Chapter 363: Trouble Came Knocking at His Home

By the time Ruvian finished eating, the early evening sun was still streaming through the windows.

Ciela had already climbed onto the sofa, settling beside his brother, while Avina began clearing the table.

Then, the sound of the front door unlocking reached his ears, followed by the familiar creak of its hinges.

Avina immediately glanced toward the entrance, while Ciela’s head shot up from the sofa. Ruvian turned as well, already knowing who had returned.

The door opened, and a weary-looking man stepped inside with a worn leather work bag hanging from one hand. His clothes still bore traces of dust from work, while his sleeves had been rolled up past his elbows.

However, the moment his father lifted his head and noticed Ruvian sitting at the sofa, his steps came to an abrupt halt.

The surprise on his face was obvious, though it only lasted for a brief moment before something else seemed to replace it.

"Ruvian?" his father finally said, his brows drawing together slightly. "What are you doing home this early? I thought the academy break was still some time away."

"The test ended earlier than expected, so they gave us our break ahead of schedule. I only got back this afternoon."

"I see," his father replied, giving him a slow nod. "Well, welcome home, son. It is good to see you again."

The words themselves sounded perfectly normal, but something about the way he said them unsettled Ruvian.

His father clearly seemed glad to see him, yet there was a subtle strain around his eyes that did not quite match his smile. It was almost as though something heavy had been weighing on his mind, leaving him unable to fully enjoy the surprise.

Avina walked over and took the work bag from his hand.

"You could at least look a little happier, you know. Your son has been gone for almost two months." She smiled as she said it, clearly dismissing his unusual reaction as nothing more than exhaustion.

His father let out a quiet laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Of course I am happy. I just had a long day at work." His gaze returned to Ruvian for a brief moment before drifting away again.

[Your father is acting strange...]

Morvayne whispered through his soul.

’Yeah, I noticed it too...’

His father had never been particularly expressive, so Ruvian had not expected him to rush across the room and pull him into a hug. But this felt different. There was a stiffness in the man’s shoulders.

"How has the academy been treating you?" his father asked as he removed his shoes. "Your mother keeps telling me that you have been doing well there."

In the meantime, Ruvian quietly activated [Foreshadowing].

[Alive]

’Hmm... there is nothing wrong with it.’

He could not sense any trace of Dark Mana or demonic presence either, so his worst fear, that his father had somehow been replaced, was quickly ruled out.

Ruvian let out a light chuckle and leaned against the arm of the sofa. "It has been fine, and Mom actually leaves out more than she adds."

He paused for a moment before adding, "I have been doing pretty well."

"That is good," his father replied, and this time, a more genuine smile surfaced on his face. "Keep working hard, but do not forget to rest whenever you can. There is no point in succeeding if you destroy your body along the way."

"Of course," Ruvian replied.

For a brief moment, everything almost felt normal again. Then his father’s expression subtly shifted as his gaze wandered toward the hallway leading deeper into the house.

"Anyway, I should clean myself up," he said, already turning away. "It has been a long day, so I am going to lie down for a while. We can talk properly later tonight."

Ruvian raised an eyebrow but gave a small nod.

"Sure, Father."

His father returned a faint smile before heading down the hallway and disappearing into the bedroom.

A moment later, the bedroom door shut behind him, leaving the three of them in a silence that felt strangely out of place.

Avina was the first to break the silence. "That was strange." She slowly placed another plate beside the sink before glancing toward the hallway again.

Ruvian turned toward her. "He normally doesn’t do that?" His voice remained casual, but his attention had already sharpened.

"No, never," Avina replied, her brows gradually knitting together. "Even when he comes home exhausted, he usually washes up first and spends some time with us. This might actually be the first time he has gone straight to the bedroom like that."

Ruvian’s gaze drifted back toward the hallway.

If even Avina found his behavior unusual, then he probably had not been imagining things. Something had clearly been weighing on his father long before he stepped through that door.

’Was it something from work?’

Ruvian wondered as he slowly lowered himself back onto the sofa.

Avina let out a quiet sigh before returning to the dishes. "Maybe something happened at work today. I’ll ask him about it after he has had some rest."

She glanced back at Ruvian and offered him another smile, clearly trying to keep him from worrying too much.

*****

Later that night, Ruvian found himself back in the kitchen helping his mother prepare dinner. He was slicing vegetables beside the counter while Avina worked over the stove.

Then, a few firm knocks struck the front door.

Ruvian stopped what he was doing, set the knife down, and wiped his hands against a nearby cloth.

"I’ll get it."

However, before he could even step out of the kitchen, hurried footsteps crossed the living room ahead of him.

Ruvian glanced toward the doorway and saw his father already making his way toward the front entrance.

There was something unsettling about the way he moved, almost as though he had been expecting that knock.

’Hm?’

His father’s hand reached the door handle before suddenly going still. A faint sheen of sweat had already formed along the side of his face.

Ruvian’s eyes narrowed slightly from the kitchen doorway.

His father finally opened the door, revealing a man standing beneath the dim light outside.

The stranger looked to be somewhere in his forties, dressed in a neat dark coat that looked almost out of place among the modest homes surrounding them.

A small metal badge was pinned near his chest, though Ruvian could not make out the symbol from where he stood.

The stranger smiled the moment their eyes met. Ruvian’s father did not return it and instead stepped through the doorway without saying much.

A moment later, he pulled the door shut behind him.

Avina slowly turned away from the stove.

"Who is that?" she asked, her eyes remaining fixed on the front door.

Ruvian glanced toward it before giving a small shrug.

"I’m not sure. Maybe someone Father knows from work."

Ruvian kept his voice casual, though his attention had already sharpened considerably.

Avina did not answer immediately.

Her hand went still above the pot, and the faint smile she had worn earlier vanished entirely from her face. After a brief moment, she quietly lowered the spoon.

"That man came here once before," she said.

She frowned slightly as she stared toward the entrance.

"Your father never told me what they talked about."

Ruvian’s expression shifted slightly at that.

"When was that?" he asked, already turning toward the living room.

Avina hesitated for a moment before answering.

"A few weeks ago."

She rubbed her fingers together before looking back at him.

"Your father was upset afterward, but whenever I asked him about it, he kept saying it was nothing important."

Ruvian remained silent for a moment.

Then, he gave his mother a small smile and gently placed the cloth back on the counter.

"Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll just take a look."

He left the kitchen before Avina could stop him.

For some reason, anger was already beginning to simmer beneath Ruvian’s calm expression.

He did not know what was going on yet...

But if that man turned out to be anything like he suspected, someone who had been pressuring his father or causing trouble for him...

His dark blue eyes glimmered faintly.

’...then I’ll get involved too.’

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[Chapter 363: Trouble Came Knocking at His Home]