It had been nearly three months since I returned home.
Though calling it just “three months” didn’t seem to do justice to everything that had happened….so much had occurred, and so many hardships had been endured. Still, since I had returned to the comfort of my hometown, maybe I could afford to let my guard down for a little while.
“……”
“……”
Ssshh—
“Um, Luna? Did I do something wrong?”
“…No. Nothing at all.”
Hmm. Whatever it was, it seemed I had done something wrong.
Thanks to our scary maid, it didn’t look like I’d be getting any peaceful rest at home, even after coming back for the first time in a while.
***
“Greetings. I am Jupiter Noctus, current head of the Noctus territory.”
At the entrance of the modest mansion, the person who came to greet us was a single man.
A man of handsome appearance.
He was my father, Jupiter Noctus, who held the title of lord over the Noctus territory.
The man with impressively styled dark brown pomade hair had a few wrinkles and the rough skin texture typical of middle age, but even that gave him a refined air. He had the look of a mature, handsome man brimming with charm.
He gave off the image of a high-ranking executive in a large corporation. One who had risen through the ranks thanks to his excellent performance.
“Pleased to meet you, Baron Noctus. I am the Empire’s Second Princess, Asteria Von Caelum.”
The princess responded to my father’s greeting.
Her dignified and graceful manners reminded me once again that she truly was a princess.
“Haha, it’s been a long time. To think that the young princess, once so little, has grown so splendidly and come to visit our humble house… This is truly an honor.”
“…Huh?”
Wait, what was that about?
“Um… Baron? This is actually my first time meeting you…”
“Ah, you probably don’t remember because you were so young back then. It was when you were just a newborn, Princess.”
“How do you even know the princess, Dad? What reason would a rural baron have to meet the Emperor?”
“Of course I know her. Your dad used to be part of the Emperor’s personal guard.”
“???”
“Oh, I mean, I was on special covert missions, so I rarely appeared in public. But I was doing pretty well for myself, you know? I met your mother during one of those missions, fell in love at first sight, and came back home to take over as head of the family.”
“????????”
He was just casually dropping the hidden past of my parents like that?
Wait. More importantly, you did that kind of work?
“Mars, why are you the one who’s so shocked?”
“Well, I’ve never really heard much about my parents’ past. Since Mom has Eastern features, I figured there must have been a story behind it, but I didn’t think it was anything that significant, so I just let it go.”
For reference, my absent mother was from the East and had the typical appearance of what’s commonly called an Asian appearance.
Since it was an uncommon look in the Empire where I was born and raised, I had assumed their meeting was somewhat unusual, but I never imagined my father had been in that line of work…
“But, considering people like these are visiting our home, shouldn’t we at least all be out here to greet them properly?”
“Kid, the only servants we’ve got are Alfredo and his wife Flora. What kind of greeting party are you expecting? You think it’d look good to have old folks standing around like that? Besides, no noble would care to pay attention to some baron from the sticks like us~”
To top it off, my mother, upon hearing that I hadn’t brought any prospective brides, apparently said, “I figured as much” and went off to gossip with the other ladies of the territory as usual.
Yep, that’s my parents for you. True steel nerves. Completely indifferent to things like worry or tension.
But seriously, Mom… is “I figured as much” really something you should say to your own son?
“That’s a relief. We were just starting to worry that we might trouble such busy people with our visit.”
The princess didn’t seem particularly concerned about this part either and brushed it off lightly, saying it must’ve been more of a burden than anything. The noble lady and the saintess seemed to share the same sentiment.
Surprisingly, when it came to things like this, they were all quite laid-back, and it looked like even my parents’ unprecedented antics were just taken in stride.
“I was wondering who Mars took after…”
“That’s right. That attitude really reminds me of how bold Brother Mars was when we first met him.”
What did I even do?
“First, why don’t we head up to the office and have a chat? I should at least hear about how your academy life has been.”
“Okay, sure.”
With that, we made our way into the house and gathered in my father’s office, sitting close together.
Pollo, who hadn’t visited our home in a long time, seemed to be feeling a bit nostalgic. The other three women looked around curiously, finding our home surprisingly small compared to where they were used to living.
“You got a new sofa? I don’t remember seeing this one.”
“We picked one up recently. Thanks to the money you sent a few times, we managed to pay off our debts. With the bit we had left, we thought we’d at least swap out the old sofa for something decent guests could sit on.”
It was the kind of luxury our house had never known. Apparently, thanks to the money I sent, they’d been able to enjoy a rare moment of indulgence.
The other women looked surprised at how proudly this father and son were talking about nothing more than a new sofa, but I hoped they could understand. This was just everyday life for a typical baron’s family.
“What about my brother?”
“Your brother? Seems like he’s still abroad. He got involved in some major project, so he probably won’t be back for a while.”
“That’s too bad. I was hoping to see him before I left.”
People often say siblings don’t get along, but my brother had always been incredibly kind to me.
He had a good head for business and was skilled at what he did, making him a beloved figure among the people of the territory and a source of pride as the next lord. I had hoped to at least greet him before the break ended, so it was disappointing.
Click—
“So, I heard the news. You’re an Aura Lord now, right?”
“Yes.”
At the sudden shift in his expression and the way Father abruptly adopted a serious tone, not only I but all the other members stiffened and carefully observed the atmosphere.
The talk about the Emperor’s secret guard didn’t seem like a lie; there was a pressure in the air that I had never felt before, and cold sweat began to trickle down the back of my hand.
“Pffft… Hahaha!! Now we’ve got all sorts of people becoming Aura Lords! At this rate, even Sophia’s dog might end up as an Aura Lord!”
“I am your son, you know?”
Was this really the proper reaction to hearing that his own son had risen to the rank of humanity’s strongest?
“Heh. A kid with no tact and not even a speck of sense when it comes to women…how can that guy be a Lord?”
“What does that have to do with anything? And I’ll have you know I’m actually quite sharp.”
I could feel someone glaring at me from somewhere, but Father’s mocking laughter made my blood boil so much I couldn’t focus on it.
“It’s going to be hard.”
“!”
“The ones from the Heavenly God Cult… Even back when I was in the field, tracking them down wasn’t easy. Killing comes naturally to them, and they’re the kind of villains who ruin people’s lives purely for their own amusement. And on top of that, they’re so cautious. They erase every trace of their actions, so even we were able to gather only the bare minimum of information.”
Well, considering Father had been part of the secret guard himself, he must’ve at least heard of the crimes that executive committed against the imperial family.
I didn’t know exactly how skilled Father was, but to be entrusted with the task of guarding the Emperor, he clearly wasn’t just average.
“Ha, but the person who kidnapped me seemed a bit careless though?”
“From what I found out through some of my contacts, that man was more like a researcher. He was technically an executive, but not a fighter. Plus, the fact that his crimes had gone undiscovered probably made him complacent.”
Father answered the noble lady’s question with complete sincerity.
Indeed, the ones I had fought so far had just been researchers, and although Prince Taurus was royalty, he seemed to be a mid-level figure who had yet to rise to any important position.
It was clear that trying to gauge the full strength of the Heavenly God Cult based on enemies like these was unrealistic.
“Oh, right. What you said just reminded me of something…”
I went on to explain the hypothesis the noble lady and I had come up with previously.
When I mentioned that one of the reasons I had formed the theory was because Prince Taurus had avoided shaking hands with the Saintess, she recalled the moment and looked genuinely shocked.
“…So what you’re saying is… that absurd Demon King from the old myth might actually be the head of the Heavenly God Cult?”
“Head? That’s a bit…”
“Hmm…”
Father fell into deep thought at my words.
It was already hard to believe that a figure from a myth thousands of years old could still be alive today. And on top of that, if he had created a new cult and was using his power to spawn evildoers, then it would be more reasonable to dismiss the idea as a child’s fantasy.
“As ridiculous as it sounds… I can’t just ignore it.”
“Really? I came up with it, but even I think it’s far-fetched…”
“We’ve investigated from every angle and still came up empty. No matter how unbelievable it is, right now, it’s the most plausible explanation we have.”
Then Father said he would use his connections to gather related information and urged me not to provoke a conflict with the Heavenly God Cult just yet.
He warned me that going up against them without any intel would be like fighting a monster without a weapon and stressed that I absolutely must not make the first move.
“Don’t go showing off just because a woman’s around again.”
“What did I even do?”
“Then how do you explain the fact that every single person you’ve saved so far has been a woman?”
“That was just a coincidence.”
Surely I wouldn’t have just ignored someone if they were a boy. I wasn’t the kind of person with such a rotten personality.
“From the start, there was Sophia from the tailor’s shop whom I saved when she almost got bitten by a dog, and ever since then, she’s avoided me like the plague. Then there’s Nina, who used to get abused by her father, and now she always gets flustered and angry whenever she sees me. And Luna? After I saved her when she got lost in the mountains, she’s been nothing but prickly. So how could I possibly save people out of personal interest when I know exactly what kind of reaction I’m going to get?”
“Haah… You idiot.”
For some reason, Father let out a long sigh and blamed me.
Seeing the noble lady, the imperial princess, and even the saintess all shaking their heads made me feel strangely irritated, though I didn’t know why.
***
When I stepped outside after finishing my talk with Father, a familiar face was waiting for me by the door.
“Oh, Luna! Long time no see!”
Luna.
The daughter of Butler Alfredo and Maid Flora, and a childhood friend who had grown up with me and Pollo.
“…Why did you come back?”
“Huh? You’re not happy to see me?”
“You didn’t even send a single letter. I thought you never wanted to come back. So why now?”
“Ah.”
Things had been hectic in many ways, and I’d missed the chance to send her a letter. But judging by her mood, it looked like she was pretty upset about that.
When I couldn’t come up with a response, she let out a sharp “Hmph” and walked away.
And just like that, I was left agonizing over how to cheer her up, knowing all too well that once Luna got upset, it usually lasted a while.
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