The morning light had barely settled over Welstone when I was already being dragged out of the mansion.
"Mother… do I really have to come?" I muttered, rubbing my eyes as I was led through the grand hallway.
Celest turned her head slightly, smiling in that way that meant I had no real choice in the matter.
"Of course you do, sweetie. You need proper materials if you're going to continue your training."
"I could just read more books…"
"And you will," she said gently, tightening her grip on my hand, "but books alone won't teach you how the world actually feels."
Behind us, Luka was already waiting near the entrance, leaning casually against the wall like he had all the time in the world.
He waved lazily. "Try not to get lost in the market. It's very easy to lose a small child in crowds."
"I'm not that small," I muttered.
"You are literally six," he replied immediately.
I had no comeback for that.
Bradly stood at the door as we passed.
"Shall I prepare escorts, Lord Luka?"
Luka shook his head. "No need. It's just a shopping trip."
Bradly bowed slightly. "As you wish."
And just like that, we left the estate.
The moment we stepped beyond the gates, Welstone opened up around us like a living organism.
The paved roads were clean enough to reflect sunlight in dull gold streaks. Carriages rolled smoothly past without the chaotic noise I expected from a medieval-style city. Vendors called out from stone stalls, but even that felt organized—almost… regulated.
There were guards everywhere, but they didn't look tense. Just alert.
It didn't feel like a city preparing for danger.
It felt like a city that had already won.
"Wow…" I muttered before I could stop myself.
Celest glanced down at me. "First time really seeing the city?"
"I've seen it," I said, "but not like this. It feels… too perfect."
Luka chuckled behind us. "That's what happens when a duke actually does his job."
"I do my job," Celest said flatly.
Luka immediately nodded. "And she does it better than I do mine."
That shut him up fast enough.
We walked deeper into the merchant district.
The air changed first.
It became richer—filled with spices, roasted meat, fresh bread, and the faint metallic scent of forged steel. The sounds shifted too. Hammering from smithies. Barking voices of traders. The rhythmic clatter of carts unloading goods.
Stalls lined both sides of the wide street, overflowing with items I couldn't even name at a glance.
Colored crystals that glowed faintly in daylight.
Beast pelts with unnatural patterns.
Weapons that looked like they had been forged for people twice Luka's size.
And everywhere, people.
"So this is where nobles buy things?" I asked.
Celest shook her head. "Not just nobles. Everyone. But nobles usually have private suppliers."
"So why are we here?"
Luka stretched his arms. "Because sometimes it's good to see what your people actually trade. Not everything comes through reports."
That sounded like a politician answer.
I didn't like how reasonable it was.
We stopped at the first major stall.
A merchant stood behind a counter carved from dark wood, his hands folded neatly.
"Lady Celest! Lord Luka! Welcome!" he said immediately, bowing so fast I thought he might fall over.
"I need materials for magic crafting," Celest said calmly. "Basic metals, mana-conductive fabrics, and storage components."
The merchant straightened instantly. "Of course! We have refined silver thread, mana-treated iron, and—oh! even beast-core fragments if you're interested!"
My ears perked up.
"Beast cores?" I repeated.
The merchant looked at me, then blinked.
"…Ah. And who might this be?"
Luka opened his mouth.
Celest spoke first. "Our son."
Silence.
Not the comfortable kind.
The "something broke in reality" kind.
The merchant's smile froze.
"I—I'm sorry, Lady Celest… your son?"
"Yes," she said simply.
He looked at Luka.
Then back at Celest.
Then at me.
Then back again.
"I… didn't hear any announcement…"
Luka shrugged. "It was a private matter."
The merchant slowly nodded like he was trying not to question his entire life.
"Of course. Congratulations."
I sighed internally.
Here we go again.
The merchant quickly recovered and began laying out materials.
Silver threads shimmered faintly like they were alive.
Black iron strips pulsed with dull mana resonance.
Crystal dust in small sealed bottles gave off soft blue light.
I reached toward one of the crystals.
Celest gently tapped my hand.
"Careful. That one's unstable."
"How unstable?"
"It explodes if you pour mana into it incorrectly."
I pulled my hand back immediately.
"Good to know."
Luka smirked. "He learns quickly."
"That wasn't learning," I said. "That was instinct."
Celest began inspecting materials with focused precision.
I watched her carefully.
She wasn't just picking things randomly.
Every item she touched, she evaluated.
Mana conductivity.
Structural compatibility.
Resonance stability.
It was like she was seeing an entirely different layer of reality.
I leaned closer.
"Mother… how do you know all this?"
She paused slightly, then smiled softly.
"Because I had to survive a world where mistakes cost lives."
That answer wasn't playful.
So I didn't press further.
After the first stall, we moved deeper into the district.
The crowds grew thicker.
At one point, I nearly got bumped by a passing armored adventurer.
Luka immediately shifted slightly in front of me without looking.
"Stay close," he said casually.
I frowned. "I'm not going to get lost."
"You will," he replied.
"…Rude."
Celest laughed quietly.
We passed a weapon shop next.
Swords lined the walls like silent warnings.
Some were elegant.
Some were brutal.
Some looked like they shouldn't exist.
A massive two-handed blade caught my attention. It had faint runes etched along its edge.
"What does that one do?" I asked.
The shopkeeper perked up immediately.
"That, young master, is a rune-forged execution blade! It increases cutting output by compressing mana at the edge!"
I stared at it.
Then at my wooden practice sword.
Then back at the blade.
"…I want it."
Celest immediately tapped my forehead.
"No."
"Why?"
"You would hurt yourself."
"I wouldn't."
"You would."
Luka nodded. "She's right."
I glared at both of them.
"This is oppression."
"No," Celest said gently. "This is parenting."
We continued walking.
As we moved deeper into the market, I started noticing something odd.
People were talking.
Not loudly.
Not openly.
But in passing.
Whispers.
"…Duke's return…"
"…finally came back…"
"…heard he brought a child…"
I slowed slightly.
Celest noticed immediately.
"Something wrong?" she asked softly.
"People are talking," I said.
Luka didn't look surprised at all.
"Of course they are."
"…About me?"
Luka shrugged. "About us."
That didn't help.
We passed a fruit stall.
The vendor leaned toward another customer.
"I heard the duke found a boy in the forests of Croft."
My steps slowed again.
Celest's grip tightened slightly on my hand.
Luka exhaled through his nose. "It spreads fast."
"Is that true?" I asked quietly.
Celest answered calmly. "It's easier than explaining everything."
"…So people think I'm just some found kid."
"You are a found kid," Luka said.
I kicked his shin lightly.
He didn't react.
Annoying.
We stopped at a quieter section of the district.
A fountain stood in the center, water flowing in soft arcs that shimmered under sunlight.
Celest guided me to sit on the edge.
Luka leaned against the stone.
For a moment, it was peaceful.
Then I heard it.
Two merchants nearby talking.
"…Duke Luka's son… did you see him?"
"I thought he was making it up."
"I heard the boy is a genius mage already."
That made me pause.
Celest tilted her head slightly.
Luka smirked faintly.
"He's already getting attention," one merchant said. "Imagine being raised by the White family…"
The other leaned in.
"More interesting is the rumor…"
I frowned.
Rumor?
"What rumor?" the first asked.
The second lowered his voice.
"That the duke didn't just find a child…"
"…but that he brought back his heir."
I froze.
Celest's expression didn't change.
Luka, however, laughed under his breath.
"That one is new."
I looked up at him.
"You're enjoying this too much."
"I've had worse rumors," he said.
Celest sighed. "Let's move on before it gets worse."
But as we stood up—
I heard one last line.
"…or maybe the duke finally has a legitimate successor…"
That one lingered.
Longer than the others.
We left the fountain behind and continued walking through the market, but my thoughts stayed behind.
Rumors.
Heir.
Found child.
None of it felt dangerous.
But none of it felt harmless either.
Celest squeezed my hand again.
"Don't worry about what people say," she said softly. "You're with us now."
I looked up at her.
"…Yeah."
But Luka, walking ahead, glanced back over his shoulder with a slight grin.
"And besides," he added, "if rumors get worse… it just means you're doing something interesting."
I groaned.
"That's not comforting."
"It's honest," he replied.
We continued deeper into the market, disappearing into the noise of the city—leaving the rumors behind, but not entirely escaping them.
Because in Welstone…
whispers traveled faster than footsteps.
The fountain district slowly faded behind us as we moved deeper into Welstone's merchant spine.
The streets here were narrower, older, and louder. Not in a chaotic way, but in a way that suggested history—like every stone underfoot had been walked on a thousand times before.
Celest still held my hand.
Luka walked slightly ahead, occasionally glancing at stalls but never stopping.
I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd heard.
Heir.
Found child.
Legitimate successor.
It was strange how quickly words could become something heavier than steel.
"Mother," I said quietly.
"Mm?" Celest answered.
"Does it bother you… what people say about me?"
She didn't answer immediately.
We passed a stall selling enchanted cloth—fabric that shimmered faintly when it caught the light.
Only then did she speak.
"No."
That was it.
Simple.
Final.
I looked up at her. "Not even a little?"
Celest's expression softened, but her tone stayed steady. "People will always create stories when they don't have facts. It's easier than understanding the truth."
"That still doesn't answer my question."
She squeezed my hand gently.
"The truth is what matters inside our home. Not outside it."
I stayed quiet after that.
But Luka, hearing everything, let out a short laugh.
"Careful, Celest. That sounds almost philosophical."
"I can be serious when I want to be," she replied without looking at him.
"That's what scares me."
We stopped at another stall.
This one was different.
No bright crystals. No glowing weapons.
Just materials.
Raw ones.
A merchant with thick gloves and a tired expression laid out neatly sorted components on a reinforced counter.
"Mana-conductive ores, processed beast fibers, stabilized crystal shards," he listed quickly. "Everything tested and approved by the guild."
Celest nodded once.
"I'll take three sets of the silver-threaded fiber. Two mana iron bars. And the stabilized shard pack."
The merchant immediately began packing.
I leaned closer.
"These are for crafting?" I asked.
"Yes," Celest said. "For future training and experiments."
"Experiments?"
Luka answered this time. "Your mother doesn't just teach magic. She breaks it apart and rebuilds it."
"That sounds dangerous."
"It is," he said casually.
Celest didn't deny it.
That was somehow worse.
As the merchant finished packing, I noticed something strange nearby.
A group of people standing slightly off from the main flow of traffic.
Not merchants.
Not guards.
Just… citizens.
They weren't loud.
They weren't obvious.
But they were watching.
And they weren't looking at Celest or Luka.
They were looking at me.
I shifted slightly.
One of them leaned toward another.
"…that's him."
I froze.
Celest noticed instantly.
Her eyes flicked in that direction—calm, but sharp enough that the group quickly looked away.
Luka sighed. "They're getting bolder."
"What are they saying now?" I asked.
Celest hesitated.
Luka answered instead.
"Different versions of the same story."
I frowned. "Which is?"
"That the duke secretly brought home a child," he said. "And depending on who you ask, you're either a miracle…"
He paused slightly.
"…or a problem."
That word landed differently.
I didn't like it.
We finished purchasing the materials and moved away from the stall.
The deeper we went into the district, the quieter Celest became.
Not distant.
Just… focused.
I noticed her occasionally scanning rooftops, side alleys, and distant crowds.
Luka, too, had stopped joking.
That alone told me something had shifted.
"Are we being followed?" I asked quietly.
"No," Luka said.
Then added after a pause:
"Not yet."
That was not comforting.
We turned into a wider boulevard lined with more refined shops.
Here, the architecture changed again—clean marble storefronts, glass displays, enchanted lanterns even in daylight.
Nobles passed more frequently.
Carriages rolled slower.
And whispers became more polished.
I heard one well-dressed woman speaking behind a fan.
"…the White family has returned with a child, yes…"
Another replied softly.
"…I heard it was adopted from Croft…"
"…or perhaps hidden away…"
I clenched my fist slightly.
Celest felt it.
She gently loosened my fingers.
"Don't internalize it," she said softly.
"Easy for you to say."
"I've heard worse rumors about myself," she replied.
That didn't help as much as she probably thought it did.
Eventually, Luka stopped walking.
We were near a corner plaza where the crowd thinned.
He leaned slightly toward Celest.
"We should head back soon."
She nodded. "Yes."
Then her eyes softened as she looked down at me.
"Did you enjoy the trip?"
I hesitated.
"…Yeah. I think so."
That wasn't entirely a lie.
I did learn a lot.
But I also learned something else.
This world didn't just notice power.
It talked about it.
Constantly.
Luka stretched his shoulders. "Good. Because it won't stay quiet for long."
I looked up at him.
"What won't?"
He smiled slightly.
"The rumors."
Celest sighed. "Luka."
"What?" he said innocently. "It's true."
We began walking back toward the main road.
And as we did, I heard one final fragment from a passing pair of merchants:
"…if the duke truly has a successor, the balance of the noble houses will shift…"
That made Luka glance sideways.
Just for a moment.
Not playful.
Not amused.
Measured.
Then he looked forward again.
Like he hadn't heard anything at all.
By the time we reached the quieter roads leading back toward the estate, the city noise faded behind us.
The materials we bought were stored away.
The market energy was gone.
But the words stayed.
Heir.
Successor.
Problem.
I looked up at the sky as we walked.
It was still bright.
Still calm.
But something about the air felt different now.
Not dangerous.
Not yet.
Just… aware.
Like the world had noticed I existed.
And had started deciding what I was supposed to become.
Luka broke the silence.
"Adam."
"Yeah?"
"If anyone asks you about your identity…"
He paused.
Then added casually:
"Let your actions answer it instead."
Celest glanced at him but didn't argue.
I thought about that for a moment.
"…That sounds like something I'll have to learn the hard way."
Luka grinned.
"You're already learning it."
And we kept walking.
Back home.