Chapter 207: Homecoming (1) – Galahad
Galahad pushed through the crowd, making his way to the centre of the room, curious to see what the commotion was all about.
The Main Hall had always been one of the busiest places in the mansion, serving both as a lounge for everyone to mingle in, as well as the spot where they could pick their missions from. That said, things had changed a little since the advent of the war. Nowadays, the family avoided assigning non-essential missions, as Archibald was afraid of risking people’s lives unnecessarily.
However, this only made the place busier than before. Not only was there a higher concentration of people inside the building, but everyone seemed more inclined to spend time with their relatives during these uncertain months. Due to that, the family’s management had installed more couches and tables, turning the place a little more comfortable and welcoming.
Still, that wasn’t what was going through Galahad’s mind right now. Another thing that had changed in recent years was how few outsiders visited them nowadays. Naturally, anyone coming in was bound to draw a lot of attention. Ignoring the sharp gasps and hushed whispers, he finally reached the source of all this unrest.
Two people.
Yet, one of them wasn’t an outsider at all, despite how long it had been since the last time anybody saw him. Most curious was Percy’s appearance. His gruesome wounds aside, he wasn’t wearing the family’s colours like the day he had left the mansion, nor was he wearing the Guild’s robes.
While nobody ever spared the boy much thought – other than the brief period when they wanted him to stop guzzling down elixirs – it wasn’t a great secret he had gone to the Alchemists’ Guild. Most people assumed he was still stuck there, the Divine Root not letting anyone enter or leave easily following the Aurora Dew fiasco.
‘Did he give up earlier than that?’ Galahad wondered.
It was the only logical explanation. How else would he have escaped the blockade? Perhaps, he had failed to make a living as an alchemist – it wouldn’t be that strange – and was forced to leave with his tail tucked between his legs. Next, he must have tried his luck outside, only to fail there as well, before ultimately returning home. At least, that was what Galahad would have assumed in the past. Though he’d long decided to stop making assumptions about the boy.