Father and Son Establish a Mutual (Mis)Understanding.

Julian Aes Berion was a baron and the lord of the Berion estate.

He was an up-and-coming noble who gained his peerage through his accomplishments in the field of magical research. His father was a minor official in service of a major noble. By sheer accident, Julian's talent was noticed by his father's Lord, who was a count and a well-respected mage in his own right.

From that point, it took Julian only fifteen years to become a prominent magical researcher and distinguish himself enough to earn the title of Baronet. And a decade after that, he was already a Baron.

In a way, Julian was one of the finest examples of someone who made it into major nobility through pure skill and talent. Alongside military accomplishments, it was historically one of the most common paths to nobility, as it existed even before the founding of the Audera Kingdom. Now in the Peaceful Century, it was more relevant than ever.

Despite that, many major nobles belonging to storied lineages looked down on people like Julian, calling them upstarts. It also didn't help matters that a lot of aristocrats who received titles for their military or magical accomplishments often lacked finances. At least, compared to nobles that originated from rich landowners or merchants.

Recently however, many eyes were on Berions. And the reason for that was Julian's son—Fabian Aes Berion. Hailed as one of the most talented up-and-coming magicians in the kingdom, he was rapidly gaining fame in the noble circles. However, it wasn't just his skill that received recognition—no, more than anything, It was his way of magic. His approach could cause a true revolution. After all, Fabian knew magic techniques that he shouldn't have known—couldn't have known.

Storied secret arts were often passed through generations of magician families. Nearly every prominent magical lineage had a secret art of their own; in fact, those techniques were often the biggest reason for their glory and prestige. The most famous of such secret arts were called Magia Nobili, or Noble Magic.

The noble in the name didn't refer to nobility as a whole. Rather, it was a nod to the past, when only those who could master such unique and powerful magic were referred to as nobles. 

Despite some of the spells being known to public, no one could replicate Magia Nobili—no one but the descendants of the original users. That was one of the greatest reasons why, to this day, those families enjoyed great prestige in society. It was commonly known that the ability to use such magic was etched in the bloodline itself. And that belief was backed by the fact that no one had ever succeeded in proving it wrong.

At least until now. Until Fabian did just that.

That was simultaneously a great offense to the magical lineage, but also an undeniably incredible accomplishment. More importantly, this could spark a massive change within society. All of that, thanks to a mere seventeen-year-old boy, Julian's son—Fabian Aes Berion.

So what was that genius doing right now? Was he studying magic in his room? Attending noble gatherings? Perfecting his research for the upcoming paper? No, he was merely sitting across his father as a part of their daily lunch routine. All things as usual—

—except for the dumb grin decorating his face.

***

Julian stared at his son. And yet, no matter how much he stared, there was no hint of the terrifying smile disappearing from Fabian's face. 

J-just what is going on with him today!? 

Julian was confused. But the source of his confusion wasn't merely his son's facial expression. To Julian's great misfortune, that smile, in fact, was the least of his worries. 

It all started just a few minutes ago...

It was a fairly typical lunch for Berions. Like most nobles, Berions came together for two meals a day—lunch and dinner. The family consisted of the Berion couple and their three children—Fabian himself, his sister Vivian, and their little brother Damian. Damian wasn't present as he was still a toddler and too small to attend.

Everything was fairly typical except for Fabian's tardiness. Rare behavior from him, but nothing too suspicious. 

It was after he arrived that the problems began.

First of all, it started with Fabian's greeting. Or lack of it entirely.

Generally, when nobles greeted each other the lower ranked noble (or the guest in case of status equality) greeted their superior with a bow and a blessing to one of the Deos. A blessing could be omitted, but the same couldn't be said about a bow. Putting your right hand on you heart during one, was a show of one's sincerity, a way of telegraphing that you came with open heart.

Thankfully, the setting wasn't formal; It was just a family gathering after all. Berions weren't too strict on formalities as Julian himself didn't like noble stuffiness. The baron was willing to give his son some leeway.

But it only went downhill from there. If Julian hadn't know better, he would have thought the boy was never taught manners in the first place!

At first, Fabian opened with 'Hello, Father' (not even a slight bow included). He then proceeded to take a seat without being invited to. After the prayers to Deos, he immediately started eating before anyone else. Normally, that right was reserved for the head of the household, and—outside of special occasions—any deviation was considered disrespectful. After that, came his table manners; then, his way of address; his...

...The list went on. Somehow, his manners were even worse than a commoner's. 

And now, Fabian was sitting there, staring at Julian with a grin straight out of nightmares.

Julian took a glance at the other family members. His thirteen-year-old daughter seemed to find the whole situation quite amusing, but the baroness looked like she was about to faint. She threw a stare at her husband. Roughly, it meant: Do something! Or I'll do it myself.

In the Berion household, you never wanted to cross the mistress. And Julian knew that better than anyone.

Motivated (intimidated) by his wife and also worried for his son, Julian's mind raced as he stared at Fabian.

Is his rebellious stage starting? But he's already seventeen and there was no sign of it beforehand... M-maybe it's all the pressure that got to him... I knew he should have taken some time off! Well, Miss Maria is arriving today, and they get along really well; maybe that will cheer him up... 

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Julian's head. When a teenage boy started behaving unusually, what would the most obvious reason be?

Hold on! That's probably it! You know, boys his age they act all dumb, trying to get the girl they like to notice them... Son, I totally get you. When I was younger... Wait, I'm getting off topic. Focus!

That's right, it would be love troubles! The baron himself knew about such things very well. ...Although, that fact was probably best kept secret from his wife.

You know it's one of those.. A boy wants to look cool in the eyes of the girl he likes so he decides to show off his rebellious spirit... Ah, youth!

For a second there, Julian almost got lost in his own memories, but quickly went back on track. Beyond just the love troubles, he had a few other ideas that would explain Fabian's behavior.

...Hmm, yes. Now that I think about it, Fabian has always been reluctant to live like a true noble. He always took care of his chores himself and rarely relied on servants for anything. Usually, he still obeyed the noble etiquette, but today might be the day he put a stop to that... 

With a second think, It wasn't surprising that the young mage's rebelliousness manifested in such manner. To Julian, everything started to fit together, like a puzzle with all the pieces gathered, about to become a complete picture.

Except the pieces' actual placements were all over the place. And they also came from a wrong set. Aaaand the solver was blind. But alas.

How do I even begin to approach this? I'm afraid that everything I say would just go over his head...

D-do not panic, Julian Aes Berion! You have faced hardships far beyond this one and the noble name you've gained along the way is the greatest proof of that! Envious colleagues, aggressive rivals, and nobles trying to squash an upstart—you've dealt with them all! ...Although, this challenge seems like one of the hardest threats I've had to face yet... 

But it is a challenge I must accept nonetheless. As a man. As a father. As the boy's mentor...

Especially, considering the fact that my wife would kill me if I just stayed silent...

That was, perhaps, the fastest Julian Aes Berion had to think in his entire life. What lengths a man goes to in fear of his wi—fearful for his son's future, I meant. Yes, that's exactly what I meant!

...Ahem, I've corrected myself, ma'am, so please stop staring at me...

Coming back to Julian, he finally steeled his resolve...

***

Everyone stayed silent the entire meal. Was it a tradition not to talk while you ate? Quite sensible, if I had to say so myself. Wow, if I wasn't so adaptable, I would start thinking there was some tension in the air. Thankfully, I could read the room and guess the social norm just from the cues. Way to go me!

Fabian's father watched me intently. For some reason, he kept staring at me for, like, a dozen seconds straight. It was honestly quite disturbing.

S-scary. W-we're just having a meal, you know? No need for all this intensity...

Or are you actually suspicious of me? But how? I behaved perfectly the entire meal and barely said anything...

"F-father, is something wrong?" I asked, worriedly.

"...No, I'm just thinking. Don't mind me." He replied but kept staring.

No, really, what the hell is up with this atmosphere? Is every meal like that? If so, this might be a pretty toxic family environment...

While I was internally busy, filing a complaint to child protection services, the head of the house took a deep breath, as if steeling himself. Then, he began to speak.

"...Fabian, you know... when I just got the title of Baronet, I was of a very similar mind," Julian started slowly, "as someone who grew up in a minor noble family that didn't really stick to the more demanding etiquette, I felt like aristocratic formality was suffocating me."

He began his tale unhurriedly, pausing from time to time as if reflecting on his past.

W-what's with the sudden lore dump? That's some NPC behavior, if I've ever seen one...

"Y-yeah, I see what you mean" I replied.  I—in fact—did not see what he meant at all.

Fabian's dad nodded.

"But despite all of that, I don't regret learning and trying to fit into noble society. After all, that's where I met your mother," he continued, emotion and intensity slowly ramping up in his voice, "yes, nobility can be stifling and rather ostentatious, but there are important reasons to maintain tradition as well."

Fabian's dad paused and locked his eyes on me as he concluded.

"At the end of the day, we are a part of nobility, and as they say: When in the Yizdt live by Yizdean custom. ...If you don't like it, simply rebelling won't bring about the changes you seek. Instead, you have to transform the system from within. Understood?"

"Y-yes, f-father," I answered with a nod. In return, he nodded back, satisfied.

Yeah, I had no idea what he was talking about. The only thing I did understand was that he just spent a whole bunch of time, yapping about himself.

"Oh, also..." Fabian's father started somewhat hesitantly, "...don't worry about love troubles, alright, son? Some miscommunication and misunderstandings are normal for your age. Soon—you'll figure it out."

"...Oh, alright...?" I replied somewhat absentmindedly, "but I don't have any issues with love or anything. I've got it all under control,". After all, if you never had a relationship—there could be no issues in the first place!

In response, Fabian's father widened his eyes surprised. Then, he hummed thoughtfully. Afterwards, his gaze contained a bit of... respect? 

What the hell was up with that?

***

After father and son reached a successful misunderstanding, the rest of the meal went uneventful.

The lunch was already coming to an end. Julian was sure his son was raring to be reunited with his fiancée. 

"Well, Fabian, Miss Maria has already arrived so I don't want to hold you up any longer. Hurry up, Fabian. Don't keep a lady waiting."

For today, Julian decided to let his son off the hook without the formal thanksgiving prayer. Just for today as an exception.

"Y-yeah sure. Thanks, D-dad."

As if sensing his father's intent, Fabian used a more informal way of address. Their level of understanding might have reached a new high today.

As Fabian stood up, Julian stopped him for a second.

"Oh, I forgot to mention," he said, "there were no issues with the report. It seems consistent with my theories as well. As long as the practical part is okay, there should be no issue for the festival. Good work."

"U-understood." Fabian replied, seemingly confused. Almost as if he had no idea what Julian meant by that.

Thankfully, the baron knew that wasn't the case; his son was simply nervous. Fabian was a genius but was surprisingly faint of heart when it came to dealing with pressure. And the pressure of his discovery was immense. It was no wonder his behavior had been so wild today.

Fabian departed from the Great Hall.

Julian saw his son off with his gaze. That gaze contained immense pride, but also worry for his son's safety.

I do think his gentleness is a virtue myself. But in the dangerous world of nobility it could easily spell his downfall...

The baron prayed for his son's safety. Immediately afterwards, however, his mind came back to the what Fabian said mere minutes ago.

At least, I won't have to worry about his engagement. Frankly—I wish I had as much confidence with relationships back when I was his age... Now, I'm more worried that he doesn't end up being too successful in his love affairs... 

D-don't make Miss Maria unhappy with you, okay, son? S-she seems like the kind of woman who would be terrifying when angered... My gut tells me so.

And his gut was indeed right. As expected of Baroness Berion's husband.

Even though his worries in general were somewhat off, they were much closer to the truth than anyone would except.

As always, it was much to Fabian—or rather—Ayumu's misfortune.