Volume 2 chapter 56
After several days of travel, Charlo's convoy finally arrived at the Iron Rose Territory.
He specifically ordered the honor guard to unfurl the Iron Rose banner, and for every soldier to march with their heads held high. They were returning home in their finest form.
Along the way, checkpoint guards saw the solemn, fully armed knights and the fluttering banner of the Iron Rose. Without a word, they opened the gates and let them pass.
Unimpeded, they reached the heart of the territory. A massive city gradually appeared before them.
Calling it a city wasn't quite accurate. It was more like a colossal manor. The residents were almost exclusively members of the Iron Rose Clan and their retainers. Only a small outer section was designated as a trading market for merchants.
And in the center of the city stood the ancestral seat of the Iron Rose Family—Rose Castle!
As soon as Charlo's convoy appeared, the garrison saw the banner and hurried to greet them.
"Is the arrival Sir Charlo de Rose?"
"It is!" Charlo lifted the carriage curtain, looking at the knight. Lawrence had already reported his return, so the welcome was expected. "Stand down. I still remember the way home!"
"It really is you!?" The knight's face lit up with joy. He stepped aside, bowing. "Then I won't disturb you! The Lord has prepared a banquet in the castle and is waiting for you!"
Entering the city, Charlo realized that although he had been away for six years, nothing here had changed. It was exactly as he remembered.
The convoy stopped in front of Rose Castle. The attendants, who had been waiting outside for a long time, stood tall and shouted in unison:
"Welcome home, Second Young Master!!"
"Really... what's with all this fanfare..." Charlo stepped out of the carriage, shaking his head with a helpless smile at the grand display.
"Chaaarlo~~"
Before his boots even hit the ground, a sweet voice rang out from afar. The voice arrived before the person did.
A young woman, lifting her skirts, ran toward him with hurried steps.
She wore a snow-white off-shoulder gown. Her brown hair was coiled elegantly behind her head, exposing a neck as white and smooth as porcelain. The dress hugged her tall, graceful curves perfectly. With light makeup highlighting her features, she looked like a beauty who had just come of age.
Charlo watched her approach, a look of utter resignation on his face.
"My dear Charlo!!"
Despite wearing crystal high heels, the woman's speed was impressive. She rushed up and enveloped Charlo in a tight hug.
"Alright, alright! Mother, running so fast in heels... aren't you afraid of twisting your ankle?!" Charlo hugged her back, sighing.
"It doesn't matter! Today is the day my precious baby comes home! Even if I break my ankle, I will be the first to welcome you!" The woman let go of Charlo, putting her hands on her hips with excitement.
That's right. This woman, who looked young enough to be Charlo's sister, was his biological mother and the elder sister of the current Count Sword—Rosalind de Lorde!
"Let me see... My baby looks like he's doing well!" Rosalind patted Charlo's arm, looking him up and down. "Mm! Haven't lost weight... spirits look good... Excellent! Still my handsome baby!"
"Honestly, you... leaving for so many years! Do you know how worried Mom was?! Afraid you'd suffer out there, afraid you'd be tired! Dealing with those stingy nobles and managing unruly peasants! I was so afraid you couldn't handle it! And you, only sending a few letters in all these years... I didn't even know how you were doing!"
"Did you get hurt... did you have money to spend... were you bullied... I told your father so many times to send more people, but he just wouldn't agree... Ugh! I could die of anger!!"
All the way to the door, his mother chattered nonstop. Charlo listened quietly, smiling, and signaled his guards to bring the gifts.
At the main gate, his elder brother Drake was waiting.
"Welcome home! Charlo!"
"Mm! I'm back!"
Charlo stepped forward and hugged his brother.
"I didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, you'd be promoted to Count..." Drake let go, patting Charlo's shoulder with a sigh of admiration.
"Aren't you close too? Seeing how naturally mana gravitates toward you, I bet it won't be long before I attend your wedding with sister-in-law!" Charlo laughed and punched him lightly on the arm.
"Hah! Still a long way to go!" Drake shook his head with a smile, leading his brother and mother into the hall.
Noble succession followed Primogeniture, but it came with a condition: Merit. The eldest son had to reach a qualifying rank to inherit the title. For a Count, the heir had to reach the Seventh Rank.
If the father died before the heir qualified, the title would be downgraded upon inheritance. Count to Viscount, Viscount to Baron. If successive generations failed, the family would eventually fall to mere knights or even commoners.
Fortunately, the Iron Rose Family was strong in this generation. Drake had reached the Fifth Rank at forty. He successfully renewed the alliance with the Sword Family, becoming engaged to Sophia de Lorde, daughter of the current Count Sword.
The agreement was that they would marry once Drake reached the Seventh Rank and inherited the title, cementing the alliance between the two great houses.
Everything was going smoothly. Then, the year after Drake's engagement, Charlo was born.
Drake's talent was considered good—Third Rank at twenty, Fifth Rank at forty. He was the "Star of Iron Rose," expected to reach the Seventh Rank before he turned one hundred.
But Charlo's birth shattered everyone's expectations.
Knight training at twelve. Third Rank at eighteen. Fourth Rank at coming of age!
His rocket-like ascent stunned everyone.
Whispers started in the Sword Family, then spread to Iron Rose: Should we bet on Charlo instead? With his talent, we might even ascend to a Marquisate!
Promotion to Marquis... the dream of every Count. They were far above Viscounts but still miles below the Dukes.
The atmosphere in the family became tense. Those who had bet on Drake looked at Charlo with hostility. Those who hadn't bet yet looked at him with burning ambition.
It affected his father and brother, creating an awkward rift.
Charlo noticed this immediately. Honestly, his parents and brother had treated him well in this life. Aside from the hardships of training, he had never suffered. He didn't want to tear his family apart.
So, he bluntly refused his father's offer to join the Royal Knights and chose a quasi-exile to the remote borderlands.
His father understood. He gave Charlo a basic Baron's starting package and let him leave. He never offered aid again, only paying slightly above market price when Charlo brought goods to trade.
This move extinguished the fantasies of the opportunists and restored family harmony. Of course, his father caught endless grief from his mother for it.
Entering the hall, his father Sachs was coming down the stairs. He looked at Charlo and nodded. "Good that you're back! The banquet is almost ready. Let's go."
"Yes, Father!" Charlo bowed slightly to the old man who hadn't changed a bit in years.
Count Sachs de Rose, current head of the Iron Rose Family. Though nearly two hundred years old, he looked not a day over forty. Tall and upright, with neat black hair and piercing amber eyes.
"I have prepared gifts for you, Mother, and Big Brother. Please accept them!"
Charlo clapped his hands. The guards brought in the chests and opened them.
Exquisite armor and swords engraved with magic runes. Pure Mana Stones. Magic Scrolls. Fine furs and perfumes...
"This... this is too..."
Drake looked at the items, clearly valuable beyond ordinary measure, and was speechless.
"These are specialties of my Ironwood Territory. I brought some back as gifts!" Charlo smiled.
"Charlo! Is this true? You didn't buy these?" His mother looked at him with concern. "Ironwood can produce these? Don't force yourself, the family doesn't lack for money!"
"Of course!" Charlo patted his chest confidently. "Just take them! Don't worry about my finances! Ironwood is richer than you think!"
This wasn't boasting. With the United Chamber of Commerce spreading from Northeast Balar to the Eastern Border of Maurice, massive funds flowed in daily.
"Alright! It seems you are even more capable than I thought. Not only did you handle Ester alone, but you also govern your territory so well!" His father nodded in relief and pride.
"Hehehe! That's my baby!" His mother pounced again, hugging Charlo tightly. "Quick! Let Mom hug you again! My baby is amazing!!"
"Ah... please, Mom, I'm not a child anymore. Don't just pounce on me..." Charlo sighed, resigned to his fate.
"Ah?! Does my baby despise his mother now?" She put on a shocked expression, then threw herself into his father's arms with theatrical grief. "Darling... the child despises me... despises his ugly, old mother!"
"..." Charlo and Drake exchanged glances. Drake shrugged. Clearly, no one could handle their drama-queen mother.
"Alright, you too. The child is grown up; give him some respect!" His father patted her back, then turned to Charlo. "These gifts... you put thought into them. Leave them here; someone will put them away shortly."
"Yes!" Charlo signaled for the chests to be closed.
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