"I never imagined that bastard Proctor would readily agree to a duel……."
At Heinrich's words, Gerald quietly turned his head. An ambiguous light flickered in his eyes.
"It's just my intuition, but that bastard is undoubtedly plotting some kind of sinister scheme. He'll definitely try to kill us and be rid of us……."
Heinrich was startled.
"You knew that and still accepted the duel?"
"That's exactly why I didn't reveal my identity. So he could set his trap with peace of mind."
Heinrich's worried voice burrowed into his ears.
"Won't it be dangerous?"
"What nonsense. We're members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps and also regular knights of the Duke Knights. Shouldn't we charge head-on through whatever petty trap that merchant bastard has laid?"
Gerald smiled coldly. In his mind, events of the past were rising up with perfect clarity. It was the time when, enraged by his sister's death, he had broken into Proctor's mansion with a dagger in hand. Having been caught by the guards, Gerald suffered a brutal beating by Proctor's order. The aftereffects were so severe that he was left with a permanent limp.
If it had not been for the neighbor's report, Gerald would have had to end his life that day.
The security officers who arrived at Proctor's mansion upon receiving the report were shocked to see Gerald in a state little different from a corpse. Afterward, while Gerald was imprisoned awaiting trial, Proctor constantly exerted his influence on the court. His intention was to have the death sentence pronounced on Gerald, who was nothing but a thorn in his side.
But thanks to the active testimonies of the townspeople, mitigating circumstances were recognized, and Gerald was able to receive a relatively light punishment. Recalling that time, Gerald ground his teeth.
"That bastard knows the loopholes in the law better than anyone. That's why I have to dig a trap from which he can never escape."
"Of course. I'll help as much as I can."
Gerald smiled broadly and looked at Heinrich.
"But you also have matters you need to settle, don't you?"
"……."
"Rather than avoiding it blindly, it's better to push through head-on. You may not want to, but go home. You've been out of touch for so long that your father must be terribly worried."
Heinrich shook his head with a lonely expression.
"No. He would never think of me as his son. He probably hasn't worried about me in the slightest."
"That's not true."
A fond light lingered in Gerald's eyes as he looked at Heinrich. Among the members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps, only he knew of Heinrich's circumstances. Heinrich, who would never reveal his identity no matter what happened, had made an exception only for Gerald. Perhaps because he considered him a true friend, he had laid bare all the facts.
'Poor bastard.'
Gerald understood full well why Heinrich did not want to return home. It could not have been easy for him to reveal his situation even to Gerald. Gerald silently recalled the facts about Heinrich.
His own fate had been full of twists, but Heinrich was in circumstances by no means less dire than his own.
Heinrich's household was, surprisingly, a prestigious noble family renowned even in Tezeros. Count Parion, who had once served as a squad leader of the Royal Guard Knights, was his father. Being a typical martial noble house with vast territories, one could say he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. But Heinrich had been thoroughly excluded from those benefits. For no other reason than being an illegitimate child…….
A concubine's child is never acknowledged anywhere. Even in Tezeros, this was no exception. Moreover, Heinrich was not even an ordinary case.
His mother was not even a concubine, but merely a street woman who had come out to sell her body.
The time of Heinrich's birth was a period of famine across the continent, when commoners found it terribly hard to survive. Thus, many women wandered the streets to sell their bodies. Heinrich's mother had been one such woman who took to the streets, unable to bear watching her younger siblings starve. She happened to have relations with the drunken Count Parion and conceived Heinrich. However, a woman wandering the streets had no means whatsoever to raise a child.
After much deliberation, she abandoned the newborn Heinrich in front of the main gate of Count Parion's mansion, along with a note explaining her circumstances. This was roughly how Heinrich came to be raised under Count Parion's care. If there was any fortune in it, it was that the count felt some sense of responsibility for the blood he had carelessly spilled.
But for Heinrich to be acknowledged as a member of the Parion household was, in short, a distant prospect. Countess Parion, her sons, and even Count Parion himself refused to recognize Heinrich as family. Although they had taken him in, it seemed they were not even confident that he was truly of the count's blood.
Because of that, Heinrich had grown up since childhood eating nothing but glares. Perhaps it was from then that Heinrich's weak, confidence-lacking personality had been cultivated. A situation where he could not be recognized as a son, nor even registered as a member of the household.
Driven to the brink by repeated persecution, Heinrich made up his mind to run away. Perhaps it was something the Parion family had wished for first. Heinrich left home shouldering nothing but a bundle, and met Gerald during his travels.
Thus he became a member of the Kasim Mercenary Corps and came to where he was now. So it was perfectly reasonable that Heinrich did not want to return home. Heinrich shook his head with lonely eyes.
"Anyway, they don't acknowledge me as a member of the family."
"But isn't it possible that's no longer the case? It's already been more than four years since you left. Your father undoubtedly wants to see you."
But Heinrich's shadowed face remained unchanged.
"Honestly, he might not even be my real father. Since my mother was a street woman."
"Courage, Heinrich. You have nothing to lose. If they treat you like a stranger, you just leave again……. Are you really not going to stop by home even once when you've come all this way?"
Heinrich remained silent. A moment later, he raised his head with a slightly brighter expression.
"Well, it's no loss if I try. You're right."
"So you're going home?"
"Yes. Let's go once. Even though I have the grudge of being thrown out."
"Great, you rascal."
Gerald raised his hand and patted Heinrich's shoulder. Though their personalities and upbringings were wildly different, perhaps because they had weathered difficult times together, the two had become inseparable best friends. With their arms around each other's shoulders, the two began sprinting with all their might toward where the Parion mansion was located.
The guard posted at the main gate of the Parion mansion looked up with puzzled eyes. This was because two men dressed as mercenaries had run up energetically and stopped right in front of the mansion's main gate. Their faces were flushed red as if they had been running for some time. The guard, who had been tilting his head repeatedly, asked their business.
"What brings you here?"
Heinrich, who had been gasping and catching his breath for a while, looked at the guard in bewilderment.
"Huh? I thought Mister Henderson was the one guarding the main gate……."
The guard continued with a smiling face.
"Ah. He was promoted to squad leader in charge of the guards. Squad Leader Henderson no longer stands watch at the main gate."
"Ah, I see."
Heinrich finally caught his breath and quietly spoke.
"I've come to see Count Parion."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"I do not. I was passing by the area and stopped by for a moment."
"Who shall I say is calling?"
Heinrich was briefly lost in thought. He had been wondering whether to reveal that he was the count's son. But the deliberation did not last long. Hadn't he come here with the thought that he had nothing to lose?
"Please inform him that his fourth son, who is traveling, has come to see his father."
The guard, who had been frowning suspiciously, was startled by Heinrich's answer. To think there was a son he did not know about, despite being a main gate guard……. The flustered guard quickly turned around.
"Please wait here for a moment. I will relay the message."
Heinrich and Gerald waited there for a moment under the furtive glances of the remaining guards. Perhaps due to nerves, his face was stiff and rigid.
'Will he really see me?'
Thinking about it now, he felt he had done well to clearly reveal his identity. Depending on how the guard answered, he would know his father's thinking immediately. If he acknowledged him as a son, he would agree to meet; if not, he would not permit entry. Lost in thought, Heinrich suddenly let out a bitter smile.
'This is almost a relief.'
Soon, the sound of a guard running out was heard. Heinrich looked toward the gate, extremely tense. The gate opened, and the guard appeared in a somewhat flustered manner.
"The Count has permitted you to enter."
Heinrich felt his tension easing naturally. It seemed he was acknowledged as a son after all.
Gerald smiled broadly and spoke up.
"See? I'm glad you came. Go on in."
"What about you……?"
"There's no need for me to go in too, is there? It's not right for an outsider to intrude on a family reunion. I'll go to the inn first, so don't be late getting back."
Heinrich silently nodded.
"Understood."
"Good luck."
Gerald smiled and turned around. Watching his retreating figure, Heinrich followed the guard into the mansion.
At the place Heinrich was guided to by the guard, a man stood with his back turned.
"You've come."
At the deep voice that resonated slowly, Heinrich bit his lip tightly. It was an expression where love and hate crossed incessantly. Until now, he had not felt it, but facing his father directly, some strange emotion welled up within him for some reason. It was an unfamiliar feeling he had never experienced before. Perhaps it was defiance toward his miserable childhood.
"Have you been well?"
It was a courteous voice, yet one thoroughly saturated with emotion. Count Parion, who had been silent for a moment, quietly turned his body. The father's revealed face bore the full passage of the years. But his stubborn countenance remained unchanged.
His sharp eyes and tightly closed lips revealed an extremely willful side. Staring intently at his father's face, Heinrich quietly opened his mouth.
"You've aged greatly."
"……."
"Honestly, I thought I would never be able to meet you, Father."
Count Parion's tightly closed lips parted slightly.
"It seems you harbored much resentment toward me."
Heinrich bit his lip hard.
"I will speak honestly. It would be a lie if I said otherwise. Yes. I was resentful."
In the past, Heinrich would never have dared to speak back like this. But after repeated life-and-death battles with the members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps, Heinrich's once tender nature had changed greatly. Moreover, having mastered the demonic art, the Shura Commander Heart Method, it could not be ignored that his temperament had grown somewhat rough.
Count Parion seemed somewhat shocked by Heinrich's response.
"You've grown a great deal. You even know how to talk back now……."
"……."
Count Parion walked heavily toward where Heinrich stood. Though his body involuntarily recoiled, Heinrich stood up straight. The sense of intimidation that always emanated from his father's body was just as it had been before.
Count Parion, standing before Heinrich, stared intently at his son's face. His was a face that somehow seemed laden with regret.