The next day, a carriage came to pick up Jared, but its destination was not the Royal Palace, but the shopping district in the center of the capital city.
The carriage proceeded, leaving the boy with a question mark on his face.
“…This is a shop run by Lars’s family, isn’t it?”
He tilted his head, wondering why he was brought to such a familiar place instead of the Royal Palace.
The carriage stopped, and as he got off at the coachman’s urging, he saw a familiar acquaintance waving from inside the shop.
“Oh, hello. Good morning, Jared. I’ve been waiting for you. Papa is waiting inside, so go on in.”
Vera, Lars’s older sister, approached him with a friendly smile. She had been tied back to a single braid, her wavy blonde hair reaching down to her back, and she wore the shop’s uniform. They had known each other for nearly a year.
From the moment they met, she had always been cheerful, worked diligently, and was incredibly reliable. When he needed to gather supplies for requests from the Mage Association, he always stopped by here.
Even setting aside the fact that she was Lars’s sister, he owed her a great deal and couldn’t thank her enough.
“No, um, Vera-san… I didn’t come to see your father, you see.”
“I know. You came to see the King, right? He has something he wants to tell you about that, so hurry up and go in.”
“…Haa.”
Pushed by Vera towards the shop, Jared’s bewildered expression remained as his understanding hadn’t caught up yet.
He wondered what he could possibly learn from meeting Lars’s father, and as he moved deeper into the shop, greeting the familiar employees, he was still filled with questions.
“Papa is in this room. I’ll head back to the shop now, so make yourself comfortable. Oh, and congratulations on officially being appointed a Court Mage.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. I’m happy that Jared is being properly recognized.”
He watched Vera’s retreating back as she left, then knocked on the door of what appeared to be an office.
“You may enter.”
He heard a reply and opened the door, stepping inside to be greeted by a man with a gentle smile, who looked to be in his mid-thirties.
“Ah, Jared. It’s been a while. The last time we met was before you became Olivier’s fiancé, wasn’t it?”
“It has been a long time, Uncle. I apologize for not visiting more often.”
“Don’t worry about it. Your son told me you’ve been through a lot. I heard there was quite a bit going on, starting with your engagement to the Alway Ducal Family.”
“You know a lot. Yes, well, a lot has happened.”
Reflecting on it, he truly felt that so much had happened in less than half a year.
Starting with his engagement to the Duke Alway’s daughter, Olivier, he had engaged in several battles with the Assassination Organization Waalthe. He reunited with his older brother figure who had been missing, uncovered the truth about his mother’s death, and discovered that his grandfather was Wahash, the leader of Waalthe. Before he knew it, his Master, the Dragon Girl Rio, and Rosa were living with him, not just as housemates, but as family.
And just the other day, the Royal Mage Corps and Leonard Gallagher rebelled against the country. Jared, caught up in that incident, became a hostage with Olivier and had to fight with the help of his friends.
—So much has truly happened.
He realized that the only time he had truly relaxed was when he was injured, and his face twitched.
“I’ve heard all your reports, and frankly, I want to help you as much as possible considering all you’ve been through. Please, sit down. Let’s begin our talk.”
“No, um, Uncle? I was supposed to meet the King, but are you perhaps here in disguise?”
“…I wish you’d realize by now.”
The man chuckled wryly at Jared’s confusion.
“Jared, do you know my name?”
“…No, I don’t think I’ve ever heard it. I’ve always just called you Uncle.”
“That’s right. To be honest, being called ‘Uncle’ by you was quite refreshing. None of my relatives call me that.”
“Haa. Is that so?”
“I understand it’s due to our positions, but it makes me sad, as if there’s a wall between us. That’s why I sometimes hide my rank and work as a shopkeeper like this.”
Jared tilted his head, still not fully grasping what Lars’s father was trying to convey. The man he affectionately called Uncle gave the boy a mischievous smile.
“Our relationship has been enjoyable, and I would have liked it to continue longer, but it’s time to tell you the truth. My name is Horst W. Fair. I am the King of this country.”
“Heh?”
