"Then??? Then what happened?" Duke urged Galleo to continue his story. Duke was quite interested in the life story of a man knowledgeable enough to be a Philosopher-Candidate. Galleo had stopped when he reached the part of his master Sisario, so Duke didn't know what happened next.
"I... I failed them. I-I failed them!" Galleo's repressed memories suddenly began gushing back as Galleo's emotion turned from melancholy to panic.
"Are you ok, man???" Benjamin asked as he and Duke tried to calm the confused and panicked Galleo.
*Huf Huf Huf* Galleo's breathed heavily as sweated while he looking around him, confused like a lost child.
"I have to prove. I-I have to. I just have to" Galleo stuttered as he suddenly ran away from Duke and Benjamin.
"W-What happened to him? Let's follow him!" Duke worried for Galleo and so he and Benjamin ran after the crazed Galleo.
"Wait let me get my stuff first" But not before Benjamin took out an old suitcase he hid below some garbage. It was dirty and smelled, but it was everything Benjamin had left...
"Hey, did you see an old man running out of here?" Duke asked some guards standing watch on Milan's west gate.
"Oh, you mean that crazy old coot. Yeah, he ran towards that part of the forest" The guard quickly answered Duke's question.
"This forest is quite big, you go to the left, I'll go to the right" Benjamin advised.
Galleo had already gone outside the city walls so it became harder for Duke and Benjamin to find him. And so they decided to spit up.
"Galleo!" Duke shouted as he searched for the old man, and after a while of walking, he heard digging noises from somewhere and followed that noise which eventually led him to a devastated Galleo in front of a large dugout hole in the ground, holding a shovel in one hand...
"Haa... So it was all true" Galleo's soul looked like it had left his body.
[I failed them all] Galleo thought in front of a pile of blueprints.
[Sisario, my papa, my mama, Marianne... and Iliria, my precious Iliria" Galleo cried as he hugged a pink folder. "I'm a failure...] Galleo sighed.
"Galleo? Are you ok?... What's that?" Duke asked the silent Galleo what the pink folder in his arms was.
"It was, Iliria's. My daughter's blueprints... She a very smart girl, my Iliria..." Galleo sadly murmured.
[And all I've done as a father was disappoint her] Galleo sighed alone as he handed the pink folder to Duke.
Duke looked through the pieces of paper with an intense face then turned back to look at Galleo as he said: "These are really cool! A-Are you sure you should be showing these to me?"
Duke worried as he thought it was one of those long researches that scholars protect with their lives. Although Galleo's blueprints were incredibly more precious than other people's researches, Galleo didn't know their value and so he didn't really care if other people saw them.
"Hah, thank you for being courteous, but those aren't that precious, haha... I tried selling them once, but no one would buy them" Galleo, in a moment of vulnerability admitted what he truly thought about his inventions.
He thought they were worthless.
After years of belittlement and getting ignored, Galleo finally believed the lies he was fed with. And his initial pride disappeared.
But Duke thought otherwise.
"Eh? T-Then can I buy them??? You remember that time I saw one of your Machinistic Bluprints about the drainage system against droughts and I thought it was really incredible! And useful... I, we don't really have a lot of money... but c-can I buy that blueprint? Please! I, I'll pay 100 no 200 Gold right now, and I'll pay you back more after our financial situation lightens!" Duke bowed showing his sincerity. Duke realized that Galleo was going through something right now, but after getting humiliated at the party, Duke let go parts of his sentimental side as he used this opportunity while he was alone with Galleo to ask for his designs.
[If this drainage system works wouldn't we be able to grow crops during the Autumn with out the blessings from Priests?! It looks like Galleo's facing hardships... This may be the only time I can get these designs... How low can I get for using a person during his hard times] Duke in a surprising moment of sharpness realized Galleo's true worth due to his own weakness. And he admonished himself for trying to take advantage of Galleo (Or at least he thought he was taking advantage of someone)
[I promise to pay you back ten-fold!] Duke thought as he stared at Galleo's stern face. But then the unexpected happened.
*Sniff sniff* Galleo started to cry in front of Duke.
"E-Eh? Are you ok? I-I'll pay 250, 250! But I might not be able to pay you upfront because-"
"No..." Galleo interrupted Duke. "If you'll accept this old man, I'll gladly give you all my work and my remaining life..." Galleo solemnly swore to Duke as tears of joy began to fall from his already dried eyes.
[So he really did mean his words... Someone genuinely acknowledges my work...] Galleo saw through Duke's sincerity.
Finally, someone had acknowledged his work. He didn't care how much it was, but Duke actually tried to offer 200 Gold and more, this was the most anyone had given for his works. The most Galleo made in the past was 20 Silver at most.
Galleo just wanted his work to be acknowledged. The work he and his teacher started, the work his parents and precious wife supported him unconditionally, and also... the work his daughter admired him for.
"S-Serve? I'll be honored to have you! No, PLEASE work for me!" Duke begged.
"B-But we have some money restraints... can the salary be postponed for a month or two? But there will still be free lodging and food I assure you!..." Duke didn't know why Galleo suddenly bowed to him, but he didn't want to let go of Galleo, that was why he also bowed to Galleo.
A moment passed as the two people bowed to each other...
"hmmm..." Benjamin was speechless when he arrived at the scene. Galleo and Duke had their faces on the ground bowing to each other...
Duke, Benjamin, and Galleo began their travel back home by foot...
As Duke forgot to get some money from Vivian, so he couldn't hire a carriage.
"..." Benjamin looked at Duke with disbelief, but he didn't complain. A little traveling didn't bother him.
"S-So we got this one tall tower in the mansion, don't Wizards and Hermits like those places?" Duke changed the topic as he idiotically categorizing Galleo as a Wizards...
"What?! It's an unfounded prejudice that intellectuals like tall towers you know! Well, maybe I don't dislike the view, so yeah. That'll do" Galleo denied being the typical Wizard-Archetype, despite admitting his likes for towers.
"But there won't be stairs right?" Galleo continued.
"What tower doesn't have stairs?!" Benjamin butted in.
"What? You don't like stairs?" Duke asked Galleo who seemed serious with his dislike for stairs.
As the three continued their journey home:
"Yeah, something like that..." Galleo mumbled to Duke as his voice was carried off by the wind...