From the start of the holiday morning, I headed to the library room in the Guild.
Any adventurer with a Guild Card could use the library room.
Inside, there were documents related to the monsters around Darion, as well as previously accessible materials.
Additionally, books covering knowledge necessary for adventurers lined the shelves.
"Found it, this is the one."
The thick book I picked up was what the Second Generation, who had taken on today's duties, instructed me with from inside the Jewel.
'Lyle, our knowledge is basically outdated. I could teach you, but before that, we should always confirm with modern knowledge first. In fact, not doing so would be problematic.'
I keenly felt the truth of what the Second Generation said.
After all, when I asked Novem about growth first thing that morning, she had dropped the plate she was holding.
I was truly grateful it was only a wooden plate. Still, the way she looked on the verge of tears—please, for various reasons, stop that.
(What was going through her mind to make her tear up like that?)
The Second Generation teaching me about growth was natural, since he was the one who established the customs that shaped House Walt.
At the same time, he—the Second Generation, Crassel Walt—was the one who laid the true foundations of House Walt as a provincial noble family, based on knowledge learned from House Foxes.
He had apparently established House Walt's custom of having his sons, grandsons, and descendants hunt monsters to promote growth.
I say "apparently" because I had been treated coldly before carrying out this custom.
Defeating monsters to promote growth—this was considered a kind of superstition.
Because growth could occur during ordinary daily life as well.
The variance between individuals was large, and this was classified as a matter of talent.
Even from the Fourth Generation onward, monster subjugation was understood as a means of mobilizing people and honing combat and group tactics.
However, from the Fifth Generation onward, once the rules were set, they would tackle basic matters and then tend to leave things to their subordinates.
'I never expected that with the Third Generation, Slei, such an important part wouldn't be passed down.'
This knowledge within House Walt regarding growth—because the Third Generation died in battle, most of it, or rather the important core of it, had not been inherited.
The Fourth Generation, who became head at a young age, apparently still observed the custom to some extent since it was a tradition.
I sat down in a nearby chair, placed the thick book on the desk, and opened it.
'On the correlation between growth and monster subjugation... They sure collected a wide variety of cases.'
The Guild had gathered publicly available cases, and the author provided explanations based on their own interpretation.
The physical changes perceived by instinct were called "growth," and research into this had apparently been conducted for a long time.
As I flipped through the pages, the Second Generation called out to stop me.
'Stop! Lyle, you're going a bit fast. Actually, how can you even read at that pace?'
I glanced around, confirmed no one was watching, and answered.
It didn't seem like many adventurers used the library room.
"Well, I spent most of my time reading books or practicing magic and swordsmanship outside."
When I was being treated coldly, that really was my life.
Looking back, it was practically like being locked up inside the manor.
'...There's a lot of useful information here, but compared to my own experience, it's a bit different.'
When he said it was "a bit different," the Second Generation began explaining growth to me.
The current consensus was that growth was a phenomenon in which a person accumulated experience, which then blossomed.
Therefore, fighting monsters was simply a form of major experience—it wasn't that monsters caused growth to occur.
It was complicated, but essentially: it wasn't that defeating monsters caused growth, but rather that growth was the result of having accumulated such experiences.
"Is that wrong?"
'No, it's not wrong... but defeating monsters can indeed promote growth. After all, just from memory alone, I've felt growth nine times.'
Nine times was quite extraordinary, considering most ordinary people experienced it only once or twice.
The vast majority of mid-rank adventurers had experienced growth four or five times.
"Grandfather... the Seventh Generation said something about experiencing it on the battlefield too, didn't he?"
The Second Generation stated his theory.
'I believe those kinds of experiences are also accumulated, but monster subjugation is especially efficient among them. I noticed it particularly quickly when fighting stronger enemies.'
"Stronger enemies?"
The Second Generation said that fighting stronger opponents accelerated growth.
'Of course, I still grew from killing heaps of trash mobs too. In my era, I struggled to get soldiers accustomed to group combat. I kept records and worked hard at it step by step.'
Having no know-how whatsoever, the Second Generation was reportedly shocked when he took over the position of head from the First Generation and learned about the territory's actual conditions.
Moreover, House Walt's method of governance was astonishingly maintained solely through the First Generation's charisma.
The First Generation had a barbarian style, but he was apparently quite respected among similar types.
'Even with the same amount of experience, the speed and rate of growth varied between individuals. Some grew evenly across the board, but others only grew in certain areas. And some felt considerable growth in everything except their weak points.'
It wasn't a dramatic transformation.
But there was a slight sensation—as if surpassing a wall that once seemed insurmountable.
That was growth.
"What about my type?"
'Since individuals perceive it intuitively, it's hard to say for certain... But you should be able to recognize it as a change within yourself. I was surprised that you'd never experienced it before, though.'
Starting with the Second Generation, all of my ancestors had been shocked by what I said.
After all, it was a phenomenon everyone experienced.
Children experienced it in their early teens at the latest, or even before the age of ten if they were early. Adults would confirm it and explain growth to their astonished children.
That was common knowledge—.
(Did I not even know something like that?)
I continued flipping pages with that thought.
'Still, there are a lot of superstitions and lies about this sort of thing. In my era, something called Power Stones that supposedly accelerated growth became popular, but they had no effect...'
"You actually tried it, didn't you?"
The Second Generation's tone had darkened, so I understood that he had indeed used them to verify.
Moreover, the Second Generation said it was difficult even to prove that he had been deceived based on something subjective.
'In the end, House Walt ended it by banning sales. Good grief, it was a painful expense.'
After the Second Generation and I finished reading the book, we still had time before the meeting with Novem and Aria, so we decided to read other books.
A particular book had caught the Second Generation's interest.
I returned the thick book to its original shelf and picked up the other one, heading back to my seat.
"What book is this?"
'Oh, it's just an old book that caught my eye. Lyle, can you read this one?'
When he said that, I tried to read, but the language seemed to be from an older era—wording and phrasing were different from modern Japanese.
"It's hard to read, but I can manage."
'Is that so? Then I suppose that's how it is...'
While I was struggling to understand, the Second Generation said that if he had learned what he wanted to know, I could go ahead and return the book.
'Well then, we shouldn't keep the young ladies waiting—things could get unpleasant. Lyle, shall we head to the meeting spot early?'
"Understood. (What was he trying to find out, I wonder?)"
I was curious, but the Second Generation didn't seem in the mood to answer.
The meeting spot was a good neighborhood, a little distance from the Guild.
The Guild attracted rough types, for better or worse.
If we met up with two people there, trouble would inevitably find us.
To avoid such situations as much as possible, we had arranged to meet in a safer area.
Before noon, I arrived at the agreed-upon location.
I was a bit early. The appointment was for just past noon.
Stalls were set up around the area, and appetizing smells tickled my nose. When I looked, the stalls were pulling something out of pots of oil.
Fried food, probably.
The First Generation reacted to it.
'Hey, Lyle. What kind of food is that?'
People nearby glanced at me occasionally, but I cupped my hand to my mouth and answered quietly.
He seemed curious about the food being prepared at a nearby stall.
"I think it's vegetables deep-fried in oil."
Hearing that, the First Generation seemed impressed.
'Is that so? They have food like that too, huh... There was nothing like that in my time...'
The era the First Generation lived in was a time of tremendous hardship, even after the chaos had supposedly subsided.
Apparently, compared to over two hundred years ago, the prosperity was incomparable.
'What a fine age we live in.'
The Third Generation said this, and the Fifth Generation chimed in.
'It flowed into our era too. It grew even in wastelands, so I remember we had quite a harvest.'
The Sixth Generation agreed.
'That was wonderful. Thanks to that, many of our subjects no longer struggled to eat.'
From that conversation, the First Generation murmured softly.
'Is that so... Then my goal is...'
Then, someone called out to me.
"Lyle-sama."
It was Novem.
She came leading Aria by the hand, and in her other hand she held a bag made of paper.
'Alright, Lyle... shall we carry the luggage? And be careful with your choice of words. You've noticed that their outfits are different, right?'
The Fourth Generation gave me advice.
I snapped to attention and, sure enough, their clothes were different from usual.
"Ah, that looks heavy. I'll carry it."
When I took their bags, they had a decent weight to them.
"Thank you, Lyle-sama."
"Um, well... I can carry my own—"
When Aria tried to refuse, Novem whispered something in Aria's ear.
After that, Aria offered her bag as well. She looked a little troubled, but she didn't seem to be threatened or coerced.
(What did she say? But more importantly...)
Both of them were wearing nicer clothes than their usual attire, different from what I had seen that morning.
(H-How am I supposed to compliment them?!)
As I watched the two of them, Aria spoke.
"Wh-What? If it doesn't suit me, just say so—"
The moment Aria said that, the First Generation shouted at me.
'Lyle! Praise them! Aria-chan... no, praise them both to pieces!'
However, the Second Generation was coolly unimpressed.
'Have you ever said anything to your mother that could be called praise?'
Before I could be overwhelmed, the Fourth Generation issued instructions.
'For starters, just say they both look nice. The delay was because you were surprised by their different atmospheres or something like that.'
The Fifth Generation chuckled at the Fourth Generation's advice.
'As expected of someone who's gone through the trouble of courting his wife.'
"Y-You both look great. It's just, your atmospheres were a little different, so I was a bit surprised. Yeah, you're both beautiful. (The Fourth Generation told me to hand over money, but Novem can manage on her own, so I don't think that's necessary.)"
As I complimented them, I was thinking those thoughts, and Aria's face turned red.
"Th-Thank you. I... don't have much money. I feel bad about borrowing..."
When the mood became slightly awkward, Novem stepped in to help.
"Aria-san, we're going to be party members from now on, so you can pay us back whenever you're able. I'm counting on you."
"O-Okay."
As I watched Aria, who couldn't help being reserved, I looked at the two of them in their skirts.
Normally they wore pants for ease of movement, so this was a fresh sight.
And since I'd mostly seen Novem in dresses when we met before, seeing her in casual clothes like this was equally refreshing.
(She was reserved, but I'm glad I pushed them into buying these. Getting Novem to buy new clothes as a way to convince Aria was a good move. I see—this is how you get the reserved Novem to accept as well.)
Before leaving the house, the Fourth Generation had told me to take the two of them shopping, and now I felt somewhat relieved.
The Fourth Generation was naturally the type to be attentive to these things.
Aria had very few belongings and was in a state where she struggled with even a change of clothes. Using that as a reason, he had arranged for Aria to buy clothes—and also gotten Novem to buy some as well.
Because Aria was so reserved, they had Novem buy clothes together with her. For that reason, I had told Novem she could buy whatever she liked, even if it meant pushing her a bit.
(My thanks go to the Fourth Generation.)
However—the other ancestors basically had issues when it came to matters with women.
It wasn't as if they were all that experienced just because they criticized my situation. The one who usually gave me advice on women's matters was the earnest Fourth Generation.
(Also, the whole family has been in the debt of House Foxes the entire time, and it's not like I'm the only one who receives Novem's care.)
From the First Generation's time, they had received help from neighbors, and from the Fifth Generation onward, they had served as retainers.
House Walt was entirely dependent on House Foxes.
(Is it really fair that I'm the only one being blamed?)
Thinking that, the three of us decided to have a slightly late lunch together.
---
Night.
I was summoned, so I went to the meeting room in the Jewel, where the usual crowd was gathered.
"What kind of greeting should I use at a time like this?"
When I asked this slightly off-kilter question, the Fifth Generation told me not to worry about it. The Fourth Generation began the meeting.
'Well then, now that Lyle is here, shall we discuss our future plans? Though, what we've decided is honestly too simple.'
"Simple?"
'Yes, simple.'
The Fourth Generation nodded, and from there the Second Generation stood up to explain.
'Lyle, for now, just get out there and fight monsters. Having never once felt any growth is a serious problem. In fact, there might be something wrong with you.'
Something wrong with me.
A body constitution that prevents growth, or some other kind of defect.
That thought made me anxious.
'Well, there were people who didn't grow unless they accumulated extreme amounts of experience. If you're that type, then once you start growing now, you'll have room to breathe in terms of both stamina and mana.'
Hearing that, I felt relieved.
But something caught my attention.
"Um, how long does it normally take for slow growers to experience growth? Like a specific number?"
I had read through the books, but they only mentioned individual variation.
The cases documented didn't include any records of extremely slow growers.
At most, they said growth could occur as late as mid-teens. The Second Generation touched his chin as if trying to recall, and mentioned the slowest example from his own memory.
'...In my time, there was one person who didn't experience their first growth until their twenties.'
'Seriously?!'
The First Generation was shocked, and everyone else was equally surprised.
Same here.
"...Huh? So that means I'll keep suffering under this crowd for the foreseeable future?"
The Second Generation was about to nod at my words, but—
'Hold on. Did you just say you're being 'suffered' by us? What, is that really what you think?!'
The Second Generation said this, and the Fourth Generation apparently agreed.
'It's like this—this is basically training, you know? Your muscles and mana don't grow if you don't use them, right? It's one of those things.'
As the Fourth Generation made excuses, I shot him a suspicious look.
If that were the case, he should have just explained it from the start. The fact that he hadn't meant either he'd just thought of it now, or it was an excuse.
"That's suspicious."
'Don't be so mistrustful. Here, look at our faces. Do these look like the eyes of liars?'
When the Third Generation told me to look, they did indeed have clear, honest eyes.
"W-Well, perhaps there is such an effect, but—"
Just as I was about to accept it, the First Generation spoke up.
'Huh? Did anyone actually say that?'
The First Generation exposed the truth.
Apparently, everyone here had been casually chatting away without much concern. The mana part, it seemed, was something he had just made up on the spot.
"You guys!!!"
When I shouted furiously in the meeting room, everyone laughed as they retreated to their respective rooms.
The Third Generation, laughing.
'Hahaha, sorry, sorry!'
The Second Generation was making excuses as he slipped through the door.
'Hey, my bad. It's just, normally no one would think they're not growing at all. I assumed you were the type whose mana doesn't grow.'
The Sixth Generation, feeling a twinge of guilt, looked apologetic.
'I thought you were a technique-type, so I gave you loads to train patiently—that part's true. Just not the rest.'
The Seventh Generation piled on.
'Are you trying to get away scot-free?! I'm sorry, Lyle!'
Almost all of them fled through their doors.
The last to leave was the Fourth Generation.
'Well then, I suppose that concludes today's meeting.'
With that, everyone except one person had gone through the door and vanished.
"Wh-What the heck?!"
Looking around the room, only the First Generation remained, grinning.
"What is it? Do you have something else to say?"
When I spoke rudely, the First Generation looked delighted.
An unexpected reaction.
'You've really gotten fired up! When you first showed up here, you had the dead-fish eyes, and I didn't like it, but you've improved!'
Being told I had dead-fish eyes, I scratched my head.
I hadn't thought it was that bad, but it probably was. Having been driven from my home and lost everything, I had been putting on a brave front for Zell with nothing inside.
Because Novem was with me, I had managed to plan my way this far.
Otherwise, I would surely have been acting purely on impulse.
"That's... not really the case. I was just feeling a bit down."
The First Generation nodded when he heard that.
Perhaps he was in a good mood today.
'Is that so. Well then... have you thought about anything for the future?'
When the First Generation had mentioned Ceres, I recalled him telling me to think for myself.
At that time, I hadn't cared what happened to me.
But with Novem here, I had a feeling I should try to take things seriously—even if just a little.
Even now, I wasn't seriously aiming to become a top-tier adventurer.
"I'm not really sure."
I had expected the First Generation to be indignant, but his reaction was surprisingly mild.
However, he crossed his arms and asked his next question.
'...What do you think of Aria-chan?'
"Novem asked me to call her by her name, but basically she's more like a housemate, I suppose."
Honestly, I was content as long as Novem was by my side.
A harem was just lip service—I'd never seriously considered it.
But having someone to look at me, someone to be there—it made me happy.
"I feel the First Generation has feelings for Aria, but I have Novem. To be honest, I was thinking I'd be fine just continuing on with just Novem."
Going somewhere with just Novem, quitting the adventurer life, living quietly.
That wouldn't be so bad either.
I expected the First Generation wouldn't forgive such a defeatist statement. But once again, his response was different.
'Do whatever you want. It's your life. I didn't like your dead-fish eyes and your spineless personality. And for the record, I also don't like that Aria-chan has her eye on you.'
I was somewhat aware that Aria was interested in me.
But I had no intention of reciprocating.
I had Novem.
"I appreciate that. Apparently my face is decent-looking, so I guess I'm popular? Unlike the First Generation."
I shot back a dig at the First Generation.
The First Generation glared at me—
'You little brat! ...You've gotten sharp!'
He roared—and then burst into laughter.
"What's gotten into you today? Usually you'd just yell and that'd be it. (If I say my face is good-looking or something, it's kind of embarrassing. I've never really thought about it. Or wait, is he in a good mood today?)"
When I asked what had gotten into him, the First Generation scratched his cheek with a finger.
He answered vaguely and deflected.
'I was just in that kind of mood. Oh, and regarding Aria-chan—I'm not saying you have to like her, but keep an eye on her, would you? For that sort of thing, the glasses-wearing one probably knows best, so just ask him.'
Glasses—the Fourth Generation.
I barely held back a laugh.
"...Well, something like that is fine."
'Hey, were you about to laugh just now?'
Hit right on the mark by the First Generation, I suddenly panicked.
(This guy has sharp instincts or something... He's not a bad person. His personality is barbarian-like, but still...)
'Oh, did I hit the mark?'
"...Well, he does have quite the 'glasses' vibe, the Fourth Generation."
'Right?!'
That day was the first time I truly talked with the First Generation and shared a laugh together.