A few more days passed without any problems, and today was finally the day I was leaving this damned estate.

My first stop would be the Academy of Arcane Arts and Swordsmanship, the Arcanum. The way to the forbidden ruins was situated nearby.

Although the academy would officially begin in two months, after the commoners had completed their entrance exams, nobles were allowed to settle in beforehand since they had no need for such examinations.

I had gathered most of my belongings, which were pitifully lacking in memories and ridiculously abundant in extravagance.

Thousands of luxurious suits and noble clothes were packed inside one storage ring, while my handpicked collection of premium watches rested in another.

The last one contained the various medicines and potions my loving family had handed me over the last month.

I didn’t put them all inside my sword’s treasury since I didn’t like things getting messy there. That was the thing I relied on in battle, after all, so I only kept important things inside it.

With everything packed and done, I looked around my room one last time before leaving without another thought.

Liana was waiting for me outside, wearing the typical maid outfit, her hands carrying some extra things I hadn’t bothered putting into my rings along with her own belongings.

Not everyone could afford storage rings after all.

Nobles were allowed to bring one personal servant and I had chosen her because she was trustworthy in some sense and knew how to mind her own business.

More importantly, she was efficient in her work and had been my assistant back when I became Duke in my previous life.

"Everything is prepared, Young Master." She bowed curtly, holding the luggage in her hands. "We can depart anytime you are ready."

"Put your stuff in that." I threw a small spare storage ring with a red gemstone at her. "Wait for me near the teleportation gate. We will depart after I meet the Duke."

She nodded.

"Thank you for your generosity, Young Master."

Other servants might have acted as though they didn’t want it or rejected it outright but Liana didn’t argue even once. She swiftly channeled her mana into the ring, stored her belongings inside, all with a completely neutral expression and then with a curt bow, she left.

I shook my head and walked towards my father’s office.

As I walked, my mind wandered to his behavior over the last few days. Ever since the last apology a few days ago, that guy had stopped coming to apologize daily.

And only when I informed him yesterday of my decision to depart for the academy did he ask me to visit his office before leaving.

Soon enough, I arrived in front of his office. The butler standing outside informed him of my arrival and his voice soon echoed from the other side.

"Come in."

I entered without any hesitation and immediately my eyes fell on him. He was seated behind his desk, his head lowered as he swiftly scanned some documents.

"Take a seat."

He spoke without looking at me.

Although outwardly he looked perfectly composed, his slightly messy hair and tired appearance were enough for me to understand that my words from a few days ago were still bothering the guy.

It felt almost entertaining to see him suffering like this. A fitting punishment for an emotionless bastard, I would say.

Only after he was done with whatever he was writing did he look up at me with that same detached gaze of his.

"Is everything prepared?"

He asked.

"Yes."

I nodded without much thought as silence settled between us. He simply stared at me wordlessly. Seconds passed, then a few minutes but the guy didn’t even open his mouth.

"If that’s everything, may I leave?"

I asked.

There was no point in testing my patience when I still had a journey to make and surprisingly, he opened his mouth as if to say something before simply nodding.

I was curious about what he wanted to say but I didn’t care. Since the soul contract was not fulfilled, he would have to keep apologizing and since I would be going to the academy, he would be stuck with it unless he could visit me daily in the academy to do it, which was impossible.

Although soul contracts whose fulfillment relied on certain conditions seemed harmless, if not completed within a certain amount of time, they could cause mana deviation, making one regress in strength and, in the worst cases, crippling a person permanently.

The contract I had forced upon him was even more vile because it directly tampered with the emotions residing within the very soul that judged his apology.

So, if that contract remained unresolved for too long, this guy’s mana core would shatter and he would undoubtedly become a cripple.

The only reason he had foolishly accepted that particular contract was because the dangers of emotionally conditioned contracts were still unknown on this continent.

In any case, that wasn’t any of my problems, was it?

If even after all this, he still couldn’t offer a proper apology, then perhaps it was better for him to become a cripple.

Besides, even as a cripple, he could still govern and train his successor which meant I wouldn’t have to bury myself under mountains of paperwork again.

I controlled my useless chaotic thoughts and rose from my seat before walking towards the door, about to leave when his voice echoed from behind.

"Zenith..."

He said, his voice dry as I turned around to see him looking at me seriously. He looked strangely determined as he began.

"I don’t know what wrong I committed. As you might have noticed, emotions are something I struggle with. Even after peering into my own soul, I couldn’t find a single thing wrong. Even after spending days thinking about it, I still couldn’t understand what it was that made you angry."

He paused.

"I still don’t know and that is my fault in itself. I simply cannot comprehend what I did wrong, nor can I comprehend how to make things better. That is why I cannot apologize for the thing that hurt you..."

"...but I want to apologize for not understanding that fact."

His gaze didn’t waver.

"I am sorry for not understanding the pain you suffered. I am sorry for not understanding the emotions I should have felt. I am sorry for not being the ideal father you desire. And I am sorry for being unable to apologize for the very thing I still do not understand."

As soon as he said those words, a thin luminous thread materialized in the air between me and my father before erupting into a golden light and vanishing.

That was the soul contract we had made.

And that meant...

His apology had been judged as genuine.

I was surprised and even he looked surprised as if he hadn’t expected it either but soon a smile appeared on my face.

"The contract might have dissolved... but I just want you to know, I still don’t forgive you completely, old man."

The world still had many surprises, huh?

Who would have thought that even that cold bastard possessed emotions?

The smile on my face widened as I exited his office without a hint of hesitation.

The butler outside looked at my expression for a moment before peeking into his Master’s room as a small smile appeared on his face as well with understanding.

"Have a safe trip, Young Master."

He spoke cheerfully as I nodded.

"I will."

With those words, I left without looking back.

[Arc 1 — The House of Broken Stories Arc Completed ]

***