Before I knew it, the concubine and the children had left the detached house.
“Didn’t you know, Toma? You’re so smart but a bit clueless,” Talia said, exasperated.
“Alright, let me explain. Actually, the lord is going to retire. That’s why we, the illegitimate children living in the detached house, are being looked after by other families,” Talia continued.
“Are we being taken in? Not the concubines getting married?” I asked.
“Anyone who wants to marry can, but fundamentally, we’re looking for someone to take us in and support us. The idea is that they’ll manage us and take responsibility,” she explained.
“Isn’t it embarrassing to make others take care of what you’ve created?” I said.
“But lower nobles and merchants can benefit from taking us in and managing us,” Talia replied.
“So, it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement,” I said.
The marquis family can dispose of unnecessary illegitimate children and even let other noble families inherit the Lightstar bloodline. The lower nobles and merchants will gain financial benefits or rights. It felt like seeing the ugly side of the adult world.
However, I don’t think anyone will forget the terrible treatment we received. Even if the children inherit those families, don’t they think they might one day turn against the Lightstar family?
Then again, the people living in the main estate of the Lightstar family probably don’t think about such things. They seem to believe it’s only natural that everyone should obey them, so they don’t have a sense of crisis.
Talia taught me a lot, but I really can’t stand the people of the Lightstar family. They’re so selfish.
Lord Roxfall had originally planned to adopt me and take me in, and later, he and my mother were to marry. Come to think of it, he never clearly stated that he would marry my mother first.
But if managing the Lightstar bloodline is too much trouble, they shouldn’t have been touching every woman in sight from the start. It makes them look like nothing more than beasts, and worse, they’re lower beasts driven by their desires.
If my mother is marrying Lord Roxfall to protect me, I must stop this plan. But, I think I might be happier going to Lord Roxfall’s place rather than staying in this mansion, so I can’t make up my mind easily.
I’ll talk to my mother again!
“Talia, thank you for everything.”
“It’s fine. But this is where we say goodbye, Toma. I’ll miss you.”
Talia said she would be getting adopted into a baron’s family. Louis was to become the baron’s concubine. It seems that many of the concubines end up becoming the wives or concubines of those who took in their children.
“I’ll miss you too, Talia.”
“We’ll probably meet again at the academy. Take care of your health, Toma.”
Talia hugged me. Aside from my mother, the only people who hug me are Louis and Talia. Thank you, Talia.
When I entered my mother’s room, she was happily packing her things, even humming a tune. Just seeing her like that made me realize that my worries were unnecessary.
It seemed like my mother was genuinely looking forward to going to Lord Roxfall’s place, as joy seemed to be radiating from her back.
“Oh, Toma. Have you packed your things already?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’ve packed,” I replied.
What I was bringing were just clothes, underwear, and a few personal items. It didn’t take long to pack.
“Oh, you’re quick. Hee-hee,” she said.
It didn’t even need to be confirmed. There was nothing more to say.
Lord Roxfall came to pick us up. Of course, none of the lord’s family or people from the main estate came to see us off. But it would’ve been troublesome if they had.
“Lord Roxfall, thank you for everything,” I said.
“I should be the one thanking you, Toma-kun. And my greetings to Lady Arusha as well,” he said.
“Thank you very much,” my mother responded.
We, mother and child, bowed deeply to Lord Roxfall. He hurriedly told us to raise our heads, but I was truly grateful to him for taking my mother out of this awful mansion.
Lord Roxfall was on horseback, accompanied by four soldiers, a wagon, and a cart.
My mother’s luggage consisted of two bags, while I only had one, so everything was quickly loaded onto the cart, and we set off.
It seemed that only my mother and I would be riding in the wagon, while Lord Roxfall would be on horseback.
Our group traveled smoothly, and we arrived in a village near the mountains in the evening after several days.
Along the way, we encountered monsters a few times, but Lord Roxfall cut them down with a single strike. He was incredibly strong.
There are various types of monsters.
Beast-type monsters are magical beasts, bird-type ones are magical birds, insect-type are magical insects, and fish-type are magical fish. Other types are generally referred to as magical beasts or monster creatures.
Even though I didn’t feel nauseous seeing the monster blood, the murderous eyes of the monsters reminded me of past memories, and they scared me. Those eyes reminded me of the father who had abused me.
Monsters are scary, but to defeat that terrible Tyralax, I have to face them. The best way to level up is by hunting monsters.
Lord Roxfall seems to be a very strong person. I was curious about his level, so I checked it using information viewing.
“Whoa…”
I couldn’t help but let out a voice. Lord Roxfall’s rank was B, his blessing was Earth Magic Warrior, and his level was a remarkable 320.
He was the highest-level person I had ever seen. The four soldiers were also quite strong. It seems the Roxfall family is filled with elites.
Even the strongest soldier in the marquis family had a level of 180. To be 140 levels above that, it’s truly impressive.
The lord’s level was 49, and his grandson Jayce had a level of 2. It’s common for people in high positions to have lower levels, so I wondered why Lord Roxfall was so high.
“This is my home. I apologize that it’s even smaller than the detached house of the Lightstar family,” Lord Roxfall said.
The grounds were about 30 meters by 50 meters, quite large. The house itself was about 60 tsubo (about 198 square meters) with two floors, so it must be around 100 tsubo in total. It was a simple stone house with an orange roof, large enough to be considered a decent home in Japan.
“No, it’s more than enough for us,” my mother replied.
Indeed, compared to the storage shed, this was a mansion.
Three servants were waiting in front of the Roxfall residence: an elderly butler, an elderly maid, and a young maid about 10 years old.
“Welcome home, my lord.”
“Welcome home, my lord.”
The servants at the Roxfall residence included these three, a coachman who was also a gardener, and a butler and maid who managed the estate in the capital. Compared to the Lightstar family, there were fewer of them, but that might be typical for a knightly family.
The elderly butler’s name was Johnson Bobson (60 years old), with graying hair and indigo eyes.
The elderly maid’s name was Sarah Bobson (60 years old), with white hair and brown eyes. (She and Johnson are married.)
The young maid’s name was Lara Bobson (10 years old), with green hair and brown eyes. (She is the granddaughter of Johnson and Sarah.)
The coachman, who also served as a gardener, was Otto Ayle (32 years old), with red hair and blue eyes.
The butler and maid in charge of the estate in the capital were said to be Lara’s parents.
“We’ll be in your care,” I said.
“We’ll be in your care,” my mother added.
We both greeted them and entered the house.
