Upon arriving in the capital, the three of them went directly to the Marquis Rosemary townhouse.
Though it hadn't been that long since they’d last been there, returning felt as if an age had passed.
"Phew... It's such a relief. I feel like I'm finally back at my family home," Viola said.
"It practically is our home at this point. I'm so glad to be back," Primula added.
Both girls let out long sighs of relief.
Technically, this was just a townhouse; their actual family seat was back in the Marquis Rosemary territory. However, as they grew older, they had spent more and more time at this estate, making it a place they considered their second home.
Rest agreed silently.
To him, "home" was the downtown district of the capital where he had lived with his mother. He had never considered the Honorary Viscount Ebern mansion—the place he had been taken to after her death—as his own house. This townhouse, however, was where his life had truly changed. It was his second home.
"Welcome home, Lady Viola, Lady Primula, and Lord Rest."
"Welcome back, miladies, Young Master."
The servants greeted the trio as they entered the hall.
Rest had once worked here as an apprentice butler, but since his conferment of peerage and elevation to nobility, the staff had begun to treat him with significantly more deference. They now addressed him as "Lord" or "Young Master."
"You must be exhausted from the long journey. We have the bath and a meal ready. Which would you prefer first?"
"A bath sounds wonderful," Viola replied.
"Yes, I'd like that as well," Primula said.
The maid took their answer with a nod. While it hadn't been an exceptionally long journey, the trip from the pioneer village on the Subnock Plain back to the capital still took several hours. Being rattled about in a carriage the whole way had left them thoroughly drained.
"Go on ahead, Rest. We’ll be right behind you," Viola said.
"Please wait for us, Lord Rest," Primula added.
"Er... Right."
It was understood as a matter of course that he would be bathing with the two of them.
As Viola and Primula disappeared down the hall, the remaining servants watched him with warm, knowing smirks.
"Well, I'll see you in a bit..."
Feeling a wave of awkwardness, Rest beat a hasty retreat from the entrance hall.
"Well, well... Welcome back, Lord Rest."
"Professor Dieble."
On his way to the bathroom, he was intercepted by a butler with a salt-and-pepper beard. It was Dieble, the personal aide to the Marquis and a former Court Mage. To Rest, he was also his magic mentor.
"The rumors have reached me already. I hear you were quite active during the development project."
"It's all thanks to you, Professor. I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't studied under you."
Rest meant every word.
He possessed infinite mana and an extraordinary sense for magic, but without the guidance of a practical mage like Dieble, his talents would have likely gone to waste. He would have lost to Subnock or Rodel, and in all likelihood, he wouldn't even have managed to enroll in the Academy.
"Would you be up for another mock battle sometime?"
"Hahaha... Please, don't joke. I'm no match for you as you are now, Lord Rest."
Dieble gave a wry smile and raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.
"There isn't a single spell I can cast that you haven't mastered yourself. You’ve equaled me in both technique and combat skill as well. I doubt I’ll ever be able to best you again."
"I don't think that's quite true, but..."
Somewhere along the way, Rest had surpassed his master. It was a feeling that left him somewhere between pride and a touch of loneliness.
"I look forward to hearing more about your experiences on the frontier once you've settled in. Now then, the young ladies will likely be arriving any moment. Please, proceed to the bath."
"Uh..."
"Don't mind me. Please, take your time."
Dieble looked positively amused. Rest made a sour face as his awkwardness deepened, then continued his trek toward the bathroom.