The day couldn't have ended better. With his new sword tucked into his belt, Cale strode through the built-up streets in the southeastern part of the city. After a while, he came to a ledge from which he could see the large lake. A few ships were still underway, but otherwise the water was fairly calm at this time of day.

Cale elegantly jumped onto the rooftops in front of him, pulled his hood over his head, and took a shortcut to reach the lake shore more quickly. On this side of the city, there was no coastline, only built-up walls with many shops and restaurants that had been built just two meters from the water. Most people who wanted to go swimming therefore gathered on the coast in front of the palace or directly at the mouth of the river.

With a quiet jump, he landed on the stone wall surrounding the promenade, which was a good meter high, and balanced on it as he headed north.

<That went better than expected. One less thing to worry about, and when Mamoru finally contacts me, I'll have something to look forward to. I'm curious to see how this will end.>

A small family approached Cale along the path - the man and woman strolling side by side, the father holding his daughter's hand as she ran along the wide wall, much like Cale himself. As the two parties drew nearer, they exchanged glances. The man eyed Cale with mild irritation, as though wondering whether he would step aside. Yet when they were close enough, Cale simply vaulted into an elegant sideways somersault over the girl, landing lightly beyond them. Startled, the child turned to watch him, only to see Cale walking backward down the path with a cheerful wave. Then, spinning around, he continued along the wall, humming to himself.

<I should go look for Olivia and Vincent soon and pay them a visit. Probably not a bad idea to do that soon, not that Robert Meyrl has seen my face and would recognize me.>

Cale approached the coastal region and spotted a few people enjoying the late afternoon sun on the shore of the lake. They were mostly sitting alone on the rocky ground, looking as if the sun were devouring them. He reveled in the sight for a brief moment, until he sensed Jarle's mana.

His expression darkened abruptly, and he stared involuntarily at the man, who was unrecognizable thanks to the weak sun and his clothing. As if he had sensed Cale's presence, the young man turned around at that moment and their eyes met. For a split second, Cale considered simply avoiding him and disappearing into the next street, but he knew that Jarle had recognized him immediately.

He started to give a polite, distant nod, but Jarle already had other plans in mind. He stood up, dusted off his pants, and walked toward the stairs leading down to the coast. Cale immediately sensed that their paths would cross, but it would be far too conspicuous if he simply walked away. So he resigned himself to fate and approached the nobleman, who was waiting a few meters ahead of him.

"Good evening, Jarle," Cale announced politely and jumped quietly off the wall directly in front of his colleague, who had been watching him the whole time.

"Good evening to you too, Zod. Out without your daughter today?"

"I had a few things to take care of. Ahri is at home doing her homework."

"Do you often leave your daughter alone like this?"

"Occasionally, yes. It can't be helped."

"Aren't you afraid that someone might break into your house if they knew your daughter was home alone?"

"Not particularly. Bellator is quite safe - and if anyone did break in, they'd regret it very quickly, believe me", Cale replied casually, continuing on so that Jarle would have to follow if he wished to keep the conversation going.

"Keep a closer eye on your child, Zod. We wouldn't want anything to happen to her."

"Thanks for your concern, but we're fine. Ahri isn't stupid."

After that statement, Jarle fell silent, which led Cale to assume that he would finally leave him alone with his unnecessary questions and get to the real topic. They walked side by side in silence for some time, leaving the lake behind and heading toward the main street. Dozens of people were still out on the streets. Cale spotted some women who had apparently just bought new clothes and were making themselves comfortable in a café. Three soldiers rode past their table on horseback and turned toward the palace. Two laughing children ran past Cale, so he followed them with his gaze for a moment and then turned forward when he spotted a dark carriage.

"Is there a reason why you're being so dismissive toward me?", Jarle finally spoke up, which immediately turned Cale's stomach.

He had hoped Jarle would either not notice or, at the very least, choose not to mention it - but in the end, he did precisely what Cale had wished to avoid. Naturally, Cale's intent was to keep his distance, though only because he did not want to reveal his swordsmanship to him. After all, Cale had no way of knowing how close Jarle might be to Jonat Paseru. Miguel had recognized Cale's movements immediately, but that was only because he had been Master Paseru's sole student. How close is Master Paseru to his brother and that side of the family?

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on. Did you really think I wouldn't notice? Ever since you found out my name, you've been keeping your distance - and I can feel that, Zod. Have I or my family ever done anything to you?"

"What are you thinking? As if someone like me could ever have contact with your family," Cale replied truthfully.

In all his lifes, Cale had never set foot in the province of Mornet, which stretched from the southern tip of Sylve beyond the Mornet Highlands. In his fourth life, he had come close - spending some time near its borders. But the duke had been turning away new refugees back then, because the province's capacity long exhausted. As a result, Cale had never met the duke's family in person. Still, he was well acquainted with the tales of their exploits and their triumphs alongside the Leviones.

The unofficial blood crystals of Sylve, which were Mornet's pride and joy - but that was still in the future.

"Then what is it? My noble title? That I am the son of a duke? Have you had problems with nobles in the past?"

"I'm not from Sylve, I mentioned that."

"Then stop making me ask and explain it to me so I can do something about it. Working as a soldier is very important to me, and I don't want my whole future to be jeopardized because of a situation like this", Jarle replied irritably. "We're supposed to work as a group, and that inevitably means we have to trust each other, which you obviously don't."

For a moment, Cale was tempted to roll his eyes in annoyance, but he held back. Jarle was clearly more astute than he had assumed, and his achievements so far showed that he took it very seriously. Of course, Cale could understand that Jarle couldn't just accept his behavior, but changing groups was out of the question. Did Cale have to take the risk for the sake of both their well-being? How dangerous could it be for him if he and Jarle became close?

At that moment, Fengari's words came to mind and he paused. Should he simply ask him how he felt about his family in order to better assess how great the danger was? What would happen in the worst case scenario?

"Why did you come to the capital? Surely there are soldiers and a school that trains them in your region? Why Bellator and not Gueladann?"

At those words, Cale halted, fixing the man before him with a grave stare. He decided to take the risk - an approach that had served him well in his previous life. As long as his former swordmaster remained unaware of him, his abilities, and Karekama, he should be safe.

"Does that question bother you so much? Do you think I took someone's place who belonged here?"

"Nonsense", Cale replied gruffly and sighed. "But yes, that question does bother me a little."

"It was nothing special, I just wanted some... freedom, and the capital seemed like a good place to start."

"Nothing more?", Cale asked hopelessly. Did all nobles feel the need to leave their parents' homes, like William? "No bad relationship with your family or anything?"

Jarle's expression changed to shock for a brief moment before becoming completely dry. But Cale hadn't missed the moment, and he knew there was more to it than he had admitted.

"My family is pretty unremarkable and normal, if that's what you mean. I wouldn't say I'm particularly close to them, but I'm not a stranger either. I get along well with my mother, but not so much with my brother and father because they're always... working."

"I see", Cale replied, looking over at the young soldier. There was something about the statement that seemed to be left unsaid, but Cale didn't pursue it further. He had hoped to learn something about Master Paseru, but didn't know how to bring it up in the most discreet way. It was probably better not to mention it at all. "Sorry for the strange question."

"It's okay, forget it. I just wanted to... live a quiet life, and that's why I'm here."

"Then we're not so different", Cale replied simply and led their groups toward the palace.

If Jarle was telling the truth, then he could certainly let his guard down a little. It wasn't as if he was going to show off his abilities overnight, and if that really happened, then Cale could just lie. But Jarle was right about one thing. They were a team, and if Cale continued to be so uncooperative, it would probably have unpleasant consequences.

"I'm sorry for acting that way. You're right, I'm not particularly happy about being in a group with you, but I can't change that."

"And why is that?", the brown-haired man asked cautiously as he walked beside him across the large square in front of the palace.

"To put it bluntly, I want to avoid contact with your family."

Jarle gave him a visibly surprised look, probably because Cale had previously claimed that he did not know his family. For a moment, it looked as if he wanted to say something in response, but he kept his comment to himself. Jarle followed him thoughtfully as Cale's attention turned to the palace on his left. A few dozen soldiers were on duty, guarding the entrance, because the royal residence was surrounded by a high wall that could only be passed in two places. Even access to the coast was blocked and could not be reached from below, but Cale knew that it was theoretically possible to jump down from above.

If you were brave enough.

"I've more or less turned my back on them, so you don't have to worry about that. I'm not like them," Jarle confessed after a while, so Cale turned to him.

<What do you mean, you're not like them? Was there any... trouble?>

Cale sighed, somewhat annoyed. He would have to be satisfied with that answer. If he learned more about Jarle and his relationship with the rest of the family in the coming weeks, then perhaps he could have the conversation again. Acting rashly and without thinking was not an option. He just had to be careful what he said and did when Jarle was around. He could live with that.

"I see. Truce between us?"

"I was never the problem," Jarle countered mockingly, taking the hand Cale held out to him with a relieved grin.

Basically, Jarle von Mornet wasn't a bad person. He was very educated and talented, courteous and attentive. He respected others and never acted arrogantly, despite his ancestry. His future was very important to him, which let Cale know that he had a clear idea of what his life would look like.

In that respect, they were really similar. They were careful about how they presented themselves and always worked hard to achieve their goals. However, only Jarle cared that their future collaboration played a role in this. For Cale, he was just another expendable figure. He would merely use his presence as a cover for himself and drop him when the time came. After all, Cale had no interest in winning him as a long-term friend or even preventing his suicide.

They were just two people whose relationship would not last forever, even if Cale was the only one of them who was aware of it.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.