Chapter : 148

The House of Nevera. The history of the ducal family, also known as the ducal family of wind, was as deep and long as the history of the Empire itself.

A rival and friend of the founding emperor, Lapileon, who was the Hero of the Holy Sword.

The founding emperor was a companion who journeyed with the light god, Lucius, to drive out all darkness from the world.

After the emperor established the Empire, they settled in the sacred land now called the Duchy of Nevera, formerly the Hill of Wind, and supported the Empire.

—though they spin such a fine tale, the reality is different.

Their obsession with the power of wind was frightening, and every time a new duke was appointed, the turmoil over the succession never ceased.

Some even ridiculed them, calling them the ducal family of storms, not wind.

And it was no secret among the Empire’s nobility that the current Duke of Nevera had also endured a rather difficult past because of it.

The fact that he had acquired a permanent disability even before the full-blown succession battle began made it a well-known fact that the fight for succession in the House of Nevera was no less intense than that of the Imperial family.

“Your Grace, the Duke of Nevera.”

No one had expected the current duke, Boreas Nevera, to become the duke.

He was a late-blooming wind master who had awakened the power of wind, which most awakened before the age of ten, just before entering the Academy.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

“I won’t deny it.”

It was true that the duke's visit was not welcome.

Don't just visit suddenly! You're scaring my household staff!

“So, what brings the busy Duke to this humble count’s residence?”

My father happened to be away for an investigation.

Did the duke really not know that? It was impossible for him not to know, but in my father's absence, it was my responsibility to deal with this man.

“I came because I heard Zephyros would be staying here for the remaining month.”

“Not to take Zephyros with you?”

“Do I need to concern myself with the whereabouts of my grown son?”

The duke tilted his head as if he genuinely didn't understand.

It wasn't wrong, but wasn't Zephyros the heir to the family? And wasn't the duke's only official heir Zephyros?

I ordered a maid to bring tea and guided him to the reception room.

Thud, thud, the sound of his cane echoed in the hallway.

Anyway, this was the person who had commissioned my assassination.

What on earth was he thinking? Just a check on his son? My mind was a mess.

Clatter, clatter, the sound of tea being prepared ended, and the maid quickly withdrew.

“So what's the real reason you're here?”

“To check on Zephyros—”

“You didn’t think I’d just fall for that ridiculous lie, did you? I’m not as naive as Lucian.”

If it were Lucian, he would be the type to hear an adult speak and just go, "Oh, I see~", but I was not.

A man who had held his own in grueling political struggles to rise to the position of duke, and had gone to excessive lengths to keep his heir in check?

“I had no intention of making you wary.”

“If you were in my shoes, would you trust someone who bribed a fellow Academy student to attack you?”

“It seems there was a tattletale.”

“Or perhaps I'm just exceedingly competent.”

At my confident statement, the duke burst into laughter.

It felt like he was openly mocking me, and it didn't feel good. Annoyed, I gulped down the hot tea, and my throat stung. Tsk, how annoying.

“The latter, I suppose. If there had been a tattletale to reveal the truth, Count Lisitoel wouldn't have stayed quiet.”

“That must be a relief for you, Duke. I let it slide specially because I'm friends with Zephyros.”

“It wouldn't have mattered if you had revealed it.”

The duke smiled brightly.

Wow, what a jerk. I can see who Zephyros takes after.

He must have taken after his father. Otherwise, there couldn't be two people in the world who could smile so annoyingly.

I made some ice and put it in my teacup before gulping it down. Now I could breathe.

“Count Lisitoel, can you handle my father?”

“With the power of wind, certainly.”

What a real jerk. And what pissed me off even more was that he wasn't entirely wrong.

The duke was also the strongest wind master in history. He hadn't become the duke for nothing, even after manifesting the power of wind in a much more disadvantageous state.

“Jerk.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Sigh, would I dare to insult the heavenly Duke of Nevera?”

I hope you fall on your back and break your nose on your way home, ptooey, ptooey.

May all your projects fail, and may you be accompanied by all sorts of bad omens.

“A son of Count Lisitoel would be more than capable of it.”

So accurate it's annoying. Tsk, I clicked my tongue.

“Even the Emperor would not insult me so.”

“Oh, yes.”

If he was so offended, he could just storm out of the room right now.

Since he was the great and mighty Duke of Nevera.

At the virtual order to leave, the Duke of Nevera frowned.

“So what's the real reason you came?”

“I wanted to see the one who proudly survived my scheme, would that be enough?”

“It’s far from enough, but I'll accept it for now.”

I had no intention of sipping tea and laughing with this dangerous man forever.

I had only stepped away for a moment; there was much to discuss with Lerwon-sunbae.

“Could you tell me when you plan to leave? It’s getting tiresome to maintain even the barest minimum of courtesy.”

“I do dislike that confidence of yours.”

Yours… does that include my father?

“Worry not. I have no intention of fighting with the Lisitoel family, for now.”

For now, those last two words are very concerning.

“I am a father who can become as cruel as necessary for my precious son.”

“And so?”

“The moment I held that child in my arms, I decided. I would give everything in the world to that child.”

It was the words of an ordinary doting father. Why did I feel a strange sense of incongruity in those words?

“The tea was good.”

Whether he had brought a movement artifact or not, the duke disappeared in an instant.

As I fiddled with the spatial rift created by the movement magic, I quickly realized the reason.

“He said son, he never once said Zephyros.”

As if he had a son other than Zephyros.

“The duke must be crazy.”

If I hadn't known the duke had an illegitimate child who was the apple of his eye, how on earth did he plan to clean up his own remarks—

“He had no intention of cleaning it up in the first place.”

The fact that he had visited to see me was true.

To be more precise, he had come to inform me that if I were to maintain a friendship with the heir of Nevera, that person didn't necessarily have to be Zephi.

* * *

Zephyros's secret wasn't some huge, must-never-be-revealed secret of birth!! kind of story.

It was a well-known secret among those who worked for the House of Nevera.

As the main story of Part 3 revolved around this dysfunctional family, it was also one of the few secrets of the Nevera family that had been revealed, among the many they had hidden.

“Has your father left?”

However, the duke was genuinely trying to push Zephyros aside and fill his place with his illegitimate son.

It was unlikely that the aristocratic society would accept an illegitimate child becoming the duke after ousting the legitimate heir.

And to make matters worse, there was also a 'not bad, but not exactly good' fact about Zephyros, making it a truly complicated dysfunctional family...

“Theo?”

Zephyros’s face, when I met him again, was tinged with anxiety.

I had vaguely and ambiguously described what I knew as a ‘prophetic dream.’

In a situation where information could leak at any moment, it was better to be ambiguous in one's expression.

It also left me some room to evade responsibility.

However, seeing Zephyros so uncharacteristically anxious made me wonder if I had done something unnecessary.

“The duke has left.”

“What did he say?”

It was clear that if I said things like, 'He subtly revealed that your family has an illegitimate child,' Zephyros's expression would contort even more than it already had.

Cian, this is why I didn't want to get involved with a dysfunctional family like this.

“If you were so worried, why didn’t you come out and face him yourself?”

“My father and I are not on good terms.”

“Not just 'not on good terms,' he's actively trying to get you killed, isn't he?”

“Was he?”

Playing dumb. But the problem was that Zephyros’s pride was too strong to admit something like that.

It was hard to understand, yet somehow understandable, a very ambiguous situation. Still, I knew at least one thing.

He pretends to be unfazed, but there's no way he can be.

After all, they were the parents who gave him life.

Especially since he was the one who showed such blatant disgust toward Lerwon-sunbae for killing his own mother and father, he must consider that man his father, no matter what kind of person he was.

“The more I think about it, the parents of the Empire should take a ‘What is a Parent’ class from my father.”

“Are you serious?”

It seemed Zephyros was also well aware of my father's notoriety.

“What’s wrong with my father? Isn't he a pretty ideal parent?”

“...It hurts my pride, but he's much better than my father, so I have nothing to say.”

If you were just looking at what kind of parent they were, honestly, no one could compare to my father.

Even though his son was such a troublemaker, he endured it with patience, supported me, and cared for me with love.

Yes, even at the cost of his own life. Something unpleasant came to mind.

“I know more than you think.”

“Are you bragging?”

“What you’re worried about won’t happen.”

My feelings wouldn't change and I wouldn't become hostile to Zephyros because of my conversation with the duke.

“Do I look like the kind of idiot who would listen to a man who bribed a student to attack me and go, 'Oh!

I see! I'll abandon the friend I thought was Zephyros right away!!'?”

“That's… not true.”

“I want to screw over the duke, not you.”

“Right…”

“So what should you say here?”

I crossed my arms and asked confidently.

After a moment of hesitation, Zephyros finally opened his firmly shut mouth.

“I’m sorry for being anxious by myself.”

“It’s okay, I’ll just torment you as much as I was misunderstood.”

“...Isn't that too harsh?”

“What's new.”

At my short laugh, Zephyros’s lips twitched.

Just then, Lucian, who arrived a little later than Zephyros, caught his breath slightly and grumbled.

“Don’t bully Zephi, Theo.”

“When did I bully him?”

I grumbled back at the broadly smiling Lucian.

“I was just teasing him.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

Lucian’s form as he jumped off the railing and landed was truly light.

Wow, I never thought I’d see the day when Lucian looked so carefree.

The Lucian in the game was a guy who was always cowering, befitting the nickname 'sweet potato.' It had gotten to the point where we would complain, 'Are we bullying you?', so that says it all.

But now, looking at that Lucian, who would dare say such a thing? If anything, he felt a little too confident?

“Well, what's good is good.”

“Huh? What is?”

“It’s something.”

Your change is actually a good thing.

The fact that it was because of me made me feel a little pleased.

“Are you guys playing without me?”

Before I knew it, Lerwon-sunbae had also come down and joined our chat.

The casual conversation between these individuals, who wouldn't be out of place if they drowned under the weight of all sorts of burdens like the fate of the world, was a scene straight out of a summer vacation.