Chapter 20 - The Return of the Third Son
Author’s Note: The second act has begun. Please enjoy.
The sky was high, and I could hear the familiar cry of a flying-type magical beast in the distance. The journey home, through the lands controlled by the knightly house, was peaceful. Along the way, I changed stagecoaches twice and, in the end, requested to travel with a merchant caravan heading toward my hometown.
It was exactly two weeks' distance from the royal capital.
I had never been able to return to my hometown during the long vacations at the Magic Academy, as this distance was something I could do nothing about. My studies were already over, and all that was left was to return home. With the money I had saved, I didn’t need to worry about travel expenses, so I decided to enjoy the journey, thinking that I would never take this path again.
Once I returned to the lands ruled by the frontier knightly house, I would no longer have any personal freedom. From that point on, I would bear a lifelong duty to protect my homeland. This, even if at the lowest rank, was the way of nobles. In such a place, there was no room for vague and uncertain concepts like free will. If one was fully aware that their actions directly impacted the peace of their hometown, then it was only natural to make up their mind to bear the responsibility.
I had already made up my mind long ago. There was no need to think about it further. I was simply determined to stay on the path that I had chosen. That was my state of mind.
In truth, the peace of the knightly house’s lands could not be maintained. The place was always under the threat of danger. The only thing that could protect the smiles of my family, the people connected to the house, and the citizens of my hometown was the resolute decisions and blood-soaked efforts of the knightly house. This had been my natural resolve since I had lived in such a harsh environment as a child.
The man who had once lived aimlessly and died aimlessly had found meaning in both his purpose in life and his way of dying. It was not an exaggeration to say that I was happy.
---
The great cathedral in my hometown. Its tall spire was visible from the coachman’s seat of the carriage driven by the merchant who had allowed me to accompany them. My family home was not far beyond that.
The studies I had completed at the Magic Academy, as well as my control over mana, would be very useful in my future life. And I believed that this would be a way to repay my family for everything they had done for me. I was proud of this and was certain that my achievements would undoubtedly be a blessing to my hometown.
I asked the caravan master to drop me off in front of the cathedral. The distance from there to the house was one I could easily walk. The shops lining the main street were already bustling, with familiar faces working inside. The magitech tool shop was one of them. The town was lively, and I could hear laughter coming from every direction.
I loved this hustle and bustle.
It was the most cherished scene within the landscape of my hometown. People were able to live their daily lives without fear. They spoke to one another with smiles, each trying to accomplish as much as they could. This scene came with a sense of longing, and it deeply touched my heart.
It was a feeling I had never experienced in my previous life—an interest and excitement toward the people around me. To put it another way, it was the comfort of knowing I was allowed to exist in this place. I was prepared to accept any hardship or difficulty to protect this.
As I savored the atmosphere of the town, I made my way to the house. It had been four years since I had last been home. The frontier knightly house. Our noble family, at the bottom of the hierarchy, was smaller than a baronial family's townhouse in the royal capital. Oh, I was referring to the main house, the living space. The estate, however, was large enough to be called a mansion by the townspeople.
This was because the knightly house was allowed to maintain its own military unit, which also served as the base for the local militia. Therefore, within the estate were the training grounds, riding area, stables, horse barns, soldiers’ barracks, administrative areas, and various other buildings, all spread out across the land. Depending on how one looked at it, it could be considered similar to the royal capital’s national army station. The only difference was that the knightly house’s family members lived in the main house that accompanied it.
I passed through the gates and walked relentlessly down the path leading to the estate. I hadn’t sent word ahead, nor had I informed anyone that I was returning today. The return of the third son was just like that. Having been trained at the Magic Academy, walking was no trouble for me. For a normal noble, this would be cause for great anger, but for me, it was an everyday occurrence.
I arrived at the front door and knocked three times on the door knocker. If it had been before my trip to the royal capital, I would have circled around to the back of the house and entered through the kitchen’s side door, but it had been so long. I wanted to officially greet them upon my return, and if possible, I wanted to report my return to Father as well.
The door creaked open slowly. I saw the familiar face of the butler.
"Y-young Master."
"I have just returned from the royal capital and the Magic Academy, successfully reached adulthood and obtained my degree from the academy, and have now officially established my name as a noble child and have become a respectable presence."
"Welcome back, Young Master. Come in, please. You must be tired from your journey. Master is in his study. He’ll be pleased to receive your greetings for your return."
"Thank you. I’ll head to Father’s study right away."
Since this was my own home, I didn’t wait for the butler to lead the way. I confidently made my way to Father’s study. My familiar home. If I were to speak negatively, I would call it unchanged, but I felt a sense of comfort in its atmosphere. ...Though there was a slight sense of discomfort, I decided to chalk it up to the fact that it had been four years.
I knocked my fist against the heavy door of the study and entered. Father, with dark circles under his eyes, looked at me with a slightly dazed expression before firmly closing his mouth and gazing at me.
"Father, I have just returned from the royal capital and the Magic Academy. I have successfully reached adulthood, and I report that my status as a noble has been officially confirmed."
"I see. You have worked hard. I’ve heard from your mother. It seems you accomplished quite a lot there. I’ll thank the gods for your safe return."
"Thank you... Is that so?"
His words didn’t sound like something my father would say. The strong man who had defended our homeland, speaking words so weak. What on earth had happened? Now that I think about it, Father’s face showed clear signs of exhaustion. Had there been frequent attacks from monsters or magical beasts? Was our family’s finances becoming strained to the point that we could no longer support the soldiers? Why was the head of a knightly house, like Father, showing such signs of weariness?
At that moment, I heard a voice from behind me, and I was slightly surprised.
"I’ll give you the answer to the question you have in your mind. But before that, let me first congratulate you on your safe return. I’m glad you’ve made it back. Welcome home, my little brother."
"Brother. I’ve just returned. Oh, Mother is here as well. Mother, I’ve returned."
"Yes, welcome home. I know you must be tired, but I’ll need a moment of your time. Is it alright if I explain the situation to you?"
"...Right. Would you mind?"
"Yes, Father. You should sit as well. It’s a bit of a complicated matter..."
"Yes, I’ll listen."
Following my second elder brother’s words, I sank into the sofa in the reception area of the study. Although I was tired from the long journey, the training I had received at the Magic Academy had strengthened my body, and I wasn’t that exhausted. I straightened my back and prepared myself to listen. No one other than my family was present in the study.
This meant that the internal matters of the knightly house would be discussed in detail. There were things that couldn’t be shared with anyone else, and those matters would be brought to the table. I steeled myself to listen carefully. Seeing my serious attitude, my second brother smiled wryly and seemed to decide to treat me as a man from a noble house connected to the knightly family.
Sitting on the sofa next to me, my second brother lowered his voice and began to tell me in detail about the events of the past three months. In our frontier knightly house, this had been perceived as a crisis that could threaten the very survival of the family...
--- And that was the kind of event it had been.
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