NOVPUB
Chapter 303: Conversation Between Father and Son 1
Although the person approaching his place was already covered in a black robe, Aldrian easily recognized his father. To be honest, he was quite surprised that the visitor was his father himself. Initially, he had thought he would meet one of the family’s elders, but to think it was his father instead.
After pondering for a moment, he concluded that his father might have come personally to demonstrate how seriously the Flamecrest family considered this matter.
He saw his father walking toward the restaurant and approaching one of the staff members, who seemed visibly shocked by his father’s arrival. Normally, the restaurant’s policy prohibited divulging customer information in private rooms, but it appeared the staff member had informed his father about his room’s information when asked.
It was understandable—Flamecrest was the true ruler here, and the staff must have been terrified to refuse the young master’s request. Aldrian then watched as his father and the staff member walked toward his room, stopping in front of his door.
Although Aldrian appeared calm, inwardly he felt nervous. This was the first time he would meet his father face-to-face after leaving the secret realm. He wasn’t sure if his father would recognize him, especially since he had taken great care not to show any signs that he was Aldrian.
Not long after, the staff knocked on his door, and with a wave of his hand, Aldrian opened it from where he was seated. His father finally saw him, just as Aldrian also looked directly at his father. Their eyes met—red against blue. There was no discernible expression in Aldrian’s eyes, while Aldrey’s face reflected a hint of curiosity.
"Why do his eyes remind me of Irene?" Aldrey thought, though he quickly dismissed the notion and stepped forward, positioning himself in front of the staff to avoid any misunderstanding.
"My apologies if I disturbed your time with my sudden visit, but may I have a moment of your time to talk?" Aldrey said.
"What an honor it is for me to receive a visit from the young master of the Flamecrest family. Of course, young master, we can talk for as long as you wish," Aldrian replied.
Aldrey nodded and gestured for the restaurant staff to leave before entering the room and sitting across from Aldrian. Once seated, he didn’t speak immediately but instead began to observe Aldrian carefully. His expression shifted into a frown as he studied the young man before him more intently, sensing something peculiar.
"Why does he feel so familiar? Is it because of his eyes that resemble Irene’s? No, there’s something else about this man," Aldrey thought.
Aldrian appeared relaxed, sipping his drink and closing his eyes as if savoring it, but inwardly, his nerves were on edge. Sensing his father’s intense stare, he was keenly aware that Aldrey was scrutinizing him. Judging from his father’s expression, something seemed off.
"He doesn’t know, right?" Aldrian wondered.
After 15 seconds of silence, Aldrey decided to break it.
"Once again, my apologies for my sudden visit. I must say, judging by the feasts here and the private room, I suppose you were already expecting someone to come to you?" He glanced at the generous portions and the room, which seemed designed to accommodate more than one person. Moreover, Aldrian didn’t appear particularly surprised by his arrival.
"Perhaps that’s just your impression, young master. I simply wanted to enjoy myself," Aldrian replied with a slight smile.
Aldrey wasn’t convinced by Aldrian’s response, but rather than engage in meaningless chit-chat, he decided to move straight to the main topic.
"The purpose of my visit here is connected to what happened at Boraz Fortress yesterday. I’m sure you already know what I’m referring to," Aldrey said, watching Aldrian’s reaction carefully. However, Aldrian remained unfazed, even at the mention of Boraz Fortress.
"There were many captives—people who had been missing for years, as well as those who were recently kidnapped. We had no knowledge of their location until yesterday, when they reported being rescued by someone. All of them gave the same description. After my own confirmation, it became clear that the one who saved them and destroyed Boraz Fortress was you." Aldrey paused, his gaze fixed on Aldrian.
"There are many questions in my mind that I hope you can answer. Are you willing to satisfy the curiosity of this man?"
Aldrian smiled upon hearing the way his father spoke to him. With such a polite tone, how could he refuse? Even if his father hadn’t been polite, Aldrian would still have told him everything eventually. He didn’t want to push too far and risk a misunderstanding—especially since his mother would likely scold him for it later.
"Please ask, young master. I will gladly satisfy your curiosity," Aldrian replied.
Aldrey sighed in quiet relief, finding the young man surprisingly reasonable and easy to talk to. He had prepared himself for a potential rejection, expecting someone so powerful to be aloof or arrogant. Yet this young man had shown none of those traits, and for that, Aldrey was grateful.
"Then, may I know your name? It feels rather rude not to ask before we continue our conversation," Aldrey said.
"My name is Drian," Aldrian answered without hesitation, his expression calm and unwavering.
"Okay, young master Drian, where do you come from?"
"I’m just a vagabond cultivator seeking adventure, so I don’t really have a place to call home or an origin. However, I spent my childhood in the western region of the Ivory Empire," Aldrian replied. Of course, by "western region," he meant the Everlasting Silent Forest, though Aldrey wouldn’t know that. Instead, Aldrey assumed he was referring to the city of Balin, where the elves were known to be more tolerant of other races. It made sense to him that Aldrian was traveling with a female elf.
"I see. Then, why are you here? I mean, in this city—are you looking for adventure here?" Aldrey asked again.
"Well, you could say that. I heard that the Flamecrest family was facing some unexpected trouble, so I came to this city to look into it. I was curious to see if the famous Flamecrest family was really as the rumors describe. But from what I’ve seen, it seems it was just the devils playing tricks."
Hearing Aldrian’s answer, Aldrey narrowed his eyes. From Aldrian’s response, certain phrases and the tone of his voice caught his attention. It seemed that Aldrian had known from the start that the Flamecrest family’s trouble with the devils was something unexpected, and that the family itself was innocent. Aldrian also didn’t appear to trust the rumor about the Flamecrest harboring devils, despite claiming he had come to investigate the truth of it.
If he had truly come to the city just to check the rumor, he wouldn’t have phrased it as "the Flamecrest family has unexpected trouble."
As Aldrian noticed his father deep in thought, studying him closely, he gave him a slight smile. He knew that his father must have caught some deeper meaning in his words—after all, Aldrey was incredibly perceptive. n𝚘𝚟𝚙u𝚋.co𝚖
Suddenly, memories from his childhood surfaced. He recalled the times when his father had taught him cultivation, techniques, and everything else to prepare him for the world. Those were precious moments that still occasionally surfaced in his mind. He knew how his father had always watched over him and strived to give him the best.
But now, sitting before him—not as his father, but as a stranger with whom he was having a conversation—it felt strange.
"Why are you suddenly smiling?" Aldrey’s voice snapped Aldrian out of his thoughts. It seemed he had smiled unconsciously, but it didn’t matter. Those memories were too important to him, and showing his smile to his father felt like no big deal.
"I’m just remembering something from my past," Aldrian replied.
Aldrey didn’t understand why, but seeing Aldrian’s smile stirred an indescribable feeling within him. Aldrian’s blue eyes and the smile he had just shown reminded him of Irene, and for a moment, he felt as though he were looking at his own son. His son had inherited many features from his mother, and whenever he smiled, it always reminded him of her.
But then, Aldrey shook his head. The face before him was different from Irene’s or Aldrian’s. The only similarity was the blue eyes. It seemed he was reminded of them because he missed them so much.
"Ah, when will I be able to see Irene and Aldrian again?" Aldrey thought to himself.
He quickly composed himself and asked another question.
"How did you do it? How were you at the Boraz fortress, destroying it, when you only just heard the princess’s announcement in this city? I’m certain it was you, not someone else. I saw your face yesterday, after all. The elf is a huge clue too. But... well, you don’t have to answer if it involves a secret of yours."
"No, it’s not really a secret. I simply found a teleportation artifact from the devils that led to that place, so I used it," Aldrian explained, before taking another sip of his drink.
Aldrey fell silent once more, never breaking his gaze from Aldrian. Although he wanted to know the details of how Aldrian found the teleportation artifact, there was something that had always been nagging at him. After a moment, he asked the question that had been lingering in his mind.
"Have we met before? Why do I feel so familiar with you?"
