A guard then led Eric into the great hall of the castle’s main keep.
Just like the castle’s exterior, the inside of the main keep looked as if it hadn’t been renovated or maintained for a long time.
As he followed the guard deep into the main keep toward the hall, Eric was surprised not to see a single non-military servant.
’It seems this Baron’s Domain has poured all its money into maintaining its military retinue.’ Maintaining so many household knights in plague-ridden Mann, especially with the Baron absent, was no small feat.
’But to spend so much on military strength... what are they preparing for?’
After a moment, the guard leading the way stopped about two or three meters from the hall door. He stood with his back to the wall, bowed to Eric, and gestured with his right hand toward the entrance, smiling for him to go in.
"My lord, please."
"Thank you." Eric nodded in response, then grabbed the guard’s hand and pressed something into it.
The guard felt the object in his palm, and his smile grew even wider.
"Lord Baron, your generosity is as great as ever! Fougeres Castle has been eagerly awaiting your return. Thankfully, God has not forsaken the Old Baron, nor the kind Lady Eleanor, and certainly not the soldiers of Fougeres Castle."
The guard was clearly a clever one.
Eric smiled and nodded, then unfastened a Money Bag from his waist and handed it to the guard.
"Thank the brothers of Fougeres Castle for me. Protect my father and my lady in my stead. God bless Fougeres Castle." Eric patted the guard’s shoulder.
"God bless Fougeres Castle! God bless the Lord Baron! Eternal glory! Alan forever!"
The guard instantly straightened his back, placed his right hand over his chest, and struck a pose as if taking an oath.
"There’s a share for you all. Go on, split it. You’ve all worked hard." Eric waved over the other guards in the corridor.
The guards glanced at each other, then scrambled forward, vying to shout, "Eternal glory! Alan forever!" as they surged over, afraid of missing out.
This was the war cry of Fougeres Castle.
Smiling, Eric walked into the great hall.
In the great hall, an old man, a grim-faced, flat-nosed middle-aged man, and a beautiful noble lady were waiting for Eric.
The beautiful noble lady had a graceful figure and skin as white as snow. She gave Eric a comfortable feeling; she was as serene and gentle as a Greek statue.
Eric suddenly had an absurd thought: ’I wonder what she’d look like if she were angry.’
Eleanor noticed Eric’s gaze and lifted the white veil that had been resting on her chest to cover her face.
For the first time in a while, Eric felt a bit awkward.
He shifted his gaze to the old man and was about to say something when the old man walked right up to him and began caressing his face with both hands.
Eric instinctively wanted to pull away but restrained himself.
The Old Baron’s eyes were cloudy, as if he had cataracts, which likely affected his vision.
The Old Baron was using his hands to confirm if Eric was his child.
’Looks like my clumsy disguise is about to be seen through.’
Just as Eric was about to grab the old man’s neck and take the Old Baron hostage...
"My son, Alan... My son, Alan! Alan has returned!" the Old Baron suddenly cried out.
The hand Eric had extended to grab the Old Baron’s neck froze for an instant, then smoothly and inconspicuously came to rest on the Old Baron’s back.
"Father, I’m back."
And so, a touching scene of a long-lost son returning home to his old father played out.
Outside the hall, the eavesdropping guards grew excited.
"See? I told you it was the Baron! You guys didn’t believe me."
"I figured as much. Who in all of Mann is more generous than the Baron?"
"I knew it was him from the start. I just didn’t want to argue with you all."
"I’ve been to that godforsaken place, Iberia. A woman would turn into a man there. It’s only normal for the Baron to have changed."
"Right, right, it has been almost seven years, after all."
"He’s been fighting for God all this time. God was bound to make him a little different."
"..."
A guard outside the hall walked to a window and excitedly reported the news to the Knights and guards in the courtyard.
Soon, everyone in the castle’s main keep and courtyard began to shout, "Eternal glory, Alan forever!"
But the other two people inside the hall were in a state of complete shock.
’Could it be? Is he the Baron?’
Eleanor suddenly took a step back. She was certain this man was not her husband.
Just as Zogo was about to ask something, the Old Baron spoke.
"Zogo, close the hall doors. Those old grunts are giving me a headache."
Zogo nodded and shut the great doors.
"I am not your son," Eric confessed directly.
"I know. But that’s not important." Zogo brought a chair for the Old Baron.
He found it a bit strange that the Old Baron had been lucid for so long today.
"Sometimes, if other people believe you are, then you are," the Old Baron said with a smile.
"But you don’t even know who I am. What if I’m..."
"At least you left your Knights behind and walked in here alone. To be honest, if you were a bad man planning to conquer Fougeres Castle, you’ve already lost. Whatever your purpose, this at least shows you came with good intentions.
Oh, and one more thing. There’s been a nasty fellow with disgusting designs on Fougeres Castle recently. That guy... I think his name is Elijah. Whenever he comes to Fougeres Castle, he starts by shooting a dozen or so arrows at us.