Monday

Astrean Family Estate

A man appeared out of nowhere inside a room.

That man was Walter Astrean, the younger brother of the previous family head and the uncle of the current head, Edward Astrean.

A moment later, Arthur entered the room, bowed, and said in a respectful tone, "I greet Elder Walter Astrean."

Walter looked at Arthur and replied in a playful tone, "Hey, kid, how have you been? It’s been almost seven years since we last met. You’ve grown even older."

He then paused and glanced behind Arthur, as if expecting someone else to arrive. Seeing no one, he turned his attention back to Arthur and continued, "Spending years at the border was incredibly boring, if you don’t count the occasional pranks of those demons. They truly never seem to get tired."

Arthur looked at Walter and said, "Please stop calling me a kid. It feels rather strange to be called a child when I am nearly eighty years old. I am also about to become a grandfather."

Walter raised an eyebrow at this and said, "That’s good to hear. Let’s just hope your grandchild doesn’t turn out like that nephew of mine and his youngest son. Both of them are far too rude to their elders."

Arthur remained silent, unwilling to risk speaking ill of the head of the family.

Walter then looked at Arthur and asked, "By the way, how is that nephew of mine doing these days? Has he regained his sanity over the years, or has he become even more insane than before?"

Arthur offered no response.

After waiting for a moment, Walter let out a sigh and said, "I suppose it’s the latter. He has truly lost his mind. To think he would go so far as to kill his own wife. Even if it was a political marriage, he still murdered a Count’s daughter. And that is despite the fact that she was little more than a talentless tool in the eyes of the nobility."

He then looked at Arthur and said, "Just tell me that at least the eldest one is sane and that those rumors about him are false."

Arthur met Walter’s gaze and replied with confidence, "You need not worry. Young Master Aron is perfectly sane. He is also an intelligent, rational, and capable individual. The rumors surrounding him are entirely false."

Walter studied Arthur’s expression for a few moments before nodding in satisfaction.

"Good," he said. "At the very least, there is still one sensible person left in this family."

Arthur remained silent.

Walter was one of the few people in the entire Astrean Family who could openly criticize the family head without facing any consequences. As the younger brother of the previous family head and one of the strongest individuals in the family, his position was unique.

Walter glanced around the room before asking, "Where is Edward anyway? Don’t tell me he called me back after seven years only to disappear."

Arthur replied calmly, "He is in his office." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Walter sighed and said, "Still a workaholic, I see."

Then Walter walked toward Edward’s office.

After reaching the office, he entered without even knocking.

Edward was sitting at his desk, working on some paperwork. As soon as the door opened, he glanced toward it, looked at Walter for a moment, and then returned to his work.

Walter looked at Edward and said, "Hey, kid, is this how you treat your elders? You truly have no manners left."

Edward did not say anything in reply.

Walter sighed and then asked, "And what is the deal with the youngest? Now you’re requesting me to check on him."

Edward stopped working and looked at Walter before saying, "The spirits are acting afraid of him and keep saying that there is something within him that should not exist. However, after checking, we found nothing wrong. The spirits are probably overreacting, but I still need someone to check up on him since I can’t go there myself."

Walter walked toward a nearby chair, sat down, and said, "If they found nothing, then there is nothing wrong with him. Why is there a need for me to go to the opposite side of Continent?"

Edward looked at Walter and said in a serious tone, "You still need to check on him. It was not a request but an order."

Walter raised his eyebrows in surprise and released his presence. As soon as he did, space itself began to crack, and a heavy pressure spread throughout the entire room.

Then he said, "Oh? And what if I refuse? What are you going to do, boy?"

Edward calmly looked at Walter, then glanced around the room before releasing his own presence and pressure.

As soon as he did, space began mending itself, and the room returned to normal.

However, Walter had a surprised expression on his face. Then he suddenly teleported in front of Edward.

The chair he had been sitting on simply vanished as the space around it shrank so much that the chair was reduced to nothingness.

Walter looked at where the chair had been and said, "Boy, now you’re even trying to kill me. I thought your skills had gotten rusty, but I guess I was wrong. You are probably as strong as me now, or maybe even stronger."

Edward did not say anything and simply looked at him.

Walter then continued, "You are still sharpening your sword. I wonder who you are planning to kill."

Edward did not show any expression and said, "You will leave for Elyndor Academy tomorrow morning. I have already spoken with the Elven Royal Family."

After saying this, he simply returned to his work.

Before Walter could say anything, space shifted, and he found himself standing outside the office.

Walter looked at the office door and muttered, "This boy has become stronger than me. I guess a genius is still a genius, even if he has gone half insane."

Walter then started heading back and thought, "I wonder how that crazy kid is doing. I hope he has changed and is not the same as when I last met him."