Knock, knock.
Two light knocks from outside interrupted Guter, who had been sitting cross-legged on the floor meditating.
Getting up, Guter grabbed his coat from the rack and draped it over himself before opening the door to look at the visitors.
"Uncle Miles, and... Milo?"
Guter looked in surprise at the young nobleman Milo standing beside his junior disciple's butler, as well as the two older men behind them.
"Why are you here? And who are these two behind you?"
Guter asked, his gaze passing over Miles and Milo before settling on Hero Himmel, thinking to himself.
What was with this slightly balding uncle? His face clearly carried gentle goodwill, yet Guter felt immense pressure from him.
It was not as overwhelming as when he had first met Teacher Serie, but it was still far beyond what he could contend with now.
"Mr. Mage, we meet again."
Milo, standing at the front, smiled as he greeted the man who had saved his life. "Allow me to introduce them."
"This is my uncle, the lord of the Count's Territory, Count Gulanat."
At Milo's introduction, the Count gave Guter a slight nod in greeting.
"And this is Hero Himmel, the Hero who defeated the Demon King."
"After we parted ways in Apetito, I happened to encounter the Hero. That was how I escaped danger and successfully reached the Count's Territory."
Compared to the impeccably formal Count, Hero Himmel greeted Guter far more casually. He extended a fist and bumped knuckles with Guter, considering their first meeting complete.
Once he learned that this thinning-haired uncle was Himmel in his middle-aged years, Guter could not help but look at him a few more times.
No wonder his instincts had sensed such tremendous pressure from him. If it was Himmel, that was hardly surprising.
Still—