Teian paused at the voice that spoke so easily.
He quietly set down his teacup, making sure not to let his agitation show on the surface.
“Is that Chester’s will?”
Benger couldn’t answer immediately. He hadn’t expected Teian to ask such a question.
“It isn’t, but I never intended to keep Chester in the Knights in the first place. Allowing him to join was meant to let him do as he pleased for a short while. Since that child has much to do in the future to assist his brother, I plan to have him start learning the relevant work soon.”
“Then it seems Chester does not wish to leave the Knights.”
The corners of Teian’s eyes curved. Looking at the Count, Benger thought it was quite fascinating.
He was a man who smiled so much he almost seemed frivolous, always wearing a gentle expression, yet the atmosphere he exuded was never light.
Rather, it was serious and heavy.
If Teian had been a shallow man who merely went around smiling, the Count Everhart family might have fallen even further than they already had.
“It seems so.”
Thus, Benger had no choice but to nod.
Any other noble would have shown signs of rudeness, asking why he was prying so deeply into another family’s affairs, but he couldn’t do that in front of Teian.
“In that case, is there a need to force him out? Leaving him to do what he wants would be more helpful to Chester.”
“Chester is a noble. As long as he was born into a Ducal house, he cannot live doing only what he wants. From birth, the roles and responsibilities one must naturally shoulder are determined. You know this well, Count. I cannot leave him to do only what he wants. That child’s older brother also left the Knights he enjoyed attending without hesitation to become the Duke.”
“That is likely because Eden didn’t have any particular lingering regrets about the Knights. But from what I see… Chester seems satisfied with his current life.”
Teian spoke while recalling the contents of the letters Ruite sent from time to time.
There were a few lines written about Chester in them.
He could tell just by that.
That Chester wasn’t participating in the Knights’ work with a heart light enough to be easily shaken off.
An unpleasant expression gradually appeared on Benger’s face.
Their families had promised a marriage long ago.
They agreed to marry the children once they were grown to create a stronger bond.
The Teian Benger saw was a different kind of person from himself, but as a partner to reap benefits with, he was second to none.
Although the Count’s reputation had dropped compared to before, Benger did not ignore him and recognized him as a fellow noble.
However, that didn’t mean he could cross the line.
No matter how upright and strong Teian’s character was, it was a fact that the Everhart family had less power and was inferior to the Callaway Ducal family.
“Count, I appreciate your concern for Chester, but the matter of my child is my jurisdiction as his father.”
“I apologize if I sounded rude. But as long as Chester is promised to marry Ruite, that child is now no different from my own family.”
Benger couldn’t easily refute those words.
It was because they weren’t exactly wrong.
If the two married, their families would essentially become one another’s family.
“…If that’s why you’re concerned about Chester, it’s fine. In any case, his reason for entering the Knights was likely a calculation to somehow defeat me. He won’t last long with that kind of mindset. He’ll break soon. I’m just trying to take Chester out before that happens. As a parent, isn’t it a good thing to lead a child toward a more stable path?”
“Then, couldn’t you just let him win, Duke?”
“…”
Teian still maintained his benevolent smile.
“If things go as you say, a stable future would be guaranteed. By assisting his brother who will become the Duke, Chester could also expand his position as a member of the Callaway family. However, if he himself does not want that, I don’t think even a parent can force it. Did you say the same things you just told me to Chester?”
Benger nodded once.
“If Chester really entered the Knights only for the purpose of defeating you and gaining recognition, he would have broken the moment he heard those words. But how is he now? Chester is doing better than anyone in the Knights. That means that purpose is no longer the only one that exists for Chester.”
“Even if it isn’t right now, the possibility of it becoming so soon cannot be ignored.”
Benger, who had been quietly listening to Teian’s story, did not back down easily either.
“Then why do you only wish for Chester to walk a guaranteed, comfortable path, Duke?”
“That is naturally for the sake of the family. Why else would there be a reason, if not to make the Ducal house more solid than it is now?”
Benger replied in a tone as if it were absurd. But Teian only nodded his head slowly.
“I think there is also a father’s heart that doesn’t want Chester to suffer unnecessarily while walking a stable path… Am I wrong?”
Benger furrowed his brows.
As a Duke who usually didn’t show his emotions transparently, he was now showing his displeasure without filtering it.
But separate from that, he couldn’t give any answer to what Teian had said.
“I also agree with the statement that the responsibilities and roles one must naturally shoulder from birth are determined. I am also a noble, after all. However, the only person who can clear that burden placed on a child’s shoulders is also the parent.”
“…”
“I want to build a close and warm relationship with Chester and the Callaway family in the future. I said these things with that heart, so if anything I said today offended you, Duke, I apologize.”
Benger maintained silence for a moment before standing up, saying he should head back.
He merely nodded at Teian’s words about meeting next time and boarded the carriage heading to the mansion.
Entering the mansion, Benger ran into Eden, who was just coming out of the office.
“Ah, you’re back? Did the meeting with Count Everhart go well?”
“Yes.”
“I organized the documents you asked me to check last time and put them on your desk. And I’ve finished all the work you assigned… Could I leave the mansion for about three days? There’s a region I want to visit.”
Benger stopped handing his coat to the attendant and stared intently at Eden.
At his father’s sudden, persistent gaze, Eden scratched his cheek awkwardly.
His face looked as if he was about to tell him not to wander around uselessly and to study more in the mansion.
Eden inevitably made a plan in his head to secretly sneak out of the mansion at night.
“Eden, why did you leave the Knights?”
“…Pardon?”
However, completely unexpected words that didn’t follow the previous conversation came out of Benger’s mouth.
Eden stared at his father blankly for a moment.
“Well, that’s because you wanted it, Father. And I have to become the head of the Callaway family…”
Since it was the first time Benger had asked such a question, Eden scratched his head awkwardly.
“Is that all?”
“…No. Actually, I didn’t have much of a lingering regret for the Knights. The same goes for being a magic swordsman. I just like traveling around the Empire quietly by myself. In that sense, it’s true that the current situation is much better than being in the Knights. But why suddenly…”
Before he could even ask the question, Benger turned his body and headed toward the office.
Left alone, Eden tilted his head.
At that moment, the butler, who had naturally followed Benger, came back out and approached him.
“Young Duke, the Duke said that three days is too long, so please return within two days.”
“Huh? Ah…”
At the words that his outing was permitted, Eden could only stare blankly at the place where Benger had disappeared, with a face that showed he had no idea what was going on.
Inside the Knights’ grounds, there was a building with no name.
Its purpose was to be used when criminals caught had to be interrogated regarding a case or some issue before being transferred to prison.
As such, compared to other Knights’ buildings, it was empty of objects or furniture, and the atmosphere wasn’t particularly good.
Chester, who had entered the building, headed toward a certain room familiarly.
As he opened the door and entered, he felt someone flinch in surprise.
“Captain, you’ve arrived.”
Morgan and Toby, who were standing on both sides, greeted Chester.
Chester nodded and turned his gaze toward the person the two subordinate knights were guarding.
“Hic!”
When their eyes met, the startled man excessively curled his body and rolled his eyes here and there.
He was someone Chester had seen once before.
He was the man who had suddenly shown abnormal symptoms and acted like a madman in the black market, the man who possessed the Puro powder—one of the key pieces of evidence Ruite had brought.
“Status?”
“His anxiety level is still high, but there’s no trouble with communication. He understands what’s being said and conversation is possible.”
Chester sat in the chair opposite the man.
As that sharp gaze turned toward him, the man swallowed hard and clenched his fists tightly.
