They left the new territory and after they were out from the sights of the workers, Cygnus opened a gate that would directly take them to the manor in the capital. Linius did not have any qualms about it because it was better so that they could avoid the eyes of the people. This way they'll have a head start in knowing what has happened in the capital during the days that they were gone.
Once their carriage was parked outside of the manor's doors, they were immediately escorted by the servants and the butler. Ulysses was also informed of their arrival that he went down to meet them. He grinned when he saw that both of his sons were doing fine.
"You returned earlier than expected," Ulysses opened his arms wide in an attempt to give the both of them a hug.
Both of them only stared at the duke and tacitly decided to ignore the gesture. The duke has no choice but to bring down the arms he raised and shrug his shoulders. "Alright, why don't we proceed to my study first while they are preparing for breakfast."
Ulysses turned around and the both of them followed behind him. As they sat there staring at each other, Ulysses couldn't help but think that they were in a family meeting. This thought suddenly made him smile.
"You know that we aren't exactly a family, right?" Cygnus commented after the duke thought about it.
"Why do you always like to ruin the atmosphere? Well, as long as you are using the name Ginehart, then you are still part of our family," Ulysses sighed. The man was really stiff in many aspects.
"Enough of that, let's talk about what had happened in the city while we were not here. Did something particular happen?" Linius diverted the conversation because he was not much interested in talking about family right now.
"After that incident in the palace, rumors started to circulate around the capital regarding General Linius and his brother that disrespected the heroes of the kingdom. They were spreading a story where Rigel burned the tents of the heroes just because he didn't like them and that he did not even ask for an apology after that," Ulysses informed them.
"It's true that I burned their tents because I was drunk but I apologize even though I did not want to because in my opinion they deserved it." Cygnus couldn't help but laugh at the rumors that were going around.
"And what do the people say?" Linius asked as he ignored the master's statement.
"Most of them don't believe the story and we made some measures to stop the rumors from getting more ridiculous," Ulysses handed him a document that contained information about the people who were spreading the rumors.
Cygnus took a peek and could only grin because they were all people related to the Hero Association. "They didn't even bother to hide their identities, now I wonder if the president knew about these."
"My guess is he did not. He has been working with the king for years now and the king always avoided confronting the dukes because we hold the power to go against him. I'm sure that he won't tolerate this kind of act against you," Ulysses explained. He was confident in himself because he had seen it with his own eyes.
"I'll pay the association a visit," Cygnus suddenly declared which surprised the other two men with him.
"What are you planning again?" Linius asked with a frown because every time he would decide to do something, chaos would follow.
"Nothing, I will just be there to visit and sightsee because I haven't gone there ever since I came to this place and besides there's someone there that I want to meet." Cygnus became serious as he said those words. The aura around him made the atmosphere dark.
"Alright, we won't stop you then." Linius sighed and gave up. He didn't know why he was still doing this kind of thing when he already knew that the master won't be listening to him.
The next day, Cygnus left the manor and rode the black carriage that symbolizes the Ginehart dukedom. He was flaunting and was watching the people's reaction from where he was seated. There were some surprises and some frowns which indicated that they have undoubtedly heard about the rumors.
The black carriage parked in front of the Hero Association which gathered curious looks from the people passing by. Cygnus came out from the carriage with his impeccable looks and white and gold clothes that made him stand out by just standing in front of the carriage. He looked so soft and fragile with his current get up but the aura of authority could still be felt from him.
He walked inside the building under the gazes of the people and even with their whispers he still continued. Once inside he looked around but was not particularly impressed because the place was plain and bland. It was one of those places depicted in games and novels. There were tables where the heroes would sit, a reception area where the heroes would ask for a mission and reward and of course the bulletin board where missions were posted.
It did not look like a place where heroes would be, it was more like a place where adventurers would hang out. No one even went to greet him and most of the people who were in there were looking at him with hostility. Some of them he recognized as some of the ones who joined the expedition.
Even with the heavy glares directed at him, he did not flinch and went ahead to the reception area where a woman was waiting and smiling. She was the only one with that kind of expression on her face despite all the stares that he was receiving. The woman was trained well.
"What can I do for you, Young Master Rigel Ginehart?" She asked once the man reached the reception area.
"You know who I am?" Cygnus's cool and calm voice showed surprise which made the woman's smile wider.
"Yes, no one in the Capital City doesn't know you. You've been the talk of the town nowadays," the woman answered with confidence.
"Yes, I've heard about the rumors that are going around about me. If I may say, all of those are just plain ridiculous," he laughed. He shook his head then gave the woman a small smile.
"That must have been the case since none of the people really fully believed the rumors," the woman nodded to agree with the man. She might be working for the Hero Association but she still couldn't afford to offend a noble.
"Yes, they're just rumors to discredit me." Cygnus sighed with a slight pout on his lips which caught the woman by surprise.
The woman's face heated up but she managed to get a hold of herself and diverted the conversation instead. "What brought you here, young master?" She asked politely.
"Oh, I'm here to look for someone," his face suddenly lit up as he remembered what he came there for. He placed both of his hands on the table and leaned a bit forward.
His actions made the woman back away because the man's face was a bit close. She was afraid that she won't be able to do her job properly with the young master's face so near to her. She cleared her throat and managed to steady herself once again.
"Who might that be, I would be glad to help you locate them?" She asked without stuttering even after getting flustered just seconds ago.
"He is a hero that goes by the name Arcaine Noire and he calls himself the Hero of Light." Cygnus's head was slightly tilted up while saying the man's name as if he was recalling who the man was.
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