NOVEL NEXT Chapter 132
132. This Is Our Family Home
“Myself, at Lilith’s house…?”
I murmured in confusion.
Sarome and Alice, standing beside me, glanced back and forth between me and Lilith.
[If you’re free this weekend, I’d like you to visit my home.]
Lilith, whom I’d met at the guild earlier today, had suddenly said that to me.
Being invited to a noble’s house—this was, of course, a first in my life.
“Oh? So you’re being introduced to her parents?”
Sarome smirked and looked between me and Lilith again.
“Since when did things between you two get so serious?”
“Wha—!? N-no, that’s not it, I mean, um… it’s not like that, really, I—!”
Lilith turned bright red in an instant.
“What do you mean by ‘it’s not like that’?”
I asked blankly.
What exactly were we talking about?
“I mean, marriage and stuff—that’s way too soon! Besides, I don’t even know how Haruto feels about me, and it makes me anxious, but, um…”
“Okay, okay, let’s calm down now.”
Sarome said, giving Lilith a gentle, amused hug.
“This is all because you said something weird, Sarome!”
“I just thought you were being bold.”
Still holding Lilith, Sarome chuckled softly.
“And if it’s ‘too soon,’ that means you’re thinking about it at least a little, right?”
“Sarome…!”
Lilith’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, with even her ears and neck flushed.
Then—
“Oh my, Sarome, are you fine with this?”
This time, Alice gave a knowing smile.
“If you’re not careful, Haruto might be stolen away.”
“Wha—!?”
Sarome’s expression froze.
“Deep down, aren’t you panicking? Like, ‘I’ve been overtaken!'”
“I-I… that’s not it, I mean…!”
Now Sarome was turning red, too.
What on earth is this conversation about…?
I’m completely out of my depth in this girl talk.
“It’s not like I’m conscious of Haruto-kun in that way, or anything, um…!”
“Mmm… so Sarome also has feelings for Haruto.”
Lilith muttered to herself.
“Um, why exactly am I being invited to your family home?”
I decided to redirect the topic.
“It’s to celebrate both you and us reaching Rank A.”
Alice explained.
“Father has been interested in you for some time, so he thought it was a good opportunity to invite you.”
“Interested in me?”
“He heard about your role in defeating Gyrasvrim and Dialva. Father is acquainted with the Guildmaster and enjoys hosting talented adventurers.”
“I see…”
The idea that a noble of such stature had taken notice of me felt surreal.
I didn’t have any work planned for the weekend, and since it was a rare invitation, I decided I might as well go.
Lilith and Alice’s family home—the Earl of Lafiel’s estate.
A grand castle towering on a hill.
“This is our family home.”
Lilith said.
“What an incredible place…”
I looked up at the massive castle.
Of course, Lilith and Alice were noble daughters.
Since they usually acted as fellow adventurers, I often forgot that.
“We’ve only been here a handful of times ourselves.”
“We’ve been living as adventurers, and, well… we’re not exactly the legitimate children, anyway.”
Their words carried a hint of their complicated family circumstances, visible in their expressions.
At the gate, someone was waiting.
“Welcome home, Alice-sama, Lilith-sama. And a warm welcome to you, Haruto-sama.”
An elderly man in a black tuxedo bowed deeply.
It was Gordon-san, the butler I had met once before, prior to the battle with Gaelasvrim.
“We’re back, Gordon.”
Lilith replied, her demeanor noticeably more formal than usual.
Alice, too, seemed tense.
Neither gave off a sense of comfort or relaxation at returning home; instead, they seemed tightly wound.
“Where’s Father?”
“He is waiting in the parlor.”
Gordon-san answered with the utmost courtesy.
“This way, please.”
Led by the old butler, we proceeded forward.
The path to the parlor stretched through a long corridor.
On both sides were paintings that looked incredibly valuable, like a museum gallery.
As I walked, one particular painting caught my eye.
It depicted a boy with a golden sword facing a black dragon—a bold and dramatic scene.
Even an amateur like me could tell it was a masterpiece.
“That’s a work by Mijet. It portrays the hero who fought to save the world from the Blackflame Demon Dragon Viper a thousand years ago,” Lilith explained.
Mijet must be the artist’s name.
The other paintings also seemed to depict scenes from legends and myths.
—The undefeated mercenary who triumphed in three thousand battles.
—The legendary explorer who first conquered the Death King Ruins, the hardest dungeon.
—The supreme hero-king who once ruled three-fifths of the known world.
“Father has a penchant for collecting paintings like these,” Lilith continued.
“It’s half a hobby and half a tax dodge, apparently.”
“And this one…”
I stopped in front of a particular painting.
It depicted seven strange figures: a winged maiden, a knight in heavy armor, a fiery humanoid, and others shrouded in golden light.
The image bore a striking resemblance to the mural we had seen in the dungeon Lilith and I explored together.
My chest thudded.
What was this sensation?
“It’s a replica of a mural found in ancient ruins. It portrays the Seven Pillars of the Gods.”
A deep baritone voice pulled me back.
Turning, I saw a man approaching.
He looked to be in his mid-forties, with piercing eyes, a lush mustache, and an aura of vitality and authority.
Could this be…?
“Nice to meet you, Haruto Riva-kun.”
The man gave a proud smile.
“I am Benedict Lafiel, the head of this household.”