Even as I boarded the train, my heart wasn't at ease.
I pondered on the identity of the guest who had arrived, feeling the train was slower than usual. Who could this guest be, and what exactly brought them here?
'My home is now the Welton Estate's Apple Tree Mansion. I haven't told anyone this fact.'
Does this mean they found out separately? What's the intent behind this, and why?
The content of the letter was straightforward. Contrary to my expectation of a longer message, it simply said, "Come back home."
Finally, the train arrived. If not for the existence of the train, I wouldn't have been able to arrive so quickly.
I immediately hailed a carriage and headed towards the Apple Tree Mansion.
"I'm in a bit of a hurry. Can you speed up, please?"
"Understood."
Soon, the carriage's speed increased, and I swiftly made my way to the Welton Castle.
It was still daytime, and many people were passing by, but I went straight to the mansion.
Thud, thud.
"Who are you?"
The door opened, revealing someone I had never seen before. Judging by the servant's attire, he was likely a recent hire.
"I am Adrias Cromwell."
"Ah! Lord Cromwell! Nice to meet you. I am Duran Hosen."
He greeted me with a slight bow and opened the door.
As I entered, I immediately inquired about what was on my mind.
"Is Amy at home?"
"Yes, she is here. Shall I fetch her for you?"
"Please do."
Thankfully, it seemed like nothing was amiss.
"..."
However, something felt a bit peculiar.
"Just a moment."
"Yes?"
"Duran Hosen?"
"Yes, do you need something?"
As he innocently asked, pretending to know nothing, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if I had experienced this somewhere before.
"Salem?"
"Yeah, I can't fool you as easily as I used to."
Duran, or rather, Salem with a playful smile, changed his appearance.
I hadn't even considered that Salem might be in our home, so I touched my forehead and asked, "Are you really here? Did you find the Holy Scriptures I mentioned? Or more importantly, how did you even know about our house and find your way here?"
"Slow down a bit. I'm out of breath."
Just then, a voice from upstairs reached us, and Amy leaned over the railing.
"Oh, brother! You're here already?"
That innocent look of hers...
I can't begin to express how worried I've been.
"This is the guest I mentioned, Lord Hagendal. You know him, right?"
"Hagendal?"
I've heard that he has been working with Everlast Guild lately, but is there a connection here?
In moments like this, the world feels remarkably small.
"I've heard you don't visit home often, but you came right away. Are you quite fond of your little sister?"
"If that's the case, I would have visited more frequently."
I deliberately gave a vague answer, not wanting to reveal my vulnerabilities.
By the way, upon closer examination of his condition, there was certainly a different atmosphere from before.
'It's not chaotic anymore.'
While he used to feel like an unpredictable and incendiary bomb about to explode, now he still felt like a bomb, but with a properly functioning switch.
"So, it seems you found the Holy Scriptures."
"Have you grown up a bit too now? Yes, I found it. Thanks to that, it took quite some time."
Salem nodded and then gestured toward Amy, who had just come downstairs.
"As a token of gratitude, I helped your little sister a bit. Honestly, I never expected she'd be so helpful to me that I'd be willing to cut you some slack even if you lose a bet."
"That's fortunate."
"By the way..."
After glancing at Amy, Salem gestured with his thumb, signaling that we should go outside.
"How about having a beer or something after such a long time?"
Since I also had stories I wanted to hear from him, I followed him outside. Amy's silent approval as she watched us felt considerate.
"Did you find the house, or did you meet Amy first?"
"Let's talk about it when we get there."
As soon as we stepped outside, I asked my question, and he responded with a smile.
We entered a small pub nearby and took a table, each ordering our preferred drinks. Perhaps it was still early in the day, as we were the only customers.
"Right. What was the question again? About coming to the house?"
"Yes."
"At first, I met you in Hollington. Since that's the place connected to you, I went there to see if Hollington himself had any information about you. While I was doing that, I coincidentally met your sister."
My expectations were right.
Having heard his answer, I immediately asked the next question.
"Do you have what I mentioned?"
"Of course. There's no point in letting it fall into the hands of others. I should have it. Do you want to see it too?"
While I was intrigued, I shook my head. Just digesting what I already had was overwhelming enough. Besides, I knew the concept of the Origins that the Holy Scriptures possessed, so there was no rush.
"Really? You must be curious."
"It's fine. Besides, there's nothing to discuss here."
"Hmm?"
Salem seemed to notice something unusual in my words and raised an eyebrow for a moment, casually scanning the surroundings.
Although the pub was nearly empty, except for the staff behind the counter, Salem used Mana Waves quite roughly.
Thump...
He seemed to have detected something and chuckled.
"This, this. The back is a bit iffy."
After focusing on something for a moment, Salem dipped his finger in saliva and began drawing something on the table.
"Hagendal?"
I used that name informally, considering we were outside, but he continued to work without paying much attention to my call.
"Done."
After injecting Mana into the drawing he had made, Salem spoke.
"Nothing bad should happen if we're cautious. Now you can say whatever you want."
"You've set up a magic barrier around us, haven't you?"
"Oh? Studied a bit, have you?"
Salem, one of the strongest individuals on the continent, lived up to his reputation. He casually etched an illusion and auditory runes around our table using just his saliva and a small-scale magic circle.
"Nevertheless, surveillance... I'm not sure what's going on, but it must be a headache for you. Is your sister worried?"
"I intentionally left it. If I act guarded, they'll know I'm aware, and they'll intensify their surveillance."
"I see. So, who's the other party?"
I hesitated for a moment.
Should I tell Salem?
"Considering your hesitation, you probably already know who it is. If you don't want to say, you don't have to. It's a bit of a nuisance for me too."
"Haha..."
In any case, he was quick to catch on.
As I awkwardly chuckled, Salem said, "I met Maximen."
Lately, the trendy topic in the Empire's upper class was evidently Maximen. So, there was no way Salem hadn't heard about it. Nonetheless, Salem's interest in Maximen's power meant that Maximen must have been truly remarkable.
"I was quite surprised too. He showed up out of nowhere, claiming he wanted to meet me."
"I heard you treated Isabelle. I was actually more surprised by that. I even tried to treat her at one point."
"Have you met him?"
"He came looking for me. He had a knife and was like, 'Is there any way to treat her?' I was taken aback too."
He seemed to be having a good laugh while recounting the situation. If Maximen had actually drawn a knife, Salem wouldn't have just stood there quietly.
"Just kidding. I teased you because your expression was too serious. He has quite a different personality from what I've heard."
So, he was joking. I thought it was true.
"I thought it was true."
"Anyway, I couldn't wake up Isabelle. How did you manage to wake her?"
"I was just lucky. She woke up on her own."
"If you don't want to talk about it, say so. Don't say something so unbelievable."
I scratched my head, and Salem drank his ordered beer.
Soon, Salam, with a lot of foam around his mouth, continued speaking.
"As I mentioned earlier, I helped your sibling with what they're doing. But, is that also something you ordered them to do?"
"No, Amy is doing it because she wants to."
"Both siblings are assertive. It's a sight to behold. Oh, and there was one more thing I wanted to ask."
"Go ahead."
"I heard that an assembly that took place. I also heard that you participated in it."
It seems like Salem has some connections within the assembly.
I nodded my head as I had nothing to hide from Salem.
"Yes."
"I heard you joined the assembly."
"That's right."
"Well, you weren't in a position to refuse, I suppose. But still, you didn't just join without any thought, right? I know an Adrias Cromwell who would have managed to gain something."
"I didn't really gain anything. I didn't have the ability to refuse, so I had no choice but to join."
"You know how close you are to that Morne, right?"
"Yes?"
I was taken aback by the sudden mention of Morne's name, but I remained composed.
"I didn't know. But suddenly, why the name of the Grandmaster...?"
"This guy, he's persistently playing hard to get. Do you know where I get information about the assembly? Of course, I have various sources, but this time, it was Morne who contacted me first. And that was just yesterday."
"I see."
"I see? Fine, whatever. You pretended not to know until the end."
"You wanted to help?"
"The old man asked me for a favor. He said, 'Just for the next year, until he graduate from the academy, please take care of him.'"
Morne made such a request?
No, if he intended that, he should have discussed it with me before we parted in Borgiean. We had loosely talked about our future plans before parting ways in Borgiean.
I am currently bound by the academy. Furthermore, I know how significant the opportunity to challenge the Tower is after I graduate. So, I recommended that I graduate safely.
'After all, I'm about to graduate soon, just one more year until graduation. And that one year would be the perfect time to prepare the foundation for the faction.'
Along with the conveniently well-timed story, he said he'd establish the groundwork until I graduate.
Of course, this was a feasible plan thanks to Luna. With both Morne and Luna, two high-level warlocks, it was possible to make sufficient preparations before my arrival.
"If you are going to help, what kind of assistance are you talking about?"
"Well, it seems you're a bit enticed?"
"Of course. It's because Lord Salem, the greatest, is offering to help."
"This kid only speaks honestly at times like this. Alright, I knew you'd act like you don't like it, but I was ready to come even if you disliked it. I've received too much from you, anyway."
Salem chuckled and finished the remaining beer on the table.
Then, he lowered the glass as if he was about to smash the table, and a smile still lingered on his lips.
"You're a count, right?"
"Yes? Yes."
"I'll become your subordinate, your Grace."
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I had heard him wrong.
When I didn't respond, Salem repeated his words.
"Until you graduate. I promise to serve as your subordinate until you graduate."