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“Jonon, I think that’s enough...” Hurman sighed, glancing at his second-oldest son.

“Sorry, Father, but you know that I always speak my mind.”

Leon said nothing to defend himself, taking the comment to heart while refusing to speak up for himself. He continued eating as if nothing was said about him.

“So, is everyone in the family a swordsman?” Oliver asked, moving the conversation along.

Shaking his head, Hurman stated, “Yes, though Mertin is no longer practicing due to his duties as the manager of the family. He sees to everything and makes sure that no issue is left unresolved. Such determination would make him an outstanding swordsman, but we can no longer afford to hire others to manage the property and servants. Since you faced bandits trying to pillage those boys, I’m sure you already understand how our reputation has begun to decline.”

“Pauller mentioned that you’re an elder, Master Hurman. If that’s so, then why would common bandits dare something so stupid?”

.....

“Well...” Hurman took in a sharp breath followed by a controlled cough. “Before I was able to ascend as a perennial, my health began to decline. Then, my eldest son fell into a coma attempting to breakthrough to the elder plane. Though Jonon is still plenty strong and about to become an elder, it’s hard to overlook our circumstances from an outside perspective.”

“He entered a coma breaking through to the elder plane? I’ve never heard of that before...”

“It’s a rare event but it’s still a moment of weakness. We’re unsure of the exact cause of his cultivation back-firing but we know it was only due to his momentary weakness that his body gave out...” Hurman sighed.

“Don’t worry too much, Father. You still have one son following in your footsteps,” remarked Jonon. “If you would–”

“We’re not discussing this with guests present,” stated Hurman, changing the topic. “Oliver, you’re welcome to the few amenities we have onsite during your stay with us. Most meals won’t be so luxurious but food will be offered nonetheless.”

“Hey, after nine months of nothing but boar jerky, anything is a meal worth appreciating,” laughed Oliver, cleaning his plate of the slice of steak. “Mind if I turn in early? I haven’t had a proper bed since... well, I can’t remember the last time I used a bed.”

“Go right ahead.”

Oliver then stood and gave Hurman a bow, doing the same for Jonon afterward. “Thank you very much for the meal. I’m grateful for the hospitality you’ve shown and will make sure to not burden your family during my temporary stay. Once I’ve seen the city, I’ll be better equipped to get out of your hair.”

“Pauller, please escort him to his room,” Jonon spoke up with a smile. “For someone so well mannered, it’s the least we should do.”

“But I already showed him the room,” argued Pauller, stuffing more meat in his face.

Leon finished his cup of water and stood beside Oliver. “I’ll do it. I’m finished and want to practice before bed. Come on, Pauller, we should go.”

“Fine...” Pauller sighed, forcibly stuffing his mouth with as much meat as physically possible.

As the two brothers exited with Oliver, Jonon glanced at his son. “You should go too. Some late-night training could be useful.”

“I’ll be fine!” Johan replied, leaving the room after knowing he was keeping his father and grandfather from talking in private.

Now alone, both men took a moment to think over what they wanted to say. It was Hurman that spoke first, asking, “Jonon, what do you see in him?”

“Hmm... He’s an adept, possibly a low-adept. But his essence is so firm for his age. Oliver’s affinity should at least be high, perhaps more,” commented Jonon, speaking openly. “I wouldn’t mind testing him... He may make an incredible subordinate. If I’m lucky, maybe I can hire him as an aide and bodyguard for Johan.”

“Yet here you are claiming that Leon is incapable... How do you justify the mind games you like to play?” asked Hurman.

“I’m not playing mind games, I’m speaking the truth. We both know that determination is a cultivator’s greatest asset, and Leon has enough for himself, Pauller, and Johan...” Jonon sighed, “Johan has high affinity with both water and earth while Leon has high affinity for water and mid affinity for earth, already putting Johan at an advantage. But given Leon’s diligence, it’s only a matter of time that Johan is surpassed again.”

“If you care for your nephew, why not admit it?” chuckled Hurman.

Clicking his tongue, Jonon added, “This is what’s best, fuelling his determination all the more so that he’ll prove me wrong in the end. Either way, I suspect that Johan will only train harder after he’s surpassed by Leon. And on the off chance he stops, why not have someone like Oliver around to help support the family?”

“Oliver’s an interesting young man... His natural strength is among the greatest I’ve ever seen and his energy is more stable than most adepts, even those your age,” commented Hurman. “I wouldn’t mind considering his hire, but I’m not sure either...”

“That’s why I’ll test him personally,” Jonon stated with a smile. “If he’s good enough and can prove capable, raising an outsider to become a master swordsman would help us recover our fumbled reputation. If you offered your cultivation technique, then I’d ascend sooner and–”

“Don’t mention that, please... I don’t want to speak about that until you’ve at least become an elder. Till then, focus on ascending and increasing the school’s reputation.”

“Right... Sorry for being impatient. Can you blame me?”

“No, I’d be acting the same way,” laughed Hurman. “But don’t count on hiring Oliver, at least not in the long-term. His nomadic nature may not help us in this case...”

“First he needs to prove capable, then we’ll see whether he’s worth investing time into. For now, I’ll retire to my training. Thank you, Father, for the excellent meal.”

“Don’t thank me, thank Mertin. If he were here, I’d bow in thanks myself... Someday, we’ll be able to eat like this each day, just as it was in the past...”

“Till then, goodnight!” Jonon exited the room with a prompt wave, letting his old man drink the soothing heated tea to calm his incoming cough.

“I can’t stand him!”

“Pauller, stop complaining,” Leon sighed.

“But Uncle is always so mean! How come he never compliments you or tries to help you with your training? Is that what he should do?” Pauller argued, rambling in naive rage.

“Sorry, Oliver. You shouldn’t have to deal with him...”

Laughing, Oliver shook his head. “I don’t mind at all. I’ve met my fair share of people like Pauller, easily excited and quickly irritated but always with a loud mouth.”

“Yeah, that’s Pauller to a tee. Still, sorry...”

“So long as I get my sleep, then it doesn’t matter.” The three young men approached Oliver’s door and Oliver opened it without hesitation. “I’ll see you two tomorrow. And thanks again for letting me crash here for a bit.”

“No need to thank me!” shouted Pauller, happy to help.

Leon sighed again with a smile, “See you tomorrow, Oliver. Come on, Pauller, let’s leave before your loud voice keeps him up all night...”

“I’m not that loud!”

Their playful bickering faded as they left and Oliver closed the door. Taking in the simple but spacious room, Oli finally relaxed. His eyes rested on the bed. Oliver was long accustomed to allowing his body to rest through the night while his mind trained in his soul jade, but Oliver was too eager to sleep in a bed. A good night’s sleep was all that Oliver wanted and the true reason he accepted Pauller’s offer to spend the night.

Finally, Oliver spent the night enjoying his rest both physically and mentally.

As the morning sun peeked over the horizon, the Practor Family property was already abuzz. Many people had awoken long before dawn to prepare for their daily chores, like cleaning preparing the dojos for classes or prepping breakfast for the household. Some were already doing their morning training, like Leon.

Focused on the fluidity of his individual strikes, Leon carefully picked apart his practice attacks with precision. His patience was incredible and his ability to overcome the meticulousness of the repetitive training was top-notch. But all it took was one person to disrupt that.

“Leon!” Pauller’s shouts caught Leon’s attention. Leon turned in anticipation of Pauller’s quick arrival. Pauller shouted again, “Leon, where’s Oliver?!”

“He left a while ago, so–”

“WHAT?! Oliver left?! But he promised to stay longer?”

“Pauller, Oliver went to go explore the city,” Leon added. “He’ll be back later, so there’s no reason to shout or get angry.”

“Oh...” Blinking, Pauller thought of something else to complain about. “But... If he’s checking out the city, then why didn’t you go as his guide? He doesn’t know where to find anything!”

“Pauller, Oliver will be fine.”

“But what if he goes to certain areas and doesn’t know about the muggings and the–”

“Pauller, Oliver is stronger than us. What good would we be to protect him?” Leon half-sighed and half-laughed.

“Yeah... But...”

“Pauller, you have training to do, so–”

“I’m going to show Oliver around!” The preteen suddenly ran off, showing no hesitation.

Leon groaned, annoyed, “Pauller... come back!”

“Either I go find him alone or you come with me.”

“Pauller, you’ll get lost by yourself and cause trouble!”

“Then come too!”

Left with no choice, Leon chased Pauller through the front gate of the Practor property. He soon caught Pauller and forced Pauller to slow down. They then patrolled the streets in a calm, orderly fashion in search of Oliver.