“Where have you been—” Gerhard, who had rushed out to meet his returning son, unconsciously swallowed the remaining words he was about to say.

He belatedly remembered that the family had held a discussion and decided that they would just accept Eugene’s excuse for leaving without asking for any details once Eugene returned.

Eventually, Gerhard just said, “...That’s a good expression on you.”

“Huh?” Eugene cocked an eyebrow.

“Eugene,” Gerhard said seriously. “As your father, I am weaker than you and am a man of little importance. The only special thing I have done with my life is have you as my son.”

Eugene asked in confusion, “What are you trying to say?”

“When I first heard that you had run away… I was extremely worried, but as your father, I trust you, my son. To think you were going in order to find yourself… haha. You might have already had your Coming-of-Age Ceremony, but it seems you’ve finally become a true adult,” Gerhard said proudly.

Although he hadn’t planned on saying these words, once he was finally done speaking, Gerhard’s heart felt like it was aching with pride. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked into his son's face, who was now a full-grown man.

Glomp!

Eugene had an embarrassed expression, but he didn’t attempt to avoid his father’s sudden embrace.

Clap, clap, clap.

Laman and Nina, who had been standing behind Gerhard, started clapping as they were carried away by the atmosphere.

During this brief return to the mansion, Eugene was most concerned about running into Carmen Lionheart, but fortunately, it seemed that Carmen was currently away.

Although no one knew for sure if she had been stimulated by the letter that Eugene left behind, Carmen had left the mansion with her apprentice, Ciel, and her squire, Dezra, to accompany her knights on a trip.

‘That’s fortunate,’ Eugene thought with some relief.

He might have left the letter behind, trusting that Carmen would believe his excuse, but Eugene had no desire to have a long conversation with Carmen about his journey and the new self that he had supposedly found….

“In my opinion, Sir Eugene, you are extremely similar to Sir Carmen. You are reluctant to associate with Sir Carmen because you feel a strong sense of kinship with her. However, you strongly resist admitting this fact, so instead, you display such a classic case of self-hatred,” Mer contributed with her totally unrequired psycho-analysis.

“Are you fucking crazy?” Eugene cursed.

“It is said...