Chapter 37: Guest

'I hope I didn't make a mistake by choosing this skill. Zera keeps saying good opportunities will appear, but nothing happened yet.' Raven muttered as he walked into the bathroom and started removing his clothes.

[That's because you haven't left this town at all.] Her voice echoed in his head, causing him to cover his private parts.

'Didn't I tell you not to show up when I'm bathing or doing my business?' He grumbled inwardly and soon shook his head.

After a few minutes of bathing in cold water, he walked out of the bath while covering his lower body with a white towel and went to his bedroom.

He soon saw a bunch of dark grey shirts and pants hanging on the wall and took the dress on farther away.

After that, he wore a dark grey shirt and the same pants, and he took the long spear placed on the nearby table.

"All these times, I've been training in spearmanship using the Wintermoon Spear Dance technique but achieved no progress at all. Will I be okay?" Although he was nervous inside, he didn't show it on his face and consoled himself.

'But as long as I use potions I've concocted; I can achieve good results.'

Muttering inwardly, he went to the kitchen and started having breakfast with his sister and Aunt Shirley.

"Raven, we will be moving to Royal Capital at the end of the next week. Tell your teachers and friends that it might take more than a month for you to return." Shirley suddenly said, causing him to pause in surprise.

"It's time for the auction already? I understand, Aunt." Raven nodded with a smile.

A few weeks ago, his Aunt received some information from the black market about the appearance of 'Miracle Life Potion' in the upcoming auction.

So, they decided to participate in the upcoming auction.

"But how much money do we have in total?" Athena asked as she drank a sip of water.

"We both already have a total of 1340 gold coins," Shirley responded instantly and turned her gaze towards Raven.

"But Raven should have around 2000 gold coins. Every week, I'm selling your potions for around 15 gold coins, so it shouldn't be less than 2000 gold coins."

A smile appeared on Raven's face.

"It's 3250 gold coins, Aunt."

The room fell into dead silence as he said those words.

"My god... Did I do all that hard work for nothing? Damn it, give me my happiness back!" Athena almost shouted in frustration. Although she knew her younger brother was earning money through selling potions, she didn't expect him to have earned this much.

"Arrgh, my little devil is earning ten times higher than my salary!" As she spoke, her gaze directly moved towards the Alchemy room.

"Stop staring at his lab greedily," Shirley said with a chuckle.

Raven didn't give Athena a chance to wake up from the shock and said, after a short deliberation.

"This time, we are also putting two items on auction."

"That magic stone and the two eye crystals of the Orc Commander? Wait, didn't you use one eye crystal to make a Night Vision potion a week ago?" Shirley asked.

"I made two Night Vision potions, Aunt. But I'm still wondering whether to sell them or use them for ourselves." Raven spoke with a thoughtful look.

"Use one for yourself. Although the Mirage Woodlands is much safer now, it's still dangerous during the night. Moreover, the goblins managed to group up during the last time and crippled more than three students by ambushing them at night. So, you should have the Night Vision skill during the exam." Athena interjected.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"Her words are true." Shirley also nodded her head in agreement.

After listening to their advice, Raven nodded his head and agreed to do as they said.

"Then, we should only auction one 'Night Vision' potion and the Hybrid Elemental Crystal. From what I've heard from the Teacher, the Night Vision potion might sell for more than 2,000 gold coins in the auction because of its rarity. Along with Hybrid Elemental Crystal, there is a high chance that we can earn around 4,500 to 5,000 gold coins." He said with a proud tone.

"Do you think it would fetch a good price?" Shirley's gaze sharpened.

Raven smiled smugly and replied.

"You will see it when the auction happens, Aunt."

The corner of Athena's lips twitched.

"Damn it, why are you acting so smug? And how did my cute and smart baby brother turn into a complete show-off guy?" She gave him an annoyed look and shook her head.

"I'm also thinking why my caring sister turned into a jealously evil woman." Raven retorted back.

"Haa, you guys!" Shirley smiled back at the siblings' little quarrel and slowly looked up at the ceiling.

'I wonder how Jeanne is doing these days. After we left the Royal Palace, I didn't hear a single thing about her. The only thing I know is that she is still alive.' While thinking about her sister's situation, Shirley clenched her left fist rightly and soon asked.

"Athena, don't you want to see your mother?"

As soon as Shirley's words ended, Athena's face turned grim.

After they came to this town, Athena had never once mentioned her mother's or father's name in front of Raven or even Shirley and always kept herself as a strong-willed woman.

But deep down, Shirley knew how much she missed her mom all this time.

Meanwhile, Athena shook her head and spoke with a grim tone.

"It's not like I don't want to see my mother, Aunt Shirley. But there is one person in that place I never want to meet again. And if I see him again, I might fight him to death for daring to kill Raven."

"Don't forget he is still the Emperor of this powerful Zenith Empire. From what I've known so far, we aren't even powerful enough to face a Baron Household. If we want to bring your mom back, we need to either become Powerful Walker or move through politically." Shirley turned her gaze towards Raven and spoke.

"Why not raise the banner in the name of 'Royal Crown Challenge' and let your younger brother sit on the throne? From what I heard, the first king of the Zenith Empire made an ancestry rule to let even the concubines' children have an opportunity to sit on the throne, right? And unlike before, the fight for the throne is not so brutal too. As long as one manages to gain the support of 2 Dukes, four Margraves, and Seven Counts, he will be able to obtain the approval of the Guardian himself to become the 'Crown Prince.'"

"No, Aunt Shirley. After I experienced the power lent to me by Raven's Teacher, I want to focus more on swordsmanship and Knight training. I don't want ourselves to be involved in politics; I just want to have enough strength to protect this brat." Athena said as she tried to pat Raven's head, but he leaned back and avoided it.

At that moment, Raven thought of something and asked.

"If I become the Emperor, can we get more alchemy materials?"

"Stop dreaming of involving yourself in political matters, Raven. The people from that place wanted to kill you just after you were born. If not for that strange future vision I got on that day, you might have died long ago. The people in that place are total shit." Athena's words had completely turned cold.

Noticing the serious and cold look, Raven decided to shut up.

'Ugh, if I say one more word, she will start shouting at me for talking back.' After that, he didn't even listen to the conversation and ate breakfast quietly.

Following that, he packed a few things like a matchbox, candles, knives, clothes, a small bag of dry fruits, a pocket watch, and even stored a mat in his inventory.

After that, he quietly entered the alchemy lab and soon focused his attention on the nine potion vials arranged on the table.

Two were green in color, two were deep blue, three appeared pale yellowish, and the remaining two appeared pitch black.

"Two strength potions, two Agility potions, three paralysis potions, and two Night Vision potions."

They were all the potions he created, especially for the practical exam.

First, he picked up two green colored potion vials and inspected them.

"Strength potion. Although it can temporarily double my strength stats for 30 minutes, I'll end up in a fatigued state for more than an hour after usage. If I use it along with the agility potion, I might not be able to move for two to three hours."

Among these potions, the 'Night Vision' potions were the only ones that had permanent effects.

He put most of the items in the inventory and only kept the leather bag for a show.

Then, he bid farewell to Athena and Shirley and made his way to the northern gate.

Meanwhile, Athena quietly stood at the house entrance and watched him move to the northern gate.

After staying at the entrance for a while, she soon returned to the house and started getting ready for the job.

But within two minutes, a knocking sound came from the door.

"Did Raven come back?" Shirley asked from the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Athena moved towards the entrance door, combing her hair, and soon opened the door.

In front of her stood a middle-aged man in his late fifties. He appeared to be around 170 cm tall and had long golden hair, a rough face, and unique silver eyes. He wore a black frock coat and also covered his head with a top hat.

But the moment Athena saw his face, her expression stiffened up.

"Prime Minister Gavin?!"