Chapter 381: Defend the Frostgrave Fortress (1)

After Ruvian said that, Lord Evrard was anything but pleased. A vein visibly pulsed along his temple, while a dangerous tension gathered across his brow.

Even the two knights and the head servant went rigid, their faces paling at his request.

Asking Calyra to accompany him on a dungeon expedition was practically taboo within the Arcanis estate.

The lingering trauma of nearly losing their precious daughter had left an indelible scar upon the household. Even the mere prospect of placing her in similar danger was enough to reopen old fears.

Evrard himself had once formally censured a minor noble for making light of the incident, stripping the man of his privileges within Arcanis territory for treating his daughter’s ordeal as a jest.

And now this damned nobody of a young man had the audacity to voice such a demand?

Calyra’s incident was known throughout much of the kingdom. For him to ask such a thing beneath the very roof of House Arcanis bordered on insolence.

It was akin to an ignorant guest strolling into a noble’s hall and casually treading upon the family crest, wholly unaware of the insult beneath his feet.

Evrard’s jaw tightened.

’Does this boy truly not understand what he is asking of me?’

The thought only sharpened his ire.

The air around the courtyard began to chill, the temperature dropping with unnerving speed as his mana stirred.

That was when Calyra finally stepped forward.

"Which is why I went to see him, Father."

Evrard’s gaze shifted toward her.

Calyra met his gaze without flinching.

"I intended to explain that I can’t fulfill the wager, but I never had the opportunity. By the time I decided to speak with him, he had already left the academy and returned home.

"I had also run out of magic letters, and the date for the expedition had already been arranged," Calyra continued calmly. "So I thought it would be easier to meet him myself."

The cold around them gradually receded.

"That explains why you left," he said, his expression still stern. "But it does not explain why he would ask such a thing of you in the first place."

His eyes moved back to Ruvian.

"You expect me to believe he simply chose a dungeon expedition without knowing what that subject means to this family?"

Calyra answered before Ruvian could speak.

"He did not know, Father."

Evrard’s eyes narrowed.

"He is not from Valcavein, nor was he raised among families who concern themselves with such matters. People here may know what happened to me, but that does not mean everyone in the kingdom does."

For a moment, Evrard said nothing.

So Calyra decided to continue. "To him, and maybe to anyone else, it was simply an expedition... I just never told him otherwise."

That finally made Evrard’s expression shift; his jaw remained tense, but some of the hostility in his eyes turned toward his daughter instead.

"I see... so you never told him?"

"No," Calyra gave a small shake of her head. "He only learned there was an issue after I went to tell him about it."

Evrard stared at her for several seconds.

Then his gaze returned to Ruvian, colder than before, though no longer carrying quite the same accusation.

With visible restraint, Lord Arcanis turned toward the two knights and the head servant just as another carriage rolled into the courtyard.

"See our guest inside, and have Calyra settled properly."

He then stepped past Ruvian and Calyra, his stern gaze lingering on them. "We will discuss this matter later. I have business that requires my attention."

After several steps, Evrard paused.

"And regarding that wager, now that you understand the circumstances, I expect you to choose another request," he said without looking back. "Anything other than taking my daughter into a dungeon."

Ruvian watched him leave with a complicated expression.

’Looks like it failed. Haa... This is exactly why I hate dealing with someone else’s parents.’

Even so, he could not allow the matter to end there.

But just as the head servant, Orianna, and the two knights approached them, a familiar yet ominous chime resounded inside Ruvian’s head.

[You have unlocked a Hidden Story Arc!]

’What?’

Ruvian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Why would he suddenly receive this out of nowhere?

’I suddenly have a bad feeling about this...’

Another notification appeared.

[Bearer of the Fable, no living being may wholly escape the current of fate.]

[Those bound by fate are carried toward what was written for them, but you, who possess no ordained path, stand beyond that current.]

Ruvian’s expression stiffened.

[Each deviation you create leaves behind an absence where the original story once stood. And where fate finds an absence, it seeks another path to restore what was lost.]

[Thus, the more you alter the Fable, the more fiercely its displaced threads will converge upon you.]

’I should’ve expected this. Things had been far too peaceful lately.’

He had always assumed being an existence outside the original story granted him freedom from its course. Apparently, freedom came with a rather vicious caveat.

[Warning: Whatever the cost, defend Frostgrave Fortress.]

[Entering Hidden Arc: ’The Frostgrave Fortress’.]

[You have received +5,000 Plot Points!]

Ruvian calmly read the final notification, though his thoughts were anything but calm.

’Defend... the fortress?’

His gaze immediately returned to Lord Evrard.

The carriage had barely stopped before Evrard was already striding toward it, his pace far too brisk for any routine engagement, almost urgent.

’I see...’

Ruvian watched an attendant hastily open the carriage door for him. Whatever business demanded his attention was undoubtedly connected to Frostgrave.

The realization had barely settled when a gentle voice drew his attention back.

"Young Master Ruvian."

Ruvian turned; the older woman had stopped several paces away, her hands folded neatly before her waist.

Up close, Orianna carried the quiet dignity of someone who had served the household long enough to command respect without title or ornament.

She inclined her head.

"My apologies for the abrupt reception."

Her gaze briefly followed Lord Evrard’s departing carriage before returning to Ruvian.

"His Lordship has been occupied with several urgent matters since morning, and recent developments have done little to ease his temper."

Ruvian offered a courteous smile.

"There is no need to apologize. Considering how I arrived and what I asked of him, I would say his reaction was rather restrained."

Orianna studied him for a moment before a faint smile touched her lips.

"You are considerably more composed than I expected, young sir."

Beside him, Calyra quietly stepped forward.

"Orianna..."

The woman’s attention shifted to her at once, and some of her restraint visibly softened.

"Yes, My Lady? Is there something you wish to say?" Orianna approached and looked her over with almost maternal scrutiny.

Calyra glanced aside, her lips forming a faint pout.

"No, I do not."

Orianna sighed softly.

"Your mother has asked about you every morning since you left."

Calyra’s gaze shifted away.

"I see. I will apologize to her."

Orianna then stepped aside and gestured toward the manor entrance.

"For now, both of you should come inside. His Lordship instructed us to receive our guest properly beforehand, and I doubt either of you would simply want to remain in the courtyard."

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[Chapter 381: Defend the Frostgrave Fortress (1)

Plot Points = 303,000