Chapter 227: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (20)

Chapter 227: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (20)

It had been a while since I saw my parents and older brother; they looked healthy.

My father, Theon Percus, the head of the Percus family, greeted me with a warm smile and, as always, extended his hand to me.

The middle-aged father with a gentle and amiable demeanor was known for his unreserved attitude.

Despite being a noble, he didn't exude a strong sense of authority.

Most nobles learned about power and etiquette as they grew up. It was the realization of the social foundation maintained by the gap in status and authority akin to a sword.

This kind of social custom was developed over generations.

Therefore, most nobles couldn't easily distance themselves from a sense of authority. On the contrary, the existence of nobles like our father was like a mystery.

No matter how individualistic a person might be, they couldn't escape the influence of education.

I had heard before that the explanation was because the Percus Family's history was short. With a briefer history, it was natural to have accumulated fewer cultural assets, so it made sense.

Thanks to that, I had no trouble adapting to the academy.

I had only one concern.

Except for Leto and Celine, whom I had interacted with since childhood, my father had never met any of his son’s friends.

Not to mention the fact that these people in question were so extraordinary.

The Saintess, who was a supreme leader of the Holy Nation.

Seria, who was the genius swordsman of the Yurdina family.

Senior Elsie, who was the promising talent from the elite magic household Rinella family.

I only had little contact with these individuals in the academy for a while before. So, it was surprising that they became my friends in just a few months. Even so, it wasn't strange that my father felt it was unexpected.

However, surprisingly, my father didn't show much surprise.

"Welcome, everyone. I suppose you are my foolish son's friends..."

"N-no!"

Instead, it was the ladies who reacted with a start, especially Senior Elsie, who was particularly surprised and raised her voice when she heard the phrase 'my foolish son.'

"N-no, instead, I felt indebted to Mas— I mean, Sir Ian. Re-really!"

Despite Senior Elsie fixing the way she addressed me a bit, everything was still strange.

I managed to prevent her from calling me 'Master,' but, to my bewilderment, I couldn't change her way of addressing me as 'Sir Ian.'

Even so, my father just touched the back of his head and let out an awkward laugh.

"Haha, Young Lady Rinella, you have a peculiar way of speaking, don't you? 'Sir Ian'..."

My father's kind golden eyes glanced at me.

I just cleared my throat and turned my head without saying anything.

In the end, my father closed his eyes and shook his head, holding back a bitter smile.

"...I thought it was still too distant in the future for me to hear him being addressed with such an honorific."

Well, it couldn't be helped because my father would forever see me as his young son.

All parents were originally like that, weren't they?

If I wanted to stand before my father as a confident adult, I had to show him the appropriate appearance.

Of course, in my family home, which I hadn't visited in a long time, my father was not the only one who would criticize me.

There was also my mother, who still saw me as a much younger son.

Exuding an aura of virtue, my mother still looked young. While my father appeared younger than his age, my mother seemed even younger than him.

At a glance, she could be mistaken for a sister rather than my mother.

However, the affection and worry that flickered in her eyes were the kind of emotions only a mother with children could show.

My mother first embraced her son –me—, whom she hadn't seen in a long time for quite a while. Then, she sighed and began scolding me in earnest.

"Ian, I've been hearing strange rumors circulating lately... They say you defeated the demonic human and thwarted the Dark Order's scheme."

"...Well, yeah."

I had no choice but to turn my eyes away again, wondering what my mother's next words would be.

However, I could roughly guess what my mother's words would be.

"I know you're an adult now, and it's time for you to take responsibility for your choices. But our Percus family has always upheld the principle of moderation. Although the rumors are likely exaggerated, as a mother, I'm more concerned about you getting involved in such a dangerous affair."

It seemed that my mother thought the rumors about me were exaggerated.

Until recently, I quietly attended the academy, and all of a sudden, I became an explosively rising star on the continent. It must have seemed unbelievable.

Honestly, the realization still hadn't fully sunk in for me.

I thought it was better this way.

If I were to confess that, after facing life-threatening situations several times, my body wouldn't recover without a holy relic, I wondered what their reaction would be.

Probably, they might collapse on the spot.

My mother was a tender-hearted person. As a filial duty, I decided to reassure her a little.

"Don't worry too much, Mother. After all, I came back in one piece, didn’t I?"

"...Is she my sister-in-law.?"

"S-sister... Sister in law!"

Seria was so shocked that she couldn't even speak properly. She looked extremely surprised.

I seemed to understand why my brother showed interest in Seria.

Perhaps he was curious if, among the many beautiful women brought home by his young brother after several months, there might be one who would be a suitable match for me.

A sigh escaped involuntarily from my lips.

"No, Hyung. Seria is from the Yurdina family... I don’t think she would choose..."

"...N-no!"

With a slightly excited voice, Seria started to negate my words. In that momentum, her tone even seemed to carry a strange determination.

"I-it's okay! If you want to call me... uh... Sister, Sister in Law! O-on the contrary, it’s Senior Ian who is too good for me!"

It was the first time I heard Seria raise her voice with such intensity.

It might be because she thought the respected senior got insulted. Ignoring me, who had been staring at Seria for a while, Aaron Hyung rummaged through his belongings.

Then, he handed a small ruby gem to Seria.

Now, it was Seria's turn to be lost in thought.

To Seria, who seemed unable to understand Aaron Hyung's intention, I spoke again with a voice mixed with a sigh.

“He means 'please take care of him.' Aaron Hyung's hobby is mining... So, if he finds any gemstones or jewels, he would take them and offer them as gifts.“

So, when you entered Aaron Hyung's room, you could see a pile of pickaxes on display.

Upon hearing my explanation, Seria immediately lowered her head as if she was grateful.

"Th-thank you! Uuhh... Brother-in-law?"

A rare satisfied smile appeared on Aaron's lips.

He patted my shoulder a couple of times as if to say 'well done.' Then, in a dignified voice, he said.

"Take care of her well."

What did he want me to take care of?

For quite some time, the reception room of the Percus family was filled with people. From that commotion, Celine was the one who pulled me out.

Celine grabbed onto my collar and whispered to me.

"...Ian Oppa, Ian Oppa!"

It was just when I was about to head towards Ria, who was making a sullen face in the corner.

She seemed upset that I, who had just returned, wasn't paying attention to her.

I felt resentful about being interrupted while on the way to fulfill the crucial task of comforting my younger sister.

So, I looked at Celine with a questioning gaze.

Then, Celine slightly shivered and whispered into my ear.

"There, look over there!"

Celine subtly pulled me while saying that. Thanks to that, my arm touched her soft chest, but Celine feigned innocence.

I faked laughter and contemplated pinching Celine's cheek.

She couldn't escape my notice, no matter how much she pretended to not know. But since Celine's expression truly seemed uneasy, my gaze followed her index finger.

Standing by the door was a tall, middle-aged man staring at me intently.

It was Senior Elsie's uncle.

Although we had just exchanged greetings and parted, he had returned to the door and glared only at me. It was honestly uncomfortable.

Celine seemed uneasy about that.

"That person, doesn't his gaze seem dangerous? What if he's planning to kill you, Oppa?"

"Pff, come on."

"Perhaps, he plans to capture someone!"

Even with my denial, Celine didn't seem the least bit relieved.

She then suggested it to me.

"His gaze is cold... Can't you go and have a conversation with him, Oppa?"

I wanted to tell Celine not to worry about unnecessary things, but I couldn't.

Because, actually, I was quite concerned about Senior Elsie's uncle, too.

In the end, I had to clear my throat and turn my steps. Within the reception room, where guests and members of the Percus family were mingled, my footsteps didn't attract much attention.

And when I was right in front of him, Senior Elsie’s uncle spoke as if he had been waiting.

"...Should we test your skills?"

It was such an unexpected /genesisforsaken