Accompanied by Jarana Maitis, a mage specializing in barriers, and Lucas Ebern—brought along as a servant under the guise of an "assistant"—Rest and the others set out once more for the Center of the Plain.
"Is Your Highness Andrew joining us as well?" Rest asked.
"Yes. Today is special, after all."
Prince Andrew was accompanied by several escort knights, led by his aide and Student Council Secretary, Yusgos Betras. Yusgos, a member of the Knight Department, was clad in full plate, followed by several other knights in matching armor.
"It’s not every day one gets to witness the activation of a large-scale barrier," Andrew said. "I truly wanted to see the process for myself... Is my presence a nuisance?"
"No, not at all."
Andrew was the general manager of the entire development project. Furthermore, the Center of the Plain was slated to become his personal territory. There was no reason for Rest to refuse his request to see the land he would soon rule.
Andrew traveled in an open carriage with Maitis seated beside him. Ordinarily, bringing horses into the Magical Wilds—a known monster nest—would be unthinkable, but with the area largely cleared of threats, there was little cause for concern.
"Huff... wheeze... Why... why must a Court Mage like me... endure this?"
One person was already on the verge of collapse before they had even entered the Wilds: Lucas Ebern, the "assistant" currently saddled with the heavy luggage.
"Rest, is it really okay to leave him like that?" Yuri asked, her brow furrowed with confusion. "He looks exhausted. If we need a porter, I could take the bags..."
"No, it's fine. Just focus on our surroundings, Yuri." Rest gave a small shrug to his teammate, who was showing genuine kindness despite having no idea of the history involved. "We have Prince Andrew and Guru Maitis with us today. We can’t afford any slips, so stay even more alert than usual."
"Understood. If you say so, Rest, I'll do just that." Yuri nodded firmly, psyching herself up with a sharp "Hmph!" before scanning the horizon.
"Ah... so that’s the man from the rumors," Isis remarked, though her eyes were cold with contempt. Whatever she had heard about the Ebern family had clearly left her with nothing but loathing for the man.
Lyubase, too, seemed to have pieced things together. He cast a single, mocking glance at Lucas before turning away with a cynical sneer. Neither Argyle nor Rail commented, opting instead to read the room and ignore the struggling porter.
"Wheeze... gasp..."
I see... Perhaps I have a pettier streak than I realized.
As the group trudged across the plains, Rest watched the man at the very back of the line. Seeing his biological father gasping for air and dragging his feet under the weight of the packs gave him an unexpected sense of discovery.
I thought I didn’t care about this man anymore, Rest mused. I thought as long as I never had to deal with him again, that would be enough. But why?
Watching Lucas struggle through the sweat and toil made him feel strangely... refreshed.
Could it be that I hated him all along without even noticing? Was there some part of me, deep down, that craved revenge?
"Enjoying the view?" Maitis’s voice drifted over from the carriage as if she had plucked the thought right out of his head. "You don't have to crave vengeance to find it pleasant when a wretch finally gets what's coming to him. Don't be one of those youngsters who tries to act all enlightened by claiming they 'don't hold a grudge' anymore."
"Guru..."
"Revenge that throws your life away or drags in innocent people is backward-looking—that’s the kind you avoid. But this?" Maitis glanced back at Lucas and let out a sharp, satisfying laugh. "Giving him a taste of his own medicine? This old woman calls that 'forward-looking.'"
"Because of how he treated you, that man has no place left at court," she continued. "Everyone knows he abused the next head of the Rosemary House—the same Count who now holds the King's personal favor. No one wants to board a sinking ship like that. He’s being saddled with all the filthy work no one else wants while everyone looks at him like he’s dirt."
"......"
Rest hadn't realized Lucas's situation was quite that dire. He knew the man would be devastated by the loss of his heir, but this sounded far worse.
"I hear he's desperate to adopt a child with enough talent to become a Court Mage just to keep his title," Maitis said, "but that's a pipe dream. His reputation as a failure of a father is common knowledge now. No one in their right mind would hand over a gifted child to a man like him."
"I... I see."
"You should just laugh and tell him 'serves you right.' Or better yet, go tell your mother all about it next time you visit her grave."
Maitis cackled like a storybook witch, but then her expression suddenly went blank as she stared off into the distance.
"Is something the matter, Guru?" Rest asked.
"No... it just seems there’s someone quite impolite out there. Good grief, what a persistent little girl."
"......?"
Rest tilted his head, confused, but Maitis offered no further explanation.
"Wheeze... gasp..."
Rest looked back at his sweat-drenched father one last time, resting his chin in his hand.
That’s one way to look at it... Maybe I should report this to Mother when I return to the capital.
Perhaps she would be laughing from the other side, too. At the thought, Rest let out a small, quiet chuckle.