Wide-eyed, was Proxer, who was gazing at Jogrin with a hint of surprise. To him, Jogrin's way of thinking was not only self-destructive, but also radical.
"... Even if someone's in the wrong, they should be put in a prison, that's why law exists. They could be corrected through education-"
"And how can you ensure that it's effective? Moreover, education takes too much time. How can you promise that they won't commit more heinous act in the process? The most effective and efficient way is to cull them, isn't it?"
"That's not how it should be. People make mistakes all the time. That's why they should be given a second chance!"
"To? repeat the same thing all over again? I find that ridiculous."
"... I can't agree with the way you think."
"Everyone has different opinions. When confronted with each other, argument ensues, but you were able to keep a level head. That's admirable."
"I can say the same about you."
"That's just how I normally talk and act, nothing special."
"You're even refusing to receive praises, huh... Argh! This is getting dour. Let's change topics. Hmm..."
As he didn't want to make the relationship between Jogrin and himself sour, he believed it was best to talk about something else, but he couldn't come up with anything else.
"I have something I want to ask."
"Shoot."
"Did Naytia agree to this?"
Jogrin was referring to both Proxer and Suzannia coming here. Upon hearing the name of his wife, Proxer broke into a cold sweat.
"Oh sorry. Should I not have said that?"
"Ah, no. Just thinking about what'll happen when I get home is sending chills down my spine..."
"Huh..."
Jogrin perceived nervousness from Proxer, but unlike his demeanor, there was only very little fear. Meanwhile, Proxer was hesitating to take out his phone as he gulped.
"Is Naytia actually scary?"
Despite what he perceived, Jogrin still queried.
"She's a sweet, caring, and lovely girl most of the time, but when she gets mad..." Proxer's tremor was visible. "A-anyway, to answer your question, well, from my reaction, I think you can already tell..."
"Oh, so no then. Hmm..."
"Is something the matter?"
"It's just that, her reaction when I told of my past. At first, she was clearly fearful, but somehow, she suddenly became accepting... That kind of change shouldn't be possible."
Jogrin gave Proxer an earnest, yet dubious look. Despite not one of the prioritized issues, it appeared it still weighed quite a bit on Jogrin's mind.
"I didn't elaborate a lot, but Father told me that, during the time I shut myself in my room after the 'Telestrophe' incident, Naytia was always crying. It was because she felt that she felt so useless, blaming herself for not being able to support me, or share my burdens, which caused my behavior t that time."
Proxer smiled wryly at recalling what he put his wife through.
"I thought it might've been too much for the rest of my family to bear, so I took it all up upon myself..."
"Would you do the same if the past you were the current you?"
"Honestly, I don't know..."
"But you let her stay and listen to my past, even though I've emphasized on how heavy the topic would be."
"Maybe I've changed without me even realizing it then..."
Proxer stared at the entrance of the house, somewhat despondently. He wasn't sure whether a change like that would be good or not. Jogrin glanced at Proxer, then Suzannia who was fast asleep, before gazing at the same direction as Proxer.
"What I know is that, because she also listened to my past, you were able to discuss the matter about taking me to your home with her without needing to hide much information... Well, I don't know whether you've told her about the hospital incident, but I'm certain that you didn't have to be too reserved during your discussion."
"I guess you're right... You speak like a wise old man when you look so young..."
"How old is defined old in this world?"
"Like 60-ish years old? Why?"
"Hm... Well, I'm 597 years old, and that excluded the time during my voyage in space."
All of a sudden, Proxer's face became pale as his jaw dropped.
"HUH?!" He couldn't hide his being flabbergasted.
"An average lifespan of a Darkian, according to a book I read, was approximately 2000 years."
"That long?!?!"
"It only seems long to you who's much more short-lived."
"Wait, so you've lived through more than a quarter of your life, and during all that time..."
"Yes, I've been assaulted for all of 597 years... What are you doing...?"
As soon as Jogrin replied, Proxer stepped close to him and extended one of his arms. He wrapped it around Jogrin's head and held him close.
"Just at least let me do this much..."
Melancholy could be perceived from Proxer, so Jogrin quietly accepted Proxer abrupt embrace.
"I've decided!"
"What?"
"I'm going to convince Naytia to let you live with us for real!"
"You're acting capricious like Suzannia..."
"Say whatever you want, you're not stopping me!"
"I don't deserve your kindness."
"Don't say that! You said culling was the way, but I'll show you how second chances can change someone. You'll be the living proof of it!"
"That's nothing more than idealistic thinking. Changing someone is nigh impossible, let alone for someone who's lived for almost 6 centuries."
"Don't conclude without trying first!"
"Did you also forget that I'm a dangerous individual?"
"Well... you've been able to hold back for more than half a week! It's going to be fine!"
"If you use this to argue against your wife, it's definitely going to end up in failure..." Jogrin let out a heavy sigh. "But well, I can't stop you if you insist. I won't go against your will if that's what you want, although I don't think you're going to succeed anyway."
"Won't know until I try! Wait for the good news here alright? I'll definitely work this out!"
Proxer released Jogrin from his embrace and walked toward to house entrance. He turned around and gave him a thumbs up before leaving.
"Whimsical. Like father like daughter... But they're also too kind for their own good, even going so far as to show it to someone like me..."
Jogrin couldn't comprehend why Proxer would go so far for his sake, even thoough he'd proven himself to possess benignant nature. From Jogrin's perspective, that kindness could lead to trouble for him.
'Perhaps it's best to oversee Proxer and his family, so that can be avoided as much as possible.'
He yearn not to not bring them any disastrous adversities because of him, so he internally vowed to protect them should Proxer manage to convince Naytia, and the rest of his family.
'Naytia's reaction was indeed due to the "Telestrophe" incident, or rather, the aftermath of that incident. If that was what she went through, I suppose I'd just been overthinking about it on my end as I don't understand emotions well enough.'
That was one of the "mysteries" solved, or rather, debunked. Despite that, the imperative ones were nowhere close to being solved. Jogrin went back to contemplating about these mysteries, hoping to find the answers from his memory.
'I had been able to remember everything since I was born, but my memories on the invasion is so vague and blur... Just why is that?'
Frustration arose from within Jogrin whose perfect memory malfunctioned when it came to the most crucial details, as he griped.