As time passed, we arrived at our destination, the ancestral home of the Herwyn family, in the region of Bayonte.
There were no further attacks or significant events during the remaining journey.
'It’s big.'
A magic lineage that was undoubtedly considered one of the best in the empire.
The ancestral home of the Herwyn family was undoubtedly majestic and grand, to say the least. It might not be as imposing as Calderic’s stronghold, but it possessed its own aura of magnificence.
“Welcome, Lea! Hahaha!”
It was a young man who greeted us at the entrance. Skinny and tall, with the same hair and eye color as Lea.
At first glance, he looked so much like her that I knew he must be her brother.
“Lea’s older brother, right?”
“Shh. Kaen, don’t be rude.”
Kaen and Rigon whispered to each other.
The man spread his arms wide open, intending to embrace Lea, but she evaded his gesture, causing him to awkwardly step back.
“Aren’t you glad to see your brother after a long time?”
“It’s only been half a year.”
“Ah, Sir Yuz, you must have had such a hard time bringing my sister back. I heard something happened on the way.”
“Yes, young lord. I will tell you all about it in private later.”
Then the man’s gaze turned toward us.
“And... these are Lea’s friends, right?”
He seemed extremely moved for some reason.
“Oh my, even seeing after it with my own eyes, I can’t believe it. Lea has made friends? Is this really happening?”
Lea scowled, as if annoyed.
Regardless, the man grinned broadly and greeted us.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Cyan Herwyn, Lea’s older brother, ally, and protector.”
What’s with this intense introduction?
Both Kaen and Rigon appeared a bit flustered. It was because his fondness for his sister was a bit too strong.
“...I’m Kaen!”
“Wow, Kaen! You’re a very lively friend! Nice to meet you!”
“I’m Ran.”
“Ran! You seem a bit reserved. Nice to meet you!”
“I’m Rigon. Thank you for welcoming us.”
“Rigon! Nice to meet you. You’re a polite friend!”
“That’s enough. Shall we head back to the academy?”
Lea said through clenched teeth.
The man, Cyan, finally cleared his throat and adopted a more composed attitude.
“Anyway, welcome everyone to the Herwyn family. The Lord and Lady are out on business, so they couldn’t greet you personally. Please understand. Now, don’t just stand there; let’s go inside.”
Cyan welcomed us sincerely.
After being shown our respective rooms and freshening up, we rested for a while.
“It’s a really huge castle, isn’t it, Ran?”
Rigon said, lying on the bed and looking out the window.
He had stayed in a much larger castle when he was in Calderic, so what’s there to be surprised about?
In the evening, we followed the guide to the dining hall.
A sumptuous feast was laid out in the dining room as servants continued to bring in food.
The dishes ranged from various meats to rare seafood. Kaen exclaimed in excitement.
“Hey, what on earth is this? It looks weird, but it’s surprisingly delicious!”
After devouring a whole steamed octopus leg, Kaen exclaimed in surprise. It seemed to be her first time trying octopus.
I had a dish filled with plenty of clams, or rather, a clear soup closer to a broth than a soup.
Since it had been a while since I had this kind of food, I quite enjoyed it.
“Kaen, Ran, Rigon. I heard from Yuz about what happened on the way here. You really dealt with a big incident. You’ve been through a lot, and I appreciate your hard work.”
In response to Cyan’s words, Kaen replied wryly.
“Oh, no. It was because of my stubbornness that everything almost went wrong.”
“I’m glad you’re still self-aware.”
“Haha, don’t worry, even if she said that, she doesn’t really mean to blame you.”
Cyan laughed and then asked.
“I’m curious about how the three of you got close to my sister. It’s hard to imagine that this prickly girl would get along with others.”
Kaen chimed in.
“Right? Even I thought, ‘Are there really people like her?’ when I first saw her.”
“Hey.”
“Yeah, right, Rigon?”
Rigon chuckled and nodded slightly. Lea’s expression turned as if she had been betrayed.
“But I know she’s an amazing person. Even when her life was in danger, she still wanted to take care of her vassal till the end. Honestly, that was pretty cool, Lea.”
Upon the unexpected praise, Lea glared at Kaen.
“...As a descendant of the Herwyn bloodline, it’s only natural to do that. It’s my duty.”
“Haha, why are you being so shy? You can just honestly admit that you like it.”
“Shh, shut up. You’re a real--!”
Looking at the two bickering, Cyan smiled softly.
Considering Lea’s usual personality, one might have thought that even her family members would be like blocks of ice, but that wasn’t the case.
I thought they were quite a pair of affectionate siblings.
***
After dinner, Lea made her way to the room where Cyan was.
Cyan, who was sitting in a chair and reading a book, greeted her warmly.
“Oh, little sister.”
Lea sat across from him and glanced briefly at the book Cyan was reading.
“What book is that?”
“Just a book of magic. I found many old books while organizing the library.”
Lea frowned. Cyan closed the book he was reading.
“I’m just reading for fun, so don’t be so hard on me. I have the surname of Herwyn, too, and I can’t completely disassociate myself from magic.”
“No one would blame you if you gave up magic, so take care of yourself.”
Cyan chuckled and leaned back in the chair.
“You seem to get along really well with your friends. I was genuinely surprised.”
“......”
“After that incident, you didn’t try to get along with anyone. I’m really glad, Lea. It seems like you found people with whom you can open your heart again.”
Lea remained silent with a somber look and retorted curtly.
“...I’ve only found people who can match my level now. If they were just insignificant individuals, I wouldn’t have bothered getting close to them.”
“Haha, are you even lying in front of me? You’re not someone who could even disregard a lousy brother like me.”
Cyan suffered from a condition related to mana.
When raising his mana, it would irregularly trigger seizures, which was a fatal and rare condition for a mage.
Because of that, Cyan had to endure the risk every time he used magic.
In the off chance that a severe seizure was to occur, not only would his life as a mage be completely cut off, but his life itself could be in danger.
Cyan was aware of this. She knew that her younger sister, Lea, had a kinder heart than anyone else.
Despite her situation, despite the fact that her succession was practically a foregone conclusion, her attitude towards her brother had always been the same.
He, who had observed her for a long time, knew that her saying that she would only associate with people of the same level as her was nothing more than a self-deceptive excuse.
When their father, the head of the household, had forcibly tried to admit her sister to the academy, he had worried that it might have had the opposite effect, but it seemed to be an unnecessary concern.
The enormous wound that had been inflicted upon her heart seemed to have healed at least a little.
“Don’t be annoying.”
“Yeah, sorry. You grumpy kid.”
By chance, the gazes of the two people turned simultaneously toward the window.
In the comfortable silence, the siblings briefly looked at the night sky side by side.
***
During our stay at Herwyn Castle, we spent each day playing around.
They explored various parts of the castle and happened to enjoy a festival in the city while sightseeing.
Nevertheless, whether it was because we were her guests, Lea always stuck by our side and guided us no matter what we did.
“Is this Herwyn’s library?”
One day, they visited the library within the castle. It was Rigon’s suggestion.
Since he frequently visited the library at the academy, perhaps he had developed a hobby for reading.
“Spacious!”
Entering the library, Kaen shouted a brief comment.
She didn’t even bother to look around the first floor and went straight up the stairs to the second floor, while Rigon joined Lea and started looking through the books.
I walked slowly, entering the deep part of the library alone.
What kind of books would be in the library of one of Santea’s magic family?
Of course, there wouldn’t be any important spellbooks in a library open to outsiders, but it wasn’t a bad way to pass the time.
I stopped my steps at a bookshelf filled with old books.
As I pulled out the books one by one and looked around, Lea, who had approached unnoticed, spoke.
“This is a collection of old books, nothing much. There are some grimoires on spatial magic over there.”
“Oh, I see.”
It was a comment based on the fact that my unique magic was spatial magic.
Lea hesitated for a moment and then returned to where Rigon was.
'I’m not interested in spatial magic, though.'
I might not be able to travel long distances, but the [Space Leap] mystery was unrivaled by any other magic in its immediacy and spontaneity.
I continued to sporadically browse through the books while contemplating various thoughts.
Where did the demon that the Heavenly Archer killed come from?
Among the archdemons I currently knew, none of them had such an appearance.
And unless it’s related to the resurrection of the Demon King, there’s absolutely no reason for a demon of that level to attack the Third Lord’s territory.
So, it was probably just a wandering demon, and there was no reason for me to pay much attention to it, but apart from that, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
A warning from the hero and the Holy Sword that the Demon King would soon resurrect. The hero returning to the Holy City once again.
And not just demons, but villains I hadn’t dealt with yet, and an Overlord I still couldn’t figure out.
'...Is it alright to be so relaxed like this?'
Since the hero returned to the Holy City, and I was the only one left to take care of Kaen, I found myself in a situation with no freedom of action.
It was my own choice to take care of Kaen, so I had no one to blame but myself.
The Holy Sword said to keep moving forward, but at least it would be nice to hear some words that could be somewhat helpful...
“...”
While various thoughts were swirling in my mind, I suddenly noticed a book that caught my eye.
A book with a blank white cover was placed in the lowest section of the bookshelf where ancient books were gathered.
I didn’t know why that book caught my eye all of a sudden.
Feeling a strange attraction for some reason, I pulled it out. I removed the thick layer of dust and opened the book.
'It’s a spell book.'
It’s a spell book, but... what’s this?
I read a bit of the contents inside and quickly closed it.
It was interesting, but it also contained outrageous statements that would make anyone who knew anything about magic click their tongue. It read more like a book of delusions than a spell book.
Hmm?
The mana I felt in my arms made me look around.
Kaen was still on the second floor, and Rigon and Lea were far away.
I went deeper into the library and took out a scroll of paper.
It was the magical device that I used to communicate with the hero while I was at the academy. The hero had given hers to Asher when she went to the Holy City.
I had instructed Asher to contact me using this device in case of urgent matters.
'What could it be?'
Unless it was something significant, Asher wouldn’t contact me. What could have happened in the territory?
I unfolded the paper and read the contents written inside.
--Sir Ron, the Chief of Staff has come to the castle to deliver a message from the Overlord.
