Vol. 2 Ch. 10

Author's Note:
I'm releasing a chapter from the backlog that I was saying for the next tier. Due to the lack of electricity, I was unable to write on Monday and Tuesday.

Recurring Characters:

Peter: The Protagonist of this novel.

Mariah: Mother of Peter. Currently suffering from memory loss due to mental ailments.

Recap:

‘I must be too unfamiliar with combat,’ she reasoned. Her surprise only deepened as Peter switched from one weapon to the next, showing the same effortless skill with each. Her lips pressed into a grim line.

...End of Author Note...

‘How can it be?!’ Mariah wiped the sweat from her forehead, her eyes trembling with disbelief. ‘This shouldn’t be possible…’

“How are you doing that?” she asked, unable to hold her curiosity.

Peter stilled and turned around, his face twisted in confusion. “Do what?” he asked.

“That,” Mariah said, voice breaking due to shock and surprise. She pointed at the axes in his hands, still glowing with mana. Taking a deep breath, Mariah continued, “You have switched weapons for the sixth time… how can you wield them with the same ease?”

“Well…,” Peter scratched his head, a sheepish smile on his face. “I have a highly generalised weapons skill—broad enough to cover all the weapons.”

“Aren’t you only ten years old? To even unlock a skill like that, you’d need years of training,” she said, her eyes narrowed, yet her voice only containing curiosity. “And generalised skills are notorious for their levelling difficulty. Based on what you’ve shown me just now, I can safely say…it’s at least above 20.”

Peter shook his head, a soft smile on his lips. “I don’t have the levelling problems that others might encounter,” he said, crouching to collect the weapons scattered around him. He carefully sheathed the small daggers and the swords, and put the blade covers on the axes to protect their edges. Once done, he walked to the main carriage on his left and put them inside.

“Let me guess,” Mariah said, watching him return empty-handed. “Another one of your secrets?”

Peter gave a small nod before settling down across from her, the campfire glowing softly in the space between them. He leaned toward the covered kettle and took a deep breath. “Smells wonderful,” he said, turning his gaze to her. “What are you cooking?” he asked as he cleaned his hands with water from the waterskin.

“A stew,” Mariah answered him, grabbing a cloth before taking the kettle off the fire. The moment she opened the lid, a rich aroma rose into the air, curling around them and teasing their noses. She leaned forward to peek inside and gave a satisfied nod—it looked properly cooked. Grabbing a wooden ladle, she gave the stew a nice stir. The vegetables had softened just enough, the broth was thick with flavour, the rice turned out fluffy, and the meat remained tender and juicy.

Mariah reached to the side, picked up a wooden bowl, filled it with the stew, and passed it to Peter along with a spoon. “Wait,” she said, quickly grabbing the smoked cheese and sliding a slice into his bowl. “Now it’s done,” she added, looking at him as if urging him to take a bite.

Peter gratefully nodded and waited for the cheese to melt from the residual heat. He lifted a spoonful of stew, gently blew on the steam, and brought it to his lips for a careful bite. With his eyes closed, he chewed in silence, the multitude of flavours blooming across his tongue.

The tender meat dissolved with the grains of rice in his mouth, releasing a gentle touch of mana on his tongue. It flowed down his throat like nectar, warming his chest as it settled in his stomach. Peter felt it kindle a quiet heat from within, a slow burn through his veins. He let out a soft breath, lips curling in contentment.

Mariah’s stomach gave a soft rumble as she watched him savour each bite, a blissful expression on his face. She bit her lower lip, hesitating for only a moment before reaching for a clean bowl. Scooping up a portion, she followed his example and gently blew on the steaming stew before taking a bite. Her eyes widened in surprise as the warmth spread across her tongue. A surge of electric current travelled her spine to illuminate her mind. She sat straighter.

“This…,” she muttered between bites. Her brows raised in a delightful surprise. “What kind of meat was that?” she asked, feeling the food nourishing her body. The effect was negligible, but still.

“It’s from a terror bird I took down this morning. Level thirty-two,” Peter remarked, refilling his bowl. He paused, then smiled regretfully, “I wanted to preserve as much as possible so I made most of it into jerky, but… well, I don’t have a high-level cooking skill like you. All that meat from an awakened beast…gone to waste just like that.” He sighed before shaking his head.

“Speaking of food,” Mariah said, her voice barely above a whisper. She gestured vaguely at his shadow with her spoon, “What does it eat?” she asked, before cursing herself in her mind for asking such a question. She wondered how she would react if he said something insane—the souls of innocents? worse? Her eyes flicked to him, the warm food in her hands half forgotten.

“Ideally, it should be sustaining itself by consuming the mana that I provide it from our soul bond, but,” he said, his voice calm and patient. Peter stopped mid-sentence to take a bite from his bowl, and Mariah screamed internally, ‘But?!’

“It recently consumed a lot of mana stones and something else that I am not so sure about,” Peter added, continuing from where he left off. “Based on the fact that it didn’t demand mana through the soul bond, I think it’s still digesting the recent harvest.”

“Why don’t you just sever the bond with it?” Mariah asked, her nose wrinkling as if the very mention of Deathknell left a bad taste in her mouth. Her gaze narrowed, voice laced with revulsion. “You don’t like the chaos spirit, do you? Doesn’t it make your skin crawl, having it in your shadow all the time?” She leaned forward, eyes curious. “Half your problems would vanish if you just got rid of it.”

Peter didn’t say anything for a bit. His fingers tightened their hold on the wooden bowl. His gaze drifted to the campfire and stayed there, his lips curled up in a crooked smirk. “Nothing is impossible, but I can’t sever it right now…The soul bond between us isn’t so easy to break.”

He turned sideways, looking into the forest covered in darkness, “I can send it back to the abyss, but we can’t afford to do that right now.” His eyes locked with Mariah as he continued, “It’s quite useful to have during our journey. Whether it be scouting or protecting you from groups, it’s far more capable than I.”

“Worry not,” he said, smiling reassuringly, “I plan to dismiss it as soon as we reach safety.” Mariah nodded before focusing on her meal. The silence stretched between them for a few minutes before she finally decided to speak again.

“You know,” she murmured, her eyes fixed on the flickering flames as her bowl sat empty. Peter stayed quiet, allowing her to collect her thoughts. “It’s so hard to believe that I have a son,” she continued, her gaze drifting to her palms for a moment..

“You have no idea how it feels,” she said, her voice low as she shook her head slowly. “To just one day wake up in a body that’s a few decades older than you remembered…” Her eyes scanned her body, unfocused as if looking at something unfamiliar. “To just suddenly be thrust into an unknown environment with none of the people that you’re familiar with”

‘I know,’ Peter mused, his mind drifting to the oldest memories of this world that he had.

“It eats at you,” she barked, leaning forward. Her jaw clenched, and gaze hollowed. “The world feels unreal…like a foul dream that doesn’t want to end,” she said, her breathing uneven. A tear slid down her cheek.

“I—,” she tipped her head up to look at the night sky. “If you’re telling the truth… then half my life is just gone.” Her throat tightened. “How am I supposed to live with that? Pretend it doesn’t matter?”

“We will find a solution,” Peter insisted, “Recovering your memories is my second priority. You can believe me.”

Mariah scoffed, eyes staring at the stars as if they hold her answers. “Forgive me, but it's hard to trust you,” she remarked, her face set in stone. “Even if I believe your words about your past life, you have other secrets kept from me. Unless I married a prince, your skills don’t make any sense.”

“It’s alright,” Peter said, causing Mariah to shift her posture to stare at him. “I’m willing to wait to earn your trust,” he added, a soft smile on his lips. “I can be patient,” he remarked, eyes locked with hers. “Because I know that I’m not lying. Rosefall will have your answers. Your parents can be my proof.”

Mariah listened in silence, silently agreeing with his line of thought. She appreciated his gesture–his willingness to wait. It set her heart at ease.

“You used to write letters to them whenever you had the opportunity,” Peter said, igniting a spark of curiosity in Mariah.

“Tell me more,” she said, a subtle upward curve on her lips. “How was the life that I can’t remember?”

“Well…” His voice faltered, his eyes flickered with a melancholic look that disappeared as soon as it appeared. His lips curled in a bittersweet smile. “It was peaceful…we were happy,” he said, a soft exhale escaping his lungs.

“We lived in a little place called Simon Village. Dad was the garrison captain, and you,” His eyes drifted to Mariah, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “And you…you were the village elder.” He paused, the flicker of memory lighting his gaze. “In summer, we used to sit on the porch and enjoy watermelons. In winter, warm stew just like this.”

“I see,” Mariah curtly nodded, leaning forward. “Can…can you tell me more about your dad? How was he? Where is he?” she asked, voice uncertain, fingers fidgeting at her side while her face twisted with hesitation. She bit her lip, regretting asking the questions, but she was curious.

“Dad…,” Peter nodded, “He was caring and kind. Loved both of us from the bottom of his heart,” he said, reminiscing about his childhood. “You were often strict with me, and he was always there to protect me from your wrath. He was brave…even in his last moments.”

“What happened to him?” Mariah mumbled after a moment of silence.

“We were attacked,” Peter explained. “A horde of kobolds came out of nowhere. Dad… was in the forest when it happened. We are the only survivors,” he said, his hands rolled into fists. Mariah stilled.

“For a moment…I thought I would lose you too. My skills…they lacked the means to fight the horde while protecting you,” he confessed, his breath shaky as he recalled that scene vividly. “It was only thanks to Deathknell that we are alive right now,” he added. A dry, mocking laugh slipped from his lips.

“Funny, isn’t it?” Peter murmured, his tone laced with quiet irony as his eyes slid toward the shifting shadow at his feet. “It’s also the reason you’re like this now.”

“You should sleep now,” he insisted, shifting in his posture. “It’s getting late.”

Mariah shook her head, “You can sleep for a few hours. I will wake you up as soon as I feel something weird.” She reasoned he must be more tired. He did most of the work.

“Fret not,” Peter gently smiled, standing up. “I have the skills to combat fatigue and sleep. With sufficient mana, I can carry on for many months without slumber, unhindered in all duties. And mana is one thing that I have plenty of.”

“Still-”

Peter cut her off, his voice steady but tight. “I can’t sleep. That chaos spirit might be bound by contract, and the System might be holding it in check—but I’d rather stay awake. Just in case.”

“Alright,” Mariah said, and sighed, finally relenting. She stood up, shaking her head at Peter’s stubbornness. ‘Calls himself my son, but doesn’t listen to me at all.’

Thinking about their conversation, she retrieved a mat and bedroll from the carriage before finally laying everything out to sleep near the campfire. Peter remained awake to watch.

...End of Chapter...

I would appreciate any edit suggestions if you spot an error.
In case you were wondering about whether Deathknell's contract can be broken or not, whether it can be sent back or not, I hope you got your answers with this chapter.