3
The news that Countess Tanasia had recovered from her sickbed spread rapidly throughout the entire territory.
At first, I had thought it happened because either Mary or Biz had loose lips.
It turned out the reason the rumor spread was my father, Count Dmitri Perdallos.
My father, who had once been a soldier and been ennobled for his merits, was someone clumsy at hiding his emotions in many ways.
Naturally, he was one of those who reacted most strongly to the news of his beloved wife’s recovery.
The corners of Count Perdallos’s mouth, which had been downcast for years, could not stop smiling from ear to ear.
Hiding Mother’s recovery must have been impossible from the very start.
Though my father, having belatedly received advice that it was better not to reveal family matters to outsiders, tried his best to resume his usual stern expression.
By then, the rumor that Countess Tanasia had recovered had already spread among the servants and the people of the territory.
Naturally, various stories also emerged about me, the one who had restored Mother’s health.
Even the servants openly said things to my face like, “As expected of the next lord of Perdallos,” or, “The young master genius who cured an incurable disease.”
Even for me, it was quite difficult to brazenly accept such titles.
It was not as though I could silence each and every butler or maid.
And rumors are not so easily stopped by trying to block them.
Above all, the source of this burdensome title was my father, the lord of the mansion. It was already beyond my power to stop.
Today, too, breakfast began with my father’s imprudent praise.
“Thanks to our genius son, Conrad, the House of Perdallos has regained such vitality, ahaha!”
Feeling somewhat embarrassed by my father, who repeated the same words at every meal.
As always, I timidly expressed my discomfort.
“Father, how many times must you say that? And it was a treatment that anyone could have performed if they simply knew the method.”
“But it was a method you found yourself, was it not? Mother is proud of our son.”
“Mother is right, Brother. No matter how you try to hide it with modesty, the fact that your achievement saved Mother’s life will not change.”
Of course, every time that happened, Mother and my younger sister would join in, immediately continuing a chain of cringeworthy praise.
This atmosphere would likely continue for some time.
I had no choice but to accept it quietly, thinking it would subside someday.
“Since I have recovered thanks to our son, Mother should start paying attention to managing the territory again.”
“Will you be alright, Tanasia? I think it would be better to rest a little longer.”
“I have already rested for a week even after recovering my mana circuits, Dmitri. And we cannot leave the territory management entirely to Delphina forever, can we?”
“Hmm, well, that is true, but….”
My father had rendered distinguished service in the war against the Kingdom of Longrias.
He was a “decorated noble” who had received a medal and the title of count for that achievement.
As such, he tended to be somewhat lacking in matters of administration and politics compared to ordinary noble heads of household.
On the contrary, my mother, who had grown up receiving an education befitting a young noblewoman in the Count Aelias family, was actually more specialized in that field.
Naturally, until Mother collapsed, the overall management of Perdallos had been Countess Tanasia’s responsibility.
After she collapsed due to her destroyed mana circuits, Delphina and I had somehow managed it.
Moreover, it just so happened that I reached the age to enroll in the Academy last year.
In fact, for the past year, Delphina had shouldered almost all of the territory management by herself.
It was only right that Mother return to managing affairs as soon as possible to ease my younger sister’s burden.
“I also support Mother’s return.”
“Next year, Delphina will reach the age to enroll in the Academy. We cannot leave everything to my younger sister forever.”
“I feel the same way as Brother. I had been feeling a bit overwhelmed handling it alone anyway.”
“Ahem, w-well, if that is what you children think, it cannot be helped.”
Count Dmitri Perdallos readily accepted the opinions of his wife and children.
He might be evaluated as lacking some dignity as a noble.
But as a husband and father, he was undoubtedly a good person.
Perhaps it was because Mother had risen from her sickbed that he had gained such peace of mind.
If I had left Mother as she was without finding a cure.
Mother’s condition would probably have worsened more and more.
She would not have lasted a year and would have passed away in pain and agony.
If that had happened, the household atmosphere would have rapidly darkened, of course.
And Father’s already taciturn personality would have completely hardened.
Just by preventing that, I had completed all the work I needed to do in the territory this winter.
“Father, Mother.”
“What is it, my son?”
“It may be a bit early, but I will return to the Academy in one week.”
At my answer, Father’s and Delphina’s eyes widened greatly.
Mother nodded quietly with a composed expression.
“Already, Brother? Has it not even been a month since you came down?”
“Why do you not rest a bit more before going back?”
“I have something I must do before going up to the Capital. To finish that and return, I think I will need a bit more time.”
“Dmitri, you know how busy the Academy’s Magic Department is.”
“…Hmm, that is true.”
Come to think of it, Father and Mother had said they first met at the Academy.
Seeing Father immediately accept Mother’s words, she must have led quite a busy life during her Academy days.
Of course, the reason I wanted to return to the Academy a bit early was not really for magic research or self-study.
Since I still retained memories of magical knowledge accumulated over nearly ten years, there was no real problem.
I simply needed to unlock the next circle whenever I got the chance and regain my strength.
But although the reason for leaving a bit early was completely different from what my parents expected.
“Life in the Magic Department is rather busy.”
I deliberately did not mention it, so as not to give my parents any cause for concern.
After that, conversation continued with questions about my recent life at the Academy, where I had learned that treatment method, and so on.
I fended off my family’s questions with appropriate answers, and breakfast came to an end.
It was a nostalgic scene reminiscent of old memories, with four family members eating at one table for the first time in a long while.
? ? ?
With two days remaining before leaving the Perdallos territory and heading up to the Capital.
It was a bit early to retire for the night. My steps headed outside rather than deeper into the mansion.
A small refreshment table set up in the garden of the Perdallos mansion.
Originally, it was a place where Mother would entertain ladies visiting the Perdallos mansion.
Or where Delphina occasionally enjoyed light refreshments to change her mood.
But today, the person waiting for me at that table was neither Mother nor Delphina.
And the prepared beverage was definitely not a light tea like black tea or herbal tea.
“…You have come, Conrad.”
“Yes.”
I sat across from my father, who had already downed about two glasses of whiskey.
I immediately picked up a glass, filled it to the brim, and lightly clinked glasses with him.
Clang. After sharing the sound from the bottle with the person seated across, I sent about half of the first glass straight into my mouth.
The moment a bit of alcohol entered my body, I felt a slight warming sensation.
“…How is Academy life these days?”
“Just, ordinary.”
I had thought it was the usual perfunctory question and intended to brush it off without much thought.
But unexpectedly, a completely different response came from my father’s mouth.
“What do you mean, ordinary? How does someone living an ordinary life learn the elves’ secret mana manipulation methods?”
“…You knew?”
“Yes.”
“How did you know?”
“When a war drags on, you end up meeting all sorts of people, and you get tangled in trivial connections with all sorts of races. It was not so rare to end up rescuing an elf slave forced into labor in some corrupt noble’s mansion.”
It was a story from my father’s past that I had rarely heard even in my previous life.
He had hated talking about his war hero days so much that he rarely spoke of them to his children.
That was how much Mother’s recovery had changed his state of mind.
“Before that child I saved left for the forest. Saying she was repaying the favor, she treated a combat magician the same way you did and disappeared.”
“Then did you already know the reason Mother was so ill?”
“Yes. That was why I tried desperately to find someone who knew the cure. It would have been especially good if I could have found that elf I met before. Even though she said the debt was paid, we could be considered to have a slight acquaintance. But the elven race, whose wariness had deepened due to the war, had completely shut themselves in the Forest of the World Tree and maintained isolation without stepping out. What could be done? That cure is a secret passed down only among the elves.”
“…I suppose so.”
“If I could have taken your mother to that forest, it might have been different. But her condition at that time would have caused all the mana in her body to become seriously twisted the moment she took a warp gate. If we traveled by carriage, the journey would take over two months, which was too long. We could not leave the territory solely to Delphina during that time either.”
“…….”
“I will not ask anymore since you seem unwilling to say how you obtained it. But let me make this clear. Thank you truly for saving Tanasia, Conrad.”
“She is my irreplaceable and precious mother as well. I simply did what I had to do.”
Father shook his head at my answer and let out a sincere confession.
“I may be acting imprudently saying this at my age, but Tanasia is someone more precious to me than my own life. In that sense, you could say that you saved my life as well, Conrad.”
“You are quite drunk, Father.”
“…Yes, it would seem so.”
Count Dmitri Perdallos, his face reddened, pushed back his chair and slowly rose from his seat.
“Drink the rest or do what you will with it. It is expensive liquor, so do not waste it.”
“Good night, Father.”
“Yes, thanks to my well-raised son, I can sleep with a light heart. For the past three years, I would go to bed anxious that Tanasia might not open her eyes when I woke in the morning.”
I sent off Father’s retreating figure toward the interior of the mansion with a simple nod.
After pouring out all the whiskey from the bottle with a visibly expensive label into my glass.
I spent an hour sipping, with the moonlight and the smile Father had shown me as my drinking snacks.
? ? ?
Two days after the night I had shared a slightly more sincere conversation with Father than usual.
The morning of the day I returned to the Academy had arrived.
Perhaps the liquor I drank the day before yesterday had been quite strong. Until yesterday, I had been in a hazy state, unable to fully come to my senses until the afternoon.
But by today, I had more or less returned to form.
After eating breakfast a bit more leisurely than usual and speaking with my family, I exchanged final farewells in front of the mansion.
“Go safely.”
“Yes, Father.”
“When you come down next time, do so having reached at least the 4th Circle.”
“I will try for even more than that.”
“If you think you will be short on living expenses, please let us know. The territory’s business has been doing well lately, so we can send you some extra money.”
“Thank you for even saying that, Delphina.”
After greeting each family member one by one, I boarded the prepared carriage without delay.
To travel from the Perdallos territory up to the Capital, I would have to ride the carriage for a full day to the Marquisate of Higarden.
The carriage carrying my body and the minimal luggage that could fit in a single backpack set off toward the east.
I leaned against the carriage backrest and took a short rest.
Thinking that I would need to exert myself again in a few hours, I had to get sufficient rest now.