Dad is Back From a Deserted Island - Chapter 62

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Father has returned from the Deserted Island
Chapter 62

A gaunt man with dark circles beneath his eyes spoke with urgency, spittle flying from his lips as he gestured frantically.
“Our villagers have traded wool goods in Norvalang for generations. The most developed place in Norvalang is surely Valfraud, is it not? I’ve been frequenting that district for over a decade now. At first, it wasn’t like this, but as time passed, fewer people came, and the atmosphere grew increasingly desolate.”
Valfraud.
Vivian unfolded a map to verify the location. It was a village situated in the southern region of Norvalang.
“It wasn’t plague, nor did taxes suddenly rise, yet people vanished nonetheless. It was unnatural. When I pressed them for answers, they offered nothing.”
The man bore the unmistakable marks of rejection from those around him. For someone whose livelihood hung in the balance, such silence must have been agonizing.
“So I wandered about, anxious to find new trading partners, when—have you ever witnessed flocks of birds so vast they blot out the entire sky?”
The man possessed considerable eloquence. Jean and Vivian found themselves shaking their heads without thinking.
“These were not migratory birds that return seasonally. Each flock was composed of entirely different species! They cried out as they flew, as though fleeing from something. I should have turned back then, but this cursed curiosity of mine—I had to know. So I followed the direction from which the birds came, and—”
The man’s body trembled violently.
“There stood a great castle. I knew of its existence, of course! I knew it was abandoned, that no one dwelt there. But then—there was someone standing in the castle’s windows.”
As he continued, his face drained of all color. Now that I observed him more carefully, he appeared as one who had not slept in days.
“A demon with blazing crimson eyes stood there. A demon had appeared in that forsaken castle. No wonder people were fleeing. If we continued trading with that place and calamity spread to our village, what would become of us?”
The man’s anxiety intensified, his words tumbling forth ever faster.
“If the demon curses us, if our sheep flee as those birds did, we shall starve. Yet when I urged others to seek new trading partners, none would believe me. They say demons don’t exist in this world.”
“How can you be certain it was a demon? Did it possess horns or wings?”
“No. No horns, no wings—but I simply knew. Just as one who sees a beast for the first time recognizes it as a beast, I knew. That was no human…!”
In response to Jean’s question, the man delivered his final passionate plea before suddenly swaying on his feet. One of the villagers standing nearby caught him as he stumbled.
“Goodness, this Theo hasn’t slept a wink. My lord, young lady, pay no mind to his words. He’s been superstitious since childhood—won’t even use a blade on Friday the thirteenth because he deems it unlucky. He must have seen some birds flying about and frightened himself into this state.”
Demons don’t exist in this world, after all.
The villagers laughed and dispersed, but Jean and Vivian could not bring themselves to smile.
It was fortunate that I had learned the specific name of the location the Ancient Tree had mentioned.
‘Human…surely?’
Yet such doubt was impossible to dispel.

* * *

The rumors about the demon grew more concrete the closer one approached Norvalang and Valfraud.
They said a ghost had appeared in the abandoned castle.
Others insisted it wasn’t a ghost, but a demon.
They said even horses refused to go near that place.
They said fog rolled in every day the demon revealed itself.
They said not a single blade of grass could grow properly in the castle where the demon dwelt.
“Ron, these rumors are so ominous. We won’t be able to ask anyone anything.”
“Yeah, and everyone’s so wary of us on top of that.”
As the people’s expressions grew darker and their suspicion of outsiders more pronounced, even finding a room to rent became nearly impossible.
Jean de Lamber and Vivian, who had managed to spend only one night in a house abandoned after its inhabitants moved to another province, finally set foot in Valfraud.
“They said this was the most bustling place in Norvalang—”
The atmosphere was truly desolate. Not a soul walked the streets, not even a stray cat.
Looking at the wide roads and densely packed buildings, it must have once been a place teeming with people.
In the distance, beyond the buildings, a towering castle wall asserted its presence. Unlike the multicolored structures around it, it stood alone, painted a stark white.
“That must be it, Father?”
“Yes. Let’s go take a look.”
Jean de Lamber carefully guided the carriage toward the castle.
Standing against the backdrop of eternal snow that never melted, the White Castle appeared at first glance as though it were buried in the snow itself.
The claim that it was an abandoned castle proved true—the white walls were cracked in places, and thin layers of snow and ice clung to the statues adorning the walls.
With no one to maintain it, the stone path leading to the castle was half-consumed by withered grass and rough shrubs.
In an atmosphere that offered little comfort, Vivian swallowed hard—
“Neeeigh—!”
The horse, which had been pulling the carriage obediently under Jean de Lamber’s guidance, suddenly cried out and stopped in its tracks.
“What? Why is this creature acting up all of a sudden?”
Despite the urging, the horse remained immovable. Instead, it stubbornly turned around and tried to retrace the path they had come.
“Brown! What’s wrong!”
Only after Vivian, who had even named the horse during their journey to Norvalang, stepped forward did the horse settle with a snort.
“Nnngh, nnngh.” [Vivian, this place is dangerous. You can’t go there.]
“Huh?”
“Nnngh, nnngh nnngh.” [It’s a dangerous place. I can sense it.]
“Vivian, is the horse telling you something?”
“Yes, it says this place is dangerous. That we shouldn’t go there….”
Vivian jumped down from the carriage.
Gently stroking Brown’s mane as the horse remained anxious and restless, Vivian spoke.
“Brown. It’s alright, so calm down. I won’t force you to go somewhere that frightens you. But I have to go there. I have to find a way to wake Kiki. I have to find it somehow.”
Truthfully, there was no guarantee that whoever—person or demon—lived in that castle could wake Kiki.
But Vivian could only cling to the single clue the Ancient Tree had given her: a person who gave off a feeling similar to the Dragon.
At the desperation in her voice, Brown, who had been nervously tossing his head, brought his cheek to Vivian’s face in comfort.
“Neigh neigh.” [If I go to that castle, can I wake the Divine Beast?]
“I’m not certain…. But there’s nowhere else I can trust right now.”
“Huff.” [Understood.]
Brown’s breath ruffled Vivian’s hair. After gesturing for Vivian to climb back into the carriage, Brown resumed walking the moment she settled in.
“Thank you, Brown! You’ve brought us this far—you don’t need to go any further!”
“Prrring.” [I won’t go inside. I’ll only take you to the gate.]
“Father. We still have carrots, right? We need to give Brown carrots! He’s terrified, but he’s going anyway because we asked him to.”
“Yes, yes, we have carrots… Tonight I’ll feed him so many carrots his belly will burst.”
Jean de Lamber answered, his expression bewildered as he held the reins.
The carriage rolled slowly toward the City Gate.
Standing before the gate, Brown exhaled rough, anxious breaths in succession.
“Thank you so much, Brown. You’ve done well.”
While Jean de Lamber descended first to survey the area around the gate, Vivian affectionately soothed Brown before heading toward the entrance.
Clang.
Through the iron bars, the interior appeared so desolate that I was certain no one maintained it. I had expected it to be open, yet the gate stood firmly shut.
“Oh no, we can’t possibly climb over such a high wall.”
Jean de Lamber, who had rattled the gate several times, muttered in frustration. Alone, he might have found a way over, but carrying Vivian made it impossible.
Within the silent city, only the metallic clanging of the gate echoed as Jean de Lamber, unwilling to abandon hope, continued to rattle it.
“…Who goes there?”
Soon after the commotion, a gaunt Old Man poked his head out from within the city.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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