Chapter 65: The Reason for the Sudden Change

"Lian awakened? Already!?"

“Yes.

As soon as the Lord woke up, he made a fuss about having a celebratory drink even in that condition, and he had a huge fight with Madam.

So……”

Only after blankly listening to Esna’s usual chattering did my sense of reality return.

“Hul……”

I had come home after a long time, slept soundly, and woken up to the news that my younger brother, who was about to turn thirteen, had awakened.

“Mother must be disappointed……”

“Pardon?”

“If that kid awakened too, he must have grown quite a bit, right?”

“Ah……. Huh?

Young Master Lian is still the same?”

“Hmm?

Ah, was I the unusual case?”

“Yes, Young Master!

I heard you were the unusual case! Anyway, the Lord is looking for you, saying you should at least have a meal together as a family.

If you want to see for yourself, you should go find him.”

“Keung.”

Esna’s words made me even more curious about Lian’s situation.

Muno immediately left the room.

* * *

Knock, knock.

“Father, Mother. It’s me. Muno.”

- Come in.

Creeak.

Thud. Thud.

I entered the room as soon as the door opened.

“Oh……?”

The sight was a little unfamiliar.

There was a splendidly set table, unusual for a Drasen lunch, and even a cake, which was a rare sight.

And my younger brother, sitting at the head of the table where my father usually sat, with an awkward expression.

And my parents, with pleased expressions, on either side of him.

In the midst of it all, my father’s gaunt appearance was a little concerning.

But even he was smiling contentedly, so Muno, seeing that pleased gaze slightly crumple as it looked at him, immediately bowed his head.

“Father, are you feeling alright?”

“I’m feeling a little unwell now.”

I had a feeling I knew why my father was like that, but I pretended not to know and first congratulated my younger brother.

“Oh, Lian. You’re really the same?

You said you awakened?”

“Yes, Brother. That is……”

“Muno.”

“Wow, what’s all this food……”

“Muno.”

“Didn’t you do this for me?

Are you discriminating against me because I’m an adopted son……”

“Muno!”

“Yes, yessir!”

I tried to brush off the piercing glares with a joke, but it seemed impossible.

As I reluctantly responded to my father’s roar, my mother’s nagging followed right away.

“What’s with your appearance?

Did you come to a family meal ready for a battle?”

“Um, that’s……”

In fact, I could fully understand my parents’ reactions.

After all, I had deployed my armor and come out wearing it as soon as I woke up.

But I had a reason for it.

“……This is much more comfortable than it looks.

As you know, this metal is like my own body. It feels light to me……”

“Brother, then it’s like you’re walking around naked right now, isn’t it?”

“……Cough.”

My long-winded excuse was shattered by Lian’s single, sharp remark.

“Enough, it’s uncomfortable for us to look at! Get rid of it!”

“……Yes.”

With my parents’ roaring added to it, Muno had no choice but to deactivate his armor again and turn it into the form of a wristband.

And as soon as he did, he was scolded again.

“My goodness, you’re still in your pajamas……”

“Haa, you rascal……”

“Brother, now that I look, you have sleep in your eyes too.”

“Lian! Shh!”

I tried to act brazen, but with the repeated glares, I had no choice but to bow my head in the end.

“I’m sorry. It was comfortable……”

“Muno, an excuse for a clear fault is……!”

“……better left unsaid.

Yes, I’m just sorry.”

“It’s all for your own good.

We can let it slide, but it would be troublesome if you did the same when visiting other noble families.

Don’t pick up strange habits.”

My father’s point was both true and not true.

I had heard that even the Dragon Sword Duke ate while wearing his armor.

‘Even when dining with the king.’

A world where a single Seven-Star could defeat an army.

While thinking that it was a problem that would be solved once he became stronger himself, Muno repeatedly bowed his head.

“I understand.”

“It is certainly something to be proud of that you have grown strong quickly in a short period of time, but I hope that does not lead to arrogance, Muno.”

“Son, I want you to live a life where you get along with many people.

Without being angular, and joyfully.

Do you understand?”

Because I knew for sure what my parents were worried about.

“I will be careful. Father, Mother.”

The time for scolding ended with Muno’s playful smile.

And only then did the family’s boisterous celebration party continue.

“To awaken before you’re even thirteen.

No matter how bad the situation is, we should at least have a celebration party as a family.”

“Puhaha. Why are our sons so talented?”

“At least there’s some good news in this gloomy situation……. Ah, I’m sorry, dear.”

“No, no, my dear. This too shall pass.

For now, we can just be happy. Alright?”

“……Yes.”

Although the worries they had been trying to forget had almost resurfaced for a moment, the family lunch, gathered after a long time, proceeded in a cheerful atmosphere.

And the more it did.

Crunch. Crunch.

Munch.

“Another plate of this.”

“Me too!”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Empty plates were piling up in front of Ryan and Lian, the two Drasen father and son.

A tremendous appetite that left not even the slightest remnant of food.

‘As expected, if I had done a mukbang after learning the Corporeal Arts of Gluttony, I would have made a fortune…….’

As Muno was blankly watching that scene while having such useless thoughts.

“Butler Palmer, your hair is going to get even whiter now.”

At that one remark, which was made for no reason, the two father and son flinched at the same time.

And from that moment on, the movements of the two father and son changed.

But.

Nibble, nibble.

Even while glancing at the servants, they continued to eat steadily, and laughter naturally burst out from Muno and Elina’s mouths.

“Puhahahaha!”

“Ahahaha. D-Dear.

Just eat! You’re still a patient.”

“R-Really? Should I?”

“Is it okay?”

The mealtime that started with making the family laugh continued for a long time after that.

But as it turned out, there wasn’t just one thing to celebrate.

“You need an enlightenment to become a 4-Star?”

“Yes. If reaching 3-Star is a problem that can be somehow solved with talent and effort, from 4-Star onwards, you have to add the firm establishment of your own ‘path’.

Now that I’ve crossed the wall once more, I can see it clearly.”

Muno was about to ask his father more about that ‘own path’.

‘Huh?’

He couldn’t help but focus more on the last words.

“Father, then don’t tell me the fifth……?”

“Yes. I think I’ve succeeded.

I’ll have to see after my body has fully recovered.

But I’m sure of it.”

“Awesome!”

“Father!”

“Congratulations, Father!”

“Dear, then you’re also at the level of Viscount Tinel or Commander Robero……”

“Nah, I’m probably not at that level yet.

Even if the number of evolutions is the same, there’s a difference in combat power.”

Ryan expressed modesty, but his confident expression was saying something else.

“Father, your specialty has always been short-term battles, right?

On top of that, with Slayer, you’re practically the strongest in your class in a one-on-one fight, aren’t you?”

“Wow. Father, amazing……”

“It was bound to happen eventually.

Don’t praise me too much.”

In this world where it was common knowledge that the higher the level of a Corporeal Arts user, the fewer there were, Ryan had shown a somewhat arrogant confidence.

‘Well, he has also proven it with facts.’

A smile appeared as he felt he knew why Count Enoch Trian cherished his father so much.

‘The Corporeal Arts of Gluttony is also amazing in that respect.’

And now, his younger brother would inherit that tradition.

As he was thinking that and looking at his younger brother, he could already see a changed appearance.

“By the way, Lian has grown a little in the meantime.”

After finishing dessert and having a rare teatime in Drasen, Muno suddenly said.

Those words made Elina flinch.

“What!?”

At the same time, she, who had been stroking Lian’s head, suddenly hugged her son tightly.

“M-Mother?”

“No, Lian.

You can’t suddenly grow up fast like your brother.

You know?”

“Ah. Hehe……”

As Lian was awkwardly smiling, not knowing what to do.

Ryan, who was still gaunt despite having eaten so much and whose complexion was just now starting to return, sighed.

“My dear.

The Corporeal Arts passed down in most noble families don’t cause such drastic physical changes.

Of course, our Corporeal Arts of Gluttony enhances the body’s capacity by eating, so he will grow much faster than his age, but……”

“I don’t want that.

I want Lian to grow up slowly. Just, healthily and slowly in my arms……”

“I understand your feelings, but……”

As the two couple’s fond gazes crossed.

Muno saw his younger brother’s gesture begging him to get him out of there and let out a dry cough.

“Ahem. Ahem.

Father, but what are you going to do about this situation now?

I saw low-level monsters in the south of Drasen on my way here.

It seems like it’s going to be a pretty big problem.”

That one realistic remark, which didn't fit the celebratory mood, was enough to make the couple withdraw their fond gazes.

“……Ahem. For now, the priority will be to fortify the inner castle’s defenses and deal with the approaching monsters as much as possible.”

“Is there enough food for the people of the territory who have been brought into the inner castle?”

“Aren't we a territory that has always prepared for such things?

We should be able to last the winter.”

“Then what about the other territories?”

“……They’ll have a hard time.”

His father’s face darkened again as he said that.

Feeling that he had ruined the mood by changing the subject, Muno, who had brought it up, hastily started to make an excuse(?).

“It’s only this severe because we’re at the entrance of the mountain range.

The Monster Wave is a winter event for the entire Trian region.

There won’t be as much damage as you think.”

“But there has always been damage.

On top of that, this incident is unprecedented, so the damage will be much greater.”

“How did something like this happen, dear?”

“That’s what’s frustrating, that we don’t know, my dear.”

As everyone was sighing.

A small voice drew the family’s attention.

“Um, I saw in a book……”

“Hmm?”

“Lian? What did you say?”

“They said something similar happened about three hundred years ago.”

“What!?”

“The reason was revealed later, but it was because some crazy magician had snuck into the northern mountain range and stole the cub of a Monster Lord and ran away.”

“What did you say!?”

It was a surprising story.

“Lian, are you sure about that!?”

To the point where Ryan, who could barely walk properly, staggered up and approached Lian.

“Yes, yes. It was written in a book I got from the market yesterday.”

Market? Book?

It was a bewildering thing to say, but he couldn't not check.

“G-Go bring that.”

“Yes. Yes, Father.”

Lian, who had quickly left his seat, soon returned with a thick book that had a distinctly antique feel to it.

And.

“If you look here……”

About halfway through the book, such content was clearly written.

“The heretical magician Heriment, who was researching immortality, stole the cub of a Hydra, presumed to be the master of the southern forest, from the depths of the northern mountain range and fled, causing its mother to move.

Because of that, all the monsters scattered in the middle and entrance of the northern mountain range at that time poured out to the south……”

As Ryan’s words continued as he read the text, the faces of the listeners hardened.

“Perhaps, this incident was also caused by someone who did something similar?”

At Lian’s cautious words, everyone could only slowly nod their heads.

“It’s a possibility.”

“Dear, should we tell my father……”

“Yes, we must. He might already know, but……”

While his parents were sorting out their bewildered feelings.

Muno couldn’t help but naturally think of the group from the evil cult that had been chasing him.

‘Don’t tell me…….’

And at that moment, Muno failed to realize that his younger brother was looking at him with sparkling eyes from beside him.