Chapter Ninety-Five: Departure

Standing by the side of the ship and gazing at the scene in the sea, Hughes finally understood why everyone was so amazed. Not far beneath the surface, a massive figure was moving slowly, forcing the ship to stop.

“Is that a whale?” Hughes looked at the enormous silhouette, then at the somewhat battered hull, and thought this vessel would not withstand a collision with such a creature.

“All right, all right! It’s gone now, get back to work!” As the shadow drifted away, Bavi urged the crew to continue.

The sailors withdrew their gazes and returned to their tasks. Although they transported goods across the sea, encounters with such whales were rare.

The ship quickly regained speed, and Hughes returned to his cabin. For a month, he spent most of his days in meditation, stepping out for fresh sea air when tired. The days slipped by, and soon the month was over.

At last, Hughes reached his destination. The ship slowly approached the dock and came to a halt. Feeling the change, Hughes gathered his belongings and stepped outside.

“Sir! We’ve arrived at Soto City!” Bavi hurried up to Hughes and announced.

“Yes, I know.”

“We’ll escort you here, Sir!” Bavi watched as Hughes prepared to leave and wanted to personally see him off.

“You’re not staying?” Hughes had always assumed the cargo was meant for Soto City.

“No, we’re not. We have plenty of fresh water and food onboard, so there’s no need to buy more in the city,” Bavi explained.

“Understood.” Hearing this, Hughes said nothing more and disembarked with his belongings.

The ship, moored at the dock, drew plenty of attention, with people stopping to look. Hughes quickly made his way to a quiet spot, dispelled the effects of his transformation spell, and returned to his true appearance.

Guided by his memory, Hughes soon arrived at Count Ulot’s estate. Just as he was about to enter for a visit, he noticed another castle nearby, one that looked recently built.

Recalling what Count Clay had mentioned, Hughes decided to check the new castle first to see if it belonged to the Bruch family.

“Just as I thought!” Upon entering and seeing the patterns on the castle, he confirmed the unique emblem of the Bruch family.

Looking at the castle not far away, Hughes felt a surge of complicated emotions. He had been away from home for two years and had no idea how his father and family were faring.

He took a deep breath and strode toward the castle.

“Hmm? Uncle Rael!” Hughes spotted a familiar figure near the castle, speaking with some soldiers. As he approached, he realized it was Rael, who had always looked out for him.

Rael turned at the sound of Hughes’s voice and was momentarily stunned.

He stared at the newcomer’s face, hardly daring to believe it.

“Haha! Uncle Rael, don’t you recognize me?” Hughes found Rael’s expression amusing.

“You rascal!” Only then did Rael recover, stepping forward to embrace Hughes and patting him on the back.

“You’ve grown so tall!” Hughes now stood a bit taller than Rael.

“But still not sturdy, just like before!” Rael looked Hughes up and down.

“Come on, let’s go inside and catch up!” Rael, eager to talk, quickly led Hughes into the castle.

Walking through the interior, Hughes noticed the arrangements were much like before and saw many familiar faces.

They climbed the stairs, and Rael brought Hughes to a room.

“Look, Hughes, many things here were moved from the old place; the arrangement is almost the same. Someone comes by regularly to clean, so you can stay here without worry,” Rael said, opening the door to show Hughes the room.

“Why haven’t I seen Father?” Hughes asked, feeling the room’s familiarity and recalling he hadn’t encountered his father along the way.

“Well...” Rael had expected the question but still found it hard to answer.

“Just say it, it’s fine!” Hughes saw Rael’s hesitant expression and wanted to know what had happened.

“The Count and Lady, along with Henry, went to a noble gathering. They won’t be back until evening,” Rael explained, watching Hughes closely.

Yet Hughes’s face remained calm, showing no sign of emotion, as if he’d heard something trivial.

“Hughes, after you left, the Count decided that young Henry would inherit the title in the future. And...”

“And what? Go ahead, Uncle Rael. I think we’re close enough for honesty,” Hughes said with a smile.

“And... the Count has had two more children.”