episode_0086

86. The First Meeting (1)

A couple… No, Cain’s parents.

Adam and Eve wandered blankly through the well-developed streets of Presidentia.

Architecture they had never seen or heard of before, and a bustling marketplace where currency exchanged hands despite it not being the farming season.

The couple walked through a market that was far beyond their own common sense.

Eve, the mother, hadn’t forgotten why they had come all the way here.

They had come to visit their son, who had been conscripted into the military.

So, she stopped a passing pedestrian who seemed to live nearby.

“Excuse me, do you know where we need to go to visit the Grace soldiers?”

But the pedestrian shook their head and walked away.

Eve stopped several more passersby to ask, but no one knew.

Honestly, would there even be a military visitation system at this time?

Still, refusing to give up, she kept moving to find even a trace of her son.

But the search was futile.

Eve trudged back to where Adam was waiting.

“Darling… Seems like no one knows anything here.”

“Huh? Wh-what?”

Hearing Eve’s voice, Adam hastily hid something.

The place he was standing was none other than a stall selling hunting tools.

Eve’s eyes narrowed, and her voice turned icy.

“You… Good-for-nothing man!”

“W-Wait! They sell books here too!”

“Books? Since when?”

True to a married man who had survived this long, Adam quickly changed the subject.

Especially since books were something Eve liked, her anger noticeably cooled.

“Sigh… Most decent books cost at least 1 gold coin, and we barely have the money.”

“But these here are only about 50 silver coins?”

“What? Move aside.”

Eve shoved her husband aside and strode into the shop.

Stronger than she looked, her large-built husband was flung away like a paper doll.

Yet, the married man Adam grinned happily, just glad he wasn’t scolded.

And just as he predicted, Eve’s elated cries soon came from inside the shop.

“KYAAAA!! Why is THIS book here?!”

When Adam stood up and entered the shop, he saw Eve excitedly picking out books.

Her eyes sparkled wildly as she grabbed one book after another, stacking them on the counter.

“The Fabolas Chronicles and the New Continent series—exactly what I’ve wanted to read!

And they’re only 45 silver coins each?!”

An extremely cheap price.

In the end, Eve piled over 20 books onto the counter.

Even if they were discounted compared to others, 20 books already exceeded 1 gold coin.

“‘A son’s earnings should be spent by the son,’ huh? Who was the one nagging about saving money again?”

“H-Haha… But books at this price are impossible to find anywhere else!”

“Then… can I buy a bow too…?”

Seizing the moment, the courageous married man threw out his brave request.

After a brief pause, Eve sighed and nodded.

“Fine… We’ll just replenish the money later!”

“Exactly! This is an investment! A good bow means better hunting—more money!”

“Mhm! That’s my husband.”

Indeed, youthful in both looks and spirit—that was this couple.

Just then, an elven woman struggling with a pile of books approached the counter.

With a friendly smile, she greeted them warmly.

“Will this be all for today?”

“Yes.”

“That’ll be 1 gold coin and 15 silver coins.”

Eve rummaged through her purse when a thought struck her.

Even in the capital, hand-written books were bound to be expensive…

50 silver coins per book was suspiciously cheap.

“Why are these books so cheap? Is there… something wrong with them?”

“Oh no! It’s all thanks to the ‘Heaven-Sent Genius.’”

“…’Heaven-Sent Genius’?”

Eve’s hands froze midair, and she and Adam exchanged glances.

It seemed a bit far-fetched, but they couldn’t help but think of their own son….

Realizing they were on the same page, they nodded in unison.

“That ‘Heaven-Sent Genius’… Could they possibly be…?”

“Oh, are you talking about Cain-nim?”

“…….”

Eve slapped her forehead with her palm.

She hadn’t thought much of his inventions and reckless hobbies, considering them dangerous….

And nothing good ever came from getting involved with nobles or scholars.

Adam, on the other hand, burst into hearty laughter.

Unlike the ever-worried Eve, he had always treated Cain like a friend since childhood.

He had always supported his inventions, believing his talents were wasted in the countryside….

“HAHAHA! That kid, really! See, what did I tell you?!

I always knew Cain would succeed wherever he went! Wonder who he takes after to be so clever!”

“Ugh… I told him to live quietly…!”

The couple reacted in starkly different ways.

The elven shopkeeper watched them with a puzzled expression before realization dawned on her.

“No way….”

“Where can we find him?”

“That ungrateful boy didn’t even write a single letter… I’ll scold him properly once I see him….”

Soon, Adam and Eve were handed a map to the Grace mansion.

And as thanks for ‘always supporting them,’ they even got the bow and books for free….

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Vivian Grace.

Currently, she was overseeing her subordinates from the barracks near the mansion.

She had divided them into cavalry squads of 30, running mobility drills to capture flags.

Basic fitness training, sparring, and even mounted combat training—none were neglected.

Even amidst all this, Vivian herself never stopped training.

She wielded her crescent-moon blade with ruthless precision.

Her body was drenched in sweat from the rigorous drills.

With a towel draped carelessly over her shoulders, Vivian strode toward the mansion.

She walked briskly, unwilling to let a certain someone catch a whiff of her sweaty odor.

Her long, model-like legs carried her swiftly until she spotted a man and woman at the mansion’s entrance.

Judging by the guards blocking their way….

They were likely commoners, perhaps here on business.

“What’s going on here?”

““Salute!””

Had it not been for Malang-i, Vivian wouldn’t have cared about her sweaty appearance.

But now, as she walked toward the entrance without hiding her damp form, the soldiers snapped into sharp salutes.

“Suspicious individuals were attempting to trespass!”

“Why? Beggars?”

“Doesn’t seem like it!”

Vivian wiped her face with the towel around her neck and studied the couple.

Her first impression? Definitely not beggars.

The red-bearded man was towering and muscular, reminding her of Malang-i.

Despite his strong appearance, the faint trace of mana was eerily familiar.

The woman beside him had an impressive bust and an intelligent air.

Everything about her—the sharp intellect radiating from her demeanor—called someone else to mind….

If you mixed the man’s build with the woman’s refined features, she’d look strikingly like Malang-i.

“And you are…?”

“I’m Eve, a commoner. I came to ask something, though I know it’s presumptuous.”

“Ah, yes….”

The woman spoke politely and with refinement.

Clearly a commoner, yet her demeanor inexplicably demanded respect.

“Is the ‘Heaven-Sent Genius’… a man named Cain?”

“Huh? Yes?”

“Aha….”

Realization dawned on the woman, who then stepped back.

This time, the red-bearded man with an exuberant aura spoke up.

“Is he built like me?

Big muscles, but with a softer face…?”

“Yes…?”

“KHAHAHA! Guess the apple doesn’t fall far!”

A commoner laughing loudly in front of a noble?

An insult punishable by her crescent blade—yet no one dared comment.

Only the beautiful woman beside him elbowed him sharply in the ribs in reprimand.

“By any chance….”

“Haha, I’m that brat’s father.”

“His mother. Our incompetent son must be causing trouble….”

With this final confirmation, the couple was certain—this was their son.

And hearing this, Vivian…

“Ah… Uh—thank you for the meal! I-I mean, Mother? Father?”

“What?”

“N-No! Forgive my sweaty appearance!!”

Thus unfolded the bizarre sight of a noble groveling before commoners.

Hiding her face with her towel, Vivian dashed into the mansion.

On her way in, she ordered the soldiers to escort the couple respectfully.

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Adel was leisurely sipping tea in her office.

Her soon-to-be-completed miscellaneous goods store.

Not just a small hole-in-the-wall, but a grand establishment.

Prices higher than small shops—but she planned to sell only the finest quality.

A guaranteed success, a surefire path to wealth—Adel was convinced.

As she sipped tea contentedly, loud, disorderly footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.

The stomping of some vagrant or ruffian.

Adel frowned just as the door was flung open with a BANG.

No—not some uneducated lout.

The woman who barged in so rudely was none other than her cousin, Vivian Grace.

Adel took a sip of tea and scolded her.

“Why the commotion?”

“Huff… Huff….”

Despite the poised question, Vivian was gasping for breath, having run in a frenzy.

Her body, fresh from training, was drenched in sweat—hardly hygienic.

Just as Adel narrowed her eyes to reprimand her further…

Vivian shouted in an uncharacteristically rough tone.

“Malang-i’s parents are here!”

“PFFT—!!”

Adel spat out her tea in an instant.

The spray, caught in the sunlight from the window, formed a momentary rainbow.

In that moment, both Vivian and Adel forgot all decorum and slammed their fists on the table.

“Wh-Why?! Did they find out we ate him?!”

“I don’t know!!”

The two women clutched their heads in panic.

And of course, the news reached the mansion’s owner, Erika…

“Emergency—!!!”

With Vivian’s cry, the mansion immediately went into emergency mode.