A royal airship, escorted by a pair of regular airships, was hovering over the landing platform close to the Fenchel manor of Ceres. They could tell that it was a royal airship by an impressive painting over its balloon which was the emblem of Estana. The ship part was also fully painted in dark gray, bar the golden emblem on each side. The royal emblem of Estana was a stylized castle on a hill. They clearly cared about its appearance. In contrast, Cezary never really cared for appearances for airships. It was also impressive that Estana still had proper resources and command structure to arrange a small fleet of airships. They may have lost their capital and were losing grounds to hordes of monsters but they were clearly not out yet. Kamil was looking up to watch the royal airship slowly descend, flanked by Nestor and Cezary. Kerekes was already on the platform, ready to receive the princess.
“Sir. Waszak, we should start painting our own airships. What say you?”
“That’s a waste of resources,” Cezary replied curtly.
“I agree with Duke,” Nestor added. “It should help distinguish which airships belong to whom.”
Although initially rejected, Cezary folded his arms in consideration. “I will give it a thought,” he eventually replied as he unfolded his arms. “For now, though, we have a job to do.”
Nestor joked, “Not our job. It is the Duke’s.” It was an indirect way of saying that his job was to make the princess pregnant as soon as possible.
Yeah, yeah, everyone’s making fun of me now.
Even so, everyone knew the urgency behind the jokes. Before the calamity, the Rajmund family had their succession firmly secured. They had princes who had their own children. And then, in a blink of an eye, everyone bar the king and his daughter was gone, creating a sense of urgency to secure their next generation before anything happened.
“That must be her,” Nestor remarked as he watched with squinted eyes. Her face couldn’t be clearly seen from where they were, but a woman in an exquisite golden dress had just stepped down from the royal airship.
“They sure love the color gold, huh,” Kamil remarked.
The princess eventually made her way down to greet her soon-to-be husband. Kerekes was following her closely, and she was flanked by a small group of scholars. Kerekes was holding what appeared to be a royal scroll. He could assume so because it had a golden wax seal on it.
That must be the marriage contract.
A marriage between nobles wasn’t a simple affair, and he could imagine it would be even more complex for a royal marriage.
Man, it just occurred to me that I am actually marrying a princess. Man…, I was just a dumb hunter…
Chucking weakly, he looked up at the sky. It was still clear from where he was, but the North was totally clouded. It wasn’t just clouded, either. The clouds were gray, blocking most of the sunlight from penetrating the cloud layer. Thankfully, there was barely anyone living in the North at the moment, meaning the impact on greatly reduced sunlight was minimal. Elsos, Vrnojka, Tarkie, and Teleni would be impacted.
image [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/4774/sXKgE7.jpg]
He was informed that all civilians from Elsos had been either evacuated or were forcefully kicked out although some did manage to join the defense force. The Elsos keep had been on high alert, he was also informed.
It just doesn’t sit right with me that I am here, marrying someone, while the others are out there facing their inevitable defeat and death…
There was a subtle nudge on his back which snapped him out of his thoughts. Princess Heiga had already descended down the platform and was approaching him. Her hair was tied up and had numerous golden accessories on it.
“Welcome, Princess Heiga,” said Kamil while leaning forward slightly with a palm on his chest. “Welcome to Ceres. This will be your home.”
She had a stoic expression on her face as if she wasn’t impressed, but that didn’t bother him at all. Both were being forced to marry and both were fully aware of it.
“Duke, we shall go over the marriage contract,” Kerekes declared.
“Certainly, let us enter the manor.”
Theirs was a matrilineal marriage, a rare type of marriage where children born from the union would belong to the mother’s family, the Rajmund. Under normal circumstances, no man would accept such a marriage. For Kamil, this matrilineal marriage benefited him actually since he already had Flora and had a daughter with her, Cecilie. Children with the princess wouldn’t be able to compete with his children with Flora, which was something she would welcome gladly. To sum it up, he would receive all the benefits from marrying a royal princess of Estana while his own family wouldn’t be disturbed. He would have never accepted this marriage otherwise; he was never going to abandon Flora.
Once gathered in his study, Kerekes opened the scroll after undoing the golden wax seal. Kamil, Nestor, and Cezary started reading it while the princess was silently standing a short distance away, flanked by a pair of her own maids. If he was childless, his advisors might have been inclined to add a clause to be able to adopt a child from their union. However, with Cecilie being more than healthy, the need was low. Still, Nestor inquired.
“Duke, about the clause…”
“I will not press it,” he replied curtly, sounding uninterested.
“Very well.”
“Everything seems to be in order as we originally agreed,” Cezary declared. “Unless there is something the princess would like to add or modify, we can finalize it.”
There was a single copy of the contract. There was no need for a second copy since the princess’ residence would be Kamil’s own. The king of Estana would receive an authentic copy of the contract, and that was it.
“I do have something to add,” she declared and approached the desk. “If there are more than two children born from this union, I would like to be set free.”
Everyone was quite confused.
“Princess, what are you saying?” Kerekes raised her voice ever so slightly.
“I am not asking for a divorce. I am asking for permission to act freely once my duty is done.”
“Princes-”
Kerekes was interjected by Kamil.
“That is fine.”
Essentially, the princess didn’t want to sleep with him more than necessary, making it clear that she didn’t want this marriage from the get-go. He took no offense in her rather absurd demand, for he really couldn’t care less.
Anyway, Flora is four years older and Heiga is five years older than me … And I don’t have a thing for older women…
Truthfully, he never felt like Flora was older than him because she followed him like a puppy. Heiga, however, was displaying a strong will from the very beginning. His time with her was going to be completely different indeed. Since she declared that she didn’t want to spend much time with him anyway, his concern may not even be valid.
“Princess Hegia,” Kamil spoke up, drawing attention away from her and on to him. “Since you are so bold, I shall be the same. I would like to remind you that Flora is my first wife. Should you dare to harm her in any way, I shall not stand by it.”
“Duke!” Kerekes raised her voice, but his two advisors, Cezary and Nestor, remained silent. Meanwhile, Heiga’s eyes opened wide.
“I would never…!” she responded in a haste, which felt a bit awkward. There was no reason for her to respond in such a hurried manner unless her intention was caught by him. If she really intended to harm Flora, he had to put her in her place even before she could even make an attempt. Therefore, he spoke up again with a more determined voice this time.
“Princess Heiga, I shall remind you again. Respect Flora for what she is: She is the first wife.”
“Duke, that’s enough!” Kerekes demanded. Still, neither Cezary nor Nestor intervened, essentially approving Kamil’s actions.
“It’s alright, Lady Izabella,” Heiga said. “I understand the Duke’s concern perfectly.” Then she got down to her knee and declared while looking down.
“I, Heiga Ostara Rajmund, shall swear that I will never harm your first wife, Flora Fenchel. I swear on my life.”
Kamil was confused. That wasn’t a reaction from someone who may have intended to harm his wife, and she did sound determined as if she really meant it.
She either meant it or she is a sly one.
While he couldn’t trust her fully, he had to let it go since she was so sincere about it. Going any further could actually cause a diplomatic incident at this point.
Man, this woman is so different from Flora that I dare say that she is interesting in her own right.
He approached her and offered his hand.
“Lady Heiga, I welcome you to the fold,” he said with a smile.
“Y, yes, Duke!” Her answer was very much soldier-like.
Kerekes cleared her throat at once. “Milady!” She reminded her that the duke was to be her husband.
“Ah, right,” Heiga replied rather meekly. She stood up at once, dusting off her dress at the same time. She wasn’t lady-like at all, but then he was already aware of this.
“I shall sign the contract,” Kamil said as he took his pen. Heiga did the same, and soon enough they were legally a husband and a wife.
“Congratulations, Duke,” said Cezary and Nestor in unison. Soon enough, Kerekes said the same to Heiga. But neither looked practically pleased about the union.
“I, I have a request, Du…, Husband!” she exclaimed while blushing.
“Oh? Please do go on.”
“I would like to have a tea session with you and Lady Flora before … the night.”
Oh, shit. I completely forgot.
He had forgotten about the consummating marriage part.
And why does she want to meet Flora? This woman is weird.
While he had a reason to refuse her request, especially after his threat about punishing her, he felt that he shouldn’t deny her.
“Very well, I don’t see why not,” he lied. He had reasons to deny her request but didn’t want to start off too negatively when it was already shaky. The next thing he knew, he was at the balcony of the manor at a table with Flora, Heiga, and Cecilie. Heiga was cradling the baby in her arms merrily while walking around.
“Cecilie, I am your aunt,” she said softly with a broad smile and poked her finger gently onto the cheek of the baby.
Maybe she loves babies? And aunt? She is not, is she? Wait, what is she to my daughter? Stepmother?
He and Flora exchanged a look. Neither was really sure what Heiga was up to. He shrugged visibly to which Flora responded with a silent chuckle. Soon, Avina approached with a plate, carrying three cups of Macomaco tea. Heiga sniffed the sweet scent, and her eyes opened wide.
“Macomaco!” she yelped.
“Is it rare in Estana?” Flora asked.
“Very rare. No merchants would risk their lives just to carry some tea bags to the capital…” She had a grim look as she trailed off, recalling that the capital was no more after being destroyed by the dragon. Handing the baby over to Flora, she sat down, sniffed the tea, and had a sip.
“Wow, this tastes different. Tastes so much better.”
“It should be good since we have a Macomaco farm right here in Ceres,” Flora said.
“You, I mean, we do?!”
Kamil pointed over the baloney. Grent’s tea farm was within a visible range indeed. “A man named Grent runs the farm. He is a dear friend of mine,” he lied. Flora smiled in return; she knew the truth that Grent was in fact his biological father.
I thought she was a warrior through and through? She is certainly not giving that kind of impression.
At least, at the moment, she was acting like a girl having fun. She really did seem to enjoy the company.
Maybe, since she has been a warrior, she lacked any meaningful interactions with girls of her age?
Having friends was an alien term for nobles in general because they always had to be on the lookout for enemies. Even those who may have approached them with good intentions had to be suspected long before they could be accepted. Even then, a friend was extremely rare for any noble. In that sense, for Heiga, Kamil and Flora had become two people she could get close to without needing to worry too much about being backstabbed although she wouldn’t trust them yet.
Well, whatever, it’s just too early to determine anything. We will see how it goes.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
At least, it pleased him that Heiga and Flora did seem to get along. He decided to let the women be alone. He wouldn’t know what to really talk about with them anyway. As he exited the balcony, he spotted Avina standing by the doorway and there was Kerekes as well.
“Everything seems to be going well,” he remarked with a low voice.
“I’ve never seen the princess acting like that,” Kerekres said, looking clearly surprised.
Well, everyone has a side that only those very close to them know.
For example, only he and Avina knew that Flora was going by an alias of “Ruta” who had already released several books at the public library. And even fewer knew that this Ruta was originally Cezary’s alias.
Maybe, Ruta wasn’t his original alias. Perhaps, he took it from someone else.
He’d never find out, probably. He could ask but simply didn’t have the desire to, feeling that some things were better left unanswered.
“I shall leave the ladies in your care,” he said to Avina and Kerekes as he left the scene. He soon left the manor and headed toward the guild; there had been something in his mind. He agreed with Cezary that he would not endanger himself, but the reality was that the whole world was being engulfed with literal doom. Sitting back was simply too much for his conscience. Therefore, he decided to do something.
“Welcome to the guild! …” Faro’s bright voice rang his ears as soon as he entered the spacious guild hall. There was a woman by the counter, and they looked to be conversing when he entered. With the way the woman was leaning over the counter, it wasn’t just a normal talk, he felt.
Well, it looks like he’s doing well.
“Uh…, it’s the duke!” He raised his voice and shooed the girl away. The woman didn’t appear to be an adventurer but a worker at the guild. She did look older than him, which made him chuckle.
You into older women as well? What is this? Are all men in this family going to end up with older women?
Regardless, he pretended to ignore the situation and requested, “Hello, I would like to meet the guildmaster.”
“C, certainly! I … don’t know whether he is free or not, though. Give me a sec.” He grabbed a bell nearby on the counter and rang it. The same woman appeared again, dashing toward them.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Could you see whether the guildmaster is available? The duke would like to see him.”
“I will check right away!”
She ran upstairs for a brief moment before coming right down. It didn’t take long, a minute at maximum.
“He is here and is ready to see you. Please follow me,” she announced midway from above.
Giving her a firm nod, he followed her to his office. Once in, he was offered tea which he refused and went straightforward, explaining Brian what he had in his mind.
“... Are you serious, Duke?” He had his eyes wide open with his mouth agape for a short moment before he was able to collect himself. “Are you willing to pay for this?”
“No amount of money would be adequate, no?”
He nodded slowly. What Kamil had just proposed was sending an expedition team to one of the dragon lairs and coaxing it out.
“You are literally asking them to die. Well, to very likely go die. A large amount of money will help, but some will want more than that.”
Someone may just want money. However, some may want glory as well, which was a roundabout way of saying that they might want a title. In other words, nobility.
“I do have the authority to grant titles. Whether others will accept my authority is another question,” Kamil answered honestly. Recognition was everything for nobles. Anyone could self-proclaim that he was a noble. However, if no one acknowledged it, his legitimacy would have no leg to stand on. For example, his title as a duke was recognized by the Kingdom of Egra and Estana which was more than enough for others to acknowledge him as such. His lone backing might not be enough for someone to be acknowledged as a noble was what he was saying.
“As long as the dragons are defeated, I doubt anyone will oppose…,” Brian said while caressing his chin slowly.
“Do you have anyone in your mind for this job?” While he asked, he knew who Brian would have in his mind. Those he worked with at the Labyrinth of Ceres were probably the only ones capable of the job. Even they wouldn’t have a high chance of coming back alive.
“I am sure you know who I am thinking about,” Brian said with his hand on his chin moving to his desk, tapping his index finger. “To be brutally honest with you, Duke, I don’t want them to perish.”
“If nothing is done, everyone will perish.”
“Perhaps, but those who duke it out might survive.”
No one would survive, he wanted to tell him but he felt that Brian wasn’t going to truly believe his warning. The Gods weren’t fools. They’d make sure that no one would survive if they failed to pass the Age of Darkness. He wasn’t even certain that Cezary knew the real urgency behind the Age of Darkness because he played it so cool. He had to show him how serious he was and he did so by taking a small coin pouch and placing it on his desk, gently pushing it over to his direction. Brian took a peek into the pouch.
“Four gold coins? That’s not enough.”
“It’s not the reward. Use it to purchase an airship and use it to move around. That should improve their odds of survival greatly, no?”
Brian narrowed his eyes. “You are serious about this,” he added. “And you’d be right. Traveling on foot is just asking to be attacked, especially at a time like this.” Then he folded his arms and cast his eyes down, falling into thoughts. Kamil waited patiently for him to snap out. He eventually snapped out and asked.
“Duke, I have a request to make. I will consider your proposal only if you accept this.”
“Oh? What would that be?”
“Faro will join them. He will be a part of the airship crew.”
His eyes went wide. It was completely unexpected.
“Isn’t he a noncombatant? Why would you want to include him for this mission?”
“Because, if he is among them, I think you will do whatever you can to ensure that they will survive and come back. A form of insurance so to speak.”
I see. So, he knows. He knows that Faro is my brother.
Nobles throwing away pawns in time of need was a commonly occurring theme throughout history. By having his own brother in the mix, Brian would get some sort of a guarantee that he wouldn’t simply abandon them under duress. In a way, Brian was blackmailing him, but he didn’t mind his method too much. After all, the man was trying to protect his employees or friends.
“Very well, so be it,” he replied nonchalantly which made Brian narrow his eyes in shock and recoiling slowly.
“You ARE serious,” he uttered.
“He has always wanted to become an adventurer. Granted, he won’t be on the frontline but he will be one either way. He will have a tale to tell to his woman and children,” he said with a grin to which Brian grinned back.
“I like your way of thinking. It’s not exactly happy positive thoughts. It’s realistically positive, though. He will indeed have a tale to tell if he survives, and some women will bow before him.”
“Have we got a deal then?”
Brian replied with a crooked smile and a happy shrug, “You are willing to put your family on the line. I cannot refuse.”
“Then allow me to give you objectives. I want you to assemble a team of your choice, Faro included, and send them to Elsos first.”
“Elsos? May I ask why?”
“Lord Karsten is staying there. He seems to be prepared to go down with it.”
“Lord Karsten?”
“He is a king no more. His son is.”
Brian looked to be mildly surprised. “Interesting…, so what do you want to do with him?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. If the information I have is true, a horde of monsters will soon put the place under siege. My advisor expects him to hold on for a fairly extended period. Exactly how long, it’s unclear.”
“You make it sound like he won’t survive.”
“The horde has a number exceeding 100,000 and they have siege weapons.”
Brian stood up at once with his mouth agape and eyes wide. The reality was starting to sink into his head. The horde would attack other settlements as well in due time. For that, Elsos would be doing a huge favor if they held on for as long as they could.
Kamil added, “We expect a similar number is on the move in the South as well, but Estana has been holding them well, so I am thinking of tackling the North first.”
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Brian stammered while shaking his head with a long sigh. “Uh,D, Duke, wait, just what can we do here? Against that many…”
“We expect the monsters to either withdraw or vanish once the dragons are defeated, and the dragons are staying put all the way back in their lairs.”
Brian sat back down slowly. “I see. I see your goal now. What do you expect us to do at Elsos, though?”
“Give them a hand if you think you can. If not, watch their final moments to record it.”
“Easy for you to say…” Then he rushed to add, “My apologies, Duke. I can see your dilemma here.”
Even if Kamil wanted to assist Elsos, there wasn’t much that he could do, if anything at all. He lacked the army in the numbers game. In fact, unless all nations worked together, it would be nigh impossible to fight a horde of 10,000 head on.
“I have to ask, though. Can we even defeat a dragon, let alone the two?”
His concern was valid. Even though he had seen what Kamil could do with his wind magic, he didn’t know that he was a betrayer of the wheel. He also was unaware of the fact that only a betrayer of the wheel was capable of harming the dragons. Kamil had been refusing to reveal the truth because he would need to reveal that he was reincarnated with his past memories during which he may also need to reveal that he was allowed to be reborn for revenge.
“I may be the only one capable of inflicting any meaningful damage,” he replied.
“What makes you believe that? Look, I am not doubting your magical prowess but I feel like you are selling yourself a bit too high.”
“Do you think a dragon will remain unharmed after being hit by what I hit the gatekeeper with at the labyrinth?”
He was there to witness the raw power. He couldn’t deny that it was powerful, and his magic did defeat whatever the monster was in one shot. Still, he felt there were better options out there.
“I believe a group of high affinity mages would fare better…”
“Perhaps, but the logistics of arranging a mage corps may not work. We need to act fast and get out at once.”
The logic behind it was that a lone person would be able to react far faster than a group would, not to mention the fact that Kamil was a wind mage who was capable of flying out. He explained his thoughts and added, “I could gather a group of wind mages specifically for the job, but none can use the magic I use.”
Brian grimaced, unable to mount an argument.
“Alright, let’s stick with whatever you are planning,” he eventually replied. “What do you want us to do after Elsos? I assume it’s venturing into Mountain Siwen.”
“Correct. Find a route in and see if they could lure the dragon out. I can get there from here pretty fast.”
“Wait a moment, Duke. That sounds like you want us to hold the dragon in place until you arrive.”
“Correct.”
Brian rubbed his temple with his eyes shut and frowning. “That’s going to be a tall order,” he muttered.
“They don’t have to fight it. Run around if they must. Just keep it out of its lair.”
“They’ve better be hailed as heroes if they do return…”
Kamil smiled bitterly without responding. He knew that Cezary would do everything in his powers to paint him as the hero instead of them. He just knew. To his credit, he was going to do whatever he could to ensure their safety. After all, he wanted Faro to come back. But he would be unable to help them during the first few huddles, which included reaching the dragon’s lair, luring it out, and keeping it out.
“Fine, Duke, I will go with whatever plan you have. However, I must talk to them. I won’t push them if they don’t want to risk their lives.”
“Very well. I don’t have a problem with that.”
With that, their meeting was concluded.
Should I tell mom about Faro?
He was not yet fifteen years old, meaning he wasn’t an adult. At the same time, he was pretty much on his own at the moment. Vilma looked after him no more, and he lived at the guild.
“I suppose I should inform her at least,” he said to himself while making his way toward the tea farm.
Grent’s farm was a farm in the name only at this point. There was a pair of guards at its entrance, and their house, which was more of a manor, was clearly something no mere farmers would be able to maintain. They had about five maids as well. Therefore, they were essentially nobles without actually holding a title.
“Welcome, Duke,” a butler leaned forward to greet him at the door.
A butler even?
“I am here to see Lady Fenchel.”
“Certainly, please wait inside.”
They had only recently moved into this new manor. When it was decided that their house would be relocated inwards toward the mountain for better protection from walls, it was reconstructed with much more care, resulting in this manor. The lobby he was waiting in had a polished wooden floor with high grade furniture, on par with his own in the Fenchel manor. If anyone was told that this was a farmer’s home, nobody would believe it. There was a table with two sofas on each other. He sat on one of them and waited for a brief moment.
“Duke.” Vilma called him softly out as she descended from the second floor. He looked up and didn’t stand up to show respect. On the surface, they were not a mother and a son but a farmer’s wife and a duke. The latter would never show any respect to a mere farmer in a formal situation like this. Making her way down, she sat down on a sofa across from him. He briefly explained Faro’s situation with a stoic voice, stating only facts and thus making it short.
“I see,” she replied while nodding. “So be it. He is not a boy anymore. Sooner or later, he would need to stand on his own.”
“He may die,” he stated the obvious as a warning.
“He may, but that is life, isn’t it. A mother cannot shelter her boys forever.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“I see. As long as you approve, I don’t have a problem.”
She grimaced. “I don’t exactly approve but I feel that this may change his life for the better if he makes it through.”
As Brian said earlier, those who would embark on this journey could be hailed as heroes. Even if they weren’t fully recognized, it would be certain that those in Ceres would still recognize their efforts unofficially. A cripple or not, it would open more paths for Faro to take on if he could come back alive. He would be much wealthier, and it would certainly become much easier for him to find a mate. He could even claim that he became crippled during the adventure. In some ways, it was worth a gamble. He personally wouldn’t take it but felt that someone like Faro stood too much to gain.
“It’s … risk versus reward,” he said solemnly. “He has too much to gain.”
“It pains me to say that I don’t disagree.”
“Very well,” he said as he stood up, preparing to leave. “I thank you for your time. How is Grent?”
“He is doing what he is supposed to be doing. The man is remarkable in some ways. Despite his lack of education, he knows where he stands.” Then she beamed a smile. “I dare say that I have good eyes for men.”
He smiled back without saying any further.
“I’ve heard that you are marrying a royal princess, yes?”
“Married today. Signed and all done. I am honestly worried a bit. She is too different from my current wife.”
“No woman is going to be the same, Duke.”
“True…”
“No matter who, you have to earn a person’s respect in a marriage. We rarely marry out of love. I am sure that you know that by now.”
He sat back down at this point, and Vilma beckoned a maid to come over and ordered tea. Regular tea was quickly served. Neither wanted Macomaco tea since they could have it at any time they wanted. In a way, they were sick of it and would rather actually prefer regular tea.
“She is a warrior,” he explained. “Not very lady-like.”
“I see. Very different indeed. I assume she never planned to marry in the first place.”
He nodded.
“Truthfully, in such a case, I would have no idea as well. Your concern is justified. My point still stands, however. A lady or a warrior, it’s still about respect, I assume.”
“I don’t disagree. I suppose I will just have to wing it.”
Taking sips at their tea casually, they conversed about various topics, including Taro and Abel eventually.
“Taro will inherit the farm. It is official now,” she said. “With that, I want Abel to become a scholar. In about two years, I want him to become a page in your court.”
“Has he shown talent for it?”
She nodded and said, “He is learning fairly quickly. Not the brightest, but I do think he is above average.”
So, she has been educating him? How old is he now? Five or six?
That made him wonder about something.
“You never educated me.”
He was indirectly asking why she was educating Abel specifically when she didn’t do the same for him, the first son. Until Elias came along and taught him, he did not know how to read and write.
Taking a sip, she replied, “I fully expected you to inherit the farm and I also did not expect to be able to return to nobility. The life of an educated commoner is more dangerous than an uneducated one.”
That was pretty much the answer he expected and was a reasonable one.
“Are you going to teach Taro?”
“I don’t know. If he shows any interest, I am not going to stop him. Right now, he hasn’t shown interest.”
“Oh? Abel wanted to learn?”
“He wanted to read a book I was reading. No child of mine has shown any interest in books, including you.”
He chuckled. When he was five or so years old, all he thought about was exacting revenge and getting used to the new world around him. He was “smart” and “mature” because of his past memories. Without it, he was certain that he would have ended up nothing more than an ordinary kid. Their conversation eventually came to an end, and he departed from the manor, heading toward his home. He had a job to do.