Ch.183Time Flows On #4

“I’m truly glad to see you two are still getting along so well. I thought things might have cooled off a bit…”

Drip.

I politely accepted the tea Ise offered me in his office, nodding with a somewhat embarrassed smile.

Though his age showed in the patches of white hair and the wrinkles on his forehead… he still looked remarkably vigorous.

Looking at him, I could truly feel how much time had passed.

“I’m embarrassed. It might seem like I’m being childish for my age, or lacking self-control…”

“It’s far better than getting entangled with other noble ladies or wives in the name of self-restraint. And even setting that aside, there’s nothing unsavory about it, so rest assured.”

Ise took a calm sip of his tea while pointing out the unchanging shadows of noble society.

His criticism was sharp enough that other nobles might have flushed red with anger had they heard it, but it was quite comforting to me.

I had been worried because as I grew older, my desire to hold her only seemed to intensify.

“I’m grateful for your understanding.”

“No need for gratitude. If anything, I should be thanking you. You’ve had a child to continue the lineage, that child is growing up well, and there’s no discord in your household—it’s wonderfully peaceful. All thanks to you.”

“That’s too much praise. What have I really done?”

“Aren’t you still working hard every day? What more could one ask for?”

Perhaps it was his age, or maybe he felt more familiar with me now, but he occasionally made jokes like this.

When I first heard such jokes, I wondered if this was really Ise, and even considered whether I needed to have someone watch him…

“Hahaha… It doesn’t feel like work when I enjoy doing it.”

“That’s even better. It means you’re sincere.”

Anyway. Ise quietly set down his teacup, still half full of warm tea, and looked me straight in the eyes.

“Well… judging by your expression, it seems you have something you want to discuss. Go ahead.”

“You’re truly uncanny, as always. I’m still startled every time you do this, and it’s happened more than once or twice.”

“Though we may not spend many hours face to face each day, how many years have we been living like this? It’s only natural I’d know.”

That’s true. Thinking that Ise hadn’t been wrong about anything, I went straight to the point without hesitation.

It seemed best to take the opportunity he’d given me, as he’d helped me figure out how to start the conversation I’d been pondering.

“Ahem. Then I’ll get straight to the point.”

“Go ahead.”

“I was wondering if we might send Nix along with the Altram merchant group’s next expedition.”

“Nix?”

Ise tilted his head, seemingly caught off guard by the suggestion. It was understandable—suddenly proposing to send the Duke’s child on a merchant expedition.

Come to think of it, Helena also looked at me questioningly when I first suggested this, which made me think that parents and children really do share certain traits.

“Yes. Though the duchy is vast, it’s still just one enclosure, and lately he seems to be growing tired of staying within those boundaries.”

“Hmm… so he feels confined and restless. That’s understandable for a child.”

“I’ve already discussed it with Helena, and I’ve come to ask for your permission, father-in-law. While Nix is Helena’s and my child, he’s also the grandson you’ve been waiting for.”

I knew well that Ise had been quietly hoping for an heir, and since we were raising him accordingly, I wanted to get his permission separately.

We could have simply informed him of our decision, but it wouldn’t have been right to keep such matters from him.

After all, venturing outside the domain meant accepting a certain level of risk.

“I appreciate your consideration. That’s why I’d like to ask a few questions…”

“Please do.”

“Tell me about the destination, safety measures, and whether Nix will be traveling alone.”

It was natural for him to want to know where the sole heir to the duchy would be going and whether the journey would be safe. That made perfect sense.

Only the last question was different, which suggested Ise’s perception was still as sharp as ever.

“First, I plan to send Lachesis and Clotho along with him.”

“You’re sending all three children at once?”

“Yes. Lachesis often travels with merchant groups anyway, and Clotho, taking after her mother, is already deeply immersed in research…”

“…That child’s research obsession is beyond admirable—it’s almost concerning.”

Ise nodded several times with a sigh, apparently well aware of how obsessed Clotho was with magic.

It was almost as if she were recreating Eve’s childhood that we’d only heard about, enough to startle anyone watching.

“Indeed. And this expedition is planned to head toward the Blue Nail Kingdom.”

“Blue Nail? Though the civil war ended three years ago, isn’t it still a dangerous region?”

“Yes. While things have settled somewhat, there’s still much turmoil in the country, so it may be more dangerous than other nations.”

Even as I said this, I believed that if a crisis arose, the three children working together could overcome most challenges.

There was Nix, who, though not as skilled as Helena, was learning how to fight under her guidance; Lachesis, who had accompanied merchant groups several times and could use spirit magic; and Clotho, who knew circle magic.

However, Ise seemed to see them only as small children regardless of their abilities, and he looked quite worried.

Whether due to his age or because their abilities weren’t as prominent as Helena’s.

Thinking that his concern wasn’t fussy but rather natural and appropriate, I slowly spoke.

“However, because of that, I plan to ask Ellen to secretly follow them.”

.

“When I think about it, the Grand Duke has a surprisingly cold side.”

A few days after the children had departed with the merchant group.

Ellen was following them from a distance, careful not to be noticed by her daughter Lachesis.

Even after all this time, she felt sad to be separated from Jion, but she couldn’t refuse a request that was for the children’s sake.

Moreover, he had earnestly asked her, saying she was the most suitable person for this task, making it impossible to decline.

While she was also tempted by the promise of a generous reward upon her return, her primary motivation was to protect the children.

Blue Nail. Ellen’s mind recalled the situation in the kingdom where the crown prince had ascended to the throne, rather than the faction that had employed her.

Having ended a civil war that lasted over 10 years just 3 years ago, it was still a chaotic place in many ways.

Bandits frequently operated along the roads, and cities that had been reduced to ruins were being repaired, creating many vulnerabilities.

“Excuse me, would you please dismount and present something that can verify your identity?”

Unlike Altram who had led the merchant group ahead, Ellen was traveling alone, so it was natural for her to be stopped at checkpoints.

Though it seemed unnecessary given how peaceful things had been with no incidents, they couldn’t simply let it slide.

They needed to know who was entering and leaving through the gates to reduce the possibility of trouble.

“Ah, yes.”

Though the gaze was still somewhat uncomfortable, the fact that it wasn’t suspicious was a sign of how much things had changed.

Ellen, grateful for how hard Jion had worked for her sake, dismounted and pulled out an identity token from her plain trouser pocket.

Though she wore simple clothing typical of elves for her covert mission, the oak token was visibly high quality at a glance.

Moreover, the hexagonal palm-sized token was engraved with the distinctive crest of the Krauser duchy, which was enough to cause surprise.

“Th-this is the Duke’s…! I deeply apologize for the inconvenience!”

Having made someone carrying a Krauser identification token dismount for inspection, the soldier might have feared for his life.

The lightly armed soldier who had been conducting the inspection hurriedly returned the token to Ellen’s hand, thinking he might be a dead man.

“There’s no need to apologize. Unless you were being excessive in hopes of receiving a bribe, you were simply doing your duty. Please don’t worry about it.”

“Th-thank you…”

Ellen comforted the soldier with a gentle tone more formal than that of most noble ladies, then tucked the token back into her pocket.

Though she might have been anxious about falling too far behind after being delayed by the inspection, she remained composed with only slight inner turmoil.

Thanks to this, the guard at the gate felt as if he’d been given a second chance at life as he smoothed his hand over his chest beneath his faded leather armor.

.

“Wow…! The outside world is similar yet different!”

Late in the afternoon, just after crossing the border of the Sotern Kingdom. Nix’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the scenery beyond the covered wagon’s cargo area.

Though the sides and roof were covered with thick cloth, the front and back were open, allowing a clear view of the landscape.

“Are you that excited about going outside? You’ve been saying that ever since we left the duchy.”

“Of course! Weren’t you the same at first?”

“Well… I suppose I was.”

Lachesis’s throat caught at Nix’s question, and she was about to tell him to tone it down when she hesitated.

Thinking about it, she realized that while she might have been slightly less enthusiastic, her excitement had been just as evident as Nix’s.

Meanwhile, Clotho was leaning against the side of the cargo area, sound asleep.

At first, she had shown a slight excitement about venturing outside, but that lasted only a day or two.

She had decided to spend most of her time sleeping, except during meals, making up for lost rest.

“Still, it’s pretty impressive how you help with the camp preparations and chores without complaint. I would have thought a duke’s son might find such tasks beneath him.”

Lachesis asked this partly to change the subject after her embarrassment, which Nix recognized, but he played along with a smile.

“I don’t know. I’ve heard things, and I’ve done various tasks with Father, so it doesn’t really feel strange to me.”

“Is that so? The Grand Duke certainly educated you well.”

Lachesis referred to Jion as “the Grand Duke” rather than “father” out of awareness of outsiders’ eyes.

Because of this, she often called Jion “the Grand Duke” even within the ducal mansion, but she didn’t find it particularly sad.

Her mother Ellen had already explained the situation and begged forgiveness on her knees, and she had accepted it long ago.

Moreover, Jion hadn’t taken Ellen merely for momentary pleasure, and she could feel enough affection from him that there was no reason to resent him.

“Both Father and Mother always tell me to be grateful to those around me, so I guess I just think that’s normal.”

“Well, being the unique people they are, they certainly differ from typical nobles in how they speak.”

“Unique, huh…”

From Jion, who was skilled at cleaning, cooking, sewing, and other chores, to Helena, who was calm and gentle yet desperately wanted to be a mother to her son despite maintaining a certain distance—they were indeed an unusual combination.

Nix, as their son, felt this more keenly than anyone, so he trailed off and nodded.

“Yes, they are unique. But I like it.”

“I didn’t say I disliked it either. I’ve heard many times that dark elves couldn’t live so comfortably if not for the Grand Duke, so I’m actually grateful.”

Afterward, the two children continued their endless chatter to alleviate both the excitement of heading to a strange country and their boredom.

Part of it was their youthful energy, but they also had exceptional stamina compared to ordinary children due to their ability to use mana.

However, this led to topics emerging that should never have been spoken.

Moreover, Nix had become somewhat tired from responding to Lachesis’s constant chatter, causing him to answer straightforwardly without reservation.

As a result, the conversation drifted into increasingly inappropriate territory.

“By the way, I heard the Grand Duke’s thing is quite large. Have you seen it?”

“Um… yes, I have. It was big.”

“Then yours will probably be big too. That’s fortunate. Whoever becomes your wife will be happy.”

“Why…?”

Why would a large thing be good? It would only be uncomfortable.

As Nix tilted his head in confusion, Lachesis eagerly explained.

“My mother said that if it’s small, even women who are already with you might leave. But if it’s big and goes in deep, they can’t move an inch.”

“Oh…”

Having grown up under a mother who had been a mercenary, Lachesis had a certain bluntness in her speech, and Nix, having been raised in an environment with such people, had his own loose screws.

While there was no need to hide such things out of embarrassment, it was questionable whether children should be speaking so casually about such matters.