A considerable amount of time had passed since receiving the reward for the investigation.
During that time, the long-standing blockade of the mountain range had been lifted, and two seasons had changed.
What was once autumn had turned into winter.
Now, it was spring again—the season of blooming flowers and fresh air.
“Sir Rain? You’ve been sleeping here quite often lately.”
I opened my eyes at the sound of a maid’s voice. I had been lying down with only my upper body inside the doghouse.
“Ah, the weather has gotten warmer lately.”
I didn’t do this during the winter, but these days, I kept falling asleep here.
Well, considering I slept here for over two years, maybe my body just naturally relaxes in this spot.
“You’re still the same even after growing up.”
The maid chuckled softly at the sight of me.
She was a familiar face—one of the maids who had been at the mansion since I first arrived.
“…How much have I even grown?”
“You’ve grown quite a lot. Especially lately, it looks like you’ve lost your baby fat.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! You look even more handsome now.”
Handsome, huh…
Well, maybe it’s because I’m an Aura user, but my complexion does seem better than most.
Have I gotten taller too?
I was already mistaken for being older than my age before, but at this rate, people might start adding even more years to me.
Thinking about how Sienna was surprised when she heard my age last time, I guess I really have been growing fast.
“I should get up now.”
Since I was fully awake, I stepped out of the doghouse and looked at the empty garden.
“Where are Whitey and Sienna?”
“They went for a walk earlier, so they should be back soon.”
“I see.”
Sienna was still working as a trainer for the Boyd family.
She had been here longer than I expected.
Well, there’s no one better than her to take care of Whitey.
Lowell must have had a reason for bringing her in.
I heard that Sienna was once the most promising talent of a famous northern tribe.
Maybe Lowell saw her potential and decided he couldn’t let her go.
“I’m back!”
Well, as long as she’s satisfied with her situation, I guess it’s fine.
In the distance, Sienna, having just returned from a walk, came into view.
“Oh? You’re up.”
“Yes… Where’s Whitey?”
“Right here!”
With her usual bright smile, Sienna lifted Whitey, who had been following closely behind her.
Keng!
A fair amount of time had passed since I first brought Whitey here, yet he was still the size of a small dog.
“Why hasn’t he grown?”
I looked at Whitey, who still seemed more like a puppy than a wolf.
I thought spirit beasts grew quickly?
Considering the wolf I suspected to be Whitey’s mother, he should already be at least half the size of an adult man by now.
“Hmm, I think Whitey just likes being this size.”
“Really?”
“He’ll probably grow if something triggers it.”
“Hah.”
Can he really decide that on his own?
Keng! Keng!
Sienna set Whitey down, and he immediately ran up to me, rubbing his head against me.
I stared at him in disbelief.
What a pampered creature.
If he had stayed in the wild, he would’ve been forced to grow up quickly. But here, where he’s warm and well-fed, he’s choosing to stay as he is.
“Anyway, it’s already the afternoon.”
“Yeah… But earlier, you were sleeping over there.”
“Oh, well, I dozed off while basking in the sun.”
Ever since becoming an official knight of the Boyd family, I had been given a nice room, but sometimes I missed the open garden like this.
It had been too cold in the winter, but now I could enjoy sunbathing again.
“Oh, sunbathing… Whitey does that a lot too.”
“I saw that the other day. Maybe it’s because of the warm weather?”
I’d noticed him lying around, basking in the sunlight often.
Since he’s been sunbathing with me so much, maybe he’s come to appreciate the warmth of the sun as well.
Well, anyway…
“You’re done with your walk now, right?”
“Yes! Whitey has free time now.”
“Then how about a spar?”
Since the walk was over, I turned to Sienna with a suggestion.
Sienna had awakened to Aura last winter.
Lately, she had been practicing Fleet and Rush, and because of that, her axe throws during spars were becoming increasingly dangerous.
Especially when she used Fleet to make quick movements before throwing her axe—it sometimes sent chills down my spine. That made sparring with her all the more thrilling.
“…Didn’t we spar this morning?”
“You should train three times a day. You take walks frequently too, don’t you?”
“How are you and Whitey so alike?”
Sienna glanced between me and Whitey before shrugging.
“Well, I wouldn’t mind, but Lowell asked me to call you to his office when you woke up.”
“Oh, really? Guess I should go see him then.”
It had been a while since Lowell last called for me.
What could it be about?
Since he wasn’t the type to call without a reason, I headed straight to his office in the mansion.
Knock, Knock.
[Come in.]
Upon arriving at the office, I knocked and stepped inside.
As always, Lowell looked the same.
The fact that he hadn’t changed at all since I first met him was almost eerie.
“What is it? You actually called for me?”
“I had a reason, of course. By the way, how old are you now?”
“Nineteen.”
“No wonder you seemed unsettlingly mature. You’ve grown up.”
“…Did you call me just to say that?”
Is this old man losing his mind?
Lately, he’s been acting even more eccentric.
“Have you thought about marriage?”
“Marriage?”
“It’s about time, isn’t it?”
“Oh.”
Marriage at my age?
Well, considering this world’s customs, nobles and knights usually got married around twenty.
In some cases, arranged marriages happened even earlier.
“If you’re interested, I can arrange a good match for you.”
“…No thanks. I’m not interested.”
“Are you sure? Do you have someone you like?”
“It’s nothing like that.”
What’s with him today?
Marriage isn’t even on my mind.
“What about Miss Sienna?”
And then, Lowell dropped something truly absurd.
“Are you serious?”
“Miss Sienna is also reaching the age where marriage is expected. If you two get married, I’ll even provide you with a mansion.”
“Hah, what kind of—”
…Well, to be fair, Sienna is beautiful.
She’s so popular among the mansion staff that it’s almost ridiculous.
But marriage. If I were to marry and be given a mansion, would Whitey also come to live in the new place?
For a moment, I imagined the three of us living together, but I quickly erased the thought from my mind.
“I’m not interested.”
“Very well, if you don’t want to. Then let’s get to the main topic.”
“…Alright.”
That was an unnecessarily long introduction.
If he dragged it out any further, I might have stormed out.
“The second Imperial Investigation Team arrived yesterday.”
“Finally?”
“Seems like there was a lot of back and forth on their end.”
The Gigant statue we discovered last time had stirred up quite a bit of discussion.
Although the blockade on the mountain range had been lifted, the Empire’s first investigation team had set up camp in front of it. Because of that, the plateau where we had previously pitched tents was now off-limits to outsiders.
Well, with the mercenaries still not fully returning, there weren’t many groups capable of venturing that far yet.
Jevan still hadn’t shown up.
But since the mountain blockade had been in place for so long, the demand for missions was high.
Mercenaries catching the scent of work would start gathering soon.
“So, what do you need me to do?”
“Go there and represent the Boyd family.”
“Just a formality?”
“Yes. Just don’t cause any trouble.”
“Understood.”
So, I just need to go there as a figurehead.
That’s easy enough.
“By the way, is it really fine for me to go alone? This is the Boyd family we’re talking about.”
“Yes, well, you look presentable enough. Just dress properly.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Presentable on the outside” was a pointed remark.
I didn’t bother asking what he thought about the inside.
Lately, he’s been especially grumpy.
“Well, I’ll be off then.”
“One last time—don’t cause any trouble.”
“Don’t worry.”
Anyway—
After receiving a few more details about the mission, I left the office and headed to my room.
Unlike the doghouse in the yard, my newly assigned room was well-furnished.
I went to my wardrobe and pulled out the uniform I received at my knighthood ceremony.
A luxurious black uniform embroidered with gold.
On the shoulders was the insignia of a black hawk—the official uniform of the Boyd family knights.
Since I rarely wore it, it had been tucked away in my closet, but the maids must have maintained it regularly because it was in pristine condition.
After dressing up properly and pinning the Dawn Star medal onto my chest, my outfit was complete.
Next—
“Hey.”
“Yes… Oh? You’re dressed up so nicely!”
“Can you fix my hair?”
“Huh? Oh…! Of course!”
I grabbed a passing maid and made my request.
Then—
“I’ll help too!”
“Are you going on a mission?”
“Oh my, you look amazing.”
Before I knew it, a group of maids had gathered around me, busily fixing my appearance.
Since I was used to this kind of treatment, I simply sat still and waited until everything was finished.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Safe travels!”
After strapping on the sword I had gotten from Gareth, I left the mansion.
More importantly, the Imperial Investigation Team.
The first Imperial Investigation Team had come before, but I had remained at the mansion back then. I was curious.
The most powerful nation on this continent—what would their investigators be like?
They were bound to have guards with them.
I wanted to see how their Aura users fared.
Well, I’d find out soon enough.
Heading toward the Kaine Mountain Range, I recalled that this was an unofficial dispatch.
They hadn’t undergone any grand formalities.
Apparently, they had stayed at an inn for one night and departed this morning.
If that was the case, why didn’t Lowell just send me yesterday?
…Well, I’m sure he had his reasons for delaying.
The investigation team’s camp was likely still in the mountains, so I climbed up without hesitation.
It had been a while since I last ascended the Kaine Mountain Range, but having gone up and down countless times before, it was an easy climb.
Carefully making my way up to avoid dirtying my uniform, I soon spotted the plateau and the tents.
The camp had grown.
It even had fences now, with soldiers patrolling around.
“Who is it?”
As I approached the plateau, the soldiers looked at me in confusion.
Well, seeing a lone man in a full knight’s uniform show up unannounced must have been unexpected.
“I am a knight of the Boyd family.”
“I-I’ll call for someone of higher rank!”
At my introduction, a few soldiers hurried off.
Before long, a knight in charge of the plateau emerged.
“You are?”
“Ah, it’s been a while.”
His face was familiar.
I greeted him warmly.
After all, he was one of the Royal Knights who had entered the cave with me before.
“It has been quite some time. What brings you here?”
“I came to meet the Imperial Investigation Team.”
“As a representative of the Boyd family? Or personally?”
“I’m here on behalf of the family.”
“Then proceed.”
The Boyd family’s name sure carried weight.
Despite arriving alone without going through official procedures, they let me through without any issues.
“Then, excuse me.”
“You still remember the location of the cave, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
I passed through the plateau and ventured deeper into the mountain range.
Specifically, I headed toward the center of the area where we had originally discovered the cave.
Beyond the plateau, I noticed an even more fortified structure.
Not just tents—there were now proper buildings.
…How did they even build that here?
From what I heard, these facilities had been set up by the first Imperial Investigation Team.
Their technology was something else.
Anyway, now I would finally get to meet the Imperial investigators.
Straightening my uniform, I approached the entrance of their camp.
