Beyond the Eternity

"Hey, do you all believe that Mother was a witch?"

At some point during the conversation, those words slipped from her lips, causing an immediate, subtle shift in the atmosphere.

Wasn't this interesting?

The first to react was Julian, who frowned slightly.

"Do you really still buy into that old story?"

"I wouldn't say I believe it, but Father never stopped talking about it."

"Hmph. It was just something he used to scare us as kids. If witches were real, then wouldn't demons be real too?"

"Then why did he keep bringing it up? And didn't he use the gold he got from Mother to talk about his legacy?"

The moment the word "gold" was mentioned, the atmosphere grew even heavier.

The group, who had been clouded by alcohol just moments before, now became unusually somber, as if a veil had been lifted from their minds.

Luna frowned.

"Gold? Darling, what is she talking about?"

Dante cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, how do I put this? Father always told us that he received piles of gold from Mother, who he claimed was a witch. Of course, none of us really believed that story. But the gold itself? That part is definitely true."

Elena chimed in, casually fluttering her hand fan.

"The fact that Father received gold from Mother is without a doubt true. Numerous third parties have also confirmed that Father indeed possessed a vast amount of gold. For instance... The old manager of the local bank in Brighton. Father showed him ten tons of gold some time ago. Father used it as a claim to secure a loan from the local bank."

Wait, hold on...

Everything clicked and fell into place as those words sank in.

It was a huge chunk of information I had been missing.

First, the Witch of the Night had been Reginald Valoment's wife. Second, she had given him a large sum of gold, which he had used to build his wealth—and his legacy—the Valoment Family Legacy.

It made sense now. It was the only plausible explanation for how Reginald had managed to accumulate such an enormous fortune. After all, billions of pounds was an amount most people would never even encounter in their entire lifetimes, no matter how hard they worked.

Didn't his wealth rival that of the Queen of England herself? No, perhaps I was exaggerating.

It couldn't be possible, right?

"That's absolutely absurd."

Julian scoffed, as if trying to dispel that truth. "First, you say Mother was a witch. Now you're talking about gold that doesn't even exist? Where the hell did you hear such nonsense from, I wonder?"

Elena: Are you saying the gold doesn't exist?

"Of course. It's a ridiculous story that Old Man loved telling. Honestly, there's no way he could have received that much gold from Mother, especially since she never worked a day in her life before she passed away. It's fantasy. Complete fiction. Not even a child would take that seriously."

"But if the gold doesn't actually exist, then how did Father manage to secure so much funding? The local bank manager was a sincere man, known for his honesty and integrity, which earned him the respect of many businesses in Brighton. Why would he lie or involve himself in such a fraud?"

"Wait…,"

Dante interrupted.

"If the manager actually saw it, then the gold must exist. Surely, there would have been other eyewitnesses who saw it as well. Come to think of it, wasn't the Raven Crest of our Household forged from that very gold?"

Elena said thoughtfully.

"Hmm… that would explain how Father managed to secure such massive loans. Gold from an unknown source typically has a low conversion rate into cash. But the fixers in the business world must have seen an opportunity for profit and decided to accept it as collateral."

"How much of this nonsense are you willing to believe? Where's the proof that this so-called gold even exists? Or are you just desperately clinging to the lies Father told to a handful of people close to him?"

"Julian, no one's saying anything about the story itself. But don't you think the amount of money Father raised would have required substantial collateral? Don't you agree, Simon?"

Simon, who had been listening carefully, nodded in agreement.

"That's correct. No reputable institution would grant such enormous loans without solid collateral. Father's wealth wasn't built on mere luck or business acumen alone. It had to come from somewhere tangible—like gold."

It was a good argument, but Julian shot that down rather quickly.

"The problem is, the gold was just an illusion created by our penniless father. He tricked his sponsor into thinking it was real. It was a risky gamble that could have ended badly if it had failed. Luckily, he managed to use those funds successfully and avoided becoming the crook of the century."

"So, the gold didn't exist and Father made it up?"

"That's correct. And because of that, the illusion became more than just an inconvenience he inherited through his success. Later on, he decided to add the existence of the Evernight Witch to further discredit the story. After all, if he claimed he received the gold from a witch, the whole story would sound even more unbelievable, wouldn't it?"

"Sorry, Julian, but I would have to disagree with that,"

Dante interrupted once more. This time, he excluded an air of seriousness.

"Even if the story about Mother being a witch isn't true, the way Father obtained his funding is a different matter. Considering he was expelled from the original family with nothing to his name, there are only two possible explanations for how he amassed such wealth: Either he stumbled upon a hidden fortune by sheer luck, or someone provided it to him. Given the timeline, the latter is far more plausible."

"So you're saying mother gave it to him?"

"That's the only logical explanation. What are the chances of Father stumbling upon gold all on his own? It's far more likely that someone gave it to him. Don't you know? The original owner of this mansion wasn't Father, it was Mother. After her death, Father inherited the property and became its official owner. I assumed you already knew this. After all, You were the only one who spent much time with Mother."

"....."

The air around Julian thickened.

Perhaps those words had brought up a bitter memory.

It was a pain and misfortune I could truly relate to.

If I could go back and change history, I would save my parents. If I couldn't save my father, then I would save my mother without a doubt.

Was there anything better than motherly love?

I would do anything to bring her back.

[Personal skill,「 Black Box 」has activated.]

The pain and regret that had accumulated in my heart were quietly buried in the depths of the abyss, and an overwhelming indifference washed over me.

Despite its attempts to completely suppress my emotions, the mysterious Black Box couldn't prevent a single tear from slipping down my cheek.

I silently wiped away the tear.

However, Miyuki's sharp gaze caught my brief moment of weakness.

She raised her head and whispered, "Ahjussi, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Then why were you crying?"

"I just... remembered a bitter memory."

I could only force a smile.

"You don't have worry about me. I'm completely fine."

Miyuki seemed concerned but chose not to press further. She continued to stare at me wordlessly.

Thinking about it, Miyuki had also lost her mother, hadn't she?

She and Kagura had both suffered the loss of their mother due to some tragic misfortune. Even though Miyuki hadn't witnessed her death firsthand, it was still a traumatic event that left a permanent scar on her heart.

What was I even doing?

「 Kim Jakga thought—」

The child in front of me had endured the same tragedy, yet here I was, crying, despite being protected by some skill.

「— I'm truly pathetic 」

"The hundreds of tons of gold Father possessed—you want to know where it is, don't you?!"

Elena stood up from her chair and pointed her hand fan at Julian. Her shadowed face was visibly flushed.

Unsurprisingly, Julian remained unfazed by her pointed accusation. Instead, he titled his head as if he was confused.

"Honestly, I don't understand you at all. How could you accuse me of knowing the whereabouts of something that doesn't even exist?"

"Are you still clinging to that story? Even if Father had sold all his assets and given away his funds, there's no way he would have carelessly parted with the gold. In fact, it wouldn't matter if he sold everything else, as long as he still had the gold."

"But the gold doesn't exist."

"Liar~ You think Father could have accumulated this wealth without any help, without some form of real backing? How do you explain the countless people who have seen the gold? How do you explain the Raven Crest? You think it's all just a coincidence, huh~?"

"I don't care about coincidences or myths. I only care about the facts. And the fact is, that pile of gold does not exist."

"Is that so? The way you're speaking makes it sound like you're trying to deny the existence of the gold."

"I'm not denying anything. In fact, if you can prove the gold exists, I'll gladly back down. But wait... can you actually prove it, or are you just speaking empty words?"

"You're impossible..."

"Alright. Take it easy you two."

Dante stepped in as Elena and Julian's argument heated up, with both parties becoming even more flushed.

Both of them were drunk, spouting random nonsense. Even the whole gold discussion seemed absurd. In fact, the discussion about the gold only raised a number of unanswered questions.

The Witch of the Night, Minerva Blackthorne.

What was her relationship with Reginald?

Why did she marry him? Was it because of a whim?

Why give him her own personal gold? Was it some sort of contract?

Even so, why did she allow him to stay in her mansion? Why did she transfer ownership of her possessions to Reginald?

Witches were inherently selfish beings, focused solely on their own gain, even at the expense of others. So, the fact that Minerva had freely given Reginald everything she owned completely baffled me.

Was there a side of the story I was unaware of?

Yes, there had to be. This whole scenario felt too unsettling to be understood at face value.

At that moment...

Woing!

The door suddenly swung open and someone entered the parlour with sense of urgency. It was a familiar shadow dressed like a buttler.

Family Head Buttler, George.

The atmosphere shifted palpably as everyone noticed the butler's uncharacteristic demeanor, causing the room to fall into an uneasy silence. Unlike the composure he displayed in the previous memory, he seemed agitated for some unknown reason.

Julian asked with a frown.

"What's wrong?"

"T-That...."

George paused, scanning the room with a tense glance before uttering the words that immediately sent the room into chaos.

"The Family Head... he's dead."

At the same time,

[You have reached the end of this Fragmented Memory.]

[The Fragment of Despair has reached its conclusion.]