Having no choice but to ascertain by myself who the famous guest was, I entered the living room.

Syrus followed me into the room and closed the door behind me.

I entered, and I saw the famous guest sitting on the living room’s sofa, and standing at its side was Maa.

Without being told, I knew that in front of me was someone like me, or at least like my father.

Right in front of me was the first noble I’d seen since that day.

I'd almost forgotten what my father and the man accompanying him looked like.

All I could remember about my father was that he had blonde hair and red eyes, and that the older man accompanying him had silver hair and blue eyes.

Today I was given the opportunity by the Seven to recall what the old man's appearance was like.

His most notable features were silver hair, blue eyes, and a once-black but now silver imperial mustache.

I've seen this man before; he was present on that particular day.

He hasn't changed at all, I believe.

He doesn't look any different than he did almost nine years ago.

He noticed me as soon as he saw me. He slowly rose to his feet.

I also approached and performed the noble greeting that Maa had drilled into me since I was a child.

"This is Ronandt, son of Luke Aubrecht. May Djeem the Accursed's mighty and everlasting blessing be upon us. "

"This one is Emilien Edouard, May the eternal blessing of Kiady upon us."

As soon as we finished greeting each other, he charged at me, reached for both of his hands, and lifted me into the air.

He made an astonished face at me and turned to Maa while still holding me in the air.

"I didn't expect him to look like this."

What exactly is he talking about?

I look like, what?

"I was expecting him to be a little chubbier," the man added. "Are they properly feeding you?" he inquired.

"Yes." I found myself muttering.

He then smiled contentedly and placed me back on the ground. He returned to the sofa and motioned with his hand for me to take a seat on the nearest couch.

And I executed myself.

"Do you know who I am to you?"

With a shake of the head, I indicated no.

"I am your grandfather." He said it in such a way that it implied he expected a reaction from me.

"My grandfather ?"

"Yes, I am your father's uncle," he said with a smile. "You've never met anyone from the family, have you?"

"Yes."

"I was sent here to fix that."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"Exactly what I meant. Boy, how old are you? "

"Nine years in almost three weeks."

"Then, this is the first birthday you'll be celebrating with us, your family."

"I’m not sure I understand."

"Lord Emilien, I believe it is preferable if you clearly explain things to the Young Lord; otherwise, I doubt he will understand," Maa suggested.

"I guess you're right." He then slammed his hands on his thigh, as if preparing for a long and tiring workout. "Where should I start? ... Let's start from the beginning. "

"Do you know what we are?"

There were multiple potential answers to that question, but only one sounded fitting for my current situation.

"Nobles."

"Exactly, and do you know the difference between us and people like Mathilda and Syrus over there?"

"Yes, we nobles can produce mana and thus use magic."

He responded with a satisfied nod.

"Exactly, and do you know the difference between you and me?"

I was tempted to answer his question with our ages, but common sense prevailed.

"If it's not the fact that I'm not yet coronated, since I'm not yet 10 years old. If that isn't it, it can only be because, unlike Lord Emilien, I was not born of two noble parents. "

Based on their reaction, I knew I was right on the spot.

I saw Maa and Lord Emilien gasping in surprise, and judging by the noise behind me, I knew Syrus was as well.

Lord Emilien turned to Maa, no doubt to ask if she was the one who told me, and she vigorously shook her head.

Did they really believe it wasn't obvious enough?

I mean, I've lived here in the middle of nowhere for nearly nine years, and both Syrus and Mathilda have no problem talking about my father, but they immediately change the subject when it comes to my mother.

"Who told the young Lord about that ?" asked Maa.

"No one, it was just a wild guess." However, based on your reaction, I believe I was correct."

"It's exactly as you say. You are the son of my nephew, a noble, and a commoner. I heard from Mathilda and saw for myself that you spend a lot of time in the library. What do you know about a child born to a noble and a commoner? "

"Pretty much nothing. I found a lot of information about those of the nobility, such as the children of light, but nothing about people like me. "

Lord Emilien made a face that suggested he was expecting that answer.

"It makes sense that you didn't find anything about it there because there had never been a case of a child born of a commoner and children before.

"What? But you just said that I was... "

He simply cut me off in the middle of my sentence with a wave of his hand.

"Boy... I’m sorry to have to say this to you, but you must know... Nobles and commoners are unable to conceive a child together. That is something I can attest to as a doctor. Nobles impregnating or being impregnated by a commoner is an absolute taboo for us nobles. And yet, there are still fools who will do it anyway. " With a sigh, he said. "Not only is the likelihood of the partner becoming pregnant low, once the pregnancy reaches the sixth month, both the mother and the child die."

My mind flashed back to that day and the pale face of the black-haired woman.

"Is my mother alright?"

"She's fine, Mathilda, and I can confirm it." Mathilda immediately nodded in response.

"Yes, I see. That's comforting. If, as Lord Emilien stated, a noble and a commoner cannot have a baby together, then why am I here? Why didn't my mother and I end up like the others? "

"I honestly don't know." As a doctor, you and your mother are a mystery to me. One of the four main reasons we sent you to the middle of nowhere is to keep you away from those who are curious about what separates you and your mother. You and your mother are two rather unique specimens that many people, including myself, would be delighted to dissect. "

"Lord Emilien!" Maa roared.

He’s joking, right?

Looking at Maa, he raised his hand in submission, which seemed very unsuitable for someone like him. "Sorry... "I didn't mean to say it that way..." He then turned to face me. "You have to be so tense, I won’t do anything to you." He said with a smile, trying to make it as reassuring as possible.

To be honest, it made it even scarier.

Ah~ right, he did mention something about four reasons for keeping me here.

"And what are the remaining three other reasons for my exile here?"

"The second reason is Luke's marital status. He is married. He even has a daughter who is slightly older than you, as well as a son who will be four this year. "

Heavens!

First, it was that, and now it's this.

So my father is a cheater.

He talked about a slightly older sister, right?

"How much older is she than I?"

"Who?"

"My father’s daughter."

"As I mentioned, she's just slightly older than you, maybe four or five months."

Oh, Heaven, then it would mean that his wife must’ve been pregnant when he did what he did with my mother.

I really feel sorry for his wife.

"The third reason is that I am once again apologizing for what I’m going to say, but we weren't sure you'd live past your first year when you were born. To be fair, you didn't appear to be very alive when you were born, and even sometimes after that. "

I didn't look alive.

What is that supposed to mean?

"I don’t understand. I didn’t look very alive.

Instead of explaining, he merely glanced at Maa, as if curious about the explanation. She simply shook her head, implying that whatever his question was, the answer was "I didn't."

Suddenly, I remembered why I was baptized under the authority of Djeem the accursed in the first place.

"Is it related to the fact that I was

"I see. And the fourth and last reason? "

"Do you know what the church is ?"

"Yes I do. It's the organization that has watched over humanity since its dawn."

"They are the true reason we had to send you here. As I previously stated, coupling with a commoner is frowned upon by the nobility, but for those of the church, it is considered an absolute taboo, a heresy. I have no idea how those in the church, particularly those in the clergy, would react if they discovered your existence, but it would be nothing but a good thing for both of you and your mother. "

Maa's back straightened as soon as the church was mentioned.

Martha's black carbon blade flashes through my mind.

The Nobility exists to rule over humanity, and the church exists to keep them on watch. I doubt anyone would object if the church took me away.

Now that I think about it, there must be someone in the church who knows about my existence.

I was baptized, and only a cleric or an official of the church is capable of performing the rite known as baptismal.

That masked man from that day.

"Who then performed my baptism?"

"Oh, that... that was a close friend of ours. At least for the time being, we agreed to keep that person out of this, so I won't mention that person’s name. You know, all of this can get very messy, especially if this whole affair happens to reach the church's higher-ups' ears."

"If I understand correctly, this means I'll have to spend the rest of my life here."

"Not necessarily. As I stated previously, I came here to take you back to your family's side."

"But what about the reasons for hiding me you’ve just listed earlier? "

"That was in the past, but the tides have recently shifted thanks to a certain person: your great-grandfather. Have you ever heard of him? "

Now that I think about it, Syrus has mentioned something about him being a very important person within the church.

"According to what I've heard, he is one of the Paladin Order's seven Holy Paladins."

"Exactly, Your great grandfather devoted the majority of his life to the church. It's been roughly twenty years since his last visit to the duchy, but we received a letter from your great grandfather two weeks ago announcing his arrival in four months. "

"Your father and I intend to introduce you to him."

"But wouldn't it be risky for me to be introduced to someone so devout in the church? " And what exactly can he do in my case? "

"I understand your concern, but your great-grandfather is an extremely emotion-driven person." He then cast a glance at Syrus, who was standing at the corner of the room, and said, " Isn't it Syrus?"

"It is as Lord Emilien said," confirmed Syrus.

"Furthermore, your great-grandfather has a soft spot for your father, and you do look quite a bit like him, if not for those black hairs of yours. To answer your second question, I'll ask you again how old you are. "

"Almost nine."

"How many years before your coronation ?"

"One year."

"We intend to have your great grandfather serve as your Ray for your coronation."

A noble must go through two ceremonies before being accepted as an active member of the nobility.

The baptism takes place immediately after the birth. The main goal is to deprive the child of his ability to use magic. The presence of the father is required for this ritual because it is not only his duty to give the newborn his first name during the ritual, a name which was chosen beforehand by the mother, but it is also his duty to choose which of the seven apostles' authority the child will be placed under.

While the baptismal takes place immediately after birth, the coronation takes place on the child's tenth birthday. The main goal of this ritual is to restore the child's ability to use magic. During this ritual, the child is also given a last name, and the person who gives it is either the father or someone else referred to as "Ray."

The "Ray", is a person who gives his last name to a child that isn’t biologically his. In short, it is essentially a form of adoption.

That practice is commonly used for children of light since their parents are commoners; he gets his last name from his ray (his adoptive noble father).

If that person is willing to be my ray, then maybe—I say maybe—that will keep me out of harm's way. The only people I'd be concerned about are the six other Holy Paladins, the seven ArchBishops, and, of course, the Pontiff; the number has shrunk, but each person left wields significant power on this continent.

This entire situation stinks.

Why can't I just live happily pretending to be someone else, say, a wealthy commoner?

"Will it really suffice?" "And what about the other archbishops and holy Paladins? " I inquired.

"We're not certain, but this is the best opportunity we've had in almost nine years to get you out of here." Of course, we can let you live as a commoner, but that would mean giving up your life as a noble, the ability to use magic, and marriage. You can still get engaged, but your chances of having a child together are very slim. It also means living your life as a fugitive from the nobility and the church. "

"I see..." "What do you think of that plan, Maa?" I asked, noting that she had been almost entirely silent since the start of this entire discussion.

"Who... me?..." I'm not going to say it's without risks. However, it is the best opportunity for the young lord to return to his parents' side, as well as the best opportunity for him to make his debut in society. "

"That was unexpected from you. I thought you would say that it would be safe for him to remain hidden here," commented Lord Emilien, visibly surprised by Mathilda's reply.

"It can't be helped; after all, a child's place is with his parents. And remaining hidden is not really a long-term solution. "

"That is the most Mathilda-like response you could have given."

"Syrus, what do you think of it?" I asked.

"Me?" asked Syrus, who was clearly not prepared to be questioned about his thoughts on the matter. I'm not saying what Young Lord should do, but I think it's worth a shot. "

"I see. I guess I'll give it a shot."

"It's not like you had a choice in the first place," he said as he stood up and let out a long sigh.

Excuse me, but does the term "free will" ring a bell for you?

"I didn't expect this to be settled so quickly." "Boy, pack your belongings, we're leaving tomorrow," he added.

"Where to?" I asked.

"Obviously, to the main city of the Beaumont duchy. Didn't you just say you'd give it a shot? "

"Yes, but isn’t this a little bit hasty? Won’t my great-grandfather come back in like 3 months? "

"Yes, but you'll need some time to reconcile with your father. You're going to catch up on everything you've missed over the last almost nine years. Give it all you've got, boy." He said, while patting my head.

With that, he exited the room with Syrus, leaving Maa and me alone.

Too quick.

It all happened far too quickly.

I was just going with the flow, and now here I am.

"What should I do, Maa?" I pityingly inquired about Maa.

"It is, as Lord Emilien stated previously, "your best." "Come with me, we must decide what to pack in your suitcases."