During the next few days, the situation in the town became increasingly tense as the common people did not dare to leave their houses.

The atmosphere was bleak, and people had stomach issues from the nerves they felt.

However, despite all that, the weather was actually the best it had been since forever.

The sun, which had been hidden by the cruel winter for years, was now proudly shining in the sky, and the puddles that came from the melted snow finally dried up.

It was a beautiful sunny day that would brighten anyone's day.

But no one was appreciating this sight.

That was, except Illyan, who was now sleeping in the outdoor chair in his garden with the straw hat covering his head and face.

"Today the weather is truly beautiful," Illyan sighed underneath the straw hat as he stretched his limbs.

As the people in the town were panicking, he used the free time he had to finally rest a bit.

While it looked as if he was cooped up in the luxurious carriage the entire time, it was highly exhausting, as he had to stay in the carriage for prolonged traveling that, even with his endurance, was difficult to do.

Thanks to that, most of the participating soldiers had entitlement to three months of paid rest.

Only that way could people still tempt common folks to go on dangerous expeditions like this.

With the already generous rewards and even paid rest, they could live like kings for some time.

Of course, not everyone rested, as many people were actually trained in breathing techniques and could work even through their exhaustion.

Or rather, they had to, since there was huge tension growing.

Illyan, however, didn't plan on working hard at this moment.

Aurelia already told him that it would take time before the real inheritance fight and that he could relax now.

While he was used to working hard despite breaking down, he didn't have a reason to torture his body and mind this time.

The reward of resting was as important for him as any others.

Not to mention the fact that he would probably be watched over for some time.

Thus, he just enjoyed his calm days.

When the sun shone brightly, he lay down on his chair taking in the sunlight while taking a nap, and when the day's winds were still a little chilly, he stayed inside and tried out making some food.

After a year of bland food, Illyan wanted to try out something more complex.

However, no one outside was selling any food, as the street stalls were closed.

In the end, Illyan decided to do something himself.

He didn't have any ingredients at home, but fortunately, Vael was visiting him lately and even gave him some fresh ingredients.

As a beloved doctor of the townsfolk, he always got something from the thankful people.

Fresh dough of bread, recently laid eggs, or even meat that some hunters brought.

Too many people were or had someone who was sick or injured.

And Vael was always there to help.

Because of that, he always had an overabundance of things and was used to giving it to people who needed it more.

This time, he gave a portion of things to Illyan since he heard him talking about cooking.

Illyan accepted without pretense as he pondered what to do in the future.

He read a few recipe books, but most were too difficult for a beginner like him.

However, he didn't hurry.

He just decided to take it lightly since this was not essential to him.

He only focused on it at this moment since he was relaxing.

Despite that, he still trained in his Mind Power and Blood Energy during the evenings and mornings.

Drip

Just as he was relaxing this day, he suddenly felt a droplet of water hit his cheek.

"Did I speak too soon?" Illyan cursed under his breath as he took down the straw hat and looked up.

The sun was still shining, but a large and dark cloud was upon the town as it brought with it a storm.

The thunder could be heard, and the sound of dripping was getting louder.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Time to go inside… Hmm, I guess I will try the Egg Soup with Bread since I don't have much to do… Shouldn't be that hard," Illyan thought aloud.

Just as he stood up and prepared to enter the manor's back door, he noticed a shadow stealthily sneaking through his garden.

'Did they get tired of waiting?' Illyan thought as his muscles tensed up.

Thinking that the scouts who were watching over him had lost their patience, he waited for the attack.

However, when the shadow stopped in front of him, he saw the red streaks that fluttered along with it.

"Won't you invite me in?" a cold voice resounded as Aurelia took down the cape covering her face. She stood in front of him, but she was actually standing in the shadow cast by a tree, which made her more inconspicuous.

"So it's you, huh?" Illyan said with a sigh as he relaxed immediately.

"What's that?" Aurelia raised her brow as she looked at him.

"I thought for a second that you were someone who wanted to deal with me," Illyan shrugged as he entered the manor since the rain had become stronger.

"Come in."

Aurelia stood there for a second before she heard his voice from inside.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance at his carefree and frivolous behavior as she entered.

"Do they know about you?" Illyan started to make tea as he asked.

"Obviously not. These guys are only good at fighting. Hiding my presence from them is easier than you think. They also stopped coming too close since you were doing almost nothing the entire time. I even heard some rumors in the gang that you are quite lazy," Aurelia said with a smirk as she elegantly sat down on the chair.

"And is that wrong? They consider me lazy, but I am just going at my pace. Working hard without thinking will just wear you down with no benefits," Illyan returned the smirk as he took a teapot and poured the tea into two cups.

"Thank you," Aurelia nodded gratefully once she got her tea and took a sip.

"You are getting better at it," she said with satisfaction.

"To not improve means to stagnate. No matter what, I will always improve even a little bit," Illyan said as he sat down.

"Anyway, why did you come?"

"Oh, you are already throwing me out?" Aurelia took a sip of tea as she leaned back in the chair.

"Aren't you also under surveillance? That poor maid of yours has to always suffer for your sake," Illyan said with mock compassion as he shook his head.

Aurelia sighed as she rolled her eyes.

"Mira will be alright. There is almost no one visiting me anyway, so she just uses that time to sleep. Getting paid for sleeping is paradise for some, you know?"

Aurelia's maid, who was called Mira, was the one and only true friend she had during her life.

There were some acquaintances that she came to know during her short life, but they were not always the type of people she wanted to get associated with.

People who were part of her clan were too scheming and arrogant, while the people outside usually seemed to be ignorant.

The people that she could build some connections with were the academics, but these were the reclusive bunch that had to study every day to keep themselves afloat.

She wasn't meant to be born in such a small town.

Unfortunately, she wasn't allowed to leave it.

She was imprisoned here and could only sneak out once in a while to look around the town.

The only joy she could find was thanks to Mira, who was both her best friend and also family.

Mira was in her early thirties now, but she had served Aurelia since she was small.

It was her mother who had put Mira as her maid, for which she was forever grateful.

However, times were changing, and this time she finally had someone else to keep her company…

"Whatever, I know you don't like wasting time, so let's be straight. I want to finalize the first deal we had," Aurelia said slowly.

Illyan furrowed his brow when he heard this and thought for a bit.

"Oh…! The rods!" Then it clicked with him. He had promised to give her the black crystal rods once they got back.

He groaned in frustration.

"To be honest, I completely forgot, so I didn't prepare for it. Fortunately, since you came here, I can go get it now," Illyan said as he looked at Aurelia.

Back then, when they met after the wendigo's ambush, they made a deal where he would give her the black rods and knowledge of the acupuncture points for her [Thirteen Layers of Blood Energy].

Was it worth it?

Definitely!

But it still hurt when he now had to give her three and a half kilograms' worth of the black rods.

"Don't tell me you hoped for me to forget too?" Aurelia saw his expression and grinned mischievously.

Illyan was silent as he took his sip, but Aurelia took that as his answer as she covered her mouth that was curling into a smile.

Illyan saw that as his brow twitched.

These rods were useless to him since he couldn't utilize them, but they were still the loot he had gained after risking his life.

It wasn't reluctance to give these away. That was the deal, and he had no reason to go against it.

Since he was small, he was used to not having many things. A lot of the time, he didn't even have anything to put in his mouth.

However, once his strength grew with his age, he seemed to develop small habits that grew together with him.

Collecting things.

Not only material things but also knowledge, techniques, and so on.

The more he had, the better. It was curbed before since he didn't have many opportunities, but the moment he settled in here, his urge grew stronger.

He liked to get things, but he disliked giving them away.

Illyan looked at Aurelia and felt it was all ironic.

'You are seeking perfection for the sake of contentment, yet you allied with me, who is full of such ugly flaws.'

As he felt the new realization about himself, he closed his eyes when he felt that his weak Mind Power once again sublimated and regained a bit of its volume.

Aurelia noticed the change in him and was silent so as not to disturb him.

When he opened his eyes, he smiled at Aurelia.

"I will give them to you right now. I can even give you more than we decided on since we are partners."

He then stopped for a second as he took a sip of his tea.

"But you will surely not let me be in the dark, right? Before, I didn't ask as it wasn't proper, but now I will let my curiosity take over. What will they be used for?"

Illyan asked with genuine curiosity. The only way to use them that he knew was to embed them in the body. But he couldn't imagine that that was what Aurelia wanted to do.

"Haah… You are truly something. So greedy, and yet I find your behavior so… amusing? Or maybe even endearing?"

Illyan felt she was making fun of him, so he stayed expressionless. However, deep down, he also felt it was kind of ridiculous and childish for him to have such a fixation on it.

She gently laughed as she took a small bag that she had hidden in her robe and threw it to him.

"First of all, here are your belongings."

Illyan caught the bag and looked inside.

There, he found the belongings that he had left behind after he escaped the citadel and acted injured for his own survival.

Most of these things were not important, but some still were good.

Especially the small but menacing mace with a ruby in the center of its head and the small tiles wrapped in the cloth.

Illyan wondered if she looked through his stuff, since these tiles were too extraordinary for others to discover, but from thinking about her behavior so far, it didn't seem she realized their extraordinariness.

"Thanks. Oh? There are even a few of my throwing knives?" Illyan was also pleasantly surprised to find a few of Caleb's throwing knives, since he had discarded them all.

"Yeah, there were a few on the ground in front of the citadel after your intrusion, so I quietly took them."

Aurelia puffed out her chest proudly.

"You are the best!" Illyan nodded in satisfaction.

"I know!" Aurelia also nodded in agreement.

That made Illyan cast a side glance at her, but she ignored it…

"Anyway—since you got these things, you can now bring the rods. Before, I thought only about using them for myself, but now…"

She grinned as she pointed at him.

"It is finally time."

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