Hada, who was about to put the padded jacket that he was wearing onto Rachel’s shoulders, froze on the spot. He looked at the teary-eyed Rachel, and hoarsely asked, “W-what did you say, Rachel?”


  “I said your father’s here looking for you, Silly. I saw the missing-person notice that he put up. The man in the picture drawn was you. He really came to look for you,” Rachel said smilingly as she wiped her tears away.

  Hada shook his head and took a step back. He confusedly said, “H-how could this be? It’s been so many years, how could he still be looking for me? You must have seen wrongly. It couldn’t be me……”


  “How could I have seen wrongly? The missing-person notice said there was a black mole near the left eyebrow and a crescent-shaped scar at the back of the head. You have all of these.” Rachel grabbed Hada’s hands, looking into his eyes, and said, “Furthermore, he came from Rodu and the child was lost 25 years ago. Didn’t you say you remembered your home was in Rodu? Barzel is your surname. You remembered correctly. Your name is Beck Barzel. He really is your father, and he’s looking for you.”


  Hada’s eyes widened and his body started to shake uncontrollably. Veins on his forehead began to pop up too.

  “Hada? Hada, are you alright?” Rachel looked at Hada and backed off a step in fear. Hada now looked a little scary, and wasn’t the silly guy who laughed at her in her memory.

  “No…… He is not my father! My father is long dead! I don’t have a father, and I didn’t come from Rodu. I am not called Beck Barzel…… I am Hada. I only have Master…… no father……!!” Hada shouted angrily and grasped his hair with a twisted expression.

  “Hada……” Rachel stared at Hada. Suddenly, she rushed forward and held Hada tightly. Tears flowed down her faces and she began to sob.

  Hada heard Rachel’s crying, and he calmed down gradually. He looked at Rachel, who was crying in his arms and soaking his clothes with her tears, and felt all his strength had left his body. He slumped to the floor and sobbed with an empty look in his eyes. “Why, why is he only looking for me now? Why did he only think of looking for me after 25 years…… If he had come to look for me earlier, my fingers wouldn’t have gotten chopped off by them, my leg wouldn’t have been broken, either. If he had come to look for me earlier, I wouldn’t have been a cripple, and I would’ve been able to ask your father for your hand properly…… W-why now……”


  Rachel hugged Hada, who was crying like a child, tightly. She, too, was crying nonstop. She only held his face in her hands after he had calmed down. Looking into his eyes, she said, “Silly man, I don’t care how you look. As long as you ask my father for my hand, I will marry you. I don’t need his approval.”


  Hada looked at Rachel with tears in his eyes. He hugged Rachel tightly in his arms, and said with a choked voice, “Sorry, Rachel, sorry. I need to take care of Master now. He gave me a second lease of my life. I should stay with him……”


  “It’s alright. If you really don’t want to meet him, then don’t. I respect your choice.” Rachel shook her head. She could feel his pain and desperation just now. If their roles were reversed, she, too, might not know how to face that father.

  The old blacksmith suddenly appeared at the doorway with his padded jacket slung over his shoulders, and said to Hada in a deep voice, “Why don’t you meet him? At our age, if we don’t get to see our biological son before we die, we definitely cannot die in peace.”


  Hada looked at the old blacksmith. “Master, I—”


  “Hada, I know you are filial, but he is still your father. Furthermore, how did you know he hadn’t gone looking for you for the past 25 years? Norland Continent is huge, and he is only an ordinary person. How would he know that the human traffickers brought you to Chaos City?” the old blacksmith interrupted Hada. “Why don’t you meet him and ask him personally?”


  Hada’s expression became a little hesitant.

  “Go and see him tomorrow. Even if you have found your father, I am still your master. If you are still willing to take over this blacksmith shop, it is still yours. You’re still responsible for burying me after I die.” The old blacksmith waved his hand. After taking a look at Rachel with a smile, he said, “Be like a man. Don’t be wishy-washy.” Then, he went in.

  Hada remained seated in a daze.

  “Hada, are you willing to meet him?” Rachel asked softly.

  Hada’s eyes became focused again. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. “Yes, I’ll go.”


  “Good, then I will go with you tomorrow.” Rachel smiled, and then she sneezed uncontrollably.

  “You have sweated quite a bit. You are going to catch a chill when the wind blows. I’ll send you home first.” Hada quickly covered Rachel with his padded jacket. Then he stood up and walked toward a small courtyard hugging Rachel in his arms.

  “I’m fine. It’s just a sneeze. I just need a change of clothes and sleep.” Rachel shook her head and smiled.

  Hada shook his head and insisted, “No. I will make you some ginger soup. Drink that before you sleep.”


  “Today, my…… my father is working the night shift, so he’s not home……”


  “That’s great. I can send you into the house, then I’ll go home to cook the ginger soup for you.”


  “Blockhead……”
……

  “You are really a blockhead.” The old blacksmith sighed after he saw Hada came back with an empty bowl……

  The missing-person notice had gained some traction after a day, and attracted quite a bit of attention in Chaos City. Mag had never imagined that this one kind act had unintentionally advertised Mamy Restaurant to the entire city. It made the customers lining up for breakfast double in number.

  Hence, Mag had to magnify the menu, make it into a stand, and put it at the entrance directly so those people who were simply curious would go away by themselves.

  The pricing on the menu had a very strong filter effect.

  Of course, this had also made the missing-person notice even more talked about.

  An unlimited buffet for two would at least cost 10,000 copper coins, right? That was quite an enticement……

  Benjamin walked to his small courtyard quickly after he finished his nightshift. He mumbled to himself, “This lass, Rachel, didn’t come back for the whole night. Did she go home first because she was not feeling well?”


  The door opened from inside just as he was about to open it.

  “Father!” Rachel was stunned after she saw Benjamin at the door. Then, she walked past him and jogged out. “I am going out for a while.”


  “This lass!” Benjamin looked at Rachel, who disappeared down the corner of the lane. He stomped his foot, and then went into his courtyard.