Death... and me

Yet, Jeskli ended up shaking his head. 'No, I'm not bringing you back to the Minokawa Race. I can see that your bloodline is currently mostly sealed, which makes sense. Your father made it so that you would unlock just enough at every realm so that you could hide it. Ploto-Ume was very smart.'

Kentucky was surprised by those words. 'Wouldn't it be better if you guys kept me within range while keeping the secret? How come you don't want it?'

'Because I'm lazy,' Jeskli-go answered as stating a fact. 'Since it's working, you might as well continue with it. I didn't see anything. I didn't know anything. That's how I'll act.'

Well, that was his nature, although Kentucky thought he would care more about this information. 'In any case, I didn't intend to go back with you. Nonetheless, I still want the answer to my question.

'Right, Ploto-Ume and Ratria-ket...' Jeskli's mind wandered into the past as he reminisced some memories from many years ago. 'Ploto-Ume was such a good Minokawa. He brought his laziness to another level altogether. Who could have thought that he would end up having a partner? Did you know? It was your mother that got him in the end, not the other way around. Your father simply couldn't bear to spend energy looking for a relationship at all.'

'It's weird how you talk about it as if it was something to be proud about,' Kentucky couldn't help but mention. 'Well, I also like to do nothing, so it's not like I don't understand.'

'It's good that you understand.' Jeskli-go nodded. 'Anyways, he changed after your mother found out that she was going to lay an egg. Did he teach you any of the Minokawa Race's moves?'

Kentucky obviously did learn some. 'Yes, dad taught me Dark and Light Divine Armor and the Kawa Blade Domain.'

'What if I told you he didn't even know those things before knowing your mother?' Jeskli-go asked back. 'That's how much he hated doing anything at all. Usually, our Minokawa Race members at least learn some of our race's abilities to fight and defend themselves, but he didn't even do any of that. However, after knowing about your imminent birth, he jumped straight into training to learn everything.'

'The real impressive thing was his talent, though. Before your mother even laid your egg, he had already mastered all the main abilities. It was quite unbelievable considering the time frame and especially his remarkable lack of interest in such things. Many of us thought he could have been the strongest Minokawa if he had put his efforts into training since he was young. Of course, that's not considering the Regal Minokawa. Besides, we didn't know he had such talent until that moment.'

'I see...' Kentucky thought his father was just a normal Minokawa, but it seemed to be a lot more than that after his appearance. 'Tell me more.'

'As I said, it was because your mother appeared,' Jeskli-go continued. 'Ratria-ket was an oddity between Minokawas. While most of us, me included, preferred a leisurely life, she was obsessed with strength. I mean, as long as we stay in the ancestral land and use its environment to cultivate, we will get strong, so why bother? But she wanted to be more than that.

'She was the first one to notice your father's real talent, something he himself didn't know to have. Well, he didn't care about that to start with, so it was to be expected that he didn't know. Ratria-ket didn't care if we didn't train at all. However, Ploto-Ume's lack of interest was so huge that it bothered her. Why? Because she noticed that her cultivation didn't move faster than your father's even though she put in so much effort. That wasn't the case for the other Minokawas, who were also lazy. Only he was able to keep up with her without doing anything. She had to get to the bottom of it.'

'Your father definitely had a huge talent in the past, but since he had never cared about training, he couldn't possibly be Ratria-Ket's match. With that, she told him to train with her. If he refused, she would pummel him until the pain was worse than the training efforts. Talent could only bring you so far, after all.'

'That...' Isn't it basically his story with Roan? When training time came, he better go train. Otherwise, he would definitely suffer in Roan's hands. 'Roan and my mother would probably get along quite well with each other,' he thought.

Jeskli-go didn't know what Kentucky was thinking, so he simply spoke more. 'I guess you can already imagine the rest. If anything, it was quite cliche. Your father eventually fell for Ratria-Ket, and so did she for him. Although his efforts in training would only show striking results after he confirmed your existence. Otherwise, he would always try to flee from your mother and avoid any training possible.'

'However, your father was still too far from the highest cultivation realm in the Realm of Gods. The other Minokawas didn't seem to care too much about it either. Worst of all, other races found out that a Regal Minokawa egg was laid since a phenomenon appeared alongside your appearance.'

'I see...' Now Kentucky understood why Jeskli-go didn't intend to bring him back. 'Even if the other Minokawas learn that I'm still alive, they won't really try to protect me. The experts of our race will only move if the race itself is in danger or if the demon beast race as a whole is, right? A Regal Minokawa existing there or not wouldn't put the race in danger. No, it's worse than that. The Regal Minokawa Bloodline would bring more trouble than security instead.'

'Yep.' Jeskli-go nodded. 'I told you, didn't I? We're mostly lazy. Don't get me wrong, I also knew about you but couldn't care less. If you survived, great! If you didn't, so be it. That thinking hadn't changed until now, although you did scare me when you showed your real identity. That's why I will pretend I don't even know you.'

'As for your parents...' Jeskli made a pause there.