Chapter 595

Leo rested his jaw on his hand, observing the passing terrain from the carriage interior.

In contrast to the perpetually freezing northern territories and the arid, scorched expanses of the south, the western lands experienced fairly well-defined seasonal shifts.

“It really feels like ages since we last traveled together as a family.”

Seated across from him, Rayna offered a gentle smile as she looked out through the glass.

“Are you doing alright?”

“About what?”

“I know coming to Gerdinger wasn’t exactly your choice.”

“That’s true.”

Rayna rested her temple against the window frame, watching the scenery drift by.

The vistas she had grown up with were mirrored in her deep red eyes.

Far off in the distance, the massive ramparts of Gerdinger Castle came into view.

Gerdinger, a lineage famous for producing legends.

There was a time when she carried that legacy on her shoulders.

‘Those were proud moments.’

Her mind drifted back to her days as a prospective champion, when the eyes of the realm were fixed on her.

The striking female warrior of Gerdinger.

She consistently maintained the highest marks and completed her studies at Lumerne at the very top of her class.

Following her graduation, her list of achievements grew rapidly, and everyone anticipated that her deeds would soon be etched into the Hero Record.

Yet, that destiny slipped away from Rayna.

During an intense excursion into a hero dungeon, she threw herself in harm’s way to protect a companion facing certain death.

Though she managed to survive the ordeal and return, her internal Aura was completely shattered, stripping away her ability to wage war.

She could have chosen to remain within the estate even after stepping down from active duty.

Even stripped of her combat power, her right to the Gerdinger name remained intact.

However, Rayna chose to walk away from her lineage to live life on her own terms.

“It’s not as if I avoided coming back to Gerdinger out of some lingering sorrow or regret.”

Rayna’s smile widened.

“My life right now is far happier than it ever was back then.”

She felt no remorse for saving her companion at the cost of her powers.

Nor did she regret turning her back on her family’s heritage.

“I found a wonderful husband.”

Rayna rested her head against the shoulder of Dayde, who sat beside her, looping her arm through his.

“And he gave me a truly magnificent son.”

“You two are as affectionate as ever.”

“But of course. Your father and I are going to keep living this happily forever. Isn’t that right, Dayde?”

“Without a doubt, Rayna.”

Leo gave a quiet, amused chuckle, watching his parents continue to display their deep devotion to one another.

‘Some things will never change with them.’

Leo then gave a subtle shake of his head.

“My reluctance about visiting the main estate stems entirely from the Elder Council.”

Rayna scoffed in irritation.

“No doubt they’ll still be harping on old grievances. Honestly, it’s exhausting.”

‘Come to think of it, those elders once attempted to force a strategic union between my mother and the reigning Sovereign of Lodran, didn’t they?’

The Elder Council, obsessed solely with elevating the standing of the Gerdinger clan, viewed Rayna merely as a chess piece for political leverage.

Even without her Aura, her status as a direct bloodline member of Gerdinger and her stellar reputation as a knight meant she could have easily ascended to the position of empress had she chosen to.

“As far as I’m concerned, Dayde is worth a dozen emperors!”

“You’re making me blush.”

Dayde gave a sheepish grin.

“Besides, Leo has earned immense prestige by now, hasn’t he?”

Rayna beamed with pride.

“I figured they wouldn’t dare spout that nonsense anymore, which is why I agreed to come so readily. In fact, I can’t wait to ask those old men how they think things would have gone if I actually had wedded the ruler back then.”

The emergence of an unprecedented champion.

The heir to the legendary savior of mankind, blessed by the divine.

In truth, he was the original savior himself rather than a mere successor, though Rayna remained unaware of that fact.

“Hehehe. The mere thought of those sour old faces losing their composure is absolutely delightful! Ahahaha!”

Leo shook his head at her borderline villainous laughter and turned his attention back to the window.

‘A married couple.’

Setting aside their biological relationship in this current existence.

Leo felt a deep sense of appreciation for Dayde and Rayna.

Having grown up without a family in his previous life, he had never experienced parental affection. It was this couple who showed him the warmth of a home and the quiet pleasures of an ordinary life.

‘The existence they built… proved to me just how meaningful our past struggles truly were.’

Leo smiled softly as he observed them.

Noticing his expression, Rayna let out a soft sigh.

‘There goes my son, wearing that ancient look on his face again.’

She was well aware that her child would occasionally view her with a gaze that seemed impossibly deep and unreadable.

‘It completely ruins the fun of teasing him.’

Her moniker, the ‘Witch of Flame,’ wasn’t solely earned because she cloaked herself in fire to reduce her foes to ash on the field of battle. It was also due to her fondness for playing tricks on those around her.

‘He never loses his cool, which makes him terribly uncute.’

Muttering to herself, Rayna suddenly struck upon a thought and grinned.

“That reminds me, Leo.”

“Yes?”

“Have you found a girlfriend yet?”

As a young man in his teens, it was only natural for him to develop an interest in romance.

Furthermore, Lumerne was brimming with exceptional young women.

‘Surely there’s at least one girl who has caught his eye.’

“I have plenty of female friends.”

“What?”

Rayna stared at him, utterly bewildered by his response.

“Don’t tell me you’re leading multiple girls on at the same time? I certainly didn’t raise you to be a scoundrel!”

“I mean I have many platonic companions who are girls. What exactly were you implying?”

“This boy is actively messing with his mother.”

Rayna pressed her hands to her face.

“With so many lovely acquaintances, why aren’t you pursuing anyone? Academics and training are important, but youth is meant for romance. There’s young Chelsea from the Rwalin clan, and over the summer break, that girl Chen Xia and the one named Chloe were both quite charming, weren’t they?”

Rayna began recalling the faces of Leo’s peers.

“Weren’t the daughters of Alan and Berga named Lunia and Ar? And let’s not forget Eiran from the Ersar house.”

One by one, she counted them off.

Tallying up the female students she could recall, Rayna tilted her head thoughtfully.

“Any of them would make an ideal daughter-in-law. I’m eager to see grandchildren, so I wouldn’t even mind if you got a bit ahead of schedule.”

“Are you suggesting I corrupt minors?”

“You’re a minor yourself, aren’t you?”

Rayna shot him an incredulous look.

Leo merely frowned in response to her badgering.

“Good grief. Not even a hint of a blush? You really are no fun.”

“Mother, how old are you supposed to be exactly?”

“Seventeen at heart, permanently.”

“You realize how ridiculous that sounds, right?”

“Is that sassy mouth of yours really talking back to your mother?”

With a bright smile that didn’t reach her eyes, Rayna reached out and pinched one of Leo’s cheeks, a vein pulsing slightly on her brow.

And so, surrounded by this playful family dynamic.

The carriage transporting the Flobe household finally rolled up to the grand entrance of Gerdinger Castle.

The moment the carriage door swung wide, the first sight to greet them was two rows of Gerdinger warriors flanking the pathway, creating a clear lane down the middle.

Observing this layout, Leo’s eyes shifted into narrow slits.

Even though she had surrendered her family name, this was still the return of Rayna, a woman of direct lineage.

Consequently, a formal reception line was entirely within the bounds of standard etiquette.

And yet…

‘Not a single person here shares our blood.’

Dark hair and deep red eyes.

There was an absolute absence of the distinct Gerdinger traits among them.

Furthermore, every single warrior stationed there was intentionally radiating a hostile, oppressive presence.

It was undeniably an adversarial welcome.

Had Leo arrived unaccompanied, such posturing wouldn’t have mattered.

However, Dayde and Rayna, who traveled alongside him, possessed no active combat capabilities.

Rayna, given her extensive history as a warrior, might hold her ground against the crushing pressure despite her lack of Aura, but Dayde possessed no such resilience.

While the warriors wouldn’t inflict physical injury, the sheer malice would normally leave an ordinary person pale and shaken.

‘My mother was effectively cast out for choosing my father.’

He hadn’t anticipated a warm embrace, but this degree of open hostility was excessive.

Leo understood the underlying dynamics perfectly.

The only reason they hadn’t openly revolted against his presence before was due to the unique respect shown to him by Liss and Celia, the designated heirs, combined with his own soaring reputation.

‘From the start, plenty of factions within Gerdinger resented my sudden elevation to the status of a direct heir.’

Rayna had claimed she intended to put the Elder Council in their place.

Yet, despite her son’s legendary status and monumental feats, she had undoubtedly accompanied him out of a maternal worry that a youth might be marginalized by the household.

After all, Gerdinger was an ancient lineage of champions.

Because of that lengthy history, the internal political web was incredibly tangled.

Had she simply assumed he could handle it alone, there was no telling what subtle insults he might have faced.

Under ordinary circumstances, he would ignore such petty provocations.

But when the hostility threatened Dayde and Rayna, his stance changed entirely.

Step—

Leo put his foot down onto the earth outside.

The collective attention of the warriors locked onto the youth.

Thump—!

“Urgh?!”

“Gah?”

The instant Leo’s boot connected with the ground.

A suffocating wave of pure power crashed over the surrounding troops.

‘If you want a contest of intimidation, I will gladly oblige.’

The hostile pressure they were projecting was instantly broken and forced backward.

The complexions of the warriors drained of all color.

Several of them began to lose their balance.

Dayde, stepping out of the vehicle right behind his son, looked around in brief confusion at the sudden shifting of the guards.

Rayna, grasping Dayde’s hand as she disembarked, immediately grasped what had transpired and narrowed her gaze.

“The soldiers deployed to meet us… answer directly to the Elder Council.”

She spat out a quiet click of her tongue upon recognizing the crest emblazoned on their gear.

Then, she shifted her gaze to Leo.

“Father, Mother. Follow me.”

Dayde gave a silent nod in response to his son’s direction.

Thud—! Thud—!

With every stride Leo took, those who lacked the strength to withstand his presence sank helplessly to their knees.

Dayde’s expression darkened slightly as he witnessed the display.

Though the exact mechanics escaped him, he was well aware that a silent conflict had just played out between Leo and the guard force.

Step—

Before long, the three members of the Flobe household reached the front entrance of the grand estate.

A moment passed.

Screeech—

The heavy entrance doors parted, revealing a powerfully built elder who stepped outside, flanked by a cohort of senior officials.

Rayna whispered under her breath the moment she identified the man leading the group.

“Father.”

Dayde visibly stiffened upon hearing the title.

Leo simply observed his maternal grandfather with a detached, neutral gaze.

The former patriarch of the Gerdinger clan.

Regas Gerdinger was the first to speak.

“It appears the reception prepared by the Elder Council was not to your liking.”

Regas cast a brief glance toward Dayde and Rayna before locking his attention squarely onto Leo.

“Judging by the display you just put on, Leo Gerdinger.”

At that pronouncement, Rayna’s brow twitched with annoyance, and Dayde’s features tightened.

Addressing Leo by the Gerdinger name was a deliberate slight intended to invalidate Leo’s paternal identity.

Even with his elevated status as a direct descendant, Leo had never abandoned his father’s name.

Leo offered a serene, wide smile in response to Regas’s provocation.

“The reception was utterly pathetic.”

“Insolent brat! How dare you speak to the leaders of this house in such a manner!”

An elder positioned behind Regas bellowed in outrage.

Leo looked right through the speaker, maintaining his focus on the old man.

“Furthermore, I didn’t make a display. The Elder Council’s personal guard simply lacks competence.”

“You arrogant child!”

“And most importantly.”

Leo gave a casual shrug of his shoulders.

“My name happens to be Leo Flobe, sir. Former Patriarch Regas Gerdinger.”

The veteran champion legendary across the lands as the ‘Heart of Flame’.

Regas locked his gaze with Leo’s crimson eyes, searching for any sign of hesitation. Finding none, the old warrior’s lips curved into a distinct grin.

“Hah.”

Regas gave his beard a slow stroke.

“It seems you raised a true terror, Rayna.”

“Calling your own grandson a terror seems a bit uncalled for, Father. Besides, what kind of grandfather uses intimidation tactics the very first time he meets his family?”

As Rayna voiced her complaints, Regas let loose a booming, genuine laugh.

“I merely required a proper assessment! To see firsthand what kind of individual this much-discussed Leo Flobe truly is! Exceptional!”

Amused by the youth’s defiance, Regas showed his teeth in a wide grin.

“Step inside the halls of Gerdinger.”