When I tried to enter the mansion, the soldier guarding the main gate lowered his spear.
“Unauthorized individuals are not allowed to enter. Please state your affiliation and purpose.”
“Are you talking to me?”
I felt a bit flustered, and anger began to bubble up within me. First, they treat me like I don’t exist, and now they won’t let me through?
“Are you saying I haven’t been authorized?”
I reflexively tensed my arms. If they wouldn’t permit me, then I’d have no choice but to push my way in.
In that moment, the soldier next to me swung his spear and knocked the head of the other soldier down.
– Thwack!
“Oops?”
“I apologize, young master… He must be new and not yet familiar with faces.”
The soldier who got hit fell forward. The senior soldier bowed to me to apologize, but the mood had already soured, and it wasn’t going to improve easily.
Still, I knew I didn’t want to ruin the mood on a rare visit home. I decided to let it slide rather than cause a scene.
“Forget it. Have all the families with flags arrived?”
“Yes, they have.”
Under the coat of arms that symbolizes the Titan family, six flags were fluttering.
Russell, Nemea, Richmond, Coventry, Oneiroi, Anemoi.
These are the families that have a presence in Blade Mountain, much like the Blade Mountain Alliance. Everyone seemed to sense that something was happening judging by the coats of arms embroidered on the waving flags.
“I will ensure this doesn’t happen again in the future.”
The soldier opened the door for me. There were a few others behind me, but they asked no questions, as if it was simply expected.
“That’s the Russell coat of arms, right? Why is everyone gathered here?”
In the suffocating atmosphere, River spoke up first.
“Should we turn back now…?”
“What?”
“I wanted to avoid this day, but I may have forgotten since I wasn’t paying attention. Once a year, the families located in Blade Mountain gather at Titan for a meeting. It seems we’re here at that time.”
I’ve experienced this several times, but I don’t have fond memories of it. The blemish of my family meant I couldn’t step outside the room during this time.
Even with the Russells, Nemeas, and other heads of families visiting Titan’s Mansion every year, they didn’t know who I was for this reason.
Honestly, I just wanted to get out of here, anywhere else would do. How about Shimoa? There should be remnants of the Wolf God that existed in ancient times there. I’d like to meet the head of Shimoa and ask about it; it could be a perfect opportunity.
As I was hesitating to move forward, Lucia spoke up.
“Isn’t this… the Titan family…?”
“Yeah.”
If I had made it this far, it would be strange not to know.
Lucia looked at the flag planted at the mansion.
“Atlas, you… you’re a Titan…? But your last name is different.”
“I used my mother’s name because I thought it might get noisy if I used my real name.”
The Nemea flag was also fluttering above the mansion.
“I wasn’t trying to deceive anyone.”
“…It’s strange how there aren’t many people who can use a greatsword, but you can.”
I was worried that she might feel upset for having been deceived, but instead, she appeared happy.
“I see… You’re my neighbor then. This way, after graduating from the Academy… we can see each other anytime.”
“Sorry, but I live in the capital, so I won’t be around much.”
“Is that… really the case?”
While she seemed pleased to be close to Russell, I hadn’t been here since I ran away, except for a couple of times. After I graduate from the Academy, I intended to return straight to the Knights; I’d never come back here.
It was a place filled with too many unpleasant memories.
“Is this Titan family really a big deal?”
Gemma, who didn’t understand the relationships among the imperial nobility, asked.
“I can’t really say, but they are one of the most prosperous families in the Empire.”
“I see. No wonder I sensed something was different right away!”
“Flattery.”
Although I could see through the obvious flattery, it made me feel a little better.
“Let’s go greet the head of the family.”
“The head of the Titans… is that Atlas’s father?”
“That gentleman has already passed away. It’s my younger sister who is in charge now.”
…
The Titan mansion, on average, had everyone being a bit taller than usual, with everything slightly larger than elsewhere. The hallways were wide, and the doors were tall.
To someone like me, who was significantly shorter, this mansion always felt like a different world. A place I shouldn’t be.
As I walked through the hallway, I locked eyes with a maid coming from the other side.
“….”
The maid who met my gaze lowered her eyes and hurried past me.
“Uh…? Did that person just…? Is Atlas okay?”
“It’s normal for them to act like that here. That’s why I didn’t want to come early.”
Seeing the maid blatantly ignore me, Amy exclaimed in surprise. When not working, it was only right for the one and only son of the family to receive at least a greeting when encountered, but Cronos trained the servants not to show me such courtesy.
Even if the owner changed, I still found this place stifling.
“This stifling place drives me crazy. Let’s just take care of what we need to and leave right away.”
Everyone was visibly uncomfortable, and their words were few as a result.
I was really a bother to everyone.
Feeling unnecessarily guilty, I quickened my pace.
Like a ghost, I passed through the hallway and arrived at the office.
I knocked twice and swung open the oversized door that was far too tall for me. Inside, I found my sister reviewing documents, looking much like the last time I saw her a few months ago.
Wearing the same blue dress and exhibiting a similarly stern expression, she resembled me quite a bit.
“Oh my, brother! It’s been a while. You didn’t drop out of the Academy, did you?”
“I came because it’s vacation.”
“I see.”
“It looks like you’re still having a tough time.”
“It’s the weight I must bear.”
It seemed she was still entrenched in dealing with matters after Cronos’s death. This meeting was bound to revolve around those topics as well.
After greeting Metios, I introduced him to my companions.
“This is Metios, the current head of the Titan family and my younger sister.”
“Nice to meet you! The strong human’s younger sibling!”
Only Gemma greeted with enthusiasm.
“I think it’s the first time my brother brought someone home. You seemed to dislike attending the Academy, but it looks like you are enjoying it, so I’m relieved.”
Of course, it would be. Since I’ve barely been here since then.
“Could you introduce the people who came with you?”
Metios wore a stiff smile.
“Yeah. I should do that.”
Everyone except Gemma and Casey seemed quite tense.
Since I had shared some personal stories with Casey, she didn’t look worried at all.
Since Gemma didn’t know the power dynamics of the nobility, she seemed focused solely on the fact I’m her family.
River, Amy, and Lucia appeared a bit anxious, likely because they understood what it meant to be the head of the Titan family. Or perhaps it was simply because they knew I was family.
“This is River Seymour, the oldest daughter of the Seymour family, and she’s in the same class as me.”
“Nice to meet you, head of the Titan family.”
“This is Amy from the Parker family, also in the same class.”
“My insufficient self will do my best; please treat me kindly!”
They introduced themselves almost simultaneously, greeting in unison.
“This is Lucia from the Russell family… Is Carlos around?”
“Uh… Hello!”
“The Russell family? No wonder you’re taller than me. Carlos is in the annex, too.”
“My father??”
Lucia was even more flustered at the mention of Carlos. She couldn’t believe she’d run into him so soon after they parted ways not long ago.
“This is… Gemma, daughter of the Dragon Lord.”
“Dragon Lord?”
“Nice to meet you!”
Just as I was speaking plainly, her announcing herself as the daughter of the Dragon Lord prompted puzzled expressions.
“This is my daughter, Casey.”
“I’ve heard stories about you. Nice to meet you.”
The moment I introduced Casey as my daughter, they looked even more skeptical.
“To think the daughter of the Dragon Lord and the daughter of my brother would be together… you’ve certainly developed a lot of jokes, haven’t you?”
It seemed she’d rather not ask for an explanation and decided to just accept it instead.
“You arrived at a time when we have many guests. We have some guests in the annex already; if you’re okay with it…”
“I haven’t cleaned my room yet? There’s plenty of space left over there, so just give them that room.”
“…We’ve maintained it, but is it really okay?”
Metios asked again, surprised to hear that I was staying in my own room.
While it was not a place I cherished, it wasn’t intolerable either.
“Sure. I’m only here to take care of what needs to be done.”
———–
Since arriving at the mansion, Atlas has been decidedly on edge, whether he noticed it himself or not.
His expression, his actions, everything feels sharp.
He seems unable to sit still, as if he’s holding back something, like a ticking time bomb that’s ready to explode at the slightest provocation.
Anyone who spent a few months around Atlas could easily tell that he was not acting normally.
He pretended to be alright, but I felt anxious about when he might blow up.
The current head of the Titan family was said to be Atlas’s younger sister.
‘So, Atlas really is a part of that family.’
She resembled Atlas quite a bit.
Her deep sea-like blue eyes, her golden hair that sparkled beautifully in the sunlight, and even her stern expression were remarkably like his.
The only difference was that Atlas’s sister was significantly taller than him.
She was as tall as Lucia, which probably meant… that was the average height for Titans.
Could that be the reason? It was quite unusual.
It’s rare to see a family where the eldest son is alive and well but the younger sister is given the position.
Atlas seemed indifferent about the head position, and yet it felt like the very situation was one of the reasons he continued to feel suffocated in this mansion.
He had always grown up hearing how small he was and endured tough times, but I hadn’t realized the true depth of that until now.
He looked extremely worn out.
I wanted to do anything I could to comfort him.
