Chapter 66 - Business as Usual for the Hasgards

“Heh. I see. The mage tower, is it? Hasgard always comes up with interesting ideas.”

Amelia chuckled and handed Chiron the letter.

“So the mage tower is our enemy.”

Amelia turned her gaze toward the handle of the enormous hammer propped carelessly against the sofa.

“What do you think, Brother? It's been a while since Hasgard gave us something to do. We can get a head start again this time, can't we?”

“The mage tower...”

Chiron read the letter with a conflicted expression.

“That mage tower is... dangerous...”

“Hmph. When has anything not been dangerous? Just coming home again is dangerous enough. It's better than spending every day wondering when someone will poison me.”

“I'll... protect you.”

“Ugh...”

Amelia hurled the cushion she'd been resting her head on.

“Damn you, Brother! I told you not to say things like that with that face!”

The cushion hit Chiron, who wore Daywin's face, squarely in the head with a thump.

066

“Father, have you heard? Our youngest is coming home.”

At the Hasgard mansion, Romans, the middle Hasgard brother, broached the subject over dinner.

“He said he was taking the train right away, so he might arrive today or tomorrow.”

Romans spoke excitedly, but his family's expressions were frosty.

“Uh, why is everyone...?”

As Romans began to falter at their unexpected response, Dyer, the eldest Hasgard brother, planted a hand on his shoulder.

“Enough, Romans.”

“Why, why are you all acting like this? Daywin is coming!”

“Shh.”

Dyer leaned over slightly and whispered in his brother's ear.

“Father is angry because of Daywin. Watch what you say. We'd best not mention him for a while.”

“What...?”

Romans turned to his brother in disbelief.

“But why...? What has he done?”

He lowered his voice to a whisper as well.

“It's not as if he's become the boss of some criminal guild or done anything bad...”

“No. Quite the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“You must know what Daywin has been up to lately if you've read the papers.”

“Oh.”

Romans gave his knee a light tap as something came to mind.

“You mean... becoming a royal knight? That he's become the Seventh Princess's knight and is helping her claim the throne...?”

“Yes.”

Dyer shook his head after answering.

“He's been like this ever since the news got out.”

“But isn't that good news? Having a royal knight in the family is something to celebrate...”

“Romans. Do you still not understand? Father first heard that good news from the newspaper.”

“Oh...”

As Romans nodded in belated understanding, Lady Hasgard fixed the brothers with a sharp stare.

“We're eating. Enough chatter.”

“Y-yes, of course, Mother.”

As she spoke, flaunting the forearm muscles of her knife-wielding arm, the brothers stiffly turned their eyes back to their plates.

“Please, let go of your anger now.”

Lady Hasgard cautiously addressed Calinder, the head of House Hasgard.

“You're making the children uncomfortable, being angry all the time.”

“No, Mother. That's because you...”

“Dyer.”

“Yes...”

CLINK

The eldest Hasgard brother returned to his food.

“I'm sure Daywin didn't do it on purpose. Of course he would have wanted to tell us first. But being a royal knight must be terribly hectic. He might simply have forgotten.”

“A single letter.”

At last, Calinder spoke.

“Not even a single letter. After all the letters I sent him! Not one reply! I sent him ten!”

“He did write to ask me whether you were well, Father. When those masked men came over the wall, he somehow knew...”

“Dyer, is that true?”

“Yes, Mother. I hadn't told him because I didn't want him to worry, but his letter arrived as though he'd been watching. Haha...”

“You heard him, didn't you? Daywin does care about the family.”

“Then why does he only write to you boys? Even the news that he's coming home went to my second son...”

But it had the opposite effect.

Now that Calinder knew Daywin had been keeping in touch with his brothers, he only grew more irritable.

“Why must his own father learn of such wonderful news from the newspaper...?”

“Father, you should give him a warm welcome when he arrives. How long are you going to sulk...”

“Sulk? You brat!”

“... I mean, remain angry?”

“Romans is right, Father. Daywin is coming home for the first time in ages. Think how startled he'll be to see you like this.”

As the brothers joined forces, their mother nodded in satisfaction.

“Perhaps Daywin didn't tell us because he wasn't satisfied.”

“Wasn't satisfied?”

“He may have become a royal knight, but he serves the Seventh Princess. He seems to be working hard, but she does have less power than the other candidates. She's been away from the royal court for two years, so she likely has no supporters.”

“Hmph. Supporters? Daywin alone is all she needs...”

Calinder unwittingly took Daywin's side.

“That may be why he didn't tell us. We might consider it a cause for celebration, but Daywin must have felt he still had a long way to go.”

“Hmm. So... it wasn't enough to satisfy him?”

“Yes, I'm sure that's it. You know what Daywin is like.”

“Ahem...”

Calinder nodded with an air of reluctant concession and reached for his fork.

Just then.

“The youngest master has arrived.”

CREAK

The great doors opened, and Daywin appeared.

“Daywin!”

“Our little brother!”

Both brothers sprang to their feet in surprise.

“I trust you've been well.”

After a brief glance at his brothers, Daywin bowed to his parents.

But noticing that the atmosphere was not quite normal, he promptly looked to his brothers.

“D-Daywin. I heard you've become the Seventh Princess's knight. Ha, haha. Congratulations.”

Dyer caught his look and hurried to speak.

“I was just going to tell you, but it seems you already know.”

“That's precisely the point. Today, that's a very important point!”

“?”

“Daywin, why didn't you tell the family first?”

“Well, there wasn't really any need...”

“Ah! No. You don't need to tell me. I already know.”

The eldest brother quickly cut Daywin off.

“The Seventh Princess lacks a solid base of support, so you wanted to hide the fact that it was her and not another candidate. You didn't think it was a great enough achievement to tell the family about, did you?”

“No? It might look that way now, but Amelia is actually quite a good...”

“No! No! We already know, so you needn't say anything. You weren't satisfied! That's why you didn't write to us first!”

“Yes... Well... I suppose so.”

“Father, did you hear that? I was right!”

As though refusing to hear another word, Dyer slung an arm around Daywin's shoulders and ushered him into a seat.

Daywin found himself sitting down before he knew it and waited for the servants to bring his food.

At last, it was business as usual for the Hasgards.

* * *

For the first time in ages, I ate my fill of delicious food while we caught up.

The only minor problem was that Mother kept ordering the chef to bring out more food for me even after I'd eaten enough.

She said I looked thin, so, mindful of her watching me, I ended up eating twice as much as usual.

And here I was training to get back the physique I'd had just before my regression.

My training might not be as intense as Laward's, but it was still demanding.

It had been so long since I'd come home that I felt like a guest.

As we were finishing dinner, the matchbox in my inner pocket vibrated.

News from Houndry.

Had they discovered something?

I discreetly took out the matchbox and started to leave, but Romans whispered to me, his eyes wide.

“Little brother, why do you need matches after dinner? Don't tell me you're smok—”

“It's nothing like that.”

Despite that strange misunderstanding along the way, I returned to my room and lit a match.

“I'm listening,” I said, transferring the flame to a lantern.

- Lord Karma, we followed the fox's trail as you instructed. But this place...

One of the four moved the match around to give me a clear view of the surroundings.

- It appears to be the mage tower.

Just as he'd said, I could see a pure white tower.

The place where Rebecca had been subjected to horrific experiments, and where Akikira had worked.

- The land around the tower is flat. Infiltrating it will be difficult.

“There should be underground facilities there. Find a way in below ground.”

- Yes, but if it's a mage tower, the barriers...

While the Houndry man was speaking, a flippant voice cut in.

- There aren't any barriers.

My ears twitched at the sound.

An instinctive response to a familiar voice.

- You see, they all disappeared when the tower master died. You can walk right in through the front door.

The owner of that voice approached, his fox ears pricking up as well.

The flame showing the mage tower wavered, then began to show a man instead.

The man's white tails swayed in greeting beneath the shabby clothes he'd thrown on.

Nine tails.

- It would be rude to turn away guests. Come in, come in.

One tail flicked back and forth.

No voices from Houndry came through the flame.

They seemed to be waiting for my orders on how to deal with the mysterious man who had suddenly appeared.

I see.

It was time to decide.

I'd ordered Houndry to investigate the fox, and Chiron to investigate the mage tower.

I'd sent them after different targets, but here those paths converged.

The Five Lamps of the Death God's cult.

One of them was at the mage tower.

Had the tower master died, or had he killed the tower master?

- You look like you've got a lot on your mind.

STEP

His footsteps sounded as he approached one step at a time.

As the fox closed the distance, one of the Houndry men reached for his waist.

SHRIP

The fox's fist punched through the man's chest.

Straight through.

In an instant.

- I suppose you're not guests after all. You've all brought such frightening things.

Their comrade fell in an instant, and the remaining three froze in place, following the fox's movements only with their eyes.

The fox approached the one holding the match, then abruptly brought his eye right up to the flame.

- Isn't that right?

He spoke as if asking me.

Even though I'd made sure the flame wouldn't show me.

THUD!

The fox impaled another man with his fist and spoke.

- I said you look like you've got a lot on your mind. You.

THUD!

One more.

The last man, still clutching the match, sank to the ground trembling, and his terrified face appeared in the lantern flame.

CRUNCH!

The fox kicked his head as though stamping on it.

In moments, the Houndry team had been wiped out, and the match fell to the ground.

Then the fox picked up the match, lit his own face with it, and spoke to me.

- What were you hoping to do, sending people all the way here? Just who might you be? Hey, say something. Or are you in shock because your precious underlings died...?

“Found you.”

- ... What?

“I finally found you.”

WHOOSH

I extinguished the lantern.

* * *

“Haaah!”

After the fox left, Houndry's elite operatives rose one by one.

Black sigils glowed faintly on their foreheads.

The spell Karma had cast on them before sending them out.

The effect of [Sigil of Protection] activated, bringing them back from death's door.

The one carrying the matchbox hurriedly lit a match.

“L-Lord Karma.”

- Are you all alive?

“Y-yes. Thanks to you...”

- He seems to think that killed you. Return before he notices.

“Re...turn?”

- This is enough. Your mission is over. I'm telling you to come back. You'll get the payment I promised.

With that, the match went out.

Meanwhile, having finished the call, Daywin returned to the dinner table.

Romans approached and sniffed him.

“What are you doing...?”

“No, nothing.”

“By the way, Brother.”

“Yes?”

“Didn't you ask me to go hunting with you last time?”

“Ah! I did. I'd prepared a horse for you, so I suggested we go fox hunting together... I believe.”

“That's right. Fox hunting.”

Daywin's eyes gleamed.

“I'd like to hear how it's done.”

“Wonderful! Do you want to come along with your big brother this time?”

“No.”

He smiled faintly and glanced out the window.

“I'm just curious.”