Heading home, I realized I'd need to sneak my sword back inside without anyone noticing. "Should I just go in and tell them everything?" I mused but quickly dismissed the idea. I decided to reveal it only when I'd achieved something significant to prove my skills.

If everything had gone according to plan, Kei would have covered for me, telling anyone who asked that I was with him. As I approached my house, I spotted Sven, one of our household servants, just outside.

"Sven, running errands?" I asked.

"Yes, young master. What about you?" he replied.

"I need a little help." I showed him the sword. "Can you put this back in my room while I distract everyone?"

He looked puzzled but nodded. "Of course, young master."

I took the grocery bag from him and entered the house. As I stepped inside, I saw Mother standing in the hallway.

"Why are you carrying the groceries instead of Sven?" she asked.

"Sven forgot an item and went back to the market," I replied smoothly.

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She took the bag from me. "I heard you were at Kei's and fell asleep?"

Wait, what? That's what he decided to say? "Uh, yeah. I was pretty tired after everything at school today."

"Oh, the dungeon. It's all over the news," she said, sounding concerned.

I subtly kept the door open for Sven to slip in. Everyone else was busy with their tasks, so I hoped they wouldn't notice him.

"Your father and grandpa are coming home early today," Mom mentioned.

"They are?" I was surprised. Father was usually home late, so this was a rare occasion.

As Mother entered the kitchen and asked a maid to help organize the groceries, I blocked the doorway to keep her from seeing Sven. He sneaked in with my sword and headed to my room, placing the sword inside before slipping back out. Then, he reentered normally, carrying the tomatoes I'd left with him.

"Sven's back," Mother noted, hearing his return.

She stepped out to greet him. "Tomatoes? You could've gotten them another day."

"It might have caused problems for the cooks tonight," he explained.

I watched as Sven and Mom chatted, noticing some confused looks from the other servants. Had they seen Sven's odd behavior? I just hoped no one would say anything. It was probably obvious to them that I was behind this.

Later that evening, I sat in the hall, updating the map I'd created. Father and Grandpa arrived.

"Welcome back, Father, Grandpa!" I greeted them.

As they removed their shoes, Dad handed his bag to a servant. "I heard about the dungeon near your school."

"Yeah, a section of the ground collapsed, revealing the entrance," I said.

Dad looked at me for a moment but didn't say anything further. He went to freshen up and change instead.

"Was he about to say something?" I wondered.