Chapter 45
“I understand what you mean, Mother, but I’m still not interested in women. There’s too much I need to do,” Rian said.
“Then that’s exactly why I’m stepping in. I hear noble parties happen often in the capital. Surely, you’ll meet plenty of daughters from good families there. Isn’t that right, Regina?”
Owen watched as her son’s face twisted in frustration, feeling his confidence drain. She subtly averted her gaze and sought help from her daughter.
Regina, who had been listening to their conversation with bright, eager eyes, nodded vigorously and spoke up for Owen.
“Of course! The more family members, the better. I also hope our new sister-in-law comes soon!”
Rian was momentarily dumbfounded by his sister’s enthusiastic support, but he quickly responded without backing down.
“Regina, if you want a family, wouldn’t it be faster for you to get married first?”
“Brother, I’m only seventeen! I haven’t even had a proper romance yet, and you’re already trying to push me aside?”
“Mother, how old were you when you married Father?”
“I… I think nineteen?”
Her gaze wandered suspiciously elsewhere. Suddenly, Regina turned toward the window, avoiding the question.
Rian, with a triumphant look, alternated his gaze between his mother and sister and spoke deliberately.
“No, I clearly remember you met Father at seventeen, married at eighteen, and then gave birth to me at nineteen, and to my younger sibling at twenty, right?”
“…….”
“Regina, you heard that too. Don’t tell me you don’t remember?”
“Brother! Things aren’t the same as back then! And Mother and Father fell in love at first sight, so that’s why it worked.”
“You never know, you might fall in love at first sight too,” Rian shot back.
Like a cornered mouse biting the cat, Regina, flustered by Rian’s relentless attack, suddenly twisted her head and declared.
“Fine! Okay, okay! I’ll start looking for a husband too. Then you can find someone to marry as Mother wants. That’s fair, right?”
“What… what?”
“I wouldn’t want to get married, so I’m sticking to you. Let’s do it fairly. As Mother says, you need to have an heir to continue our family line, don’t you? Right, Mother?”
“Exactly, my daughter speaks well. Rian, you are my son, but don’t forget that you are also the lord of a territory. For the sake of your subjects, you should take a wife and ensure the family line continues. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
So that was the conclusion.
Rian forced a smile as the two women gave him their pleading looks, despairing inwardly.
He never expected this kind of ambush. Even the previous master, who lived a life of debauchery, hadn’t endured nagging like this.
Though it was good that his mother had regained her health, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about this situation.
Eventually, Rian gave in.
“Very well. I’ll follow Mother’s wishes. But the final decision is mine. You won’t force me on that, will you?”
“Of course not. The most important thing is their hearts, no matter what. But if a woman pleases me, Rian, you’ll like her too.”
With his son’s consent, Owen smiled brightly and said,
“I can’t wait! I wonder which lady will become part of our family?”
Regina, imagining the distant future, hugged Owen in excitement.
‘A bit ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?’
Rian frowned, feeling helpless as the carriage came to a stop, giving a small jolt.
“Lord, we’re going to take a short break here.”
It was a welcome voice from Scott, who appeared just as Rian felt a headache coming on. Rian quickly got up and opened the carriage door.
Oswalt, Lakia, and Asa, who had been traveling in a separate carriage, were already outside.
The group for this journey consisted of thirty people: soldiers to escort the carriage, laborers, and maids for service and food.
The carriage and horses were positioned in the shade, and a simple snack was prepared. They had hoped to have proper meals on the way to the capital, but in the empty wasteland, this was all they could do.
Fortunately, Owen and Regina seemed to enjoy the simple setup. After years confined to the castle, even the journey itself was exciting.
“Asa, come here.”
“Meow~”
As soon as they settled down, Owen and Regina looked for Asa. Rian had insisted Asa stay out of the carriage to maintain some calm during the break.
Asa, in her cat form, had been traveling with Lakia and Oswalt in the carriage. Oswalt used it because of his age, and Lakia because of her position as Dragon Knight Commander.
Seizing a moment when Oswalt was distracted, Asa sincerely thanked Rian. Without him, she would have been trapped in the arms of the two ladies the entire journey.
Yet, curiously, Asa acted affectionate toward Owen and Regina despite finding them bothersome internally. She seemed to crave attention from everyone, though Lakia was exempt.
Rian suspected Asa wanted more love and cuteness from everyone—including him—than from Lakia.
He wasn’t sure, but he’d seen Asa occasionally glance at Lakia while showing off for the others. Suspicion without confirmation.
“Let’s talk,” Lakia whispered as she brushed past Rian, seeing his mother and sister laughing at Asa’s antics.
‘What’s this about?’
Rian followed Lakia after a short pause.
“What have you done at the warehouse behind the castle this time?”
Separated from the group, Lakia asked in a tone tinged with betrayal. She had wanted to ask before leaving for the journey but hadn’t had the chance.
“Ah, that?”
“You keep doing things on your own… maybe I should try it too?”
Lakia was frustrated that Rian acted without consulting her. She had let the previous training grounds incident pass, but this time she wouldn’t.
“What is it? It felt different from the training grounds,” she pressed.
The aura from the warehouse was very different from the training ground. While the latter had stored large amounts of mana for the soldiers’ practice, the warehouse felt small but dense, almost like a solid mass.
“How could I possibly fool your eyes, Lakia?” Rian grumbled.
“What?”
“Whatever I do, you can tell. Not even a magician, and yet… When did you become capable of that?”
“You finally realize I’m amazing? Stop complaining and tell me about the warehouse.”
“…A gate.”
“A gate?”
“A Warp Gate, you don’t know?”
Lakia’s expression froze; she hadn’t expected to hear such a term.
“Did you just say Warp Gate?”
Even though she knew Rian was skilled, she couldn’t help but be shocked. Warp Gates were powerful magic only high-level mages above Circle 7 could perform—magic that shouldn’t exist now.
And he had made one?
‘So this is the level of his skill…’
Lakia’s gaze was filled with astonishment. Yet she also felt pride and satisfaction that someone so powerful was Rian.
Rian smiled slightly.
“This is our last leisure journey to the capital. Enjoy it while you can, Lakia. Next time, we’ll be traveling between places in the blink of an eye.”
“…Who exactly are you?”
“Huh?”
“Keeping such incredible skills hidden is suspicious. Only I know you’re a magician. Why hide it?”
“Asa knows I’m a magician too.”
“Why is that unfinished cat coming up now? It’s already annoying enough traveling together in a carriage.”
Before departure, Lakia had refused to go if Asa was coming. Rian hadn’t cared, so she remained irritable throughout the journey, calling Asa an unfinished cat. Asa, for her part, mocked Lakia’s hair color as white, so it balanced out.
“Lord, if we don’t depart now, we won’t reach Tokash before sunset. We should hurry!”
Had Scott not reminded them, Rian might have spent more time being harassed by Lakia.
“Lakia, we’ll talk later.”
Rian ran to Scott with a sigh of relief. Their group reached the capital fifteen days later.
In recent times, the capital buzzed with multiple rumors. The two most talked-about were that Emperor Carter III had reached marriageable age and the recent news about Calista Bank.
“Welcome!”
A man wearing a wide-brimmed hat entered a tavern, greeted warmly by a young employee.
Having worked there four years, the young man could tell what a customer wanted at a glance. Despite being dusty, the man’s clothing was exquisite—worth more than a year’s salary for the employee.
Wealthy guests often preferred the elegantly furnished upper floor, especially if they came alone.
The employee, smiling broadly, gestured toward the stairs.
“Please, this way, sir.”
Yet exceptions exist. Contrary to the employee’s expectation, the man scanned the lower floor and sat at an empty table.
Other patrons quickly returned to their conversations.
“What would you like to order?” the employee asked, hiding his embarrassment.
“Same as that table over there,” the man replied, pointing to two men enjoying chicken and beer.
“Very well! Please wait!”
The employee bowed and hurried to the kitchen. The man removed his hat.
Contrary to his deep voice, he was quite young, with short orange hair and transparent sky-blue eyes, strikingly handsome but tired, his eyes burdened.
He watched the patrons with slight envy. They laughed and chatted freely, seemingly without worry.
“Here’s your food and drink. Enjoy!”
Even the employee’s cheerful voice seemed enviable. The man’s head was about to explode from recent events over the past few months.
