Tunaya, the Silver Eagle Castle.
“Are you leaving?” Horan the Silver Eagle Duke was asking Angora, who in turn was tidying himself to leave.
“Yes. I did say that I’m staying until the end of the seeding festival. I didn’t think that I would be staying this long.” Angora nodded and answered forthrightly.
As a matter of fact, Angora had wanted to leave Tunaya early on, but since he had become closer to his father, Horan had kept insisting that he stay longer since he was his only surviving son.
Having taken the old man’s feelings into consideration, he stayed for a dozen more days.
Luckily, Angora could stay in touch with Vela, keeping tabs with what was happening in the Unnamed Town as well as relay instructions on administration matters with the godlike tool that was the Player Forums.
That being said, many instructions on administration matters can’t be relayed in detail in public. After all, the God of Games did not seem to consider private chat when developing the forums. Therefore, as many problems started to pile up recently, Angora couldn’t wait to leave and return to the Unnamed Town.
“Can’t you stay a bit longer?” Be that as it may, Horan was still an old man unwilling to part with his son and stay in his home where the kids were missing from. “I ready Kinley’s letter—isn’t it easy for you to return to your fief? It’s just a ‘whoosh’ with that rock thing!”
‘Damn it, Kinley. You and your big mouth.’
Angora couldn’t help retorting inwardly.
“Father, I’m not a child—there are many things waiting for me to handle back at the fief,” Angora answered truthfully.
“Well, could you bring me a present next time you come?” The old man hesitated before asking.
“My father the duke asking me for a present? That’s rare.” Angora was rather surprised.
After all, the rank of duke stood at the top of noble hierarchy, right beneath the royal family. The wealth Angora accumulated with much effort might not even be a fraction of his father’s wealth in comparison.
“You can’t?” The old man said, looking a little lonely.
“Uh, of course. What do you want? If it’s some special local product we have…” Angora said, and started to think about what ‘special local products’ the unknown town could provide:
① Players with every kind of crazy
② Seafood that the Aquatic Angels could summon (you would be eaten instead if can’t defeat them)
③ Beasts caught and tamed by the Players, before their body mutated abnormally
④ Extremely dangerous mane-eating flower that swallows an adult man whole (Only for viewing)
It felt like every single one of them wasn’t something you give to others.
In fact, it would be more correct to say that the Unnamed Town had somehow become a forbidden demonic land right under his nose…
“Uh, now that I think of it, there aren’t any special local products…” Angora said with a troubled look.
“Relax, your daddy wouldn’t want anything like that. But you definitely can make it!” The old man spoke with a serious face. “I’m just hoping you could bring me a grandson next time you come!”
“…”
Angora felt as if he was hearing things. “Grandson?”
“Granddaughter works to, but grandson is better when inheritance rights is taken into consideration.” The old man continued calmly.
“Dear father, I’m just sixteen…”
“That’s fine, back then…”
“I don’t want to hear about your carnal exploits, dad!”
“Well, what about your mother? Oh, now that’s a woman. Back when she came to me seeking refuge, oh, the things I prepared specially for her—”
“Stop! That’s not what I mean! Don’t you think it’s too early for me to settle down right now?”
Angora felt mysteriously tired inside. Although his father seemed to be trying to make up for his past unjustness since Angora’s eldest brother had died and asked after him in every way possible, Horan’s concern somehow keeps winding back to the same weird question…
But even as father and son debated whether marriage and childbirth were better done early or late, someone knocked on the door, interrupting their conversation about physical health.
A new butler entered with Horan’s rather annoyed permission.
“Master Faust, the archbishop of Tunaya’s Brilliant White Church had come to visit, and he conveys his wishes to meet yourself and Young Master Faust.” The butler said after a bow. “He brought some gifts as well, most of them being tools such as holy water.”
“Tell him to leave!” Angora did not hesitate to refuse.
As a loyal believer of the God of Games, Angora had learned through conversations with Princess Leah and historical records he scrounged to understand the fall of Tierra in detail.
Although the God of Games was having a comeback at the moment and Tierra was on the path of revival, past wounds and grudges are not fading just that. And other matters aside, Angora certainly did not have a good opinion of the Brilliant White Church which had a hand in the fall of Tierra.
“No, you must meet him at least once.” Horan shook his head, however, before instructing the butler to let their visitor rest at the guest room.
“Some things are unavoidable,” he then told Angora solemnly. “You would eventually become the lord of Tunaya and all of the North, and you would eventually meet the leaders of the Brilliant White Church. You would give them a bad impression if you keep avoiding them, and they might become suspicious of who you are.”
“But…” Angora was a little upset.
“Relax, nothing would happen. You’re young, and any mistake could be excused by your youthful ignorance. Learn about how those people do things so that you can prepare for them later.” The old man persuaded him.
“So, you do know that I’m young…” Angora sighed, knowing that his father made sense. “Fine, but I’m leaving Tunaya after this meeting.”
“As you wish… sigh. I am such a failure of a father that my sons are all in a hurry to leave me…” The old man shook his head and sighed as he left the room, his once tall and strong back now appearing hunched and withering to Angora’s eyes.
Angora didn’t know how he should set him at ease, but eventually decided to free more time so that he could come back and visit him.
Hence, after tidying up his appearance, Angora followed him out of the room, intent on seeing for himself what the archbishop of the Brilliant White Church was like.