Kael had a lot of work to do, and it had to do with his territory.

As much as Kael hated to think about his origins, he could not deny the fact that he was a noble. He had cut ties with his family as soon as he had entered the mage tower, but that did not mean he was free from his responsibilities.

His relationship with his family was...complicated, but it was not bad.

Why was Kael thinking about all that now? It was because of the letter in front of him.

[Respected Grand Master Kael Mikailias,

We are well aware that you no longer have an affiliation with the Mikailias Dukedom, but we are still sending you a letter because we have no other choice.

Our village is a small one on the outskirts of the Mikailias territory. Fighting a demon infestation and sending a message to the dukedom for help will take too long. So we have gathered our courage to ask you for help.

Even if you have long forsaken your name and devoted yourself to your craft, please find it in yourself to help us out.

Village Head of Aura Village.]

It was a short letter, but one that Kael felt like he could not ignore.

’How long has it been since someone used my full name? I almost forgot that I even had one.’

Not that he was ashamed of having a last name or being from a Dukedom. It was something that just...never mattered to him.

One would usually think that there was a grand reason behind it or that Kael held a grudge against his family, but the truth could not be further from it.

The main reason behind Kael’s detachment from his family was his nature.

Kael had a fascination with knowledge and magic ever since he was young, while his family was focused more on sword mastery.

Luckily, Kael was the second-born son, so he had no burden of inheriting the dukedom. His elder brother was also a sword genius, making his burden even lighter.

As such, Kael decided to leave the dukedom for the mage tower as soon as he could and without his family’s consent. It put a strain on their relationship, but there was no resentment.

Kael could even go as far as to brag that he regularly exchanged information with his elder brother.

But that did not mean he considered himself an active part of the Dukedom.

So, seeing a letter asking him for help because he belonged to the Dukedom felt...weird. It felt so strange that he could not get it out of his head for a while.

"Should I help this village out? Or should I send a letter to the Dukedom, informing them of what is happening?"

He questioned as he went for breakfast. He was distracted enough not to notice that there was nothing on his spoon, but the others noticed his odd behavior.

"Kael, did something happen? Is the council bothering you again? You look...distracted."

Iris asked in a hesitant voice. The worry in her eyes was real, and it snapped Kael out of his thoughts.

He realized his odd behavior and immediately decided to give the others an explanation.

"Ah...this is nothing serious. I am just distracted by a situation. Actually, you all should hear about it as well. I would like to get your opinion regarding the issue."

It was a matter of the Duchy, so it was not fair for Kael to involve outsiders. But considering how the issue had been noted as a ’demon infestation,’ he figured that it would only be fair for Leon to know.

And if Kael was going to tell him, then he might as well tell everyone.

"I see. So you are considering whether you should help these people directly or send for reinforcements and let the Duchy deal with this. What do you personally want to do?"

Iris asked, taking the situation calmly. The others had serious looks on their faces as well. But somehow, no one seemed surprised to learn that he was a noble and from a Duke’s family.

They were all looking at Kael to make the final decision, and he decided to lay out his options.

"Well, I can hand this case off to the authorities, but I doubt the Duchy will be able to deploy troops in time...not because the Duchy does not care, but because the vassals would put up a fuss. It will be easier for me to head out and deal with it."

Kael pointed out, and Leon immediately added his own thoughts.

"Can I come along as well? I feel like this will be the perfect time for me to get started on demon hunting."

Leon was inviting himself, and somehow, Kael could tell that he was not going to take no for an answer.

But he was not the only one inviting himself.

"I want to come as well. Can I come too?"

"I might as well come for security reasons."

Seraphina volunteered, and Iris also stepped forward. Somehow, saying no was not an option here.

Not that Kael had a reason to say no.

This was not a large-scale demon hunt but a somewhat controlled environment. It should be fine for him to bring them along.

But there was one more person in this household who seemed keen on coming with him.

Lyra was currently biting his pants and tugging at him, almost as if to remind him that he needed to bring her along as well.

Just thinking about all the chaos waiting to be unleashed made Kael’s head hurt. But he decided that he needed to deal with this in the end.

"Fine! I will file a report with the council, and then we can leave."

Kael told them, only to see the other three frowning at him.

"Is that really necessary?"

Iris asked, and Kael sighed once more. His face also turned haggard as he nodded.

"Unfortunately, I have to take this precaution so that they won’t blow things out of proportion. I doubt they could cause trouble so soon after what just happened. But you can never know with those madmen."

Kael pointed out, and everyone nodded at his words.

"Alright! Let us know when it is time for us to leave for the monster hunt."

Iris told him before she headed back to her room to pack her things. The others left as well, leaving Kael behind.

He rubbed his forehead as he complained about the current issues, and Lyra gave him a look that told him he had brought this upon himself.