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Farewell
The opening ceremony of Magic Knight Academy was coming up in a week and currently, I was visiting the Millard family to sort out my belongings. Even though I said belonging, I had stored all the valuable items in my item box, leaving only a few items necessary for living in the small attic-like cramped storeroom.
“It seems someone has cleaned it.”
The room was so unnaturally clean that there was not a speck of dust in it, and I only had to put the few items I had into the item box.
For a child like Grey, this residence was equal to a demonic place with a demonic stepmother and mean-spirited siblings. And yet, it didn’t change the fact that a human called Grey Millard had been raised here until this point.
That was why, I bowed my head deeply.
“Thank you.”
To finish my greetings, as I headed toward the kitchen, Dame noticed me and walked up to me with an overflowing smile on her face.
“Young master.”
“Hi, I come here to say my parting words.”
“I see

.. Young master has already become that old, huh? You can now graduate from this tightfisted place. Congratulations! Hey, you guys.”
Patting my shoulder like usual with great vigor, I turned back to see the majority of servants were standing there.
No one responded to Dame’s words, only looking down.
Some were in tears, some were trembling, and without a single exception, everyone had a hint of sadness on their faces.
Even I, a thick-headed person, finally realised who had been cleaning my room all the time.
“Everyone, thank you for everything so far.”
“Young master

”
Dame looked upward and tried to wipe his face repeatedly with his sleeves and shouted.
“Now now, don’t make that kind of stingy face.Today’s the day young master will be starting a new life!! Doesn’t anyone have something to convey!!”
The servants wiped away their tears and lined up in a row, and the head maid stepped forward.
“Young master, thank you very much for always helping us.”
She bowed her head deeply and the other servants followed suit.
“From now on, we will protect the young ones. That’s why we are fine now. We want young master to only look forward.”
A strong determination was overflowing in the bright red, swelled-up eyes of Dame without any shred of lies.
.”Take care of yourself.”
“Young master, please take care of yourself!”
“Please come back to this place one day. We will be waiting for you!”
I turned my back to Dame and the others while desperately holding out the heat that was rising in my eyes.
I had already finished my farewell. More than that and I would pour water on Dame and the others’ determination. That was why I managed to hold back my heart that was about to burst and left the kitchen.
I never thought I’d feel this way about leaving this place

..
Unless there was some other reason, I would never step on this land again.
Even though that should have been my dream I saw everyday from a young age, now that I was leaving, an intense feeling of loss was assaulting me and made it as if a hole had opened in my heart.
That might be so.
I’d seen them every day for the past few years. We had lined up on the dining table together, bloomed casual stories, and spent time together as if we were a family. There would be something wrong with me if I didn’t feel sad about separating from my family in the first place.
Several times I’d asked the servants to come with me, but they refused. Apparently, Dame and the others had a strong sense of purpose to work in this shitty house.
And if you lived together with them for a long time, you could more or less guess the reason. It was the kind of thing the current me couldn’t make happen no matter how I tried.
『Master, aren’t you unusually immersed in sentiment? That doesn’t seem like you. I mean it’s disgusting.』
That’s a line I don’t want to hear from you. I poked Mura’s scabbard a few times, quite hard, and stepped out.
Now then, it’s time to part.
I entered the living room on the first floor of the mansion. My father, Reiss Millard, stepmother, Valeria Millard, and eldest daughter, Linda Millard, were seated at a long table drinking tea. Then, Sebastian, standing by my father’s side, bowed politely to me, and the grim-faced mercenary behind my stepmother clicked his tongue.
The furniture inside of the mansion has turned awful. It was a kind of conceited way of living life by extorting money from the fief. Completely repulsive.
“What do you want!!”
My stepmother stood up, her nostrils flaring in annoyance.
“Madam, should I beat him out?”
The mercenary with short golden hair snapped his fingers and came up to me.This guy’s name was, I think, Zuke or something like that. He was one of the main culprits who had been torturing the servants who to my family were equal to my stepmother’s hands and feet.
I had planned to drop him into the hole of despair a little ahead but if he really wished for it then it couldn’t be helped. Yes, that was an unavoidable step.
『Master, you are childish.』
Of course. I’m just a child after all.
Just as I was about to release my right fist, which I had clenched tightly, by pulling my right elbow to hit the abdomen of the mercenary, who was standing in front of me and swinging his right fist with an expression of pleasure—
“Quit it!”
At the words of my father who had as high control as ever, the mercenary, Zuke, stopped his movement, clicked his tongue, and stood behind my stepmother’s back.
I wasn’t going to stay in this dump of a place again.
“Father, I have come to say my farewell to this life.”
It was not an exaggeration.This was the last time I would see him as his son. After this, we would become complete strangers. It was not just a simple speech but a fact.
“Selfish–”
Linda’s eyes lifted and she tried to stand up, but I silenced her with a glare.
A child who didn’t know what to be angry about. Holding that much contempt and antipathy to me, I didn’t know if it was selfish or not for me to leave the house now.
“Ok, I understand.”
Reiss nodded several times in a lonely tone, stood up, and then pulled something out of his pocket. Then he walked over to me and put it around my neck.
“What’s this?”
I asked while also being confused by Reiss’s eccentric behaviour.
“It’s something I was going to give you when you turned 13. Of course, you can throw it away. But I want you to keep it if you can.”
I nodded as I was a little bewildered by Reiss’s rigid expression which looked like a soldier on the verge of death.
“Lord, I haven’t heard anything about this!”
Without turning his face toward my stepmother who raised her voice in hysteria, he told her.
“It’s natural. I haven’t consulted about it with you.”
“That kind of extravagance—”
He held up his right hand to stop my stepmother from shouting abuse.
“That’s something I purchased after selling my treasure item. There isn’t any reason for you to speak about it.”
He asserted strongly with his shivering voice.
Stepmother’s mouth gasped at the sight of father opposition for the first time, but gradually her face was dyed in fury and she glared at me like she was glaring at this parents’ killer.
There was nothing more to talk about.
“Then I would like to take my leave with that.”
“One more day, just one more day. If you could stay at the house
”
“Lord!!!”
“Shut up just once for me!!”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve already taken lodgings here at the Mirage Inn.”
“I see.”
To Reiss who dropped his shoulder, I corrected my posture.
“Thank you for raising me until now.”
I bowed deeply to him. I really didn’t like the guy from the bottom of my heart, but he still raised me to this age. It was the time and world where people even sold themselves. Even if I was left unattended due to indifference that was impossible for a parent, only gratitude should be stated.
“




”
Reiss sat down at the chair in silence and took a deep sigh. I also showed my back and moved my feet towards the door.
And just as I walked past Zuke, who was slumped over standing on my stepmother’s side, I stopped and said this.
“Yo! Small fry, if you aren’t tired with your life then stop hitting me.”
I gave the warning. What he chose later was his responsibility.
“You, you bastard!!”
Ignoring his final curses coming from behind, I slowly left the residence.
“Young master!!”
At the front of the mansion’s gate, I stopped my legs at the call of Sebastian and turned around.
“I should also thank you.”
“It’s unnecessary. I’m sure young master will definitely return to this land. I will protect this Millard family and servants until that time.”
It was easy to deny it. But I had already declared this many times. I was sure Sebastian knew that. That was what he said. So I was going to take this man’s decision.
“Take care of everyone, Sebastian.”
“Yes, my lord.”
He proclaimed, propping himself up on one elbow and placing his hand on his chest.
My lord, huh. It was not even funny as a joke.
『 My lord, that sounds great!! I wonder if he calls me too.』
Ignoring the messy and annoying sword, I went to the only inn in Mirage.