313 Calm Before The Storm [1]
"Argh! Fuck, I hate that guy! Actually, no, I hate everyone in this fucking family!"
Entering my room, the first thing I did was kick my study desk in an attempt to vent out some frustration.
Then I started shouting a barrage of curses directed at my family, which I am sure at least the servants outside this room must've heard.
"Kriek~?"
Sera perched on top of the desk and chirped in confusion. Seeing her, I calmed down a little and ruffled her head.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
Letting out a wistful sigh, I sat on the desk chair and started spinning it. After a while, I dug my hands into my pockets and pulled out my smart bracelet.
"Athena, give me the report you were about to provide earlier."
The screen of my smart bracelet lit up and almost instantly, a feminine mechanical voice resounded from it.
[Yes, first-year cadet, Sir Lucas.
[After a meticulous analysis of the entries spanning 14 years of your life, two events stand out.
[The first occurred when you awakened your mana core on November 28th, 2717. After your family shunned you, your mental state began to deteriorate.
[However, there was a certain point in your life when your speech and behavior took on an almost unnatural flip.
[Between March 31st and April 15th in the year 2719, you went through a sudden and dramatic change, as if some unknown catalyst had triggered it.]
"So, between those sixteen to seventeen days?" I mused, gently scratching my chin. "Alright, anything else you want to share with me?"
[Affirmative. During that time frame, a particular bar name appeared repeatedly in your journal entries.]
"Oh, really?" I arched an eyebrow. "Go ahead, don't keep me in suspense. Tell me."
Athena quickly complied with my request: [The bar's name is Last Call, and it seems that your visits there coincide with the start of your transformation. However, please note that this is still a suspicion undergoing analysis on my part, so it might not be entirely accurate.]
Nodding in acknowledgment, I deactivated my smart bracelet.
While I myself had no recollection of that bar, I did notice its name mentioned a couple of times in Lucas' journals.
And besides, considering the potential of a supercomputer program like Athena, I thought starting my investigation there might not be a bad idea.
"Hmm."
Sighing softly, I turned on my smart bracelet once again and called Amelia. After a few rings, she picked up and answered from the other side:
"[Lucas, got any clues?]"
"I want you to do something for me," I told her. "Go to the bar named Last Call and try to investigate my past visits there."
"[Last Call?]"
Amelia's surprised voice instantly piqued my interest. I arched an eyebrow and asked softly, "Why, do you know something?"
Amelia's answer was quick.
"[Yes, you… ah… It's a place famous among noble kids in this area. You… used to visit that place very often. You don't remember that either?]"
As a frown crept up on my face, I replied, "I don't. That's why I want you to go there. Tell me everything, from how much time I used to spend there to what company I kept around me."
"[Okay, I'll head there right now.]"
With that, I disconnected the call and leaned back in my chair. I knew it wasn't a good idea to send her there alone, not because I was worried about her but…
But because I needed to also be cautious of her.
I knew I shouldn't let a vampire play with my mind, but I couldn't exactly turn deaf to a direct warning now, could I?
I swear to god, if planting the seed of doubt in my mind was Sofiana's plan then she did well… did well indeed.
"Sera," I turned to the giant black bird sitting on my desk and called her. "I want you to go to Amelia and keep an eye on her."
"Kriek~?"
"By keeping an eye on her, I meant to help her and confirm if her reports are true. Can you do that?"
"Kriek!"
Sera energetically bobbed her head up and down in an affirmative nod prompting me to smile brightly at her.
"Good," I said, before rising from my chair and opening the room's window. Instantly, Sera soared out of the open glass window into the vast night sky.
Okay, Sera would keep Amelia in check. I mean, it's not like I don't trust Amelia, I do actually… But still, employing a bit of caution isn't ever bad.
Besides, Sera has grown a lot stronger. She even killed a vampire with just one attack, so she would be a big help to Amelia in this investigation too.
Right, I just sent her as a backup, that's it.
Satisfied with my internal reasoning, I nodded and closed the window. As soon as I did that, I heard a loud banging coming from the room's door.
Tham, Tham, Tham—!!
"Oh, who is it now?!" Startled by the sudden loud noise, I turned to the room's door and yelled, "Come in!"
The door swung open and in came a butler in a crisp black and white suit. It was the same butler from before.
"You again? Dude, you'll break the door one day."
Bowing deeply, the butler apologized. "I'm deeply sorry, young master. Ahh, it's just that… His lordship has summoned you to the mansion's front garden."
I frowned and cast a gaze at my watch. It was already around [11:03 PM]. I knew he wanted to talk to me, but couldn't he have just waited until tomorrow?
Rolling my eyes, I nodded and answered the butler. "Fine. Tell them I'll be down there in a few minutes."
The butler gasped, his eyes practically bulging out of his sockets at the prospect of me making General Reynold wait for a visit.
However, the butler knew better than to bother me about it. He turned around and left the room upon receiving my response.
Haa, let's do this.
†
I walked into the front garden, crushing the fallen leaves beneath my feet with each step, letting its satisfying crunching sound echo throughout the stillness of the night.
The garden itself was a lush oasis, awash with all kinds of vibrant plants. In its heart lay a serene pond, the calm water inside it reflecting the fervent moon above.
A symphony of insect chirrups filled the area, mingling with the gentle, rhythmic harmony of a bamboo fountain continually tapping the ground.
The radiant moonlight filtered through the dense canopy of tree leaves, casting its silver glow upon the man who stood by the calm pond, as though nature itself had chosen to shine the spotlight on him.
He was a tall, burly man, with a heavy gray fur military coat hanging over his broad shoulders.
Even from this distance, I could make out a couple of scars tracing their way up the back of his neck.
With a sigh, I walked over to him and wordlessly stood beside him. A peaceful silence enveloped us, only to be broken when Reynold finally parted his lips to speak.
"Do you remember this garden?" He asked.
"Vaguely," I answered, my gaze fixed on a distant tree as a nostalgic feeling washed over me.
Reynold frowned at my words. "But you used to spend all your time here when you were young."
I pointed at the distant tree that I was watching and said, "I remember when I tried to climb that tree and fell on my nose."
Reynold suppressed a smile from appearing on his face as he nodded. "Yeah, you broke your nose. Your mother was so worried about you."
After a bit of pause, I added, "...But you weren't. Instead of treating my wound, you pulled me up and asked me to climb that tree again with blood trickling down my face."
"You ended up climbing it," Reynold added.
I narrowed my eyes and turned to glare at him. After a brief moment of silence, I spat in a furious tone, "After falling three more times! I'm lucky I didn't permanently scar my handsome face that day!"
This time, Reynold allowed himself to smile a little and said, "You ended up climbing it though. You even made a tiny treehouse up there, called it your castle, and named yourself the king. You called it your Treedom."
As Reynold let out a soft chuckle, I exclaimed, "Shut up! Treedom was a good name for my first Kingdom!"
"Haha! Yeah, sure."
And with that, the silence returned to haunt the air between us. After a few long minutes, I spoke up:
"Yeah, fine. I do remember this place. But do you remember that night… that night when you disowned me?"
A solemn expression settled upon Reynold's face. He paused for a few moments, then uttered, "Lucas, you knew I had no other option. You left me with no choice. The media was all over me, riots were breaking out, and the public accused me of condoning your criminal acts... They said that I would ignore your wrongdoing and never bring you to justice. Any other person would've served at least five to six years behind bars but you were just exiled–"
Gritting my teeth, I couldn't contain my anger any longer and interrupted him, my words bursting forth in a fury.
"Okay, fine! I understand you had your responsibilities as the Overlord of the West. But answer me this, Why did you shun me? Why did you cast me aside? Was my potential the only thing that mattered to you? I was your son... your flesh and blood! You once said that wolves never forsake their kin, didn't you? Well, you did just that!"
Reynold's fists clenched, his nails digging into his palms, drawing blood.
He opened and closed his mouth several times as if struggling to find the words he wanted me to hear. In the end, he simply asked, "Why are you here? Why are you back?"
