"She's not lying," Stella added quickly, turning toward Rowan with a helpless shrug. "He's been behaving really strangely today… he even ate vegetables."
That sentence alone was enough to make Rowan, who was already at the fourth-class, making him one of the most powerful people in this world… pause.
The man who had faced monsters without blinking was genuinely shaken by the idea of his son eating his vegetables… Right from the moment he was born, he hadn't liked them.
He sat back down slowly, coughed into his hand, and tried to regain some dignity.
He was a man who had climbed the ranks of the world, one of the strongest people alive… and yet here he was, floored by broccoli.
He eyed Ren with narrowed suspicion, waiting for the boy to reveal he was a shapeshifting demon in disguise.
But the young man wasn't even looking at him. Ren sat there calmly, enjoying himself, eating like he hadn't tasted good food in a decade.
He looked… normal… and happy.
It was terrifying.
"The priest just left," Stella sighed heavily. "Nothing is wrong with him."
Rowan blinked. "The priest… left?"
He suddenly recalled bumping into someone sprinting away from the house earlier with their robes flapping wildly like they belonged to a man running from certain death.
Was that the priest? That would explain the fear in his eyes… Still wasn't it a bit overkill?
"I see." Rowan nodded, sitting straighter.
Outwardly, he maintained a calm expression that showed why he was a noble. Inwardly, he was smiling wide enough to need stitches.
'Is it time for some father-son bonding?' he wondered, nearly trembling with excitement.
Ever since Ren awakened his first class, he had grown distant.
He barely spoke to his father unless it was to ask permission to train harder.
He hadn't called him "Father" in years, referring to him simply as "old man" or "you."
Eye contact was rare and conversations were completely non-existent. Rowan had tried to understand where he went wrong, but Ren never gave him the chance.
Maybe today marked the start of something new so he was going to take advantage of it.
"How was work today?" Ren suddenly asked.
Rowan froze mid-breath.
The question was simple but it hit Rowan with the emotional force of a divine revelation.
He blinked several times before catching himself. "Work? Yes… yes, work…"
He certainly couldn't say he'd been lounging around the clan compound drinking expensive tea with the other clan heads while debating whose son was more annoying.
He cleared his throat dramatically. "We went to the Pagoda Waterfalls to search for a Unique ranked Item."
That instantly grabbed Alina's attention and Stella's too… even Ren was a bit intrigued.
'There are several ranks for items and Unique is right below Legendary and Godly. It's been a while so I don't exactly remember if there was any unique item.' He thought.
"Papa," Alina whispered with excitement, tugging gently at his sleeve across the table. "I heard Pagoda Waterfalls is known for their excellent hot springs… you're telling me there's actually a Unique Item there? Come on, did you find it?"
Rowan gave a dramatic sigh. "No."
Then he laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Turns out the clan heads are organizing their eldest sons tomorrow to find the item too. I'll have to sit out and see if they find it. Then I'll tell you."
『Ding』
『You have received a Main Mission』
Ren already knew what was coming.
He didn't even need to see the tab unfold but it did.
『Main Mission: Find the Unique Item in Pagoda Waterfalls』
『Reward: 10,000 SP』
『Assigned by the 「Honored Venerable God of Games」』
Ren sighed internally.
'Damn…'
So much for immediately going after the Heroine's aunt to start his seduction arc.
All he wanted was to head toward the town where that thirty-year-old woman lived, unleash his charisma stat of 100, and start cooking.
But no.
Now the God of Games wanted him to play scavenger hunt.
Well… he supposed 10,000 SP wasn't a small reward. He could buy something ridiculous with that. Maybe a spell that incinerated the Hero's hopes and dreams.
"I'll go," Ren announced confidently.
Rowan choked on the air.
"You'll… go?" A bead of sweat slid down his forehead.
He had only said all of that as a lie.
A very big lie.
He wasn't planning some expedition. He had no items, no preparations, no permission from the clan.
He was just trying to show off a little… and now his son wanted to actually go?
How was he supposed to organize everything in a single night?! Eldest sons? Permission slips? A search party? Supplies?
Alina leaned closer, eyes bright. "Big brother… you'll go for real? Can you find the item? Maybe if you bring it home, I can draw it."
Ren flexed his arm casually, showing off his bicep. "Sure. I'll go all in and bring it back just for you, alright?"
"Okay, big brother." Her voice sparkled with pure joy.
In that moment, Rowan's internal monologue screamed so loudly he could've sworn the gods heard it.
'Wallahi… I'm finished.'
Ren suddenly stood up, pushing his chair neatly back into place.
"Thank you all for the food," he said with a polite bow.
Everyone flinched.
A bow? From Ren?
This was beyond purification… It was something they hadn't expected to see in their lifetimes.
"Since I'll be going out tomorrow," Ren continued, "I'll just get some rest now."
He wasn't sure if bowing was part of noble etiquette… Ren had never cared enough to learn any so he simply winged it.
He bowed slightly again, turned around, and walked toward the stairs with the confidence of a reformed demon.
"That cannot be him…" Rowan whispered with his voice cracking.
He looked like a grown man fighting back tears. Stella who was sitting beside him, placed a gentle hand on his broad back.
"There… there…" she murmured sympathetically. "I know how long you've waited for this day."
Rowan didn't sniffle, he was too proud for that but he did reach for a whole bowl of food and eat furiously to mask his emotions.
Emotional damage tasted better when chewed with meat.
Finally, after swallowing a massive chunk, he stood abruptly.
"I have to run." His voice was firm again, though his eyes were suspiciously glossy. "Don't wait for me… I have some people to visit."
And with that, Rowan Crowhurst stormed out of the dining room like a man possessed… probably heading straight to the clan compound to beg, bribe, or threaten his way into organizing tomorrow's expedition.