Chapter 248: Is He Really The Grandchild Of Farmers?
Chapter 248: Is He Really The Grandchild Of Farmers?
A day before the Legacy Gate opened…
Oswald Barony was a Barony located on the Eastern Outskirts of Eastshire.
After three decades of hardships, this territory had started to show signs of improvement after it was reclaimed by Luna's grandparents.
Even so, life wasn't that easy.
The crop yield wasn't that high, and people had to rely on hunting and fishing in order to get by. But despite all these difficulties, the people lived relatively peaceful lives, all thanks to the efforts of the Oswald Family, who oversaw these lands.
Currently, the Oswald Family was having an afternoon break after a hard day of work.
"I'm a bit worried about Luna going into that Legacy Gate in Nightfall Academy," Luna's biological mother, Irene, said with worry.
"Don't worry," Luna's second mother, Briana replied. "Our Luna is not that weak. I'm sure she will be fine."
Luna's father, Bruce, sipped his cup of tea, but although he didn't show it, he was also very worried about his one and only daughter.
"You are a bunch of worrywarts," Luna's Grandmother, Rhea, commented. "Isn't that boy, Ethan, with her? I'm sure he will protect my granddaughter."
The moment Rhea mentioned the boy's name, all the men in the family, including Luna's grandfather, Philip frowned.
Luna regularly sent letters to her family, and there were times when she mentioned the handsome young man in her writing.
When Ethan was trapped in the Lands of Alastor, Luna often shared her worries with her family, which let them see that the boy had managed to worm his way inside the angelic beauty's heart.
Luna's two mothers and her grandma were very supportive of her. In their replies, they even encouraged her to stay strong and believe that Ethan would be able to return.
The men in their family, on the other hand, secretly wished that Ethan would remain trapped in the past so that he would not bother Luna ever again.
They were truly overprotective of the only young woman in their family, and if anyone tried to court Luna, all of them would face their wrath.
Suddenly, they heard a faint shriek from the sky.
As a Wizarding Family, all of them were quite familiar with this call.
Everyone then looked in the direction where they heard the sound, and they were surprised to see a White Raven descending from the sky.
Dantalion gracefully landed on top of their table and bowed its head respectfully to Luna's two mothers and her grandma.
"Oh my—a White Raven," Rhea said with a smile as she looked at the creature whom she was seeing for the first time in her life. "What brings you here, little one?"
Dantalion bowed his head again before walking towards Rhea in order to show her the metallic cylinder tied to his leg.
Luna's mother, Irene, carefully removed the cylinder from the raven's leg and opened it.
The cylinder was similar to a storage ring that allowed the ravens to carry messages, and packages, all across the Wizarding World.
When the lid of the cylinder was opened, a sealed letter appeared in Irene's hand.
"I'm not familiar with this seal," Irene muttered as he looked at the red seal that had the image of a trident embedded in it.
"Just open it," Luna's second mother, Briana commented. "I'm very curious about who the Master of this White Raven is."
Irene nodded and opened the letter.
Aside from a handwritten letter, there was also a storage ring inside, which surprised her.
For the time being, she set aside the ring and read the letter out loud for everyone to hear.
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Greetings from someone who loves your daughter, Luna, very much,
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"Burn that letter," Bruce fiercely said after hearing the first line of the letter, which made his wife, Irene, chuckle.
"Oh, come on," Irene commented. "Don't be like that. I am very curious about the person who has the guts to send this kind of letter to us. Perhaps, this white raven belongs to one of our daughter's suitors."
"That's why I said to burn it," Bruce stated. "I'm not going to hand my daughter to anybody."
"That's right," Phiip nodded. "My granddaughter is too good for those teenagers in the academy."
"I also agree. My sister deserves someone better." Luna's brother, Dennis, protested.
"I second that." Luna's other brother, Erik, supported the others.
The ladies of the family wanted to roll their eyes at the reaction of the men. This was not the first time this had happened, and they had already gotten used to how the men shielded the only young woman in their family.
"Ignore these fools," Rhea stated. "Irene, continue reading the letter."
Irene nodded and continued to read, which made all the men in the family gnash their teeth in anger.
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First, let me introduce myself. My name is Ethan Gremory.
Luna had told me that she has mentioned me a couple of times in her letters and, to be frank, I am quite worried about how she has portrayed me to her family. I hope that she mentioned how handsome and talented I am.
If not, then all I can say is that you don't have to worry about my good looks because I am very confident in that department.
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Rhea cackled after hearing Ethan's shameless introduction. Briana was also smiling because she found the young man quite to her liking.
Irene arched an eyebrow after realizing that this letter actually came from the young man whom her daughter would often talk about in her letters. Luna only had praise for Ethan, and as a mother, she could tell that her daughter liked him very much.
After a short pause, she continued to read the letter with anticipation.
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A few days ago, Luna told me about the difficulties that her hometown is currently facing. As her future husband, I have decided to help my in-laws, so that she will not have to worry about what hardships may occur this upcoming winter.
Within the sealed letter is a storage ring, containing some funds that will help you buy food from the merchants that you can distribute to your people, allowing them to feel less worried about making it through the approaching change in seasons.
Although you might find this action of mine presumptuous and unneeded, know that I am only doing this out of my genuine concern for my lover's mental health.
I belong to a family of farmers, so I understand the hardships of our craft. Although it isn't much, I hope that you will accept my gift to help alleviate your current worries.
There is a possibility that, as you read this letter, Luna and I will be about to enter the Legacy Gate.
I do not know what kind of dangers we will be facing inside, but I promise you that I will protect her with my life.
I also promised her that when our expedition was over, I would come with her to visit her hometown and finally meet her family.
I look forward to meeting all of you, and when the time comes, I will also take the opportunity to ask for your blessings to allow your daughter to marry me after we graduate from the academy.
Truth be told, I am very worried because she told me that there is a high chance that her grandfather, father, and brothers will beat me up until I am half-dead the moment I introduce myself as her lover.
Even so, I will not back down because I am serious about getting her family's approval. Please, pray that we return safely.
I look forward to meeting each and every one of you.
P.S.
There is this blonde guy who is trying to break my relationship with your daughter. Since Luna rejected him, he might try to bribe you all instead.
I don't know what kind of background he has, but the way he talks makes me think that he came from a High-Ranking Noble family.
But regardless of his intentions, know that Luna's feelings for me are strong, and I hope that you will not be intimidated by the blonde guy's family.
Once again, do not forget the resources I have placed inside the ring. Although I grew up on a farm, I am confident that I will be able to provide Luna with a comfortable life by my side.
Also, I swear upon the Gods that I didn't steal from anyone. The treasures I have sent are a tenth of the wealth that I gained when I was sent to the past. I hope that you will put it all to good use.
Wishing to see all of you soon,
Ethan Gremory.
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The men in the family all had frowns on their faces, and it was quite easy to tell that they were very annoyed.
It turned out that aside from this Ethan, there was another fly that was hovering around their Luna, which they found irritating.
"It doesn't matter what that blonde guy's background is." Philip snorted. "Who cares if he comes from a High-Ranking Noble Family? They can kiss my foot."
"That's right," Bruce commented. "Also, this Ethan boy is quite bold. He's just the grandchild of a farmer and he actually dared to send us some resources?"
Bruce sneered. "Go on, Irene. Dump everything inside that storage ring on the table. I just want to see just what kind of resources that country bumpkin sent us."
"Oh, shut your trap." Rhea snapped. "You call that boy a country bumpkin, but have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You are also a country bumpkin!"
Bruce didn't dare to refute his mother because even though Rhea was already old, she would not hesitate to whack him with her wooden cane if she got annoyed.
Irene smiled and picked up the ring.
"Luna said that Ethan is one of the Pillars of the First Years," Irene said. "That means that he receives a monthly stipend from the academy. The resources that he spoke of might be the gold coins that he had saved up for the past few months. Such a sweet child."
"Indeed," Briana smiled. "Because he grew up as a farmer, he understands the hardship of our people the most."
Irene nodded and without another word, she activated the storage ring, dumping everything on the table.
At first, everyone thought that they would just see a few dozen gold coins, which was expected of the stipend that Ethan received from the academy.
But as seconds passed by and the ring's content still hadn't stopped pouring on the table, all of their eyes opened wide like saucers.
The sound of tinkling coins reached everyone's ears as the gold coins piled up on top of their table.
Ethan had given the Oswald Family a tenth of his treasures, which was a very large amount.
When he was back on his grandparent's farm, he had only shown Chloe's parents and his grandparents a fifth of his wealth. This amount was already enough to fill up their living room, making Chloe's parents seriously consider Ethan as their daughter's fiance.
Now, this same scene was happening in the Oswald's Residence, making everyone unable to comprehend what they were seeing.
"… Just who is this boy?" Bruce, who had wanted to strangle Ethan earlier, couldn't help but ask in a hoarse voice. "Is he really the grandchild of farmers?"
This was the same question that was currently inside everyone's head, and unfortunately, none of them had the answers to these questions.