The next morning, two loud shrieks woke him up.
"Big brother!"
"Master, you are back!"
Two warm bodies tackled him and hugged him tightly.
"You are back, Master. Oh my god. You are back. I was so worried. Thank the blessed heavens. Were you hurt? Did anything happen? Are you okay?"
Both Lia and Luna looked as if they hadn’t seen him for a hundred years. Ethan smiled helplessly. "I was just gone for a day."
The two girls completely ignored his protest and hugged him tightly. Only after a few seconds did they let him go, and that too after his stomach grumbled loudly.
"Sorry, Master. I will be right back." Lia ran downstairs to cook some food. Right after she left, Luna’s stomach also growled, and the little girl did not look like she wanted to wait. She blushed and ran downstairs to snack on something.
Ethan finally left alone in peace, got up, and refreshed himself. As he casually cleaned himself, the events of the last night played in his head, and he felt frustration bubbling up. In the end, when facing an actual mage, he was coming up short.
If not for the old hag’s talisman recipes, he would have probably not returned home alive. Ethan clutched the edges of the wash basin and let out a shaky breath. There were a lot of things he needed to improve.
Learning theory and practising by himself was very different from using magic and actual combat. He needed more combat experience, and he needed to let his minions eat. They were all stuck at a lower level and were quickly becoming useless. He needed to do something about that, too.
Mulling over various things in his mind, Ethan walked down to the dining table. His gaze landed on the old hag who was sitting comfortably and sipping her tea. As soon as she saw him, she gave a sly smile. It was a smile that said she knew everything. Enjoy exclusive chapters from Freewebnovel
Ethan decided not to entertain her. It was too early in the morning, and he was too mentally exhausted to deal with her shenanigans and mind games. He sat down at the table, and Lia quickly rushed over to bring some food.
"Master, please be careful. It’s hot."
Ethan nodded and blew air over the soup before carefully sipping it, letting the warmth spread through his body. The delicious taste quickly lifted his spirits, and he couldn’t help but smile appreciatively at Lia. "It’s really good. Thanks, Lia."
The girl blushed deeply and smiled shyly, retreating back into the kitchen to fetch more dishes. Luna, already devouring her portion enthusiastically, gave Ethan a thumbs-up while chewing. "Lia’s cooking has gotten better lately!"
Ethan chuckled softly and nodded in agreement, feeling some of his tension slowly ease away. However, his peace didn’t last long. The old hag’s sharp voice broke through the calm atmosphere. "You look awfully thoughtful, boy. Realized you still have a long way to go?"
He paused mid-spoonful, glaring half-heartedly at her. "Yeah," he admitted begrudgingly, setting the spoon down. "Last night taught me I need more real combat experience." He paused for a moment and decided to take the old hag’s help. He was right now at a dead end so he might as well ask her for help.
Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.
The old hag grinned triumphantly, her eyes glittering with mischief. "Took you long enough to realize. You’re a mage, not a scholar. Magic is meant for battle—unless you’re too scared to get your hands dirty."
Ethan sighed deeply and nodded. "You’re right. Help me, Master." He added for effect.
The old hag laughed out loud as if he had told a joke. "Then get ready, boy. Starting today, I’ll make sure your magic is sharpened enough to handle whatever stinking mess you’ve stepped into. Don’t mistake me. I don’t care if you live or die. I just don’t want you to drag the shit all over my house."
Ethan’s heart rate increased. Was she going to train him personally?
As if reading his thoughts, the old hag spat on his face. "As if you can survive sparring against me." She cackled loudly before sliding something across the table. A small rectangular token of sorts.
"Have you ever wondered how those academy brats train themselves?"
"Hmm?" Ethan was confused. "How? Spar with each other?"
"No, you dufus. They train in beast nests. More accurately, they train in something called dungeons. They are a type of beast nest, but they are frozen in time. This means the beast nest could be cleared as many times as one want,s but as soon as they step out it and re-enter, it will once again fully restart."
"This is a secret that not many know. The kingdom forbids the academy students to spread the news. If people like you and her have access to things like this, why would they need the kingdom and the academy in the first place? The common man will become stronger, and the king would have to become a lot stronger to control everyone. Do you understand?"
"So keep your mouth shut, and don’t blabber about it to anyone else. I do not like my peace and quiet to be disturbed. Alright." The old hag cleared her throat and stood up. "I have an important meeting to get to, and my clients are waiting for me." She started to leave. "Don’t forget to water my plants. If anything dies, I will skin you alive."
Ethan’s face twitched as he watched the old hag leave the house. He knew exactly where she was going and to call that important! Would it kill her to explain everything more clearly? He rolled the token in his hand and decided to let it go. It’s fine. This was all he needed anyway.
He had been searching for a beast nest for a while now, and he finally had his hands on something of that sort. It was time for his minions to level up and for him to break out of this rut.