Chapter 131 - 130: A Blurry Figure

Chapter 131: Chapter 130: A Blurry Figure

In the kitchen, grease sizzled on the iron plate, and the rich, charred aroma of grilled meat filled the air.

Lady Cassandra hummed a cheerful little tune as she skillfully flipped a meat patty.

Her mood had been quite good lately.

Today, she had gone shopping near the town’s North Gate and decided to swing by the training grounds to see her son, Thomas.

To be honest, she’d had her doubts when she first decided to send Thomas to Master Jonathan’s training grounds.

After all, the neighbors had gossiped quite a bit, saying that Mr. Jonathan looked fierce and didn’t seem like a good person.

But after actually meeting him, Cassandra realized the rumors were quite biased.

Mr. Jonathan did look a bit stern, and he was on the large side.

But he was very measured in his dealings with people, even if he always spoke in a rather formal, scholarly way.

And just today, when she happened to run into him, he was as polite as ever.

"Oh, Lady Cassandra, your radiance is enough to make the blooming roses of Rose Town pale in comparison."

"I’m here to report that the boy, Thomas, has changed a lot lately. He’s training diligently and earnestly, unlike those other little brats who are still competing to see who can pee the farthest."

"Of course, that’s thanks in no small part to my continuous, high-standard supervision."

"If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to invite you to dinner to discuss his future training plan in detail..."

Hearing this, Lady Cassandra thought to herself that this Mr. Jonathan was quite amusing.

However, it also made her feel that renting a room to those two Adventurers had been a very wise decision.

Because she knew the reason her son was gradually changing was all thanks to that polite young man named Galen.

Ever since they moved in, Galen would chat with Thomas during every dinner about the experiences of Adventurers, the world outside, and the principles of responsibility, courage, and perseverance.

Imperceptibly, Thomas’s gaze had become more determined, and his actions much more composed.

It was naturally a good thing for children to be exposed to positive influences, but Cassandra also knew her boundaries.

Adventurers worked hard and traveled far; what they needed most when they returned to their lodgings was peace and rest.

Therefore, she never disturbed them lightly, merely turning her gratitude into action—for example, she had intentionally grilled a few extra meat patties for tonight’s dinner.

’If they have more to eat, dinner will last longer, and Thomas can chat a bit more with Galen. That doesn’t count as bothering them, right?’

Thinking this, she placed a few more patties on the grill.

Just then, familiar footsteps sounded from the courtyard.

The girl named Zoya usually didn’t come back until the early morning, so the person returning now should be...

"Galen, is that you back?" Cassandra called out. "Dinner’s almost ready!"

"Alright. Thank you, Lady Cassandra."

Listen to that, such a polite young man. Lady Cassandra’s mood brightened even more.

After confirming that the last few patties on the grill were golden brown, she scooped them out, placed them on a plate, and carried it to the dining table.

From a distance, she saw Galen sitting at the table with something huge on his back.

She recalled that her young tenant had recently acquired a new staff, which he said was material for a Magic Staff.

Living in Rose Town, she had seen plenty of Adventurers carrying bizarrely shaped weapons, but this was the first time she had ever seen one with a design like this.

It just looked... odd.

...

At the dining table, Hesia was mentally planning his schedule for tomorrow.

’First, I’ll take Bruce to the training grounds and see what skills the [Weak Red Dragon Bloodline] awakens in it.’

’I can also test out the power of this Magic Wand.’

’The Magic Wand...’

’Crap!’

Hesia’s heart skipped a beat.

’I was so busy thinking, I forgot to put this thing back in my room or cover it with a cloth!’

’This design... I hope it doesn’t scare Lady Cassandra!’

He jerked his head up and, sure enough, saw Lady Cassandra standing not far away, holding a plate. Her brows were furrowed, and her gaze was fixed squarely on the thing on his back.

He was just about to open his mouth to explain that it wasn’t a dangerous item...

"Galen, why did you bring back such a big mop? Does your room need cleaning? You can just leave it to me."

Hesia: "?"

He had clearly underestimated the acceptance and imagination of a housewife living in Rose Town.

Even when Hesia later tried to explain that it was a Magic Staff made from the head of some kind of Demon, Lady Cassandra simply took her delicate gold-rimmed glasses from her apron pocket, put them on, moved a little closer, and adjusted the frame. "Oh, so it’s a monster’s head. No wonder it looks so strange."

...

The serving of meat patties tonight was unusually large.

When Hesia struggled to swallow his fourth patty, he simply couldn’t eat anymore.

He turned to look at his feet. Bruce was already sprawled on the floor, its round belly facing up, paws spread out, and tongue lolling out. It had clearly reached its limit as well.

Fortunately, Thomas, whose training had intensified recently, displayed astonishing combat prowess.

"Thomas, I’m leaving the rest to you."

"No problem, Big Bro Galen!" Thomas replied indistinctly, his mouth stuffed full.

"Oh, right. We’re going to the training grounds together tomorrow morning. Remember to call me before you leave."

"Okay, Big Bro Galen!"

...

As usual, just as the morning sun began to disperse the thin mist, Jonathan was already seated in the main hall of the training grounds, checking the previous day’s accounts.

Due to the recent decline in commissions from the Adventurer Guild, business at the training grounds had also become a bit slow.

However, as a veteran Adventurer who had long since achieved success and retired, he wasn’t particularly concerned about this little bit of income from the training grounds.

For him, it was more like finding something to do to keep himself from getting rusty in his comfortable life.

Compared to the daily income of a few Silver Scale, he had recently been paying more attention to the training of the few boys who worked here as helpers, especially the one named Thomas.

The kid had been unusually serious about his training lately, as if he’d had an epiphany overnight.

Of course, Jonathan had to admit that part of the reason for his focus on the boy stemmed from his admiration for the child’s mother—Lady Cassandra.

The lady possessed a calm and gentle aura. In particular, the way she occasionally raised a hand to adjust her gold-rimmed glasses always made him recall a long-faded figure from the depths of his memory.

This attention had grown, unconsciously, especially after hearing that her husband had passed away many years ago.

After carefully putting away the checked account book, Jonathan stood up, ready to begin his daily patrol.

Just as he stepped out of the main hall, his gaze was drawn to two figures approaching in the distance.

It was Thomas, with someone else following beside him.

A trace of disappointment flashed through Jonathan’s mind.

It wasn’t Lady Cassandra, but that young Mage who had come once before. What was his name... Galen?

However, his gaze was soon riveted by the strangely shaped "Long-Handled Weapon" on the young man’s back, and his pupils contracted sharply.

’That’s... the head of a Ghost Witch? No, the color is different.’

He clicked his tongue to himself. "A rich kid, indeed. No wonder he could rely on chugging potions to train so quickly before."

By this time, Hesia and Thomas had walked up to him.

"Mr. Jonathan, good morning!"

"Mm."

Then he looked at Hesia, who was standing to the side. "Using the Magic training grounds?"

"Yes, if you please."

"50 copper nails."

Jonathan took the money, his gaze sweeping casually over the rustic-looking dog at Hesia’s feet that was panting and looking all around.

’Are rich people’s pets all this... plain and simple?’

He didn’t give it much more thought, tossed the copper nails into the cash box, and got up to continue his patrol of the other training areas.

Soon, he spotted two annoying figures peeking around in the distance.

"Hey! You two over there, the ones raised by goblins! Get lost, or I won’t mind using you two as today’s new targets!"