Ch.180Time Flows #1

“Let’s end today’s training here. Go wash up and get some rest.”

In the morning, as the warm spring breeze melted into the air, Helena stood in the middle of the training ground, her impassive gaze fixed on the child kneeling before her, gasping for breath.

The child, who would turn thirteen this year, had a surprisingly sturdy build despite his age, though his face clearly revealed the youthfulness appropriate for his years.

“Yes… thank you.”

“Good. Apply medicine to your injuries, and don’t hide them—be careful not to harm your body further. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

The child, Nix, brushed the hair clinging to his face and slowly rose to his feet.

It had been roughly two years since he had begun crossing swords with Helena every morning at his own request, but he still couldn’t gauge the full extent of the strength and speed that came from her slender frame.

“Haaa…”

Thud. Nix collapsed onto the training ground floor, feeling the ache in various parts of his body where the wooden sword had struck him.

He had grown accustomed to the pain from the wooden sword strikes and could endure it, but he felt he couldn’t take another step without lying down to catch his breath.

“I see Helena was her usual self today.”

Hearing a familiar voice suddenly, Nix quickly lifted his body to look ahead.

Only by doing so could he see the man, Zion, approaching the training ground from the direction he had been gazing at the sky.

“Father…!”

“Seeing you jump up like that, you can’t be completely out of energy.”

Zion approached Nix, who welcomed him like a dog greeting its master, with a slight smile at the corner of his lips. He pulled out a medicine bottle he had prepared in his pocket.

It was something the servants had prepared in advance, knowing that injuries were inevitable when training with Helena.

At first, the people of the mansion were quite shocked to see Nix covered in bruises, but they were reassured after hearing Helena’s belief that proper training should be rigorous.

Come to think of it, she had always swung her sword without hesitation even when sparring with Zion, who always wore a collar…

“You don’t need to do this yourself, Father. The servants would do it for me…”

“What’s wrong with a father taking care of his child?”

Nix looked at Zion with wavering eyes as he sat beside him, personally applying medicine to his bruises, and kept his mouth shut.

Whether it was because he came from a baronial family that had served the ducal house, he didn’t know, but Zion often displayed behavior quite different from what Nix had seen and heard about nobles.

Of course, that didn’t mean Nix disliked Zion. Rather, he liked him because he was different.

“It might feel uncomfortable, but since I’ve just applied medicine to your bruises, you can’t wash up right away. Fortunately, Helena showed considerable restraint, so you only need to wait about thirty minutes.”

It had been several years since he had changed his way of speaking, having been told that speaking too casually to the child would diminish his dignity, but it still felt awkward.

Zion thought this while outwardly continuing the conversation in a very natural manner, using the speech pattern typical of nobles.

“With so much to learn, aren’t you getting tired of it?”

“Tired? How could I be? As a member of the ducal house, it’s only natural that I observe and learn.”

“Really…?”

Nix stared directly into Zion’s eyes as he tilted his head questioningly, but eventually lowered his head and admitted in a small voice that he was “not really…” enjoying it.

He had been fine giving the formalized answer he was expected to give, but he couldn’t withstand the pressure of that steady gaze asking for his true feelings.

He expected to be scolded for being weak as a noble, for being told that he shouldn’t be that way, but instead—

“That’s understandable. Not many people your age enjoy learning.”

Rather than scolding him, Zion readily acknowledged that it was normal, causing Nix to tilt his head in confusion.

“Oh… is that so?”

“Of course, it varies depending on the environment and a person’s temperament, so I can’t say definitively, but I generally think that’s the case.”

However, Zion added, one still had to learn because it was necessary. Not just saying “you must do it,” but adding as many specific examples as possible.

Young as he was, Nix couldn’t grasp the full weight of those words, but he could tell from his father’s eyes that he was speaking with sincerity.

.

“Oh my, I’m exhausted…”

As always, after a full day of training, learning about the administration of the duchy, and various other miscellaneous lessons from Zion, the sun had already set.

Nix threw himself onto his bed, groaning like an old man.

Though he took after Helena in intelligence and didn’t find the lessons difficult to understand, the sheer variety of subjects left him exhausted.

At least they let him rest properly on weekends and didn’t push him until bedtime, which was fortunate.

Nix felt renewed appreciation for how sweet and precious these weekday evenings and weekend free times were.

“Why are you groaning like that? You’re not an old man. And take off your clothes. You’re dirtying the bed.”

While entering the room of the duke’s son without permission would normally be a grave offense deserving punishment, there were exceptions.

For instance, the dark elf girl Lachesis, who entered Nix’s room without permission and scolded him.

“I suppose I should…”

Nix stared at the girl who approached with brisk steps and scolded him, then quickly got up and changed his clothes as instructed.

Having bathed after training and stayed indoors without breaking a sweat since then, he was already in his nightclothes.

“By the way, when did you get back? Weren’t you supposed to go all the way to Bluenail?”

“Just now, just now. So I’m a bit tired.”

When Lachesis mentioned that escorting the Altram merchant group on a long journey had been tiring but enjoyable, Nix cast an envious glance at her.

Though the duchy was large, he felt confined having lived only within its borders all this time.

“I’m jealous. I want to go outside the duchy too…”

“I’d like to say you’re still far from ready… but your case is different.”

As Lachesis teased while seemingly trying to comfort him, Nix let out a long sigh and flopped back onto the bed.

He knew her personality had always been like this, and having learned from experience that it was better to give up early since he couldn’t change it.

“Right… I suppose so. Because I’m the duke’s son.”

As Helena’s only child and heir, it was natural that he would be valued highly, and Nix understood this atmosphere to some extent.

Still, he couldn’t help feeling stifled whenever he saw his half-siblings freely going outside the duchy.

Even though he understood and accepted it, his heart remained unsettled, and his circumstances wouldn’t change.

Lachesis stared at Nix’s expression, which was gradually losing its vitality due to his complicated thoughts, and asked incredulously:

“What is it this time?”

“Huh? What?”

“Your expression is sour. What’s bothering you now?”

Lachesis frowned and exhaled a hot breath, holding back the words “for a boy” that momentarily crossed her mind.

Though she could have spoken freely as a half-sibling in this mansion, she maintained her own boundaries in moments like this.

Whether aware of this consideration or not, Nix confided his worries to Lachesis, who was both a friend and sibling of the same age.

“Just… I’m not sure if Mother loves me or not. They say noble ladies typically adore their children after giving birth… but our mother doesn’t really show such signs.”

If a grown adult had asked whether someone loved them or not, they might have been mocked for being childish, but Nix was clearly a child, so that wouldn’t happen.

Moreover, Lachesis, also being a child, seemed to have some understanding of what he meant, as she nodded while relaxing her expression.

“The Duchess? Well, there is that aspect to her. She always prioritizes the Grand Duke… your father.”

“You think so too?”

“Am I the only one who thinks that? But just because she prioritizes him doesn’t necessarily mean she doesn’t love you.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Nix sat up, his eyes sparkling with interest at Lachesis’s words.

His listlessness had disappeared, making him look like an ordinary child you might see anywhere.

“Think about it. What was the Duchess like at your age? She was already doing paperwork like an adult, not to mention she had already drawn aura from her sword and could cross blades with the Central Knights.”

“Well… that’s true.”

“But has she ever scolded you for not being able to draw aura, or for being clumsy with paperwork? Or for lacking in any other area of education?”

Nix was about to bow his head again, newly realizing how extraordinary Helena was, but Lachesis’s hastily added words prevented that. Thinking about it, he realized everything she said was correct.

Helena still acted like a noble lady, showing affection when with Zion, and otherwise maintaining a gentle but composed demeanor that seemed to draw a line.

Even Nix, her son, felt this way, so what more needed to be said?

But, as Lachesis pointed out, Helena had never once pressured him.

“…No, she hasn’t.”

“Right, she hasn’t. And what did she tell you? That different people excel in different areas and learn at vastly different rates, so don’t be hasty? I only know this from what my mother told me, but isn’t that what she said?”

“…Yes, she did.”

“See? That patience is the Duchess’s way of showing love. She could easily do things that you can’t, and she might feel frustrated by that, but she never shows it. As for the Grand Duke… your father, he’s naturally warm-hearted, so that’s a given.”

“Lucky bastard.” In Lachesis’s eyes, the dejected eldest son seemed ridiculous, though she could understand why he might feel that way.

Even from her perspective, Helena and Zion’s behavior was quite different from typical noble families.

Traditionally, the man leading the family should be strict and dignified, while the noble lady should be gentle and nurturing.

Sometimes there were vain women who pushed their children too hard, but that was different from the gruffness a family head might display.

Yet here, Helena was stern with her child, while Zion was kind and gentle like a mother, which could be confusing.

Moreover, someone who knew the circumstances might think Helena didn’t care much for her child, but Lachesis could confidently say that wasn’t the case.

She had gained some insight after hearing Zion mention how Helena had lived in the past and saying they shouldn’t hurt her.

Still, she couldn’t deny that, regrettably, Helena didn’t prioritize her child above all else like most mothers on the continent and lacked affection.

“And if you want to go outside, just talk to your father and persuade him. That’s the fastest way, as you know. He listens to us well.”

“That’s true.”

If he spoke directly to Helena, there was a good chance of being refused, but if Zion persuaded Helena, it would definitely work.

Nix, with a child’s intuition, instinctively knew who held the real power in this mansion, so he simply nodded obediently.

It was curious that the real power lay not with the Duchess but with her consort, the Grand Duke, but this was nothing new.

Lachesis, seeing Nix’s expression, thought the matter was settled and changed the subject.

“Good. Let’s leave this topic here. What has Clotho been up to?”

“Clotho? Same as always. Visiting the abbey to see if she can connect divine power to magic…”

“Ah… unchanging as ever, just like Lady Eve’s bloodline.”

Hearing that their last half-sister was living much the same as always, a helpless sigh escaped Lachesis’s lips.

Like mother, like daughter—it was good that she was healthy and well, but the thought of her visiting the abbey every day was exasperating.