“It’s the building down there,” Perk told Adion as he pointed out a building further down the street.

“Mm,” Adion nodded and dragged Perk behind the building where they were standing. Out of sight of anyone that might be keeping an eye out.

It’s not exactly the slums, but we are still outside the city walls. That building is a far cry from the manor Heavenly Light had in Wender. Does that mean that there aren’t any strong members here?

Adion stood with his eyes closed, going through different scenarios in his head.

Shouldn’t be any risk.

“Okay, I’ll go take a look. Wait here and stay out of sight,” Adion said.

“Should I turn invisible?” Perk asked.

“If you need to,” Adion said. “Just don’t let anyone notice it. I’ll be back soon.”

Adion stepped around the corner and started walking down the street toward the building Perk pointed out to him.

He focused on spreading his sphere of space mana to the max, and as he passed the building of Heavenly Light, Adion got a clear image of the layout.

I can’t feel any people inside, though? Did Perk lie to me? No. I would be able to tell. So why is no one there?

Adion continued walking without pausing. He checked every nook and cranny through his senses but couldn’t feel anyone.

However, as he continued down the street, Adion noticed something.

I’m being followed? Two people appeared out of the building next door. Did I make a mistake?

Adion could feel that the two people following were both Silver mages. He didn’t turn around to look at them, however. He noticed a vendor selling fruit a little further ahead and decided to buy something in order to sneak a glance.

“Two apples, please,” Adion told the vendor and handed over some coins.

“Sure thing,” The vendor said, accepting the coins.

Adion grabbed two apples and glanced at the two people who were now standing by another street vendor. They were elven men, and they were dressed as guards.

Why are they following me? Did they…I see. It seems like Sell’s family isn’t completely incompetent. After the burning of Iitha, they must have been on constant lookout for any suspicious activities that could be linked to Heavenly Light.

It seems like this branch has already been taken care of without me getting involved. I guess I was a little suspicious-looking when I walked past like that? Shouldn’t be too hard to shake off that suspicion, though.

Adion turned around to walk back the way he had come. The two guards were still following at a distance.

As Adion turned around the corner, he spotted Perk waiting for him.

“Here you go,” Adion said and handed Perk an apple, “I gave him a little extra for the fruit you stole. You shouldn’t do that in the future.”

“Er…” Perk looked at Adion, trying to figure out what he meant.

“Let’s go back and take a look at your brother,” Adion said, “Hopefully he’s feeling better.”

“Right!” Perk said excitedly, “Maybe he has woken up.”

“Mm,” Adion nodded, “Let’s go.”

After walking for a few minutes, Adion could tell that the guards were no longer following.

If my guess is correct that this branch wasn’t that strong, it would be weird that they had someone like me there. I guess they just do a quick check on people walking past.

“The building was deserted,” Adion told Perk, “And guards were in the building next door. Never mention you were a part of that organization again.”

“Oh…okay,” Perk said.

Once they returned to the old building Perk lived in. Adion saw that the little brother had woken up.

“Tib!” Perk yelled and went to hug his younger brother. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling good, Perk,” Tib said in a calm voice, “Really good. Did you find some medicine?”

“It was…” Perk looked up to Adion.

“Adion,” Adion said, “So the illness is gone?”

“Mm,” Tib nodded, looking at Adion warily.

What should I do about this…

“Let your brother catch up with what you’ve been up to, Perk,” Adion said, “I’ll wait outside.”

Adion stepped out into the hallway and began thinking things through. He didn’t think Perk would be able to cause much trouble for him, but it wasn’t like he could take the chance, hoping for things to turn out well.

I will have to make them swear an Oath of secrecy. Or should I keep them around? Perk is a Gifted, after all. If I could train him in aura control, he would make a formidable spy. It would be great not to have to always find some tavern with lackluster information every time I want to find something out.

His brother is pretty useless, though. But everyone can become powerful with enough effort. The question is if I want to bother with it all. It might be better to just find a Moonlight Oak and then be done with them. I need to focus on my own training first and foremost.

“We can’t,” Adion heard Tib’s voice as he was eavesdropping on the brother’s conversation, “We have to go to Cyalis. Your Gift will be very valued at the Academy. We can only trust the Academy. Don’t you remember what old man Henden told us?”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“I know, I know,” Perk said, “But Adion knows about my Gift already. And he even healed you! He didn’t even ask for anything in return!”

“Not yet,” Tib said, “You trust people too easily. Now we have to figure out how to get out of this.”

“We have to at least pay him back for healing you,” Perk said stubbornly.

“I guess you're right,” Tib sighed. “It would be ungrateful not to. We can stay here until we have paid our debts. At least he didn’t deceive us like that Gumo.”

“Mm,” Perk said, “I still think we should stay with him. He’s really powerful. It didn’t even take a second for him to see through my Gift! And I think he might be Gifted too.”

“Mm,” Tib said, “I’ve never heard of anything that would make him able to do what he did to you. But what kind of Gift is that? It seems very powerful.”

“I have no idea,” Perk said, “I never asked any questions, just like you told me.”

“Good,” Tib said, “It can be dangerous knowing too…much. He’s not going to let us leave.”

“What do you mean?” Perk asked.

Clever kid.

Adion smiled to himself and decided to step into the room to lay out his options before they got too riled up by their fantasies.

“So here’s the deal,” Adion said, entering the room and looking at the two boys. “You know too much.”

Adion could see Tib looking at him warily and Perk giving him a confused look.

“So I’ll give you two options,” Adion said, “Option one is to swear an Oath not to tell anyone about me, and then you can be on your way.”

“We’re not supposed to swear Oaths, brother,” Perk said to Tib worriedly.

“Not a slave Oath, right?” Tib asked Adion.

“No. Just one of secrecy,” Adion said. He could see Tib relaxing slightly.

“The second option is to work for me,” Adion continued, “Your Gift is very well-suited for spying, Perk. I could train you in aura control so you would be practically undetectable. I could also make sure you got a room and food so you both can focus on growing strong.”

“Really?” Perk asked happily.

“I’m not sure,” Tib said, “We have to go to Cyalis.”

“You can do that after taking the Oath if you want,” Adion said, “But no one is going to help you for free. Not in Cyalis either. Sure, it will probably be nice, but I don’t know the place well enough to say anything for certain. But I know that you would have to contribute eventually for any help you receive.”

“Then you would want something in return, too?” Tib asked.

“Mm,” Adion nodded, “I’m tired of taking care of everything myself all the time, so it would be nice to have someone doing things for me that I don’t enjoy. Mostly finding out information for me, at least when it comes to Perk. You could still help around with other stuff, Tib.”

“We should do it,” Perk said, “I’ve gotten really good at spying, you know. And if Adion can help my aura control, I’ll be truly invisible!”

“I don’t know…” Tib said hesitantly.

“I’m not only planning on making Perk stronger. I can help you out too, Tib,” Adion said.

“I’m sparkless,” Tib said, “I’m never going to become strong.”

Sparkless? Well, it’s not impossible, but he would have to start training his mana manipulation. And it would take a long time. He would also need to find an abundant source of mana to form his core. He won’t become any stronger for a very long time.

“Well, it’s not necessarily impossible,” Adion said, “I was sparkless too.”

“What?” Tib looked at Adion with a confused look.

“You can form a core even without a spark. That’s what I did. I spent every day practicing mana manipulation for years, though. And I got lucky to find an abundant source of fire mana, otherwise it would have taken much longer. Do you think you have it in you to put in that much effort?”

“Are you telling the truth?” Tib asked.

“I am,” Adion nodded. He could see that Tib wasn’t wholly believing it, though. “Do you know if you any affi…nities?”

Suddenly, Adion was struck by an idea.

That’s an option. But is it worth it? I would have to have him swear an Oath of loyalty. But with time, it would definitely be worth it.

“Actually,” Adion said, “I might have a way for you to become a spy on par with Perk. It would also allow you to become a mage a lot sooner. But you would both have to swear an Oath of loyalty.”

“That…” Tib hesitated.

“We should do it, brother,” Perk said, “You have always wanted to become a mage! This way, we can grow strong together. Will we ever get a better offer? Even in Cyalis?”

“It’s a big decision,” Adion said, “And I won’t force you. Let’s go to the inn I’m staying at. I’ll train you in aura while I look for a Moonlight Oak. If you decide to leave, you’ll have to swear an Oath of secrecy. If you want to stay, an Oath of loyalty.”

“O-okay then,” Tib nodded.

“You will train me in aura?” Perk asked excitedly.

“Mm,” Adion nodded, “Let’s go. It’s getting late.”

“Thank you, boss!” Perk said as he got up to bow at Adion.

Boss? That doesn’t sound too bad.

Adion gave Perk an encouraging nod and turned to lead the way back to his inn.

I have 11 Moon Shadow Panther Wisdom Pills left. Even if they are priceless treasures that I shouldn’t waste, can I find a better use than giving one to Tib anytime soon? Having Authority over shadow will definitely make it easier to create a core. Then, I would have someone loyal to me with a shadow core.

When Tib and Perk become strong enough, is there anywhere they won’t be able to go? I can’t focus all my time on doing stuff like that, so why not have subordinates do it for me? I can’t believe I never thought about it before. Well, I never encountered a situation like this before, I guess. I shouldn’t waste it. It will take some effort to train them, but the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that they will be more than worth it in the future.

I don’t believe it will be of any use to force them into an Oath of loyalty, though. In the end, I think loyalty is better earned. But I can’t reveal this information lightly. An Oath would ease my worries. Hopefully, they’ll choose to stay.

Adion arrived at his inn with the two brothers walking behind him.

“Hey Belkim,” Adion stepped up to the old innkeeper behind the bar, “Got a room with two beds free? Preferably close to my room.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Belkim said with a smile, “How long for? And do you want breakfast and dinner to go with the room?”

“I’ll just pay for two weeks for now,” Adion said and handed over some coins, “Food too.”

“Alright then,” Belkim pocketed the coins and nodded, “Take a seat and have something to eat while I send someone to get the room ready.”

“Thanks,” Adion nodded.

It wasn’t long before Adion sat with Perk and Tib at a table filled with food.

“This…this is all for us?” Perk asked, looking at the plates of food in front of him.

“Mm,” Adion nodded, “Just let someone know if you want more. It’s all paid for already.”

“Thank you,” Tib nodded.

“You’re the best, boss!” Perk said with a bright smile before stuffing his face with food.

Yeah. Boss has a nice ring to it.