A Sudden Invitation

[Ceobe POV]

Currently, I am being ushered by Rudeus to the room along with miss Therese because we have something to discuss between the three of us.

Once we arrived at the room, we entered inside and we were prompted to take a seat on one of the beds. However, miss Therese insisted for her nephew to sit on her lap and he reluctantly complied.

"Oh Rudeus, you're such a cute child~ Zenith has raised you very well, hasn't she?" miss Therese earnestly asked as she snuggles her nephew like a huge teddy bear.

"Umm... yes, but please let me go, miss Therese"

"That won't do, my dear. And please, call me auntie~"

The blonde woman continues to dot on her nephew while I kept wait for them to settle down. Eventually, I noticed that Rudeus was staring at me as if he was begging for help.

I sighed pitifully at the way he looks at me and decided to help him get out of that situation by drawing miss Therese's attention.

"Ahem... Shall we begin to discuss on what you're here for, miss Therese?" I inquired, which stops the blonde woman from snuggling her nephew and turns her attention to me.

"Ah yes, forgive me. I got carried away for a second there"

Miss Therese apologizes embarrassingly as she moves Rudeus aside before proceeding to state her intention to me.

"Ceobe Adoldia, I'd like to invite you to come with me under the direct order of Claire Latreia, the head of the Latreia household and the leader of the Demon Race Expulsion Faction"

I was then formally invited by miss Therese to come with her because a certain person ordered her to do so. However, I'm skeptical regarding the invitation so I need to inquire more information.

"Can I ask for the main purpose of the invitation?" I carefully asked.

Miss Therese complied and told me that I was invited due to me and my Leviathan Axe. Then I push the question further by asking her for the significance of my weapon to them.

"The head of our family want to examine your weapon because they want to make it was the same one that the Ghost of War used during the long and brutal wars of the ancient past"

Miss Therese thoroughly explains to me about the importance of the Leviathan Axe, which piques my curiosity.

Although I have no idea regarding the wars, the person involved in it feels oddly familiar as if I have a recollection of the name from my memories.

Now that I understand the gist of the invitation, perhaps I will gain more information regarding the past if I were to come with miss Therese and meet the head of her family.

"If that's how it is, then I will come with you, miss Therese" I politely complied.

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After complying to miss Therese's invitation, she and Rudeus have a small chat for a while. From what I can hear in their conversation, they are talking about each other's lives.

Rudeus even told her everything he knows, including the teleportation incident and the experiences he have during his travels.

Hearing this causes miss Therese to frown solemnly, feeling empathetic towards her nephew's hardships.

"I see... You were also caught in that devestating tragedy as well, just like your family" Therese reacted wistfully at her nephew's story.

"That's right..."

Rudeus sadly responded, in which Therese and I noticed. So, I prompted her to change the subject in order to motivate him and she complied.

"Anyway, your father told me that you and your friends were planning to go to the Central Continent, correct?" Therese curiously inquires.

"Yes, and we are determined to go there very soon. Which is why I asked father for the money and the letter, so that we can prepare for the journey" Rudeus confirms the question, explaining his motives in the process.

"That's very understandable, Rudeus. If you want, I can offer you some assistance" Therese genuinely suggested, proposing some support to her nephew.

"Thank you, auntie Therese. That would be a great help" Rudeus gratefully said as he accepted the offer.

After that, their conversation has ended there and miss Therese prompted me to come with her. I gladly complied as I grabbed my knapsack and weapons before following them downstairs.

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As we arrived at the ground floor, I noticed that everyone were at the dining area and they seem to be chatting together.

"There, there. Miss Norn is a little good girl"

It was the voice of Saga who was seemingly talking fondly to a little blonde girl, complimenting her while pampering her on the head.

"Erm... T-thank you"

The little girl then bashfully thanked Saga after recieving the compliment and she looks quite happy when her head was petted.

"Oh my, looks like our fluffy friend is having fun with little Norn. How adorable~" miss Therese suddenly reacted to the scene, which caught everyone's attention.

"Ah, Therese. It seems you're done talking with those two, right?" Rudeus' father casually asked.

"Yes, I have convinced miss Ceobe to come with me to our home" miss Therese briefly explains, causing the little girl to stand up abruptly and then proceeds to march towards us.

"Auntie, you're going to bring her to see grandma?!" the girl anxiously questions miss Therese.

Hearing the girl's cries somehow made me nervous as if I can feel a red flag waving at me from a distance and I don't like where this is going.

"Don't worry, Norn. Your grandma will go easy on her" Miss Therese somehow able to reassure the little girl.

However, those words doesn't do much comforting for me, in fact, that made it worse.

After that, Eris and Saga came up to me and asked about where am I going. So, I told them about the invitation and they look quite concerned about it.

"Hey Ceobe, are you sure you want to go there?" Eris strangely asked, making quite nervous after she said that.

"W-why? Is there something wrong?" I nervously inquires, in which Saga responded to my question.

"Norn said that her grandma is strict and scary"

There it is, the red flag. I know something was wrong after the little blonde girl asked miss Therese about her grandmother.

Am I expecting to meet a super serious wrinkly old woman on the place where I am going? Probably, but I am hoping not.

"I-is that so? W-well, wish me luck then" I tensely told my friends my farewell before walking towards the entrance along with miss Therese.

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Once miss Therese and I left the inn, she guided me to the direction of our destination. We continue walking until we reach the residential district, where the buildings were becoming more luxurious as we walk further.

Not only that, the people strolling on the street were mostly nobles wearing extravagant formal attires. Some of them notice me and they were somewhat disdainful of my presence.

"Hey miss Therese, why are they glaring at me" I asked, wanting to know the reason for the noble's indifference glares.

"Ah, don't worry about them, miss Ceobe. They're just not expecting for a beast race to walk in this sector of the city" miss Therese kindly explains, telling me to not worry.

After I was reassured, we continue to walk through the street until we stop in front of a wide metal gates. I assume that this is the place where the one who invited me resides.

*Ding Dong*

Miss Therese then pressed the doorbell on the side of the gate and we waited for someone to respond to the call.

Several minutes later, I saw a bunch of people came out of the house and they all lined up to the side of the pathway. From the looks of their appearances, they were all wearing maid and butler uniforms.

Then after that, an old woman walks towards the middle of the pathway. She has grey hair and wore a blue noble dress.

"So, that's the person who invited me, right?"

I curiously asked miss Therese as I point at the old woman. She nodded in response to my question and spoke.

"Yes, that's the head of the Latreia household, Claire Latreia"

After confirming my question, I look back at the house and noticed that the old woman was staring directly at me.

Her expression is so serious and cold that I could mistake her for my strict high school teacher back in the previous world.

'I don't what she's thinking about, but hopefully she doesn't see me as a nuisance' I thought to myself as I nervously stared back.

Subsequently, the woman turns her head to the butler next to her before heading back inside the house. The butler then walk towards our direction and opens the gates for us.

"Shall we go, miss Ceobe?"

Miss Therese prompted me to move, I complied and followed the butler through the pathway until we reach the house.