Chương 94: Chapter 93: Growing up

It had been six years since the congratulations banquet, the banquet held to celebrate the heroes who had defeated the Great Evil One. In those six years, many things had happened. According to the rumors, Furen Boswe had been rather persistent in trying to woo the Crown Prince. However, Nina had not seen her during that time, as everyone involved had been far too busy with their own affairs. Because Furen was pursuing the Crown Prince, the Emperor had been unable to simply take away the Crown Prince's position.

He had therefore tried, one way or another, to convince Furen to give up on him, whether that meant threatening her family or using other means to pressure her. But that all changed in the third year. Rumors began spreading about a killer who seemed to be hunting down lower nobles involved in shady businesses while destroying those businesses from the inside out. Whether it was the slave trade or someone who had committed murder, they were all targeted. The killer did not discriminate between the rich and the poor.

They attacked anyone who had committed wrongdoing. Most people never survived these raids, but those who did were always left with a letter explaining why they had been spared. They had shown genuine repentance toward the people they had wronged. However, if they ever went back on their repentance, their heads would be next. At first, it had been nothing more than a minor rumor. It wasn't until the fifth year, when the emperor was assassinated, that the nobility began taking the killer's calling cards seriously.

Some nobles began retreating to monasteries. Others returned to the Holy Nation, seeking forgiveness and protection. This, in turn, brought immense power to the Holy Nation. More and more nobles began desperately searching for ways to survive, especially after it was discovered that the person responsible for these atrocities was none other than Rosa Roosevelt. Nina, however, did not care much about what was happening in the outside world. As long as people did nothing wrong, they had nothing to worry about.

She sat quietly, reading the latest issue of the newspaper. Aside from the reports of killings and the lists of crimes committed by the people who had been killed, one particular headline caught her attention. Lady Furen Boswe was going to become the Mother of the Nation. In other words, Furen had finally managed to convince the Crown Prince to marry her after all these years. Looking at the happy expressions on the two of them, Nina smiled inwardly. At least the two of them were finally getting together.

However, when she looked below the fold of the newspaper, a single line made Nina subconsciously frown. For the first time in the history of the Empire, a large number of people were turning toward the Holy Nation and the Saints for guidance. Nina knew this matter was not so simple. Because of it, more and more people had begun coming to her company, Can't Make It, But I Can. The increase in the company's influence had been enormous.

The ingratiating attitudes of the nobles toward Nina had also become increasingly apparent. After all, she too was considered a Saintess. And now that the identity of the serial killer, the person seeking out this twisted form of justice, had been revealed to be Rosa Roosevelt, her relationship with Nina had become widely known. More people were flocking to Nina than ever before. Although this was good for business, Nina couldn't help but worry about Duke Valcrest.

She knew intuitively that Seraphina would not allow matters to get out of hand. But she also knew that Seraphina had instructed Rosa not to kill the man who should have been first on Rosa's list. Nina's eyebrows furrowed. Just then, Jake came over and began rubbing her forehead, using a technique similar to the one his mother had taught him in the past. Feeling the movement, Nina subconsciously turned away in displeasure.

But when she realized it was Jake, she quietly turned back, her irritation slightly alleviated.

"What are you doing here, Jake?" The reason Jake was there was simple. Can't Make It, But I Can had grown far too large for the small building it had once occupied. As the business continued to expand, more buildings had been constructed on a grander scale to accommodate the company's growing operations and the increasing number of people it served. Eventually, the company expanded into different nations, with one of its largest locations being established in the center of the Empire.

That particular piece of land had been granted to the company through the courtesy of His Majesty, Emperor Roman McCann, and was one of the few major decisions he had made after ascending to the throne. The only decision that had arguably attracted more attention was the announcement he had made regarding Furen. He had declared that anyone capable of marrying Lady Furen would be granted the title of Duke, along with a designated territory to govern. Of course, that matter had never come to fruition.

Furen had never budged. As one of the major heroes who had played a key role in defeating the Great Evil One, she possessed an immense amount of influence. No one could simply force her into a marriage. But after her eventual marriage to Ronin himself, the territory originally intended for her husband was no longer necessary. His Majesty, Emperor Roman McCann, therefore bestowed ownership of the land upon Nina, stating that a Saintess could not exist without land to manage.

Since the Holy Nation now had two territories, though one was relatively small due to the restrictions imposed by the Temple regarding the amount of land it could possess, it was still enough to establish a permanent presence within the Empire. And since Nina was the individual given this opportunity, she would have a say in which lands and nations the Holy Nation wished to establish its various facilities and businesses. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Nina eventually passed the management of the newly acquired territory to Abellina. Abellina, in turn, used the land to construct another branch of Can't Make It, But I Can. Which meant that Abellina herself should have been rather busy by now. She rarely remained at the original headquarters. Despite that, even after everything had changed, Nina had found that she still preferred staying in the old building. It was no longer the company's largest or most important location.

There were now countless other buildings bearing the company's name throughout the Empire and even beyond its borders. Yet Nina still found it strangely enjoyable to remain in the building where she and her personas had first built the company together. After hearing Nina's conclusion and decision, Abellina had also decided to stay there whenever possible, since it was the true headquarters. No matter how much the company expanded, that little building remained the place where everything had begun.

"We decided to hold the birthday party here. Remember?" Jake spoke up after a moment. Nina, who had been lost in her thoughts, came back to reality.

"Ah. You're turning nineteen now, aren't you? How does it feel?"

"It's interesting."

"Do you feel grown up yet?"

"I... I don't know." He said it lightly, continuing to rub her forehead and applying a little pressure.

"It feels as though it was almost yesterday that you and Abellina walked through this place. You were ten then, weren't you?" Nina moved her head upward, signaling Jake to stop. Standing up from her chair, she placed the newspaper aside.

"You've grown so tall." She looked up at Jake, feeling her neck begin to hurt.

"Really?" Jake asked, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Is your mother downstairs?" Nina began walking toward the stairs leading down from the third floor.

"Oh, yeah. She's, um, in the kitchen. She wanted to cook something for me. We haven't really had much time together."

"Yeah. How are your lessons? Were you able to graduate?"

"Oh." Jake sighed.

"I still can't seem to get the mana circuit to work properly."

"It's okay. You'll get it. It's not something you need yet."

"But I still don't understand. Why don't you let me tell the world that the idea came from you?"

"It's not that big of a deal."

"But it is. Not only the moving stairs that you made, but this box that can take you from one area to another without you needing to move yourself is intriguing. The person doesn't even need to be a magic holder, yet they can use it."

"It's nothing that huge. It's just an elevator."

"What was the reasoning behind you doing that?"

"Well..." Nina looked at the stairs.

"Yeah, well, it's for more people to be able to access our buildings." Hearing that, Jake could only remain quiet. He intuitively understood. During the time his mother had been in a cast, many things had been inconvenient for her to navigate, especially the stairs.

"I hope you graduate soon. Once you do, we'll definitely add that thing here, because I'm getting exhausted from taking these stairs multiple times." Jake laughed lightly, understanding that Nina had made the joke because she didn't want him to think too deeply about it. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, they saw several people gathered there. Rosa and her family had come to congratulate the birthday boy. Furen had also arrived.

She later explained that Ronin had been caught up with something, but he was planning a major surprise. Seraphina had dropped by to speak with Rosa about some matters, though she did not seem particularly interested in the festivities. When Nina came downstairs, she saw everyone helping here and there with the decorations, creating a festive atmosphere. Furen, the Mother of the Nation, was helping Abellina in the kitchen.

The Roosevelts were handling the side dishes while chatting with two other individuals whom Nina did not recognize. When she looked closely, they somewhat reminded her of Furen. Could they be Furen's parents? They were helping set everything up. Even Rosa, who was chatting with Seraphina, had her clones doing a variety of tasks. Meanwhile, Seraphina had cast a fatigue-recovery spell over the people, allowing them to work energetically without becoming tired. It was a warm scene. Then the door suddenly burst open.

Mr. Hemmingsway entered carrying a large number of ingredients, heading toward the kitchen to show them to Miss Abellina. Nina looked over the area thoughtfully. Mr. Hemmingsway had always been around Abellina and Jake during the past six years. She knew that during the nearly three years she had spent traveling with the heroes, he had been there to help them because of her request. But even after she had returned, he had remained for the next six years. That made nearly nine years in total.

At some point, Nina had noticed that he was there for Abellina herself. Even though it wasn't as frequent as before, it had become rather obvious. It was also rather obvious that Jake, who had only been fourteen at the time, had realized what was happening. But Abellina had refused to let their relationship progress. She wanted to focus on Jake and his future. She didn't want Jake to ever feel as though he would be unloved or treated as an illegitimate child if she were to start a new family.

She wanted Jake to grow up knowing that he was loved and cared for. She had also explained these feelings to Mr. Hemmingsway. He respected her decision and stopped trying to approach her romantically. Instead, he chose to remain there for Jake and Abellina as a godfather of sorts. Even though Jake had already inwardly confessed to Nina that he had long since come to see Mr. Hemmingsway as his father in everything but name....

Jake quietly excused himself from Nina and made his way downstairs, telling her to join them when she could. He then ran toward the kitchen to help his mother. Looking at the group of people gathered there, Nina thought inwardly: I hope this birthday banquet goes well.... Everything was done. The cake was brought out, and everyone had something to eat. They sang a song for Jake, congratulating him on turning nineteen. The mood was lighthearted.

People talked about the past and everything that had happened over the years. They also began including Jake, who was now considered an adult, in their conversations. Furen lightly joked that Jake could even become a Magic Tower Master with all the inventions he was bringing into the world.

"His unique mind is really something we would absolutely love to dissect." Everything was peaceful and happy. After some time, when things had settled down, Jake went to the front and lightly tapped his glass to grab everyone's attention. Nina, who had been enjoying the food and quietly chatting with Seraphina about various matters, turned toward him. She intuitively understood. It was time.

"Thank you all for coming to my birthday party," Jake said.

"I'm not sure where I would be today if it hadn't been for Miss Nina helping my mother and me, and using her own money to help us find a priest who could heal her leg." His voice began to crack.

"You even helped us create a life for ourselves, allowing us to work for you. You allowed me to go to school and gave us so much." He raised his glass.

"I toast to you." With that, he took a sip of his wine. This was a tradition in this land. When a child turned nineteen, they would express their gratitude toward the people who had helped them throughout their life. They were usually given three opportunities to offer their thanks, with the final person generally being someone of particular importance.

"The second person I wish to thank is Rosa." Jake turned toward her.

"You stayed with us, allowing us to have a clone of you here, and you remained with us whenever things became troublesome over these past eight years."

"Whether it was people looking down on us or people trying to cause trouble, you always had our backs."

"This thanks also extends to the Roosevelts, who helped us tremendously."

"I toast to you guys." Jake then turned toward Mr. Hemmingsway.

"The third person I wish to thank is Mr. Hemmingsway."

"You were there when Mother and I ran away for our safety, and you kept us safe."

"You were tasked with looking after us for three years, but even after those three years were over, you stayed."

"You continued looking after my mother and me."

"Your guidance was much needed, and your care was deeply appreciated."

"You have done so much for us."

"Thank you for being a godfather to me."

"A toast to you." Finally, Jake turned toward Abellina.

"Lastly, I wish to thank my mother."

"I thank you for being there."

"I thank you for never giving up on me."

"I thank you because, despite having to break away from your family in order to give me life and leave behind everything you knew, you still chose me."

"I thank you for being strong, because if it wasn't for you staying strong and always looking toward the future, today might never have happened."

"Thank you." Tears began flowing from Jake's eyes as he said those final words. The people gathered around them didn't know whether they should applaud. In the end, they decided to keep their hands down. This was an emotional moment between a mother and her son. Abellina, who had been listening to her son's speech, also had tears in her eyes. She wiped them away, but more continued to fall. Eventually, Mr. Hemmingsway gently offered her a handkerchief. Abellina accepted it and used it to wipe her eyes.

"But" Just as the emotions reached their peak, Jake continued.

"I don't want you to keep sacrificing yourself for me."

"Mother, I am grown up now."

"I can handle my own life. I can protect myself."

"I no longer want you to be alone, Mother."

"I want you to have happiness, too."

"I also wouldn't mind having a little sibling or two." He cracked a joke, trying to smile despite his reddening eyes.

"But I'll never trust just anybody with you."

"The only person I think is worthy of you, someone who could even come and touch your feet, is none other than Mr. Hemmingsway."

"He has shown his loyalty toward you time and time again." Now it was Mr. Hemmingsway's turn to cry. He felt overwhelmed. He didn't know what to do. But hearing his godson's words made him emotional as well. Jake drank the fourth slip before setting his glass down and making his way toward the two of them. He pulled them both into a tight embrace.

"I love you both so, so much." After he finished speaking, a round of applause erupted throughout the room.