Though Ethan was visibly upset with having missed Oliver’s guest, he ‘got over’ it surprisingly quickly. After punching a hole in the ground and taking a deep breath, he spoke as if nothing was wrong.

“No worries. Such trifling matters are below one such as myself. After all, whoever that fu... that fellow might be, he’s Ana’s adversary.”

“Yes…” said Arthur in an awkward tone. He saw Ethan’s mana going back and forth between pitch black and light blue over and over again until it settled on an eerily light shade of red. “Are you sure you’re ok?” Since he hadn’t seen this color before, the teen wanted to double check.

“Of course! Besides, I’m far too busy to seek righteous justice against that fu... I mean, If Ana is to take first place in the youth tournament, 5 months make for a bit of a tight schedule.”

“Really?” said Arthur nervously. “Then, I wish her all the best.”

How could he tell Ethan that he was the favorite to win? While Ana was definitely strong for her level, she was certainly not Arthur’s match.

‘At least, if she’s aiming for number 1, then he might not enter.’ Remembering how Ethan could one shot rank 2 mana beasts, the youth sighed in relief.

“Well then, if you don’t mind, I’ll be retreating to my chamber for some more cultivation. I hope to break through to intermediate level 1 until the… in a few months.”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Sure…” Ethan found Arthur’s behavior rather suspicious. ‘Hmm, how old was he again?’

Later that day…

Four excited teens sat around a large table. Though it would take some time to sell the modified armors and weapons, Oliver’s father had agreed to compensate them in advance for a small commission.

Unbeknownst to them, the King was actually buying equipment like a mad man, so they could have rapidly cashed in on their efforts. However, Simon seemed to have forgotten to mention this fact.

If the times were different, the old man would have sold everything by now at a greatly inflated price. But, Oliver’s father kept the long game in mind. Although he was missing out on a sizable bounty and had to pay the kids out of his own pockets, Lord Simon chose to stash the equipment in secret.

“Why hello! How are my favorite youngsters doing?” The current head of the Hunt family walked in with 4 large rattling bags. They were so heavy that after dropping them on the table, he had to forcefully straighten his back with his hands.

“Greetings father!”

“Greetings My Lord!”

“Hi!”

While Oliver and Ana saluted politely, Arthur barely opened his mouth and Ethan settled for a short wave. His eyes and attention were fully on the bags.

“Hey.” Ana poked his shoulder but he ignored her. So much time had passed since he was properly loaded.

‘Finally… The horrors of poverty are over.’

“Anyway…” Simon ignored the youth’s rudeness and began his presentation. “There are exactly 440 gold coins in each bag. I’ve had my sister count them several times, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Aunt Maya?” winced Oliver. “Is that why there are 10 missing coins instead of 5?”

His father coughed and averted his gaze.

“Well, I couldn’t ask so much from her without some sort of compensation. Consider it a gift for her upcoming birthday.”

With these words, Lord Simon hastily made his retreat. Left to their own devices, the teens quickly grabbed a bag and checked out its contents.