103

Title: "From Game to Reality - Episode 103"

Chapter 26: Unexpected Changes (5)

Arsea and I returned to the Lordship of the Viscount and shortly thereafter received a hastily arriving guest.

"Isn't it the first time you two have come to visit my domain?"

They were none other than Lord Rayford Lawrence, my biological father who passed on the Lawrence Castle to me, and Lady Sylvia Lawrence, my stepmother, who shared the same Lawrence Castle with me.

Although they enjoy prosperity thanks to their outstanding son in the eyes of the public, they reject the calls from many central nobles fearing harm might come to their son, maintaining their domain.

Especially my father, who has cut off exchanges with nearby lords and completely withdrawn from social activities, seems to be burdened with guilt and regret for not being able to protect me and my mother due to his past weakness, as he engages in self-discipline without any command.

My father, accompanied by my mother, and Vice, who used to be my escort and now serves as the head of the Knights, visited.

They were all very pleased as they hadn't been able to visit their relatives due to being busy with phone calls and texts.

Although Vice and William had visited my domain before, it was the first time for my father and mother, so I introduced them around my domain and led them to the study.

"Is it not shameful to interfere in one's child's domain?"

"You don't need to worry about the surrounding gaze too much. There are no significant figures in this country who would harm you, Father."

"Thanks to you, right?"

"Thanks to my late mentor who taught me magic."

Naturally, the mentor I mentioned was not the publicly known Duke of Riverdale but referred to Duke Lucas, except for Arsea, everyone would think of the Duke of Riverdale.

"You've decorated it well. Indeed, the scale is enormous, probably because it's the Lordship of a big city."

My mother was more interested in my environment than I was. It seemed she was curious about how her son was living.

She must have wanted to come several times, but she endured it.

I guess my father advised against her coming to burden his son who was beginning to stand out.

There's no need for that.

"Yes, you have a higher rank and are richer than Father."

"Yes, yes. Our son is outstanding."

Saying that, my mother, who took the opposite seat and sat next to Arsea, patted my back.

It doesn't hurt at all.

My mother's hands were naturally weak, but because of my strength comparable to a high-ranking knight due to the fusion with Ki-yeon, I couldn't even flinch at this level of attack.

Still, I pretended to be hurt.

"Ouch..."

Is this shocking to see us like this?

The maids around covered their mouths in surprise.

My father gave my mother a warning glance, but I thought there was no need for it, and I smiled at the surprised maids.

"Can mothers hit their children? Isn't that interesting?"

"Sorry, sorry."

The maids blushed and retreated with quick steps, and my father said with a sigh.

"Aren't you notorious, so you're like this?"

"Me?"

"Even though you look like this, you're still a lord in name. There are quite a few rumors going around."

I couldn't even guess what kind of rumors he had heard because he had done so many things to gain notoriety in the noble world.

"I'm doing so well. If you look at my online diary, you'll see that there are a lot of commoners cheering for me."

"Cheering for you from behind a screen and serving you directly are different things. The sight of serving the most eccentric noble in the country to the maids. People don't just like beings beyond their expectations."

Ah, is that so?

The more I told them to behave comfortably, the more polite they became, and that seemed to be the reason.

I scratched the back of my head.

Combining memories from past lives, I could say that my father and I were of similar age.

However, unlike me, who lived as a child and adolescent for a total of 42 years until the age of 20 in this life, my parents had a long career as adults in society, which could not be ignored.

My father and mother smiled at my handsome appearance, wondering what was so good about it.

"So, what's the matter? You two are always welcome, but there must be a reason for your sudden visit?"

At my question, my father wiped the expression from his face and asked seriously.

"I heard there might be a civil war."

Title: Unexpected Revelation

It's unexpected. I thought it would still be unknown since we severed ties with the outside, but the news came quickly. I just nodded.

"I heard His Majesty the King is considering abdication. Luk mentioned he has no intention of sitting quietly and watching. Perhaps instructions will be issued to the Viscount and Marquis just before the start of the operation."

I have my own faction, although it's not very large. My Viscountship, Arsea's Earldom, and even my father's Marquisate are intertwined.

"You'll probably be at the forefront even in the Second Prince's faction, right?"

"His Majesty Luk told me to become his Deputy Commander. So, I'll probably be ahead of Viscount Hamington, who is the commander. As for Arsea, she was even assigned to the mobile unit."

I couldn't grasp the essence of what my father was trying to say, so I just chuckled. My father spoke with utmost seriousness.

"If His Majesty's personal army appears on the battlefield, never confront them."

"His Majesty's personal army?"

The likelihood of the King taking to the field seemed slim, but even if he did, I had no reason to clash with the King's faction since I was planning to betray the Second Prince and align with the Crown Prince. The King was currently pushing the Crown Prince forward anyway.

But my father seemed to think that he might end up fighting the King's faction since he didn't know about the betrayal plan yet.

However, I could see that my father bringing up this topic wasn't solely out of loyalty to the King.

"His Majesty the King is much more formidable than everyone thinks. He's not just an old man in the back room."

I asked my father for more details with a grin. Because my son, Prince Luk, had never heard such a story about being cautious of the King.

"Even if it's a powerful nation like the Freeus Republic, there's bound to be some consideration for the existence of the royal family for the sake of the royal and imperial presence. And that's no different for our Reinhardt lineage."

"That's true. But will that affect the current trend?"

I thought the ones to be wary of the King were the nobles who were loyal to him while maintaining neutrality until the end. But since my father said what we really need to be careful of is the royal family, I couldn't help but be skeptical.

"Even if there's a Grand Master?"

"What?"

A Grand Master is a figure equivalent to the Grand Wizard of the Eight Circles. The sight of Orb Blades flying simultaneously and charging is terrifying. Unfortunately, there wasn't a single person from our kingdom among the five Grand Masters on the continent. There were two in the Bringum Empire, one in the Elysian Union, one in the Kroyzen Empire, and one in the Chayse Kingdom.

Even though Saints were warrior types equivalent to Grand Masters, I excluded them because they were fundamentally different from mages and normal swordsmen.

Could it be that a rare Grand Master exists in our kingdom? It's an unbelievable story.

"It's not certain. I found out about it when I was organizing your grandfather's documents a while ago and stumbled upon a diary he had hidden."

"Hmm..."

My grandfather, the former Lord Lawrence, was a steward in the palace. Although the steward position was cut off from the main line of the family, our family had been serving the king for quite some time.

However, one day, my grandfather suddenly met an unexpected death, and our family's entry into the palace was cut off. So my father had a forced marriage for the sake of our declining family. Could it be that such things happened because my grandfather had access to the royal secrets?

Considering various possibilities, I couldn't just brush off my father's story.

"The world is vast, so we must remember that there are more hidden forces than you think."

"I understand. I'll keep that in mind. If a crisis arises, I'll definitely run away, so don't worry."

The fact that there might be a Grand Master included in the King's personal army was unexpected, but even if one appears, there was no need to worry too much.

"Yeah, that's right. Honor is important, but your life is even more so. If a crisis occurs and you're alive, there will be many places for you to seek refuge."

"But why does it feel like someone else's story? Dad is part of the Second Prince faction for now, so participation in battle is a decision, isn't it?"

However, the shocking story didn't end there.

The subsequent story was more shocking than the possibility of a Grand Master being under the King's command.

"Me? I have no intention of participating in the battle."

"What?"

If I turn away at a crucial moment, it will not go unnoticed. If the nobility opposing the Crown Prince is purged and a vacancy in the Earldom occurs, I can take a position.

"Sylvia is pregnant. So, I don't think she'll do anything shocking. I'd like to stop your deployment if I could, but that won't be easy."

I momentarily couldn't understand my father's words and blinked my ears.

"Pregnant, pregnant... Oh, you mean Mother. Right?"

Embarrassed, Arsea dropped the cookies she was holding and fidgeted. And my father coughed as if to cover it up. It was only belatedly that I understood his intention and spewed out the tea I was drinking.

"Cough! What... what did you say?"

"She's three months along. The due date is September 20th."

I'm twenty years old. Well, almost, considering my birthday is soon. But my younger sibling is going to be born?

"Really?"

"You think I'd joke about something like that?"

I blinked in bewilderment.

As my parents looked relatively young, it didn't seem to matter much, but shouldn't my father take better care of himself? When the younger sibling becomes an adult, won't he become a grandfather?

"If you use recovery magic regularly, it should be fine, right?"

"I understand. I'll do that."

I used 7th Circle recovery magic on both of them. 7th Circle recovery magic doesn't have adverse effects on fetuses. On the contrary, exposure to high magic might lead to the talent for magic, so it was a method commonly used by high-ranking nobles.

"Our second one is truly blessed. You're a Grand Mage, and your new sister will be an Aura Master."

"A daughter?"

"We don't know yet, but it feels that way."

Something feels quite surreal. I chuckled to calm my confused mind. This might be the most bewildering moment in recent memory. We really need to end this war quickly.

"To Lord Lawrence, congratulations on the new sibling."

In a secluded corner of the royal palace after receiving the Crown Prince's summons. Before engaging in serious conversation, I decided to lighten the mood by sharing today's events. The Crown Prince congratulated me with a cheerful expression.

"So, it seems Father doesn't want to participate in this war."

"I understand. It can't be helped."

While it might make sense from a family perspective, from a third-party perspective, not participating in the war because one's wife is pregnant might not be understandable. But the Crown Prince shrugged it off coolly.

"The difference in strategy between me and Prince Luke seems quite significant on the surface, right? There might be something to disclose to Lord Lawrence, who might feel uncertain about the current situation."

"I'll listen."

"In addition to Lord Lawrence within the Second Prince's faction, we have allies who will join our strategy."

Then the Crown Prince brought up the expected story. I nodded and pretended to be surprised.

"Viscount Trenton, isn't it?"

This was received well, and I was surprised at the relaxed expression on the Crown Prince's face.

"Did you know?"

"I anticipated the next move from your perspective, Your Highness. It's fortunate that it aligns."

I just blurted out what came to mind, but the Crown Prince was deeply