41—Context

As I waited for my meal, I discreetly looked at my father. I had plenty of memories of him, naturally, but old Raynold had never really focused that much on him—he took his appearance for granted—nor had I on our first encounter, so now I got to see details that I never had before.

The duke was a sad man, faded, just like his once-vibrant blue hair, now receding and greyish. Age and loss had left deep grooves on his face, his small eyes framed by seemingly permanent bags and unkept eyebrows.

He resented me, and he had his reasons to do so, even if irrational. It was a typical story, almost cliche'd, really. My mother, his wife and the love of his life, had died minutes after giving birth to me, with her baby in her arms. Blood loss, perhaps.

Not only that. In fact, I wasn't the third children they had, but the fourth. The third, my older sister, who'd been barely two at the time, also died from disease a few months later.

The stoic man just couldn't take the grief. He needed a cause, a culprit, someone to direct his rage towards, to blame for all his pain and suffering. For everything that had been taken away from him.

Naturally, that was me.

Something similar happened with my brothers, too. They were just snotty little kids at the time, and they suddenly lost both their beloved mother and cute baby sister. They saw their father's scorn towards me, the newborn, and naturally began to hate me, too, thinking me the culprit for all their ills, as if I'd taken their family away from them.

That wasn't nearly enough of an excuse for all the grief they'd put me through over the years, but it still put things into context.

As I was lost in Raynold's memories, my breakfast arrived, a wonderfully smelling meal worthy of a duke's son. I gave it a deep, appreciative sniff. At least, the kitchens had never made my food worse than the others'. Not that I'd have any way of knowing if they spat on it every day.

'Well, they make it properly, but they still somehow leave it unattended enough for my brothers to have their servants sneak all sorts of nasty stuff into it. Either that, or the cooks know it and yet do nothing about it. Oh well.'

Picking up my fork and knife, I began cutting into one of the steaming, buttered toasts, when my father's voice reached my ears.

"Raynold."

I immediately stopped in my tracks and looked at him, wondering what he was up to now.

"So, I heard you have been making quite a name for yourself as an adventurer lately," he began, and my face immediately darkened, knowing there would be nothing I could do if he banned me from adventuring or somesuch, which would be disastrous.

"And you didn't even use a fake name, just a shortened version of yours. Though I shouldn't have expected anything else from you, I suppose."

I winced slightly at that, drinking a bit of juice to moisten my dry throat. 'Yeah, that was kinda dumb actually... I blame it on the excitement of having just been reincarnated into another world.'

My father sighed, and continued, as I bit into another toast. "Since you haven't had your debut into noble society yet, not many know your face, but it is merely a matter of time for somebody to connect the dots. And, a member of a ducal house being an adventurer..."

I clenched my teeth, my mouth still filled with oily bread. 'Uh-oh. Here it comes.'

"...is not unheard of, but some will look down on it. Though I suppose that will change if you reach a high enough Rank."

My eyes widened. 'What!? He doesn't plan on stopping me?'

But then, my father's expression turned darker, his brows furrowing slightly.

"However... when it comes to the two... girls, you chose for party members... that is a different matter entirely. Scorn will be the only reaction to such a revelation. You understand this cannot be overlooked, right?"

Hearing that, I really winced. I needed to say something, fast. I set down my fork and knife, and looked at him eye to eye.

"I understand your point, father. Two girls with such... poor appearances make for a bad image, even more so in the case of a high noble such as myself," I began, though it pained me to even utter such words.

"However... One must put things into context. I trust your informants have told you of Nika's triple elemental affinity? The amount of mages in the whole kingdom with such gifts could probably be counted with one hand. Furthermore, she is also a very talented offensive spellcaster, who is even capable of chantless, third layer parallel casting.

"The only hurdle preventing her from shooting all the way to C Rank or beyond is combat awareness and experience, and she is rapidly improving in those with my aid. Plus, her thin build massively facilitates movement within the dense forest. I believe she is a very suitable member."

As I continued eating my breakfast to calm down my nerves, my father considered my words, then spoke, "Hmm... I suppose you have a point. Alright, but what about this new maid of yours, Aina? Couldn't you have her simply stay in the mansion? She does not appear to possess any notable combat strength."

I clenched my hands. I didn't know what to tell him. Aina had potential; she was full of it, actually, but there had simply been no time to properly train her! And mere talks of potential wouldn't convince my father. I needed something solid.

So I took a gamble. I would have to reveal some secrets, and tell some lies.

"Aina... I bought her for a reason, father. She is... different. Have you noticed her ears? They are not some freak mutation, I don't believe, but something else. Something special. In fact, I have a theory; she may not be fully human."

I stopped for a moment to let that soak in, gulped down my glass of milk, then continued.

"Not only can she spot monsters and tracks with supernatural speed and precision, but she even has some kind of connection with nature, such that within the forest she can somehow connect her senses with the trees and feel vibrations through their roots, and more.

"And, this may not amount much, but she also posseses quite an exceptional affinity for the wind element, and I am planning on having Nika train her on its usage."

As I finished speaking, my father leaned back in thought. He thought for far longer this time, and I could practically hear the gears in his mind churning. Eventually, he gave me his veredict.

"Fine. I will allow things to stay as they are. However, you must promise me, on your blood and name, not to try to take on challenges above your level. A son of nobility cannot possibly be felled by a mere monster because of stupid arrogance. Moreover, people may target you once they learn of your identity, even if you are a mere idiotic, unimportant third son. Stay safe."

My eyes widened, especially at his last two words, which seed like the most genuine ones he had said in all our exchange. I nodded, deep in thought.

'Perhaps he just wanted to find a reason to steer me away from danger? Is that also why he refused to get me a swordsmanship instructor, and why he always seemed so against it? That couldn't be, right? There's no way, right?'

I was shaken out my thoughts by my father's level stare, so I got on with the oath.

"I swear, by my blood and name, Raynold Bloodhart, not to ever seek challenges above my level of strength, and to never willfully risk my life unduly. Is that alright, father?"

Duke Kybell nodded, and I could barely make out a small smile that briefly flashed on his face before he straightened his expression.

Seeing that, I added a few parting words, just as I stood up and was turning around to leave.

"You will not lose any more family, father. Not if I can help it."

I awaited no response as I stepped out. It was a long walk back to my room.