Chapter 36

In the morning, Keith and company teleported to Cadata before riding a flying monster pet past the cities and into the wilderness. Not long after, they landed near a paradisiacal mountain sitting before a crystal-clear lake. Purple-blossom trees covered the mountain from head to toe, with long strands of flowers growing off their branches as they swayed in the wind, giving the illusion the mountain was alive.

Soon after they landed, a female dwarf garbed in butler’s attire appeared from a path leading up the mountain. Like most dwarves, she was around five feet tall, had long braided hair, and thick limbs. She approached the group with a stern expression, her gaze landing on Keith for a moment before honing in on Ridger. “It’s been a while, Ridger.”

“Boss Tora,” Ridger replied with a slight bow. “You haven’t aged a bit.”

Tora ignored Ridger’s comment and turned to Keith’s mom. “Has he performed his duties adequately, Lady Mariane?”

“He’s like a father to me,” Mariane replied with a smile. While she had never met Tora, she knew Tora was the head butler who trained Ridger among many others to serve the four families. The dwarf was a no-nonsense lady who took her job seriously. Mariane didn’t expect to meet her here.

“Hmph.” Tora glared at Ridger. “You’ve overstepped your bounds, Ridger. Do I need to remind you of your role?”

Ridger rolled his eyes, no longer afraid of this boss of his after so many years. “What do you expect when I’ve served her since she was a baby? It’s inevitable for us to become family.”

Just as Tora was about to respond, Keith couldn’t help but say, “Uncle Ridger has taken very good care of us.”

“Fine,” Tora conceded. “Since Younger Master Keith says so, I’ll let you off.”

Keith cringed when he heard how Tora referred to him, though he didn’t expect his comment to so easily convince her.

Giving the party a look-over, Tora stepped to the side and gestured at them. “The Lady and Sir are waiting for us. Please follow me.”

Mariane took the lead, with the rest following behind her. During the trek, Keith noticed that the higher he climbed, the faster his Mana recovered. He didn’t need to check his Status to know. He could feel it. The pores on his body opened up and sucked in the ambient Mana, clearing his mind and rejuvenating his body. When the density of the Mana turned into a light blue mist, Tora explained, “This mountain contains a naturally formed array. Living here will slightly increase your lifespan among other health benefits.”

“What?” Mariane was surprised. “There are such things?”

“Yes,” Tora replied with no further explanation.

True to her words, Keith saw a notification pop up telling him he had acquired a temporary buff. Amazing. What other magical things were out there just waiting for him to discover?

Inevitably the group reached the mountain's peak, which turned out to be flat. Unlike the mountain path, the ground was paved with marble and filled with carefully curated plants. Walking forward, Tora pointed to the few residences on the peak, “That mansion there belongs to you, Lady Mariane. That one is Lady Yara’s and this one Sir Markus’s.”

“What about yours?” Keith asked after seeing only those three residences and nothing else.

Tora replied with a smile, “We butlers live by the lake at the foot of the mountain.”

Keith fell silent as Tora led them to Yara’s mansion. Twelve butlers were waiting at the front door, with only a demon missing among them. When Keith approached, they bowed and said in unison, “Welcome home, Young Master Keith, Lady Mariane.”

Keith froze on the spot, realizing at this moment what his status as Yara’s grandson meant. To have twelve people collectively bow before you and call out your name with their eyes full of respect even though he accomplished nothing. He didn’t like it in the slightest.

“Yeah, thanks,” Mariane casually replied as she strode through the front door, only to stop when she noticed Keith standing still. “Are you okay?”

“Just a little nervous.” Keith took a deep breath and tried to ignore the servents as he walked past them, followed by Uncle Doven, Annallee, and Elora.

Uncle Ridger stayed outside and said, “I’ll wait for you guys at our new place.”

“Gotcha, see you soon,” Mariane nodded.

Tora led them to a side room where Yara and Markus sat within. Keith’s heart thundered in his chest when he locked gazes with his Father and Grandmother, though he immediately relaxed when he noticed how nervous his Father looked. Maybe they weren’t so different after all.

After a few awkward seconds, Yara turned to Tora, “Thank you, Tora. You may leave us now.”

“Yes, my lady.” Tora bowed before leaving, not forgetting to shut the door behind her.

While Markus fidgeted in his seat, Yara took the initiative and approached Keith with a warm smile. “Hello, Keith. My name is Yara Covay, and I’m your grandmother.”

Keith was floored by how young his grandma looked. She appeared no older than himself. Was this really someone hundreds of years old? It took a moment for Keith to recover and smile back, “Nice to meet you.”

Yara turned to Mariane and chuckled. “I see your personality hasn’t changed at all.”

Mariane shrugged as Yara then faced Keith’s sisters. “You two must be Annallee and Elora. Thank you for keeping Keith out of trouble.”

“It’s hard work,” Annallee snickered while Elora gave a silent giggle.

“Come, find a seat,” Yara returned to her spot next to Markus, who was now sweating up a storm. As for Uncle Doven, he was completely ignored.

Once everyone sat down, Mariane crossed her arms and glared at Markus, “Aren’t you going to greet your son?”

“Ah-Uh,” Markus glanced everywhere but Keith and said, “I’m, uh, M-Markus. Y-yep, that’s me.”

“Pfft!” Mariane roared with laughter. She had never seen Markus behave so unconfidently.

“Mom!” Keith jabbed Mariane in her ribs, embarrassed by her reaction.

Yara gave her son a helpless glance before turning to Keith. “Before we start talking, Keith, I want you to know that it was my decision to separate you from your father and have your mother raise you herself. If you resent anybody, please only resent me.”

Markus looked at his mother in shock, not expecting her to be so straightforward. Keith was also surprised that his grandmother would bring up this awkward topic right at the start.

“Is that true?” Mariane glared at Markus, who remained silent.

Keith clenched his hands and said, “Honestly, I don’t understand why that was necessary.”

“You must have heard a bit about my ability, right?” Yara leaned back in her seat. “I’m able to peer into a person’s future and see their significance, meaning their influence on the world. This path led to the most significance.”

Keith took a moment to understand what she meant. Even then, he shook his head, “I’d rather have a father than have more influence on the world.”

“Then you would be a fool,” Yara replied calmly. Keith was rather taken aback by such a rude response as Yara continued, “This world is only peaceful because I’ve made it so. But such peace will last only three more years. When that time comes, you will thank me for making this choice for you.”

Mariane’s expression changed. “What do you mean?”

Yara took a deep breath. “Pay very close attention to what I’m about to say, and do not interrupt me.”

After glancing at everyone, Yara explained her story, the truth about the world, the past, and events to come.