Eric, Rudy, and Emilia each rode their horses through the forest, which was beginning to be blanketed in white snow.
The three of them stopped several times to rest at local inns in the towns they passed through. They also restocked their supplies using Eric's money.
Along the way, they encountered a few obstacles, such as attacks by wild animals like wolves and several ambushes by stray goblins, but these were successfully repelled by Rudy and Emilia, who brilliantly carried out their duties as escorts.
And as they had known beforehand, midway through the journey, knights from the House of Ostheno arrived to pick up Eric. The knights, especially the Knight Captain, were surprised because Eric was supposed to be riding in a convoy carriage, yet they found him and the two hired adventurers riding ordinary horses instead.
Eric didn't want to explain fully and simply said, "There was a minor incident on the road, so I chose to ride an ordinary horse." The Captain of the Knights merely nodded and didn't want to know any more. The other knights and guards were the same, they preferred to stay silent and ignore Eric.
The old man inside grimaced, this boy was truly hated, even by the ordinary guards. Then he, Rudy, and Emilia climbed into the carriage that had been brought and prepared by the escorting knights.
Snow blankets covered the leaves of the trees they passed, frost clung to the carriage windows, and the mud on the path they traveled was wrapped in the cold whiteness of the snow.
Inside the carriage, Eric brought up the battle on The Great Amber Bridge with Rudy and Emilia. "You must be wondering why I kept my involvement with those two cultists a secret."
Both Rudy and Emilia turned to look at him. Rudy gazed at Eric calmly, while Emilia, as usual, showed no reaction.
Eric continued, "You must already know about my terrible reputation. Even if the two of you tell others the truth about my 'good deeds,' I'll always be labeled as a bad person by society because that's the image that's already stuck to me whenever someone hears the name Eric Ostheno."
The boy sighed while staring outside. "And I don't want to bother fixing my reputation, because no matter what I do, I won't be able to change other people's minds or satisfy them. Once the human mind is wired to hate something, they'll always look for flaws in it, including me as the first son of the Ostheno family."
Rudy and Emilia were surprised by Eric's sudden display of wisdom, but Eric continued speaking. "And about the two demons we're facing, we're actually 'lucky' because those two aren't humanoid demons or brawl-type demons, which are known to be extremely violent." He took a breath, "…If that were the case, then honestly, I'd be a little worried that the scale of environmental damage would be much greater."
"You're right." Rudy agreed with Eric's assessment of the two demons, "...the type of demons you mentioned tend to be very destructive-"
"It's not those demons I'm afraid will cause the most damage."
"Huh?"
"It's actually me, I'm the one who'll end up wrecking the whole area just to take down demons like that."
Eric replied, leaning back fully. Before Rudy could ask any further questions, the Knight Captain knocked on the window. "Young Master Eric, we've reached our destination."
A high wall encircling a large city stood firmly. Eric was mildly impressed by the grandeur of the walls, and long lines of people from various backgrounds filled each of the large, open gates.
The total time required to reach the capital of the Ostheno region, Themeus City, was nearly five days. And finally, Eric and his entourage arrived safely at the Ostheno residence.
***
Throughout the journey to his residence, ordinary citizens who caught a glimpse of Eric's face from inside the carriage reacted in various ways, though most of them showed contempt, loathing, and disgust.
Snapped out of his reverie, Eric stepped down from the carriage alongside Rudy and Emilia. A luxurious mansion stood imposingly before him. He briefly recalled that the mansion and its surrounding grounds were vast, reminding Eric of the homes belonging to millionaire clients from his past life.
It didn't stop there, in front of the entrance to the luxurious mansion stood a set of stairs leading up to it, and on those stairs, a line of eye-catching maids and butlers stood waiting to greet Eric.
"'Welcome home, Young Master Eric.'" the maids and butlers said in unison.
Eric was inwardly annoyed by the excessive greetings but kept himself composed. And at the top of the stairs stood five people dressed in elegant attire. One was dressed as a butler but looked neater and more put-together, while the other four wore thick, warm clothing typical of nobles in winter.
"Welcome home, my son." A beautiful woman approached and embraced him. Eric stiffened at the sudden display of affection. He remembered that this woman with hair the same color as him, pale blonde, was Eric Ostheno's mother, Melissa Ostheno.
He also recalled that the previous Eric had always responded to his mother's affection coldly, so this time Eric chose to hug her back, albeit half-heartedly. Everyone present widened their eyes at Eric's behavior.
A tall, handsome man with a formidable aura stepped forward toward him. His bright brown hair, tied into a single braid, fluttered slowly. Eric recognized this man, a high Gold-rank Ice Swordsman and head of the Ostheno family, James Ostheno aka Eric's father.
"Glad you arrived safely, son." James greeted him in a flat tone. Eric felt uncomfortable being called "son" by someone younger than him, but he put up with it because this new body of his was indeed that of a young boy.
"Welcome, Big Brother..." Shortly after, a pair of twins, a young man and a young woman greeted him with flat tones. Eric turned to look at the two of them and murmured, "Lucas and Laurene…"
They were both Eric's younger siblings, a year younger than him. Another unique fact was that Lucas, the younger brother, was taller than Eric and resembled James, with both of them having bright brown hair, while Laurene took after Melissa and Eric with pale blonde hair.
The four members of his family were all beautiful and handsome, almost blinding Eric, and he merely nodded without speaking to return their greeting. Then the remaining person, an old dandyish man standing a bit farther away approached Eric.
"Welcome home, Young Master Eric. Allow us to bring your luggage to your room," said Sebastian, the head butler.
"Thanks. Also, take care of the two behind me," Eric gestured with his thumb toward Rudy and Emilia, "…they were quite helpful during the journey." Sebastian nodded thoughtfully and approached the two adventurer siblings.
James cut into the conversation. "You should rest first, Eric. We have something to discuss at dinner, it concerns the future of the Ostheno household."
"Okay, Father," Eric replied. Then Rudy and Emilia followed Sebastian into the guest room, and Eric's mother, father, and younger siblings went their separate ways, with Melissa being the last to leave. The servants who had welcomed them also dispersed, returning to their respective duties.
Eric thought dinner tonight would be a very productive conversation.
***
Eric had changed his clothes and was now lying on the bed in his room. Eric's bed was much larger and softer than the one in his dorm room at the Academy. Not only that, but Eric's room was filled with odd, mysterious items that looked expensive.
The old man inside him was annoyed by those useless trinkets, he vowed to throw them away and sell them tomorrow. He looked out the window, the moon was already hanging in the sky. Eric walked into the family dining room.
Every time he passed the servants on duty, they all became nervous and afraid upon seeing him. "Eric Ostheno… you're beyond help…" After making a self-deprecating joke, he opened the dining room door.
The entire family, including his father, mother, and two younger siblings, was already present and seated at their respective dining chairs. Warm food was spread out on the large table, the steam rising from the dishes made the atmosphere even more appetizing.
"There you are. Have a seat, Eric."
Obeying James's command, Eric walked slowly and finally took a seat next to Lucas. James nodded and took charge of the meal. "Let's pray to The Goddess for blessings and fortune for today."
Eric mimicked his family as they clasped their hands and prayed, even though he himself didn't believe in The Goddess in this world. Dinner continued peacefully, with smoked meat and vegetable dishes.
Eric himself had no problem with table manners, because thanks to inheriting the memories of the previous Eric, he knew how to behave. Once he felt the atmosphere was right, James broke the silence.
"Eric, as I mentioned in the letter I sent a while back," The room fell silent, everyone froze, waiting for James to deliver the news. "…after much thought, I've decided to call off your engagement to Silvia."
James's firm tone made everyone stop eating. Melissa wore a sad expression, while Laurene and Lucas looked uncomfortable. Eric lifted his head and looked at James.
The two men locked eyes, and for some reason, the atmosphere grew tense. Then Eric sighed and replied casually. "No problem. I've already told Silvia this news directly."
Everyone there was shocked, even the servants on standby. Melissa then spoke softly to her beloved son. "You've already told Silvia? Wait a minute, why do you seem so calm about this? Don't you love her madly?"
Eric coughed slightly and explained. "Mother, after thinking it over, she's not my type." Laurene joined the conversation with a sarcastic tone. "Hmph, is that so? On the contrary, you're not the type of man big sis Silvia is looking for!"
Hearing that, Eric just gave Laurene a sharp look. James tried to lighten the mood, "You're acting strange, Eric. After all, you're the one who asked me to arrange this engagement."
Eric chose not to answer. He merely shrugged and continued eating. James asked again, "Even though I don't know the details yet, I've heard from those two adventurers that you promised to pay them triple from the agreement." He stared straight into Eric's eyes. "Let's be clear, I only asked for a reasonable payment, but you're the one who carelessly raised their pay! Where's the extra money coming from? Even though we're a Marquis's household, I-"
"Sshhh, Father." Eric cut his father off, furrowing his brow. "Just sell all the useless stuff in my room, that should be enough to cover the rest."
"Bffttt!"
"Pppfttt!"
"Ahem... ahem!"
Laurene and Lucas suddenly spew out their food, while Melissa coughed profusely. James was the worst, his mouth gaped wide as if his jaw were about to fall off.
"You... did something happen to you?" The braided man stared at him strangely. "You, who's always been so lavish and bought all those expensive and useless things that even your own family wasn't allowed to touch, suddenly want to sell everything?"
"Things happened, I guess? Either way, I'm still going to sell those things tomorrow. I don't like my room filled with garbage."
James narrowed his eyes. "You've changed. It's like you're not Eric anymore..."
Eric then gave his father an explanation. "Maybe yes, maybe no? My defeat in that duel with that damn Alex… you could say it was a fucking eye-opener."
Melissa, Laurene, and Lucas shook their heads hearing the vulgar words, while James was once again convinced but still grumbled to himself, hearing his son speak as foul-mouthed as usual.
James continued the conversation. "There's one more thing I'd like to discuss. It concerns the future heir to the Ostheno family." As soon as Lucas heard that, he sat up straight.
"To be honest, most branches of the Ostheno family, like the Fowlers and the Millers, don't agree with you becoming the future heir to the Ostheno family." Everyone stopped what they were doing.
A second after James said that, Lucas suddenly stood up and spoke firmly. "Father, do you still remember your promise regarding my 16th birthday last week? You said you'd grant any request of mine as long as it didn't violate the law or existing norms."
"Lucas? Of course I remember, but what does that have to do with-"
"In that case, I want to use that favor." He turned to Eric sharply. "I, Lucas Ostheno, challenge Eric Ostheno to a duel tomorrow to determine the successor of the Ostheno family!"
A collective gasp filled the room, even James was taken aback by this. Yet for some reason, Eric knew his parents had predicted this would happen. Nevertheless, Eric would not back down and accepted his younger brother's challenge.
"I, Eric Ostheno, accept the challenge from Lucas Ostheno."