Chapter 1293: 51. Father and Son Reunited

"We're here."

Looking at the familiar estate before him, Muen, who could remain expressionless even when facing an Evil God, inexplicably began to feel uneasy.

The ducal estate remained as solemn and imposing as ever. Even after being away for several months, there had not been any major changes. The only difference was that the daisies planted on both sides of the main gate, suitable for blooming in autumn, had all been replaced with tulips that flourished in spring.

That faint floral fragrance was like an invisible hand gently stroking a wanderer who had been away from home for far too long, urging him to return.

But...

"Why does this feel kind of terrifying?"

Muen swallowed.

The estate stood silently before him. Looking in through the gate, there wasn't even a maid tending the flowers and plants in the courtyard.

It was so quiet that it sent a chill down his spine.

It was almost like a beast crouching in the darkness, waiting for him to voluntarily walk straight into its bloody maw.

"This couldn't really be a trap, could it?"

Thinking about it carefully, was there any place in the world more suitable for setting a trap than this estate?

As long as there came a day when he returned, he would inevitably walk inside on his own.

From a hunter's perspective, this was practically a location bestowed by heaven itself for catching prey.

That was precisely what Muen was worried about.

Coming here meant that every single step carried enormous risk. The slightest carelessness could make it no different from willingly walking into a net.

"Maybe I should just leave. Knowing full well that it's a trap and still stepping into it would be way too..."

Muen turned around and prepared to leave.

But after only taking two steps, he stopped again.

He seemed to think for a while.

Then he rubbed his face, restored his true appearance, and sheepishly turned back around.

"Even if it really is a dragon's den and tiger's lair, I still have to make this trip..."

Turning around and leaving would certainly be easy.

But thinking back, after his unexpected encounter with Ariel, Senior had arrived very soon afterward.

And after Senior, Liya and An had arrived not long after that as well.

Muen refused to believe their intelligence networks had already become that terrifying.

If they could pinpoint his location within a single day of his return to the human world, then there would be no point being some Sword Bearer or Saintess anymore. They could just rule the world outright.

In other words, it was true that those shameless women had formed an "unbreakable alliance" specifically to deal with Miss Dragon.

And their alliance was not merely superficial either.

At the very least, intelligence was being shared to some extent.

Which meant that person...

Would naturally know as well.

And she would make preparations accordingly.

Muen absolutely did not believe that, with her personality, she would simply sit obediently and wait for him to come find her and coax her.

She had always preferred keeping the initiative in her own hands.

"I suffered a huge loss last time because I had no intelligence. I absolutely can't make the same mistake twice. If I don't figure out the situation from every angle this time, she might pull something enormous again."

Thinking back to what had happened before, Muen shuddered.

All it had taken was one brief lapse in caution, and while he was still completely disoriented, he had nearly been kicked straight into the walls of married life.

Of course, it wasn't that he disliked that sort of thing.

But no matter who it was, nobody wanted to suddenly be forced through an entire wedding without even understanding what was happening, right?

At the very least, he wanted some sense of participation.

Not to mention that because Miss Dragon had barged in last time, it had triggered a whole series of chain reactions, once again causing tremendous damage to his reputation as Belrand's number-one good man.

There was no way he could afford not to stay vigilant.

"Therefore... I can't just sit here waiting to be attacked. I have to take the initiative."

At the very least, the current him could no longer be compared to who he had been before.

Back then, a single Royal Mage Corps Commander had been enough to make escape impossible for him.

But now, if he truly focused solely on getting away, there were already very few people in this world capable of stopping him.

If nothing else, when it came to running away, countless villains up until now would surely be willing to raise their thumbs and give Muen Campbell their wholehearted approval.

With that thought, Muen instantly swept away his previous dejection and perked up.

That's right.

As long as he was careful and wasn't caught completely off guard, then at the very least, he could still run!

In that case, what was there to fear?

If he was going in, then he was going in!

Even if this place really was a dragon's den and tiger's lair, he would still step inside and test it himself!

"Inhale... exhale... inhale... exhale..."

After reaffirming his resolve and taking two deep breaths, Muen completely stepped out from the darkness and exposed himself beneath the sunlight.

Instantly, he felt several gazes fall upon him.

As the residence of a grand duke, although the estate appeared quiet, there were naturally always guards stationed around its perimeter.

Every one of them was an elite personally selected by Grand Duke Campbell.

Each had fought their way out of military formations and was capable of facing a hundred ordinary men alone.

They were cold.

Ruthless.

Although, as far as Muen could remember, they had never actually succeeded in protecting the ducal estate even once.

In fact, during the Salvation Society's invasion last year, nearly half the entire estate had been destroyed.

But that still could not erase the fact that they were elites.

And yet, from this group of men who supposedly possessed no emotions whatsoever, Muen still felt that the gazes currently falling upon him were...

Somewhat strange.

Rather than looking at the young master of their household who had finally returned after a long absence, it felt more like they were looking at some fearless madman who had sworn to screw the most terrifying creature in the entire world...

And had somehow actually returned alive?

"What are you looking at? Even elites like gossip?"

Muen's teeth itched with irritation.

But he only complained inwardly.

He knew that these men were the absolute confidants of House Campbell.

They might be astonished, but they would never casually spread the news.

For now, he was still safe.

Muen simply ignored those gazes and walked through the gate into the courtyard.

The courtyard was lush with greenery.

It was obvious that someone was still maintaining it, but the degree of meticulous care was clearly far inferior to when Muen had still been living here.

As he continued farther inside, an absurdly extravagant fountain soon appeared before him.

Around the fountain were all kinds of bizarrely shaped sculptures, scattered everywhere as though they had been casually abandoned.

"Father's collection has actually been restored?"

Muen raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He clearly remembered that those "treasures" had been almost completely destroyed during the Salvation Society's invasion.

The sculptures that had been reduced to ashes could not possibly have been restored.

Which meant...

These had probably been recollected afterward at enormous expense.

At that thought, several drops of cold sweat immediately appeared on Muen's forehead, and the ominous feeling in his heart grew even stronger.

Because he knew better than anyone just how much his father treasured this collection.

To lose so many beloved treasures all at once...

Although it had happened because of an enemy invasion, Muen could easily imagine the heartbreak.

Maybe it was precisely because his father blamed him for failing to protect these precious treasures that, during the incident last time, he had so easily sided with—

"Muen?"

Speak of the devil.

A gentle breeze swept past.

The entire courtyard rustled softly.

Standing among that enormous collection of strange sculptures, Muen raised his head.

At the top of the steps at the far end of the courtyard, he saw the true master of this estate.

Duke Campbell.

The Lion King.

The sharpest sword of the Empire...

And at the same time, an ordinary father.

He stood there.

His gaze was sharp, yet his expression was incomparably kind.

At a single glance, among all his beloved treasures, he spotted the existence he treasured above all others.

"You're back, my child?"

Lorne's voice trembled slightly.

As he spoke, even the beard around his face, resembling a lion's mane, trembled along with it.

"Father..."

No matter how much blame Muen had felt before, no matter how wary he had been, the moment his eyes met that kind gaze, most of the tension in his heart immediately softened.

"Yes."

Muen nodded gently.

"I'm back."