Metios was the unacknowledged child.
All the attention always went to his older brother, Atlas. Metios wasn’t completely talentless, but he was treated more like a backup plan for the worst-case scenario.
The silver lining, however, was that being the center of everyone’s attention wasn’t all that great either.
As the eldest son, Atlas absorbed all the attention but also bore commensurate pain.
Yet, the image of Atlas that Metios remembered was mostly of his smiling face.
Whenever Atlas would scowl and grimace, wearing a ghastly expression typical of him, he would always smile when facing Metios.
Young Metios, who often felt suffocated by the fierce atmosphere of the household, truly liked his caring brother.
That thought didn’t change even after Atlas ran away.
After Atlas’s departure, Cronos engaged in numerous baffling behaviors.
The most outrageous of which was to hold a small funeral for Atlas, who was still alive and well but just ran away.
People thought Cronos was trying to choose Metios as the heir after considering Atlas as someone who no longer existed, but that wasn’t the case at all.
Metios remained the unacknowledged child, left to study on his own.
Eventually, both of their parents died in a fit of anger during an argument, and Metios found himself inheriting the head of the family position in place of the missing Atlas.
According to someone’s words, Cronos’s will stated that the next head would be Atlas.
There was undoubtedly resentment towards a father who never even glanced back at him until the very end, but what’s done is done.
Ultimately, he inherited it, so what lay ahead became all that mattered.
It was after this that Metios came across the diary of the former head, Cronos Titan.
It would have surely been better if he had lived without reading it, but in the end, he learned the answers to Cronos’s odd actions.
…
‘That was… too harsh. No, if it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t have left.’
After snapping at Atlas at sunset, Metios sulked himself in the office, filled with self-reproach.
It wasn’t because of some habit that he found himself in the uncomfortable office, filled with oversize tables and chairs that didn’t fit him.
It was because there was an uninvited guest who was said to be visiting.
“…You’ve come.”
The heavy curtain of darkness that suffocated the room seemed to assert its presence with a vengeance.
Such a thing could only happen in one place.
It was his second meeting with the Demon Church.
“Fulfill the contract, head of the Titan family.”
Without any prior presence, a massive man draped in a black robe appeared in the office.
His enormous body exuded a tremendous aura of intimidation that made one feel small just looking up at him.
Metios had seen many people in his life, but none carried the horrific presence that this messenger from the Demon Church did.
His brother Atlas and the former head, Cronos, both projected considerable presences, but this messenger exuded an entirely different kind of pressure.
It sent chills down his spine.
Biting back the urge to tremble, Metios opened his mouth.
“No matter how many times you come, what I have to say won’t change. How can I fulfill the contract when there’s no target?”
Internally, Metios cursed his father, Cronos.
The first thing he learned upon sitting in the office was not about the horrifying happenings at Blade Mountain, but the dreadful burden left behind by his late father.
The main reason why the Demon Church could brazenly invade the domain of the Titans was that Cronos had attempted to negotiate with them while alive.
At least it was fortunate that the transaction only remained at the ‘attempt’ stage.
They merely discussed the deal, and before anything could commence, the subject, Atlas, had run away, nullifying any arrangement.
Whatever it was they wanted from Cronos, it surely wasn’t anything good.
Nevertheless, the Demon Church continued to visit Cronos, seeking to resume the failed negotiations.
Frustrated, Cronos held a rudimentary funeral for his son, Atlas Titan, who had merely run away, telling the messenger of the Demon Church that Atlas was dead and ordering him never to set foot in their territory again.
Since then, Metios had no way of knowing whether the Demon Church continued to visit Cronos.
That was because Cronos didn’t document anything about the Demon Church in the diary afterwards.
Like it or not, Metios inherited the title of head of the family along with that burden from Cronos.
Metios had to hide Atlas from the Demon Church along with Cronos.
Whether they aimed to target Atlas to collect a reward from the Titans or actually desired Atlas himself, Metios didn’t know, but they must have had some advantageous outcome in mind to pursue like this.
After much deliberation, the solution that popped into his head was the Academy.
Given that the Academy was supposedly the most heavily guarded place, aside from the Imperial Palace, he thought it would be safe from the reach of the Demon Church.
After Atlas changed his name and entered the Academy, the Demon Church had kept a low profile for a while before reappearing now.
“That’s strange. I clearly heard news that the eldest son has returned.”
“There must have been a mistake. No matter how hard you search, you won’t find what you want in Narni.”
“We’re not trying to do anything strange… we’re merely fulfilling your request. It’s a transaction we’ve already made. Persisting in denial isn’t wise.”
“I don’t know what it is you want, but… never come back to Blade Mountain again! You even stole my father’s corpse and now you demand more!”
“Your brother is not here. And he will never return. Stop your futile efforts and go back.”
“I was given reliable intel. Which means he hasn’t been gone for long. I don’t know where you’re hiding your brother, but it’s only a matter of time.”
Metios could hear their conversation clearly.
Though he heard only bits, ultimately, there was one critical point.
Someone, presumably from the Demon Church, was looking for the Titan’s eldest son, and Metios intended to hide him.
Suddenly switching attitudes must be related to that.
‘It was unnecessary worry.’
A hollow laugh escaped him, and his hand on the sword instinctively tightened.
There was no need to eavesdrop any longer.
I kicked open the door and entered the office.
“W-why are you here?”
Metios found himself facing the towering figure swathed in black robes, whose expression shifted to that of a fierce glare as he spotted me.
“I told you to leave the mansion!”
But even with that said, I wouldn’t be fooled anymore.
