Before the contest even began, Karon watched his nephew with visible worry. His mind was already racing, assembling excuses he could use if Gara lost.

As he pondered, his gaze unintentionally drifted across the training ground and landed on Langga.

Langga stood quietly at the far end, calm and detached. He didn’t look like someone anxious about Gara’s fate. If anything, he looked... confident.

Langga was Gara’s main advisor. The person who understood his abilities better than anyone else.

That composure eased Karon’s heart slightly.

’Maybe Gara isn’t as weak as I imagined. His water defense is strong. Perhaps his offense is formidable too.’

Not far from him, Ramun shouted for the match to begin.

The moment the signal rang out, Gara’s hands moved. Sharp, slicing motions cut through the air again and again.

From his palms burst water blades. Dozens of them.

They flew forward in perfect synchronization, carving through the bull dummies and reducing them into fragments.

Gara didn’t move from his spot even once. The water blades behaved as if they had eyes, striking even the farthest targets with identical force and flawless accuracy.

Karon’s eyes widened.

He had never seen a non–wide-area attack wipe out multiple targets across such a large field in such a short time.

With accuracy and power like this, even Talents designed for wide-area destruction would feel inferior.

In less than ten minutes, the expensive training dummies were nothing but scattered debris. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Karon winced slightly, already wondering whether those dummies could even be repaired. If not, the duchy’s budget was about to take a hit.

While Karon worried about finances, Ramun, the Duke, Syeila, and the surrounding spectators all gasped in unison.

A mix of disbelief, awe, and fear spread through the crowd.

This was Gara, the current heir of Duke Eshaan, who surprisingly possessed a monstrous ability.

On the training ground, Johan stared at Gara, unblinking. It felt as though his soul had nearly left his body.

Gara simply smiled at him. Neither mockingly nor arrogantly. Just a calm, understanding smile.

His goal had already been achieved. There was no need to press further.

He walked toward Ramun, and only then did Ramun snap out of his daze and formally announce Gara as the winner.

Gara felt it clearly. The gazes had changed.

Before, congratulations had come out of obligation, offered because of his high status. Now, they came with genuine admiration.

That night, news of the Duke Eshaan’s heir spread across the entirety of the Bhumi Kingdom.

Soon, Gara was no longer known only as the Alchemy Genius or Commander Gavin’s son.

He was now recognized as the formidable Heir of Duke Eshaan.

...

A few days later, Gara was still staying in the duchy.

He studied etiquette, the kingdom’s history, and the lineage of the dukes. Ramun also began personally teaching him the Water Bomb technique.

That evening, after a training session, Karon summoned Gara for an important discussion.

"I know this is sudden," Karon began carefully, "but the vassals won’t stop bringing it up."

Gara remained silent, listening.

"It’s about your future fiancé," Karon continued. "They’ve already begun proposing young ladies—"

"I already have a fiancé."

This time, it was Karon who froze.

Based on his investigations, there hadn’t been a single woman romantically linked to Gara.

"Who?" Karon asked cautiously. "Andine of the Karina mermaid family? Or Yuvika, the daughter of the Yugo Merchant House?"

Even as he spoke, Karon doubted his own guesses.

As expected, Gara shook his head. Madha’s face surfaced in Gara’s mind.

Madha had said he would contact him again. But there had been no word. And whenever Gara tried to reach him, Madha was almost impossible to contact.

"So who is it?" Karon pressed when Gara stayed silent.

Gara almost said Madha’s name.

Almost.

Then hesitation crept in. ’Would Madha be accepted by the Duke’s family?’

That thought struck Gara like lightning. Regret surged through his chest.

He stood abruptly, meeting Karon’s gaze with resolve. "I have to go. I’ll bring him back and introduce him properly."

Karon was left stunned, wanting to stop him, but Gara had already left the room.

In the end, Karon ordered knights to escort Gara back to the capital.

...

In the capital city, Gara stayed at the Duke Eshaan mansion. He used it as cover to freely enter and exit the dimensional home during the holiday.

Constantly doing so from the third floor of Alrova Shop would have drawn suspicion. After all, no one knew he was the owner of Alrova Merchant House. They only knew he created its products.

But Gara hadn’t truly returned to rest. Instead, he said his goodbyes to his family at the dimensional home and left instructions to Hilda.

"I’ll prepare the carriage once you arrive in Raksa County, Master," Hilda said.

Gara nodded and entered the teleportation hall.

His destination was Raksa County. More specifically, Galigo Village, Madha’s hometown.

If his fiance was trying to run, Gara would chase him down.

He trusted Madha completely. Madha would never betray him. He was just struggling alone... while Gara, as his fiancé, had failed to notice.

When Gara arrived in Raksa County, he was shocked to see Mayor Danan of Falopo Town waiting outside the teleportation hall with a full entourage.

Gara quietly let out a long breath. ’Someone from Alrova must have leaked my arrival.’

He made a mental note to have Hilda thoroughly investigate.

"Welcome, Gara— I mean Young Lord Gara," Danan greeted enthusiastically.

Gara nodded, having no choice but to follow their procession to Falopo Town.

Kala, a familiar staff member from the mayor’s office who had helped him in the past, was also present.

Though Gara felt burdened by Danan’s obvious flattery, the journey itself was comfortable.

At first, he had worried. Madha was usually the one who helped him endure long travels and motion sickness. Without him, Gara had expected frequent stops.

But with Danan’s entourage, everything was handled. Food. Rest. Supplies.

They stayed only half a day in Falopo Town before continuing to Galigo Village.

Danan suggested holding a banquet, but Gara declined, citing urgent matters in Galigo Village.

That answer only prompted Danan to personally arrange an escort for the next leg of the journey.

"Once my business in Galigo Village is finished, I’ll attend your banquet," Gara promised.

"Yes, Young Lord!" Danan nodded so eagerly that the flesh on his cheeks jiggled.

Gara was genuinely afraid Danan might stay with him in Galigo Village if he didn’t promise him something.

As they passed Suruta Village, Gara briefly considered visiting his own hometown afterward.

Soon enough, they arrived in Galigo Village.

Having already taken his anti–motion sickness pill, Gara stepped down from the carriage, eyes filled with anticipation.

He hoped—

No. He knew. He would finally see his fiance again.

...