The morning after the grand reward ceremony in Kanyou, Shin stretched lazily before looking toward Kyou Kai and Karyo Ten.
"Come on. Since we're finally done here, I'll introduce you to my grandparents."
Karyo Ten blinked.
"...Grandparents?"
Kyou Kai looked equally surprised.
"You... actually have family?"
Shin scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah."
"I thought you were an orphan," Karyo Ten said.
"I am always away from home. Doesn't mean my family disappeared."
The two girls exchanged bewildered looks.
"So... we're meeting your family?" Karyo Ten asked nervously.
"Yeah."
"...Why am I suddenly nervous?" she muttered.
Even Kyou Kai, who rarely displayed emotion, quietly admitted,
"...I am too."
Several days later, the three arrived in the northeastern region of Qin.
Instead of a small farming village, an enormous city slowly appeared beyond the horizon.
Towering walls stretched for kilometers.
Hundreds of watchtowers overlooked the plains.
Merchant caravans continuously entered and exited through gigantic gates.
Thousands of soldiers patrolled the battlements.
Karyo Ten stopped walking.
"...What..."
It was immense.
Kyou Kai's eyes widened slightly.
"This city..."
Comparable in size to Kanyou itself.
Karyo Ten slowly turned toward Shin.
"Shin..."
"...Is this... where your family lives?"
Shin looked ahead casually.
"Yeah."
The two stared at him.
Karyo Ten couldn't believe it.
"This city is enormous! It's as large as the royal capital!"
She remembered reading about it.
"This was once the capital of an independent state before it peacefully surrendered to Qin generations ago..."
Kyou Kai quietly continued.
"...The ruling city of the Hyou Clan."
"...The territory governed by Duke Hyou's family."
"...The semi-independent northern state that has protected Qin's northeastern frontier for generations."
For centuries, the Hyou Clan had governed the entire northeastern region with remarkable autonomy.
While officially subjects of the Qin King, they maintained their own administration, armies, and noble court.
Their loyalty to the Qin royal family had never wavered.
Because Princess Ei Sei herself had married into the Hyou Clan generations ago, the blood of the royal house flowed through their family line.
The Hyou Clan had since become one of Qin's greatest noble houses, entrusted with guarding the kingdom's northeastern frontier.
Shin simply walked through the massive gates.
The soldiers immediately stood aside.
Every guard saluted respectfully.
Karyo Ten froze.
"They're... saluting you..."
Shin waved casually.
"Yo."
He continued walking.
The deeper they went into the city, the more luxurious everything became.
Stone-paved roads.
Grand government buildings.
Military headquarters.
Magnificent estates belonging to powerful retainers.
Eventually, Shin walked toward the most heavily guarded district in the entire city.
Karyo Ten's face slowly turned pale.
"...Shin..."
"...Where exactly are we going?"
"The mansion."
"What mansion?"
"My grandparents'."
Ahead stood an enormous palace-like residence surrounded by several layers of walls and elite guards.
Its scale rivaled the royal compounds within Kanyou.
The banners of the Hyou Clan fluttered proudly above its rooftops.
Kyou Kai finally spoke.
"...Shin."
"What?"
"...What is your family's profession again?"
Karyo Ten immediately nodded.
"Yes!"
"What exactly do your grandparents do?"
Shin stopped walking.
He looked at them with genuine confusion.
"...Oh."
"I forgot to mention it."
The two waited.
"My family rules the entire northeastern region of Qin."
He pointed toward the enormous palace.
"This city is our seat of power."
Silence.
Several birds flew overhead.
Neither girl moved.
Then….
"WHAAAAAT?!"
Karyo Ten screamed so loudly nearby soldiers instinctively looked over.
Kyou Kai's usually calm expression completely broke.
"...You're serious?"
Shin tilted his head.
"Yeah."
"I thought everyone knew."
He smiled sheepishly before scratching his cheek.
"My full name is Hyou Shin."
Another long silence followed.
Karyo Ten looked as though her soul had left her body.
"You..."
"...You're a noble?"
"The heir of one of Qin's most powerful families?!"
Shin blinked.
"I guess."
"You guess?!" Karyo Ten shouted.
Kyou Kai stared at Shin for several moments before quietly asking,
"...Why did you never tell us?"
Shin looked genuinely puzzled.
"...No one ever asked."
Karyo Ten grabbed both sides of her head.
"NO ONE ASKS SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"
At that very moment, hidden from sight atop the surrounding walls and rooftops, countless Hyou Clan retainers quietly observed the scene.
One elderly steward chuckled.
"So... the Young Master's companions truly had no idea."
Another veteran commander smiled.
"Not surprising."
"The Young Master has never cared for titles."
A third retainer nodded.
"Outside the northeastern provinces, very few would recognize Lord Shin as the heir of the Hyou Clan."
"Only retainers..."
"And the nobles of the northeast..."
"...know the Young Master's true identity."
Inside the mansion, word spread rapidly.
"The Young Master has returned."
"And..."
"He has brought guests."
Every servant and retainer hurried to prepare for the homecoming of the long-absent heir to one of Qin's greatest noble houses.