At Galeya’s Throne in Mount Ourea, Alaric restlessly paced the room, his steps asured. As his wound healed, so did his energy—yet the more his body nded, the more his impatience grew.
That morning, Felix, hands trembling, had carefully removed the stitches from Alaric’s abdon. He could hardly believe how quickly the wound had closed. Even Angus, Alaric’s guard, had recovered and was already up and moving.
Yet, strangely, several soldiers—whose injuries had been less severe than Angus’s—remained bedridden.
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the door.
Six soldiers unsheathed their swords, their blades gleaming as they pointed them at the chest of a man with shoulder-length white hair.
"You occupied my house, cooked my rice, killed my chicken and hares, harvested my vegetables to the point that the garden is now bald, and you dare to point a sword at ? Outrageous!" Jethru’s outbursts bood like thunder, catching the soldiers off guard.
Stunned, they hesitated. One by one, they lowered their swords, shifting uncomfortably under the intensity of his glare.
A familiar voice broke the silence.
"Oh, Sir, are you the owner of this house?" Agilus erged from Reya’s room, flashing a fawning smile. "I gave Kane a gold and a silver ingots, and he said we could take whatever we needed—including the fish from the pond."
The white-haired man narrowed his eyes. "Kane? Who is Kane? I don’t know him!"
Agilus stiffened. His gut feeling had been right all along. Kane had set them up.
From inside Lara’s room, Alaric listened with a knowing smirk. It seems the master and disciple didn’t have ti to coordinate their story.
Agilus cleared his throat. "Sir, Kane ndel. He told us his master owned this house."
Jethru paused.
ndel.
Why does the na sound familiar? Wait. Isn’t that his last na? A flicker of realization crossed his face before his lips curled into a grin. Clever girl.
So, Lara had disguised herself as a man and taken the alias Kane ndel.
He liked the sound of it.
His grin widened—so much so that the corners of his mouth nearly touched his ears.
His cunning disciple Lara, what a bright girl
"Ah, Kane," he mused, stroking his chin, only to realize he no longer had the goatee. "I must be getting old. Of course, he’s my disciple. And you said you gave him a gold ingot?"
Agilus nodded eagerly.
"That damn brat! He didn’t give a single cent!" the man cursed.
As he stepped inside, his expression darkened. His once pristine ho was now crowded with soldiers, their clothes slung carelessly everywhere.
The soldiers tensed.
When they noticed his frown, they scrambled to clean up, rushing to restore order. Within minutes, the ground floor was spotless.
Unfortunately, Jethru’s room was in the loft.
The man grasped the wooden ladder railing, and in a swift, fluid motion, he hoisted himself up.
The soldiers watched, stunned.
All the clutter on the ground floor were thrown on the loft without care.
A string of curses rained down from above. In a blink, only Agilus remained standing on the ground floor.
Monts later, Jethru—leaped down, landing effortlessly in front of Agilus.
Agilus stumbled back, eyes wide.
Did he just jump down?
He’s old, isn’t he?
No. Not quite. A closer look revealed that Jethru was not a frail old man—he appeared to be in his late forties, early fifties at most.
No wonder he could leap from such a height without so much as wincing.
"Damn! Could you guys not clean up? Reya would definitely get mad if she saw this ss."
Inside the room, Alaric perked up.
Reya.
Was that the woman’s na?
Before he could move, the door swung open.
Standing before him was the white-haired man—Jethru ndel.
Alaric’s gaze flickered with recognition.
It was the sa man he saw in the courtyard at the back of the inn—only then; his hair had been waist-length, his beard a cascading snowy mass. Now, without the beard and with shorter hair, he looked years younger.
Alaric bowed respectfully. "Forgive us for encroaching upon your ho, Sir. We suffered a disaster, and your disciple saved us."
Jethru humd, his gaze lingering on Alaric.
The man was tall, exceptionally handso, with a light stubble that only accentuated his ruggedness.
Perfect for my young disciple, Jethru mused.
"What’s your na? Are you the commander of these soldiers?"
"Alaric, Sir."
"Alaric, from which family?"
Outside, Agilus frowned. Why was this man interrogating Alaric?
"Hey, Alaric!" Agilus interrupted. "I told you, didn’t I? That Kane set us up. He took the gold and silver ingots and didn’t even share them with his master!"
Jethru’s eyes darkened.
Alaric noticed imdiately.
"Watch your words, Agilus," Alaric warned. "Don’t throw around accusations without knowing a person’s character."
Agilus grumbled. Shouldn’t he be grateful? I just saved him from revealing his identity.
Clearing his throat, Agilus turned back to Jethru. "Sir, may we know your na? Also, please accept this as an apology for making a ss of your ho." He produced two gold ingots and offered them up.
Jethru grinned. His trip back to Mount Ourea was not in vain. He wanted to retrieve the herbs that he had previously processed and sell them to the pharmacy in Calma, but he gained more.
"My na is Jethru. Jethru ndel."
Agilus brightened. "Sir, that chanism in the shed—it’s fascinating. Would you consider selling the design to us?" Agilus asked enthusiastically. He learned that the alcohol they used to disinfect the surrounding area of the wound was generated by those chanism.
Jethru’s expression turned serious. "The idea belongs to my disciple. It’s not my decision to make."
Alaric flicked his eyes toward Agilus, a silent command.
Agilus understood imdiately. He cleared his throat and excused himself.
Once they were alone, Alaric spoke.
"Sir, your disciple is incredibly talented. Can you tell her na?"
Jethru arched a brow.
"Her?"
"You already know she’s disguising herself as a man?"
Alaric smiled faintly. "She slipped up the day she saved ."
Jethru scoffed.
"You brat," he muttered. "Since you knew she was a girl, why did you send her to Hainai to deliver the letter?"
Alaric’s expression remained steady. "I didn’t send her, Sir. She volunteered."
Jethru chuckled, shaking his head.
"That woman... she really thought she was cunning enough. Who would have guessed she’d blow her own cover?"
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