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There were hardly any clear days, and the sky was gloomy every day.

That day was particularly cloudy.

It would have been better if the rain had poured down heavily.

Instead, it drizzled so lightly it was hard to tell if it was mist or raindrops.

As a result, the soldiers' hair was damp.

"Prepare to march!"

The commander shouted.

The squad leaders formed ranks with their assigned soldiers.

All the soldiers looked grim-faced.

Only those who had crossed the line of death at least once were gathered here.

Moreover, they were those with experience fighting monsters.

One thousand soldiers and one hundred knights.

This was the composition of the expedition departing this time.

The proportion of knights to soldiers is quite high. This indicates that this expedition force was made up of elites.

Zain was not part of the expedition.

He was watching the soldiers line up from atop the castle walls that stood like a great forest.

Rainwater dripped down his wet bangs and rolled down his cheeks.

Zain's complexion had turned pale.

It wasn't because he couldn't join the expedition.

It was because he had discovered something suspicious.

'This is strange. Definitely strange.'

Why suddenly go on an expedition to the great forest?

The monsters there would fight and kill each other if left alone.

To clear out the monsters around the territory for safety?

The monsters on the outskirts of the great forest aren't that dangerous.

The monsters deep in the great forest don't come out.

Wasn't that common sense?

But his lord, Steel Gunter, seemed to be preparing as if for war.

'It's the mages from the magic tower.'

Three elderly men wearing robes instead of armor were by Steel Gunter's side.

Though the symbol of the magic tower wasn't drawn on their robes and they weren't using magic, it was certain they were mages from the magic tower.

Considering those cranky old men were incredibly proud and terribly greedy for money, Steel Gunter couldn't have invited them at his own expense.

Moreover, one mage from the magic tower was equivalent to dozens of siege weapons.

'Was this requested by the royal family?'

That was all the speculation Zain could make.

That wasn't the only suspicious thing.

This Greyrim territory itself had changed.

An enormous amount of oil and gunpowder had been stockpiled.

Moreover, all the young people had left under the pretext of developing uncultivated land.

What kind of development was that supposed to be?

Because of this, only the elderly with little time left to live or the sick remained in the village.

Or the lord's family still trapped in the castle...

It was then that someone approached Zain.

"My lord, you look cold. Come warm yourself by the fire..."

"...I'm fine."

The one urging Zain to warm himself was also an old man.

Originally, he would have passed the time in a warm room.

But after all his children left to develop uncultivated land, he came out like this to warm himself by the fire and roast potatoes.

"Don't be like that, the potatoes are done. Come and eat."

"..."

Though he had no appetite, Zain sat down by the fire anyway.

The old man poked at the firewood with a stick and said:

"It feels like the day of death is approaching..."

"What are you saying?"

"That's how it feels. It's time to die. It's not just me. All the old folks left here think the same."

Even the ignorant old people left in the territory could sense the ominous situation.

For some reason, Zain became irritable.

"If it's so ominous, why don't you leave? If you have a bad feeling, you old folks can band together and run away."

"Hehe..."

Even when the knight got angry, the old man wasn't scared at all.

Zain had a feeling he wouldn't be afraid even if a sword was drawn.

"This stubborn life, it's truly a sorry thing for the children that I've clung to it this far without dying. But I'm very grateful that the children were sent away. My son and grandson both left. Yes, it's truly something to be grateful for. To you lords..."

Zain felt a surge of emotion.

The term "lords" likely included Steel Gunter, the Iron Lion Knights, and Zain himself.

How could he lump them all together as "lords"?

Zain was just an attendant knight who couldn't even join the expedition.

"Zain!"

A knight appeared and slapped Zain on the back.

"Kid, why do you look so gloomy? You should be happy you get to stay behind and have it easy instead of going on the expedition."

The knight grinning was also a senior Iron Lion Knight.

A few veteran knights from the order had remained here.

But that made it even more ominous.

"Get up and at least wave. The expedition will be departing soon."

Bwooooo-

Right on cue, the horn signaling departure sounded.

"Open the gate!"

The castle gate opened.

Zain was led by his senior to stand at attention.

Silently, for a long time.

Steel Gunter rode at the head on horseback.

He turned back to look up at the castle walls.

As always, Steel Gunter's gaze was ice cold.

When Steel Gunter turned his gaze, the knights and mages beside him also turned to look back.

They would have seen Zain and the knights saluting from atop the castle walls.

"Why are you doing that, Commander?"

One knight asked Steel Gunter.

"It's nothing."

"Hehe, that Zain fellow looks gloomy."

Only those who had been through battlefields with Steel Gunter could speak to him so casually.

"He's seemed to have a lot on his mind lately."

"Indeed."

"...Is it alright not to take him on the expedition?"

There was a hint of cruelty in the casually thrown question.

"Leave him be. If he hadn't become a knight, he would have originally inherited family matters and lived comfortably."

"If you say so."

"Ahem!"

The last interjection came from one of the mages from the magic tower.

The mage with two missing front teeth grinned and said:

"Please prepare two chickens and some gunpowder. I think we need to draw a magic circle here in advance."

"Do as you wish."

Steel Gunter was nonchalant, while the knight beside him frowned.

"Hah, I get the feeling this expedition is going to be tough from the start."

"Good."

Steel Gunter smiled slightly.

"Be prepared. It will certainly be the worst expedition."

==

Thwack!

I coldly slapped away my father's attempt to pat my head.

'Don't touch me.'

It wasn't a case of late puberty.

It was because I had fought with my father.

Swoosh.

'I said don't touch me!'

This time, my father's tail whacked me hard.

As a result, I spun three times in the air before landing.

"Hiss!"

When I got angry, my father also stuck out his tongue and made an angry face.

Really, if you want to make up, you should follow through to the end.

I was considering using my Hegemon skill in frustration when my father turned his head away first.

It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

The reason I'm upset with my father is because he struck me down with his tail.

At least ten of my ribs seem to be broken. If I didn't have a potion, I might have died.

"Hiss!"

Thinking about it makes me angry again.

It's fortunate that I'm used to being beaten by my father from my previous life.

Otherwise, this would be grounds for reporting domestic violence!

"At least he apologized."

...That's true.

My father in this life at least apologized after hitting me.

"And well, it doesn't seem like it was on purpose. You're being narrow-minded..."

It's possible that my father suddenly striking me with his tail wasn't intentional.

It happened early this morning.

When I opened my eyes and came out:

My father was lying down with his eyes closed.

He seemed to be sleeping, but unusually he was still there in front of me instead of disappearing.

Maybe he had dozed off.

I was simply curious.

About my father's level, traits, skills, and so on.

I focused my eyes to peek at my father's status window.

──────────────

[Polaris Serpent lv100]

──────────────

My father's level was exactly 100.

Maybe because he was asleep, it seemed like I could see a bit more.

Just as I was focusing to try to see his traits and skills:

My father's eyes suddenly snapped open.

And I was slammed into the ground.

I realized afterwards that my father had struck me with his tail.

Well, that's how it happened.

We've become a bit distant, but:

We can't stay like this forever.