the point where his usual routine had been completely disrupted.
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Estella kept her promise to meet again. Of course, for Doha, it was a meeting he didn't want at all, but that was something Estella didn't care about. She believed they should meet, and she wanted to meet, so they had to do it.
This logic was established in the child's little mind. So Estella often went to play at Doha's house, thanks to the portal created by her genius archmage brother, Edwin.
Whenever Estella visited Doha, he would shout at her to return immediately, hating every time she came to see him. Still, when the child wouldn't listen, he gave up his precious house and even moved away. However, Estella's claim that "the energy is connected between the brother and me" was true.
Whether it was because both were loved by God or because Doha's energy flowed into her while healing her years ago, Estella could find him wherever Doha was.
Tired of pushing and moving, Doha finally accepted Estella into his daily life. However, to avoid getting entangled with Lariette in any way, he pledged to minimize interactions with the children as much as possible. So a year had passed.
"Brother Doha, can't you make dessert?"
Sitting in front of Doha's beloved table, Estella, who spilled pasta sauce on Doha's beloved tablecloth, ate a lot of pasta and asked, patting her bulging belly. When Estella murmured that she wanted to eat something, Doha pretended not to hear, but eventually he would prepare it.
If it was a meal that required many hands, he would prepare it from the night before Estella's arrival. Contrary to the promise of minimizing interaction, Doha was already stained with the children. It had reached a point where he couldn't imagine everyday life without children.
"I won't. And don't call me brother."
But strangely enough, it wasn't so much about dessert.
Baking wouldn't be a problem with that level of skill in the kitchen, but Doha didn't even attempt it. It was because he had memories of eating sweet desserts with Lariette.
"Why not make it? And I will call you brother."
"...Stop asking questions, little one. Go home quickly. Why do you keep coming even after Rie scolds you every time?"
"I'm not little! It's Estella!"
"Yes, go home, Estella. You ladybug."
Doha had been teasing her since Estella called him a ladybug upon her arrival. Estella pouted for a moment, then approached with a bulging look and handed something to Doha. It was like a round bead.
"Thank you for cooking all the time. Brother Edwin made it."
"What is it?"
He didn't miss the gratitude. Doha muttered with a small smile. Unbeknownst to him, he was laughing.
"It's an artifact called 'What would have happened if I had done this in the past?'" A dream that shows how the future would have changed if the past had changed.
"...What?"
"Brother Edwin ate the cake that Mother had saved, so Mother, who is completely stubborn, punished him, and he did it while reflecting on that. It activates by pressing the button here. You can write it three times, so use it in moderation!"
Doha's body stiffened for a moment. The face where the smile lingered also hardened.
The child, who didn't notice this, bid him goodbye, saying he would go home and opened the portal. Doha shook hands with the child and looked at the artifacts in his hand. Estella left, and a familiar silence enveloped Doha.
Doha hesitated for a while and looked at the artifact, finally pressing the button. Slowly, his consciousness faded away.
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As usual, Estella escaped her mother's scolding with one ear. Then she took the prepared basket and opened the portal.
"Why does my mother keep preventing me from meeting Brother Doha?"
How lovely Doha's brother is! His food is tastier than my chef's! And he's so handsome too! Estella nodded her head as if agreeing with her own thoughts. Naturally, children also liked good-looking and beautiful people.
And in the eyes of a child, Doha was the most good-looking and beautiful person in the world. Unlike other people, he continued to grumble or treat her coldly, but it was amusing to wonder if he was hurt.
Brother Edwin hurriedly brought water when she moved while eating.
Estella smiled happily and stepped through the portal. This time, she was eager to see how he would greet and receive her. However, the scene that unfolded before her eyes was different from her expectations.
Doha, who was always reading a book in neat clothes, sat on the bed with a disheveled appearance. Even his long hair was not in order.
Doha bit his lips tightly and covered his face with his two large hands. Thick drops of water flowed through the gaps between his fingers.
"Bro, brother! Are you crying? Why are you crying?!"
Doha shed tears without saying anything. He had a dream, a dream to show him what would have happened if he had met Lariette before Duke Candel.
"Did something sad happen? Why, why are you crying?"
"No."
Doha replied quietly. It would be sad to wake up after having a pleasant dream, but it wouldn't be sad because it wasn't a pleasant dream. In the first dream, Doha lovingly whispered to Lariette before meeting Duke Candel.
He healed her early on and assured her that she had nothing to worry about, yet Lariette chose Duke Candel for reasons unknown. Upon waking up, Doha used the artifact again. This time, before Lariette left Blanche Manor, he approached her and built a relationship step by step, never giving her a chance to meet Duke Candel.
However, even then, Lariette chose Duke Candel. The reason was unknown, but the result was the same for the third time.
"No matter what, Lariette and I couldn't connect."
Hopelessness and regret came at once. Tears and laughter mingled as Doha slowly raised his hand and looked at the girl in front of him. Estella was worried about him, saying she didn't know what to do.
"Estella, I told you not to come."
"But I want to play with my brother..."
"Don't you have friends? Play with your friends."
"I want to be friends with my brother."
"Friend." It was the word that defined Lariette and himself. At one point, the word was detestable, but as he lost his qualifications, he lost it. Doha bit his lips and erased his memories. A quieter voice followed.
"You can't be my friend."
"Why not?"
"That's what it originally was."
The "why" of that guy is always troublesome. Doha thought that and turned his head. Estella left a strong impression in that appearance. The child kicks the bed! And she hit him, raising her voice.
"There's no such thing as 'originally'! I'll be your friend, and that's what's in my heart!"
Upon hearing Estella's resolute voice, he looked at the girl without understanding. Those eyes that looked at him directly were familiar for some reason.
"Brother?"
"...What?"
"Brother, how does your heart feel?"
"My heart?" It was a very strange question for Doha. For the first time, he looked at his heart very slowly. It was lonely, the life of not having a deep relationship with anyone, running away and living alone was very lonely. The time that passed slowly only with himself was a curse.
"Doha, I hope you'll be happy."
The day he broke up with Lariette, her words kept spinning around his ears.
"...I want to."
Tears fell on his rough skin. Doha showed his sincerity for the first time in front of a child who resembled the woman he loved.
"I want to be happy..."
"Yes, I want to be happy too." Doha murmured sadly.
"It's okay, I'll help you!"
Estella smiled cheerfully and declared. Then she took something out of the basket she had in her hand.
"First of all, let's eat the wheat leaves I brought! Eating sweet things makes me happy!"
With the girl's confident words, he burst into laughter unknowingly. The "Doha Bellion" that had been buried deep in his heart spontaneously emerged.
"Yes, I like sweet things too."
Doha lifted a fork and carefully cut the wheat leaf. Then he added before putting it into his mouth.
"And from now on, call me uncle, not brother. Uncle."
It was sweet.
Tags:
ITDHL (Novel)