~Chapter 40~
The only reason Johann suddenly came to the cabin was because of Raphaella.
He had been comforting his daughter, who was crying her heart out on a garden bench because she missed her mom.
Is this pain I’m feeling right now… fatherly love?
Johann realized he didn’t want to see his daughter sad anymore.
He wanted to erase all the sadness from her little face and fill it with joy and laughter.
…I can’t believe I’m thinking like this.
Maybe the memories of her were coming back with his headaches.
Or maybe he was just tired of seeing his daughter constantly upset.
Whatever the reason, he knew one thing for sure:
He wanted to see her smile.
And for that to happen, she needed her
mom.
But he couldn’t just bring that woman from the North here right away.
…Guess I’ll have to use that method.
He thought about a technique he’d promised himself only to use in emergencies.
“Raphaella, do you miss your mom a lot?”
“Sniff… Yes.”
She nodded, eyes full of tears.
“Then I’ll try to help you see her a little sooner.”
“…Really?”
She stopped crying and looked up at him
with hope.
“But Mommy’s really far away… she can’t come so fast.”
“With a bit of magic, she can.”
“Magic?”
“Yeah, a very special kind of magic.”
Raphaella’s tears stopped completely and her eyes lit up with curiosity.
“But it’s a secret kind of magic, so you can’t tell anyone, okay?”
He whispered and put a finger to his lips.
“Can you keep the secret?”
“Yes, I’ll keep it!”
She nodded and whispered back like he did.
“Then I’ll tell you more about it in your room later.”
He picked her up and carried her to her room.
After crying so much and cheering up thanks to Johann, Raphaella even started humming a tune.
The sound of her singing tugged at Johann’s heart.
—
Johann left Raphaella with the maids and went to find Samuel to explain his plan.
Samuel immediately got to work on it.
Next, Johann went to see his mother to let her know what was happening.
“You’re really going to use teleportation magic?”
“Yes. Raphaella’s having a really hard time lately.”
“You must really care about her, if you’re
willing to use that magic.”
“I don’t think anyone will notice, either.”
He looked a bit embarrassed.
“That’s a good thing. Raphaella’s changing you for the better.”
Isabella smiled proudly at her son.
She liked seeing him willing to do anything for his daughter.
In the Valerius Empire, only a handful of people could use teleportation magic.
Johann had become a Swordmaster at a young age, and shortly after, he got curious about high-level magic.
Thanks to his natural mana and determination, he managed to succeed at teleportation after just a few tries.
His enormous amount of mana—something that only came once in a hundred years—helped a lot.
When he told his parents he’d succeeded, the former duke hadn’t been happy.
“You becoming a Swordmaster so young already made the royal family uneasy. If they find out you can teleport too…”
The former duke sighed.
“It’s better to keep this a secret for now.”
“Yes, Johann. That’s the smart move,” Isabella added, also looking concerned.
At the time, Johann had been so excited about his success that he hadn’t thought about the risks.
But after hearing his father’s words, he came to his senses.
I’m supposed to protect the crown prince—not make things harder.
So, as his father advised, he kept his teleportation ability secret from the royal family.
He also decided to only use it in serious situations and when no one else was around.
Since then, he’d only used teleportation magic once—when he was stabbed by a fellow knight during a monster hunt and needed to get away fast.
During his time living in the cabin, he hadn’t used a sword or magic at all. And after coming back, there hadn’t been any reason urgent enough.
Until now.
Now, he was going to use it—for the sole reason of helping Raphaella see her mother sooner.
She’s sick from the stress, he reasoned.
Using teleportation wasn’t being overdramatic—it was necessary.
“I’ll use teleportation from my room. It’ll take about two days, so only Samuel will be going in and out.”
Samuel would tell the staff that the duke was extremely busy and wouldn’t be leaving his room for two days.
He’d also say only he was allowed to enter due to the duke’s bad mood from overworking.
Besides family, only three people knew Johann could teleport:
His aide Samuel, Knight Captain Arthur, and Harry—the one who had gone to the North with Leah.
All of them were absolutely loyal to Johann.
So unless something went wrong, there
was no risk of anyone else finding out.
“But are you okay showing teleportation magic to Raphaella’s mother?”
“She only cares about Raphaella. I trust her to keep it secret.”
“Alright. It’s hard on your body, so make sure to use the best healing mana stones.”
“Yes, I will.”
He nodded.
Teleportation was a very advanced spell that drained a lot of energy.
You had to hold a mana stone filled with strong healing energy while casting it.
Even then, it still wore you out.
“Johann,” Isabella called just before he left.
“I really like this side of you. I think you’ll be an even better parent than we were.”
Her warm hand patted his shoulder.
He felt shy—he hadn’t even done that much for Raphaella yet.
“I’ll take care of her while you’re gone. Go safely.”
—
“…I’ll tell you what kind of magic it was when you’re older, okay?”
It wasn’t that Johann didn’t trust Raphaella—it’s just that kids can accidentally slip up. Better safe than sorry.
“Really? You’ll really tell me?”
“Yes.”
From her bed, Raphaella looked at him with sparkling eyes, full of curiosity.
She really wanted to know—but decided to wait.
She now had a strong wish to grow up faster.
“So for the next two days, I’ll be in my room—but not really there.”
“You’re going to get Mommy?”
“Exactly. But only Samuel and your grandma will know I’m not really in the room.”
“Even I have to pretend you’re still there?”
“Yes.”
Head nod.
“Will you be okay without me for two days?”
“…Yes. Grandma and Aunt Pepie will be with me.”
“Really?”
He asked again, just to make sure.
“Really!”
She answered cheerfully.
It wasn’t like with her mom. She didn’t feel scared or anxious about her dad leaving.
Maybe it was a good sign.
“Alright, then should we sleep now?”
“Yeah! But… can you sing me a lullaby instead of reading a story tonight?”
“…What?”
He stopped mid-reach for a picture book.
“I want to hear the lullaby Mommy used to sing.”
Maybe it was because he’d told her to say what was on her mind earlier.
She wants her mom’s lullaby… I can’t say no to that.
The problem was—Johann had never sung in his life.
“Raphaella… I’m really sorry, but I can’t sing a lullaby.”
“Why not?”
“…I’ve never sung before.”
“…Liar.”
She puffed up her cheeks in frustration.
“Daddy used to sing to me when I was little.”
“…Sorry.”
Johann felt like a criminal.
He’d lost his memories of her, so he had no idea what kind of dad he used to be.
At first, he hadn’t felt guilty at all. It was just uncomfortable.
But now?
“Then I’ll teach you!”
Raphaella, now in a better mood thanks to his apology, offered to teach him.
She gave it her best shot—but honestly, it didn’t help much.
Eventually, tired from all the effort, Raphaella fell asleep.
Johann watched her peacefully sleeping face.
…She still doesn’t call me “Dad.”
He thought they’d gotten pretty close during their time together.
But still… not “Dad.”
Maybe once I bring her mom back, she’ll say it.
—
The next morning at dawn, Johann reminded Samuel of the plan, then started the teleportation spell from his bedroom.
In his left hand, he held a healing mana stone.
With his right, he drew a precise teleportation circle in the air.
The completed circle began to glow white.
He entered the coordinates for the small northern town of Winster.
As soon as he finished, the magic circle lit up brightly and swallowed him whole.
Now, the room was completely empty.
—
Johann arrived on the outskirts of Winster.
Just in case, he checked a few inns nearby.
He thought maybe Leah had come alone and left Harry behind.
Turns out Harry was still there—training outside an inn at dawn.
He was completely shocked to see Johann.
Johann explained the situation and asked why Harry hadn’t gone with Leah to the village.
Harry gave some excuse that Johann didn’t really care about, then told him how to find Leah’s village.
Before Johann left, Harry bought some freshly baked bread from a nearby bakery.
“Miss Leah didn’t take much food with her, so I figured I’d bring some just in case.”
Johann took the bread and headed to Lorem Mountain.
“Are you sure I shouldn’t go with you?”
“No. You’d just get in the way.”
Honestly, Harry might’ve made things a little less awkward—but also maybe more awkward.
Johann also needed to talk about why she left Raphaella behind.
He climbed the mountain without stopping until he reached the village.
On the way to the cabin, a few villagers spotted him and quickly avoided him like he was some kind of monster.
You’d think I was a demon or something.
He didn’t know the exact house, so he tried asking someone—but they freaked out and ran inside.
What the…
He thought about asking someone else, but then got a weird hunch.
If I just keep going this way, I think I’ll find her cabin.
Nothing to lose—might as well try.
Eventually, he reached a cabin that gave him a strange sense of déjà vu.
Feels like… this might be the place.
He knocked.
A moment later, the door opened—then slammed shut immediately.
He stood there, blinking at the door in confusion.
…What just happened?
