In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 246

An elderly woman, a young man, and a young woman, three people who seemed slightly out of place with the surrounding scenery, were slowly strolling through the banquet hall set up in Lombardi Garden.

They were dressed in clothes completely different from the rich and flowing attire of the Imperial nobles. Their garments primarily used vivid primary colors like red, blue, and yellow, featuring a distinct linear beauty with little empty space. Yet, uniquely, the women’s skirts dragged long on the ground. Moreover, they wore accessories carved from wood rather than jewels, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

However, the individuals themselves seemed oblivious to these gazes, as if on a leisurely outing. They took slow, deliberate steps, observing the banquet hall and the nobles in turn.

“Wow, this is amazing,” said the man with dark skin and unusually fiery red hair. “They said the Empire was completely different from us. It’s true what they say, seeing it in person is different from just reading about it!”

The man, who had been constantly exclaiming in admiration at the white tablecloths, the beautifully manicured evergreens, and even the splendid mustache of a passing gentleman, turned to the elderly woman walking ahead of them. “Chief, how are you feeling?”

His tone was casual, but his eyes held a deep affection for the elder, who was called ‘Chief.’

“I’m fine.”

“You can’t just keep saying you’re fine. I’m your dedicated physician, after all. How would I face the tribe if anything happened to you?” Grumbling, the physician picked up a glass of fruit juice from a nearby table. A faint, almost invisible light swirled through the juice once before disappearing. “Hmm. It’s safe. Drink up, Chief.”

“Thank you, Onta.”

While the elderly woman drank her juice, the young woman standing behind her continuously surveyed their surroundings. Her silent, expressionless face and complete lack of unnecessary movement brought to mind a straight-grown tree.

“You were right, Onta,” the Chief said.

“About what, Chief?”

“That the Empire is very different from our tribe.”

“Right? I don’t understand it,” Onta said, frowning unhappily as he glanced at the lavishly dressed nobles passing by. “What’s the reason for all that greed? It would be happier to share with everyone.”

“Everyone has their own way of living.”

“But look, Chief. Among all these people here, how many are truly happy and joyful?” Onta pointed at the crowd with dissatisfaction, and the elder raised her wrinkled eyes to observe them closely. It was a typical outdoor banquet scene, but she seemed to be seeing something invisible to others. The elder watched them for a long time.

“You’re right again, Onta.”

“See?” Onta replied grumpily. “It’s nice to see the Empire, but it doesn’t seem like a place to stay for long. Let’s finish our business quickly and return to the village, Chief.”

“This journey is not decided by your preference, Onta,” the woman acting as a guard finally scolded him. Onta pouted his lips and replied, “I know, Anai. But staying in such a cold region for too long isn’t good for the Chief’s health.”

“…” Anai, who had maintained a poker face throughout, wavered at the mention of the Chief’s health.

“I’ve informed the butler of our arrival, so we’ll know if we wait a bit.”

“Ugh, I’ll just go look around nearby…”

“There’s no need for that,” the Chief said, pointing towards a large building. “They’re coming.”

Anai and Onta’s heads simultaneously turned in that direction. A woman in a red dress was striding towards them, her brown hair flowing behind her.

“It’s Shan’s child,” the wrinkled lips curved into a gentle smile.

“Grandmother, all of a sudden.” My heart pounded fast as I walked towards the place the butler had told me about. “Did Father know?” The thought suddenly crossed my mind. But I quickly dismissed it. If he had known, he would have told me in advance.

“He said it was the garden.” I exited the main building and walked towards the garden. The path required crossing a large outdoor banquet hall.

“Lady Lombardi!”

“Greetings!”

“Congratulations!”

Various nobles spoke to me, making it chaotic, but I nodded once or twice in response and kept walking.

“Ah.” And when I reached the edge of the banquet hall, I spotted three people in the distance. There was no time to wonder if it was them. Their appearance was that unique.

The elder, with long white hair tied up in a bun, my grandmother, met my eyes. Without breaking eye contact, I stood before her.

“Hello. It’s an honor to meet you.” I slowly bowed my head in greeting.

A voice imbued with gentle warmth replied, “It’s good to meet you, Shan’s child.”

Shan’s child. It was true, but a somewhat peculiar way of addressing me. Yet, I liked that aspect. Especially my grandmother’s confident demeanor, completely unconcerned that I was the Lady of Lombardi, and her eyes that didn’t avoid my gaze, were even more appealing.

“Let’s have a chat,” my grandmother said, as if further pleasantries were cumbersome, and led the way into the evergreen forest.

She’s a unique person, I thought, quietly following behind her.

When my grandmother and I reached the center of the forest, the other two had stopped following us at some point.

Rustle, rustle.

When only the sound of our feet on the earth could be heard, my grandmother spoke first. “Shan’s child. Is your name… Florentia?”

“Yes, that’s right. May I know your name, Grandmother?”

When I called her ‘Grandmother,’ she widened her eyes slightly, surprised, then laughed with apparent delight. “My name is Soura. It means ‘snow’ in the tribal language.”

“Tribe…?”

“The <Chara> tribe, which I lead, lives in the jungle region far to the south, bordering the sea. Do you know about us?”

“Ah… perhaps…” It was content from the book <People of the South> that I had read immediately after my regression. The tribe discovered by the scholar Rophili.

“I didn’t know my mother was from that tribe.”

“Heh heh. We don’t often speak of our tribe outside the village. Troubles tend to arise,” my grandmother said, chuckling softly. “Then you must also know that we possess unique abilities.”

“I recall reading in a book that there’s a power called magic.”

“Oh, yes. You must have read the book written by Rophili. That’s right. It’s an ability passed down only through bloodlines.”

However, even as I listened to her explanation, a corner of my mind harbored doubt. Such a power truly exists?

“It’s amusing that you, who know best, still doubt. You’re an interesting child.”

“…Pardon?”

“Haven’t you already experienced the power of magic once? Florentia, who is living the past again.”

Goosebumps rose on my skin. “How… how did you know that?”

“That is my power,” she said, her somewhat hazy eyes looking at me. “I see things others cannot. Sometimes it’s the past, sometimes it’s someone’s thoughts. Very rarely, I even see the future through dreams.”

I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say. My mind went blank, unsure how to act in front of someone who knew I had regressed.

My grandmother, who had been staring at me, said as if it were nothing special, “Everyone in the Chara tribe possesses at least one special power. Onta, over there, has the ability to heal people and create medicine from water.” My grandmother pointed to the man waiting in the distance. “And Anai moves like the wind. She possesses the strength of ten men combined.”

“Then, Grandmother, are you saying… my ability…”

“You probably had the ability to turn back time.”

What kind of superhero ability is that?

“Th-then, what about Mother?”

“Shan’s ability was to see the future. From the color of the flower she would pick tomorrow, to the flood that would kill many people. She could see everything in advance. Shan’s ability was so powerful that everyone thought she would become the Chief after me.”

My mind felt numb, having suddenly heard a kind of birth secret. My grandmother then said to me, “But you are only half. Only half of the Chara tribe’s blood flows in you.”

“Pardon?”

It was a phrase I had heard too often in my previous life. Half-breed. The taunt that no matter how hard I tried, I could only be a half-Lombardi.

Hearing it again after so long still stings.

When I remained silent, my grandmother chuckled again. “Don’t take it the wrong way. It’s actually a good thing.”

“A good thing?”

“The abilities of the Chara tribe come with a price.” My grandmother pointed to the man again. “Onta possesses magic that can save even dying people, but he cannot smile. He feels no joy.”

Next, she pointed to Anai. “Anai is faster and stronger than anyone, but she feels no pain. She wouldn’t know if her stomach was pierced in battle until she bled to death, and she cannot empathize with others’ pain, which led her to commit many sins by hurting others since childhood.”

“Then, are you alright, Grandmother?”

“I…” My grandmother smiled bitterly. “As you can see, my eyes are almost blind. And I lost what was most precious to me.”

What was most precious to Grandmother?

“The price for eyes that could see so much was my daughter, Shan. The stronger the ability, the more precious the thing you lose.”

My grandmother had just said it. My mother’s ability was incredibly powerful.

“Then Mother…”

“Lifespan. The price Shan had to pay was her own lifespan.” My grandmother, having said that, approached me and looked up at me with her hazy eyes. “So, Florentia. Don’t be sad about being a half-breed. Thanks to that, you seem to have escaped the Chara’s shackles.”

An indescribable sadness flickered across my grandmother’s face as she spoke.

“Th-that’s a relief…” I was about to sigh in relief when a question arose. Can I ask this?

As I hesitated, my grandmother said, “You must have many questions. Ask away.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t quite understand. Didn’t you just say that Mother could see the future?”

“That’s right. That was Shan’s ability.”

“But then… Mother must have known why she gave birth to me.” My mother had passed away about a hundred days after giving birth to me. If she had seen her own future, why would she have me?

“Shan knew her future. And of course, your existence, Florentia.”

“Are you saying…”

“Shan chose to give birth to you, Florentia. She left the tribe, her family, in the forest and went to the Empire with Rophili after she finished her research. And then she came to Lombardi territory and met your father.” My grandmother’s hazy eyes grew even cloudier. “Even though she knew she would die.”