Book 1 Chapter 595

595.

Leo, chin in hand, gazed at the scenery outside the carriage.

Unlike the always cold northern continent and the hot southern continent, which was mostly desert, the western continent had relatively distinct seasons.

"It's been a long time since we've gone on a family trip like this."

Rayna, sitting opposite Leo, smiled faintly as she looked out the window.

"Are you alright?"

"What?"

"You didn't really want to come to Gerdinger."

"That's right."

Rayna leaned her head against the window, looking at the scenery outside.

The landscape she had seen since childhood was reflected in her crimson eyes.

In the distance, the colossal walls of Gerdinger Castle could be seen.

Gerdinger, a renowned hero family.

There was a time when she bore that name on her back.

'Those were glorious days.'

She recalled the time when she was a hero candidate, drawing the world's attention.

The beautiful female knight of Gerdinger.

She never missed the top of her class and graduated from Lumerne as the top student.

Even after graduation, she achieved countless accomplishments and was widely expected to have her name inscribed in the Hero Record in short order.

However, Rayna could not become a hero.

She sacrificed herself, throwing her body in place of a friend who was on the verge of death during a hero dungeon raid.

She narrowly escaped with her life and was able to return, but Rayna lost her Aura and could no longer fight.

She could have remained with the family even after retirement.

Even if she couldn't fight, the name Gerdinger would not disappear.

But Rayna left the family to pursue the life she desired.

"It's not that I didn't want to come to Gerdinger because of lingering regrets from the past."

Rayna smiled broadly.

"I'm much happier now than I was back then."

She didn't regret sacrificing herself for her friend.

Nor did she regret abandoning her family's name herself.

"I married the man I love."

Rayna leaned her head on Dayde's shoulder, who was sitting next to her, and linked arms with him.

"And I gave birth to such a wonderful son."

"You two are still so sweet."

"Of course. Dad and Mom will live happily ever after like this. Right? Dayde?"

"Absolutely, Rayna."

Leo let out a wry laugh, looking at his parents who were still showering each other with affection.

'Those two will be like that forever.'

It was then that Leo shook his head.

"The reason I didn't want to come to the main house was because of the Elder Council."

Rayna clicked her tongue.

"It's obvious they'll still be saying annoying things about old matters. Ugh. It's sickening."

'Now that I think about it, the Elder Council tried to arrange a political marriage between the current Emperor of Lodran and my mother, didn't they?'

The Elder Council, being a group concerned only with the prosperity of the Gerdinger family, wanted to use Rayna as a tool for political marriage.

Even though she had lost her Aura, as a direct descendant of Gerdinger and a highly reputed knight, Rayna could have easily become empress if she had wanted to.

"To me, Dayde is a much more wonderful husband than the emperor!"

"That's embarrassing."

Dayde smiled awkwardly.

"Anyway, now Leo, you've gained high renown, haven't you?"

Rayna smiled broadly.

"I thought they wouldn't talk such nonsense anymore, so I came quickly. No, I could even tell the Elder Council, 'What would have happened if I had married the emperor back then?'"

The birth of an unprecedented hero.

The successor of the great hero who saved the world, acknowledged by God.

Of course, he was the hero himself, not just a successor, but Rayna couldn't know that.

"Hoo hoo hoo. Just thinking about the expressions on those old men's faces spoiling is truly delightful! Ohohohohoho!"

Leo shook his head, looking at her laughing like a witch, and gazed out the window.

'Married couple.'

Setting aside the fact that they were his parents in this life.

Leo was grateful to Dayde and Rayna.

Having been an orphan in his previous life, Leo didn't know the warmth of parents. It was Dayde and Rayna who taught him parental love and the joy of ordinary daily life.

'The lives of these two… taught me how much value our accomplishments had.'

Leo smiled faintly as he looked at the two of them.

Seeing his expression, Rayna sighed deeply.

'My son is making that old man's face again.'

She knew that her son sometimes looked at her with eyes whose depth was hard to fathom.

'That's why it's not fun to tease him.'

Her alias, 'Witch of Flame,' wasn't just because she enveloped herself in flames and incinerated enemies on the battlefield.

It was an alias earned because she sometimes played pranks on those around her.

'My son never gets flustered, so he's not cute in that way.'

Rayna, who had been grumbling, suddenly remembered something and smiled broadly.

"Speaking of which, Leo."

"Yes."

"Have you gotten a girlfriend?"

As a teenager, he was at an age where he would be very interested in the opposite sex.

Moreover, there were many beautiful girls in Lumerne.

'My son must have at least one girl he likes, right?'

"I have many girlfriends."

"What?"

Rayna made a dumbfounded expression at Leo's answer.

"Are you perhaps dating this girl and that girl? I didn't raise you that way!"

"I have many female friends. What were you thinking?"

"This child is playing with his mother."

Rayna covered her face.

"You have many pretty friends, why aren't you dating? Studying is good and training is good, but school days are for dating. There's Chelsea from the Rwalin family, and during summer vacation, that child Chen Xia and a child named Chloe were pretty, weren't they?"

Rayna recalled Leo's friends.

"Were Alan and Berga's daughters named Lunia and Ar? And there's also a child named Eiran from the Ersar family."

One hand, one hand.

Rayna, who was counting the female students who came to mind, tilted her head.

"I think they're perfect daughter-in-law material. I want to see grandchildren soon, so I won't scold you even if you speed things up."

"Are you telling me to mess with children?"

"You're a child too, aren't you?"

Rayna made an incredulous expression.

Seeing Rayna, Leo furrowed his brow.

"Ugh. How can you not even bat an eye? You're not cute at all."

"Mother, how old are you, exactly?"

"Forever 17 at heart."

"You know that's unbecoming, don't you?"

"Is this annoying mouth of yours talking carelessly about your mother?"

Veins bulged on Rayna's forehead as she smiled brightly and pinched one of Leo's cheeks.

Meanwhile, as they spent such intimate family time together.

The carriage carrying the Flobe family arrived at the main gate of Gerdinger Castle.

***

As the carriage door opened, the first thing visible were the Gerdinger knights lined up left and right, leaving a path clear in the middle.

Seeing that, Leo narrowed his eyes.

Though she had abandoned the family name, it was the visit of Rayna, once a direct descendant.

Therefore, it was not unusual for many people to come out to greet them out of courtesy.

However…

'I don't see a single Gerdinger bloodline.'

Black hair and crimson eyes.

Not a single person seemed to be of Gerdinger blood.

Moreover, each of the knights lined up exuded a sharp aura.

It was clearly not a welcoming atmosphere.

If Leo had come alone, there would have been no problem.

But Dayde and Rayna, who came with Leo, were practically civilians.

Rayna, having consistently trained as a knight, might be able to withstand the sharp aura even though she lost her own, but Dayde could not.

They wouldn't cause harm, but he would turn pale.

'My mother was expelled from the family because she married my father.'

He didn't expect them to welcome them with open arms, but he didn't expect them to be so blatant.

Leo felt the same way.

It was only because Liss and Celia, the next heads of the family, treated Leo specially and Leo's reputation was high that they didn't show their dissatisfaction.

'In the first place, there were those within Gerdinger who looked down on me for suddenly acquiring the title of a direct descendant.'

Rayna had said she would give a piece of her mind to the Elder Council.

But even if he had become a hero and achieved great deeds, she must have come along because she was worried that her young son might not receive proper treatment.

After all, Gerdinger was a hero family with a long history.

As such, the intertwined interests within the family were also complex.

If she had seen this and thought, 'They'll take care of it themselves,' there's no telling what would have happened.

Normally, he wouldn't have batted an eye at such things.

But if the targets were Dayde and Rayna, it was a different story.

Thud-

Leo stepped down from the carriage.

The knights' gazes converged on Leo.

Stomp-!

"Cough?!"

"Gasp?"

The moment Leo took a step.

An immense aura enveloped the knights.

'A childish battle of wills is welcome.'

The sharp aura instantly recoiled.

The knights' faces turned deathly pale.

Some of them staggered.

Dayde, who followed Leo out of the carriage, looked momentarily puzzled at the sight.

Rayna, holding Dayde's hand and stepping out of the carriage, understood the situation and narrowed her eyes.

"The knights who came out to greet us… are the Elder Council's knights."

Rayna clicked her tongue softly, looking at the emblem embroidered on the knights' shoulders.

And she looked at Leo.

"Father, Mother. Let's go."

At Leo's words, Dayde nodded.

Thud-! Thud-!

Every time Leo passed, those who couldn't endure it fell to their knees.

Dayde's face hardened slightly at the sight.

He didn't know the full situation, but he knew there had been an invisible battle between Leo and the knights.

Stomp-

Soon, the three members of the Flobe family stood before the mansion.

A moment later.

Creak-

The massive mansion doors opened, and a sturdy-looking old man walked out, accompanied by those who appeared to be elders.

Rayna muttered as she recognized the old man's face.

"Father."

Dayde's expression became tense upon hearing that.

Leo gazed at his maternal grandfather with expressionless eyes.

The former head of Gerdinger.

Regas Gerdinger opened his mouth.

"It seems the Elder Council's welcome didn't please you."

Regas's gaze briefly went to Dayde and Rayna, then finally settled on Leo.

"Considering how you rampaged, Leo Gerdinger."

At those words, Rayna's eyes twitched, and Dayde furrowed his brow.

Calling Leo by the surname Gerdinger.

That was tantamount to denying Leo's paternal family.

Although he had been recognized as a direct descendant, Leo's surname had not changed.

Leo smiled broadly at Regas's words.

"The welcome was a mess."

"How dare you speak such nonsense to the elders of the family!"

One of the elders behind Regas snapped.

Leo ignored him completely and said,

"And I didn't rampage. It's just that the Elder Council knights are weak."

"This brat!"

"Crucially."

Leo shrugged.

"My name is Leo Flobe, sir. Former Head Regas Gerdinger."

The old hero known as the 'Heart of Flame'.

Regas stared intently into Leo's crimson eyes, which looked directly at him, then curled the corners of his mouth.

"Indeed."

Regas stroked his beard.

"It seems you have given birth to a monster, Rayna."

"Isn't 'monster' too harsh for your grandson, Father? And what kind of grandfather in the world tests a grandson he's meeting for the first time?"

As Rayna grumbled, Regas burst into hearty laughter.

"I merely wished to see! Just what kind of person this talkative Leo Flobe is! Truly magnificent!"

Regas, who laughed as if delighted, grinned.

"Welcome to Gerdinger."