Chapter 242: Side Story- Adam and the Siblings (Final)

“Mommmmmm!!!”

—Bang!!

A young voice burst through the door with enough force to blow it off its hinges, and Ner let out a sigh-like chuckle.

A piercing shout that rang through the house.

That one short cry carried the tremble of someone who was just about to burst into tears.

So familiar was this scene that Ner wasn’t even surprised. She simply turned her head slowly.

Thud thud thud—rough yet light footsteps pounded the wooden floor, quickly arriving at Ner’s side.

—Thump!

Before she could even see the face, a young girl dove into Ner’s arms.

Gently stroking the girl’s back, Ner smiled.

Her daughter was crying, but that adorable sight only made Ner laugh.

“What happened this time?” she asked soothingly.

Only then did Rena lift her head, tears like fat raindrops streaming down her face.

Her expression was full of indignation, but her cute little face only made it look endearing.

“Hic...! Adam oppa...! Adam oppa!!!”

Ner chuckled again, watching Rena struggle to speak through her sniffles.

As expected, it was about Adam again.

The only difference this time was that she looked even more wronged than usual.

If Rena’s tears were to be measured in stages... this seemed to be about a Stage Four out of Five.

It didn’t seem like she’d calm down easily today.

“Hi-yah!”

Ner lifted her daughter into her lap.

Rena continued to wipe her tears away with the back of her hand, her shoulders trembling.

Whatever happened between her and Adam, it was enough to make this seven-year-old cry her heart out.

Just like how Berg used to comfort her when she cried, Ner pressed a kiss to Rena’s forehead and said gently:

“Take your time. Calm down. Mom’s here to listen.”

She mimicked Berg’s calm demeanor, speaking with maturity.

Ner knew she was still too fragile to be a perfect mother… but because Berg was there behind her, she could at least try.

Besides, she didn’t want to pretend to be weak in front of such a lovable child.

She wanted to be the kind of mother her daughter could lean on.

From that perspective, maybe she should’ve taken Rena’s tears more seriously. But deep down, Ner couldn’t help finding her endlessly adorable.

Still, even with Ner’s comforting words, Rena didn’t let her anger go so easily. She buried her face deeper into her mother’s embrace.

Sniffling and whimpering for quite some time.

Wondering if there might be a clue to the situation, Ner glanced out the window—but there wasn’t anything that stood out.

So she just kept stroking Rena’s beautiful white hair and waited.

Rena had no idea.

She didn’t know just how much she meant to Ner.

It was thanks to Rena that Ner was finally able to accept her own white hair and white tail.

Berg may have liked that color and helped her accept it, but it wasn’t until Rena was born that she could finally see the beauty in it.

She realized that a gray tail like the ones in Blackwood wasn’t the only kind of beauty that mattered.

And now, with Rena and the other children in her life, Ner had a family to call her own. The emptiness in her heart that Berg had once filled was now overflowing with love for the family they had built together.

Maybe that’s why she couldn’t stop smiling now.

No matter what happened, as long as they were together, Ner could smile.

“Rena. You can tell me now.”

Finally, Rena lifted her tear-dampened face from her mother’s arms.

Ner gently wiped her tears away and looked down at her.

Sniffling with a red nose, Rena whispered in a tiny voice:

“Adam oppa... Adam oppa...”

Just recalling it brought fresh tears to her eyes, and she cried out:

“Hic... He said I was a bother...!!”

Ner let out a breathy laugh, trying to hide it.

So this whole emotional meltdown… was about that?

Sure, she knew Rena adored Adam, but clearly, he held a bigger place in her heart than Ner had imagined.

So she gently said:

“Rena. You know Adam oppa was scheduled to train with Dad today, right?”

“...”

“You can’t just barge in and ask him to play during training.”

“I didn’t ask him to play! Hic…”

“Then what?”

“Hngh… I just… I just asked for a hug...!”

“Rena...”

“He was training all day...! He ignored me all day…! He didn’t even drink the water I brought him...!”

“That just means he was training really hard, doesn’t it?”

Ner was trying to soothe her, but Rena’s expression only grew more scrunched with every word.

“Whose side are you on, Mom!”

Rena puffed up her cheeks, demanding an answer. Ner chuckled again.

For some reason, moments like this always reminded her of her own childhood.

Of course, the circumstances were completely different, but the memories had now softened into nostalgia.

She could more than understand how Rena felt. In fact, she understood it too well.

So Ner stifled her laughter and looked down at her daughter with seriousness.

Stroking her hair again, she said:

“Adam oppa cares about you a lot. That’s why.”

“Hic... I don’t care! If he cares, he should play with me!”

“We can’t play every day, can we? He’s working hard to become a strong big brother for all of you.”

“...”

“Would you rather have a weak brother, or a strong one who can protect you all? Obviously—”

“...I just want him to be my brother. That’s enough.”

“...”

Those words made Ner smile softly.

No matter what she said, Rena’s little heart wouldn’t be soothed easily.

There was only one solution—and it was already on its way…

Knowing this, Ner simply continued to stroke her daughter’s hair.

Then suddenly, her ears perked up.

The solution was approaching.

“Rena. Adam oppa is coming.”

The moment Ner said it gently, Rena flinched, then buried her face even deeper into her mother’s chest.

Trying to act even more upset—Ner could see right through her.

—Creak.

The door opened, and in walked Adam.

“...Haa...”

Nine-year-old Adam.

Still a young boy, but as the eldest, perhaps he felt the weight of responsibility already.

He was more mature than his age would suggest.

Perhaps it was the blood of Berg running through him.

Or maybe it was something in his name itself—a nature inclined toward caring for his younger siblings.

Adam scratched his head as he looked at Rena, still curled up in Ner’s arms.

Soon after, Berg entered the house behind him, carrying a wooden practice sword.

—Pat, pat.

Berg lightly pushed Adam forward.

Ner smiled again at the sight.

Even doting father Berg hadn’t been able to hold out any longer—it seemed he’d come back home just to check on them.

—Clatter…

Adam set down his wooden sword on the floor and stepped inside.

A child who looked exactly half like Berg, and half like Sien.

When looking at him through Berg’s lens, you saw Berg. When imagining him through Sien, you saw Sien.

Adam quietly walked over to stand before Rena, who still had her back to him.

Her whole body was tense, clearly aware of her brother’s presence behind her.

“Secand-Mom, can I...?”

“Oh, yes.”

At Adam’s request, Ner gently let Rena go.

Then Adam placed a soft hand on Rena’s head and spoke.

“Rena.”

“...”

Though she’d stopped crying, Rena turned slowly with a pouty face.

She continued her act of stubborn defiance, but she still listened to Adam’s voice.

“...I’m sorry.”

Adam offered an apology.

From Ner’s perspective, he hadn’t done anything wrong—but he still apologized.

She knew it was his way of caring for his little sister, and it made her feel nothing but proud and grateful.

She felt lucky that Adam was Rena’s brother.

Triggered by his words, Rena began sniffling again.

But Adam didn’t let her dwell in tears for long.

Turning his back toward her, he spoke.

“...I stopped training with Dad. Let’s take a walk around the woods.”

“...Go away, oppa. I don’t want to anymore.”

The words didn’t match her true feelings—but Adam, knowing her too well, simply smiled.

“Get on.”

He crouched down, lowering himself so she could climb onto his back.

“...”

“I’ll help you catch those butterflies you wanted last time. And if you want, I’ll play house with you too.”

“...Really?”

“Yeah. What was it again that you wanted to play last time?”

“...Chef and customer.”

“Then I’ll be your customer.”

Rena’s pout slowly faded, her once-droopy white tail quietly swaying again.

Just as easily as she got upset, Rena could also be soothed—as long as it was by Adam.

Then, another voice chimed in from across the room.

“...Adam oppa is such a pushover.”

Everyone’s head turned.

Sitting halfway up the staircase, as if she’d been there the whole time, was a long-eared girl.

“If Rena was the one at fault, why is Oppa apologizing?”

From the kitchen, Arwin’s cool voice rang out:

“Aerin , say it nicely.”

“...Tch.”

Though she frowned like she was sulking, Aerin didn’t stop talking.

Leaning over the stair railing, she said:

“You knew Oppa was training today. And you still couldn’t wait and had to bother him?”

Rena furrowed her brows in protest.

“You kept sighing and asking me when he’d be done too, Aerin .”

“I didn’t ask! That was just me talking to myself.”

“Then why’d you say it loud enough for me to hear?”

Technically, Aerin had been born a bit earlier, but neither of the girls paid attention to that.

Only Adam was called “Oppa.”

“Girls.”

Berg raised his voice to mediate, but as the quintessential girl-dad, he didn’t have the authority to stop them.

Rena and Aerin kept bickering as if he wasn’t even there.

Aerin scrunched her face and shot back:

“Still...! That doesn’t mean you get to interrupt his training! Why cry when you’re the one who messed up?”

Rena raised her voice too.

“I told you I didn’t interrupt! I just—just asked for a hug while he was sitting down! And gave him water!”

“Lies! I saw everything!! You were sneaking around while he practiced! Acting all cutesy! Pretending to trip!”

“Uh... uh...”

For the first time, Rena’s face showed real panic as Aerin struck a nerve.

Then came the final blow.

“Stop lying and quit bothering Oppa, you dummy!”

The house fell into silence.

The fight had escalated so suddenly that no one could react.

Arwin stepped out from the kitchen, Sien came down the stairs and placed a hand on Aerin ’s shoulder, and Ner stood up—but the one who had been watching everything, Berg, quietly raised his hand.

He stopped them all with a single, calm gesture.

As if to say: Let them handle this. Let them grow through it. I’ll step in if it gets worse.

In that moment of silence, Rena began to tear up again.

“...I don’t like it...”

And then she finally whispered what she’d been hiding.

“I don’t like that Oppa is training with a sword...”

“...Rena?”

Adam looked puzzled.

As always, he was weak against his siblings’ tears. He slowly approached and gently wiped her face.

Aerin frowned at the scene.

“Don’t, Oppa. Just leave her.”

But Adam didn’t listen.

He quietly dabbed away Rena’s tears with his sleeve.

And just like that, she threw herself into his arms.

Berg and Sien, Ner and Arwin exchanged glances.

They stood silently, watching their children grow.

“Why, Rena?” Adam asked.

As if he knew there was something more behind her behavior.

And of course, there was. Rena, feeling seen by Adam, began to sob even harder.

Aerin looked on, sighed, then walked down the stairs to stand beside her brother.

“...Oppa, you really shouldn’t baby her like that.”

But Adam stayed still, holding Rena until she calmed down.

“...You’ll get hurt,” she said between sniffles.

Adam shrugged like it was no big deal.

“That’s part of it. And honestly, Dad goes easy on me—I don’t get hurt that much.”

“...”

Even his explanation didn’t seem to change her mind.

Watching her reaction, Adam looked a little lost.

Usually, Rena would ease up with this much comfort.

But not today.

So Adam turned toward Berg, silently asking for help.

“...”

“...”

Berg simply smiled at him, as if to say just a little longer.

Taking the hint, Adam nodded and looked back at Rena.

“There’s more to this, isn’t there?”

Drawing from Berg’s expression, he gently asked.

Finally, Rena grabbed the hem of Adam’s shirt and asked:

“...Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you learning the sword?”

Adam was stunned by the sudden, fundamental question.

Before he could answer, Rena continued.

“What are you going to do with it?”

“What do you mean...? I just...”

“—Are you going to leave?”

Suddenly, Aerin , who had been behind him, froze.

As if that possibility had never occurred to her until now.

The hostility in Aerin ’s eyes faded as she turned her gaze from Rena to Adam—now filled with worry.

Sien, Berg, Arwin, and Ner all fell silent at Rena’s quiet, trembling words.

—Craaack…

Aerin grabbed Adam’s shoulder tightly.

“...I-Is that... true? Is that why you’re learning the sword, Oppa?”

Her long ears drooped. She blinked uncertainly, then rushed to cling to Adam.

“...If that’s what it is, then don’t learn it. I don’t like it either.”

In an instant, she’d flipped to a new stance.

“...Aerin .”

“Don’t learn it, Oppa. I feel the same way Rena does.”

She turned to Berg.

“Dad!!”

“Uh... yeah?”

Caught off guard by her sudden flare-up, Berg raised his eyebrows.

“Don’t teach Adam oppa the sword anymore.”

She said it like a royal decree.

Berg, who had been the picture of confidence just moments ago, was rendered completely speechless by his daughter’s firm declaration.

The once-proud father figure wavered. And seeing this, Sien, Ner, and Arwin all stifled soft laughs.

But the kids didn’t notice the adults’ reactions. For them, the situation only felt more serious.

Maybe Rena mistook Adam’s silence as avoidance, because she started crying harder. Aerin clung to him even more tightly.

“Don’t learn the sword, Oppaaaa...”

Rena whined through tears, clinging to him in desperation.

“Where are you trying to go... without even saying anything...?”

Even Aerin struggled to hold back her tears as she hugged him from behind.

Now caught between his crying sisters, Adam scratched his head with a heavy sigh.

“That’s not it.”

And with that, he finally spoke, exhaling deeply.

Berg, who knew the true reason why Adam had asked to learn the sword, simply found the whole thing endearing.

But neither Rena nor Aerin believed him.

“Liar. I don’t believe you. I wish you’d just stop.”

“Dad! I told you! I said it’s over! If you keep teaching Oppa the sword, I’m not giving you any more kisses!”

Berg flinched at her threat.

“Ah—”

Caught under Adam’s unimpressed stare, Berg awkwardly cleared his throat.

Still surrounded by his sisters, Adam took a deep breath and finally admitted it.

“...I told you, that’s not it. The reason I’m learning the sword... is because of you two.”

“...Huh?”

“What?”

At his confession, both Rena and Aerin fell quiet.

Rena wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked up at him.

Aerin , still hugging him from behind, waited in silence for him to continue.

Adam slowly spoke, as the entire house fell into a hush.

“Dad always says to protect you two.”

“...”

“...”

“But how can I protect you if I don’t even know how to fight? Last time... I lost when I got into it with Tom.”

Berg nodded knowingly.

“...You can’t be losing,” he whispered.

Sien narrowed her eyes sharply from the stairs, but Berg simply shrugged as if to say, Our son losing a fight? Unthinkable.

Aerin hesitated, then spoke softly.

“...But Oppa, you’re human.”

“Huh?”

“Humans are weak. Why learn to fight? You don’t have claws. You don’t have horns. You’re not even strong...”

To that, Adam answered firmly.

“That’s why I have to learn. So that the ones with claws, or horns, or strength... won’t hurt you.”

“...”

“And I bet if you tried it, you’d think it’s fun too. Dad’s really good at fighting, you know. Every move he teaches me is actually fun.”

Rena and Aerin both gave Berg skeptical looks.

“...Dad?”

“Hard to believe.”

Berg scratched his head sheepishly. Others might’ve taken offense, but he found their blunt honesty kind of cute.

Ner and Arwin stepped in to defend him.

“Dad’s really amazing at swordsmanship.”

“Aerin , didn’t you know? No one’s better with a sword than Dad.”

Still unconvinced, Rena and Aerin kept frowning.

So Adam went on.

“Think about it. If I get good with the sword, do you think it ends there?”

“...?”

“...?”

A playful, big-brotherly grin appeared on Adam’s face.

“Have you ever thought about what happens when we grow up? We won’t just stay by this lake forever. Someday, we’ll go out into the world. You’ve heard of the Hero’s Party, right? The Demon King?”

His eyes sparkled with excitement.

Berg smiled faintly.

That spark, that excitement—it was exactly like Ner when she was young.

“Aerin , wouldn’t you want to visit the Elven homeland, Celebrién? Rena, they say there’s a huge waterfall in Blackwood, where the wolfkin live. There’s also a village called Dems that stretches out to the sea... and more...”

Adam’s imagination burst out like a dream, and both girls’ eyes began to light up.

Berg, Sien, Ner, and Arwin exchanged quiet glances.

There were things they hadn’t told the children yet—but they would, someday, when the time was right.

“That’s why I can’t afford to be weak. The world out there is dangerous. I don’t ever want to be in a situation where I can’t protect you.”

“...If you can’t protect them, they’re not going anywhere,” Berg added.

“Ugh...” Adam groaned softly, but composed himself.

He reached out and held both sisters’ hands.

“I’m not learning the sword because I want to leave you. Why would I go through all this just to leave?”

“...But you don’t play with us lately.”

“You’ve been ignoring us.”

Rena and Aerin pouted together.

Adam paused—then opened his mouth to respond clearly.

“...I’m learning it so I can be with you.”

They both looked at him.

And seeing his sincere face, the doubt in their hearts finally started to melt.

They hadn’t mistrusted Adam himself—it was their own fear, their own uncertainty that had made them act that way.

Rena’s face softened. Her little nose was red, and her tail began to wag gently again.

Aerin’s long ears twitched. The trust in her heart sparked happiness that spread across her face.

It was the side of her Berg always longed to see—but she only ever showed it to Adam.

As his sisters finally calmed down, Adam let out a relieved sigh and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“...So stop worrying so much.”

“Okay.”

“...Alright.”

“And while we’re on the topic—when I’m training with Dad, don’t bug me or—”

But just as Adam began to scold them, he saw Rena’s tail droop again, and Aerin ’s face start to harden.

He immediately shut his mouth.

Searching for the right words, he finally gave up.

“...Never mind.”

With the situation wrapped up, Sien slowly walked down and gently patted Adam on the head.

A quiet show of praise for handling everything like a true big brother.

Her expression, full of pride and warmth, said it all.

“Adam, everything seems settled now. Go play for a bit.”

“Yes.”

“You said you’d walk through the woods with Rena, right?”

“...I’m coming too,” Aerin added, sneaking into the moment with her usual grumpy face.

Sien nodded.

“Alright. Go on and play, all of you. And make up properly.”

Adam nodded and took his sisters’ hands.

With confident steps, he led them toward the door.

“We’ll be back!!”

Sien smiled as she watched them go.

Ner waved at Adam, Rena, and Aerin as they waved goodbye.

Arwin quietly returned to the kitchen after watching them leave.

Berg let out a long breath and smiled.

Looking at the dream he’d built with his own hands, he muttered softly:

“...Have fun.”

And so, another day of happiness passed in peaceful harmony.

– – The End of The Chapter ––

 

[TL: It is now complete! Thank you, everyone, for being a part of it 😭❤️.

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