The Hero's Son is an Abandoned Orphan. (2)
The Hero's Son is an Abandoned Orphan. (2)
The capital of the Empire, Cernium, was built on the very spot where the first hero, 'Kael', slew the Demon King.
Kael's hometown was Mayhead, the plains below the Storm Mountains, west of Cernium.
And Kael, having become the adopted son of three mothers, was staying at the mansion in the Mayhead territory.
There was quite a distance between the Mayhead territory and the capital.
The absolute distance wasn't that far, but the mountain range rising in the middle blocked the path.
Normally, to save time, they would have leapt high to cross the sky toward the capital, or opened a dimensional gate to pass through, but....
"... Laika, how is it?"
"Those Magic Tower bastards are persistent, seriously. They were hovering around us until we left Mayhead? I guess they still need you."
The three mothers didn't rush to the capital.
It was because Kael was looking outside with curious eyes inside a carriage that moved smoothly because they had paid for it.
And because there was a noble law that required a carriage bearing the family crest to attend a 'Social Gathering'.
"Are they still nearby?"
"They've all left now. They went to the capital first, didn't they?"
Above all, the most important reason was that 'news' had to be delivered.
The news that the heroes, who had rejected contact with the Empire, the Magic Tower, and the Church for over two years, were attending the banquet for 'Kael'.
Kael hadn't learned anything.
They said it was to avoid the prophecy, but there were certainly some who didn't care about such things.
It was to sufficiently remind everyone who Kael's mothers were, how much they loved him, and who the protagonist of the banquet was.
"Those guys, they know we're attending because of Kael, right?"
"Speculating about all sorts of things is their habit. They'll figure it out on their own."
"Don't take it lightly, Laika. What if Kael...."
"Who said I was taking it lightly?"
On one side of the large carriage, Aria and Kael were smiling, but on the other side, Alicia and Laika were whispering and arguing.
"I'm serious."
"... Me too, I'm serious!"
Laika frowned as if her feelings were slightly hurt by Alicia's words.
Then, she looked around and whispered in her ear.
"Don't worry. When we got off to buy some fruit earlier, I grabbed them and told them. We're going because of Kael, so tell them straight."
"... What?"
"... This is better."
"No.... No, yeah. Good job."
"This way, even if Kael hasn't learned anything from us, they won't ignore him. I told them straight."
"Yeah. That's better. Really."
"Heh, right?"
Laika smiled at the praise, but Alicia was a little different.
Being an elf, she had gone and told them directly, and since the goal was achieved, she should have been a little relieved, but....
Kael kept catching her eye.
"... Sigh."
Kael, whom they had met when he was about five and adopted as their son, was now eight years old.
She worried that if she closed her eyes and opened them, he might be all grown up and leave to meet someone. She had thought Aria's anxiety was foolish, but as they headed to the social gathering, Alicia found herself having similar thoughts.
"Kael, is it fascinating?"
"Yes...! The, the bridge is floating above the cliff...!? And, swords are stuck in the street...!"
"That's because this is the road into Mayhead. It's a place the heroes always passed through."
Alicia stood up without realizing it and sat next to Kael, who was talking with Aria.
Then, she slipped her hands under Kael's armpits and lifted him up.
She sat him carefully on her lap, hugged him tightly, and shook off her anxiety.
"Alicia Mom...?"
"Our Kael."
"... Ye, yes?"
She touched Kael's cheek and messed up his hair.
Even so, he didn't complain, just smiled and looked at her with a 'Why?' expression.
Alicia asked, ignoring Aria's sharp glare while hugging Kael.
"Do you remember what we talked about?"
"... Uh-. Don't talk to female young ladies. If someone asks, try to only talk about the good points...."
"And?"
"If someone asks me to follow them, ask Laika Mom...?"
"And, what else?"
"... Tell them I don't know much about magic, prayer, assassination techniques, and archery."
Kael's expression, which had always been smiling, darkened this time.
However, no one could see it.
Aria was sulking while looking at the shoulder of Alicia, who was holding Kael.
Laika was worrying about how to act as a 'Mom' rather than an 'Elf' at the banquet hall.
And Alicia was holding Kael as if burying him between her breasts.
"Heh, good job, Kael. You remember everything?"
"Because Alicia Mom told me to...."
Kael trailed off and got down from Alicia's lap.
"Mom, I want to look outside more. Is that okay?"
"Of course, if you're curious about anything, you can ask. There are many fascinating things near Mayhead and the capital."
And then, just as he had done before, he looked out the window.
Is it because he doesn't share blood with his mothers?
The instruction to say he doesn't know anything was just so sad.
'... My mothers love me.'
He felt sad, but even though he had the memories of an adult, he was still just a child.
He didn't want his mothers to notice and worry, so he came down from the window quickly.
"Ugh-. It's scary because it's high."
He sat between Aria and Alicia, just leaning his head on his beloved mother.
'It's nothing. It's not like I'm not their son.'
Thinking to himself, he fell asleep in his mothers' arms.
All the way until they arrived in Cernium and entered the banquet hall.
"Kael, wake up. We're here."
Laika's voice was gentle, as if she were acting like a human mother, not an elf mom.
Kael woke up and looked out the window again.
The night sky was dark, but there wasn't a single place where the lights were out.
Even with his memories as an adult, the night view of a large city wouldn't be this beautiful.
Kael was mesmerized by the scenery of Cernium, the city with the alias 'Where the Stars Sleep'.
...
A gorgeous chandelier illuminated the banquet hall.
The antique music of the musicians settled gently in his ears.
Various nobles and children of wealthy families gathered, covering their mouths, talking here and there.
And some became lovers, sprouting love, asking if they wouldn't meet again when they returned to their families.
Some drank light champagne and wine, others drank water and beverages, but no one looked disheveled.
However, today was a little different.
The banquet is often held for various purposes, but this banquet was held for 'Kael', the adopted son of the 'Heroes'.
The wizards of the Magic Tower took off their robes and shook their legs while waiting for the Blue Tower Master, Alicia.
The priests of the Church showed up at the banquet hall, which didn't fit their religious faith, just to meet the Saintess.
Nobles who were targeting 'Kael', who had three hero mothers, were waiting for the sake of their families.
And women who intended to arrange a marriage with Kael, who was barely eight years old, to rise to a high position in their families, were seated.
Everyone was waiting and preparing in their own way.
Just like that, it was when everyone was waiting for the heroes and Kael.
Beyond the balcony of the banquet hall, a carriage was seen.
The carriage with the Mayhead territory's crest was visible.
The soft music stopped for a moment, and the murmuring voices all died down, leaving only silence.
Below the banquet hall.
The creaking of the arrived carriage could be heard in the hall.
Ttok-tak-, ttok-tak-.
The sound of shoes hitting the ground was heard.
"Long time no see, Blue Tower Master."
"... Long time no see, Alicia."
"... Pope Your Holiness, seeing you in a place like this, the feeling is new."
"Aria, I came with the priests who wanted to see you."
Before long, the voices of the empire's big shots, whom ordinary nobles would find hard to even have a private audience with, and a clear, pure woman's voice like rolling jade beads, mixed in.
"So you are Kael, Alicia's son."
Through the Pope's voice, the news that 'Kael' had arrived was delivered.
"... Kael has to go to the banquet, Pope Your Holiness."
With Aria's words, no more conversation could be heard.
Only three sets of clicking footsteps.
And only gasps of admiration flowed in between them.
Ttok-tak-, ttok-tak-, ttok-tak-.
The sound of shoes was heard, grew louder, and gradually drew closer.
And then, it stopped for a moment in front of the main gate of the banquet hall.
Some servants opened the large doors from the side-.
Red Tower Master, Alicia.
Church Saintess, Aria.
The most noble and outstanding among elves, High Elf Laika.
The three heroes, who could not be described by the word 'beautiful', revealed themselves.
They were just wearing red, white, and blue dresses that symbolized each other without a single decoration, but because there were no decorations, their beauty only drew more attention.
"... Haa-."
All the men gasped without realizing it.
Some of the more extreme ones even dropped their glasses.
While the men lost their souls and the women let jealousy bloom at their overly beautiful appearance.
"... U, Mom."
Between the three women, a boy with fearful eyes appeared.
A boy with impressive features that were sure to become handsome even though he was still young, and a soft gaze.
Kael.
The moment the rumored adopted son and the vanished heroes appeared.
Without anyone starting it, applause piled up in the silent banquet hall.
Music flowed, and as the protagonists were welcomed, the banquet began again immediately.
"Luna, go quickly and build a connection with that child named Kael."
"Melina. You must get close to that child."
Like the protagonist of the banquet, many gazes were directed at Kael and his three mothers.
Noble young ladies rushed to win the favor of Kael, who was loved by his three mothers.
"Must persuade the Tower Master, at this rate.... I can't finish the research."
"Don't burden the Saintess. She looks happy, so just have a conversation."
The Tower Master and the priests of the Church approached Alicia and Aria for their own purposes.
"Kael. Aria and I have people to meet. Laika will be with you, so take good care of Laika, okay?"
"... Eh? I, isn't it the opposite?"
"Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely, don't talk to girls for long? Got it, Kael?"
Kael found it a bit difficult that strangers were flocking to him in an unfamiliar place, but he still smiled at his mothers.
"Got it, Mom."
Just like that, Aria went to the priests of the Church.
And when Alicia was about to head to the wizards of the Magic Tower while looking for a family to help Kael.
"... Hi. I, I'm Dorcia. I'm the third daughter of the Helenia House."
"I'm Beira. I'm the second daughter of the Elderin House."
The noble young ladies who had been watching, rushed to Kael all at once and greeted him.
"... I, I'm Kael."
Kael's appearance, answering with a shy smile as if he were a bit far from being noble-like, was quite cute.
And the young ladies seemed to feel curiosity toward Kael, who was different from what they had seen before.
'... H, huh?'
Laika saw the curiosity that had bloomed on the faces of the other young ladies.
Looking at the young ladies who were smiling because they had met a cute boy....
'A, Aria's imagination wasn't, wasn't fake...!'
It was when Laika was feeling somewhat anxious.
"... Kael-nim, what did you learn from your mothers?"
One young lady asked Kael.
"...."
Kael was about to answer immediately, but closed his mouth without realizing it.
Feeling fear and anxiety about talking in front of so many people.
He reached out with slightly trembling hands and took a sip of water.
And even then, after hesitating for a long time, he answered as he had promised Alicia.
"... I don't know anything."
It was the truth, but no one believed it.
Because it was visible from the outside that his three mothers loved Kael.
Because it was nonsense that they hadn't passed anything on to the child they loved.
"Hey, that's a lie, right?"
"Your mothers love you so much, there's no way they didn't teach you, right?"
The innocent words of the young ladies stabbed Kael's heart.
"I heard from my dad, Kael-nim is the child of prophecy! So outstanding, the child who can inherit all of the mothers' progress!"
The 'Prophecy' that had been thoroughly hidden from Kael rushed into his ears on its own.
The days when his mothers looked at him with sad expressions and told him not to learn, to postpone it, and intentionally kept their distance, flashed through his mind.
I don't want to talk about this anymore.
Kael opened his lips again as if to tell them to stop with a dark expression.
"... My mothers, they don't want me to learn magic, prayer, or assassination techniques."
The young ladies looked at Kael's expression and realized at once that it wasn't a lie.
Without realizing it, they covered their mouths, looking at Kael with pitying eyes.
"... Ah."
Nobles are those who continue the will of their 'House'.
The words that his mothers didn't want to teach Kael anything meant....
It was so pitiful and wretched that they couldn't even bring themselves to ask any questions....
No, it was the same as answering that he had no talent to inherit despite their love.
The gazes of the young ladies surrounding Kael changed in an instant.
The sparkling curiosity turned into blatant pity, or contempt.
Some covered their mouths and whispered among themselves, and some quietly left as if he wasn't even worth looking at.
"My goodness, then he just has no talent? Is it because he's not a son by blood, but just an adopted orphan?"
It was the moment when a young lady from a Count's house, who had no tact, said it without malice, truly not knowing.
Kael's eyes shook back and forth.
"... M, Mom."
And yet, without realizing it, he turned his head to look at Laika, and smiled to reassure her.
The one with no talent is 'me', but the one being hurt by the malice that cannot be blamed because it is innocent, is not himself, but....
"... Mom, I'm fine. I, I'm okay."
Because it was Laika.
Because he thought it was Laika.