The night before our departure turned out to be very short and hectic, not only for me but also for everyone in the manor.

Especially for Matheo, the poor man had to cook for twice as many people than usual.

Now that I think of it, I wonder what and where they were eating on their way here.

It has been decided that Syrus would be the one accompanying me, while Maa would stay taking care of things in the manor until a substitute will come taking over her duty, which by her words, might take around three or four weeks.

In no time my package was done, well it’s not like I had many things to pack, just several sets of clothes, that was all.

After the dinner, which I must say was the first I shared with a member of my family, I asked Maa if I could go to the library for the last time before our departure, to find a book that I’ll read on the road, and she gave me her permission.

As soon as I got her go-ahead, I made my way not for the library but for the forest.

No matter how this whole affair will end, it was confirmed that I would be away for at least three months.

I couldn’t leave Martha and Olga in their usual hiding place for that long, so I decided to put them back where I found them in the first place: in the secret rooms.

With the perfect cover provided by the new moon twilight. Slipping out of the manor has never been so easy.

This is the first time I've ventured into the forest, this late in the night. I usually go back to the manor as soon as the sun is almost down.

In no time, I reached the barrier and saw something that I can only describe as breathtaking.

The barrier is glowing from colorful blue, red, yellow, green, and orange lights that shift gently and change shape like softly blowing curtains.

I put my hands on the barrier like it did every day.

It’s been almost two years since I've begun to venture into this forest on a regular basis and I’ve never seen this happen.

This wasn’t in the books either and I doubt a book would be capable of capturing the beauty of the thing I'm seeing right now.

“This must be a phenomenon that happens only at night or maybe only on a new moon.”

After a few minutes of contemplation, I went to finish what I came here to do in the first place.

Since the hiding spot wasn’t very far from the forest it took me less than a minute to reach the spot.

I put on my backpack and that thing happened.

Coming from deep within the forest was a strange sound that sounded like a perfect melange of a long growl and a snake hissing noise.

My brain couldn’t react to the noise, my legs did.

As soon as I heard the sound, I immediately fled to the barrier. This time I didn’t even pay any single ounce of attention to the beautiful display the barrier offered.

I passed through it and ran at full speed to the manor without ever looking back .

***

We left the manor, right after breakfast.

By Lord Emilien's word, we should reach the Duchy main city in 3 days.

Our procession was composed of three-lined carriages.

Lord Emilien and I were alone on the middle carriage, while Syrus was on the different carriage behind us.

Our seats were facing each other and next to both of us was a tray full of different types of fruits.

To pass the time, I tried to read a book that I brought with me and made a strange discovery about myself.

The thing is that I can’t focus on a book when there is someone staring at me while I’m reading .

When I kept my head down while reading I could feel Lord Emilien stare scrutinizing me.

I knew it wasn’t his fault, after all, there wasn't anything else one could do inside this carriage.

After several hours of vain attempt to adapt myself to the unfriendly environment, I was forced to read in. I decided to put down the idea of reading a book.

Instead, I decided to throw myself in a staring contest with Lord Emilien.

Just kidding.

I just sat there, sweeping my gaze lifelessly here and there.

Sensing my boredom, Lord Emilien decided to break the ice.

“Boy, the road ahead is still long, to pass our time let's talk a little. Everything happened so quickly that we did not have the opportunity to get to know each other well. Come on boy, I’m sure you have a lot to ask, don’t be shy. Go ahead and ask your questions. ” Lord Emilien said while adjusting his posture to a cross-leg over-the-knee position.

“It’s about this journey, I just went with the flow but I don’t have any real idea of what exactly we're going to do.”

“Aaa~It's true that I barely mentioned anything. It’s pretty simple. We are heading to the duchy's main city. Once we’re there, you’re going to live in my castle until your great-grandfather's arrival in three months.”

Yesterday, when Maa was packing my stuff, I asked her everything she knew about Lord Emilien.

It goes as follows.

In the Beaumont duchy, there are five great noble families, who each possess an immense power within the duchy and each of these families actively contribute to the duchy prosperity.

As proof of their grandeur, each of these five great families possesses a castle scattered across the city

These five families are:

The Aubrecht : The ruling family of the duchy, led by Charle Aubrecht, my grandfather. Their castle was in the middle of the town.

The Bartolomeo : Their castle is in the north of the city, their family was involved in anything related to forging and smithing.

The Laurence : Their castle is in the west and they involved themself with cattle raising and agriculture.

The Faucher : Their castle is located in the east of the city, they took care of everything related to trade and others.

And the Edouard : With at their head the Lord Emilien Edouard. The Edouard family activities were solely focused on medicine.Each hospital center in the city belongs to them. And we are now heading for their castle which is located in the south part of the city.

As for my family bond with Lord Emilien, well, he introduced himself as my grandfather but the truth is he is more of a granduncle.

He is the big brother of my grandmother, the current duchess of the Beaumont duchy.

Both he and my great-grandfather were very well known for their soft spot for my father.

This must be why even Maa and Syrus believe that my Great grandfather would definitely accept me as Lord Emilien did.

If the four of them believe that he would accept then I guess it must be true.

It’s pointless to doubt their decision right now after all the die has been cast.

“And by living in your castle does it mean living or hiding?” I asked.

I have been wondering about that since yesterday. If the objective was to introduce me to my grandfather, then I suppose I’ll have to remain hidden for the next 3 months.

“You won’t have to hide in my castle-Well you won”t be able to freely move around the city as I do. But inside my castle, you won’t have to hide yourself. There you’re going to be Ronandt- Just Ronandt; the son of a friend of mine, whose dream is to personally meet the great Armand Aubrecht: one of the seven holy paladins. Understood?”

“Yes, understood.”

“If there’s anyone who insists on knowing who you are. Don’t answer him, just tell me his name. I will be pleased to show him that even if our family is mostly made up of doctors, we are not to be trifled with.” He with an ardent voice.

Strangely hearing him saying that was quite reassuring and heartwarming.

“Okay,” I said while giving him a thumb up.

“Is that all you want to ask?”

“No, actually I have another questi- no in fact it’s more of a demonstration that I would like from grandpa.”

“A démonstration?”

“Yes. you can use magic right?”

“Well, obviously yes.”

“Then can you show me what you do with it? ”

“You want me to show you what I can do with magic.”

“Yes, If possible I would like it if my dear grandpa could also clearly explain to me how he does it and feel it. All these years, all I’ve been doing was reading books about magic, this is my first opportunity to see what it really looks like.”

“I thought Mathilda was exaggerating when she said that living alone in the manor without anyone your age has turned you into a complete nerd and a complete bookworm, but it seems I was wrong.”

“She said that?”

Well, I guess she isn’t wrong after all.

“Yes, and as for your demonstration, I certainly can do that.”

As soon as his sentence ended, something strange began to happen in the carriage.

The fruits that were in the tray, were now hanging unnaturally in the air.

Before I could notice anything, it was my body that was floating the same as the fruits.

Since the carriage ceiling wasn’t that high, I wasn’t flying very high but it was still impressive.

Suddenly my body was flipped over upside down.

“This is the only harmless thing I can do here. So how is it? Impressed aren’t you?” He asked in a very proud tone.

“Ah yes, this is very impressive,” I said with the head still upside down.

“You don’t seem to be too bothered about having your head upside down, don't you?”

“ No, not really. In a way, I can even say that this is even quite amusing.”

If this had happened two years ago then maybe, I might have been bothered by that, but right now having the head upside down has become as trivial as walking.

“How far can Grandpa do this ?” I asked.

“I can do that in a 5m area, compared to other nobles in my ranks it is not very impressive but I’m catching up elsewhere.” As he said that he gently flipped me back and put me back in my seat.

“ Elsewhere ?” I asked.

“I can use a very unique magic. I can’t use it right now but as soon as we reach my castle, I’m sure you’ll have the opportunity to witness it.”

“I'll be interested to see that.”