Regnum Aetern: Dual Rebirth

Chapter 154: Return to House Ravenshade

Since the incident five years ago that took the life of House Ravenshade’s first son, things had changed significantly.

The atmosphere among the servants had always been quiet, but after the incident, it turned extremely rigid. The security had increased significantly, and knights always remained on edge even inside the Ravenshade estate.

Even small mistakes had been punished extremely severely since then.

The firstborn child, the only daughter of the household, had returned to the estate after her time at the academy was over, but she was rarely seen outside her room. The youngest child was also only ever seen training alone.

Today, just like any other day, a knight and a few guards stood by the Ravenshade estate’s entrance, guarding the large golden gate.

That was when the knight spotted someone walking towards the entrance with unhurried steps.

It appeared to be a boy about fifteen, wearing a plain black tunic and black pants. The boy’s face was half covered by his long jet-black hair falling down messily. Judging by appearance alone, the boy seemed to be a commoner, though the color of his hair was a bit unusual.

But the knight raised his guard.

The boy had a sword attached to his waist.

Seeing the knight’s reaction, the other guards also became alert.

As the boy walked close enough, the knight unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the boy’s face.

"Stop right there." His voice was stern. "State your identity and your business."

The boy stopped a meter away and stared at them silently. The knight frowned.

"I asked you to state your identity!"

But instead of answering, the boy reached for the sword at his waist, causing the guards to point their weapons at him instinctively.

"What are you doing?! Stop, or I will take that as you showing aggression!"

But despite the knight’s warning, the boy drew his sword. With his other hand, he pulled all his hair behind the back of his head and then used the sword to cut it short.

In the process, the boy’s face was revealed to them all, causing them to freeze in place as if petrified.

The boy looked at them expressionlessly and spoke in a dull tone.

"I have returned; now open the gate."

But neither the knight nor the guards moved. Their minds had malfunctioned.

The boy waited for a bit, then spoke again, this time in a more authoritative tone.

"I told you to open the gate. This is an order."

Yet they still weren’t able to respond.

Seeing them still frozen, the boy let out a tired sigh.

"Fine, it seems I will just have to improvise."

In the next moment, mana covered the blade of the boy’s sword. The bluish mana then began changing color, turning into a starlit black energy.

The boy walked closer to the gate. Raising his sword, he swung it down in one clean downward slash.

Their eyes widened even further as they saw the result of that swing. The large golden gate, thick and sturdy enough to withstand even Tier Four spells, was divided cleanly in half.

The boy casually took a step forward and entered the Ravenshade estate.

The knight and the guards finally noticed. The boy had absolutely no presence. They had missed this detail until now because they had all felt a strange pressure coming from him since the moment the boy had approached closer.

A sharp pressure, as though multiple blades were pointed at them.

The boy calmly walked towards the mansion.

Whoever saw him widened their eyes, forgetting to move. Be it servants or knights.

By the time he reached the mansion’s door, a small crowd had already formed there. And at the very front of the crowd stood a woman with long golden hair and glass-like clear green eyes.

Even Duchess Seraphina, a woman known for her calm and controlled nature, had an utterly shocked expression on her face.

The boy stopped a few steps before her and slowly sheathed his sword. Then he offered her a minimal bow and spoke evenly.

"Mother, I have returned."

***

Standing by the window of his room, Adrian let out a tired sigh.

Then he jumped out of the window and landed cleanly on the clearing below.

With the increase in physical ability brought about by reaching Phase Three, such actions had now become possible for him without hurting himself.

He lay down with his back against the grassy ground, gazing at the clear blue sky above.

’That was so exhausting...’

The commotion caused by his return was too much. Leaving his younger brother aside, even his older sister had come to see him. He even saw her acting somewhat emotionally, something he had never expected.

His personal maid’s reaction had also been quite extreme after she saw him. Apparently, Rue had been demoted to a normal servant after the news of his death, but she had regained her status as his personal maid today due to his return.

His mother had first checked whether he really was Adrian or if he was someone impersonating Adrian. But after that, she entered her room and asked the servants not to bother her for a while.

After becoming the leader of the cult, Adrian had even wondered why he should even return to House Ravenshade. It was not like he had some great attachment to this place or the people living here.

In fact, living here had a lot of tedious restrictions and other annoying problems that he would constantly have to deal with.

Still, he had returned because there were also a lot of benefits to being a child of House Ravenshade. More than that, it would create a lot of complications if he didn’t return, and it was somehow discovered in the future that he had never really died.

In the end, returning here was better than living in hiding all his life.

’Father is still not here even after my supposed death, huh?’

He had expected the man to return after the news of Adrian’s death spread, but the man was still on the battlefield.

’Then again, maybe it’s good this way.’

Just then—

"You are rather calm after all the chaos you’ve created, boy."

—A voice entered his ear.

Adrian calmly got up and turned to look behind him.

"It is good to see you again after so long, Sir Avalon."

Sir Avalon stared at him quietly for a bit. When he spoke, his voice sounded different. It sounded... somewhat emotional?

"Likewise, Boy, it is really good to see you. It was my last day at this estate, but to think I got to meet you before I left."

Adrian tilted his head.

"Last day? You are leaving?"

"Of course." Sir Avalon nodded. "The only reason I had come here was to teach you, after all. Though my stay was extended by five years due to unforeseen circumstances, I have no reason to be here anymore. Your return doesn’t change that since you’ve already learned most of the things I had to teach you."

He turned to the clear blue sky.

"You know, Boy? There were only a few people I have ever taught in my long life. Having taught them, the thing I wanted the most was for them to at least live longer than me. The news of your death had been quite a blow in that sense, but I am really glad now that I’ve seen you alive."

Sir Avalon flashed him a wide smile and spoke in a light tone.

"Well, anyway, you should work hard to improve yourself. I would rather you not drag my reputation through the mud and make me regret teaching you. May we meet again."

Saying that, Sir Avalon turned around and started walking away.

Looking at his departing back, Adrian couldn’t help but call out.

"Sir Avalon, please wait."