The Mad Dog of the Duke's Estate

Chapter 21

Caron entered Halo's office with Zerath. Inside, Halo and his three sons were already seated. Halo, dressed in a luxurious tuxedo, watched his grandson step in.

"You've arrived. You must be tired from your mission, but I called you here because I need to ask you something directly," Halo said.

"It's fine, Grandfather. I was just checking my mana pathways in the training hall. If you call for me, I must come, even if I was sleeping," Caron replied.

"Alright, sit in that chair in front of you," Halo said.

Caron nodded slowly and sat in the empty chair next to Fayle. As soon as he sat down, he felt two pairs of eyes staring at him. They were his uncles. Though they didn't show it openly, they still regarded Caron with wariness.

It seems their vigilance has only grown, Caron thought. Given his remarkable progress, it was a natural response.

As Caron settled into his seat, Halo began to speak. "I heard you successfully completed your first mission at the Belrus Barony, and that you demanded a share of the mana stone mine as compensation. I have a few questions for you."

Rather than praise, his tone bordered on a reprimand.

"You weren't qualified to negotiate on behalf of our household. You haven't even undergone your Coming of Age Ceremony, so you aren't in a position to take responsibility for anything. Were you unaware of that?" Halo continued.

Halo began to criticize Caron's mistakes, putting him under intense scrutiny tantamount to an interrogation. What Caron had thought would be a meeting to commend his achievements turned out to be more like a grandfather scolding his grandson.

So this is how he wants to play it, Caron thought as he hid a smile and exhaled softly. He then responded in a low voice, "No, my Lord. I was aware."

Caron carefully chose his words, addressing Halo properly as the head of the family rather than as his grandfather, acknowledging the formal nature of this reprimand.

"I had no intention of negotiating on behalf of the Leston family," he continued calmly.

"Did it never cross your mind that your insolent attitude was disrespectful to Baron Belrus and his son? You have disgraced our family," Halo said in a sharp and direct tone.

Upon hearing Halo's blunt criticism, the expressions of Caron's uncles brightened, while Fayle's face darkened.

"Answer me. What were you thinking when you acted so rudely?" Halo continued harshly. The pressure he exuded kept intensifying, and Halo's furious tone made it sound as if he was about to devour Caron.

A normal child would have been overpowered by such a forceful presence, but Caron wasn't afraid of Halo. It wasn't because Caron had been Halo's friend in a past life, but because he believed he had acted correctly.

"As a member of a noble family, one must always observe the etiquette between nobles. Etiquette is the foundation of everything. If you can't even uphold that, you're worthless," Halo continued.

"This matter had nothing to do with etiquette. I merely proposed a deal to the young Baron of Belrus. It was entirely his choice to accept, and there was no coercion at all. Moreover... I believed there was something far more important than etiquette," Caron replied steadily.

Caron rebutted Halo's accusations logically and methodically. Retreating in such a situation would be exactly what Halo despised. The best approach here would be a direct one.

"Something far more important? What could be more important than the most basic principle?" Halo asked. Clearly, this was the core of his interrogation.

Caron nodded slowly and responded in a low voice, "It was for the glory of our family."

His answer was straightforward, given without hesitation.

Halo pondered Caron's words as he quietly observed his grandson's face. The glory of the family. It was a short phrase, but in this context, no answer could have been more fitting.

A perfect response, he thought.

Everyone present understood the value of the deal Caron had secured. Halo's questioning had merely been to uncover Caron's motivations behind proposing it.

Caron knew exactly how to make his achievements shine. If he had shown off in this meeting, he would have been severely scolded. This wasn't a place to boast; it was a meeting held by the head of the family, meant for reporting on missions. Therefore, his response was perfect. He presented his rationale while subtly highlighting his accomplishments.

It was hard to believe such diplomacy was coming from a thirteen-year-old.

"Very well," Halo finally said, breaking the silence. "In the end, your proposal will be highly beneficial. Fayle, you will handle the negotiations, since it was your son's achievement. It wouldn't be a bad idea for a father to shine along with his son's accomplishments." Halo continued.

"Yes, my Lord. As soon as the sun rises, I will assemble a negotiation team and depart to the Belrus Barony," Fayle responded, relieved that his son hadn't been severely reprimanded.

With the matter of the Belrus Barony concluded, Halo moved to the next item on the agenda. It was the reason why he had called Caron here at this late hour. Halo took a document from a magical printer and handed it to Caron. The document bore the white lion seal of the imperial family.

"The youngest son of the Ducal Family of Leston has heroically saved the Belrus Barony in its time of need. Thus, His Majesty invites this new hero to the capital."

In short, it was a personal summons from the emperor.

"His Majesty has summoned you. It seems your deeds have reached the capital," Halo said.

"Did you receive this on your way back, my Lord?" Caron asked.

"The letter arrived only an hour ago," Halo answered.

Caron wondered if the emperor had an informant in the Belrus Barony.

No, the emperor is practically a scarecrow right now, he thought.

It was more likely that a powerful noble's informant had reported to the imperial palace. Despite being a figurehead, however, the emperor's command was still the emperor's command. Defying it would mean losing legitimacy, something Halo was well aware of.

And yet, Halo turned to Caron and said, "If you don't want to go, you don't have to."

There were plenty of reasons to avoid getting entangled in such a complex situation. At least, that was what Halo thought. His grandson standing before him was a promising figure who was likely to lead his generation. Caron had shown his potential in his first mission, but Halo didn't want to push him into such a vortex just yet.

But Caron felt differently.

"If His Majesty has summoned me, I must go. Besides, I can also visit my other grandfather while I'm there. But will I be going alone? Leo was also part of the mission," Caron asked.

"If you go, Leo will go with you. I will also assign the Azure Wolves for additional security," Halo said.

"With my other grandfather there, that should be more than enough," Caron replied.

"The in-laws... Yes, indeed," Halo mused as he nodded slowly. Although his in-laws weren't from a martial artist family, they had extensive connections across various circles, including high-ranking knights in the capital. Caron's maternal grandfather was also someone who doted on his grandson and wouldn't stand by if anything happened to him.

"Then it's settled. You will depart in three days," Halo said.

And so, Caron's journey to the capital was decided.

"You may leave now," Halo added.

Caron stood up and respectfully bowed to Halo, then said, "I will take my leave, my Lord."

"Rest well. You've done a great job," Halo said, his tone much softer than before. Caron smiled and left the office.

When Caron exited, Halo turned to his sons and continued, "Now, let's get to the main issue. Zerath, bring out what's sealed in the box."

"Yes, my Lord," Zerath responded as he retrieved a black object from a box in the corner. It looked like a piece of some creature's skin.

Zerath began his explanation. "This is a skin fragment from a monster that appeared in the western granary region."

"At first glance, it seems like an ordinary monster's skin. But the power it contains is different," Halo said with a sigh. He continued, "The dark mana within it is identical to the one wielded by the Malevolent Emperor."

"...My Lord, does that mean..." one of his sons began.

"There are two possibilities. Either the Malevolent Emperor's essence has lingered, or..." Halo trailed off for a moment as he clenched his fist. In a low voice, he finished, "He is still alive."

***

After a long day, Caron finally returned to his bedroom and lay down on the bed with a towel draped around his neck. It had been a fulfilling day. Unlike his usual days that were filled only with training, he had ventured outside and unleashed his potential. The mission had been quite rewarding.

Even if they were insignificant opponents, as my first real combat experience, it was worth it... I should be satisfied with this for now, he thought.

It was his first time facing human opponents in this lifetime. If it had been his previous life, he couldn't even have dreamed of such progress.

Caron had wanted to cross swords with the one Sabina had dealt with, but that was beyond his control. Sabina had handled them personally, which meant that was an opponent he couldn't possibly take on.

He knew well that battles fought with one's life on the line were catalysts for growth, but there was no need for him to risk his life that way as his new self.

"Even just eating the meals set for me can help me grow well," Caron mused.

For now, he just needed to walk the path paved by his family. Battling to push his limits was something he would think about once he actually reached those limits. So far, he hadn't yet felt that.

"Ugh, thinking about it makes me angry," Caron muttered.

The thought that Halo would have grown up this way irked him. Unlike Caron, who had survived through hellish days, Halo had probably walked a path lined with flowers. This only made Caron more determined to enjoy the luxuries he was given to the fullest.

He thought to himself that he would definitely plunder the coffers of the Leston—

Boom!

"What are you so angry about?" a voice called out.

"...Lady Sabina?" Caron exclaimed.

As Caron lay on his bed, lost in thought, the door burst open with such force it nearly shattered. When he turned to look, he saw Sabina standing there holding a bottle of liquor.

"Did you get scolded during the meeting? Everyone grows up that way. I did, and so did my brother. We got scolded every single day," Sabina said.

"What brings you here at this hour?" Caron asked Sabina.

"I'm leaving Azureocean Castle tomorrow morning, so I thought I'd have a drink with my disciples before I go," Sabina replied. Then, she shook the bottle slightly and pulled Leo forward from behind her. Leo, who seemed to have been dragged out of bed, waved weakly at Caron with tousled hair.

"...Good evening," Leo said.

"Leo, your face isn't telling me it's a good evening," Caron replied.

"Kids often bond over drinking in secret. That's how my brother and I strengthened our bond," Sabina said.

Caron chuckled as he looked at the bottle Sabina had brought, because it seemed familiar.

It was definitely the bottle of Luanoir, seventeen years old, that belonged to Zerath.

"That looks like Sir Zerath's liquor," Caron remarked.

"I went into his room and took it while he was away," Sabina said nonchalantly.

"But Sir Zerath is in a meeting right now," Caron pointed out.

"It's his fault for not locking up properly," Sabina retorted.

"Lately, Sir Zerath has been good about locking his doors."

"But not the windows."

"Oh, that's useful information. Thank you, Lady Sabina. Please, have a seat here," Caron said as he gestured to the chair.

Listening quietly to their conversation, Leo felt a familiar sense of dizziness. However, it was a sensation he had grown accustomed to. Perhaps he was adapting without realizing it from being around them for so long.

The three of them sat down at the small table in Caron's bedroom. Instead of shot glasses, however, several water glasses were on the table.

When Sabina saw them, she frowned slightly and asked, "Are there no shot glasses?"

"Well, it is a room for a thirteen-year-old. Having shot glasses would be strange, don't you think?" Caron replied.

"Hmm, that makes sense," Sabina admitted. She distributed the glasses, smiling as she poured liquor into each one. She said, "A glass is a glass, whether it's for water or for liquor."

"That's true," Caron agreed.

"Thinking about it, you two are the same. Regardless of who you are, you're still my beloved grandnephews," Sabina said. She smiled with satisfaction as she looked back and forth at her beloved grandnephews, who were also her disciples.

Over the past three years, she had grown very attached to them. In the past, she had never felt any regrets about leaving Azureocean Castle, but this time, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. The thought of not being able to witness their further growth was what saddened her the most.

"Caron, you've been stealing drinks often enough, so that's no surprise... But Leo, have you ever had a drink before?" Sabina asked.

"A few times... When Caron brought some," Leo admitted.

"He wouldn't have done this out of pure goodwill. This rascal probably did it just to make you an accomplice," Sabina said.

"Taking a beating together is better than taking it alone," Caron replied.

"Haha! Of course!" Sabina laughed heartily and poured herself a drink as well. Then she lifted her glass slightly and said, "To the success of my disciples on their first mission," Sabina toasted.

The sound of glasses clinking together resonated in the room. Caron smiled as he downed his whiskey. He felt the smooth yet fiery liquid slide down his throat.

Sabina, who had cared for him and provided endless support over the past three years, was more than just a great-aunt.

My first mentor, Caron thought. Even if he factored in his past life, she was his first mentor. Thanks to her help, he had been able to easily lay the foundation for the Ocean Dominance Arts. Parting with her would be disappointing, but she had her own duties to attend to, and Caron felt he had received more than enough from her already.

"Lady Sabina," Caron suddenly called out.

"Yes?" Sabina replied.

"Leo and I are heading to the capital in three days. The emperor has summoned us," Caron said.

Leo's eyes widened in surprise, but Sabina merely laughed as she patted Caron on the back.

"The capital is going to get lively. It's a shame I won't be able to see it myself. The imperial capital, Decus, is quite a fascinating place. It's full of people, and many of them are strong individuals. It'll be a great experience for you both," Sabina said.

"T-There were so many places I wanted to go to when I visited Decus! The capital... I'll meet the emperor at the capital! And there are parties! We'll be able to attend parties too, right, Caron?" Leo exclaimed.

Leo was indeed someone who couldn't handle alcohol well. Moreover, true to his age as a child in the midst of puberty, he had already started thinking about parties.

When Caron thought about it, other than servants, he hadn't seen Leo with any girls his age.

I might've seen him blushing at female knights, Caron thought. But of course, Leo would still just see them as fellow knights. On the other hand, since he hadn't interacted much with the noble girls, it was understandable that Leo would have fantasies about them.

Caron took another sip of his drink. A bitter smile formed as he recalled memories from his past life. He recalled the disdainful looks from nobles who looked at him, someone who had been born as a slave, with utter contempt. This life, however, was different. Now, he was the esteemed youngest grandson of a grand duke.

"Tuxedo... I should pack a tuxedo," Leo murmured.

"Leo," Sabina interrupted.

"Yes!" Leo replied.

"If you plan to attend any parties, it's best you go alone," Sabina said.

"What? Why would you say that... Oh," Leo said as he realized what she meant. He looked at Caron drinking. Caron's striking looks, dazzling talents, and eloquence were bound to steal all the attention at any gathering.

"Leo," Sabina said softly.

"...Yes," Leo responded.

"Just shut up and drink. Your glass isn't empty yet, is it?" Sabina continued.

"No, it isn't..." Leo mumbled.

And just like that, the mentor and her disciples drank deep into the night.

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