“A proposal? What are you thinking?” Catherine asked.

  There was a candle on the ground emitting a small amount of light, which lit up her face.

  Alhen kept his silence as he approached the bed with a limp and sat down beside her before talking.

  “Since my leg is still not healed, I thought about staying here for a while longer, even after it gets better.”

  Catherine gasped and looked at him as if he had told her something heinous. “What do you mean by that? You want to stay here? Why?” she asked with a serious tone.

  “Before I answer your question, please answer mine. If you knew where the kingdom was all along, why didn’t you go there by yourself?” he asked.

  Catherine avoided making eye contact with him, looking to the side instead before sighing. “Will you believe me if I told you that I am afraid of going alone?”

  Alhen didn’t answer, as he saw that Catherine was not done with her speech.

  “I have never seen the kingdom before, and... what if I cannot go through the gates? Or what will I do if I lose myself or meet someone with bad intentions?”

  “My mother has been talking about this nonstop since I was a child, maybe that is why I am so hesitant,” she said, looking like she was speaking more to herself instead of him.

  “Very well, since you haven’t seen the kingdom all your life, will waiting a few more cycles kill you? Probably not, we can go whenever we want, so relax," Alhen reasoned.

  “Yeah, but I really want to go," she replied.

  “It’s normal to feel that way, I want to return as well,” he commented.

  “Then why do you want to stay here? Would it not be better if you just returned instead of waiting here when you get better?”

  “Catherine, the thing is that I was betrayed by some people before you found me. The reason why I almost died was that I was weak and stupid."

  "I want Edith to train me so something like this doesn't happen again, but she doesn’t want to…”

  “I understand. If that makes you feel safer, then fine, but do not forget that I can teach you some stuff as well," she said before flexing her right bicep, which looked flat as a noodle.

  "I will go talk to her next cycle and see if she can help you, but now we have to go to sleep.” After those words, she stood, making a loud creak echo through the room.

  “Thanks, I will remember this,” Alhen said before sending a smile her way.

  She smiled back and slowly retreated from the room. She opened the huge door and closed it behind her.

  It was only when Alhen heard the lock from outside that he dropped his smile and sighed.

  ‘I almost forgot that in this cabin I’m only a servant. Next cycle, I need to raise my rank somehow.'

  'I should also be expecting a visit from Alaran soon, that is, if he is looking for me at all,’ he thought.

  Deciding not to think about it anymore, he lay on the bed and looked beside him to the candle beside him on the floor.

  He blew it and lay in the room in complete darkness before closing his eyes.

  He fell asleep fast, before a minute could fully pass, he was already on dream land.

  When he opened his eyes again a while later, he heard the door opening and letting the light from outside enter the room.

  Edith came into view, but compared to the first time he saw her, his heart was calm.

  He was already expecting her visit after the conversation with Catherine; he just didn't know it would be this soon.

  “You have some nerve, talking to my daughter about your selfish desires,” she said calmly, but her words appeared to be laced with poison.

  Alhen didn’t flinch at her accusation, deciding to keep his mouth shut until he had the full picture of what happened between mother and daughter while he was asleep.

  “Catherine told me to think about training you. Do you think that I am stupid? I cannot believe the shamelessness in you, although considering that you are a hollow being, maybe it makes sense.”

  Alhen furrowed his brows. ‘Again with the same thing about me being hollow. What does she even mean when she says that? I should ask her later when she calms down,’ he thought.

  Edith slowly walked closer until she was standing right beside him. Alhen sat straight in the bed and scooted back so his back rested against the wall.

  He looked at her and heard, “So? Am I correct?” she asked sarcastically.

  “Yes, I indeed talked with Catherine about you training me. Although I have to say that I had no idea that she was going to talk about the situation on her own volition.”

  Edith looked at him with a discerning gaze, trying to see his angle, but there was none. Alhen indeed didn’t know that she was going to suggest doing that for him first.

  He had thought that she would need some convincing, but it proved not to be the case.

  ‘There’s no reason for me to lie now that she knows. It would only make her reject the idea even more if I’m not truthful,’ he thought.

  After a few seconds of looking at him intently, she relaxed. Alhen showed a calmness of heart and mind that even he himself was surprised.

  “I see that you are not lying,” Edith said.

  “You want my guidance, fine, but it does not come easy for anyone. I will only do it if you manage to pass a trial, which will tell me if you are trustworthy or not."

  Before Alhen could speak, she interrupted him and followed.

  “No, you cannot take it now. Look at your leg. When it heals after a few cycles, then you will have the chance, but I warn you, you will only have one.”

  Alhen nodded firmly without breaking eye contact, and she nodded back at him before leaving the room.

  She closed the door and placed the lock, leaving him in complete darkness again.

  He sighed and went back to sleep, but before he could relax, he heard someone opening the door.

  Rolling his eyes, he looked at it, and it didn’t take long for Catherine to appear.

  “Alhen! I was scared my mother had killed you. Thankfully, that seems not to be the case,” she said with a sigh of relief at the end.

  “Thankfully, yes,” he said with a forced smile, but Catherine seemed not to notice as she approached him the next second and sat on his bed.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “What do you want to eat?” she asked, and that’s when he remembered that he had eaten human meat not long ago, something that he didn't want to remember.

  “Do you have something that isn’t human remains?” Alhen asked, staring intently at Catherine and looking for any signs of deception on her face.

  “No, but I can go hunting for a mutated animal or something. Although it will take me a few hours to hunt it and cook it,” she said.

  “If it troubles you that much, then the human meat is fine,” he resigned himself, but Catherine disagreed.

  “You obviously do not want to eat human meat, so I will not serve it to you. Wait for me while I am out getting your food,” she said before standing and leaving the room.

  She hadn’t even let him voice out his thoughts before she stormed off.

  Alhen heard that she didn’t lock the door, which meant that it was open and he could go out if he wanted to, but he didn’t see the reason in doing that and stayed in bed.

  ‘Well, that’s being considerate on her part. Maybe she feels bad that she fed me human meat, but it’s not that big of a deal,’ he thought before lying back down.

  Closing his eyes again, he fell asleep, but was woken up quickly. He opened his eyes groggily and looked towards the door with irritation.

  ‘Who is it this time?’ he thought.

  The door fully opened, and in came someone whom he wasn’t expecting so soon. It was his mentor, with his usual mask and the cane in hand.

  He walked in as if he were inside his house and approached him with steady steps. Alhen remained sitting with a surprised expression until his mentor arrived just before him.

  “Kid, I am getting tired of looking for you,” Alaran told him.

  Alhen smiled and said, “I’m glad to see you again. Did Father Vincent send you?”

  His mentor nodded and sat on the bed, and that's when he remembered where they were.

  “Be careful,” Alhen warned, “there is a Sol-ranked hunter living in here.”

  Despite his warning, Alaran didn’t look troubled in the slightest.

  “I made sure that no one is staying here or in the vicinity. You can tell me all about this hunter when we are on our way back to the kingdom.”

  His mentor gestured for him to stand up, but after noticing that he wasn’t doing so, Alhen removed the blanket covering him, showing him his injured leg.

  Without batting an eye, Alaran threw a vial at him, which he caught with ease.

  Taking a look at it, he noticed that it was a vial of Luna Ius, the healing liquid from the church.

  “Take it quick and let us get out of here.”

  Alhen didn’t hesitate in unbottling the vial and taking a whiff, smelling the nostalgic, pleasant aroma of vanilla.

  He downed its contents in a flash and felt his injury healing at a rapid pace.

  It healed enough that he could walk, but not fully. An improvement, however, was an improvement, and something to feel good about.

  Now came the hard part. Alhen looked at his mentor without blinking and told him, “I don’t want to go back to the kingdom, at least for now.”

  Alaran didn’t answer, giving him a raised eyebrow which demanded an explanation for his choice.

  “You know how I told you that there is a Sol-ranked hunter in here? Well, I want to stay receiving direct training from her.”

  “Oh, you want?” his mentor asked.

  Alhen quickly realized his mistake and corrected himself.

  “No, I will receive training from her. When that happens, I don’t know how long I will stay, but probably for some time. Eventually, I will come back when I’m ready, but please let me stay here.”

  “You have got some nerve telling me that when I spent the last cycle searching for you specifically."

  "You are going to tell me that I came here just to be a messenger? Also, what are you going to tell the old man?” he asked.

  Alhen let his gaze break off from him for a second, and thought about his next words carefully.

  “I’m sorry to have wasted your time, I truly am, and I’m also thankful that you decided to come looking for me, regardless of your intentions."

  "Please tell Father Vincent that I will be away for some time but will eventually return, don’t tell him where I’m staying, please," he repeated.

  Alaran didn’t answer immediately, waiting for a few seconds before sighing.

  “Kid, do whatever you want. I will not hold you back. One thing I will tell you is that no matter what I tell that old man, if he wants to know your location, he will deploy other trackers to find you.”

  Alhen frowned, knowing that it was very likely that he would do something like that. He looked to the ceiling, thinking about what to do.

  Seeing his struggle, Alaran told him, “I will cover your tracks so it is harder to find you to the point of being almost impossible if the ones who are looking for you are not better than me."

  "Considering that a person like that does not exist in this continent, it will be impossible for them to find you.”

  Alhen sighed in relief before thanking his mentor profusely once again. “I will never forget your kindness,” he said while bowing in his direction.

  He could hear his mentor exhaling some air and smiling underneath his mask. “Kindness? Does something like that truly exist? You owe me one, kid,” Alaran said.

  “I owe you one, I heard you loud and clear,” Alhen quickly replied.

  “Now, tell me why you are here in the first place. What happened to you?” his mentor asked, looking around the room as he did so.

  Alhen opened his mouth to say something, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

  He pressed his lips together and looked at the ground, clenching his fists and taking a deep breath.

  Alaran didn’t interrupt him, looking in silence and waiting for his response.

  “I… didn’t trust my instinct,” Alhen simply responded after thinking for a while.

  He gritted his teeth, thinking about the moment when it happened. It hadn’t affected him much at the beginning, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

  “I understand,” his mentor said before leaving.

  He didn't leave with a goodbye or any words; he just left, leaving him alone in the room.

  Alhen didn’t know how to feel about that, but as he watched the back of his mentor disappearing outside the cabin, all he could think of was how he was going to become stronger and come back better than before.

  ‘I have to focus and become strong fast. I swear that they will not get away with what they did to me. I will find them and kill them in the most painful way possible.'

  "After that, I will focus on killing the father,’ he decided.

  Now that his leg was somewhat healed, he stood and walked with a slight limp to the door and closed it from the inside.

  He lay on the bed and went to sleep, but he couldn’t.

  His body was yearning to move, his mind felt sharper than ever, and a strong conviction gripped his heart.

  Throughout the time he lay in bed, he did nothing but think about the future, about his plans, and about getting himself prepared for Edith’s test.

  After a few hours, he heard the front door open and someone stepping inside. His eyes were focused, and his mind didn’t wander.

  The footsteps walked around the cabin, and he heard the sound of something heavy dropping on the floor.

  He then heard metal being moved around, and that’s when he realized that it must have been Catherine who had returned from her hunting trip.

  Alhen counted the seconds, and when he arrived at minute forty-six, the door opened, and in came Catherine with a dish that smelled of food heaven, at least in his opinion.

  His mouth salivated as he looked at the delicacy Catherine had prepared for him.

  She opened the door and came in carrying a metal plate, and in the center of that plate was a huge piece of meat that dripped with liquid.

  ‘This…’ he couldn’t believe it.

  It was the first time that he had seen a dish like this in his normal life.

  At the king’s banquet, he had been presented with a fine meal, but that was in the royal castle; the meal in front of him looked even better than what he had been served back then.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off the food. Catherine walked until she was beside him and sat on the bed with the plate in her hand.

  “Just as you asked,” she began, “I hunted a wild deer, it did not take me as long because I know a spot that is full of them, maybe I will show you once you get better.”

  Alhen was at a loss for words. He had expected anything except this, but he had to say that he was impressed.

  ‘I can’t believe I almost told her that I would eat human meat over this. What was I thinking?'

  'To think that she had this natural ability to cook is surprising to say the least, but not a bad surprise at all,’ he thought.

  She handed the plate to him, and Alhen thanked her with a genuine smile. He noticed the lack of eating utensils, but he didn’t mind.

  He took the meat with his bare hands and started eating it. The meat gave way without struggle; he felt the softness and how it practically melted in his mouth with delight.

  The meat had a slightly peppery taste, and she wondered how she managed to replicate the flavor.

  That, however, didn’t matter at that second. Catherine watched from the sidelines as Alhen wolfed the meat, and it disappeared in a few seconds.

  “Do you want more?” she asked, looking at his empty plate.

  “Yes!” Alhen let out, but then calmed down.

  “Well, only if there is more, of course. I wouldn’t want to bother you cooking another piece again,” he said, but was internally hoping that she would have more.

  “Oh, it is nothing, I can give you more,” she said, and he started celebrating in his mind.

  “I have more already cooked, I made extra just in case, and it seems that I made the right choice. What do you think about the meat?” she asked.

  “It’s perfect, I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. This is by far the most delicious meal I have had all my life.”

  Catherine blushed slightly and then told him,

  “It’s because the meat is rare and has properties that increase your capacity to store Benedictio Lunae by a little. My mother said that the meat from white deer is the best.”

  “Don’t take away credit from yourself. The meat might be the best, but if a novice cooks it, then it’s going to taste bad; it makes a difference.”

  “Also, how does it increase the capability to store Benedictio Lunae?” he asked.

  “Thanks for the compliment. To respond to your question, when the Nameless Lord stood on the moon, many animals became wihts, but certain species mutated and multiplied.”

  “The white deer is one of those species, and it’s considered the purest one that has lived thousands of years, so it has absorbed the moon’s blessing over that time, and eating its meat is enriching.”

  “I see, thanks for telling me. I have one thing to tell you as well: look at my leg.”

  Alhen took the sheets off his body and revealed his leg, which was almost healed.

  “Gasp!” Catherine let out in surprise. “How did it manage to heal that fast?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, but I have to say that I'm ready to go through that test Edith has planned for me."

  Patreon chapter for today will be released in a few hours. I will write a few more chapters this weekend as well.