The night before our departure turned out to be very short and rather hectic, not only for me but for everyone else in the manor, and especially for Matheo, who had to cook for twice as many people as usual due to the unexpected guests the manor received.

Now that I think about it, I wonder what they ate on their way here.

By the afternoon's end, it had been decided that Syrus would be the one to accompany me, while Maa would stay behind at the manor to look after things until a replacement arrived to take over her place, which she estimated would take three to four weeks.

Despite the obvious hastiness of everything that unfolded earlier in the evening, I was done packing in no time; after all, I didn't have much to take with me, just a few sets of clothes.

After dinner, which, I must precise, was the first one I’ve had with a member of my family, I asked Maa if I could go to the library one last time before we left to find a book to read on the road, and she agreed.

As soon as I got her okay, I, instead of the library, headed for the forest.

It was confirmed that I, regardless of how this whole thing ends, would be gone for at least three months. I couldn't leave Martha and Olga in their usual hiding place for that long, so I decided to return them to where I first found them: the secret room.

With the new moon, the night’s twilight provided me with the perfect cover for my nighttime exfiltration.

It was the first time venturing out this late toward the woods. Usually, I and Syrius have the strict policy of returning to the manor as soon as the sun shows signs of setting itself.

In no time, I reached the barrier and witnessed something that I, at the moment, could only describe as breathtaking.

The barrier shone clear and bright with blue, red, yellow, green, and orange undulating radiance that shifted and gently changed shape, softly like blowing curtains.

Curious, I reached out my hand onto the barrier.

I've seen this barrier hundreds of times, but never in the span of almost two years, and yet I've never seen the barrier react like this.

"This was never in the books either,..."

Which, to be fair, I doubted any book would be able to capture the beauty of what I'm witnessing right now.

" … This must be a nighttime phenomenon, or perhaps only on a new moon," I theorized.

And after letting my thoughts drift into theories for a moment, I passed through the barrier and went to finish what I, in the first place, had come here to do.

It took me less than a minute to reach the hiding spot since I made sure to not hide it far away from the barrier.

It was then, while putting my backpack on, that it happened.

A strange sound came from deep within the forest, sounding like a perfect blend of a long growl and a snake hissing.

My brain was unable to muster a logical response to the noise, but my legs did.

As soon as I heard the sound, wasting no time, I dashed to and went past through the barrier.

This time, I didn't pay any attention to the lovely display provided by the barrier.

I ran straight to the manor, never looking back.

***

We left the manor, right after breakfast.

According to Lord Emilien, we should arrive in the Duchy's main city in three days. Our carriage procession was made up of three-lined carriages.

Lord Emilien and I were the only ones in the middle carriage, while Syrius was in the one behind us. Our seats were facing each other. There was between us a tray full of different types of fruits.

For the first few hours of the journey, to pass the time, I attempted to read a book that I had brought with me and discovered a problem with myself that I was previously unaware of. I couldn't read anything, much less concentrate on a book, while someone was staring at me.

When I had my head down, trying to read, I could feel Lord Emilien's gaze on me. I knew it wasn't his fault; after all, there wasn't much else to do inside this carriage, but still it was so uncomfortable.

After several hours of futile attempts to adapt to the hostile environment in which I was forced to read. I decided to abandon the idea of reading a book. Instead, I decided to engage with Lord Emilien in a staring contest.

Just kidding.

I sat there, sweeping my gaze around the interior of the carriage, looking for—who knows what? Maybe a spider, a wasp nest or something like that.

It was then that Lord Emilien, most likely sensing my very obvious boredom, broke the ice.

"Boy, the road ahead is still long; let's talk a little to pass the time," he proposed, to which I nodded.

"Everything happened so quickly that we didn't have much time to get to know each other. Don't be shy, boy, I'm sure you have a lot to ask," Lord Emilien said as he shifted his posture to a cross-leg over-the-knee position, "Feel free to do so."

Question, huh? I sure do have a lot of them.

I thought for a moment then asked, "It's about this journey; I admit I just went with the flow, but I'm not even sure of what exactly we're going to do. I do know that we’re going to the Beaumont main city, but what exactly are we going to do once we get there? "

"Ooh, that. It's true that I barely mentioned anything about it. Well, it's quite simple. We're on our way to the duchy's capital. Once we arrive, you'll live in my castle until your great-grandfather arrives in roughly four months. "

Yesterday, while packing my things with Maa, I got to ask her what she could tell me about Lord Emilien.

And from what I’ve learned from her, it went pretty much like this:

Here in the Duchy of Beaumont, there are five great noble families.

Each of these five great noble houses holds immense power within the duchy, with each of them contributing, in their own respective fields, to the duchy's prosperity. And as a clear display of their ruling over the duchy, each of these five great families owns a castle scattered across Beaufort, the Duchy’s main city.

These the five families were

The Aubrechts, the duchy's ruling family, led by Charle Aubrecht, my grandfather. Their castle was right in the middle of the city.

The Bartolomeos, their castle located north; their family's businesses revolved around forging and smithing.

The Laurences, their castle located west. That noble great noble house mainly involved themselves in cattle raising and agriculture.

The Fauchers, with their castle situated in the east part of the city, were in charge of all trade and other matters.

And last but not least, the Edouards: led by no one else but Lord Emilien Edouard, their activities were entirely devoted and dedicated to medicine. Their noble house owns every hospital center scattered through and throughout the Duchy.

And now we're on our way to their castle, which was said to be located in the south.

Fillialy speaking, Lord Emilien was more of a granduncle than he was a grandfather as he had introduced himself.

He is the older brother of Emilia Aubrecht, my grandmother and the current Duchess of Beaumont.

And he and my great-grandfather were both well-known for having a soft spot for my father. Which is, I assumed, why both Maa and Syrus believed that my great-grandfather would accept me as Lord Emilien did.

Well, if the four of them believe he would, I suppose it must be true, or not. In any case, it's pointless to question their decision now that the dice have been rolled.

Thinking about Lord Emilien’s explanation, "Does living in your castle mean living or hiding?" I wondered aloud.

I've been thinking about it since yesterday. If the goal was ultimately to introduce me to my grandfather, I guess I'll have to stay hidden for the next three months.

"You won't have to hide in my castle, but you won't be able to move around the city as freely as I do. But you won't have to hide inside my castle. There you'll be Ronandt—just Ronandt—the son of a friend of mine, whose dream is to meet the great Armand Aubrecht, one of the seven holy paladins. Understood?"

"Yes, I understand."

"If anyone insists on knowing your identity, don't respond; just tell me his name. I'll be glad to show him that, despite the fact that our family is mostly made up of doctors, we are not to be trifled with," he said ardently.

Hearing him say that was strangely reassuring and heartwarming.

"Okay," I said, giving him a thumbs-up.

"Anything else?"

Well, I do have another thing to ask.

"Am I normal?"

"Normal? What do you mean? "

"I mean, Lord Emilien yesterday said that I was born of a commoner and a noble, and that it had never happened before, so what about if there is something different about me from the other nobles?"

He took a thoughtful stance and said, "According to Mathilda,... you're quite normal,", but the pause he took was quite not very reassuring.

"You do, at least in appearance, look exactly like a noble at your age. However, based on what I've heard and seen, you've grown at a slightly faster rate than your average noble. "

"I see... that’s reassuring."

"Well, who knows for sure? But personally, I believe you should not give it much thought. As far as I'm concerned, you're a true noble through and through, as much as I am and your father is. " After a short pause, he added, "And, it’s Grandpa or Grandfather for you, Boy."

"Thanks."

"What are you thanking me for? Is that all you wanted to ask?"

"No, actually, I have another question—no, actually, it's more of a demonstration that I'd like from Grandfather."

"A demonstration?"

"Yes. You know how to use magic, don't you? "

"Well, I am a noble, so of course, yes."

"Can you then show me what you can do with it?"

"You want me to demonstrate my magical abilities to you?"

"Yes, if possible, I would appreciate it if my dear grandfather could also clearly explain and feel how he does it. All these years, all I've done was read books about magic; this is my first chance to see what it truly looks like. "

He looked at me, dubious, then said, "At first I thought Mathilda was exaggerating when she said that living alone in the manor without anyone your age around had turned you into a shut-in bookworm, but it seems I was wrong."

"She said that?"

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

Something strange began to happen in the carriage as soon as his sentence ended.

The fruits in the tray were now dangling in the air in an unnatural manner. Before I understood anything, my body was floating in a manner similar to that of these fruits. I wasn't flying very high because of the carriage ceiling, but still, it was impressive to witness.

My body was suddenly turned upside down.

"This would pretty much be the only thing I could show you here that would be safe. So, how is it going? " Impressed? Aren't you? " In a proud tone, he asked.

"Ah, yes, this is very impressive," I said, my head still turned upside down.

"You don't seem to be bothered by having your head turned upside down, do you?"

"No, not at all. In some ways, I'd even say it's quite amusing. "

If this had happened two years ago, I might have been bothered, but with how hecty and active I have been these past two years, having the head upside down has now become as commonplace as walking.

"How far can Grandfather do this?" I inquired.

"I, using only mana, can do that up to a five meter area; it's not very impressive compared to other nobles of my ranks, but I'm catching up elsewhere, so I suppose this is only fair," he said, as he gently flipped me back into my seat.

" Elsewhere?"

"You see, this old grandfather of yours has a very special magic. I can't use it right now, but as soon as we arrive at my castle, I'm sure you'll be able to witness a glimpse of it. "

"I'm looking forward to seeing that then."