GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation

Chapter 10.2: Divergence

Vel shifted uncomfortably where he stood but kept quiet; this wasn't his moment to interrupt.

After a tense pause, Kein continued grimly: "My father... he found out where we are." His tone grew heavier with every word. "He wants us to move back to Lona."

Vel tilted his head slightly in confusion but stayed focused as Kein let out a breath like it burned to say what came next: "Apparently... he's some kind of noble there."

Celia looked as stunned as the others, her usual brightness fading to a tense, closed expression. Vel shifted uneasily, his mind racing but finding no words. Every question felt too weighty to voice.

"So... what happens now?" Vel finally asked, his voice quiet but strained. He glanced between Kein and Lorene. "Can you just... stay here?"

Kein shook his head with sharp, deliberate movements, eyes locked on the floor.

Lorene's trembling voice cut through the silence. "If we don't move now," she said, fingers writhing in her lap, "they're going to use... force." She shot Kein a glance. "That would endanger both of us."

Vel saw Kein flinch at her words, a barely perceptible jolt as though struck by an invisible blow.

"We need some time to prepare," Lorene added cautiously, her voice dropping even lower. "But after that..." Her words trailed off for a moment before she gathered herself again with visible effort. "We have to leave Elnor for good."

Kein's fists clenched on his knees. After a long silence, he stood abruptly and left without looking at anyone.

Lorene watched him go, then turned tired eyes to Vel and Celia, nodding for them to follow.

Vel paused briefly before heading out with Celia, the unspoken tension following them into the sunlight.

Vel scrambled after Kein's back, loose gravel skittering beneath his sandals. Celia's labored breaths echoed behind him as they ascended the steep hill overlooking Elnor's eastern wall. Kein's silhouette paused at the summit, shoulders heaving—whether from exertion or emotion, Vel couldn't tell.

Pine scent swept over them at the outcrop. Vel steadied himself on cold stone as the Lona mountains pierced gray clouds ahead. Kein stood frozen, staring at his future on the horizon.

Celia's sleeve brushed Vel's arm as she settled beside him. "Kein-kun..."

"They're coming back tomorrow." Kein's voice cracked like dry kindling. "With a stagecoach...and chains if we resist."

Vel's nails dug into his palms. "Can they do that? Lady Halen wouldn't just—"

"They have the Magistrate's Seal." Kein kicked a pebble over the edge, watching it vanish into the brush below. "Guards won't lift a finger against proper documents. Even if they wanted to."

Celia crouched to pluck a wildflower growing through the rocks. "What if we hide? My orphanage has—"

"Then they'll burn every building in Elnor searching." Kein's laugh held no mirth. "Nobles don't negotiate. They take."

The mountain wind whipped Celia's hair across her face as she stood. "But you're his son. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"I'm a stain on his legacy." Kein's knuckles whitened around a protruding stone. "Mother's the daughter of some disgraced maid. He just wants his property back."

Vel watched a hawk circle above the distant peaks. "What if we—"

"Please, no." Kein turned, eyes red-rimmed but fierce. "No clever plans. No magic tricks. This isn't some story where kids outsmart lords."