A few days after my conversation with Yuni.
"Rudy, it's been a while."
"It has, Father."
My father, Perrian Astria, had arrived at our mansion in the capital.
His splendid golden hair, a testament to the Astria bloodline, stood out.
Despite being middle-aged, he looked remarkably young with his tall stature and vibrant golden hair.
"It's your first visit since you went to the academy, Rudy."
Perrian gestured towards me and then embraced me warmly.
"I should have visited sooner, Father, even with my busy schedule."
"Don't make excuses,"
Perrian chided, prompting smiles from those around us.
To outsiders, we must look like a loving father and son, but the reality is quite different.
Does this man really care for Rudy, just because he's his son?
I think not.
He seems to care for his sons, but in reality, he doesn't pay much attention to either me or Ian.
Perrian isn't at an age to retire yet.
At 50, he's still at his prime in the political arena.
Usually, nobles occupy their positions well into their 60s or even 70s.
But Perrian's desire to retire is due to a secret in the Astria territory.
Necromancers.
The Astria territory harbors necromancers, as Robert has discovered.
Perrian's interest lies solely there.
His retirement is a legitimate way to stay in the Astria territory.
If the head of a family like Astria moves, all nobles take notice.
If Perrian doesn't pass the family to Ian and stays in the territory, it could draw attention to their secret.
By entrusting most of the family matters to Ian, the focus shifts to him.
A retired head usually doesn't attract much attention.
Perrian gained his freedom easily through retirement, freeing himself from any obligations.
No one pays him mind now, so his reputation remains unaffected regardless of his actions.
Even if someone notices something wrong, they dismiss it with, 'He's retired, don't bother about it.'
While I pondered, Perrian asked with a smile,
"Is something the matter?"
"No, nothing..."
"Then let's go inside."
Perrian entered the mansion with a smile.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Ha, to think Rudy is already learning spatial magic. It feels like just yesterday he was crawling around."
Our destination was the underground library within the mansion.
A place with spatial magic?
Suspicious of a library underground, I thoroughly searched it before Perrian's arrival.
Despite my efforts, I found no trace of spatial magic.
Even when I tried reading the flow of mana, hoping it might be concealed by magic, I found nothing.
Where could it have been hidden?
I watched Perrian's back with suspicion.
"But,"
He suddenly spoke, as if he had eyes on the back of his head.
"Yes?"
"You seem to have changed a lot recently."
Perrian glanced over his shoulder at me.
I responded with a smile.
"One can't remain immature forever. Realizing the shame in my past actions, I've made efforts to change."
"Is that so? As your father, that makes me happy."
His lips smiled, but his eyes did not.
They bore into me, cold and sharp.
It was clear; I was a thorn in Perrian's side.
Mainly due to the people around me and the events unfolding.
Robert, investigating the Astria family.
Astina, declaring war against the rebels.
The Prime Minister, aiding us.
It wasn't just them.
Everyone around me had turned against the Astria family.
Gradually, they were tightening the noose around its neck.
Even Perrian, retired from politics, must have felt it.
The current situation was proof.
He was in the uncomfortable position of having to pass on the knowledge of spatial magic to someone practically his enemy.
Still, his ability to maintain composure was admirable.
"Here we are."
Perrian reached out his hand towards a wall.
An ordinary wall.
I checked for mana flows, but felt nothing.
It wasn't a magically concealed wall.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Then, as Perrian reached out, a vortex appeared on the wall.
It grew larger, revealing a new space beyond.
"Follow me,"
he gestured.
Spatial magic.
Perrian had just used spatial magic.
But it was hard to tell where this new space led.
I stepped into the space, finding a small library.
There were only a couple of bookshelves, and a small safe in the corner.
"Ah..."
I read the titles on the bookshelves.
Religions and Deities.
The Relationship Between Time and Space.
History of Astria.
The Underbelly of the Empire.
Books I had never heard of before.
Their titles alone made me apprehensive about their contents.
"Don't touch the books,"
he warned.
"I understand,"
I replied.
The risk of taking a book seemed greater than any potential benefit.
If the risk outweighed the return, it was best not to act.
Perrian opened the small safe in the corner.
Then he took out a bottle containing pills.
"What are those...?"
I asked.
"They are pills. They protect the mind."
Perrian handed me two of the pills.
"Take them."
"Me?"
"They're harmless. Take them. Or don't, if you prefer not to."
He warned me, as if challenging my trust.
If he wanted me dead, he had the means to do so.
As the head of the Astria family, he certainly had the power to kill me, though I wouldn't go down without a fight.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})But there seemed no reason for him to prepare these pills just to kill me.
I placed the pills Perrian handed me into my mouth and swallowed them.
"But what effect do they have?"
"I told you. They protect the mind."
"Why do you need to protect my mind?"
"Spatial magic is the essence of the Astria family's spirit. And now, I will transfer that spirit to you."
"What does that mean..."
Before I could finish my sentence...
"Ah..."
Suddenly, my head started spinning, my vision blurred.
I couldn't control my body properly, and a wave of nausea overcame me.
Unable to steady myself, I collapsed to the ground.
Perrian, watching me intently, reached towards my head.
"Now, I will transfer it to you."
My vision darkened.
My stomach churned.
My head spun.
My body felt heavy with all sorts of discomfort.
"Ugh..."
"Young master! Are you alright?"
"Ugh..."
As I started to retch, a maid beside me handed me a bucket.
"Ugh... Ugh... Ugh..."
I continued to retch into the bucket.
However, nothing came out except for stomach acid, which only made the pain worse.
"Ugh... What in the world..."
I remembered entering a space with Perrian and taking the medicine he gave me...
Then I lost consciousness.
"What's happening... Ugh..."
The continuous retching left me in agony.
If only there was something to vomit, it might not have been so painful, but retching up just stomach acid was excruciating.
"Young master... perhaps you should rinse your mouth."
"Th... thanks."
I rinsed my mouth with the water the maid handed me and spat into the bucket.
The maid took away the bucket and offered me a cup.
"This is warm tea. It should help settle your stomach."
"Alright..."
Following her suggestion, I sipped the tea.
Drinking it helped calm my body and ease the stomach pain.
As my mind cleared a bit, I began to assess the situation.
"What happened?"
"You entered the underground library with the head of the family and then were found unconscious."
"Right... So, where's my father now?"
"The head of the family has already returned to the estate. He left this letter for you to read when you woke up."
"A letter?"
I took the letter from the maid.
In summary, the letter stated that he had passed on the knowledge of spatial magic to me and that I should now train it.
Ian would assist me with the training.
It would be painful for a while, so I should stay in bed.
That was the gist of it.
"Passed on spatial magic?"
There were too many things that didn't make sense.
Moreover, Ian teaching me magic?
That seemed impossible.
I couldn't even meet the Royal army under the current circumstances.
Ian wouldn't come to the mansion just to teach me magic.
And what did he mean by 'passed on'?
Typically, passing on magic means thoroughly teaching both the theory and practice.
But I had only been lying in bed all day, not doing anything.
Perrian didn't leave any magic books either.
And to learn from Ian?
I kept scanning the letter with a sense of futility.
"What is this... Ugh..."
"Get the bucket! The bucket!"
The maid quickly handed me the bucket as I started to retch again.
I vomited the tea I had just drunk.
"Ugh..."
I couldn't seem to grasp the spatial magic, and the physical pain brought tears to my eyes.
Feeling utterly helpless, I murmured to myself.
"What's going on here..."
