Chapter 208
“So this is the Magic Tower lord’s family home…”
“How should I put it? It’s a bit unexpected. I definitely thought he would have grown up in a place like a magic laboratory.”
“The wheat fields are spread widely. It’s quite beautiful.”
“Yeah. It would be fun to run around with behemoth.”
They looked at Franz’s family home, or more accurately, the mansion of the Gilbert Baronial House, and shared their own impressions.
Just as they said, there were vast wheat fields around the mansion. Since it happened to be autumn, the golden hues lent a rather picturesque atmosphere.
“It really has been a long time…”
The vast wheat fields, the cozy mansion that used to bustle with family, and even standing here blankly staring at the mansion - it had been so long.
It was when Franz was feeling a sense of longing from the memories springing up one after another.
“Franz…?”
Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard.
The gazes of everyone, including Franz, turned toward the source of the voice.
A middle-aged woman was standing there.
The woman was quite beautiful despite having gone through many changes over the years. It was to the point where one could tell what she must have looked like in her youth without even having to ask.
And she was none other than…
“Mother…?”
Franz’s mother.
“It really is you…”
Franz’s mother, Garnet Gilbert, walked straight up to Franz.
Considering how long it had been, gladness spread across her face.
“Have you been well all this time?”
“I suppose… I’ve been doing well enough.”
“I’m sure you have. It’s a relief if you haven’t been causing trouble.”
“I’m long past the age of causing trouble.”
Franz answered playfully and let out a small laugh, a soft 'pfft'.
They certainly hadn’t seen each other in a long time, yet it felt incredibly comfortable and familiar. This must be what family is.
“More importantly, Franz, the people next to you are…”
His mother’s gaze turned toward the four who were standing blankly to the side.
As soon as his mother’s gaze reached them, the four widened their eyes and showed signs of panic.
Well, no matter how close a friend someone is, parents are always difficult to deal with.
“This is my secretary, Arian.”
The first person Franz introduced was Arian.
There was no particular reason. It was just because she was the closest.
Surely they wouldn’t have complaints about the order they were introduced in.
…Or so he thought, but as he looked at the expressions of the rest, his disappointment was evident.
Well, they’ll get over it on their own as time passes.
“Baroness, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am the eldest daughter of Duke Phrygia, Arian Phrygi-ah. I work as the secretary for the Magic Tower lord at the Magic Tower.”
Arian finished her greeting politely and neatly.
As expected, the time she had lived as a ducal daughter hadn’t gone anywhere.
However, the real problem was his mother’s reaction.
“Y-Young lady. I failed to recognize you. I apologize.”
His mother placed one hand over her chest and bowed her head politely.
It was a matter of course for a Baroness to apologize to a ducal daughter. In the world of nobles, a title was everything.
But wasn’t Arian the Magic Tower lord’s secretary despite being a ducal daughter? This current situation was the same as the Magic Tower lord’s mother bowing her head to a secretary.
Not to mention, it was the mother of the man she loved, so what more needed to be said?
“Y-You don’t have to apologize…!”
Arian bowed her head even lower than Franz’s mother’s.
“H-How could I…! Please raise your head…!”
“I cannot…!”
In the end, Franz’s mother and Arian began a competition to see who could bow their heads better.
Of course, Franz wasn’t one to just watch that happen.
Tap-.
He supported Arian’s forehead with his hand so her head couldn’t go down any further.
“Hueh?”
Startled, Arian raised her head and looked at Franz.
Franz gave her a look.
Tell her to just stay still.
Nodding her head, Arian didn’t bow any further, and fortunately, the situation was safely resolved.
And so, the next turn.
“This is Yusti-ah, the Saintess of the Goddess Church.”
As soon as Franz finished speaking, Yusti-ah stepped half a pace forward.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Madam. Although I am the Saintess of the Goddess Church, I am also nothing more than a mere follower. So please, address me comfortably.”
“How could I address the Saintess comfortably? It is an honor for me to meet you as well.”
Fortunately, a situation like the one just before didn’t occur, but disappointment showed on Yusti-ah’s face.
It seemed she had wanted his mother to treat her comfortably.
However, as long as the Goddess Church was the main religion of the empire, it was a near-impossible task.
Unless she stepped down from the position of Saintess, that is.
After that, their self-introductions continued.
“I am the Sla… no, Hera, who traveled with Franz.”
Franz felt a chill run down his spine for a moment.
If she had just uttered the word slave, his mother definitely would have misunderstood.
Anyway, he hadn’t known Hera was capable of speaking formally like a normal person.
Considering she was someone who spoke informally even to the emperor, it couldn’t help but be surprising.
Like that, Hera’s turn passed safely, and it was Yuna’s turn.
“Mother, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
At the words Yuna uttered with a smile, everyone’s expressions were dyed in astonishment.
Not Madam or Baroness, but Mother.
It was practically no different from declaring war that she would become Franz’s wife.
“I am a hero, but I’m not a noble, just a commoner. So please just call me Yuna.”
“Is that so…? It’s nice to meet you.”
Was her mind put at ease by the word commoner? Yuna was the only one who could hear her mother speak informally.
Hearing informal speech alone when everyone else heard formal speech meant she was special.
Along with that, it even felt more intimate, so the expressions of the three excluding Yuna darkened.
“Please give me what you’re holding in your hands. I have good strength because I’m a hero.”
“Oh my, thank you.”
Yuna received the box his mother had been holding.
Based on the loud noises coming from inside, it seemed to contain items related to magic.
“Then let us all head inside now.”
Saying so, his mother took a step toward the entrance of the mansion.
Yuna walked while sticking right next to her mother, and behind them were Franz and the three drooping women.
Eventually, upon entering the mansion, Franz noticed a unique scent.
The scent of wood was thick. It was a smell created when magic reagents and wood met.
To Franz, who had grown up smelling it since childhood, it was also a nostalgic fragrance.
Was that all? Everything in the mansion was a source of nostalgia for Franz.
“Franz, have you eaten by any chance?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Then wait just a moment with our guests.”
His mother received the box back from Yuna and took a step toward somewhere.
Since she asked about a meal, he figured she was probably heading to the kitchen, but…
Well, he’d find out if he waited.
Franz thought so and was about to wait, but an unexpected situation unfolded.
“Magic Tower lord, I’m sorry, but may I follow the Baroness, no, Mother?”
“I am of the same opinion. I shall follow Mother.”
“M-Me too…!”
Arian, Hera, and Yusti-ah said as they strode closer.
Yuna was already following her mother.
Franz looked alternately at the three in front of him before nodding his head.
“S-Sure, do that.”
Having received permission, the three immediately hurried their steps and headed toward the mother of one of them.
Anyway, since when did they all start calling her Mother?
“Do they want to get close to her…?”
Franz couldn’t understand their feelings at all, but he decided not to think too deeply about it.
He just accepted it, thinking it was for the best.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen…
“You want to help with the cooking…?”
“Yes, we also want to learn while we’re at it. And could you please speak comfortably to us? At least when it’s just us.”
“If you say so…”
Garnet Gilbert looked at the four who had followed her into the kitchen.
Their eyes were filled with resolve, like children eager to start a race.
So how could a smile not form on her face?
“You all like Franz, don’t you?”
Did they say only a woman knows a woman’s heart? No matter how much they didn’t show it, a woman would surely know.
As proof, the four couldn’t say a word and became completely tongue-tied.
Even Yusti-ah, who usually vehemently denied it, kept her mouth shut this time.
“Then I’m going to make the dish Franz liked the most. Will you all help me?”
Garnet Gilbert held a gentle smile on her lips.
She was endlessly delighted by the fact that her mischievous son had grown up so fast and had brought home such pretty wives.
Franz, unaware that such a thing was happening in the kitchen, was just waiting blankly all by himself.
‘I’m bored.’
Even so, wasn’t it a bit too much for all of them to follow her?
At least one of them could have stayed by my side.