[George's POV]

The mansion was in an uproar after Claude was brought in with serious wounds, which looked atrocious just at a glance.

All of the available healers from the church were summoned while they also went about procuring high-class medicines for him.

I could only stand there speechlessly with a shaking fist as I saw my son’s appearance.

Surprisingly, this kid’s healing capability was abnormally high. Even the Doctors were surprised by Claude, who was recovering at a such a rapid pace.

However, as the right arm was violently snapped until the point where the bone was jutting out and the left hand’s fingers were almost torn off, it needed about one month until they recovered even with the best treatment available.

Mary was nursing Claude to the point that she even forgot to sleep.

Originally I should have ordered her to rest, but I considered a mother’s feelings and allowed her to continue.

In fact, Mary couldn’t stop crying for more than half a day. Her mind might have become unbalanced if she wasn’t allowed to look after Claude.

◆◇◆◇◆

[Aiden's POV]

『──Listen up. You are going to escape no matter what. Don't move.』

The image of Claude’s back when he said that as he covered for me was burnt into the back of my eyelids, and wouldn’t vanish even now.

I thought that he was reliable.

I also felt happy as his friend.

──That was until Claude was sent flying like a tattered and worn-out rag.

The jutting white bone, the trickling blood, the trembling body……I felt a freezing chill in my back when I saw Claude in such a state.

Even Claude would be injured if he was slashed. He might die if he got into a fight.

When I noticed such an obvious thing, I immediately became scared that Claude was fighting.

Don’t die.

Don’t die.

Next time, I’ll be the one to protect you.

It would be better that I died instead rather than having you injured in my stead.

When I saw Claude losing consciousness, for the first time I realized how worthless I really was.

That was why I couldn’t forgive myself, I, who had become a heavy burden for Claude.

Anything was fine.

I wanted to become useful for Claude, even if it was in only one thing.

◆◇◆◇◆

[Mary's POV]

「Mom, are you crying?」

Claude finally opened his eyes on the third morning after the treatment.

Claude’s kind gaze didn’t look any different from usual. I, who was peering into those pretty wildly luminous black eyes broke into a broad smile and leapt at Claude’s neck.

「Claude! Claude!!」

「Ouch ouch……Mom, it’s already. Everything’s already alright.」

I caressed the hair of Claude while I was crying a ‘waah-waah’ as I realized that he had survived that hopeless battle.

Using his head that was still hazy after waking up, Claude seemed like he was trying to recall something.

By feeling his soft limbs and body warmth, I finally caught on that he had returned alive from that deadly battle.

I must have reached the height of my fatigue. I immediately stopped crying and fell asleep while still hugging him.

「Sleep well, Mom.」

He said that as he put his hands around my waist to gently lay my slender body down on the bed.

◆◇◆◇◆

[Claude's POV]

What was waiting for me when I was finally released from my bed was a call from my father.

Actually, I still hadn’t fully recovered, but in front of my mom who kept watching over me worriedly, I had to act strong and show her that I was right as rain here.

While I was walking in the hall with the old maid as she was guiding me to my father, she suddenly spoke-

「Young master Claude, are you really alright? I wonder why the master is calling for you……」

「Because we need a talk between just the two of us, as parent and child, perhaps?」

Although there was no way that this call was for that kind of indulgent reason.

I became seized with a gloomy feeling when I imagined my father’s anger, but this was just me reaping what I sowed. I couldn’t run away from this, nor did I have any such intention.

「I’ll change your bandage as soon as you return, young master. Also, I’ll prepare a snack that you love!」

Saying so, she left me at the front door of my father's office.

「Excuse me.」

「Claude, huh. Enter.」

Father’s office was a boorish place that used a lot of oak wood to give it a solemn atmosphere. There were almost no decorations here.

The mountain of paperwork that was arranged neatly on the desk was most likely the result of the sweat, tears, and blood of his excellent retainers instead of father himself.

Father’s expression was too stiff and stern for a father who was welcoming his son who returned alive from the border of life and death.

I realized that my own prediction was correct.

It was depressing but I would be even more troubled if father was so happy-go-lucky that he didn’t get angry at me here.

*Bam-!*

My body was sent flying, along with a dull hitting sound.

I knew it was coming, but I couldn’t even follow the fist’s speed with my eyes.

I was punched while I was completely unguarded. I rolled on the office’s floor without stopping and crashed on the oak door that I had just entered before my body finally stopped.

Blood spurted out of my nose and several of my remaining baby teeth were broken. The inside of my mouth was wet with blood.

「Do you understand why I hit you?」

「──Yes.」

I had no intention of making excuses.

Everything was caused by my conceit.

If this was a battlefield, I wouldn’t be able to protest if I was beheaded for acting on my own.

「Why did you wander off into the monster's territory?」

「I was told by Aiden that something unknown had fallen into the monster's territory. Being curious as to what it was, we decided to investigate it on our own.」

「Why didn’t you report that to me?」

「As the house was busy on cultivating it's newly discovered land. I didn't want to disturb the adults by some misleading or unconfirmed information. And then……I also thought my own strength would be enough to take care of it.」

Yes, I arrogantly thought that there was no way I would lose to some mere monsters. 

「That’s quite the confidence. And, were monsters as weak as you thought?」

「No. One of them was extremely strong, who for the first time made me think there was someone other than father that I couldn’t win against.」

If that Black Book wasn’t there at that time, it was extremely doubtful on whether I would be standing here or not.

The wall that I felt from the difference of strength between me and Goblin leader was so high that it made me think like that with conviction.

In that light, perhaps the Goblin leader could be described as my rival, who had given me my first taste of defeat.

「What would’ve happened if you were unable to defeat them?」

「 I and Aiden would have been killed.」

If I stayed defeated at that time, Aiden too would surely have been killed.

I had exposed the lives of my important people to danger because of my arrogance.

「I heard that it was a coincidence that a Goblin leader was there. Originally, there were only supposed to Goblins present.」

「It’s as you said.」

I intentionally exposed Aiden to danger, just because I wanted to satisfy my own curiosity. 

That was the essence of the problem here. It made me gnash my teeth even harder at my own foolishness.

I should have thought about how to escape with him. Instead of trying to fight the monsters.

『They aren't that smart anyway.』

『With the hellish training that I have been through, it shouldn't be that hard to suppress the monsters.』

Because I had such optimistic thinking, I didn’t seriously consider how I was exposing both of our lives to danger. 

「Humans exist to protect the people they love and care about. It's the same with me. I work hard because I want to protect you, Ralph, Karl and your mother. We must never expose those people to danger for our own convenience. You were lacking such pride and resolve.」

I nodded wordlessly.

「Perhaps you’re thinking that I’m an unreliable father……even so, you’re still a child. At the very least, I won’t mistake the gravity of what I should protect, unlike you.」

Father too was aware that he was third rate as a politician and as a territorial ruler.

He also understood that the reason why I hesitated to report to him.

「Someone who lacks resolve can’t be successful even if they have the talent. Claude, as a punishment you are under house arrest for 1 month and from now on you shall help your brothers in fields and collecting materials from the forest. Did you get that?」

I nodded.

「I didn't hear you, Speak up!」

「Yes, Father!」

Perhaps looking at me accepting my mistake and not refuting back he started to calm down. After a bit of awkward silence, he spoke up again.

「Then one last thing──」

Father’s face changed completely from the stern face of a lord into a smiling face. He crouched down and caressed my black hair roughly before hugging me with all his strength.

The hug of my father after so long was rugged and hard, unlike mother, but it was filled with a reliable sense of security that couldn’t be compared to anything.

「Thank god you survived. You had me worried!」

「Father!」

It was like a dam broke and tears flooded out one after another. I cried while a part of my mind felt like what was going on was happening to somebody else.

My father’s forgiveness.

How I was actually feeling absurdly terrified from almost dying.

How I couldn’t sleep at night when thinking, ‘what if I and Aiden had died from what happened?’

Those thoughts became jumbled and tangled with one another and I couldn’t stop my emotions from overflowing out of my heart.

I cried loudly like there was something broken inside of me. This time for sure, I accepted from the bottom of my heart that I was nothing more than a seven-year-old brat.

◆◇◆◇◆

After washing the blood off and bandaging my face, although it was still hurting quite a bit, I quickly rushed towards the study.

I closed the door behind me before looking around if anyone was nearby.

『Now then, let's take a look at you, shall we?』

 I then closed my eyes and said in my mind-

「Appear!」

The moment I said so, the Black Book materialized in front of my eyes.