The head of the Zirahar family, Harpunck Zirahar, was anxious.
He was proud of his many talented sons. Among them, the most talented of them all was the eldest son, Zectwalris, a hero among heroes known to everyone in the royal capital.
In high society, everyone looked up to him and treated him with respect, calling him, "The father of the Zectwalris."
Harpunck, who was extremely mediocre and never stood out from the crowd when he was single, rose to the occasion in the spotlight after becoming a father. It was this joy and excitement that gave rise to the distortion of his behavior, where he demanded the best results from his younger sons and would scold them more than necessary if they failed.
Excellent sons were his badges of honor and an enhancement to his existence.
So even if he had one of the best, he wanted a better one, because the better sons he had, the more his fame would increase. On the other hand, he didn't need an incompetent son. He wouldn't tolerate the existence of a foolish son who belittles his father's existence.
So he disowned his third son, who had betrayed his expectations, and tried to tidy up his possessions, keeping only what was necessary. He just wanted the world around him to be perfect.
As a result, Harpunck Zirahar began to become very anxious.
"Exarga! Exarga!" exclaimed Harpunck.
That day, the head of the Zirahar family, Harpunck, was visiting his son.
The second son, Exarga. He had already graduated from the Knight Academy, lived independently, and moved out of his parents' home. So, Harpunck had to go there in person to meet him. Normally, the son would come if called, but after the recent misunderstanding, the second son had started to ignore all calls.
Before long, Harpunck heard some stories through the grapevine that were so unbelievable that he felt he had to go and find out for himself.
"You're kidding me, Exarga?! You're kidding me about being assigned to the frontier, right?!" said Harpunck.
Meeting his father for the first time in several weeks, the second son looked back at his father with a look of obvious annoyance. When on duty, he never stopped working.
"With your skills, you could easily become a royal guard or an elite knight! Border patrol is a position where people who cause problems are sent off! My son should not be assigned to such a low-ranking position!" added Harpunck.
The second son, Exarga, had been silent the whole time and showed no signs of fighting over it, but finally he answered as if he had reached the limit of his patience.
"I followed Idhir's whereabouts. After asking around, I found out that Idhir had entered the Ydeonyr Great Sea of Trees. I don't know what he's doing there, but it's convenient for me to work there in order to find him." said Exarga.
"For something like that! Are you willing to throw away your glory for such a trivial thing?" The father, Harpunck, felt a shock as if everything was crumbling before his eyes.
Working in a remote area would definitely blemish his son's career. Even if he somehow managed to return to the center, it would surely become a hindrance in the race to become the knight captain.
His father produced two brothers who became knight captains. The status that was sure to be acquired eventually was now slipping far away.
"Think again, Exarga! You can still reapply and ask to be assigned to the Royal Guard! Tell Zectwalris to make arrangements for you! Don't betray my expectations!" said Harpunck.
"I've given up on living up to your expectations..." The second son spoke in a cold tone above all else. "Looking back now, I wonder why I was trying to meet your expectations. I am not you. It has nothing to do with me whether you are happy or sad. I have finally come to the realization that wasting my time on you is a waste."
However…….
"Idhir is my younger brother. I am willing to spend as much time and effort as I can for the sake of my brother. I have decided that I am the only person in the world who will be on my brother's side," said Exarga.
"Why should you go to such lengths for such a guy? Our house is now perfect without him. Let's all work together to make the Zirahar house glorious!!" The father said pleadingly. However, to his adult son, his aging father's disgraceful behavior was nothing but despicable.
"So Idhir isn't part of the family you're talking about, right? I'm the same way. You're not part of my family. Ever since I was a child, your expectations and interference have been an annoyance," said Exarga. From then on, no matter what his father said, Exarga would not listen, and in the end, his father made so much noise that the guards came rushing in and arrested him, locking him out. Meanwhile, Exarga had nothing to say to his father as he was being taken away.
Realizing that he couldn't change anything, the family head, Harpunck, returned home in disappointment.
His newly acquired medal crumbled and disappeared. The second son was also rendered useless. He neglected his duty to honor his father and lived his own way.
"How can you possibly owe me the debt of gratitude for raising you this far?! An unfilial son, an ungrateful son, a disrespectful son...?!" The closer he got to his house on the way home, the more frustrated and angrier he felt that things hadn't gone the way he wanted them to.
By the time he got home, his whole body was steaming with anger. He slammed the door open with all his might.
"I just got home, Cerlina! Come and greet me!" In his anger he called out his wife's name. His wife would always come to greet him at the front door, but for some reason today she didn't come out when he called her. This made him even angrier. "What are you doing, you useless woman? You're only good at watching the house when no one is around, but you can't even greet guests properly? Are there only useless people in this house?!"
A moment later, Harpunck held his breath as a figure appeared from the back of the house. Because it was his eldest son, Zectwalris, not his wife, Cerlina.
"Zectwalris!? Did you go home!?" asked Harpunck.
"Yes, at my mother's special request, I was waiting for my father in her place," said Zectwalris.
Hearing that, Harpunck frowned.
"Really...? Isn't she there? And yet, to bother you while you're at work? Women are really stupid!" (Harpunck)
"I have a message from mother. She is returning to her parents' home with Meltrina." (Zectwalris)
"What?" (Harpunck)
Meltrina was the couple's youngest daughter.
His wife left the house, taking the daughter with her. He couldn't believe his ears at the report.
"Why? How could that be...?!" (Harpunck)
"Apparently, her patience has run out when you disowned Idhir." (Zectwalris)
The eldest son, Zectwalris, emotionlessly read out a message that he had apparently received from his mother.
—— "Since I got married, I have accepted the fact that it is my duty as a wife to obey my husband in silence."
—— "But by abandoning my son, Idhir, my affection for you has completely faded."
—— "I won't be able to raise my children healthily if I keep them by your side. I will be raising my youngest daughter, Meltrina, on my own, with the help of my parents."
Then, after hearing everything, the head of the family, Harpunck, was astonished, "What did you say...?! No way, that's not...?!"
If this becomes known to those around him, he would be ridiculed in high society as a husband who was handed a three-line divorce letter.
Exarga had just become useless, tarnishing his glorious reputation. Harpunck's perfect reputation was in tatters.
"Why did this happen...?! I drove out that useless person and made my house perfect...?! Why do I have to be criticized so badly...?!" (Harpunck)
"Father, I have something to tell you as well. That's why I received a message from Mother and am waiting here." (Zectwalris)
Zectwalris was highly regarded as a genius, and perhaps because of this, he rarely showed any facial expression. Was it true that there was nothing in this world to be upset about?
He calmly told his biological father without showing any emotion.
"It's about time you handed over the family headship to me." (Zectwalris)
"What?" (Harpunck)
"I've been thinking about it for a while, and I thought this would be a good opportunity. I've already reached adulthood and received the rank of commander of the Eighth Knight Order of the Royal Capital Knights. I believe I am fully qualified to become head of the family." (Zectwalris)
"Wait...! Wait a second...!! If I lose my title as head of the family, it will become harder for me to be in high society. It's my reason for living. Please...!?" (Harpunck)
"Please stop doing such pointless things. What's the point of chatting with other bored people every night? More importantly, I work hard as a knight, so the title of head of the family would be useful in many ways. It would be much more meaningful than if my incompetent father had it." (Zectwalris)
"Incompetent...?!" (Harpunck)
Harpunck hadn't even noticed until he was told that. What did his eldest son think of him?
There was no way that a son who had been a genius since childhood could respect his father who was mediocre in everything. Rather, they were objects of contempt.
"Since I was ten years old, Father has been inferior to me in every way. It was a mistake for you to continue to occupy the position of head of the family. It wasn't that important, so I left it alone until now, but let's correct this mistake." (Zectwalris)
"Why...!? Zectwalris...!? I was so proud of you... why did you treat me like this...!?" (Harpunck)
"It was a shame for me to have you as my father. Incompetent people have to work hard to improve themselves to competence. Incompetent people who can't even do that have no value in existing. And that is why, father, you have no value in existing." (Zectwalris)
If the eldest son, who was known as a genius, wanted to do it, his father, who had never achieved a single accomplishment of his own, could not defy him. When Harpunck was told to give up the position of head of the family, he had no choice but to obey in silence.
A father who took pride in his sons' accomplishments and achievements. He never realized that it had nothing to do with him at all.
"Compared to that, Idhir is better because he put in effort. Anyway, I want you, an incompetent person, to disappear quickly. I will build the perfect Zirahar family with my own hands," said Zectwalris.
A perfect Zirahar home, where there was no place for incompetents. The last thing they needed there was the head of the family, Harpunck himself.
The causes of his second son Exarga's rebellion, his divorce from his wife Cerlina, and his abandonment by his eldest son Zectwalris were probably building up beneath the surface.
However, what started it all was when he disowned Idhir.
From start to finish, Harpunck lost his glorious place due to his own stupidity.