986 It's Him! It's Him! It Has To Be Him!

Rachel poked her head out to look at her closed courtyard's door before walking over the other courtyard gingerly, and knocked on the door. "We should set off now, Hada!"

The door opened rapidly. Hada, who was wearing a padded jacket, stood at the door. He looked at Rachel as he scratched his head, and said, "Rachel, what do you think of me dressing like this?"

"It looks good." Rachel smiled and nodded. Then, she put a straw hat on Hada's head. After taking a quick look at him, she took his hand, and said, "Let's go. Let's set off now."

"But, why am I wearing this straw hat?" Hada followed her out and pointed at the straw hat perplexedly.

"This hat is going to be very helpful." Rachel smiled, but she wasn't planning to tell Hada why.

"Alright." Hada didn't continue to ask. His smile grew wider as he looked at his hand in Rachel's. However, he quickly hesitantly said, "But, what should I say when I see him later?"

"You have never thought about what to say to him when you see him before?" Rachel asked Hada.

"No." Hada shook his head. "Once, they hit me on my head with a wooden club, and I forgot many things about my childhood after that. I even forgot what he looked like. I only remember the name Barzel."

Rachel squeezed Hada's hand tight as her heart ached for him. She shook her head, and said, "It's alright. You will know what to say when you see him."

…

In front of the magical screen in the center of Aden Square, Angus looked at the missing-person notice on the screen in a daze.

If he hadn't met Mag, he most probably would not have known how Beck looked like as a grown-up, and could've never put up such an attention catching missing-person notice in the busiest location in Chaos City.

There were so many people in Chaos City, so maybe Beck was right here. Or he could be in a town in the Roth Empire.

He didn't know, but he was still waiting hopefully.

He had made it through 25 years. He could wait for another few more days.

But, for the past 25 years, he had never felt the warmth and concern that he had felt in the past two days. Be it Mag, who was willing to help him despite that they had only just met, or the city lord's castle which provided him with food and lodging, they provided the concern that he had never felt in 25 years.

I shall go and have a look at Mamy Restaurant. I wonder if Beck would be found… Angus leaned on his staff and walked toward Mamy Restaurant.

No long after, a young couple came to the magical screen.

Rachel pointed at the magical screen, and whispered, "See, Hada. Doesn't he look exactly like you."

Hada, who raised his head, was totally stunned. The picture on the screen looked exactly like him. His eyes became moist as he read the descriptions.

It had been 25 years. He had long forgotten how his father looked, but he still remembered how he looked when he was young.

"Let's go to that restaurant." Rachel held onto Hada's hand tightly and led him toward Mamy Restaurant.

Hada was quiet on the way there.

…

Mag came back after sending Amy to school. He met Angus at the door, so he stopped and greeted him. "Angus, have you eaten your breakfast?"

"Yes. I have eaten my breakfast at the relief station." Angus smiled and nodded. He looked at Mag expectantly and nervously at the same time. "Boss Mag. Beck, he… Is there news about him?"

"So, he is that old man? He's such a poor thing. He must have suffered a lot all these years as he searched for his child."

"He had walked all over the Roth Empire on his legs. Only a father's love could have kept him going."

"Damn those human traffickers. They should all be arrested and jailed in Bastie Prison for the rest of their lives!"

The customers in the line were looking at Angus, who was talking to Mag, with pity and indignation.

A short distance away, Hada, who was wearing the straw hat, stared at the rickety old man as his body trembled. Those lost memories flashed through his mind like fragments.

He'd been a tall, well-built, and wealthy-looking middle-aged man. That image slowly merged with that rickety old man with white hair and dressed in tattered clothes a short distance away.

"F-father…"

A hoarse voice came out from Hada's throat as the straw hat was blown away by a gust of wind and revealed his face.

Angus's whole body shook. His eyes widened as he slowly turned away to look at the young man, who stood a short distance away, in a total shock.

Mag, who was still thinking about how to console Angus, also looked over as he heard the sound. His eyes lit up as he saw that man who looked exactly like what the system had drawn. The mole near the left eyebrow was especially obvious.

"It's that man in the picture!"

"It's him! It's him! It has to be him! He's exactly identical!"

"My heavens! Is this the reunion of the father and son?"

A commotion broke out amongst the customers in the line as they watched this scene in disbelief.

"My son!" Angus suddenly regained his wits and quickly stode toward Hada shakily.

Hada also limped forward, and then he hugged Angus tightly.

"My son… My son…" Angus hugged Hada and repeated those two words again and again with tears.

Hada, too, was crying as he hugged Angus who was already a head shorter than him.

The tall and strong father in his memory had become so weak and small now. He didn't seem to have much flesh on his body. He felt like he was hugging a skeleton that could easily fall apart anytime. It made him feel sad and self-reproachful.

He'd actually been searching for him all these years. He suffered as much as he had on the road for the past 25 years, and yet he had alway blamed him.

The customers quieted down gradually as they looked at Hada's broken right leg and left hand with two missing fingers with pity.

This issue seemed to have a happy ending, but the child that the human traffickers had kidnapped had to have endured unimaginable pain and suffering, and nobody knew how he had survived all these years. Even after finding his father, how was he going to face his future life with a physical handicap?

"Your hand… Your leg…" Angus noticed Hada's leg and hand rapidly. He touched the scars that were healed long ago, and said with self-reproach, "These are all my fault. It's my fault. If I had watched after you properly, you wouldn't have been kidnapped by them. Your hand and leg… It's my fault… My fault…"

"No, Father, this is not on you." Hada grabbed Angus's hands as he attempted to slap himself. Shaking his head, he said, "It's on those human traffickers. They were the hateful ones. Furthermore, I can live normally now. You don't have to blame yourself."

Angus looked at Hada. Even though the padded jacket that he was wearing was well-worn, it was very clean. Although his leg was crippled, he was still a strapping man. His arms were almost two times thicker than normal people's. It almost made people forget about his handicap.

"Nice to meet you, I am one of Mamy Restaurant's customers. I feel very sorry for what happened to you guys. This is a small token, and I hope that you two can have a better life in the future." Constantine came up to the two of them from the line and gave them a cheque from Buffett Bank with both his hands.

Hada looked at Constantine with gratitude, but he shook his head, and said, "Thank you for your kind intentions, but I will take care and provide for my father myself. I have arms and legs, so I can work to provide for him."