A deep sense of annoyance was bubbling straight through my heart. I held the book I had taken from the Marquis tightly in my hands as I walked out of the study and strolled through the castle.
"Part three, huh?" Titania muttered. She was equally curious about this form of energy she didn't know of, and being unable to learn about it was painful for both of us. Maybe if it was just deciphering it, we could have taken our time and enjoyed it, but going on a wild goose chase now was just a hassle.
Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, this wasn't going to be a wild goose chase. But that's what annoyed me more.
"There were four such books we found in the library. That woman handed me only this one as a souvenir and placed the rest back, it's a crime to steal from that place after all."
Those were the words the Marquis had offered me.
So, I knew the location of the other four books. So what if it was a hundred-floor tall library? I had seen worse, I could scour through them. The real problem was…
The damned school.
I wanted to avoid it, not because of the regressors, not for the possible trigger of the world ending either, but…
Because an academy was deeply annoying. So, I had enrolled in Pantheon. It was the dream of all hunters, but I regretted it almost immediately. Being associated with an academic front was the worst of all possible things.
Holding in my sighs, I kept strolling around the place.
I decided to meet up with Dawn and stroll around town. Surely, she would appreciate a rescue from Vienna as well.
I soon found myself passing through to the second floor of the castle, and in front of me was a wide gate that led to an indoor nursery that also served as a place for the Hall family to relax at.
Two maids stood before the closed doors.
"Is my companion inside?" I asked.
"Yes, lord Eugene," one said.
They didn't bother knocking or saying anything and simply opened the door. Vienna must have told them so.
I stepped inside and saw a group of people seated around a table. The wide, low table was filled with tea and confectionaries while low stools and couches, barely reaching my knee, surrounded the table. Beyond the seats were lines of trees and plants that created a small yet beautiful labyrinth inside. It was a place similar to the vast garden of the Hall Estate, but was filled with rarer and more endangered plants.
The attention of the group of four turned toward me.
"Brother, you're here!"
"Eugene, come, we were waiting for you."
It was easy to tell from the blonde hair that resembled the Marquis that these two were Billy and Vienna.
I stepped over to the group and looked at Dawn before turning to the last one. The woman with fiery red hair waved at me.
"Lady Sophia had been waiting for you too." Vienna chimed in at the perfect time as she noticed I couldn't recognize this person. Just the name was enough to make me remember though.
"Lady Sophia!" I exclaimed. Sophia, realizing I had just recognized her, stood up and performed a small bow.
"It has been a long time, Lord Eugene. I most definitely wished to see you again."
I liked Sophia quite a bit. Even beyond the incident with Raum's agent we had solved all those years ago, she just had many likable traits. And most importantly—
"I did too, my lady. Have you been lifting these days?"
—She lifted.
Sophia flinched. Then, she broke into a small peal of laughter and wrapped her arms over my shoulder. It was a sudden but welcome hug.
Still laughing, Sophia spoke up. "I was worried for nothing, you really are the same Lord Eugene as before."
I patted her back a couple of times before she finally let me go.
She sat back down on the low stool while I moved over to a beanbag chair next to Dawn and let myself sink into the cushion.
"Were you able to finish your business?" Vienna asked.
"Not really. Well, in a way," I answered. It was getting harder to hide my disappointment as I covered my eyes and let out another sigh, my body sinking further.
"Hey, hey! Lord Eugene," Sophia suddenly spoke up. Dawn alternated her gaze between the two of us as if she found our getting along a bit odd, but I decided to not say anything for now.
"Is it true that you are dating the lady of the Acacia duchy?"
I nodded.
The mention of Lethe made me even more disappointed. I wanted to grow stronger and show off to her too.
"Ah, tsk." Sophia clicked her tongue. "It seems I missed my chance to find a good partner"
A chuckle left me.
"Don't say that, lady Sophia. I am certain many men would leave a great fortune behind just to catch a glimpse of you. I am sure you'll find a great partner."
"Oh?" Sophia teasingly tilted her head. "Does that mean you will leave that lady for me?"
"Over my dead body."
Lady Sophia giggled while Billy and Vienna sighed.
Dawn then turned to me and asked.
"What happened?"
"Hey look," Titania said. "The angel girl recognizes you're sad."
That was true. How cute.
"It's nothing, really. I might have to go to the academy it seems."
"Might?" Vienna intervened. This painful bitch. "It's already decided Eugene. How many people do you think are expecting you there?"
"Who cares about that?"
"See," this time, Sophia intervened. "I told you, it'll be greatly troublesome this year."
Come to think of it, Sophia was the same age as me, which meant she would be joining this year too.
"Troublesome?" I asked, "Why?"
"What do you mean why? The entire hierarchy of not just the academy, but the entire continent has been shaken up." Sophia leaned toward me and said. "The 12 Zodiacs are being made a joke of and many heirs of great families are being subject to a lot of ridicule, all because of two people."
I liked the sound of this.
"One is you, the young hero of the Empire. The youngest platinum-ranked adventurer who fought a demon king and earned the epithet of 'Nightbringer.' It's almost as if saying no one in your generation is your equal."
Oh? I had become famous?
"And the other one?" I asked. Who else was there that could have their name mentioned at the same time as mine?
"The untouchable genius that people are calling a once in a millennia talent. The third prince of the Pinot kingdom—"
***
A gust of war spread through the Chardonnay planes.
Deep into the night, the two sides, Traube and Pinot, were facing a last quiet night before breaking into a final struggle that would mark the end of this war.
In the tent at the back of the Pinot Kingdom's encampment, a conference of commanders was set up. The commanders discussed their plans for the final battle tomorrow when the flap of their tent was pushed open.
"B-BIG TROUBLE!" An adjutant screamed as he barged into the tent. The commanders got on their feet in urgency at their subordinates' screams.
"T-the prince! The prince was kidnapped!"
"W-what!? Which? Which prince was taken!?"
"Prince Albert!!"
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om