The reason Theo laughed was simple.
"The chances of Robert being in Waldeurk Castle right now are slim."
In the main story, after making big decisions like raising taxes, Robert had a habit of immediately leaving the castle.
With Robert, the head of the family, not in the castle, it would be easier to explore the Lord's chambers.
Of course, there were many watchful eyes within Waldeurk Castle, so they had to move stealthily, but the difference between Robert being there or not was significant.
Theo said to Eve, who was staring at him dumbfoundedly,
"I'll see what's going on."
"Oh, um... Yes. That would be really great. Let me know if you need anything. I'll help as much as I can."
"Thank you. The Lord has gone outside the castle, hasn't he?"
"Yes, he left around evening. He didn't say where he was going."
"I see. Then, it's getting late, so we'll be taking our leave. Take care."
After Theo rose from his seat, he walked towards the entrance.
Irene immediately followed behind him. Aisha gave a small bow to Eve and then followed them.
Eve watched the door they exited through and murmured softly,
"That was refreshingly straightforward."
The conversation had ended in less than a minute.
Not asking further questions, just agreeing to check on the matter—it was so quick that it felt awkward.
"Well, it's not every day you see someone not just aspiring to be a hero but actually walking the path of one."
Like most residents of Polaris, Eve regularly followed the articles about Theo pouring out from various media outlets.
Theo's actions were bold and decisive.
Initially, it seemed like mere coincidences, but over time, Theo performed jaw-dropping feats.
Being chosen by the divine artifact of the Chalon family, and planning to attend a large event in the magic city with the Saintess this coming Sunday...
Considering his impact in such a short period, it was an achievement that could go down in history.
Just three months ago, the residents scorned Theo as "nothing but a mongrel from beneath a tiger," but now they praised him as "our young master who turned the continent upside down!"
Indeed, the media's praise wasn't unfounded, as he had recently resolved a lingering bomb terror case swiftly.
"I hope there's no trouble..."
Muttering this, Eve turned off the lights in the room and left for home.
Immediately after Theo, Irene, and Aisha left the immigration office, the office contacted Waldeurk Castle to inform them that a carriage carrying Theo was on its way to the castle.
The mongrel they hadn't expected much from had returned as a tiger, to their astonishment.
Despite it being past midnight, the castle's occupants became as busy as if it were 2 PM.
The head butler urgently summoned the butlers, who in turn urgently called for the servants.
The butlers efficiently ordered the servants,
"Hurry, tidy up your clothes and hair, and line up at the main gate! Young Master Theo is returning!"
"He has achieved much in a short time, but rumors say his temper is still as nasty as ever! Don't give him any reason to reprimand you! Stay alert!"
"Wake the chefs as well! Remember, this is the person who once woke a shopkeeper at dawn because he wanted a drink!"
The servants, following the butlers' orders, moved quickly and efficiently.
"Three guests, along with the young master. Let's quickly check the cleanliness of our three largest rooms! They might have a f*cking awful temperament like the young master!"
"Got it! I'll check them right away!"
"... The Lord leaves, and now the young master arrives. What a ruckus in the middle of the night."
"If you've got time to complain, go sweep the leaves in front of the garden again! According to the butlers, his temper hasn't changed a bit! He's a lunatic who even got chosen by the Chalon family's divine artifact!"
The Waldeurk household united with a single purpose for the first time in a long while, preparing to welcome Theo.
They made tight preparations to ensure he couldn't find fault in anything.
...But all that preparation ended in an anticlimax.
"Everyone's worked hard despite the late hour. I'm tired, so I'll head to bed now. Make sure Aisha and Irene get to their rooms as well."
Theo went straight inside the castle without sparing a glance around him.
"...?"
All the Waldeurk household members lined up at the main gate exchanged confused glances.
"Did the young master get up on the wrong side of the bed? Normally, he'd throw a fit over even a leaf blowing in the wind."
"Right...? Could it be someone else wearing the young master's skin?"
"You've read too many novels."
"But it doesn't make sense otherwise. I've been watching the young master for five years now. He's the one who'd throw a tantrum during sword practice, wondering why he had to exert himself so much."
"Hmm... That's true. Anyway, the head butler is showing the young master and his guests to their rooms, so let's get ready to head inside."
Creak.
I entered the room the head butler had shown me to.
The location was excellent.
It wasn't far from the Lord's chamber and was adjacent to Irene and Aisha's rooms.
The head butler outside the door bowed 90 degrees and said,
"Welcome back, young master. If you need anything, please use the communication crystal on the table to contact us at any time."
"I'll do that. You should rest as well."
"Thank you, young master. Have a good night."
The head butler closed the door quietly behind him.
At the same time, Nay, hanging at my waist, spoke up.
─Hmm~ Quite a nice room. It's incomparable to that cramped dorm room. As you said, you really are from a well-off family.
─It belongs to the original owner of this body. As I've mentioned before, I come from a planet called Earth, from a country called South Korea.
Nay is the only person who knows that I'm a possessor.
Nay laughed out loud.
─That story is always interesting. Supposedly 8 billion humans living there... It makes me realize just how cramped and tiny this Kyren Zena continent we're on is. I'd love to visit it myself someday.
─If the opportunity arises, I'd like that too. Whether I can be there as my current self is another matter, though.
-It's fine. My keen senses can pick you out from even ten thousand people... Hmm.
Nay stopped speaking abruptly.
-What's the matter?
-Outside. Many people are loitering in the hallway. At least five, by the sound of it. They don't seem to be martial practitioners from their footsteps.
They must be the butlers and servants of Waldeurk Castle.
I need to clear them out soon.
It's going to be a hassle with so many prying eyes when I need to sneak into the Lord's chamber.
I flung the door open.
Just as Nay had said, about five people were outside.
Some were standing far away, but they couldn't fool my heightened senses sharpened by Qi.
"The noise of footsteps is keeping me from sleeping."
A butler replied,
"Ah, my apologies. We were just waiting in case the young master returned and found anything wrong..."
"There won't be any issues. You all should go to bed as well."
"But..."
"If you keep talking, I might get angry."
"Ah, understood... Sorry, young master!"
They all scurried away.
After making sure they had left, I pulled out a cloak-shaped artifact from my [Subspace Bag].
The name of this artifact is [Invisible Cloak].
As the name suggests, it renders the wearer invisible.
There's nothing better for sneaking into the Lord's chamber.
I immediately knocked on Aisha and Irene's rooms, brought them to mine, and told them we were about to sneak into the Lord's chamber.
I said to them, looking up at me with wide, startled eyes,
"You're about to see something shocking. It might be the darkness of the Waldeurk family, or the evil deeds of a direct descendant like the Lord or myself."
I continued,
"Remember, keep your calm. The Lord's chamber will be full of bizarre contraptions. Expect magical devices, and there might be mechanical ones as well."
Irene, who knew the context, nodded, but Aisha did not.
Aisha, with wide, frightened eyes like a startled rabbit, asked me,
"Th-Theo, why are you telling me this? I thought I was just here for a visit."
"Because, Aisha, you are the future of Waldeurk."
Aisha's eyes widened even more as she hiccupped.
"...Me?"
"I have a wandering spirit, so there might come a time when I suddenly disappear somewhere."
"That's... true?"
"If you're not there to firmly hold the center of the Waldeurk family when that happens, the entire family might be shaken. Consider this part of that."
"Uh, um, ah..."
Judging by her flushed face, she was quite shocked.
Aisha looked at Theo with trembling eyes.
'Me, hold the center of the family?'
But Theo is the next head of the family.
Aisha's sharp mind quickly grasped the true meaning of his words.
'This... This means he's asking me to become the Lady of the Waldeurk family!'
