* * *
After the first meal with Leonard’s family…
It was as if a dam had broken; the Lancaster siblings began calling on Chaeyi incessantly.
They invited him to join them for tea at the mansion or shared meals together.
Violet often asked him to spar in sword practice, while Hallard mainly wanted to play.
The sudden change left Chaeyi flustered at first, but…
After a week, it all started feeling natural. Besides, with Ferdinand gone, Chaeyi had worried he might get bored, but now he had people to chat with who approached him warmly and affectionately.
He didn’t dislike the situation.
Today, too, Chaeyi was enjoying tea time with Oscar, Violet, and even Hallard.
“By the way, there was a swordsmanship class yesterday, wasn’t there? I saw that Sir Philons was here. Are you keeping up well with his lessons?”
Oscar suddenly turned to Hallard, recalling the visit.
At the age of nine, noble children typically began their education, and Hallard, as a noble Alpha, was learning the basics of etiquette and weapon skills.
Philons de Delphinaria, the former knight commander and Lawrence’s father, came from a vassal family that had served the Lancasters for generations as their sword.
Despite his age, Philons had passed on his position to his talented son early and now served as Hallard’s tutor.
Oscar, another Alpha, had also been trained by Philons in the past.
With all these personal conversations, Chaeyi had naturally learned quite a bit about their history.
“Ugh, he’s so strict… It’s scary.”
Hallard took a sip of his fruit juice, then sighed heavily, his face looking glum.
It seemed the lessons weren’t entirely enjoyable for him.
Meanwhile, Violet, sitting across from him and happily munching on the snacks prepared by the butler, grinned confidently.
“That’s because you don’t put in enough effort. Sir Philons appreciates talent like mine but also respects hard work. If you tried as hard as I do, you wouldn’t get scolded as much.”
It was a typical response from someone whose goal was to become the next knight commander.
For the record, Violet was being trained personally by the current commander, Lawrence.
“Instead, you’re always getting scolded by Madame Duwarden, aren’t you? She says you lack refinement. If you truly aspire to be the Knight Commander, you need to be more than just a wild sword-swinger. You need to become a cultured leader.”
“I-I know…!”
Oscar’s calm but pointed criticism made Violet deflate instantly. Oscar sighed.
“It would be nice if you two could just blend together.”
Chaeyi stifled a laugh, seemingly in agreement.
Suddenly, Violet, who had been grumbling, seemed to remember something and widened his eyes.
“Oh, right. Off-topic, but I heard you used to be a hunter, Lord Chaeyi? So you’ve fought monsters directly, haven’t you? How was it?”
The excitement was clear on his face, as it was a topic he enjoyed.
Even Hallard’s eyes sparkled as if it were news to him too.
Oscar shook his head but didn’t continue nagging.
“Well… I’ve fought up to Grade 4 monsters before, but I doubt I could handle them now. They’re quite tough, especially the ones from Asuraheim—they were the trickiest I’ve ever faced.”
Chaeyi had encountered that monster near the Nameless Forest, another dangerous area.
He’d ended up there while actively searching for ways to gather funds after Leonard had left.
Although it had been a tough fight, he managed to make a decent profit by selling its parts.
“A Grade 4 monster? That’s incredible! I’ve never even managed to capture one yet…”
Violet muttered in awe after hearing Chaeyi’s story.
Violet already knew from Lawrence that Chaeyi was strong, but to have the skill to defeat a Grade 4 monster was still surprising.
Being called a ‘hunter’ usually implied being a Beta, which meant they had to train their bodies to the limit just to handle monsters of Grade 4 and above.
However, in Chaeyi’s case, it was different; he had decades of specialized and intense training in ‘killing,’ making his situation unique.
“What kind of monster is Asuraheim?”
Hallard, trying to recall if he had learned about it before, looked curious. Oscar answered for him.
“It’s a unique monster that changes its appearance between day and night. During the day, ‘Day-form Asuraheim’ becomes hard as a rock, making it difficult to strike its vital points. At night, ‘Night-form Asuraheim’ becomes extremely aggressive and fast, making it very dangerous.”
“I see.”
“Madame Duwarden might give a basic test on monster knowledge soon, so make sure to remember this.”
“Got it!”
While Violet, anxious to grow faster, bit his nails, Hallard’s knowledge was quietly expanding.
At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and the head butler appeared.
Given that it hadn’t been long since he had brought them snacks for tea time, everyone looked at him with surprise.
“Lady Oscar, and Lord Chaeyi, the Master has requested your presence. Please follow me.”
Oscar and Chaeyi exchanged glances.
It wasn’t unusual for Oscar to be called suddenly, but for Chaeyi to be included was unexpected.
“Is it urgent?”
“Yes.”
“What about us? Are we not going?”
Violet interjected. The butler gave a gentle smile.
“The Master has specifically requested only Oscar and Lord Chaeyi, so there’s no need for the rest of you to come.”
Chaeyi couldn’t understand why he alone was being summoned. But since it was an urgent call, he couldn’t refuse.
He rose from his seat with Oscar, effectively ending their tea time.
“This way, please.”
The butler led the way, guiding them to a meeting room.
Click.
As the door to the meeting room opened and the butler stepped aside, Chaeyi immediately noticed Leonard.
Opposite him sat Aelan, and in the front, Delion.
Surprisingly, there was also a dwarf, Kukuf, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time.
‘What’s going on?’
The serious atmosphere was palpable as everyone’s faces turned tense, and Chaeyi felt himself grow tense as well.
“You’re here. Take a seat.”
Delion spoke as he made eye contact with Chaeyi.
Leonard gestured for Chaeyi to sit beside him, so he did.
Oscar took the seat next to Aelan, across from Chaeyi.
“You mentioned it was urgent.”
“Yes.”
Oscar began, and Delion nodded, diving straight into the issue.
“The Elves have started making their move.”
Kukuf added, “They’ve declared war, claiming ownership over the ‘World Tree Root’ in the Blessed Land, which we’ve been using for materials.”
Oscar, understanding the gravity of the situation, nodded solemnly.
“I see. I knew this might happen eventually, but they’ve acted faster than I expected. Could it be because the vitality from the root has been depleting too quickly due to its frequent use?”
“I think that’s a fair assumption.”
Chaeyi, who hadn’t heard any of this before, blinked in confusion.
Thankfully, Delion began explaining, as if anticipating the need to clarify for him.
“The High Elves are a species devoted to protecting the World Tree as their life’s purpose.”
Intrigued, Chaeyi perked up and listened intently.
“The World Tree continuously extends and retracts its roots across the land, infusing the earth with vitality for thousands of years.”
“The roots of the World Tree are incredibly durable, so they’ve long been used as building materials. Recently, the extracted vitality has even been harnessed as a natural energy source.”
Chaeyi nodded in amazement as Aelan added more details.
Though he’d read about the World Tree roots in books, it wasn’t something he was familiar with in practice.
Delion continued.
“With the increasing trade with the dwarves, many of the products made from World Tree roots have become popular, and nations across the Empire have been importing them. Our own kingdom, Combrest, is no exception.”
Delion closed his eyes briefly before getting to the crux of the matter.
“And that’s where the problem lies.”
* * *
Thanks again 😊
New problems comino.