A Father's Consent

"Please give me your daughter's hand."

The moment those words left my mouth, the atmosphere in the private room naturally turned ice-cold.

Chief Butler Allet's face flushed red and purple with rage, while Sheryl, who was pouring tea, gasped and covered her mouth.

It was that shocking of a demand.

As Stern's eyes narrowed sharply, I quickly added an explanation.

"Of course, I do not mean we should wed immediately. I am merely asking for the right to be her fiancé—to be betrothed to her."

"...Sigh..."

At my words, Stern let out a silent sigh.

Fortunately, instead of flying into a rage like he had in the dungeon before, Stern spoke in a calm, measured tone after a brief silence.

"I cannot say I am entirely surprised. In truth, I expected this to some degree."

"..."

"You made the exact same demand when we first met, Raygan."

With a bitter smile, Stern took a sip of his tea to moisten his dry throat.

"However, I wish to know why you desire my daughter so. What is it about my Lunia that makes you persist like this?"

"..."

Stern's purple eyes swept over my face, as if trying to pierce through my very soul.

"Lunia... though she is of marriageable age, she is still quite young, to be frank. She is still a child who can barely look after herself. Above all, you are young as well. There is no urgent circumstance forcing you to marry her immediately. Why do you want her so desperately?"

"...Hmm."

I pondered my answer for a moment.

When the silence stretched, Stern asked cautiously, yet sharply.

"Raygan, did the woman who gave you the pendant order you to bind yourself to Lunia? To use the power of House Benheim?"

"Absolutely not," I replied instantly.

Even in my past life, Lunia had only told me to take her; she had said nothing about what to do after the regression. She had simply told me to survive.

I let out a deep sigh and blurted out the next words.

"I simply... fell in love with her at first sight."

It was best to keep things vague for now.

For a hot-blooded teenage boy, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it was a more than sufficient excuse.

"...Hoh."

In truth, it wasn't entirely a lie either.

It was an undeniable fact that I had been utterly captivated by Lunia's eyes when she spoke to me on the battlefield that day.

The one who gave a wandering mercenary a place to call home, and the one who provided the opportunity to change the future, was none other than Lunia Erahan von Benheim.

If so, there was nothing wrong with wanting her now that I had returned to the past.

"...Very well. I understand."

I didn't know what kind of expression was on my face, but looking at me, Stern seemed to realize that my words were not the mere whims of a hormonal adolescent.

"Raygan, you saved Lunia from abduction and exposed the mastermind behind it. And during this hunting festival, you aided us once more. You possess more than enough merit to be welcomed as Benheim's son-in-law. No one will be able to object."

Stern stroked his chin, continuing in a low voice.

"However, that is my stance as the head of this family. From here on, I speak as a father."

"Please, go ahead."

"I have no intention of making my daughter a scapegoat for a political marriage. My children's happiness is far more important than the family's prosperity. Therefore, as her father, I must ask for Lunia's thoughts. In matters as grand as marriage, the individual's will is paramount. If Lunia refuses, I cannot grant my permission. I hope you understand."

"Of course, I understand."

I nodded. Stern von Benheim was truly an exemplary father.

"In that case, why don't we ask her directly right now?"

"Right now?" Stern frowned.

I knew Lunia's personality well. She absolutely detested being left out of the loop when secrets were being discussed.

I remembered how she had spun a web of eavesdropping magic all over the campsite, which had ultimately allowed us to prevent the enemy's surprise attack.

Which meant...

"Sheryl, would you mind opening the door?"

I spoke to Sheryl, who let out a sigh and swung the private room's door wide open.

Click.

"Ah, ahaha..."

Standing in the hallway was Lunia, who had been pressing her ear against the door and was now stumbling forward, having lost her balance.

"...Lunia, were you eavesdropping again?"

"N-No... It wasn't really eavesdropping, more like... well..."

Her eyes darted around frantically. The moment our gazes met, she quickly looked away, her eyes landing on the teacup in Stern's hand.

"I was just... worried the tea might get cold..."

What a terrible excuse.

Anyone could see she had been caught red-handed.

Stern sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Very well, Lunia. Since you seem to have heard everything anyway... I shall ask you now."

Stern spoke to Lunia with a face that looked as though it had aged several years in an instant.

"Lunia, what do you think about... becoming betrothed to Raygan here? If it feels too burdensome, you may delay your answer. We have plenty of time. There is no rush to make a decision."

Stern might have been secretly hoping for a rejection to fall from her lips.

But Lunia's amethyst-purple eyes turned toward me without a shred of hesitation. Soon, her eyes curved into lovely crescents.

"I... would love to," Lunia replied with a bright, beaming smile.

It was a shy, yet resolute answer.

"I... see."

It was only natural that Stern looked as if he had just chewed on a handful of poisonous weeds.

After Lunia and Raygan left, Stern remained in the private room, gulping down his tea as if it were hard liquor.

The recent conversation still weighed heavily on his mind.

"The tea is bitter, Sheryl."

"Shall I bring some sugar?"

"No need."

With a soft sigh, Stern gazed out at the rain-drenched lands of Benheim.

Through the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hunting festival, they had successfully lanced the festering boil within Benheim. Now that a black mage had been exposed among the elders, the Council of Elders would not dare oppose any of Stern's decisions for the foreseeable future.

Benheim had grown stronger, and the patriarch's authority was now absolute. It was a truly magnificent outcome.

Yet, why did he feel as though a massive thorn had lodged itself in his chest?

"...Lunia."

Without a doubt, it was because of his precious, cherished daughter.

Just moments ago, Stern had effectively approved the betrothal between Lunia and Raygan.

"She may be of age... but actually giving her away is a different matter entirely. I think I finally understand why my father threw such a fit during my sister's wedding back then."

As Stern chuckled bitterly, Allet spoke up cautiously.

"You can still reverse your decision, Patriarch."

"Reverse it, you say..."

"Yes. No matter how great his achievements, giving the young lady to a man of unknown origin is simply unacceptable. It does not match her status."

Chief Butler Allet's voice was filled with agitation.

And with good reason. Benheim was the greatest magical family in the Empire. For a direct descendant like Lunia, even an imperial prince or the heir of another great house would barely be considered a worthy match.

Yet, an outsider who had appeared out of nowhere had suddenly claimed that spot.

"Would it not be better to arrange a marriage for Raygan with one of the daughters from the branch families instead? He likely only desires the backing of House Benheim anyway. If we take our time to persuade him, he will surely accept."

"..."

"How long could the foolish, fleeting love of a teenage boy possibly last? If we offer him other distractions—like a massive reward, beautiful women, or a noble title—he will change his mind in no time."

"I appreciate your concern, Allet, but it will not work."

Stern ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shook his head, setting his teacup down.

"Money and fame are not what that boy desires. If he truly wanted gold and silver, he would have asked me to open the treasury immediately."

"That is..."

"Putting that aside, Allet. Have you finished the investigation on Raygan?"

As Allet faltered, Stern shifted the subject. Looking somewhat troubled, Allet pulled a report from his breast pocket.

"Yes. We thoroughly investigated Raygan's past through the informants of the Rune Sentinels, but..."

"Speak."

Allet read the report with a tone of sheer disbelief.

"Afterward, he appeared near the Benheim territory in a carriage and rescued Lady Lunia. Everything after that is exactly as you have witnessed, Patriarch."

"How... remarkably clean."

A boy who did nothing but carry luggage for a mercenary band suddenly awakened overnight and rushed to Benheim. The entire transition in between was completely missing.

Furthermore, Raygan's actions since then had been nothing short of bizarre.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

He arrived at the estate, saved Lunia from abduction, and defeated the heir, Arno. He modified the family's centuries-old mana core at his own whim, rooted out a hidden black mage, and performed spectacularly in this hunting festival.

He had even used the Lucen family's unique spell, Sword Creation Magic, in the process. According to Arno's testimony, Raygan had copied it after seeing the Lucen daughter cast it only a handful of times.

No wonder Kaiden had been absolutely furious. Even to Stern, the level of completion in Raygan's copied Sword Creation Magic was remarkable; to Kaiden, the head of the Lucen family, it must have felt like a profound insult.

'And that is not all.'

Stern's eyes narrowed.

Most shocking of all was that he had used that copied Sword Creation Magic to sever the wrist of Veron, an elder of Benheim. Although Veron was old and his skills were at the very bottom of the 6th circle, the gap between the 3rd and 6th circles was as vast as the heavens and the earth. Yet, the boy had succeeded.

"...It is as if someone has been guiding his every step."

How to fight, what the opponent's weaknesses were—he moved like a man who already knew all the answers.

"...It is undeniable that the boy, Raygan, met someone of Benheim blood who came from the future."

"I have no objections to that conclusion, Patriarch."

Allet agreed.

Raygan had received future knowledge along with the family heirloom pendant from a Benheim mage. Too many things were inexplicable otherwise.

Therefore...

"'Love at first sight'... A blatant lie."

Stern did not believe Raygan's excuse for a second.

One could not deceive the eyes of a patriarch who had weathered countless storms. Raygan's gaze alone gave him away.

It was not the whim of an adolescent boy. It held cold calculation, deep compassion, perhaps even regret, and an inexplicable sense of responsibility.

However.

"At the very least, the way he looks at Lunia is genuine."

There was not a single speck of falsehood in that.

"Whatever his reasons, he intends to protect Lunia. Even at the cost of his own life."

It had been true during the abduction incident, and it was true during this hunting festival. The boy had accomplished what even Stern, her father and patriarch, could not.

"That is enough. If he is a man who can protect my daughter, what does his background matter? There is more than enough justification to welcome him as my son-in-law."

Stern emptied his teacup and stood up.

"Prepare to announce it to everyone."

"Patriarch..."

"Raygan von Benheim is now the son-in-law of House Benheim. Anyone who questions this decision will be deemed as challenging the authority of Benheim itself."

His mind was made up.