Eugene didn’t have even the slightest inclination of getting particularly close to any of the other children from the minor collateral lines. Although it wasn’t like he didn’t share any sense of belonging with them, honestly speaking, they just didn’t have anything worth his attention.
First Deacon, who was eleven, then Hansen, who was fourteen, and finally Juris, who was ten—these three children of minor collateral families arrived one after the other. As he absentmindedly exchanged greetings with them, in his head, he lumped these three together under one identity.
‘They’re the dropouts.’
In the first place, their attitudes lacked confidence, and they kept glancing around in a panic.
He was especially skeptical of that guy named Hansen, who was one year older than Eugene. Hansen had chubby cheeks and an equally round body, but what Eugene really didn’t like was the fact that he was pretending to be the leader of the current group of children just because he was the oldest. But he only kept up this attitude in front of Eugene and the other collateral descendants.
Hansen, who had been arrogantly insisting that everyone call him big brother, immediately reverted to an obsequious attitude when he saw the Lionheart embroidered on Ciel’s left chest.
In fact, such an attitude wasn’t particularly surprising. The collateral descendants from weak backgrounds had no choice but to be afraid of children from the direct line.
“...Who on earth is he?”
That was why these three dropouts kept glancing at Eugene with confused eyes that betrayed their inability to find an answer to such a question.
After the brief introductions, Eugene had returned to resume his training. It was an extension of the physical training that he’d done earlier that morning.
Eugene believed that all types of knowledge were bound to develop over time. That went for martial arts as well. So even if Eugene was one of the hero’s companions three hundred years ago, it would be exceedingly arrogant of him to believe that the martial arts of ‘Stupid Hamel’ were indisputably superior to modern martial arts.
However, no matter how advanced martial arts became, as long as the foundation built on physical training wasn’t formed properly, then they couldn’t be put to full use. Without any doubts, Eugene held full faith in this fact.
So even if he could forgo training his mana, he couldn’t neglect his physical training.
‘Since I can’t train my mana anyway, I actually need to focus on my physical training even more.’
Such a plan was one that indisputably screamed of ignorance and lack of any better options. But so what? Because of that damn tradition, the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, he was forbidden from training his mana in the first place.
The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony was designed so that only those of the direct line could really excel. Eugene’s plan to turn the tables on the direct descendants during the ceremony was also, in part, a way to get back at Vermouth, who had allowed such a tradition to be passed.
“Isn’t that hard?” Ciel asked.
“Of course it’s hard,” Eugene replied.
Somewhere along the way, Ciel had taken a seat next to Eugene to watch him train. She had a lot of questions that she wanted to ask Eugene. Having been born to the direct line, Ciel and her brother had received various forms of training starting from their childhood. However, neither of the twins had ever seen such a barbarous and torturous training method as Eugene’s.
“It looks like someone has arrived,” Eugene commented, shaking his sweat-drenched hair as he jumped up to his feet.
The front gates, which could barely be made out in the far distance, were opening. Since it had drawn close to the time when the sun was slowly starting to set, Eugene assumed that the two collateral scions, who’d been expected to arrive at around dinnertime, had instead arrived early.
‘But isn’t there too much of a commotion going on just for that?’ Eugene observed.
The servants of the main house were running out and lining up in front of the mansion. Even the knights stationed in the rear of the mansion were running up and getting into formation.
He had heard that the families of those two brats, Gargith and Dezra, were so prestigious that you could count the number of collateral families that held as much influence on just one hand. Still, it was puzzling to see all these servants running around hastily as if they had been unprepared to meet with them.
“...Ah!” came the sound of realization.
Ciel had also been feeling a similar sense of puzzlement, but as she stared at the gates with blinking eyes, she smiled brightly when she saw flags beginning to rise on the twin rows of flagpoles that lined the path to the entrance.
“It looks like father’s back!” Ciel exclaimed in an excited voice.
She jumped up from her seat and ran off towards the front gates without even saying goodbye to Eugene.
“M-Master Eugene,” Nina called out as she approached Eugene while also in a fluster. “It looks like the master of the house has returned. We have to go out to meet him—wait, no! We need to get you changed first.”
“It would look better to be there in such a sweaty state than to be the only one who was late,” Eugene replied as he brushed the dirt off his body.
Nina hesitated for a few moments before taking out a handkerchief from a breast pocket and wiping it down Eugene’s arms and legs. Even with this, the intense odor of his sweat hadn’t faded, so she even took out some perfume and sprayed it on Eugene.
“That’s enough,” Eugene said.
He finished by roughly patting down his unruly hair, which had become streaked with a mix of dirt and sweat. He hadn’t taken too long in getting ready, but the servants of the annex and the dropouts from the collateral lines had already left for the front gates. In the end, Eugene and Nina were the very last to leave the annex, as they too headed to meet the new arrivals.
‘Whoa….’ Eugene said to himself, impressed at the sight.
All the flags, embroidered with the Lionheart, were soaring proudly in the sky. There were easily over a hundred knights who had lined up along the path beneath the flags. The servants from the main house and the annex had also gathered in one location, lining up at the entrance to the mansion.
The family members of the direct line were standing in front of the servants. Adjusting her outfit, Ciel was standing to the left of Ancilla, and on Ancilla’s right stood Cyan, his face still pale.
Although the real power over the household had been taken from her hands, Tanis stood a few steps ahead of Ancilla. Her higher position as the official first wife required her to stand in front of Ancilla during such a situation. However, even though she was about to meet her husband, who had returned after so many years, she had a relatively calm expression on her face.
Eugene looked at the boy who was standing next to Tanis. Although he had a pretty handsome face, his eyes looked dull for someone his age, and his shoulders were slouched. This was Eward Lionheart, the eldest son of the main family and the first in the line of succession.
Tanis’s lips moved slightly as if she was saying something. This caused Eward’s expression to stiffen, and then he straightened his back and threw back his shoulders.
‘It looks like the children of the main family have all received their fair share of tough love. Though that might also be why their personalities are such a mess.’ Eugene tutted in disapproval before turning his head away.
“Please follow me this way,” requested one of the main house’s butlers, approaching the two late arrivals with his head bowed.
The place where the children of the collateral lines were supposed to stand was to the side of the direct line’s family members. Thanks to the moderate distance between the two groups, their difference in status had been made clear.
Shiiing!
The lines of knights drew their swords, all as one. Even though more than a hundred swords were being drawn at once, the sound wasn’t scattered and instead registered as a single note. Then, holding the swords to their left chest with the blades raised high, the knights turned towards the gates.
A man riding a huge black horse galloped in, leading two carriages behind him. There was no loud shouting or cheering. Instead, the knights welcomed their lord, who had returned after so many years, with a unified silence.
‘So this is Gilead Lionheart.’
Eugene stared at the man with excited eyes. Although his face didn’t resemble Vermouth’s, the brilliant glow in Gilead’s eyes was fairly striking.
‘And the one following behind him should be his younger brother, Gion.’
The Patriarch of the Lionheart Family, Gilead, had two younger brothers. The second brother, Gilford, was already married but had yet to move out from the main estate. The third brother, Gion, had chosen not to marry and had instead followed Gilead on his training trip.
“...It would have been better if you had informed us before you arrived,” Tanis chided Gilead as he rode through the gates.
“I, the Patriarch, am returning home, so what reason is there for me to need to inform you?” Gilead replied as he got off his horse. “Eward, it’s good to see that you’ve grown quite a bit. Have your skills grown accordingly?”
“...I have tried to live up to father’s expectations….” Eward trailed off as he avoided meeting his father’s eyes.
Gilead stared at his oldest son for a few moments before turning his head.
“And is this really Cyan and Ciel? I almost didn’t recognize you. Children really do grow up quickly. It’s so amazing.”
“I missed you, father,” Ciel replied with a wide smile.
At that moment, Gilead smiled brightly and nodded his head in approval. He could smell the scent of dirt and sweat coming from the twins. It was a scent that couldn’t be sensed from Eward.
“Gilford, I heard that you now have a child. I’m sorry that I couldn't be there to share that moment of celebration with you.”
“Big brother, please don’t say something like that,” Gilford responded with his head bowed.
Next to him, his wife, Neria, was cradling a soundly sleeping baby. Gilead stared at the baby for a few moments before looking away.
His brilliant gaze wandered over the children from the collateral lines. The other children immediately straightened up, swallowing their fright. Eugene didn’t care to follow their example. Gilead was just looking at them, so why act like their souls were about to leave their bodies?
“...There’s no need to prepare anything special. Let’s just go and enjoy a meal together,” Gilead said, raising his voice so everyone could hear. “Then we can discuss how the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony is being held this year.”
* * *
Everyone gathered around a long, rectangular dining room table. The children of the collateral lines began sitting down at one end of the table.
The two carriages that had arrived with Gilead, had been carrying Dezra and Gargith. As if it was only the most natural thing to do, these two took the seats right at the end of the table, at the center of the other collateral descendants’ seats.
So Eugene took a seat next to Gargith.
“...?” With a puzzled expression, Gargith scanned Eugene’s face.
It was an unsaid rule that everyone sat in their seats according to the order of seniority within the clan. So accordingly, the one who would usually be sitting next to Gargith was that fatty, Hansen. However, Hansen didn’t express any dissatisfaction regarding this seating choice and instead sat down next to Eugene.
When he had arrived at noon, Hansen had gotten a chance to observe Eugene’s extremely barbaric training. He had also seen how Ciel, one of the main family’s infamous devil twins, talked to Eugene in a friendly manner. Hansen really didn’t want to cause any trouble with this mysterious relative of his.
“I’ve seen Gargith and Dezra before, and we even traveled together on the way here, but as for the rest of you….” Sitting across from the collateral descendants, at the head of the table, was the Lionheart Patriarch, Gilead. As he cleaned his hands with a wet towel, he looked closely at each of the children from the collateral lines before continuing, “I don’t know who you four are.”
“I hail from Gidol province. Please call me Eugene. My father’s name is Gerhard Lionheart,” Eugene bowed his head slightly as he introduced himself.
With him taking the lead, the other children from the collateral branches also introduced themselves. However, only Eugene was able to speak confidently. The other children’s voices trembled as they stammered out their words. The fact that the Lionheart Patriarch was sitting right across from them had made these children nervous.
“...Hm.”
After hearing all their introductions, Gilead nodded deeply. Then, without saying another word, Gilead just rested his chin in his hands.
There was total silence.
The collateral descendants took their cue from the situation and tried to quieten the sound of their breathing. That went for Gargith and Dezra as well, but especially Dezra. Since she was sitting straight across from Gilead, she didn’t know where to place her gaze, so she just kept nervously scratching her innocent thighs.
‘So hungry,’ Eugene grumbled to himself.
Couldn’t they have been called after the dinner preparations were already over? Eugene looked down at the sparse dinner table. Although a few pieces of bread and some tea had been set out, how was he supposed to make a meal out of that?
‘And who’s that bastard?’
A young, blonde man was sitting next to Eward. The man had arrived in a separate carriage from the ones carrying Dezra and Gargith. At first glance, he didn’t appear to share any Lionheart ancestry. Eugene noticed that the one sitting right next to the man, Eward, didn’t seem to recognize him either.
“Father,” Ciel spoke up, breaking the silence.
She smiled bashfully and looked up at Gilead to ask, “It’s been three years since you left. Don’t you have a present for me?”
“It seems like I forgot about that,” Gilead replied with a smile.
Like most fathers, Gilead favored his daughter. Moreover, Ciel was much better at playing cute than his eldest son.
“Eh… But I really missed father every single day. Didn’t you feel the same, father?”
“Of course I did.”
“Liar, you didn’t even get me a present.”
“Haha, I’ll give you a special gift once the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony is over, so don’t hold too much of a grudge against your poor father.”
During this conversation between the two, Eward firmly kept chewing his bottom lip. Cyan was also staying silent and keeping his gaze lowered, even though he usually would have been playing along with Ciel.
However, the bruises from yesterday were still covering Cyan’s abdomen. It was a constant reminder of his defeat. So Cyan kept quiet out of fear that his father would scold him for losing the duel.
“But father, who is your guest?” Ciel asked.
After having met Eugene’s gaze just once, Ciel had turned to look at the man sitting next to Eward. She could tell that Eugene was constantly eyeing the man, but her question wasn’t just because of that. After all, Ciel was also curious about the identity of this unknown man.
Currently, neither Ancilla nor Tanis, let alone Gilead’s two brothers, were allowed to join them at this table.
Only the Lionheart Patriarch, who would be administering the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, and the children, who would be attending the ceremony, were supposed to be sitting here. However, now an unknown stranger was seated along with them.
“...Hm. I was going to introduce him a bit later, but….” Gilead hesitated.
“I don’t mind introducing myself now,” the man spoke up with a smile. “After all, the food hasn’t come out yet. These children should be finding this silence awkward, so it would be better to liven up the room with some conversation.”
Gilead firmly agreed, “Definitely, I was just regretting having called this gathering early because I was in a hurry.”
“Haha, it’s not Master Gilead’s fault. Anyone would feel nervous about meeting distant relatives for the first time,” Lovellian comforted Gilead.
The man turned to look at the children with a friendly smile. Eugene picked up a teacup so that he could drink while listening to the man’s story. Since he was feeling so hungry, but was unable to do anything about it, he wanted to at least fill his mouth up with something.
“Hello children, it’s nice to meet you all. My name is Lovellian, and I am from Aroth’s Red Tower of Magic.”
“...Huh?” Dezra let out a startled sound.
Lovellian. Several of the children tilted their heads as they seemed to recall having heard his name from somewhere.
“Y-you’re the Head Wizard of the Red Tower,” Eward said as he turned to look at Lovellian with a shocked expression.
“Gurk,” Eugene gasped, accidentally inhaled some steaming hot tea.
