Episode 319
Dawn was a more appropriate time to wake than late in the morning. Hector opened his eyes, feeling a chill for the first time in a while. The air was a bit cold.
He wondered what was happening and looked out the window, only to see the spring rain falling in the gloomy sunlight. Judging from the rather wet window frame, it must've started sometime in the middle of the night.
Hector closed the window and looked at the clock, thinking, It is 5:30.
This was why habits were scary. He had spent a few weeks living a communal life with the Imperial Knights, so he found that his eyes opened before the sun even rose.
He went into the bathroom to warm up his still-stiff body, washed himself thoroughly, and carefully dried his hair. Then he dressed in formal clothing befitting a Badniker and meticulously checked for any dust or lint on his clothes. It was only when he felt satisfied with his reflection in the mirror that he left the room.
Regardless of the rain, he had no intention of skipping morning training. There were a lot of indoor training grounds at the main house. Even if he didn't get wet, he would have to wash again after he got sweaty, so it didn't matter. After all, Hector enjoyed bathing.
He walked through the dimly lit corridor of the Badniker mansion, heading toward the indoor training ground. Then he ran into a person he felt awkward around in many ways: Heero Badniker.
Hector was still uncomfortable with this person. Before yesterday, the last time they'd met was at the dinner hosted by the Iron-Blooded Lord. At that time, he had been badly scolded by Heero.
It wasn't just scolding.
He'd been deemed unqualified, hit in the stomach, and had his neck grabbed. He might've really died if Luan hadn't intervened at the time.
Fortunately, at yesterday's meeting, Raizen had drawn all of Heero's attention. Now, though, there were only the two of them and he didn't know how Heero would react.
Hector said in a slightly tense voice, "Good morning."
"—Mm." The reply came one beat later.
Hector was about to pass by after his formal greeting, but he found himself puzzled by Heero's behavior. Originally, the latter's attitude toward him had been either disregard, contempt, or annoyance; but for some reason, he felt that Heero seemed somewhat uncomfortable in this encounter.
Then something even more surprising happened.
Heero said, "Good morning. No, wait. Is it good?"
Heero's gaze was directed out the window, so Hector was able to quickly regain his composure. He couldn't believe that his older brother was saying such a thing as "good morning" to him.
"The sun hasn't risen yet. You are really diligent," Heero remarked.
"It has become a habit," Hector replied.
A few moments of silence passed before Heero said, "I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry to start morning training."
"Yes."
There was nothing more to say, so Hector was about to pass by. Coincidentally, however, Heero started walking in the same direction.
Come to think of it, last night, Heero had also been practicing at the training ground until late at night.
He is amazing, Hector thought.
Heero Badniker was the first person that came to mind when Hector thought of a genius. It didn't mean Heero looked down on hard work, but he didn't like to be immersed in it either.
Now, though, he had trained all night and was heading to the training ground early in the morning. It meant there had been a change in his mindset.
Is it due to that guy?
A change in a person's life required a big shock. Coincidentally, Hector had also experienced a life-altering shock at last year's blessing ceremony. He couldn't help feeling a tingling from his cheek and instinctively touched it.
Something similar happened to Brother Heero.
For the first time, Hector felt a sense of kinship with Heero—the eldest son, his rival, and the one he'd always assumed to be an opponent he would have to surpass someday. Of course, this feeling was entirely one-sided, and it wasn't something he could reveal recklessly.
"Hector," Heero suddenly said.
"Huh?"
"Shall we have a morning sparring match?"
Hector couldn't help but stop. He replied, "A sparring match?"
"Yes. Yesterday, I unintentionally caught a glimpse of your training. I am quite interested in the imperial swordsmanship."
Hector listened silently as Heero continued, "I think you also have something to learn from my strong sword. How about it? Of course, it isn't a big deal if you don't want to."
"No, that's not it." Hector smiled slightly as he saw Heero talking while avoiding his gaze. "Let's do so."
***
The two brothers had breakfast together after the sparring match.
The head chef witnessed the rare sight of the eldest and second son, who didn't get along, sitting beside each other at the same table for a meal. In order to not disrupt this scene, he showed off all his skills. As a result, Heero and Hector ended up slightly overeating for breakfast.
After the training ended, they parted ways for a while before meeting again at noon. Nero Badniker joined them then. They were all in the waiting room on the fourth floor; it was all for the sake of the Iron-Blooded Lord.
Heero looked around and asked, "Where is Luan?"
"He said he wouldn't attend," Nero replied.
"Really? Well, it isn't strange."
Nero was puzzled by Heero's words. She asked, "Why isn't it strange?"
"He doesn't seem to like the Badnikers very much. It doesn't feel like he follows our father like we do. Sometimes, he even shows signs of reluctance."
"Ah." Hector was convinced by the answer, because that was something he'd often felt as well.
"By the way..." Heero's relaxed voice suddenly became cold. "Why is there an uninvited guest in this waiting room that is supposed to be for visiting Father?"
"Huh?" Raizen, who was sipping tea not far away, made an exaggerated look of surprise and pointed at himself. "Do you mean me?"
"Get rid of that attitude as well," Heero snapped.
"You are so grumpy. Are you the owner of this mansion? I can't go here or there... Do you have the right to say that? You aren't the future family head." Raizen looked at the nearby collector and said, "This is a common room, right? Even if I can't pay my respects, isn't it okay to rest here, Collector?"
"In principle, there is no problem." The collector nodded politely.
Raizen shrugged, making a see? gesture.
Heero looked at Raizen with irritation, but he knew it was hard to communicate with this person. Thus, he ended up keeping his mouth shut. However, the main reason was that their father's room was nearby and he didn't want to cause a fuss.
Raizen didn't care and turned to the collector, saying, "By the way, it is troublesome to keep calling you collector. I don't think I've heard your name yet."
At that, the collector present with the children of the Iron-Blooded Lord—Ludwig—replied, "Bigson. I'm sorry for the late introduction."
"It is an unusual name."
"I often hear that."
Raizen looked at Ludwig with strange eyes, but Ludwig ignored him. Raizen couldn't see through this person at a glance like Luan, but there was something about this collector that caught his interest.
Heero asked, "When will we start paying our respects?"
"You will enter one by one starting at noon. We will limit the time to five minutes."
The time was shorter than expected, but Hector felt that it was an appropriate duration. After all, the Iron-Blooded Lord was unconscious, so they wouldn't even be able to talk.
The boring minutes passed in silence. Before long, it was noon.
The first person to enter was Heero. Perhaps he was nervous, as he stood up with a rather stiff expression and left the waiting room.
Hector was left behind, and he also felt a strange nervousness. In fact, the situation of visiting his father still felt unrealistic. In the bedroom beyond this thin wall lay the unconscious Delac.
He wanted to see his father. At the same time, he didn't want to. Conflicting feelings collided within him, causing his strange mood.
"Hmm-hmm~" Even in this situation, Raizen Badniker seemed oddly cheerful. He was humming as he went through a ledger.
Hector was strangely irritated. As he watched, their eyes happened to meet.
Raizen asked, "Do you have anything to say?"
"Are you the owner of a trading company?"
"Yes."
"What business is it?"
"The Zyren Trading Company."
The quietly observing Nero stared at Raizen with a surprised expression.
The Zyren Trading Company was a top trading company whose value was currently rising rapidly in the empire. Their products had a guaranteed quality and were diverse. Above all, their contract completion rate was close to 100%. Nero had heard that their compensation for a broken contract was the fastest among all the trading companies in the empire.
"You are the owner of the Zyren Trading Company?" she exclaimed.
"Yes. By the way, don't think about gaining any benefits from me. I only deal with worthy people," Raizen replied.
The blankly staring Hector belatedly realized that this guy was basically saying that they weren't worthy.
It was human nature to return rudeness with rudeness, but before Hector could say anything, the door opened and Heero returned.
"You're back. Father's condition—" Hector began.
Heero didn't respond. He picked up his coat with a stiff face and left.
Next was Nero Badniker, but she didn't return to the room after her visit.
Soon, the collector checked the situation and said, "Young Lady Nero has already left. It is your turn, Young Master Hector. Let's go."
"Mm."
Hector stood up with a nervous expression. He followed the collector and headed to the Iron-Blooded Lord's resting place. His heart trembled as he headed to a place he had never set foot in before. He took a deep breath and opened the door.
The moment he saw the Iron-Blooded Lord on the bed, he understood the reactions of those who had come before him.
***
The rain that had been falling since last night gradually intensified. After sunset, it started to pour down with unusually fierce intensity for a spring rain, reminiscent of the heavy downpours only seen in the rainy season.
The relentless rain seemed to suppress the airflow in the entire mansion. Combined with the unusually quiet atmosphere of the main house, it created a strange, oppressive silence.
Or maybe only Hector himself felt that way. He tried to swing his sword to get rid of his distractions, but it didn't have much of an effect.
Thanks to that, Hector skipped afternoon and evening training for the first time in ages. His mind was in such a state of confusion that he couldn't train at all. He was forced to give up.
He sat in his room, staring at the rain pouring down through the window. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
I thought I said that I was skipping dinner.
He thought it could be someone delivering a meal, so he got up to open the door. However, the person standing there was somewhat unexpected.
"Brother Hector."
"Dolber?"
Dolber Badniker was the sixth son of the Badnikers. He greeted Hector politely before scratching his head awkwardly, replying, "Did I disturb your rest?"
"Not really. Did you need me for anything?"
"Oh, I haven't seen Luan this morning. I wondered if you knew where he was."
Hector shook his head and replied, "I haven't seen him today either. He also refused to go and see Father. He is probably at the Small Iron Hall."
"I thought the same, so I went to the Small Iron Hall. I was told that he left early in the morning and hasn't returned yet."
"Really?" Hector tilted his head, but he didn't think it was particularly strange.
In the first place, he had never seen Luan stay in one place. Ever since the blessing ceremony, that guy had been wandering all over the empire.
He continued, "He could have personal commitments, or he might be talking to the Council of Elders. In any case, there shouldn't be anything to worry about."
"Ah, that's true. Excuse me, Brother. Have a good night," Dolber replied.
"Yes. You too—" Hector began, but at that moment, his expression hardened.
Dolber, who was standing in front of him, was startled and backed away. "B-Brother? What is this?"
Hector suddenly got goosebumps. A presence that should never have been felt in the Badniker territory had penetrated through his head.
A fleeting image passed through his mind. He saw the academy shrouded in darkness, the Otherworld that seemed like a world beyond the mirror, and the blood-red moon he'd encountered there.
He hurriedly looked around as if searching for something. Then his gaze shifted to the upper floor of the main building. The thick dark qi he sensed was coming from there.
Father!
Hector dashed through the corridor in an instant. He went up the stairs all the way to the fourth floor, where the air was unsettled. In a place where only a select few were permitted to set foot, he'd never sensed the presence of so many people until now.
Collectors, knights, maids, family elders whom even Hector found it hard to see, and Archmage Assad all stood in front of the Iron-Blooded Lord's resting place, their expressions a mix of shock and dismay.
"What is going on?" Hector called out.
Assad never lost his composure, but now his expression was stiff.
"Sir Assad, what the hell is going on?" Hector repeated.
However, he suddenly fell silent as he witnessed the sight of the Iron-Blooded Lord sitting up on the bed with a blank expression.
"This place..." The Iron-Blooded Lord said slowly. His blurred gaze shifted to the empty chair next to him as he continued, "I think someone was there."