CHAPTER 18: THE HIDDEN STRENGTH OF THE STEELHEART FAMILY

When the morning sun rose above the horizon, the caravan continued its journey. After several hours of travel, the majestic walls of the Steelheart Family’s manor finally came into view, towering high like a fortress forged from stone and steel.

Nestled at the base of Blackfang Mountain, the Steelheart manor was more fortress than residence. Its walls stood nearly fifty meters tall, built not only to impress but to defend as ever once in a while, a beast tide would descend from the mountains, threatening the surrounding area.

...

In front of the massive gate, there were several people standing up as if they were waiting for the arrival of someone.

At this time, Nyxrael’s voice echoed in James’s mind through their connection, catching him off guard.

"My Lord, there’s someone here at the Legendary Knight Rank. And he’s not a newly ascended one either."

’So my sister wasn’t lying when she said Father broke through to Legendary Knight?’ James thought to himself for a moment before asking Nyxrael to confirm it. "What does this person look like?"

"A handsome middle-aged man in his mid-forties," Nyxrael replied. "Short white hair, red eyes, and an aura that’s calm yet carries terrifying sharpness."

’It’s him... Father.’ James exhaled slowly, his thoughts swirling in confusion. ’But why didn’t he even tell his own son about something this big?’

Before he could ponder further, Uncle Gareth nudged him from the side."What are you thinking about? We’ve arrived."

"Oh?" James raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Let’s go. I don’t know why, but I feel like I’ve been away for so long."

Gareth shook his head helplessly and got out of the carriage first, followed by Eldric.

’It seems my life won’t be so dull since even the Steelheart Family itself contained some secrets that even its young master had no idea about.’ James grinned widely as he stepped out of the carriage.

However, just as he shifted his gaze at the Legendary Knight Rank, who smiled satisfiedly at him, he noticed that a small figure sprinted toward him at full speed.

"Big Brother James!!"

Instinctively, James caught the tiny body that leapt into his arms. It was his little sister, Elara, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Elara, why are you crying?" James patted her back softly as he tried reassuring her even though he had no idea why she cried.

"M-Mom and Dad said you were going to fight bad guys... That’s why Daddy sent Uncle Gareth and Halden to protect you!" Elara tightened her grip on his clothes as she said something that James hadn’t realized.

’Wait, he also sent Sir Halden?’ James raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised about the information because Gareth himself said that he was the only reinforcement that was sent by his dad.

He then glanced at Nyxrael, asking him through their connection from the system. "How many Epic Knights are currently in here?"

"Excluding myself and your uncle, there are two Epic Knight Ranks inside the manor, My Lord." Nyxrael replied.

"So that’s how it is... Seems like we’ll have quite a few things to talk about later, Dad." James smiled and looked at the handsome middle-aged man, who shook his head helplessly with a bitter smile.

"Cassian, enjoy your family reunion," Gareth patted the middle-aged man’s shoulder and whistled. "I’ll head to the border in case anyone tries something stupid."

"Be careful," Cassian replied with a smile. "If anything happens, contact me immediately."

Then, he looked at his son and sighed softly. "We’ll talk later."

Subsequently, his eyes shifted toward Eldric, and his expression brightened. "Sir Eldric, welcome to our humble manor."

Eldric quickly stepped forward and cupped his fists respectfully. "Duke Cassian, please don’t be so formal with me. I apologize for visiting without prior notice and causing any inconvenience."

As Cassian and Eldric greeted each other, a gorgeous woman who looked like she was still in her early 30s came over to James with a worried expression. "James, are you okay?"

"Evelyn, what are you worrying about now?" Gareth chuckled as he mounted his horse that he had just called.

"Oh, shut it, Gareth!" Evelyn snapped without missing a beat. "Stop loitering and go already!"

"Loitering, my ass." Gareth rolled his eyes and nudged the horse, immediately leaving the scene as he couldn’t be bothered to argue with her.

"I’m fine, Mom." James responded with a warm smile, looking at the gorgeous woman with black hair and blue eyes that looked exactly like his.

"That’s good." Evelyn nodded her head in relief before pulling him away towards the gate. "Let’s eat first. I’ve prepared all your favorite dishes."

"Elara helped too!" Elara said excitedly, looking up at James as if she wanted to be praised.

"Really? Elara’s the best." James petted her hair with a smile, making Elara smile cutely as she enjoyed being petted by her brother.

""The best, huh? The best at tasting everything before it even reaches the table, maybe." Evelyn smirked mischievously and pinched the little girl’s cheek on James’s arm.

"Mom!" Elara pouted adorably, turning her face away in mock anger as James and Evelyn both laughed.

’So this is what it feels like to have a family.’ James smiled, holding himself back to not cry from happiness because this was the first time he had ever felt such things, as he was an orphan and grew up in an orphanage in his previous life.

He clenched his fists slightly, swallowing the lump in his throat as a quiet smile spread across his face.

’I’ll protect this... no matter what.’

As they passed through the grand gate, James couldn’t help but admire the familiar yet breathtaking view before him.

From the gate to the main building stretched a wide stone path, nearly a hundred meters long, lined with well-tended gardens on both sides. Lush greenery filled the area as rows of trimmed hedges, blooming flowers of every color, and towering oak trees that swayed gently in the breeze.