Homecoming (1)
Homecoming (1)
Because we had spent so much time in the Baron's territory, we hurried on our way.
Even Manuel, who had suggested hunting monsters and bandits along the way, didn't object.
It seemed that seeing what had happened in the Baron's territory had given him a lot to think about.
And so, we hurried through the territories.
The farther we got from the capital, the more obvious it became that the atmosphere was deteriorating.
Some of the villages where we had stopped to rest a year ago had already been reduced to ruins.
It looked as though monsters had swept through them.
While such things were common in remote areas, it was rare for a village between territories to disappear like this.
It seemed that neither the lord who governed the village nor his soldiers had even visited the ruins.
It was impossible to tell whether they simply had no leeway to care for such a village, or whether they were intentionally neglecting it.
"I hope something gets decided quickly," said one of the knights, gazing at the ruins in a gloomy voice.
Was he worried about the Kingdom's future, seeing its administration so paralyzed?
"Don't worry too much. Things will get better with time, anyway."
Sir Angel cautioned the knight who had spoken, then led the party forward once more.
But it was hard to say whether things would truly get better with time.
Would everything return to normal once one of the two princes became king, or would it get even worse? On top of that, the Grand Prince and even the Empire were picking fights.
Just spending a short time in the capital seemed to have cluttered my head.
When I was in the territory, I only had to worry about my family and the estate. That was why I had spent the last few years in relative comfort.
But in the capital, the past year had been a whirlwind. I couldn't even count how many times I had died, though about half of those deaths had been practically suicides because of the sword.
So, during my visit to the Duchy, I planned to rest.
I intended to take a break from fighting the ghost of Carlos and enjoy a proper vacation.
Although an absurd incident had occurred at the Baron's estate, there was no way something like that would happen again during a simple trip home.
I had put my skills through their paces enough, so now I truly intended to rest.
The hulking brute I had spared until the very end eventually died, though. There had been no need to kill him on purpose.
The brute, whose mind was already half-shattered, ultimately committed suicide under Balea's torture.
Everyone grew even more terrified of Balea, but perhaps such fear was necessary to rebuild a ruined territory.
Until the moment we departed, Balea's imposing authority dominated the territory.
The surviving soldiers, knights, and even the residents followed the acting lord's orders well, and the acting lord listened carefully to Balea's words.
It was a little hard to tell who the actual lord was, but the territory seemed to be running smoothly nonetheless.
It seemed perfectly fine for her to become the lord, but that was unlikely to happen easily.
In this world, women had as hard a time gaining recognition as illegitimate children did. Besides, Balea didn't seem to want the lordship all that much.
When the founding King Carlos first established this nation, things hadn't been like this. Perhaps the country had changed because it had stagnated for hundreds of years.
Every time I saw things like this, I couldn't help thinking that a complete upheaval wouldn't be such a bad thing.
With those thoughts in mind, we kept moving, and at last we arrived at the Gracia Dukedom.
Certainly, the Duke of Gracia was a good lord.
The moment we crossed the invisible border, the appearance of the people walking along the roads and the state of the villages changed completely.
Unlike in other territories, the Duke's domain was well-maintained, right down to its border villages.
Since he was a clever Duke, he would surely be fully aware of the current situation.
And yet, the territory was so well-managed... Perhaps the underlying strength of the Gracia Dukedom was truly formidable.
Seeing the crest on the knights and the carriage, the people passing by on the road bowed their heads.
The sight of them bowing was different from what I had seen when riding in the royal carriage.
'Is this what they call a love-hate relationship?'
Perhaps this was what people meant when they said you became a patriot once you lived abroad.
When I was at the Duke's estate, my anger had been far greater. But after returning from the capital, a different feeling mingled with that anger, giving me a strange sensation.
Not that my accumulated anger had vanished. That only made my feelings all the more complicated.
Receiving bows along the way, the carriage headed toward the center of the territory, the city where the lord resided—the city of Meseta.
Even on the way to the city, the territory remained unchanged from before, unlike the others.
The fields had been cleared of their harvests, and the villages looked prosperous after wrapping up the year's farming.
There were even carriages fully loaded with crops heading toward the city of Meseta.
Nowhere could you feel the perilous state of the Kingdom.
The knights also let go of the tension they had been holding so tightly.
As expected, nothing happened on the way to the city of Meseta.
A short while later, after passing the Mallorca Ruins—which reminded me of the expedition with my prospective sister-in-law, an event that had now technically never happened—the carriage passed through the southern gate and entered the city of Meseta.
The carriage passed along the main street, receiving the residents' greetings, and before long, arrived at the mansion atop the northern hill.
After passing through the main gate and the well-manicured garden, the carriage came to a halt in front of the mansion's entrance.
Perhaps because it had been a year since our departure, people were standing outside the mansion, waiting for us.
I could see the first Duchess and Brother Simon. Standing beside Brother Simon was my prospective sister-in-law, who would soon be married.
Just as rumored, Brother Simon and Lady Adria, the daughter of Marquis Hierro, were scheduled to marry soon.
They planned to hold the wedding before winter had fully passed and before Manuel and I had to return to the capital.
It was because of that wedding that I had no choice but to make such an effort to return to the Duchy.
My desire to see my mother, of course, was far greater; compared to it, the wedding accounted for only a tiny fraction of my motivation.
Still, they didn't seem to have a bad relationship for an arranged marriage, so I was satisfied.
Simon wasn't a bad-tempered person, and Adria was someone whose life had been well worth the trouble of saving.
If only Manuel had a little more mental discipline, life in this territory would probably be quite comfortable even when I grew old.
That was a story for the distant future, of course, after the first Duchess and the Duke standing beside her had stepped down.
Incredibly, the Duke himself had come out to greet us.
He hadn't come out for me, of course, but it was still surprising that he was waiting for Manuel.
Could he possibly be planning to show his prospective daughter-in-law the dignified side of a family patriarch?
It was such a shocking event that it made me harbor such absurd thoughts.
Manuel also seemed surprised, staring at the Duke with wide eyes.
Since it had nothing to do with me anyway, I looked toward my mother, who was standing on the other side of the Duchess.
A year had passed, but she hadn't changed at all. Though she was different from the image I remembered from my infancy, she was still an incredibly beautiful woman.
Even though I retained the memories of my past life, she had been my mother from the moment I was born until now.
The family I had to protect.
I could understand why Balea, who seemed half out of her mind, insisted that I must protect my mother at all costs.
Stepping out of the carriage after Manuel, I walked toward the Duke.
I wanted to greet my mother immediately, but since the Duke was there, I had to observe proper etiquette.
"I didn't expect you to come out to greet us like this. I have returned after studying hard in the capital for a year."
Manuel greeted the Duke first. He looked deeply moved, but the Duke's face remained as expressionless as ever.
"You worked hard. Simon's wedding is not far off, so help out well. Prepare diligently for the next school year as well."
"Understood."
It was a very ordinary remark, but Manuel answered with vigor.
Then again, I had never heard anything even remotely like it from the Duke. Not that I particularly wanted to hear it, either.
I wondered if I would even get a single word this time.
As Manuel finished his greeting and embraced the Duchess, I also paid my respects to the Duke.
Placing my hand over my chest in a knight's salute, I spoke to him.
"I have returned."
He could see that I had returned in good health, so no special greeting was necessary. I was certain the Duke didn't expect one, either.
But the Duke did not acknowledge my greeting right away.
He stared at me intently.
He made no other movements, nor did he stir his mana.
After watching me for a long moment, he opened his mouth.
"I heard news that you caused some interesting things to happen in the capital. Seeing you in person, you look even more interesting than I expected."
I hadn't expected a warm, fatherly greeting, but I had never imagined I would hear such bizarre words.
It was a comment typical of the Duke, but hardly appropriate for an occasion when he had come out to welcome his children.
Understandably, everyone looked at the Duke in surprise.
But, as always, the Duke paid absolutely no attention to the gazes of those around him.
Leaving me with those words, he turned and walked back into the mansion.
The chief butler standing behind him also bowed to me before following the Duke inside.
Bowing to me in a place like this... Even the chief butler was acting out of character.
It seemed the Duke had heard something. Then again, there was no way one of the Kingdom's top high nobles would be negligent about gathering information.
Just how much did he know?
Did he know more than the Duchess, who received updates from the butler at the capital mansion? Or was he acting like this after only hearing about the Princess and the Grand Archduchess?
'Wait, does this mean he actually came out because of me? That Duke?'
I looked back at the mansion's open door, but all I could see inside was an empty hall.
Once the Duke had gone inside, I greeted the Duchess.
"I have returned."
"You have worked hard."
It was an ordinary, stiff greeting, one that perfectly reflected the relationship between the Duchess and me.
But the Duchess did not stop there.
"I heard you have made many acquaintances. I have no intention of criticizing you for that, but make sure you do not damage the dignity of the Duke's family."
It seemed she didn't like the reports she had received.
Still, the Duchess was a proper noble.
Since she lectured me with sound logic, I had no words to retort.
Besides, I had no desire to argue back. I wanted to talk to my mother as soon as possible.
"I will be careful."
I bowed my head, and next it was Simon and my prospective sister-in-law's turn.
After congratulating them both on their marriage, I was finally able to meet my mother.
My mother was the last among the family members. Since she was the only non-noble, it couldn't be helped; that was the custom.
I wanted to shatter all such customs, but for now, I kept that desire buried in my heart.
I hugged my mother tightly.
"You don't even fit in my arms anymore."
My mother smiled as she held me.
"I have returned."
"I don't know exactly what happened, but it seems you lived diligently in the capital. I heard stories about you several times even here."
After the others had gone inside the mansion, I took my mother's hand and walked in.
That day, I talked with my mother for a long time.
After spending such cozy mother-and-son time, I returned to my room.
I thought I could finally rest, but unfortunately, it wasn't time yet.
While I was resting in my room, the chief butler came to find me.
"What is it?"
"The Duke is calling for you."
"Me? Understood. I should head to his office, right?"
If he had heard about what I had done in the capital, it made sense that he would call me in privately to verify it.
I got up, pondering how to answer, but the chief butler shook his head.
"It is not his office. He is waiting for you at the family training ground behind the mansion. He requested that you, Young Lord, also equip your gear and weapons before coming to the training ground."
Who was at the training ground? And why equip weapons on top of that?
Dumbfounded by the absurd request, I could only stare blankly at the chief butler.