When Arun emerged from the gate, the scenery waspletely different. The desert was gone and reced by lush forests in the distance.
His family''s manor could be seen a few hundred meters away from the gate. Its appearance exuded luxury, given its size and grandeur.
A beautiful golden fountain spewed water nonstop in the middle of the huge garden.
Following his appearance, a richly dressed tier four mage ran to him and said. "Wee back, young master. We expected your arrival a few days ago. You made your father worry."
"We had some trouble on the road. I need to report to Father." Arun''s voice was grave andmanding.
The mage nodded, alerted by Arun''s seriousness, and signalled him to follow.
After a short walk, they reached arge building located next to the manor. The mage opened it and revealed an interior filled with magic circles, cauldrons, wands and other magical items used for alchemy.
"I asked not to be disturbed! You better have a good reason for intruding." A manly andmending voiceced with hints of annoyance resounded.
"Is your son almost dying because of you good enough of a reason?" Arun asked sarcastically.
"WHAT? Are you alright? Who dared attack you?" A man questioned while running to the door. His face was filled with worry and disbelief.
The man looked to be around forty-five years old and had a refined appearance. His long ck hair cascaded on his shoulders. His green eyes were sharp and emitted wisps of swirling blue mana due to his unstable emotions.
"I''m alright, thanks to a friend I met on the way. Not thanks to you or the two idiots you appointed to protect me." Arun answered angrily, implying that if it weren''t for Julius, he and Asha would be cold corpses rotting on the side of the road.
"Tell me everything. Leave nothing out!" Arun''s father urged, sensing that his son had encountered an unusual situation.
Arun recounted everything from his meeting with Julius, Asha''s appearance, the subsequent beast attacks, their discovery of Marco''s treason, to the fight against his monstrous form.
Arun''s father listened in shock and regret at what his son went through. Despite his son''s exnations, he had some suspicions about Julius and the mysterious apprentice who helped them.
"Nothing would have happened if not for your stupid idea to make me travel normally to discover the world and tone down my arrogance," Arun said in reproach.
"But I wouldn''t have made this wonderful friend, so I forgive you," Arun added with a bright smile.
"We must reward your friend for his help, or my name isn''t Vikram. I''ll let you decide how much we should give him," Vikram dered, determined topensate Julius generously.
However, Arun shook his head before saying, "I only want to pay half his college fee. Asha will be the other half."
"Isn''t this reward insufficient for saving both of you?" Vikram asked with a frown, unsure what his son had in mind.
"In addition to half the admission fees, I want your help to create a special short sword for him. That''s how I want to reward him." Arun said while taking out Marco''s beast core and the snake''s fangs and scales.
Vikram''s eyes widened with excitement as he held the peculiar beast core. Its strange markings and unearthly appearance sparked a newfound curiosity within him. It was the first time he had seen one like that, and he felt excited by the prospect of studying it.
"Hahaha, you know that this request of yours is worth several thousand gold coins, right?" Vikram asked with a smile. After all, he was an honored tier four alchemist and would most likely request the expertise of a tier four enchanter toplete the weapon.
"Didn''t you find my rewardcking? He needs a good weapon and is like a brother to me. Please help me with this." Arun pleaded, his head lowered in respect, making Vikram''s eyes widen in shock and pride.
When had his arrogant son ever asked for something so respectfully? Vikram wondered silently, his eyebrows furrowing in surprise. It seemed that his new friend had a good influence on Arun.
"I''ll craft the sword, but I''ll personally deliver it to the boy. I won''t allow anyone to take advantage of you." After epting, Vikram set his condition, unwilling to see his son being taken advantage of due to his naivety.
"No problem. I know his character." Arun dered with confidence.
"Hahaha, I''m d you are safe and made a good friend. Go greet your mother, but don''t mention what happened." Vikram answered, signalling that the conversation was over.
Arun nodded before excusing himself to greet his mother, eager to share the news of his return but careful not to reveal the recent events.
Vikram''s gaze hardened as he turned to his mage, his voice cutting through the tense air of the room. "We need to investigate this attack. I have no rival bold enough to nt a spy in my territory for so many years only to orchestrate an attack on my son and his fiancé."
The mage furrowed his brow, his voiceced with concern. "My lord, forgive me, but this situation seems moreplex than it appears. What if the boy was involved in the n?"
"I thought about this possibility too. I''ll test him in a month and teach at the college to keep an eye on him until he is cleared of all suspicions." Vikram narrowed his eyes dangerously, hoping for the boy that he was unrted to this mess.
He would hate to have to dispose of his son''s new friend.
Meanwhile, in Asha''s mansion, a simr conversation unfolded, though with a different tone. Tears welled in the young girl''s eyes as shemented the sudden departure of her guards.
In response, she requested clothes and a shop''s deed in the capital of the Belorria kingdom. She remembered that Julius had torn his sleeve during his confrontation with the snake.
However, she couldn''t shake the feeling that the reward was insufficient. Yet, she was unsure of what Julius truly desired. Then, a recollection surfaced. Julius had mentioned his brother''s dream, rted to his recipes.
Thus, she decided to offer him the deed to the shop, hoping it would help his brother achieve his dream.