Arrival at Reynolds Academy

The unfilial son spoke. "Then, I shall take my leave." The black-haired boy turned and stepped out of the duke's study. With a heavy thud, the door closed behind him, leaving only a faint silence to fill the room. Duke Steiner remained alone, staring blankly at the spot where his son had stood moments ago. Though the study was quiet, his mind churned with noise. The cause was obvious—Raiden, the son he had just spoken with.

"......"

A few short exchanges. Questions about what he had done during the half-year he went missing, and whether he intended to continue attending the academy. The replies that followed. Fewer than twenty words in total. Yet Steiner could feel it clearly. 'It's gone.' The venom that had once filled his son's eyes had vanished. The implication of that small change was significant.

Steiner slowly replayed the moments Raiden had shown him. A tone that was polite yet firm. An expression that held no smile, but neither did it show irritation. An atmosphere that somehow carried a nostalgic warmth. Steiner felt his chest gradually swell with emotion. It was the same presence he had believed he would never see again after his wife, Philippa, died that day.

"......Ha."

What had happened? What could have changed him? Had he traveled to collect himself during those missing six months? It was a plausible theory. If Raiden had journeyed far across the continent for training, it would explain why the ducal house could not find him, and why the venom in his eyes seemed to have softened.

"Are you all right now, Raiden?"

Steiner murmured with a faint spark of hope, only to shake his head and release a heavy sigh. No. That could not be. Not with the depth of the wound that boy carried. Steiner let out a self-deprecating laugh.

-Father... Brother has been acting strange lately. He says awful things to the servants and treats me coldly too...

-I see. When I return from the campaign, I shall speak with him.

-When will you leave this time...? You only just came back yesterday after being gone for a fortnight. And now you're leaving again today...?

-......Ariel.

-Can't you just stay with Brother? He's really not himself these days... If something happens to him...

-I'm sorry, Ariel. This is all for your sake. For your mother and for the Empire as well.

In the moments when his son had been drowning in loss and emptiness, Steiner had not been there—using the excuse of serving the Empire and the family. What right did he have to wish for that child's peace?

Steiner leaned back against his chair and let out a low groan.

"......I will have to watch him."

It was still too early to tell. Whether the boy had overcome his past, or whether he had simply broken to the point where he could no longer feel pain. A gentler gaze alone did not guarantee he would stop his reckless behavior, nor did it mean his wounds had fully healed. Judging anything from such a brief conversation was meaningless to begin with.

Let's watch and see, Steiner muttered. Raiden had said he would depart for the academy once preparations were complete, so he would likely arrive in about four days. The academy had its connections; through her, he could receive news. Steiner clenched his fists, organizing his tangled thoughts. It might still be premature, but if... if Raiden truly had returned to his former self, then Steiner was ready to cast aside the mask of a stern father and embrace him with tears.

"......May you find peace."

With those words, Steiner gently closed his eyes.

The carriage was grand and ornate. Its black-and-red design was adorned with various jewels arranged in the crest of House Lisite. Inside this extravagant vehicle sat the black-haired boy. And beside him—

-Koo... mnya...

—a brown-haired maid was sleeping soundly, her head resting against the window as she mumbled in her sleep. Her brazen, utterly shameless posture made it hard to believe that only minutes earlier she had declared—

-Young Master, please trust me! I shall serve you with all my might!!

Was falling asleep the moment she boarded also part of her duties? Was there some etiquette I was unaware of?

I stared at the girl's face, mulling over the pointless thought. '......Still, sleeping like that will make her neck sore.'

I carefully reached out, pulling her body closer and resting her head on my lap. It was what they called a lap pillow... or so I supposed.

"......"

Hm. It felt a little embarrassing. In Raiden's memories, this had seemed quite natural. Then again, it had been a long time since he had felt another person's warmth. A sense of awkwardness was only to be expected.

"Mm..."

For a moment I considered waking Rachel again, but since I had already done it, backing out now felt pointless. So I left her as she was. The warmth seeping through my legs was strangely... addictive.

I turned my complicated thoughts aside and opened the status window.

"Show me only the skill information. Skip the rest."

With time to spare, I decided to examine the skills I possessed. Let's see. I could skip the passive skills, numbers one and two. As for number three...

"......"

The moment my eyes met the text of the third skill, I froze in place. A thick wave of anger and resentment that still lingered in this body rose to the surface. In the tide of emotion that threatened to burn away reason and thought, I had to clutch my chest. I repeated deep breaths to steady my trembling heart.

"Haa... haa..."

It was the most violent reaction I had experienced so far. Then again, from Raiden's perspective, it was only natural. The third skill, Blink. To him, it was a monstrous ability that had devoured his mother.

. . .

In the novel Heroes Who Erase Sorrow, individuals born with spatial teleportation magic were exceedingly rare. Even searching the entire continent, one might find only one or two. While high-ranking mages could force teleportation by twisting coordinates, it required complex incantations, calculations, and an absurd amount of mana. It was no wonder mages joked that "running to your destination is more practical than teleporting."

But that was the story of ordinary people. Those born with innate teleportation talent were different. As long as they had sufficient mana, they could teleport without restriction or delay. In some ways, their gift was valued even more highly than time-manipulation abilities, so it was only natural that attention gathered around them. The world called them "those blessed by space" and praised their genius.

-Good heavens... The Lisite heir's innate talent is spatial magic...?

-My word, it seems a genius who will define an era has been born.

And Raiden was one of those "blessed by space." The boy had been born with the innate talent of short-range teleportation magic. The entire continent had been thrown into an uproar. House Lisite, already renowned as the Empire's sword for its formidable martial prowess, was now about to produce a spatial mage as well—a talent so precious.

Some looked upon him with interest and admiration. Others harbored jealousy and hatred. But that commotion did not last long. The reason lay in Raiden's magic itself. It was true that he could freely move through space. The problem was...

-Huh... Young Master? You just used your talent, right...?

-Yeah! I used it at full power!

His maximum range was only one meter. Typically, short-range teleportation allowed movement between fifty and three hundred meters. Yet Raiden's limit was precisely one meter—a number so pitiful it left people speechless. On top of that, his mana capacity was smaller than average, allowing him to use it only about ten times.

The moment it became clear that the boy who had carried the continent's expectations was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nothing more than a flashy disappointment, interest in Raiden cooled instantly. All except for one group.

The Seekers.

A band of mad mages who conducted horrific human experiments on those with unusual innate talents in the name of pursuing magical truth. They served as one of the story's primary antagonists. From their perspective, Raiden must have looked like the perfect test subject. Born with the rarest talent on the continent, and—unlike most spatial ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mages who had a high chance of escape—once captured, he would be easy to experiment on at their leisure. His status as the ducal heir was a minor flaw, but the mad mages' eyes had already turned completely.

Thus, the Seekers devised ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the insane plan of infiltrating ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Lisite estate directly. Using all manner of magical tools and blood-soaked talents, they nearly succeeded—until Raiden's mother intervened.

-Run, Raiden!!

The sudden appearance of the duchess, followed by the duke's belated arrival, caused their plan to fail. In the end, the Seekers killed only the innocent duchess, earning the wrath of Duke Lisite in return. When a large-scale purge targeting the Seekers began, the group sensed danger and scattered across the continent, tails between their legs.

"The Seekers......"

They had seemed unpleasant even when reading about them in the novel. Seeing them like this, there really were no greater bastards. Claiming to pursue the truth of magic, yet conducting human experiments instead of proper research. And why resort to kidnapping and murder?

"......Poor Raiden."

Because of this, Raiden's innate talent, Blink, was like a reverse scale to him. The anger and resentment boiling in my chest now suggested it still was. Don't worry, Raiden. The Seekers will be wiped out within five years anyway. By the protagonist's own hands.

'That aside...'

He really had no skills. Most people possessed at least basic swordsmanship or fundamental magic. Raiden had no talent for martial arts, so... had he deliberately avoided developing any? It made sense. His average physical stats being E+ said it all. This guy had never trained once in his life.

"People need to exercise properly to stay healthy......"

Well, that was probably too much for me to say. Usually, getting beaten to a pulp wasn't what people called exercise. Abuse, maybe.

I muttered quietly and gave a bitter smile.

"Really, both Raiden and I... lived such miserable lives."

Even so, I felt a certain kinship with him. The boy who had to lose his mother at sixteen—Raiden. And I, Kim Naru, who lost mine at eleven. We had clearly faced different forms of pain and circumstances, but we were identical in one way: we were both bastards who had survived by sacrificing our mothers' lives. A shared sense of kinship between two unfilial sons, perhaps.

"Still, I am a little envious."

Having a loving family was a blessing. Objectively speaking, Raiden's family had been far more than he deserved. His younger sister, his father—they had never given up on him. And on top of that, they both seemed to feel guilty for failing to prevent his fall. Their love might have been clumsy, but no one could deny that they had cared for the boy.

"......"

Still, the people Raiden loved had stayed by his side until the very end. The people I loved had always died or gone somewhere I could never reach. The thought stirred murky feelings of jealousy and contempt in my chest, but I quietly brushed them away. No matter how selfish I was, I was not so vile as to envy a story that had already ended in tragedy.

"......Everything will be fine."

I murmured. It was both a suggestion to myself and words meant for Raiden. Don't worry. We'll be all right. In this second chance, we can truly do well.

Whispering those thoughts in my heart, I turned my gaze toward the window.

. . .

The carriage ran. When evening came, we stayed at an inn. When morning came, the carriage ran again. When the sun set, we stayed at another inn. After a week of this monotonous yet peaceful routine, we finally reached our destination.

"Oh my goodness! Young Master...! Look outside! It's enormous!!"

Rachel was making a fuss, apparently amazed by the sight of the academy visible beyond the window. Well, it was impressive. Even I, who had seen it through Raiden's memories, found myself staring in awe. I chuckled at the girl's pure reaction.

"Yes, yes, I heard you. Sit down properly. What if you get hurt?"

"It's fine! To become a perfect attendant, I've always trained my balance... Eek?!"

Just as Rachel was grinning confidently, the carriage—which had been steadily moving—came to an abrupt stop. The sudden halt sent her body lurching forward, and I reached out to catch her in my arms.

"Eeh...?"

"See? I told you to be careful."

The girl, who had been looking up at me while held in my embrace, quickly flushed red and pulled away. It was a similar reaction to when she had woken up during the lap pillow incident. I gave her a light flick on the forehead.

-Thwack!

"Eek...!"

"From now on, you'll sit still while we travel, won't you?"

"Ugh... Yes..."

Satisfied with her obedient reply, I nodded. Seeing that the carriage had come to a complete stop, it seemed this long journey had finally reached its end. I gazed quietly at the scenery outside the window. The academy's main gate exuded an overwhelming sense of majesty just by its appearance. Beyond it stood a collection of buildings large enough to form a small city.

"We've arrived."

The setting of the novel The Hero Loved by All. The place where Raiden had once belonged, until half a year ago. We had finally reached Reynolds Academy.