The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 3

Chapter 3: Hollow (Father’s Side)

The first child we received, Bardle, was like a child blessed with all sorts of fortune.

He possessed all the talents expected of a noble. He grew up understanding the responsibilities and role of a noble without any trace of arrogance. He was the ideal child that everyone envied.

Perhaps because of this, I thought that Serk, born five years after Bardle in exchange for my wife’s life, would also grow up just as ideally.

Serk cried loudly quite often. While Bardle cried as well, Serk’s crying was on a completely different level. The wet nurse said, “Children cry like this sometimes,” but I couldn’t help but find Serk more troublesome than Bardle.

The same went for his abilities. I entrusted Serk’s education to the teachers who had taught Bardle, but all of them were average at best. Only his swordsmanship was exceptional, but it wasn’t enough to secure him the top spot.

Compared to Bardle, Serk was ordinary. As he grew older, he became quieter and more unsociable. I couldn’t understand why he was like that, and I became angry with him.

But Bardle and Serk got along well. When I criticized Serk for being inadequate, Bardle, in an unusual move, frowned and defended his younger brother’s efforts.

Looking back now, I think Serk smiled when he was talking with Bardle. Whenever he realized someone was observing, he put on his usual unsociable expression.

Even if I hadn’t consciously noticed, it must have bothered me. Still, I thought that as long as he met the minimum standards of being connected to the marquisate, it was enough.

Reports came in that Serk was killing monsters in the forest. It was said that his fighting style was brutal, more akin to that of a bandit than the swordsmanship taught at the academy. I thought I had erred in his education.

Bardle said that we didn’t need to worry about Serk’s skills, but I felt differently. Based on the report, I wondered if Serk had developed sadistic tendencies. I was worried that if word got out about such a person in the marquisate, it would become a scandal.

However, if I said that, Bardle would be angry. So, to avoid complications, I told Bardle that we should stop Serk in case something happened. He agreed, and I thought that allowing Serk to return home would also be a good way to assess whether he had developed sadistic tendencies or not.

When I saw Serk again at the academy after so long, he was just as unsociable as before. When I questioned him about what had happened, he started to make excuses about his training.

“Don’t mess with me. If it’s for training, why didn’t you seek guidance from the academy’s instructors? Why did you resort to an improper method instead of the correct one? Why did you choose a brutal fighting style instead of what you were taught?”

Before I knew it, I was shouting. I lost my temper, launching into a one-sided reprimand. I was about to use a confrontational tone, similar to how I had reprimanded Bardle, when I was interrupted.

Serk lowered his head, and I couldn’t tell what expression he wore.

I took a deep breath and reseated myself. I forbade him from going to the forest. Serk hurriedly protested, and my suspicions deepened. I rejected his protest and started talking about letting him go home.

“… Stop it!!”

His voice was so loud that I hadn’t heard anything like it since he was a child. Serk, who had never shown his emotions before, had suddenly expressed clear anger. It left me stunned.

When I managed to collect my thoughts, Serk had left the study. I, who had experienced various situations as a marquis, felt overwhelmed by the anger and pressure. I began to wonder if I had handled things incorrectly.

“Please watch over Serk as well.”

I suddenly recalled the words my wife had left behind. Overnight, tempers would likely cool down. Considering that I had my share of the blame, I thought that if I apologized, we could talk again.

Morning came, and as I prepared myself, a maid who had been ordered to look after Serk came into my room looking flustered.

“Serk-sama is missing! When we went to wake him up in the morning, his room was empty!”

When I entered his room, I noticed that the window was open. Looking around, I saw a letter on the cracked desk.

“I’ve had enough. I can’t stand being constantly overshadowed by Brother’s presence, being burdened with ideals, and being demanded to meet expectations that I can’t fulfill.

Neither parents nor the people at home, nor the people at the academy, ever tried to see me.

I’m sorry for not having Brother’s talent. I’m sorry for not being the ideal child.”

“I won’t show myself before you again. Treat me as dead or pretend I never existed. Do whatever you like.

Thank you for teaching me the truth and reality over the course of 15 years, even if it was a waste.”

These were the words that Serk had harbored within him and now put into writing. After reading it, I finally became certain that I had been wrong.

If I had apologized immediately after Serk left the study… No, I should have realized much earlier. I should have seen Serk without comparing him to Bardle.

And with that realization, I noticed other things that had escaped my attention. Young Serk used to cry often, openly showing his emotions and making selfish demands.

I had thought that him no longer showing his emotions and refraining from being selfish were results of his growth. But I was mistaken. He had given up because he felt that there was no point, as we had disappointed him.

Serk always had an unsociable expression because he had never truly opened up to anyone except one person.

I instructed the servants to search for Serk while holding the letter in my hand. After giving the orders, I regretted my actions. Shortly thereafter, Bardle hurriedly came in looking flustered.

Bardle showed me the letter from Serk. Unlike the letter addressed to us, this one conveyed affection and guilt, making it clear that Serk deeply cared for Bardle as family.

“… When did Serk leave the house?”

“… Judging by the situation, he likely left late at night. We haven’t received reports of him leaving through the main gate, so we’ll organize a search in the capital…”

“… No, if he left late at night, he probably isn’t in the capital anymore.”

Bardle shook his head and continued.

“He most likely used a secret passage to leave the capital. With his proficiency in body-enhancing magic, he could have reached a nearby town overnight. And if he’s going somewhere… it’s probably Eylau.”

“… How do you know that?”

“If I were Serk, that’s what I would do. And if my assumption is correct… by now, Serk is likely already on a ship.”

“So, it’s already…”

“Even if we head to Eylau now, by the time we find out which ship he took and where he’s headed, Serk will have likely moved on.”

I felt drained by Bardle’s words. Various thoughts raced through my mind, but what weighed heaviest was the realization that I knew nothing about Serk.

I only knew about his reputation at the academy and how he was perceived by others. I knew nothing about what he was capable of or how he thought.

“Father, I will take charge from here.”

“That’s…”

“Do you understand, Father? Do you understand what Serk is thinking?”

I couldn’t respond to Bardle’s words. He looked at me with pity in his eyes and then turned and left the room.

… What had I been seeing all this time? If I had just taken a moment to think, if I had truly paid attention, I wouldn’t have driven Serk into this corner. He wouldn’t have grown so disappointed in me.

It was too late for regrets. My eyes had been full of blind spots…