Return to Endeion
Imelda Winchester.
The current Duchess of Winchester, the empire’s sole female duke—and, as it happened, the mother of Taylor Winchester.
The reason I addressed her as “Your Grace” rather than “Mother” was nothing so dramatic as the old tale of Hong Gildong. It was simply that every single entry about her in the notebook I had found in the dormitory referred to her that way, and so I had followed suit.
At first I had wondered whether the original Taylor, burdened with a mere D-rank talent, might have suffered some quiet emotional abuse from his family. In the end I had to dismiss the idea. From everything I had seen of the duchess’s character in the original story, such a thing was impossible.
And now, looking at the woman standing before me, that conviction became absolute. In her eyes I found no hatred, no anger—only the faintest trace of gladness.
“Yes. I have already received word of your doings at the Academy.”
Imelda spoke in a flat, icy tone, and the entire party froze solid on the spot.
I knew she always talked like that, but seeing it in person is genuinely terrifying…
Fortunately I already understood her nature, so I managed to stay a little calmer than the others.
“About that matter, allow me to explain—”
“Enough.”
As someone who needed the family’s support, I had tried to keep my composure and offer an account, but Imelda cut me off mid-sentence.
“This does not seem the proper place for such a conversation.”
“…Understood.”
She was right, of course.
I let my urgency get the better of me and rushed things.
Imelda regarded our stiff little group with a touch of regret.
“When I heard you had reached Endeion I had breakfast prepared in advance. I would have liked to join you myself, but a problem has arisen in the territory and I must leave for a short while.”
“…I am truly sorry to return at such a turbulent time.”
Even I had never imagined something as troublesome as a mass dungeon outbreak in the North.
“There is nothing to apologize for. One need not worry about such things when coming home.”
Imelda gave a slight shake of her head, making it clear the matter truly did not concern her, then turned her gaze to the companions still trembling behind me.
“You are Taylor’s classmates from the Academy, I take it.”
“Your Grace, it has been some time.”
“I-I-It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m E-Enri Arundel!”
“…Angela Schutzbury.”
Elizabeth, who already knew Imelda, looked relatively composed, but Enri and Angela were pale and sweating so heavily they seemed on the verge of fainting.
“Welcome to the Winchester domain. I would have liked to speak with you at greater length, but regrettably I have little time at present.”
No sooner had she finished than a line of butlers and maids emerged from behind her.
“Show the children to the dining hall.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
With picture-perfect smiles the servants approached, and as if under a spell we found ourselves guided smoothly into the mansion.
Just then Imelda’s voice brushed past my ear from behind.
“You must be weary from the long journey. Finish the meal that has been prepared and rest well today. Once this urgent business is settled, I will hear everything that has piled up at leisure.”
“…Thank you.”
“Should any of the dishes not suit your taste, please do not hesitate to say so. We will replace them at once.”
The servants filled the table to overflowing with dishes, then quietly closed the dining-room doors and withdrew.
The lavish presentation and mouth-watering aromas were so exquisite they felt almost like works of art, stirring the appetite at once.
Being a city built on a lake, I suppose fish dishes are plentiful.
Around the capital where the Hero Academy stood there were no great rivers or lakes, so seafood was a rare sight; I found myself looking forward to it.
While I was still marveling at the far-better-than-expected quality of the food, my eyes fell on Enri sitting opposite me. She had not touched a single dish and was fidgeting awkwardly.
“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”
“N-No! It’s just… well…”
She flushed crimson and lowered her head. My puzzlement lasted only a moment. The moment I saw the dozen-plus pieces of cutlery arrayed before her, I understood.
“No one here is going to fail to understand that much. Don’t worry about it—just eat however you like.”
Elizabeth, of course, and Angela as well—though of lower rank—were still nobles and had mastered proper table manners. I myself had never received formal noble etiquette training either, but the table manners I had picked up in ordinary social life were enough to get by.
Enri, however, was different. As a fallen noble who had lived little better than a commoner, her idea of dining etiquette stopped at “don’t shovel everything with a single spoon.”
At the Academy they provided only fork, spoon, and knife out of consideration for commoners, so even I had completely forgotten.
Elizabeth and Angela, catching on only after my words, both turned to Enri with apologetic faces.
“Enri, I’m truly sorry. That was thoughtless of me.”
“Sorry, Enri. I’ll teach you properly later.”
“I’m fine, really! And thank you, Angela.”
Enri watched us eat, awkwardly copied our movements, and still managed to enjoy the meal thoroughly. Thanks to that, our first breakfast in Endeion somehow came to a successful close.
“Come to think of it, do we not need to pay our respects separately to the young master’s father?”
Once the meal was finished and the tension had finally drained away, Enri sipped the tea before her and spoke up.
It was Elizabeth, listening beside her, who answered.
“Lord Patrick is a ranked hero and is currently active on the front lines.”
I knew little about my father. All I had was the name Patrick Winchester and the knowledge that he had once been regarded as a candidate for the strongest hero of his generation—a formidable hero in his own right.
Patrick, strong enough to earn a hereditary title by pure ability, had married Imelda and entered the ducal house as a son-in-law, taking the Winchester name. According to the Bright Newspaper he currently ranked third among all heroes and was the youngest among the top ten.
Ah, right—Patrick…
In the original story, by the time the protagonist entered the Winchester family, Patrick had already fallen on the battlefield. Having lost both child and husband, the Duchess of Winchester had chosen as her heir the justice-driven, highly talented protagonist.
Since I’m still alive, there’s no chance of that guy being adopted into the Winchester house now.
I could hardly die just to keep the plot on track, so I would have to give what needed giving and take what needed taking.
Patrick was a powerful hero who would be essential against the threats to come—and, more importantly, he was now my father. He was one of the people I absolutely had to keep alive.
“So your father’s name is Lord Patrick?”
“Enri, even as a hero aspirant you ought to remember at least the top-ranked heroes…”
“Hehe, sorry. I don’t really read the papers…”
At Angela’s exasperated tone Enri gave an embarrassed little laugh.
Even after every last dessert had vanished, the girls’ conversation continued for a long while. Whatever they found so endlessly fascinating, they chattered on and on until I, who had been listening in silence, was the first to wear out.
Watching for an opening, I rose the moment their talk paused.
“…Forgive me, but I’m exhausted. I’ll take my leave first.”
“Th-Then we should—”
I stopped them as they started to stand and left the dining hall alone.
Leaving the guests behind while I slipped away felt a little improper, but I was already mentally spent.
[Running away, are you?]
Wouldn’t you? Stuck in a carriage with three women for a whole week? Even a pleasant trip with beauties only lasts a day or two…
[What a pathetic man.]
Shut up.
I had long since passed my mental limit. Dragging my weary body, I followed a servant’s guidance to what was presumably my own room—a luxurious private suite.
It was the chamber Taylor Winchester had used before entering the Hero Academy. Even though some time had passed since his enrollment, it was still kept spotless, not a speck of dust in sight.
[You lived in a place like this? What a bleak room.]
“Haha, you’re not wrong.”
I found myself agreeing with Beatrix without thinking. The room was far larger than any of the others I had seen on the way here, yet it held almost no decoration and very few belongings. A hollow emptiness seemed to hang in the air.
A self-deprecating chuckle escaped me at the sight of a room that so perfectly reflected a self-denying personality.
“Once I graduate from the Academy I’ll have to fill it with something.”
Of course I had no intention of living the way the original Taylor had.
As I was looking around, a knock sounded at the door.
Knock, knock.
“Who is it?”
“Baron Conrad. Might I have a brief word?”
“Baron Conrad…?”
I rapidly sifted through the information I had on the Winchester domain’s personnel. Baron Conrad was the man who served as acting lord whenever the duke and duchess were away.
“Come in.”
—Creak.
The door opened and a middle-aged man in uniform stepped inside.
“Young Master, I deeply apologize for calling on you so abruptly.”
He was drenched in sweat, as though he had run the whole way, and his expression was frantic. I pulled over the single chair in the room for him and sat myself casually on the edge of the bed.
“Well then, Baron Conrad. What urgent business brings you all the way to my room?”
From what I had researched, Baron Conrad and Taylor had almost no prior connection. The man could not even bring himself to sit; he remained standing, still flustered.
“I have urgent news that must be delivered, so I took the liberty of seeking you out.”
“Urgent news?”
Why bring urgent news to me?
“Yes. Please listen calmly to what I have to say.”
The baron hesitated a moment, then delivered news that truly shocked me.
“…Her Grace the Duchess has been swept into a suddenly appearing dungeon and is now missing.”