I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 757 - Side Story 30: Catherine Earnshaw (2)

The Earnshaw family's mansion, which I had already seen, was quite modest. Considering the prestige of the name they held, it would have been fine to build it larger and more magnificent, but it was the Earnshaw couple who stubbornly refused to do so. In other words, Catherine's parents.

"I'm sorry. A precious guest has come, yet we have so little to offer."

Bradley Earnshaw, the head of the Earnshaw family, said with a smile. He was a middle-aged man with an impressively neatly trimmed beard and a kind smile.

"Not at all. It's my fault for visiting without notice. Rather, I'm grateful that you're welcoming me so warmly." 

"Huh. I heard you're our child's friend, but you're quite mature." 

"Dad. What do you mean by that?"

Catherine shot a sharp glare at Mr. Earnshaw. When the father cleared his throat at his daughter's appearance, his wife covered her mouth and laughed.

"I heard that you helped our daughter return."

She, Miranda Earnshaw, resembled Catherine greatly, as befitting Catherine's mother. Her appearance was exactly what Catherine would look like when she grew older.

Even though she was approaching 50, she looked quite young except for a few wrinkles on her face.

'She has a similar face to Catherine, but the atmosphere is completely different.'

Unlike Catherine, who was outspoken and tomboyish, Miranda Earnshaw was calm and naturally exuded dignity. It was curious how such parents produced such a daughter.

The moment he thought this, Rudger could feel Catherine's sharp glare shift from Bradley to himself.

Whatever else, she certainly had excellent instincts.

"There's not much prepared, but please enjoy." 

"It's fine. Even this much is a feast for me." 

"Hoho. Look at how prettily you speak. Since a guest came after so long, I put in extra effort myself." 

"Did you cook this yourself, ma'am?"

Rudger asked back as if surprised. No matter how much they advocated frugality, it was quite surprising that the wife of a family head would cook directly.

Although they claimed to be frugal, they were still nobles. And naturally, a small number of servants resided in the mansion. It would have been sufficient to leave the cooking to them.

"I can't stand sitting still. If I don't do something, I feel uncomfortable instead." 

"Even so, cooking."

Rudger looked at the dinner laid out on the table. Befitting a frugal family, the number of dishes wasn't many. It was because they were prepared according to the number of people attending.

However, the quality of the cooking looked very high. Although he knew he shouldn't judge by appearances, it was attractive enough to naturally draw him in.

The sweet smell wafting from a moment ago was the same. There was no way food with such visuals and smell could taste bad.

"Hahahaha. My lovely wife's cooking never gets old no matter how many times I eat it. You'll definitely be satisfied." 

"Oh my. You too. Thank you for saying that even if it's a lie." 

"Miranda. What are you talking about? I've always been sincere. At least when it comes to you." 

"Oh my."

The two spouses gazed at each other with smiling faces, their eyes dripping with honey. Beside them, Catherine was rubbing her goosebumped arms with both hands.

"Enough, just eat already!"

It seemed like the still-active couple's lovey-dovey display wouldn't end at this rate, so Catherine quickly wrapped up the situation.

The meal began and Rudger ate the prepared food.

The bread was well-baked, soft, and fragrant. The soup was well-seasoned and went down smoothly.

The potato dish made with some chopped vegetables was the same. The barbecue that Pantos had made not long ago had been surprisingly delicious, but this was on a different level.

It was enough to believe that top-class chefs had gathered to make it.

"How is it? Does it suit your taste? I put in quite a bit of effort." 

"It's truly delicious, ma'am. It's among the best dishes I've eaten in my life." 

"Oh my. I'm proud that my hard work was worthwhile since you say that. Which one do you like best?" 

"Surprisingly, the potato dish suited my taste. I usually prefer meat, but with this quality, I think I could keep eating just this."

Mrs. Miranda laughed and said.

"Oh my. Did you hear that, Catherine?" 

"M-Mom!"

Catherine's face turned red. When Rudger couldn't understand what was going on, Mrs. Miranda covered her mouth and said.

"You know what? That potato dish was made directly by Catherine." 

"By Catherine?"

Rudger looked back at Catherine. Her face had been turning as red as a ripe tomato since a moment ago. If it got any hotter, it seemed like steam would rise from the top of her head.

"Really?" 

"Why, why. Is there a problem?"

At Catherine's glare as if she would kill him, Rudger felt wronged for no reason. 

‘Wait, what did I even do?’

But in this situation, wasn't it friendship not to let an opportunity slip by again?

Rudger ate the potato dish once more and then said.

"Just. It's delicious." 

"......!"

Catherine looked at Rudger with round eyes. She was so dumbfounded she couldn't speak properly.

"Hoho. When our child came to visit, I was so surprised when she entered the kitchen, which she usually never goes near." 

"M-Mom! Don't say that!" 

"I think she said she wanted to show you the taste of potatoes she grew herself. She asked me to teach her how to cook with the best quality ones. She said she really wanted to serve it to you directly." 

"Aaaah!"

Catherine finally couldn't hold it in and screamed, snatching away the potato plate in front of Rudger.

"Give it back! Don't eat it! I'm going to eat this!" 

"I won't particularly stop you, but eat protein evenly too." 

"Ugh! So annoying!"

Catherine finally had to admit defeat. It was behavior that went against dining table etiquette, but her parents didn't particularly scold Catherine.

Rather, they were watching with pleased faces, as if deeply moved by their daughter's honest side.

Mrs. Miranda said.

"More than that, speak comfortably. Since you're Catherine's friend, it makes me embarrassed when you call me ma'am and speak so formally." 

"Not at all. No matter what, I'm a guest..." 

"A guest? Rather, Mr. Rudger is our benefactor."

Bradley Earnshaw agreed with Miranda's words.

"That's right. Thanks to you, we were able to meet our daughter again. If not for that, we would have lived our whole lives forgetting our daughter's existence." 

"......"

He was right. The Earnshaw couple had their Catherine taken away by people from the Bretus Holy Kingdom a very long time ago.

The Lumensis Order gathered children with talent. Most were orphans gathered at the church, but their atrocities didn't stop there.

The Order forcibly took even children who had perfectly good parents.

With their authority of brainwashing, they could change the memories of parents with children however they wanted.

"We forgot what we shouldn't have forgotten. Even thinking about it now, it was something I shouldn't have done as a parent. It's nothing short of disqualification." 

"Honey......" 

"Dad. How is that your fault? It's all the fault of those bastards who kidnapped her!"

Catherine banged the table with her fist. Rudger also agreed with her opinion.

"That's right. And the brainwashing authority they use is something ordinary people cannot withstand. You don't need to blame yourselves too much. That was, something unavoidable." 

"Yes. It was unavoidable. But still, when I recall that day, it feels like there's a hole in the middle of here."

Bradley touched his chest with his hand.

"After Catherine disappeared, my wife and I lived in despair. Even though we believed we had no children. The depressed, sad, and painful feelings just wouldn't go away."

Rudger imagined the appearance of the Earnshaw family. They must have been a very harmonious household.

Catherine was a tomboy, but she must have grown up receiving her parents' love. The Earnshaw couple must have also taught Catherine with all their heart and soul and loved her.

If so, Catherine would have grown into an even brighter and more cheerful girl. But the Lumensis Order destroyed the future of such a happy family.

They kidnapped Catherine and manipulated the Earnshaw couple's memories.

'But the despair of losing family couldn't be dealt with even through simple brainwashing or memory manipulation.'

Even if the mind doesn't know, the heart, and furthermore the instinct, remembers. The fact that they were robbed of precious blood relatives. That they lost something precious.

So the Earnshaw couple lived in despair until the holy war ended and Catherine returned.

'For over 20 years. They lived in agony.'

Rudger closed his eyes tightly. Having seen the Earnshaw couple's harmonious appearance, he could imagine how great the sense of loss they must have experienced in the past was.

Rudger felt anger rising from deep in his heart.

Although it was an Order he had already destroyed with his own hands, the terrible memories they created still remained deep in people's souls.

Even though he had achieved revenge and made them receive appropriate punishment, the scars carved into the victims' hearts don't heal easily.

That resentment. That anger. From whom should they receive compensation?

There was no way he could give formal consolation like everyone in the world carries their own painful matters.

A minimum of 20 years. Could anyone compare the feelings of parents who had to forcibly send away their child for over 20 years with the suffering others experience?

It was the moment Rudger clenched his fist under the table.

"That's why I'm grateful to you."

"......" 

"Because of you, Catherine was able to return. Thanks to you, we were able to regain our memories of Catherine." 

"Wasn't it painful?"

Rather, the loss without knowing the reason would have been better. When they later realized that they had sent away their child for over 20 years, and furthermore that they had even forgotten that fact. The mental shock that would come must have been indescribably great.

"Of course it was painful. I blamed myself for how I could have forgotten. But."

Bradley smiled.

"Still, we met in the end, didn't we? My precious daughter. Because that joy was greater, I was able to endure." 

"Dad......" 

"I still can't forget. When Catherine appeared before us again."

When not even a few days had passed since the end of the holy war the Earnshaw couple welcomed a guest.

That guest was looking at them with a face that was somehow awkward, mixed with joy and sadness.

The child who held a paper with what was presumed to be this address, hesitating several times, unable to accept reality whether this was right.

She was definitely a stranger. Nevertheless, the Earnshaw couple could tell as soon as they saw her that the child was their daughter. The love they had so longed to see.

So the family that had been separated for so long recognized each other and shared an embrace, along with hot tears.

"So I'm grateful to you. Because you returned the joy we had forgotten. We may not be compensated for the years that passed. But our future life won't be like that."

The appearance of Bradley Earnshaw speaking with unwavering eyes was that of a head of household who had already overcome his wounds admirably.

"You're admirable. To have such a strong mindset. I'm impressed." 

"Hahaha. I feel good hearing such words from our benefactor. But what about you? Though it's not appropriate to say here, I heard the story from Catherine." 

"That's......"

Well, it was natural in a way. Catherine would have explained thanks to whom she was able to return. Naturally, she would have talked about everything from Rudger's name to his identity and what he had gone through.

Catherine avoided Rudger's gaze with an awkward expression. She was quite guilty since she had brought up unnecessary things.

"As you both know, I also didn't live such a smooth life. If I had to say, I lived more eventfully than anyone else in the world." 

"Are you, then, alright?" 

"I certainly had a sense of loss too. I rather suffered more because I knew it all too well."

Rudger committed all those acts solely to meet his mother. But in that process, Rudger had to feel countless fears.

What if I fail? What if I can never meet her again? If I'm captured by the Order again without achieving my goal. Or if I'm killed by someone else.

His life was always an extreme tightrope walk and a continuous nerve-wracking tension.

"How did you endure?" 

"It was hard to endure. I did think about giving up."

He certainly could have compromised appropriately and lived adapting to this world. No one would point fingers at him for doing so.

So why did he take this dangerous gamble? Because he was born as his mother's child.

"But compromising and giving up was far more painful than the suffering I feel now."

As a duty of a child, and as a duty of a person. Because he thought he should do so. The fact that he couldn't was worse than death to him.

Yes. That was all. Overturning this world was for just such a reason.

"You really, must have suffered a lot."

Mrs. Miranda said while sniffling with tears. Though she must have been in pain herself, she empathized with his sadness while listening to Rudger's story.

He thought he would be pointed at as having a dirty bloodline, but it was the opposite.

He had never thought of having his life comforted by someone. There was a time when he thought such pity or sympathy was just poison.

But that feeling of warmth conveyed from there wasn't bad at all.