Chapter 181: A Long-Awaited ‘Serves You Right’ for the Former Father

Jarana Meitis, a sorcerer skilled in barriers and Lucas Ebern, who was brought along as an assistant under the facade of being an errand boy, joined Rest and his group as they once again set off towards the center of the Sabnock Plains.

“Is Prince Andrew joining us as well?”

“Yes, today is a special occasion.”

Accompanied by a few knights as his escort, Andrew arrived. Leading the escort was Andrew’s close aide and the student council’s secretary Yusgos Betras.

Yusgos, a member of the knights’ division, was dressed in full armor and had several other similarly armored knights with him.

“It’s not every day you get to see a large-scale barrier being erected. I really wanted to observe it firsthand… Is it a bother?”

“No, not at all.”

Andrew was the chief overseer of the development. Moreover, the center of the plains was slated to become his territory. There was no reason to refuse his request to accompany them to a location that would soon be his domain. Andrew rode in an open carriage with Meitis seated beside him.

Although bringing horses into a monster territory was usually unthinkable, there was no longer any need to worry since the majority of the beasts had already been defeated.

“Huff… huff… why… must a sorcerer like me… do this…”

Amidst all this, one person was already exhausted at the prospect of entering the monster territory. The overburdened assistant… Lucas Ebern.

“Rest, are you sure it’s okay to leave him like that?”

Yuri, a member of the party asked curiously.

“He seems quite worn out. I can carry the luggage if needed…”

“No, it’s fine. Yuri just stay focused on keeping watch.”

Rest shrugged in response to Yuri’s thoughtful suggestion.

“Today, Prince Andrew and Master Meitis are with us. We must be more vigilant than usual to prevent any mishap.”

“Understood. If you say so, Rest.”

Yuri nodded obediently shouting a motivated “Hmph!” while surveying the surroundings.

“Ah… so that’s the one they’ve been talking about…”

Another party member Isis also turned her gaze toward Lucas. However, her expression was one of disdain. Whatever rumors she had heard, she looked down on Lucas completely.

“Hmm…”

It seemed that Lubase also sensed something. With a sarcastic smirk, he cast a glance at Lucas. Argyle and Rail sensing the atmosphere deliberately chose not to mention the baggage carrier.

“Pant… Pant…”

“I see… Apparently I have a worse personality than I thought.”

The group was traveling across the plains with a larger number of members than usual, and at the very end, Rest discovered a new side of himself as he watched his father struggling to catch his breath.

(I thought I didn’t care about this man, that as long as I never had to deal with him again it would be fine… But why is it?)

Seeing him sweat and dragging his body like this… made his chest feel lighter.

(Could it be… that I actually hated this guy without realizing it… that I was secretly hoping for some kind of revenge?)

“How does it feel? Amusing isn’t it?”

Meitis, who couldn’t possibly have read Rest’s thoughts called out to him from the carriage seat.

“Even if you’re not out for revenge, watching an unpleasant guy get what he deserves is satisfying. Don’t try to act all wise and pretend you’re beyond resentment kid.”

“Master…”

“Going all out with reckless revenge that drags unrelated people into it is backward and should be avoided. But… a little payback like this, I think that’s rather forward-looking.” 

The old woman chuckled, glancing back at Lucas with a sense of glee.

“That man lost his place in the court for mistreating you. No one wants to associate with a sinking ship like someone who abused the next head of the House of Rosemary and a favored count of His Majesty the King. He’s been left with all the dirty work and is being looked down upon by everyone around him.”

“…”

Rest hadn’t expected Lucas to be in such a situation. He’d figured the man would be despondent after losing his heir but it seemed the reality was far worse.

“In an effort to maintain the honorary viscount status, it seems he’s been trying to adopt a child with the talent to become a court mage… But that doesn’t look likely. Everyone already knows he’s a terrible father. Who would hand over a gifted child with magic talent to a man like that?”

“I… I see…”

“Go ahead and laugh at him. Or if you visit your mother’s grave, report it to her then.”

Meitis laughed like a witch with a “Hyah hyah hyah,” but then her expression turned serious as she glanced off in another direction.

“Is something the matter Master?”

“No… It seems there was a rather rude person around. Honestly, that clingy little girl sure was persistent.”

“……?”

Rest tilted his head in confusion, but Meitis gave no further explanation.

“Heh… Heh…”

Once more, he turned his gaze towards the sweaty father, stroked his chin and muttered, “Hmm…”

(That could be an idea… I might report this to Mother once I return to the capital.)

Perhaps his mother would laugh from her grave too.

Thinking this, Rest let out a small chuckle.

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