After taking a bath and changing into presentable clothes, I went to the senior's study where he usually stays. Head butler Arnod was already waiting for me outside the door and the moment he saw me coming, I heard a clicking sound along with the door opening. He must have stood motionless and opened the door without making a sound.
I bowed my head slightly to greet him and went inside. Without my eyesight, I can only rely on my other senses, I can definitely sense my senior's presence.
"It seems like you have returned, senior. How was your day?" I asked.
"Well, a lot of things happened. I did not expect my business to take that long to be honest. I'm beat! I'm reaching the age where I find going outside the estate as a hustle."
I sat on one of the chairs in front of the seniors and nodded my head.
"It seems like things have gone well on your end. Did you manage to confirm my suspicions?"
He was silent for a moment then after just a few seconds, I could hear a tapping sound. That was enough to take a glance at seniors. He doesn't seem pleased.
"........"
"Perhaps, I was wrong?"
"No. I just find it hard to believe. I think you are right. But still, who in the world would pull off something like this? And to think that I didn't even notice something like this happening makes this even more dangerous."
So he had already confirmed things by himself. It is certainly odd how they were not able to sense the subtle changes in this city. Was I able to point it out easily because it's my first time coming here? I can't say for certain but I already have my suspicions.
"Thanks to you, I realized how complacent we are. As nobles, we are expected—- no, we are entitled to look after our territories. That includes the people as well. I hate to admit it but if you did not tell me anything, we would have suffered so much." He said, walking towards me. "The peace that had been maintained for so long has made us vulnerable. Whoever the enemy is, I'm sure they have been waiting for this moment to strike. Thanks, Jakob."
Senior's tone is serious. I won't be surprised if he goes out more frequently from now on. After all, the enemy had already taken roots in this city.
"Does Head butler Arnod know about this?" I asked.
"No. It's only you and me at the moment. I plan to tell him tonight and discuss our course of action then. I don't know how deep the roots of the enemy are, so I have to be cautious of everyone I approach."
His sharp tone sounded like he did not want any help from me. Does he have a plan in mind?
"Do you not want me to help?"
"While I do appreciate it. I don't want to trouble you more than I already have. The fact that I have a guest that I consider my family is still a secret from the rest of the nobles. And I intend to keep it that way. So leave the rest to me, but in return, I want you to take care of my estate."
Though the senior is determined to defeat the enemy, he is still kind. Did he judge that I will be perfect for this job? No. He is placing his trust on me. And I intend to live up to his faith.
"I understand. Rest assured, I will keep your estate safe. But know this..."
We talked some more after that. But most of it is not about the current situation we are facing. Senior led the conversation. It must be his way of escaping from reality even if it's just for a moment, so as his junior, I did nothing and listened.
For the next few days, the senior has been busy and is stuck inside his study room for most of the time. Meanwhile, I, on the other hand, did not waste my time and learned everything there is to know about the current things in this world.
And I have found someone who can do exactly that.
"That's all you need to know, Mister Jakob. But why do you require such information in the first place? Weren't you wandering around the kingdom? Even if you settled in a place, you're bound to hear things about the changes that have occurred, right?"
I understand Brian's concern and sudden curiosity on the topic, especially about my past. But I cannot just tell him that I have been stuck inside a dungeon for almost 20 years. Not only that it is hard to believe, it is not an information that I can disclose to just anyone.
"Well, I was under special circumstances. Though I did hear about the changes and I just want to confirm it. I can't just trust what people say, after all."
Hearing my reason somehow convinced Brian as he did not question me any more after that.
So what the people have been saying in the places where I've been to were somehow true. The world really did change.
Misfits like myself are now accepted into society. The history of how Misfits are treated are only a distant memory. It turns out that during the time I was trapped inside that dungeon, similar dungeons started appearing all over the world which almost brought ruin.
It is thanks to the Misfits who hid themselves among humans that the world is saved. It was not easy at first. After all, Misfits are seen as plague who bring ruin wherever they go. But when more dungeons appeared, the humans understood the importance of Misfits. And so, they are accepted into society. No, they are forced to accept them.
The humans don't have a choice, it's either they get eradicated by the monsters or they share this world with Misfits. In the end, it is the selfishness of humans that brought the world to change how we are viewed. Naturally, this brings the Misfits to the top, gaining popularity and respect from the people. Although I don't really believe it's true, Brian believes so as well.
To my surprise, I learned that the senior had also become a Misfit after getting contracted by a monster named 'Abed' the Firewolf. Abed's blessings continue to run within descendants which also caught me off guard after knowing that the senior has a daughter around my age.
"Lady Ashe is quite an interesting person, in my eyes, that is. She is the total opposite of our master, she is cold, blunt, and somewhat distant. She constantly requires the master and the madam's attention."
There are a lot of things that I learned from Brian, but those things are what greatly surprised me. I feel ashamed that Brian had to educate me about things I was ignorant of, he sees me as a noble, after all. Thankfully, he did not mind and told me everything in his knowledge.
Brian is enthusiastic. I can see that he was waiting for someone to have this kind of talk which put me at ease. We ended up talking for almost the entire morning. I had to postpone my morning training just so that I can understand how the world works right now.
"Now that I think about it, Mister Jakob. Are you perhaps a Misfit yourself?"
I was caught off guard, I did not expect him to ask such a question.
"What makes you think that?"
"Well, after carefully observing you for weeks. I noticed that you always have an indifferent look on your face. I can't see your eyes under that blindfold, but I can feel that your expression doesn't change much even when you train. Most people would grit their teeth when exerting too much force, but you, I don't see that on your face."
An excellent observation. To think that he would arrive at that conclusion just by observing me.
"You're quite the observer, Brian." I clap my hands.
"Please don't give me credit. I was wracking my brains out. I even spent some sleepless nights just to get that conclusion. I am not the brightest of all the commoners, after all."
Though I can't see Brian's face clearly, his voice tells me that he is not very confident in himself.
"Well, your conclusion is right. I am a Misfit." I told him. "This indifferent look on my face is the result of my ancestors making a contract with a monster."
".....WOAH! That's awesome!"
I was worried because he was silent for a moment. I guess I was needlessly worrying about things.
"I don't think that's something to be happy about." I told him.
"What are you talking about, Mister Jakob?! That's great news! Being a Misfit has benefits and you are entitled to those benefits! That alone is a good thing in and of itself!"
He really is enthusiastic about it. His voice alone tells me that he is wanting to meet another Misfit other than a senior and his daughter.
"'Entitled to those benefits'....huh?"
It must be because he is not aware of my past, but I can't blame him.
Brian continues on talking about how great being a Misfit is until he runs out of spit and is forced to stop talking after his voice has gone hoarse.
"Take some rest for now. Your throat must have hurt talking that much."
"I'm sorry for talking so much, Mister Jakob." He apologized, bowing his head and touching his throat.
Well, I guess talking too much has its limits. I sent him to his room before going to the senior's study room. I was fortunate enough to learn that he is taking a rest after planning his future actions. I knocked on the door and heard his voice from the other side telling me to enter.
The moment I did, I could see faint images of him exhausted. To make sure, I stomp my foot to get a clearer picture as he deliberately tries to create minimal sound to keep me from worrying.
"You should take it easy, senior. Everything will be for naught if you die of overwork." I told him.
"Ah…..looks like I was caught. I thought there is still time before you visit me, so I was planning to get some rest and recover. But it looks like I failed." He told me with a hint of exhaustion from his voice.
"That's not good. Do you want your wife and daughter to unexpectedly mourn for your death?"
"So you found out, huh? Well, that's true. I can't really have them do that. Did Brian tell you?"
"Yes. I want to learn about the things that have changed since then. I got the gist of everything. By the way, I also heard from him that you are now a Misfit and your daughter too. Doesn't it bother you?"
Senior was silent for some reason. But after a few moments, he responded.
"That is exactly why I became a Misfit. I want to have the power to protect my family and everyone who is close to me. I realized that humans cannot contest with Misfits. The gap is just too wide."
I can't argue with that. Even Though I inherited the blessings of the monster my ancestors contracted with, overall capabilities and abilities far surpasses normal humans. It's not surprising for humans to want to gain power to erase their sense of inferiority. I am well aware of how strong senior is and he is by no means inferior, it must be because he encountered a huge wall that made him realize the difference.
"Wanting to become strong is not a bad thing. The strong get to have a say, after all." I said.
Yes. The right of the strong. As long as you have strength to overwhelm others, they will not be able to look down at you. Senior learned through master, so when a lot of things changed, he judged he must change as well.
"Was I wrong to change? Will the master scorn me?" He asked.
"I think you already know what the master would tell you. 'If you survive, it's not your time yet' I don't think the master would scorn you for wanting to protect what's important to you. He also did the same for you and me."
Saying those words, the senior fell silent once more. My words may have triggered the sad memories of our parting. Whatever other reason the senior has, only he knows. I don't want to pry any more than this.
I told the senior about my observations and before leaving, he thanked me like he always does. I did not want to intrude on his rest any longer and did not stick with him much. A person that's trying to protect what's precious to him, like a master, I can't let him fall now. Not again.