I’m the Future Crazy Male Lead’s Mother Chapter 35

“I wonder if I accidentally put some kind of mind-altering drug in the soy sauce egg rice. A temple? That came out of nowhere. Huh, I suddenly hear a dog barking. Oh dear—I guess I accidentally said that out loud. My apologies.”

“……”

Dazar, who had listened quietly to my deliberately provocative remark, clenched his fist so tightly I could see it.

Wait… He wasn’t about to punch me with that fist, was he?

The thought barely crossed my mind before his clenched hand slowly relaxed.

“I think I’ve said this before, but… I really wish you had been a demon.”

“Oh my. If that were the case, we’d both be arrested the moment we stepped into the temple, wouldn’t we? Even ordinary people get terrifying punishments there.”

One of Dazar’s eyebrows twitched.

He frowned as if he were about to say something nasty, but his eyes landed on the empty bowl in front of him, and he closed his mouth instead.

The bowl that had held the soy sauce egg rice only moments ago was spotless.

“……”

“……”

It takes two hands to make applause, and now that Dazar had gone silent, I had nothing to say either.

Feeling a little awkward, I pretended to be interested in the scenery outside the window.

After a brief silence, Dazar finally spoke again.

“I suppose I startled you by jumping straight to the point without any explanation. In the Empire, temples are places associated more with punishment than anything else.”

Well, for once he was making sense.

He was right. In the Quizen Empire, temples weren’t sacred, beautiful places—they were frightening and cruel.

The moment someone was branded a heretic, judgment awaited them there.

Just thinking about it gives me chills… This body must not have liked temples very much either.

Digging through my memories, it seemed that because of the bizarre and turbulent life the original owner had lived, she had been dragged to the temple countless times since childhood.

“There’s no way this is my daughter. She’s clearly been corrupted by a demon’s magic!”

A middle-aged man’s furious voice, filled with icy anger—that was the first thing that surfaced the moment I thought of the temple.

Maybe that was why…

I overreacted without realizing it.

I had teased Dazar with just a little genuine spite mixed in.

Was that man… this body’s father?

As I absentmindedly pondered the thought, Dazar interpreted my silence in his own way and continued.

“The reason we’re going is because of the ritual performed after the Day of the Rift. Nothing else.”

“A ritual?”

A ritual after the Day of the Rift? Was there such a thing?

“Yes. It’s originally performed only for Transcendents and their direct subordinates—those who personally confronted monsters during the Day of the Rift.”

“Ah…”

People who faced monsters…

That includes me.

I’d spent an entire day fighting monsters as if it were dawn exercise. Of course I qualified.

“Do I… have to go?”

“Hm.”

If it wasn’t mandatory, I honestly wanted to avoid it.

Just thinking about the temple made my stomach churn. This body’s reaction was that unpleasant.

Perhaps surprised by my reluctance, Dazar paused before speaking.

“I’m not particularly fond of the temple either.”

A Transcendent chosen by the gods saying he disliked the temple that served them was quite a shocking statement.

Yet somehow, hearing it come from Dazar sounded perfectly natural.

Then again… I can’t imagine this man worshipping a god in the slightest.

“But after the Day of the Rift, we have no choice but to visit. It’s to remove the traces of demonic energy that accumulate while killing monsters.”

“Traces of demonic energy?”

“Well… you could call them the residue monsters leave behind when they disappear. Something like that.”

Waving his hand dismissively, Dazar stood up.

He rummaged through the drawer in the center of his desk and handed me something.

“What’s this?”

“I figured it’d be easier if you read it yourself.”

It was a small booklet.

Judging by the temple emblem stamped on the cover, it had been published by the temple itself.

“This is distributed to each noble house as a guide. It explains Transcendents and the temple. Some of the contents aren’t meant for ordinary people, so watch what you say.”

“…Are you really allowed to give this to me?”

He’d just said ordinary people weren’t supposed to know.

Between the temple’s seal and the ominous feeling that it contained classified information, the booklet made me strangely uneasy.

But Dazar simply nodded.

“Your reward for the soy sauce egg rice.”

Shouldn’t rewards be something the other person actually values…?

I looked down at the booklet in my hands and pouted.

He hated this thing enough to shove it into the back of his desk. It feels more like I’m taking out his trash.

Well, if I was going to have a Transcendent daughter-in-law someday…

Maybe it will help Axion in the future.

Thinking that, I opened the booklet.

By coincidence, the page I flipped to was about the Day of the Rift.

During the Day of the Rift, demonic energy reaches its highest concentration. As previously explained, Transcendents are frequently exposed to this energy and risk losing their sanity. To reduce this danger, the temple performs a sacred ritual upon all Transcendents.

So, in short, the temple existed to keep Transcendents from going insane.

“Every year it’s a nuisance, but I still have to go. If I count my previous lives too, how many years has it been now?”

Dazar grumbled while folding down his fingers one by one.

Watching his fingers disappear so quickly, I blinked twice.

Wait…

“Was there the same ritual in your previous life too?”

“There was. The temple always exists.”

“Wow.”

The last time I asked whether he remembered his previous life, he’d barely answered me.

What was with him today?

“Then… were you a Transcendent back then too?”

Dazar hesitated before looking at me.

Seeing the unmistakable curiosity sparkling in my eyes, he slowly nodded.

So I was right.

“That’s amazing.”

I was already having a pretty unbelievable experience myself, but the man sitting in front of me was just as fascinating.

“Then was your name the same back then too?”

“Yes. Transcendents always keep the same name. Even after they’re reborn.”

Seriously, what was with him today?

He was answering every question so obediently that it felt bizarre.

Is this the power of soy sauce egg rice?

Realizing this was my chance, I fired off questions one after another.

“Then is your face the same too? Or… is the entire world identical? Does the same life repeat itself? Is it like regression? Ah, by regression I mean living the same life over again. No? Then…”

I shook my head, nodded, and continued while Dazar patiently—if somewhat wearily—answered me.

“I heard some Transcendents remember their previous lives while others don’t. Why is that?”

“……”

Dazar, who had been faithfully answering until now, suddenly stopped moving.

A moment of silence passed.

Then his index finger traced a graceful arc through the air and pointed to one place.

Specifically—the booklet in my hands.

“That’s enough questions. Read the book.”

“Ah…”

“We’re going to the temple first thing tomorrow. Just know that. It won’t take very long.”

Before I realized it, I was standing outside Dazar’s study.

I hadn’t thought we’d talked for that long, but the hallway was already bathed in crimson sunset light.

Apparently, much more time had passed than I realized.

Looking at my long shadow stretching across the floor, I slowly began walking.

“Huh? Elston? What are you doing here?”

I blinked at Elston, who was standing in front of my room.

Judging by the book tucked under one arm, he had just finished teaching Vanilla.

He glanced suspiciously from side to side before beckoning me closer.

What was he doing?

When I approached with a puzzled expression, he whispered in an incredibly quiet voice.

“I heard you’re going to the temple tomorrow.”

“Huh? How did you know?”

Elston cleared his throat and proudly lifted his chin.

“Who do you think I am? I’m the mage—no, the wizard—from the Magic Tower who personally teaches the future star of House Siastor, Lady Vanilla Siastor. I’m exceptionally well-informed.”

More likely, Dazar had simply told him directly.

Too tired from dealing with Dazar, I merely nodded.

“Yes, yes. So?”

“I came to warn you to be careful.”

“About what?”

“The Dragon Heart of the Demonic Dragon residing in Axion’s heart.”

Ah.

Now that I thought about it, Axion had encountered monsters that day too.

But I’d never told Elston about that.

Why was he bringing it up?

“I might not even take Axion to the temple.”

“You were planning not to? But this is such a wonderful opportunity.”

“What opportunity?”

“When else will you get to see the temple? Ordinary commoners can’t even step inside unless they’ve committed a crime…”

Hold on.

That was ridiculous.

So why was it almost convincing?

Scratching my head, I fell into thought.

I couldn’t believe I’d only just remembered that Axion had encountered monsters too.

But the Dragon Heart inside his chest worried me.

What if the temple noticed it?

Even Elston had come all the way here just to warn me because he naturally assumed I’d be bringing Axion.

“I understand. But what if the temple notices the Dragon Heart? Wouldn’t it be safer not to bring him?”

Elston, who had been passionately lecturing about how important childhood experiences were, abruptly stopped.

“It’ll be fine. My magic is layered over the Dragon Heart, and Duke Siastor’s barrier is layered over that.”

“Hmm… That’s true, but…”

“Please don’t worry. That’s exactly why we placed multiple layers of magic and barriers on it. Besides, Duke Siastor is… special, even among Transcendents.”

Special among Transcendents?

I wanted to ask what he meant, but Elston seemed to realize he’d gotten a little carried away.

His face reddened slightly, and he hurriedly bowed.

“Then… have a safe trip.”

After he left, I was about to enter my room when I stopped.

Elston said it was fine, but I wanted to hear it from Dazar himself.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t in his study.

So, with no other choice, I headed toward his bedroom.