He had gone to the temple, sure—but it really wasn’t anything major. Still, knowing how wary Inas had always been of Glarus, Nigel couldn’t help but feel guilty. He avoided Inas’s gaze.
For now at least, maybe because of the people around them, Inas kept his eyes lowered and stayed silent.
“Young Master!”
Roshan, standing in front of Inas, shouted with a pale, alarmed face. His voice brimmed with both worry and simmering anger. If Nigel had been his family, he probably would’ve smacked him upside the head without hesitation. He gave him an awkward smile.
“I just had something urgent to take care of. I stepped out for a bit.”
“What could’ve been so urgent that you slipped out alone without saying a word? And of all places, the temple…”
Roshan trailed off, catching himself as he realized others were listening. So, they already knew he’d gone to the temple. Nigel belatedly started taking stock of the situation. Normally, it wouldn’t have been a big deal—but not being the heir to the dukedom made everything unnecessarily complicated.
“It really wasn’t a big deal. Sir Schumacher here helped me get out.”
When Roshan’s gaze turned to Schumacher, he gave a polite bow. Roshan pressed a hand to his forehead, letting out a quiet sigh.
“Well, at least you’re safe, Young Master. But next time you leave the estate, you must take someone with you.”
“Yeah. It won’t happen again. Sorry.”
In noble families, children were taught not to apologize to those of lower status. While Nigel personally didn’t mind apologizing, he’d trained himself to hold back because of that upbringing.
Roshan, flustered by his young master’s apology, immediately quieted down. He even bowed slightly, as if humbled.
“Understood.”
“Good. I’m sure everyone had a rough time today, so let them rest well. Give them a little reward, too.”
“Yes, I’ll take care of that. Also, Young Master—His Grace, the Duke, is requesting your presence.”
“Father’s at the duchy, isn’t he?”
“We’ve prepared a magical link.”
Nigel was briefly stunned. Long-distance communication magic was incredibly advanced. Sure, someone like Inas could probably cast it in his sleep, but for most people, it required rare magical materials costing hundreds, sometimes thousands of rubel each. There were cheaper, simpler magic spells for relaying messages—no one used this one unless absolutely necessary.
Not that the Magnus Duchy couldn’t afford it—but still, it was out of character for his father to spend money frivolously, especially when something simpler would do.
Which meant… his father was really worried. Nigel had forgotten his place and acted irresponsibly. Now he regretted it—but it was already too late. He was definitely getting scolded. He looked around, half-hoping for an escape route.
“Young Master.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m going.”
Roshan must’ve noticed he was stalling, because he gave him another strict look. Escape wasn’t happening. Giving up, Nigel turned to Schumacher.
“Sir Schumacher, thank you for your help today. I want to properly repay you—and I’ve got something to discuss, too. Would you mind waiting a bit?”
“Of course.”
Schumacher replied formally, probably aware of the people watching. Given that he’d helped look after Nigel in the alley, he had every reason to be treated as a guest of the family. Even before Nigel gave any orders, Roshan stepped forward. With a glance, he directed a waiting servant to escort Schumacher away.
As he watched Schumacher leave, Nigel also glanced at Inas.
There didn’t seem to be any strong protest about Schumacher being here. Well, for now, Schumacher was a safe presence—and probably necessary for completing certain Achievements.
Still, despite the situation being handled, Inas didn’t look pleased. His fingers twitched slightly, like he wanted to cut Schumacher’s throat right then and there. Nigel could only hope Inas’s self-control was better than that.
Even with Nigel staring at him, Inas didn’t lift his head. Adding Nigel’s little escape to the list of offenses, it looked like Inas intended to be visibly pissed. Great—how was he supposed to calm that down?
“Young Master.”
Roshan called again, urging him to move. With no choice left, Nigel followed Roshan upstairs.
Most noble estates had specially designed rooms to stabilize and amplify mana flow. Inside, a mage from the ducal household was already waiting, holding a communication artifact. He infused it with mana and gave Nigel a quick tutorial before bowing and stepping out.
Nigel took a deep breath and activated the artifact. As the mana from the refined magic stone drained away, its glow began to dim. Then, merging with the artifact, the spell took shape—and Ruder’s image appeared, projected from the chest up.
Ruder’s expression was grim. His brow was deeply furrowed with anger as he stared fiercely at Nigel through the projection.
“Hey… Dad.”
Nigel gave a sheepish, nervous smile. Ruder exhaled loudly, not hiding his frustration.
[Nigel. What in the world… What were you thinking, going out alone?]
“I’m sorry… Are you really mad?”
[I’m worried. I’m not angry at you.]
Hearing the uncertainty in Nigel’s voice, Ruder couldn’t keep up his harsh tone. He just sighed again, one after another. In the short time they hadn’t seen each other, he looked like he’d aged. While there were likely other causes, it was clear today it was Nigel’s fault. Feeling a stab of guilt, Nigel lowered his head.
“I really am sorry. I promise it won’t happen again.”
[It better not. If it does, I’ll assign someone to follow you everywhere you go.]
“…Okay.”
[Don’t make me worry so much. Your brother and I were both deeply concerned.]
“Yeah… I understand.”
[You need to realize how many people are invested in your safety.]
“Yes…”
Nigel nodded through the stream of rebukes. Thanks to Inas, he hadn’t really felt any danger—so none of this hit particularly hard. Still, he understood why his father was worried.
Normally, he’d try to lighten the mood, but Ruder’s relentless scolding left no room for jokes.
Five minutes later, Nigel glanced at the blinking magic stone. The mana was almost drained. Continuing the call would require another stone—and using one just to keep chatting felt wasteful.
“Um, Dad. I’m running out of mana, so maybe we should—”
[I want to see your face a little longer.]
Ruder murmured, still wearing that stern expression. But the longing in his voice was unmistakable. Nigel had no choice but to grab another stone. A few thousand rubel wasn’t a small amount, but it wasn’t ridiculous either.
Ruder, too, began fiddling with something off-screen, presumably inserting a new stone. Even after recharging, he stayed quiet for a while, eyes lowered. Eventually, he let out another sigh.
[I think… sending you away might’ve been a mistake.]
Surprisingly, his voice came out like a soft grumble. Nigel almost apologized again—but the words were starting to feel meaningless, so he held back. Instead, he just moved his lips slightly, unsure of what to say, and looked at his father.
Ruder eventually raised his gaze—and his eyes were full of warmth. That overwhelming love that remained even after scolding; the kind of love that made you feel guilty for having made someone like that angry. His eyes held Nigel gently.
[Nigel.]
“Yes?”
[When I was young… I actually wanted to be an adventurer.]
“An adventurer?”
Nigel’s eyes widened in disbelief. Ruder chuckled.
[Yeah. I wanted to travel the world. Hard to imagine, right?]
Until now, Nigel had thought of his father as a man born to be the Duke of Magnus. Even hearing it straight from his mouth, it didn’t feel real.
In his previous life, when he’d sorted through his father’s study, he had noticed many books on ancient ruins and mysterious places across the world. At the time, he just assumed his father was researching new investment opportunities—he never imagined he’d dreamed of adventuring.
[You look surprised.]
“I am. Honestly.”
[Of course, I could never abandon the position of Duke. It was just a dream. But if I’d had a choice… I think I really would’ve become an adventurer.]
“…Do you regret it?”
[No. But I do want you to follow your own path. Etna said something the other day—he thinks you want to become Duke.]
Nigel had expected a vague fatherly comment, not something this bold. He stared, shocked.
“Etna said that?”
[He said he’d step aside if that’s what you wanted.]
“…What?”
[Do you want to become Duke, Nigel?]
