“Excuse me, everyone, but I must go welcome my wife and son.”
The moment Tyr and Ivelina entered, Lanier sensed their presence.
Excusing himself from the Counts in front of him, Lanier made his way toward the second-floor viewing gallery.
As the focal point of the gathering, Lanier's every move drew the gaze of the surrounding nobles.
As Lanier climbed the stairs to the viewing gallery, the nobles who had been mingling and raising their glasses turned their attention to him.
“The Marchioness is here.”
“Oh my, is that young man beside her the Marquis's son?”
“I heard the Marquis's son has already passed House Callis's trial and officially become a candidate for the succession of Grand Duke Callis.”
“Hiss... Doesn't that mean he might become the next Grand Duke Callis in the future?”
“Indeed. Back then, Marquis Lanier himself was a strong candidate for Grand Duke Callis. It's just a pity that he eventually gave up that opportunity of his own accord.”
“I heard there might have been some shady business behind the scenes, and Marquis Lanier was forced to leave. The competition for House Callis's successor isn't all that fair, it seems.”
“Shut your mouth! Do you have a death wish? If you want to die, don't drag us down with you.”
The moment those words were spoken, the surrounding nobles immediately distanced themselves by over a dozen meters.
When Tyr and Ivelina entered, Ivelina had her arm linked through Tyr's.
Today was the day Tyr would make his official debut in noble society, and his parents would personally introduce him to everyone.
Lanier walked up to the second-floor gallery, took Tyr from Ivelina, and led him to the balcony of the gallery.
As the two stepped onto the balcony, the nobles on the first floor fell silent, their eyes turning toward the family of three on the second floor.
“Everyone, the reason I have invited you all to this banquet today is to introduce my son, Tyr Callis.”
“Just recently, my son completed his training in the Sword Prison and passed the trials, officially becoming one of the Grand Duke candidates.”
“After seven years of separation, he has finally returned to my wife and me.”
“In addition to introducing my son today, I would also like to officially announce that, starting from today, my son is the official heir to the Marquisate of Lanier.”
In a noble territory, the heir to the title held a status akin to a crown prince.
Becoming the Young Marquis meant that if Tyr wished, he could directly take charge of certain affairs within the territory.
In handling many matters, he could even implement decisions directly without needing to seek Lanier's approval.
The lord, the lady, and the heir—only these three could truly be considered the masters of a territory.
Despite both being noble offspring, the difference in status between the heir and ordinary children was like night and day.
Clap, clap, clap...
As Lanier's voice faded, the nobles below burst into applause, welcoming the young master of the Marquisate of Lanier.
“With the important matters out of the way, I now declare the social ball officially open. Please, enjoy the party. I wish you all a wonderful evening.”
Following Lanier's announcement, the nobles below resumed their conversations.
The high-ranking nobles waited for Lanier's family to descend; after all, their business dealings could hardly be conducted with minor nobles.
In the mortal world, low-ranking nobles might occasionally hold high positions, but in the world of transcendents, this was impossible.
In a world where personal martial power reigned supreme, high noble titles were always backed by formidable strength.
A high-level transcendent could never be a mere Baron or Viscount.
Once Tyr made his way downstairs, the noble youths quickly gathered around him.
“Young Marquis, my name is Jeffrey Montal. My father is Count Montal.”
“Young Marquis, I am Belant Soren. My father is Count Soren.”
“Young Marquis, I am Selena Villar. My father is Count Villar.”
Those who could get close to Tyr were mostly the children of Counts.
Many of the young ladies threw flirtatious glances at Tyr as they introduced themselves. Just as Ivelina had said, whether in terms of lineage, personal ability, or appearance, Tyr perfectly matched these noble ladies' image of a dream lover.
Furthermore, having been forged through the rigorous training of the Sword Prison, the aura Tyr exuded completely outshone the pampered noble young masters who lived lives of luxury.
The young ladies found themselves utterly unable to look away the moment they laid eyes on him.
Facing the enthusiastic crowd, Tyr greeted them politely and engaged in conversation.
Relying on the wisdom and social tact of his two lifetimes, Tyr quickly won the favor of the noble youths, firmly establishing his public image.
Several young ladies invited Tyr to dance, but he politely declined them all.
The ball lasted well past midnight before Tyr finally bid farewell to his parents and returned to his bedroom.
“Speaking of which, you've reached the age to look for a mate, haven't you? I saw quite a few noble ladies looking at you with interest. Based on my understanding of this world, as long as you nod your head, they'd strip naked and lie in your bed tonight.”
Having been sealed in the magic stone crystal wall for so long, Ao Chen had only been able to observe the development of this world using his divine sense.
He had a fairly good understanding of how open-minded the humans of this world were.
“I don't know if they would do that, but I certainly can't. Decades of education in my past life wouldn't allow me to be so frivolous.”
In both his past and present lives, Tyr had grown up in a harmonious family with parents who deeply loved each other. Raised in such an environment, he naturally took romantic relationships very seriously.
“Young Master, the bath is ready. You may bathe at your convenience.”
With Avia away during this period, Ivelina had arranged a new personal maid to look after Tyr's daily needs.
“Mhm, I'll bathe now.”
...
Tyr spent the next full month in the Marquisate of Lanier. Avia also returned from House Callis's exclusive maid training camp, having successfully become a Seventh Circle Transcendent.
His maternal aunt, Carenna, departed from the Marquisate of Lanier as well, after giving her elderly father yet another thorough scolding.
One day, Tyr was summoned to Lanier's office.
“Take a look. This is for you.”
Seeing Tyr enter, Lanier pulled a gold-wax-sealed letter from his drawer and handed it to him.
Tyr took the letter and opened it. Inside was an admission letter to Star Chant Academy.
Star Chant Academy was the premier academy of the Kester Empire, offering instruction in swordsmanship, magic, spirit arts, potion-making, alchemy, and various other fields of transcendent knowledge.
It was a sacred land in the hearts of countless transcendents across the continent.
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