NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9
009.
The meeting with the Lakatus Dukedom was far from over.
When they initially returned, Kalen was bewildered, but since Blamia showed no signs of confusion, he had no choice but to follow.
One would think that the transactions between them had concluded at that point.
Yet, it felt too easy, and that thought lingered.
The people sent from the Lakatus family were consistent.
Precisely, the same three people who had come first, occasionally joined by apprentice maids around Kalen’s age or sometimes additional members.
The nature and extent of their requests varied significantly.
As if testing Kalen in some way.
The level of monsters gradually—if only slightly—increased, and later, they even sent him alone with an apprentice maid.
One day, utterly confused, Kalen asked the apprentice maid.
“What in the world is this?”
“Uh, me?”
“Monster hunting or guarding makes some sense, but why are we doing these meaningless tasks?”
“Ah…”
Inside the carriage, on the edge of the estate, pretending to be guarding with the apprentice maid of the Lakatus Dukedom.
Though called a maid, she had been an apprentice for only a short while.
In other words, all the camping and helping during their trips had been solely Kalen’s responsibility.
Frustrated, Kalen voiced his doubts, prompting the apprentice maid to lower her head, tears welling in her eyes.
“I’m sorry… Sniff…”
…
Kalen was the one without sense here.
He intended to say something, but seeing her reaction stopped him from continuing.
In the end, he sighed, leaning against the carriage window.
Most days continued like that.
Then, as expected, Ebed and Brusel and Dues arrived at the small cottage.
By now, this was a somewhat familiar occurrence.
Kalen skillfully prepared the luggage he had packed in advance, ready to depart.
“Kid.”
It was Blamia who stopped Kalen.
“Don’t you want to do it?”
At first glance, the tone could seem unpleasant.
But her voice wasn’t criticizing Kalen.
When Kalen turned around and looked at Blamia, the usually cantankerous old woman had a slightly softened expression.
It was a genuine inquiry into Kalen’s feelings—not a reprimand for his attitude, but a sincere question about how Kalen felt.
“Not particularly, Master.”
Even if it felt tedious or meaningless,
Kalen knew this involved Blamia’s and Serasie’s deep desires.
If he could help, then it mattered little to him.
“Well, then go see Serasie for a moment.”
“Right now?”
“Now.”
It was just before their departure.
Kalen tilted his head but obediently headed inside.
He didn’t hear well what was said behind him.
“Kal!”
“Master asked me to come see you.”
“Hmm, you came just in time.”
Actually, Kalen felt somewhat guilty towards Serasie.
He was well aware of the two years he spent enduring her attachment, and he knew how anxious she became when he wasn’t around.
Serasie managed through that anxiety only because of her commitment to her promise with the Lakatus family.
“What is it?”
At Kalen’s question, Serasie smiled faintly, turned around, and extended something.
It was a box wrapped in a rectangular shape.
“A gift?”
“Yes… you can open it.”
Kalen took and opened the box.
Inside, there was a monocular and a black staff.
“…What do you think?”
He understood the purpose of the monocular.
However, considering Blamia’s era, it felt a little outdated in this modern age.
“The monocular was Grandpa’s gift… and the staff is mine.”
“Huh?”
“I found an Ambher tree while strolling one day, and it reminded me of you.”
Though Serasie tried to hide it, her face clearly revealed the anticipation of his reaction.
Moreover, the staff was handmade—a gift crafted with care.
Kalen couldn’t disappoint her.
“Thank you, Serasie.”
“I’m bored, so come back as soon as you can, Kal.”
“I will.”
Kalen and Serasie looked at each other and smiled faintly.
*
“Thank you for the gift, Elder. I’ll return soon.”
“…Safe travels.”
Kalen thanked them for the monocular and climbed into the carriage alongside the three others.
Fortunately, there was no apprentice maid this time, but a strange unease lingered.
The oddity reached its peak when Kalen boarded the carriage.
“This will be the last.”
The words came from Ebed.
All the accumulated questions, the sudden gifts from Blamia and Serasie,
and now Ebed’s remark.
“Are you finally going to explain?”
“Did you suspect something already?”
“You’re testing me like this—how could I not know?”
“Seems like you have sharp instincts, my boy.”
Ordinarily, Kalen avoided getting involved, but this persistent testing was beyond baffling.
Initially, he hadn’t realized it, but as it went on, it progressively felt like some kind of test.
“Have you ever heard anything about the Grand Duke’s mentions of the heirs of several noble families or promising young talents like you?”
Carefully hinting at something, Ebed’s expression seemed somewhat troubled.
When Kalen glanced at Brusel, he promptly turned his head toward the carriage window.
“Not in detail, but I’ve heard of successors at the top of their inheritance lists.”
“Indeed, that’s normal. For instance, Lady Laris or Lady Serasie—truly remarkable individuals.”
“I’ve also heard of Master Decawm from the Lakatus family.”
Typically, when praising their own, one would start by mentioning someone from their own family first.
Ebed talked about the ladies, and Kalen mentioned the eldest son of their house.
However, Ebed shook his head and sighed lightly.
“Eliana.”
“Yes?”
“Did the Grand Duke ever mention the name Eliana Lakatus?”
“Uh?”
Of course, Blamia’s lessons for Serasie included many names of notable descendants, as acquaintanceship was inevitable.
Ebed’s mention of “Eliana Lakatus” was unfamiliar to Kalen.
The surname indicated she belonged to the Lakatus family, but that was all he could deduce.
“Yes… Eventually, it boils down to this: Lady Eliana is the youngest of the Lakatus family.”
“Is she relevant to my task?”
“You’ve guessed correctly—your task is to guard Lady Eliana.”
As the head of the Lakatus family stood on the brink of fifth-tier status, Kalen had long heard of the excellence of the eldest son.
Moreover, Lakatus was known for its many outstanding talents.
Naturally, one question surfaced in Kalen’s mind.
As Ebed’s words trailed off, the reason remained vague.
“…”
“Just because… the same reason we’ve been giving you similar requests, testing you over and over again.”
Ebed deliberately left the question unanswered.
Kalen couldn’t overlook it—both the concealment until now and withholding it here annoyed him.
“Why? There must be someone more skilled than me in Lakatus.”
“Hmm.”
The Dranunus family’s decline and the rise of the four new powerhouses were undeniable.
Among them, Lakatus should have high-ranking mages.
Even though high-tier mages were rare in this world, within a single family, surely the expensive mage education could be managed.
It had to be Kalen for some specific reason.
The tests they gave him were far from sufficient.
High-tier mages would excel far beyond him in hunting monsters, and protecting someone wasn’t something a boy without experience should be entrusted with.
The logic behind why they camped with apprentice maids made sense now, but something even more incomprehensible was emerging.
“Please don’t bring up the excuse that my combat style is unique—it can’t possibly be a reason you aren’t aware of.”
“Indeed, this is awkward.”
Kalen stopped mid-sentence as he noticed sadness in Ebed’s expression.
Sadness?
It was neither confusion nor anything else—it didn’t fit the situation.
As if… the sort of sadness Blamia might feel towards Serasie…
“To put it plainly, this exceeds my authority.”
“Sir?”
“There are facts that someone like me can’t presume to disclose.”
Kalen couldn’t help but grow more confused.
Ebed had introduced himself as a managerial official.
At the very least, no one within the Lakatus organization should have more authority over this matter than Ebed—except one.
“Am I meeting him?”
“Indeed. You have sharp wits.”
The head of the Lakatus family.
Ebed was asking Kalen to seek guidance directly from Everchant Lakatus.
Kalen was at a loss for words.
As the carriage carried the awkward silence,
it headed quietly towards the southeast.
*
“We’re almost there.”
“…”
An estimated count of hundreds, perhaps thousands of scrolls.
Inside the elegant study room, a middle-aged man quietly set down his quill.
Tracing the quill with his gaze revealed scrolls far from ordinary.
Complicated and intertwined symbols and formulas covered them, yet their underlying meaning was consistent.
Stacks upon stacks of scrolls were the same.
This man had been pouring over hundreds, maybe thousands, of treatises on a single subject.
His eyes had bags underneath, revealing immense fatigue.
Only his irises remained sharp and focused.
All known methods in the world had been tried and failed.
A method thought to be the most promising and also the first to fail.
A new possibility emerged from that very method, now nearly arriving.
“Coming soon.”
“Sir…are you going yourself?”
“Given that he’s a peculiar one raised by you Elders, how could I not be interested?”
The heavy laughter fit well with the owner of the Lakatus house,
as he rose from his seat.