Chapter 374 - 14 - 20

Chapter 14

Lakefront Residence

A cold breeze blew past and woke Lorist from his thoughts. He just noticed that he had been hoodwinked by the academy head yet again.

The acquisition of the Yellow Ribbon Academy, the request for the loan, the insult the academy received from the people at the Association of Academies and even the bet with the other academy heads were all caused by Academy Head Levins. Yet right now he had successfully retreated to the sidelines without having take responsibility for any of his actions and made Lorist shoulder all the burden.

Now that he had been put on the frontlines, he had to bear the responsibility of defending his Silver Undefeated title, fight for the future development of the academy as well as be the beacon of hope for the rest of the instructors and students of the academy. That old bastard laid it all out to him, dug him a large pit, and Lorist jumped into it himself willingly. He couldn't even take it easy on the duels. Otherwise, he would be drowned alive by the rebukes of his fellow colleagues should he cause the academy to lose the bet.

There really wasn't anything Lorist could say about the old bastard for betting against the rest of the academy heads. The problem was Charade, who was going all over to put up that duel notice and thinking of making a big buck from this affair. Even if Lorist went back to see the old bastard about this, Levins would only say that there was no harm in doing so and find some way to sweet talk him into accepting it anyway.

Turning his head to look back at that greyish-green tower, he saw the white curtains of the academy head's office flapping away in the wind and made a mental note to stay away from that old fox if there wasn't a good reason to go see him, lest he get fooled by him again.

Holding the copper key in his hand, Lorist decided to go check out the house the academy has allocated for him so that he can move over there if he likes the place.

In actuality, he had already been granted a room back when he got the Incador Medal. However, that room was at the instructor dorms and that was the headquarters of the Silver ranked instructors. Lorist knew that he wasn't liked by those instructors one bit and returned the room key to the academy. He decided he would be much better off if he shacked up with his girlfriend and stayed outside the academy.

The Moon Lake was located at the south of the academy. Favored by many students as a great place for relaxation and romantic rendezvous, it was a circular, crystal clear lake with a magnificent view across its shores. Originally belonging to the Yellow Ribbon Academy, the hill to the north of the lake was once a small mulberry forest. The mulberry trees were cut down and replaced by lofty villas with unique architectural design. According to Academy Head Levins, that was the newly-developed residential area for Gold ranked instructors.

With the walls separating the two academies having been knocked down, Lorist easily reached the hill by walking along the cobblestone path. He circled around the bamboo fence that surrounded the small hill and soon made his way to the entrance. Lorist was greeted by the sight of a two-storey wooden housing with a large double door.

A worker dressed in servant's uniform brought Lorist to the first room at the end of the wooden building. It was a large office with five tables within. A white-haired woman could be seen in the room with her head lowered, seemingly working on something. The worker pointed to her, indicating to Lorist that she was Supervisor Skali.

Taking Lorist's copper key and verifying the inscribed words on it that said '35th Moon', Supervisor Skali smiled sincerely and said, "So, you are our academy's legendary Gold ranked instructor Iron Locke. I've heard so much about you. Haha, I was in charge of several of the academy's shopfronts throughout Morante City before and wasn't at the academy often, so I never actually saw you in person."

Lorist wasn't too surprised at the fact. Having been at the academy for more than ten years and making quite a name for himself, he was familiar with most of the administrative staff of the academy.

Skali personally showed Lorist his new room. She was a rather talkative person. "Locke, your residence is quite near the shore of the lake, so it'll be rather quiet around there. House No.34 is quite a distance away, Instructor Marlin lives there. You should be acquainted with him, right?"

Lorist lightly nodded. Instructor Marlin was one of the retired military officers that joined the academy as a Gold ranked instructor three years ago to take over the SIlver ranked instructors that left. He was a frank person whose two favorite things in life are alcohol and his horse. He sometimes even jokingly referred to his horse as his second wife. Married to a beautiful gentle woman and father to a cute little daughter, he brought his family as well as his horse over to the academy when he first took the job. According to him, Jenny, his horse, had saved him on multiple occasions on the battlefield. That's why he dedicated so much of his time to care for it.

His residence was a small villa made of rock and wood and was two storeys high, with an attic on the top floor. Being at the far corner of the Moon Lake with not many buildings in the area, it was indeed quiet as Skali has mentioned. The roof of house no.34 could barely be seen from the courtyard.

The courtyard was pretty vast and took up most of the land of the surrounding area with a row of holly trees enclosing it. Although the house was near the lake, a well was built on the courtyard nevertheless. Lorist inspected the well and noted its square bluestone walls. The bottom of the well was covered with fine, white sand that was presumably used to cleanse the well water.

Two wooden structures could be seen on the courtyard as well. As Skali was unlocking the villa, she said, "That's the stable. You can keep up to two horses there. The other building is the garage where you can keep your horse cart when you're not using it. You can use it as a storehouse as well if you don't have any horses. Ah, it's finally open. I better grease this key, otherwise it won't turn easily... Come on in."

The first room they entered was the main lounge. In it was a fireplace as well as a sofa. On the walls hung several tapestries[1]. Although they were not anything expensive, they provided the house with a warm, homely atmosphere. Nodding, Lorist noticed that the furniture has already been prepared and he did not have to take care of it himself. As a person who hated troublesome things, he was really satisfied at how everything in the house had been prepared for him beforehand.

"The kitchen and dining hall are at the back. To your left are two servant rooms and to your right are the bathroom and storeroom. You can also use the empty space below the stairs as an extra storage space. Let's go upstairs," continued Skali.

On the second floor was another lounge along with one master bedroom with two other guestrooms. There was also another bathroom on this floor as well as a study room. The master bedroom was rather large and had its own bathroom and dressing room. The attic could be accessed from the stairs at the second floor lounge.

Smiling, Skali said that by the time Lorist starts a family and has his own children, he could even renovate the attic into a toddler's room. She thought the kids will definitely love it.

Lorist retorted by stating that he's single and won't be having any children soon.

Piqued by Lorist's statement, Skali asked Lorist about the type of girls he likes and so that she can recommend someone to be Lorist's wife.

Thanking Skali for her goodwill, Lorist rejected the offer by saying that he's in an important juncture in his training now and cannot shift his focus onto other things. He also had to duel all those challengers in the coming days. That finally diffused Skali's eagerness in finding Lorist a new partner.

Moving back to the lounge on the ground floor, Supervisor Skali asked Lorist what he thought about the house and mentioned that he could switch to another one should he not like the quietness of the area, as out of the 52 villas in the residential area for Gold ranked instructors, only 38 of them was occupied and there were 14 villas which he could pick from.

Lorist expressed his satisfaction with this particular villa and told her that he would be working to move his luggage over tomorrow.

The supervisor pointed at a green rope hanging by the fireplace and said, "Instructor Locke, this rope is connected to a bell in the management office. Should you need any assistance, just give the rope a pull or two and we'll send someone over. Given that you've just moved in, I believe that you don't yet have a servant yet. Please don't hesitate to ask the management to send someone over to help you with your tasks."

Pulling on the rope, she continued, "I have just sent for some cleaners to come over since you're moving in tomorrow or the day after. The place has started to gather dust after a while, especially the handrails on the stairs..."

"Supervisor Skali, isn't this building a little far from the management office? How is the rope tethered all the way to there?" Lorist asked curiously.

Letting out an enthusiastic smile, Skali explained, "That's simple, an underground bamboo pipe network houses the copper wires that are connected ropes like this. When you pull on the rope, it actually tugs on the copper wires underground that's linked to a bell with your room number on it. There is a wall in the management office that has over a hundred labeled bells. By checking the bell that rings, we are able to tell very quickly which house requires our assistance. I actually borrowed the design of this system from the ones that I've seen at some large merchant offices."

A little while later, some knocks could be heard on the door. A tough, burly female servant came in. Lorist broke into a smile the moment he saw her. "Kelly, it's you."

This servant was the one who had looked after Lorist when he had first crossed over into this world. Having not seen Kelly for a number of years, Lorist noticed that her previously plump figure had become more sturdy and fit.

In the beginning when Kelly first got the job, she didn't like the original owner of Lorist's body very much as he was a rather spoiled noble brat who looked down on everyone. Nevertheless, she carried out her caretaking task professionally as she had been paid to do so and did not bother to talk to Lorist much. But after the current Lorist crossed over and possessed that noble youth's body, he increased Kelly's salary and got her to read some books aloud to him as he yearned to learn more about this foreign world. In time, Kelly's sympathy for this poor young noble who had left his homeland at so young an age grew. It was like her maternal instinct kicked in and she started to show true concern for Lorist. Slowly, their relationship got better and better. Had it not been for Kelly's sudden family circumstances that prompted her to return home, Lorist would have wanted her to work for him for the long term.

"Ah, it's Young Master Locke!" Kelly greeted Lorist with much vigor.

"What happened to your family at that time? Back when I had just finished recovering from my injuries, I tried to ask the people at the management office but they only said that you stopped working there because of some family issues."

"Oh, at that time, my grandmother had fallen sick. I went back home to take care of her for half a year until she passed away. After that, I worked the fields at home and six years passed in a flash. By that time, my children had already grown up and I could leave the household to them without any issues. That's why I decided to come work at the academy again," explained Kelly as she struggled to count the years she stayed home with her fingers. Lorist wanted to laugh; he knew that Kelly wasn't good at arithmetic. Who knew that after all these years that habit of hers didn't change at all.

Turning to Skali, Lorist asked if he could have Kelly work for him. While the supervisor agreed to his request, Kelly herself wasn't willing with the reason being that she wouldn't get to do much for Lorist as he only lived alone, making her unable to earn enough money for her sons' dowries when they marry.

Smiling bitterly and shaking his head, Lorist mumbled, "My, how simple minded you are..."

They eventually settled with Skali's suggestion: hiring Kelly as a long term helper. She would be paid 5 large silvers per month for coming to tidy the house up twice a day. Kelly's eyes instantly lit up.

Kelly eagerly said that she could come over to clean the place tomorrow. Lorist gave her an extra key and subsequently sent Skali and Kelly to the door as they left. Looking back at his new residence, he thought, so, this is my new home, huh.

Having lived in the Grindia Continent for ten years, he has finally got himself a house. This was the place where he suddenly found himself in and it was the harbor for his troubled soul at that time. Taking a walk around his house to give it a look or two more, delight sprung up from within his heart. Even though his mood had been spoiled from his meeting with the academy head before this, he really felt like singing at the top of his voice right now.

There's still one thing I have to settle, thought Lorist as he stood by the window of the master bedroom on the second floor with his eyes focused on the Moon Lake, recalling the scene when he first met her. His felt a hint of pain deep in his heart. That relationship he had spent three years in had evaporated just like that. Was the title and power of a noble that important, so much so that she ditched him for another man despite all he had done for her, even at the cost of casting away the business they had built together?

Well, let bygones be bygones. I should probably settle this today. Grasping his fists and sending a forceful punch towards the wall, Lorist steeled his resolve.

[1]Tapestry: woven textile (cloth) art pieces. See Wikipedia.

A Fleeting Moonlit Dream (1)

As the sky darkened, the streets gradually crowded with people rushing home. Lamp light and the smell of burning wax emanated from the buildings that lined the streets. Perhaps, the only thing it the minds of these people now was the desire for a nice, warm meal.

A horse cart-for-rent slowly traveled by. The driver pulled on the reins from time to time, steering the Delemont Striped Horse away from the pedestrians. The horse pulling the cart started to feel a little annoyed and snorted.

"Mister, we've arrived at Phoenix-tail Flower Street in the east sector of the city. Where would you like to be dropped off?" asked the driver respectfully.

Ah, thought Lorist as he looked around him. He pointed at a corner and said, "Just a little bit further. Do you see that four-storey building? Just drop me off at that alley near there."

The horse cart stopped by the alley as instructed.

"How much is it?"

"It's 30 coppers, sir."

Receiving the two small silvers that Lorist handed him, the driver fumbled around for 10 coppers of change.

Lorist only took five and said, "Keep the rest. Take it as a tip for your great service."

Happily removing his hat and bowing his head in gratitude, the driver said, "Thank you very much for your generosity. I wish you a good night."

The people of Morante City predominantly used four types of coins issued by the trade union. The first one was the gold coin, also known as a gold Forde, which had the portrait of Archduke Forde Morante on it. The second type was a large silver coin that depicted a large ship. Officially, it was known as the 'silver sailboat', but most people just call it a large silver. The third coin was also silver, albeit only a third of the size of a large silver, and it depicted a picture of the city walls. Originally referred to as a 'wall silver', most people just call it a small silver due to its relatively smaller size to the silver sailboat coin. The last most circulated coin type was called the 'yellow copper' coin and it had a simple pentagram pattern on it. People simply referred to them as coppers.

A gold Forde was worth twenty large silvers, a large silver was worth five small silvers and each small silvers was equal to twenty coppers. The use of these coins have grown with the expansion of the Forde Trade Union's influence and power. Many areas have already adopted the Forde coins as their de facto currency. Some kingdoms and duchies even stopped producing their own currency in favor of the trade union's and sent their gold and silver reserves to the trade union in exchange for their coins.

The fruit seller by the roadside stared in a daze as Lorist approached and hurriedly greeted, "Hey, Locke. It's been quite some time since I've since you, almost half a year I think. Come, try some strawberries. It's really sweet."

Smiling, Lorist returned the greeting, "Uncle Girald, how's business? I went somewhere overseas on an assignment from the academy a while back and just got back recently."

Taking a bite out of the strawberry, Lorist said, "Wow, this is great. Uncle Girald, give me two kilos of this. Oh, and I'd like a box of honey candy as well."

"Coming right up," said the stall owner as he packed the goods Lorist asked for. Inspecting his surroundings and making sure nobody was within hearing range, he quietly asked, "Locke, what happened between you and Miss Windsor? During the six months you weren't here, I saw her bringing a middle-aged nobleman back to spend the night and leaving together the next morning. Oh, and, last month a group of bodyguards and knights came by and caused quite a ruckus by chasing away a few horse carts. They said that Miss Windsor and Master Birmingham was returning to their homeland to claim their dominions. Do you know about this?"

Half nodding and shaking his head, Lorist said, "I know some of it, but not everything. Uncle Girald, I've already broken up with her before I left. I'm only here today to move my stuff. If you need anything from me in the future, you can find me at the academy as I'm living there now."

"Oh, so that was it… Sigh, it's such a shame it didn't work out for you two. Oh well, I'll give you a discount! Three small silvers will do," said the stall owner as he sighed and packed the strawberries and candy into a paper bag.

Lorist paid the man and said with a smile, "Sometimes people are meant to go their own separate ways and relationships can't be forced. If it doesn't work out, there's no point in getting disappointed over it. See you, Uncle Girald."

Lorist's face darkened as his smile vanished once he turned away. She actually brought a man back to spend a night here and caused rumors to spread… This was done to force their relationship to a close. My, isn't she ruthless…

The alley was quite narrow and only allowed for one horse cart to pass through at any given time. Beyond the ten-meter-long alley was a small lot with three four-storey crimson red buildings in the center with some other wooden houses beside it.

A four-year-old girl wearing a flowery skirt sat alone in a corner of one of the wooden houses with her head down, seemingly playing with something. Seeing Lorist come out from the alley, the girl blinked, stared in a daze, and rubbed her eyes before jumping up and down in joy and rushed towards him.

Her smile was as refreshing as spring water to a thirsty traveler and it warmed Lorist's heart from deep down. Laughing, Lorist knelt down, held the girl up, and spun her around for a few times.

"Hey, little Loney. What are you doing here? Where's your grandma?"

"I'm waiting for dad to come home. Grandma is cooking," replied Loney with a childish tone.

"Hehe, my little Loney's so cute. Come here, let brother Locke give you a kiss."

"I don't wanna…" complained Loney as she laughed and struggled to avoid Lorist's kisses.

But Lorist managed to do it anyway.

"Ew!" Little Loney rubbed her face with her hands and pouted. "Brother Locke's a bad man, you didn't come visit me for so long and now you scrape my face with hair stubs on your face. I'm gonna tell my dad and have him smack your buttocks…"

"Hahaha," laughed Lorist heartily. He took out the box of candies and said, "Look at what I've got here?"

"Ah! Those are Loney's favorite honey candies! Brother Locke is the best!" Loney's attitude changed immediately the moment she set her sights on the box of candies.

Handing the box to Loney, Lorist said, "Don't eat too much of this at night, alright? Otherwise your teeth will start to hurt."

"I know, thanks big brother! I'm going to show it to grandma!" Hugging the box of candies, Loney ran away at full speed.

Loney's father was called Morandel and he was a Silver Swordsman that served in the city garrison. As Loney's mother had passed away at a young age, Loney was brought up mostly by her grandmother. Everyday, Loney waited for her father to come home, but her dad only had three days off his shift every month, which he often used to spend time with Loney.

Seeing Loney's silhouette vanish into the building, Lorist carried his paper bag and turned towards one of the four-storey crimson buildings. This was the place where he had lived for the past three years.

The door opened soon after Lorist used the knocker. The female servant gasped in shock as she was caught off guard by Lorist's sudden appearance.

Showing a warm smile, Lorist asked, "Lina, may I come in?"

"Ah, of course, Master Locke."

Closing the door, Lina the servant girl fidgeted about nervously behind Lorist, not knowing where to place her hands.

Handing her the paper bag, Lorist said, "I got this from the stall at the alley. It's fresh and sweet, please help yourself to some."

"Oh, thank you Master Locke. You're always so generous," thanked Lina hastily as she accepted the paper bag.

It has already been half a year since Lorist had been here. Feeling a pang of nostalgia, Lorist said, "Don't be so nervous, Lina. I'm just here to get my stuff. It's still in the room, right?"

"Ah, yes. After you left, the mistress locked the room up and no longer let us in. I've only seen her go inside it a number of times herself."

"I see the furniture here has decreased quite a bit. Are you guys planning to move as well?" asked Lorist as he looked at the empty hallway.

"That's right. The mistress has sold this place that she inherited from her family and is planning to leave by the end of the month."

"Did she sell the shop at Rotary Street too?"

Shaking her head and shrugging, Lina said, "I'm don't think so. But, I've heard Suzy say that they've already found a buyer and are still conducting negotiations."

Letting out a big sigh, Lorist said, "I guess your mistress is planning to leave this place for good."

Nodding, Lina said, "Master Locke, let me go get you a cup of tea."

"Alright. Since I won't be able to drink the tea you make anymore in the future, might as well savor it now while I still can."

Lina brought the tea over in a short while. Lorist breathed the aroma in deeply and praised, "It still smells great. Lina, your tea making skills are still good as ever."

Lowering her head, Lina whispered, "Master Locke, are you really breaking up with the mistress?"

Looking solemnly at the cup in his hands, Lorist replied after a short pause, "Lina, it wasn't my intention to break up with her. She's the one who's forcing me to do this. I believe you know very well what your mistress has been up to in the past year I've been away. She is willing to cast everything away to reclaim her family's dominion in her homeland. As for me, I can't do anything besides wishing her the best."

Lina hesitated for a bit before adamantly saying, "But… But I think that our mistress was wrong in this. She shouldn't have broken up with you…"

"Lina, not everyone thinks the way you do. Your mistress has her own considerations as well," Lorist replied with a smile.

Standing up, Lorist continued, "Alright, thanks for the tea, Lina. I'm going to go upstairs to arrange my stuff and move it away by tomorrow."

"Ah, Master Locke, let me go get you a candle."

Pushing the door open, Lorist stood outside the room he was so familiar with in deep thought. Lina approached him from behind with a candle in hand and asked, "Master Locke, are you okay?"

Breaking out from his trance, Lorist took the candle and said, "Oh, thanks Lina, Leave me alone for a bit. I need some time to think."

Nodding, Lina replied, "Alright, Master Locke. Please pull on the bell rope should you need anything else. I will be downstairs."

Placing the candle on the table, Lorist slowly sat on the chair by his study table and reminisced the old days: the days when he sat at that very table designing clothes nonstop with her…

The times when the both of them cut and sewed the cloth on the floor themselves to save cost on materials…

The arguments they had over the store decorations…

And on that fleeting moonlit night, when she shed her sleepwear in front of him…

When they lay beside each other with her flirtatiously licking his chest, pleading him to draw more clothing designs for her…

This was a rather old-fashioned love story.

...

That year, Lorist was only 20 years old and had just been appointed as a swordsmanship instructor for the academy. Charade prepared a feast for him at the Enforcement Division building as a celebration and both of them drank and ate merrily. After that, Lorist, in his sleeplessness, stepped out of the building and wandered around the academy. Gradually, he made his way to the Moon Lake and heard a faint sobbing. Intrigued, Lorist approached the source of the sound and discovered a lone girl bawling by the lake.

At that time, Lorist didn't know what to do as he thought that consoling someone with a broken heart wouldn't do much help. But that changed the moment the girl leapt into the lake.

Carrying the unconscious girl back to the Enforcement Division building, he woke Charade up and they both cared for the girl until she regained consciousness. That girl was rather beautiful, but she did not utter even one word. But that didn't stop the fatty from finding out about her situation the day after.

That girl was the daughter of a viscount of the Jigda Kingdom. Her name was Windsor Prinna and she was 18 years old. For reasons unknown, two grand dukes of the Jigda Kingdom broke into armed conflict. The unfortunate Viscount Windsor had sided with the losing side and had his castle and dominion invaded, effectively becoming the first sacrifice of the conflict. His dominion was split up between several powers and the viscount heeded the war god's call and left the mortal realm for the afterlife. Naturally, Madam Windsor and her seven-year-old son became captives.

In a conflict between nobles, while the losing side would not suffer any direct harm, it wasn't uncommon to hear the women provide entertainment and companionship for guests at drinking parties. While Madam Windsor was middle-aged, she still retained the air and beauty of a lady and was quite popular in the soldier camps. Half a year later, the two grand dukes started peace talks and the conflict in the kingdom subsided. Having lost the influence over their dominion, the Windsor family hostages had been released as they no longer had any value. But Madam Windsor had already become pregnant with a child of someone she didn't know. To spare herself from the shame and humiliation, she left the place and sought out her eldest daughter Prinna who was studying in Morante City for help.

The young Miss Windsor who had lived a life of ease and luxury could not ever imagine for something like this to happen. When her mother came over with her brother, she was like a majestic phoenix who had suddenly turned into a common hen as she had lost her father's support as well as her source of income. The once prideful young mistress humbled herself and asked some of her admirers to lend a hand, hoping that they could reclaim her family's land for her.

However, she was harshly humiliated; the nobles, knowing that the Windsor family had lost their dominion, did not extend any shred of help. The despairing young mistress couldn't take it anymore and decided to end her life and slipped away from the dorms midnight to the Moon Lake nearby.

Charade also discovered that Viscount Windsor had some other properties in the east sector of Morante City, namely, a mansion and two shop lots. They could still live quite a comfortable life even without their power over their dominion.

Lorist noted aloud that the property could be used as capital to rebuild the Windsor family.

Suddenly, the girl who kept quiet the whole time appeared before Lorist, greatly startling him, and said with her charming eyes wide-opened, "Did you just say that the Windsor house could start over…?"

A Fleeting Moonlit Dream (2)

The young miss Windsor, with her wide, charming eyes, was truly beautiful. At that moment, she seemed like a lone rice plant standing amidst a rice field that had been destroyed by a flood as she stared hard at Lorist with a hint of hope in her eyes despite her hopeless situation.

Being a person who had experienced many things in two very different worlds, Lorist was surprised to find that the desperate pleading of a weak, gentle girl had managed to shake him to the core and temporarily depriving him of his rationality. He gulped down a cup of water in one go, avoided the gaze of those mesmerizing eyes and said in a stuttering voice, "M-m-miss, if you do-don't mind... I... I can t-try to help you... a-analyze the si-situation of the Windsor family... and see if there's something w-we can do about it..."

Naturally, the young miss Windsor agreed. Charade handed Lorist another cup of water and said, "Drink up. You're already stammering."

Gulping another cup of water down and calming his mind, Lorist looked at the poor, fragile mistress of the Windsor house who had a woolen blanket wrapped around her. Feeling pity for the poor girl, he made a cup of hot tea, placed it on the table, and beckoned Charade to bring some snacks over.

Looking towards the blanket-clad girl, Lorist let out a warm smile and said, "Miss, why don't you warm yourself up and help yourself to some food first before we start our discussion?"

When Lorist brought the girl back from the lake yesterday, she was already unconscious, not from choking on water but rather her languish and suffering. While Lorist and Charade feasted their eyes on her beauty, they did not dare to change her into a new set of clothes and tried to dry them instead by laying her down beside two braziers[1]. After that, they wrapped a blanket around her to keep her warm.

Only just noticing her predicament, she clasped the woolen blanket and nodded her head lightly with a slight blush on her face. After she ate some food and tidied herself up in the bathroom, she changed into a female student uniform Charade brought her and showed herself in front of the two men, who were subsequently stunned by her refreshed, beautiful look.

Snapping out of his daze, Lorist noticed her lips curve slightly. That girl was obviously delighted at the men's reaction.

Taking out a white sheepskin scroll, Lorist started scribbling down the situation of the Windsor family. "Let me list out the troubles the Windsor family is facing according to what I heard from Charade. Please let me know if I miss something out."

Number one: The Windsor family lost their dominion due to the conflict and had it divided among four other neighboring families. The original garrison soldiers and the local officials have been relieved of their duties and the remaining members of the Windsor family has been chased out of the land. It was apparent that the new lords of the land wished to relinquish any influence the Windsor family members still had on the people of the dominion.

Number two: None of the nobles of the Jigda Kingdom, including the duke to whom the Windsor house pledged their allegiance, wished to lend the Windsor house any aid. Although the Windsor family had a rightful claim to that land according to the kingdom's laws, the other nobles have already unofficially recognized the four neighboring families as the rulers of the land and refused to say anything on the Windsor house's behalf.

Number three: As Viscount Windsor had perished due to his injuries from battle, there was no one else within the Windsor family that had the ability to lead the dominion's soldiers. As the heir of the viscount was still only a seven-year-old boy, he was of no direct use to the current situation. Madam Windsor, on the other hand, was busy worrying about who the father of her child she was pregnant with was. There were more than 45 suspects but there was no way to determine the father within a short period of time. The young mistress of the Windsor house was a girl who had not awakened her Battle Force, so she was of no immediate help to the situation either.

"She's actually my stepmother, not my biological mother. Right now, only I can call the shots in the Windsor house," proclaimed the blushing girl with a hint of anger and embarrassment.

After some more explanation on the young mistress's part, Lorist came to understand that the current Madam Windsor used to be a widow to another baron. She got to know Viscount Windsor and eventually had an affair with him and got pregnant with the current young master, after which she got married and officially became his second wife. She had lived in the capital with her son until she moved to the dominion three years prior when the first wife of the viscount passed away. She was only 35 this year.

Charade, before knowing of her actual age, joked about the desperateness of the invading soldiers who had managed to knock her up, as he had estimated Madam Windsor's age based on that of this young mistress. In actuality, she was still under 35 years old and was still in the prime of her womanhood.

The stricken young maiden did not even notice the thoughts of the two men wander. Both of them let their fantasies run wild as they imagined the 'pleasurable' life the current Madam Windsor must have led in the army camp. Both men looked at each other with a funny gaze and snickered in a low voice.

Suddenly, the young mistress declared, "I will not forgive them for tarnishing the honor of the Windsor house and will definitely reclaim my dominion. Those who stood idly as they witnessed our demise will definitely pay..."

Picking up the sheepskin scroll on the table, Charade gave it a light poke or two and interrupted the young mistress's declaration. "According to the description of the situation, the Windsor house is already beyond salvation. Even if you were to wait ten or so years for the young master to mature, it is hard to say whether the people in the dominion will still stay loyal to the Windsor family. Having lost the dominion and lacking an immediate heir, the Windsor family is in deep trouble. I think you should just let it go and live out the rest of your life pleasantly with the property your father had left you in Morante City.

Lorist fully agreed to Charade's statement.

The young mistress was stunned to hear that. But she could not refute even one word of what he said. Her large crystal-like eyes started watering as she stood there without uttering a noise, anguished, with her shoulders shaking involuntary...

Lorist felt pained when he saw that sight. He breathed a long sigh, stood up, and handed her a facecloth as he told her, "Actually, there is a way that might help you reclaim your dominion..."

Her quiet sobs suddenly stopped and she asked him with teary eyes, "Is that true?"

Looking at the scroll again, Charade said, "It's impossible..."

Lorist, taking out another sheepskin scroll and a pen, began to mumble as he jotted down several points on the scroll, "Number one, people. Number two, spying. Number three, goal. Number four, logistics. And finally, support."

Pointing at the words he wrote, Lorist looked towards the other two and started explaining. "The first main factor is the people. Although Viscount Windsor has passed away on the battlefield, many of his loyal subjects have survived and are scattered across the various villages around the dominion. Madam Windsor and her son only managed to come over to Morante City due to having a group of surviving garrison soldiers escorting them along the way. The Windsor family should not give up on the people who are still loyal to them and rally them up so that they can be sent into the dominion and seek out others who still hold the Windsor family in their hearts.

"These people who will eventually form a resistance against the current lords will serve as a reminder to the people in the dominion that the Windsor family has not given up on them.

"However, the leader for the resistance army must not be casually appointed. Ideally, it would be someone who is highly respected who used to serve under the viscount directly and is powerful enough to defend himself. Do you have such a person in mind?"

The girl gave it some thought and nodded, "I think Uncle Somm is perfect for this. He used to be a knight of our family and is of the Two Star Silver rank. He was a trusted subordinate of my father and served in his personal cavalry guard. Right before my dad died on the battlefield, Uncle Somm got wounded and was sent along with his family to my father's manor to undergo treatment. My mother's escort brought a letter from him that states that he had already mostly recovered still couldn't ride a horse properly yet. He will be coming over to join me in another one or two months. Oh, and Uncle Somm's daughter, Lina, used to be my personal handmaiden."

"Not bad. According to your description, he indeed is an ideal candidate for the leader of the resistance. Let's move on to the second point: spying," Looking at the slightly confused girl and Charade, he asked, "Do you know what spying is about?"

"I know," the girl scrambled to answer, "Isn't it about secretly hiring spies to gather information? They'll hang out at places like taverns and pay attention to any strangers that show up. The dominion lord in turn pays them for the information they gather."

Charade nodded and agreed to her description.

Lorist shook is head and disagreed, "No, not that kind. It's way too obvious. If it were me, I would pick the tavern owners, servants, smiths, fishermen, farmers, tailors as well as the guards to be my eyes and ears. These people are the ones who can really observe the enemy's every action, even their every meal, without arousing any suspicion."

"But what's the point of knowing what they eat? Wait, are you going to use poison!?" asked the girl with her face pale, as if she had come to understand the sinister truth.

Charade was surprised by the sudden enlightenment. "Of course! As long as we have these people working for us, nothing can escape us and we can easily respond to any of the enemy's moves!"

Looking at the confused young mistress, Lorist said, "Miss, did you hear what the fatty said just now? Think about it, if we have this network of people feeding us information, we can anticipate the enemy's every move and respond accordingly. This would also serve to cover the resistance army's tracks and set the enemy forces on a goose chase, hence allowing the resistance more freedom to expand their influence."

The girl blushed as she came to understand what Lorist had just said.

"The non-combatants, ex-officials and the ex-soldiers in the dominion who are still loyal to the Windsor family would be the perfect for this job. They can serve as your resistance's eyes and watch the enemy's every move and find the perfect opportunity for the resistance to strike.

"The next factor would be the goal of the resistance. The focus of the resistance army should not be on attacking the castles of the rulers nor their soldiers but rather their tax collectors, officials, spies, convoys as well as their storehouses. This would effectively blind the current rulers and make them unable to effectively take action against the resistance. Eventually, these attacks would serve to bleed out the current rulers and wear them out gradually. The army must be organized into many discrete units so that they can react to any situation swiftly and effectively.

"The fourth point we have to emphasize is logistics. To ensure the resistance has enough momentum to keep their operations going, there must be secret bases where the fighters can rest and recuperate. The Windsor family should provide them with resources such as weapons, food and even women. Only by setting up many bases across many locations can the resistance army hold together in the long run.

"Finally, you cannot neglect support. Forming the resistance army is not just about sending people there and ordering them around. To ensure that the army remains under the control of the Windsor family and remain dependant to it, the family must actively support them with resources and manpower. One way to do this is to hire Silver ranked mercenaries on a mission-by-mission basis for each major operation. This will allow the resistance army to put sufficient pressure on their enemies while minimizing the casualties.

"As long as this holds up for several years, the resistance army would become a nightmare for the rulers and they will come to regret their decision to split the dominion of the Windsor family among themselves and want to be rid of their responsibilities on governing the land. At that time, the Windsor family can just step in and negotiate with the current rulers and even offer them some form of reimbursement. I believe they would be glad to return the lands to the Windsor family," concluded Lorist.

"So there was a way to get it back after all..." mused Charade.

The girl, on the other hand, was revigorated and a hint of life returned to her gaze.

"But there are two repercussions by using this plan," Lorist said, dampening the mood once more. "With the existence of the resistance army, the lords of the dominion might let their frustration out on the people of the land. Even if the Windsor family does reclaim the land one day, a lot of money must be spent in order for the people and the economy to recover. Another thing is that the Windsor family will be on hostile terms with the four neighboring noble families after regaining power and must expend lots of money to hire a group of elite soldiers to ensure the protection and security of the dominion. My point is, this whole exercise would be futile if you don't have the money to fund it. According to my rough estimate, it would require at least a thousand gold coins to maintain this operation each year."

Gathering a thousand gold coins per year was definitely not an easy task. Even Lorist, who was recently appointed to be a swordsmanship instructor for the academy, only had a monthly salary of 3 gold Fordes. As for Charade, being the head of the Enforcement Division, he boasts a monthly salary of five gold Fordes. Their job was already considered to be among the most high paying ones in Morante City. McDuffin's family, before meeting Lorist, only earned up to six large silvers every day and even that was enough for them to live a comfortable life and have some plenty left over for savings.

How was the Windsor house going to reclaim their dominion given the state of affairs of their finances?

[1]A portable heater that works similarly to a fireplace.

A Fleeting Moonlit Dream (3)

The young mistress of the Windsor house snapped out of her delusion, reevaluated her family's situation and started to tear up again. "But… I'm already running out of money…"

Looking at those beautiful, tear-filled eyes, Lorist said in an attempt to console her, "Don't cry. Doesn't your family still own some property in the city? This is what you can use to start the whole operation! Once your business builds up and begins to make a profit, you can start the operation according to the five points I've highlighted. I definitely think that your family can once again reclaim your dominion one day."

"Leaving that mansion of yours out, those two shopfronts owned by your family at Rotary Street is already worth a lot. They are situated at the city center of Morante City and the rent there is rather high. The fact that you own two shopfronts in that area gives you an edge over many others in starting a new business. Even the multi-million Gold Horn Merchant Guild started as a small establishment that did petty errands for others six years ago. I believe that with adequate management and a good business model, it would not be too hard for you to earn a profit of 1000 gold coins per year," added Charade.

The girl lifted her face, rubbed her cloudy eyes, and asked, "Then what kind of business do you reckon would earn me 1000 gold coins per year?"

"Oh no!" The fatty seemed to have remembered something and left in a hurry. "I forgot that I have to patrol the academy. With the weather being so hot recently, I bet many of the students would feel way edgier than normal and start to cause trouble! The Enforcement Division should be rather busy during these days. Heck, now we even have people trying to drown themselves in the Moon Lake! Now, we can even take it easy at night! You guys keep talking, I'll take my leave."

The girl's face reddened at the comment.

Gracefully bowing towards the girl, he whispered beside her ear, "He'll have a way for you," and whooshed outside the room.

Lorist was beginning to have a headache as it seemed very likely that the young mistress of the Windsor house already had her eyes set on him. She followed him in and out all day and even waited outside when he had to go to the washroom, attracting the attention of many students and causing rumors to spread.

"Come on, young mistress. Cut me some slack, will you? What do you want?" pleaded Lorist towards the stubborn girl.

"Who asked you to rescue me? Now, you have to take responsibility for it."

"My gosh, what's wrong with me saving your life? How should I fulfill that responsibility?"

"I want you to help me…"

"No way, that's too complicated and troublesome."

"Since you could think up a plan for me to get my dominion back, surely you could also figure something out for me to start my business…" the girl said coquettishly as she stomped her leg like a spoiled brat.

Lorist's resolved wavered. "I won't do it if there's nothing in it for me…"

Smiling brightly with a hint of embarrassment, the girl said, "Then, how about I become your girlfriend?"

Lorist was instantly entranced by her seductive smile and yielded.

The suggestion Lorist gave his new girlfriend was to stop all business proceedings of the shops at Rotary Street with the Jigda Kingdom and to revamp them into a premium women's boutique.

The girl stared wide-eyed at Lorist as he explained, not knowing what a premium boutique was. From her experience, noblewomen usually wore tailor made clothes by personal tailors or their handmaidens and never purchased them from anyone else. Most of the clothes at the stores focused more on utility rather than aesthetics and was usually marketed to smiths, mercenaries, office workers, housemakers, hawkers and other common city folk. No noble would ever lower themselves to wear clothes like that lest they want to end up walking jokes.

Lorist followed up with a patient explanation, "What we're trying to do is not to make common clothes like most other clothing stores out there. We are trying to appeal to the noble market, especially the women. We will focus on party dresses and accessories that cost at least ten gold coins per set."

"Is that really viable? Why would anyone in their right mind buy something at that price?" asked the girl to her new lover with much doubt in her eyes.

"Of course. As long as the designs are unique, a fashion trend would no doubt start. Given the nature of the nobles to only buy the best and most expensive things and their tendency to compare and compete with one another, we would succeed in no time."

"Then, who will be in charge of designing the clothes?"

"Me, of course," proclaimed Lorist with a face full of confidence.

In actuality, he had already come out with this idea for quite some time and only decided to start working on it for the sake of his girlfriend. Being a craftsman and a forger, he naturally had a certification for fashion design in his past life. It would not be an overstatement to even say that he was an expert in making dresses and gowns fit for even princesses.

During his time as a factory owner in his past life, he received a rather big business order. A rich businessman who wanted to throw a birthday party for his seven year old daughter had contacted Mattrel, one of the biggest toy companies in the world, to make 108 dolls that were about the size of his daughter at a price of 100000 RMB each (roughly 15000 USD) and specified that each of the dolls should have two different princess dresses that could be changed in and out of. In essence, he had requested for 108 dolls of the size of his daughter with another 216 sets of dresses and gowns.

The executives of Mattrel was left flabbergasted at the magnitude of the order. Did he come to them to order toys or clothes? If it were priced at 100000 USD each, then it would not be a problem for the company to hire professional fashion designers for the task. But 100000 RMB was not nearly enough for that kind of spending. So, they decided to just let one of their factories in China figure up a way to produce the clothes at a lower cost.

While the rich businessman wanted the original products produced by Mattrel themselves, he forgot that many of them were actually manufactured in China and that Mattrel was only responsible for branding, designing and marketing. Once the order reached the Chinese factory, the people in charge were also wracking their brains for a solution. While it would be easy to change a small part of the mold at a low cost to produce a new line of dolls, that wasn't easily achieved with the dolls' clothes. Should they resort to outsourcing this to clothing companies? It wasn't an easy task, especially when the request specified for the clothes to each have a unique design. This also meant different materials for different clothes, especially when princess-themed clothing would require certain special crystals or materials to decorate them. In the end, one of the persons in charge who was coincidentally an old comrade of Lorist decided to call him up for help.

Within three months, Lorist spent all his time researching. He watched various films that featured extravagant dresses, read all sorts of fashion magazines as well as studied the various exotic dresses movie stars often wore to the red carpet. His research material stacked up all over his office and his coworkers even joked that his office had become an archive for the whole of humanity's fashion culture.

Spending days and nights discussing and planning with several other fashion designers, he finally came up with more than 500 designs which he submitted to Mattrel's factory in China which then sent it to the rich businessman to select from, after which the selected designs were sent back to Lorist's factory to begin the production. This very order earned him more than 500000 dollars and he even deliberated whether he should change his factory's focus to children's clothing instead.

Having crossed over to Grindia for more than 6 years, Lorist already had a firm understanding of this world. Being the largest trading city on the continent, Morante City had visitors from all over the world and was also the central hub for the latest trends. However, to Lorist, most of these trends were nothing but jokes. What use did he have for popular things that ranged from soft beast fur shawls, well-written poems to durable, exquisite swords?

The nobles of this world had a custom of making their own clothes. But Lorist discovered that the designs of those clothes had not changed much from hundreds of years ago. The only noticeable difference was the improvement of the materials and the slightly different embroidery on the clothing. Most noblewomen, young or old, including the young Miss Windsor, had their personal tailors or handmaidens make their clothes which didn't really differ much from one another. The only things the ladies talked about during parties or banquets pertaining to clothing was the intricacies or details of the embroidery.

That's why Lorist firmly believed that the dresses he designed would definitely make most noblewomen go crazy for them. It was natural for women to continually beautify themselves. It's a shame that Grindia's fashion culture was so primitive and undeveloped unlike that of his previous world, where fashion designers brainstormed day and night to come out with a new, novel design.

So, to dispel any suspicions his new girlfriend might have about his ability that was painfully apparent in her gaze, he decided to show off a bit by drawing her a rough sketch.

The girl subsequently brought her new boyfriend back to her house in the east sector of the city, much to her two maidservants' surprise, as the usual haughty mistress of theirs had picked someone who looked so average to be her boyfriend. They thought that Lorist's clothes were rather ragged and that the Iron rank badge he wore on his chest was quite unsightly.

Not knowing of the thoughts his girlfriend's maids had about him, Lorist went up to the third floor to a room with sufficient lighting and asked for a pen and paper to start drawing. Initially, the young Windsor was weirded out by the relative revealingness of the clothes that accentuated one's body curves and thought that Lorist was a cheap pervert. But as the design neared its completion, the girl quieted down and had her eyes glued to the drawing, already fantasizing how she would look in that dress, much to Lorist's surprise.

Lorist gave her face a light slap and woke her from her daydream. The girl, blushing, grabbed the design and said, "I'm gonna have one made right now…", and rushed out to find her handmaidens.

Lorist shouted to her as she went out, "Then, what about me?"

"Just stay in that room and draw me more of those! I'll have someone send some food up during dinner!" said the girl.

A Fleeting Moonlit Dream (4)

Had it not been for his swordsmanship class at the academy, Lorist would still be locked in the young mistress's room and drawing more designs for her. The mistress's two servants, after seeing a number of Lorist's drawings, changed their attitudes towards him immediately and were suddenly more attentive towards him, making sure he had everything he needed, much to Lorist's surprise.

While he was still there, he let the three women pick out 24 dresses and 8 party gowns out of the fifty or so designs he had drawn and spent an entire afternoon teaching them how to cut and sew. The women would then be working on the 32 sets of dresses for the time being. Lorist named the lineup the Autumn Goddess collection and planned to use that as the debut clothing lineup for the store.

Before he left, he also encouraged the women to use their imagination and make any amount of changes they wanted to the clothes as they saw fit when they were making them. Lorist explained that it would help prevent people accidentally wearing the same dress. For example, wouldn't it be extremely awkward to dress identically to another person in a ball?

"Every woman was a unique angelic being that had descended from the heavens and it is only fitting for them to each wear different, unique clothing to bring out fully their magnificence and beauty. Even if the base design for the clothes is similar, with small alterations here and there, each dress would still remain unique, understand?" Lorist proclaimed.

After Lorist had left, Miss Windsor noticed that her two handmaidens were stunned by the speech and a look of admiration could be seen in their eyes. Feeling a little elated and grumpy, the young mistress rebuked them, "What's wrong? Have your hearts been stolen by him?"

Suzy repeated the line to herself in a low voice, "Every woman was a unique angelic being that had descended from the heavens... What a great saying..."

Lina sighed and scratched her head in frustration, saying, "Young mistress, I know it's wrong to think so, but Master Locke looked so gentle and handsome when he said that just now. I believe that he's the kind of person that charms you more the longer you get to know him... You have really found a great boyfriend."

The young mistress sighed lightly and said, "It's a shame most men out there are only all talk and pales so much in comparison to him. We should start working harder too. These clothes will determine the future of the Windsor house."

"Yes, young mistress. We'll give it our all," said the two women, nodding.

After two days, Lorist paid them another visit and was surprised at what he saw. Have they turned into rabbits? Why are their eyes red and why do they look so pale? Upon questioning them, he discovered that they had been pulling all-nighters and have only slept as little as eight hours all this time and often neglected their meals. Although they were worn out, they only managed to produce four sets of clothes over three days and nights of hard work.

With a palm to his face Lorist said, "Silly girl, can't you hire someone to help you out? At this rate, you wouldn't even finish the Autumn Goddess collection when spring next year comes! How are we supposed to start the business?''

"Aren't we supposed to keep the designs secret?" the young mistress argued with much fatigue in her voice.

"Weren't you planning to rent part of your mansion out? Why don't you make that a small workshop and hire some skilled seamstresses across the neighborhood to do the sewing after you guys finish cutting out the parts of the clothes. For the most part, you only have to monitor and guide them. What's the point of earning any money if you'll end up too sick to spend it?"

Nodding, the young mistress agreed, let out a big yawn, and went upstairs to get some rest. At that moment, the two servants only had one thought in their minds: Wow, Master Locke is looking manlier than ever!

Having given his instructions, Lorist monitored their progress for a few more days and was satisfied with the current production rate of the clothing workshop. He then started to plan how he would decorate the two shopfronts on Rotary Street.

After a period of brainstorming, Lorist had drawn up a rough plan for the decorations. His only concern was the cost was a little high at roughly 60 gold Fordes. He subsequently broke into an argument with his girlfriend over the issue.

The young mistress believed that they shouldn't spend so much money on the decorations of the shop and that it only had to be clean and simple. "We're only selling clothes. There's no need to poke a hole in our wallets for useless decorations!" said the young mistress.

Lorist pressed on and said, "We can only raise the price of the clothes if we decorate the shop lavishly. We must show that the clothes at our store have been spared no expense and deserve every gold coin listed on the price tag! To do that, we must ensure that our store looks elegant and classy. Besides, the money spent on the decorations would be earned back easily after selling one or two sets of clothing."

Why doesn't she understand such a simple principle? Lorist was rather frustrated at her adamant refusal. After that, Lina secretly told him that the young mistress was seriously lacking in funds and only had about 10 gold coins left in their savings. She wasn't even sure how she would finance the clothing workshop as well as her household with the amount of savings she had left.

Suddenly coming to an understanding, Lorist merely nodded and left. After several hours, Lorist returned with a large bag and placed it on the table. Gently gazing at the young mistress, he said, "You could've just told me that you lacked the money. I'm your boyfriend for Sol's[1] sake, there's no need to bear the burden by yourself. We should face issues like this together. These here are my savings, 160 gold coins. It should be more than enough to pay off the expenses of the clothes shop for two to three months."

Staring at the bag with her large, beautiful eyes, the girl leapt into Lorist's embrace and broke into tears of joy, tightly hugging Lorist as she cried.

Lorist lightly pat her on the back a few times. He understood that recently, she has been facing huge psychological stress ever since getting the news of her family's conundrum, was refused help from almost everyone she sought out and even contemplated suicide. After he had saved her, she started to see Lorist as a beacon of hope for her family and started dating him in hopes that he would participate and contribute to her family's resurgence.

While she was rather confident in the quality of the few clothes that they had produced, she was still worried about how to run the business. The extra money spent on hiring other workers only served to increase her anxieties and prompted her to be in a hurry to sell the clothes so that she will have enough money to keep the business going. Furthermore, she was hesitant to ask Lorist for help as she had dated him not out of true love but with the intention of using him to reclaim her family's dominion.

As her sobs intensified, she let out all the bottled feelings within. The two handmaidens could only watch as Lorist continued to calm her down. "Come on, stop crying. You'll start to look ugly when your eyes start swelling. What would I do with an ugly girlfriend?"

Breaking into a small chuckle, she slapped Lorist on the back and said, "Why you!", but continued to bury her face in Lorist's chest. Her crying slowly subsided and she fell asleep in the end.

From that day onwards, she asked Lorist to start calling her by her pet name, Wenna, as it was quite absurd for a boyfriend to have to refer to his girlfriend as 'young mistress' all the time. Lorist gladly did so as per her request.

Two months later, the newly renovated Windsor Apparels and Accessories started operation. However, within three days of its opening, it did not have even one customer. The reason was simple, the decorations and furnishings rivaled that of a palace's. Although the shopfront wasn't that big, it had four neatly-dressed Silver Swordsmen standing guard at the entrance. The goldcloud tiles on the doorstep only served to increase the store's imposingness and made most people subconsciously avoid the place.

Worried sick and not having any appetite, Wenna blamed Lorist for over-decorating the shop and causing the 32 sets of clothes in the Autumn Goddess collection to unsold. As she was about to break into another bout of tears, Lorist merely stretched lazily on his seat and said, "Calm down. It's just not time yet. We're not like other clothing shops. If we manage to sell even one set, we can last another month. We don't have to meet a daily quota like those other shops to even break even. The moment we get our first customer, our sales would instantly soar as well."

"Pfft, who would believe you..." grumbled Miss Wenna as she stared at the entrance with much anticipation.

On the fifth day, the one person came to check out the shop. It was the male owner from the jewel shop right opposite them. He has been quite curious about their clothing store ever since it opened, given that they even had four Silver Swordsmen guarding the place.

Having resisted his urge to find out more for a few days, he finally gave in to his curiosity. Upon reaching the entrance, the guards pointed at the sign on the entrance that said that men were not allowed to go in alone without being accompanied by a woman. Another line of words were written in gold below the first statement: This establishment serves high class ladies and the accompanying men are expected to behave gentlemanly at all times.

The man could only return to his store, annoyed. His wife was curious about his bad mood and asked him what had happened. He told her about how he was refused entry at the store and his wife offered to accompany him to the store later along with their daughter.

In the end, he managed to enter the store with his wife and daughter, but he regretted his decision immediately, as the two women in his family had already been entranced by the mystical dresses on the mannequins as well as the beautiful, reflective crystals on them that sparkled under the subtle illumination of candlelight.

"Oh blessed be the heavens... What a gorgeous dress..." mused the man's wife.

"I really want to own this... It's like it came right out of my dreams... It has to become mine..." said the daughter with clouded eyes, unable to see anything else but the glory of the dresses on display.

Gingerly, the jewel shop owner took a peek at the price tag of the clothes and it made him shiver in fear. Since when have dresses cost a dozen of gold coins? And gold Fordes at that?

He looked back at his wife and noticed her standing by a mannequin wearing a black velvet dress that was accessorized by crystals with a glow that rivaled that of the stars in the sky, exuding a mysterious aura of majesty. The dress, priced at 188 gold Fordes, snapped the boss out of his bafflement and prompted him to pull his wife out of the store.

However, his wife's feet seemed to have taken root on the ground and didn't budge no matter what he did. Pointing at the price tag and desperately trying to snap her out of it, he pulled on her arm and said that they couldn't afford it, only to have his hand shaken off as his wife said, "I can afford it with my own personal savings."

At this moment, a voice that sounded like an angelic hymn rang out beside the jeweller's ear. "I'm sorry, respected customers, this gown, 'The Chant of the Night', can only be purchased by those with noble titles."

Elated, the man quickly dragged his wife away from that dress and for the first time in his life, he thanked the existence of the nobles who had helped saved him 188 gold Fordes, which would usually take him an entire year to save up.

But his happiness was short-lived as his wife and daughter ended up spending up to 60 gold Fordes on some other clothes in the store. The man did not understand why a piece of female casual wear would cost more than one gold coin in this store. In other common clothing stores, that kind of money could easily get them more than ten pieces of the same thing. But he understood from the fervid eyes of his wife that should he stop her from buying anything, he would be spending the whole night kneeling by the bed instead of sleeping in it.

Though, the visit to the store had not been a total disaster. Having made a purchase of more than 60 gold Fordes, the whole family was invited to the second floor for tea and pastries as the tailors made special adjustments to the clothes so that they would better fit their new owners. The man, sitting on a comfortable, luxurious sofa, was rather pleased with the service the store had provided.

Three days later, the jeweler brought his wife and daughter to attend a banquet organized by a merchant guild and noticed that they had become the center of attention of the banquet. Like a majestic empress and a gorgeous princess, donning their awe-inspiring night gowns, they attracted the attention of countless people and became the main focus of the partygoers. The jeweler suddenly felt that the money spent on the dresses wasn't such a bad investment after all.

From that day onwards, luxurious carriages visited the store one after another, sending countless ladies of all ages flooding into the store. With the boutique being overcrowded, Lorist had to politely refuse entry to the accompanying men and set up some tables outside the store so that they may have some tea there while they waited. It wasn't an uncommon sight to see noblemen having tea under the sun at Rotary Street in the following days.

At the end of the month, Miss Wenna stared with her mouth agape at the pile of gold coins on the table. "That's our profit for this month!?"

Lina said in a restless tone, "Yes, my mistress, it's already my seventh time answering that question. For the last time, all the 3083 gold Fordes on the table is our profit for this month!"

Jumping in joy and leaping into the arms of Lorist, who was gently smiling at them nearby, she gave him a kiss and said unceasingly, "Thank you... thank you Lorist..."

"Ouch, that hurts! Silly girl, you're biting me, not kissing! Wait, don't tell me this is your first time kissing someone? Let me show you the ropes then..."

The two of them started to make out without giving any heed to anyone else.

"Oh, how embarrassing..." said Lina, as she shielded her eyes and stared at the two lovebirds through the gap of her fingers.

[1] As the top god of the Grindia Pantheon is Singwa, the solar god of light and war, characters often swear in his name. Sol is also latin for the sun.

A Fleeting Moonlit Dream (5)

With the hard-earned money in hand, the revigorated Wenna purchased the three-storey building that was right next to their boutique. Completely renovating the place and linking the new building with the other two shops, the area of the boutique effectively doubled. Heeding Lorist's suggestion, she also build a T-shaped stage and hired a few young maidens with decent figures to act as the models for their boutique.

One month ago, the ex-captain of the garrison of the Windsor house came over from the dominion, bringing back with him ten or so servants and guards who used to work in the Windsor Castle. The new rulers of the place had fired them and they had wandered in the dominion aimlessly until just recently, after hearing that Miss Windsor was willing to offer them jobs in Morante City.

Among them were a father-son duo who both happened to be cobblers that used to serve the Windsor house. Their arrival was a delightful surprise to Lorist and soon, Windsor Apparels and Accessories expanded their catalogue of items to include their own shoes, which naturally took Morante City by storm. While there were a number of shops that tried to replicate their products, most noble customers knew to seek out for the distinct logo of the Windsor brand, which depicted a small mermaid. Windsor, in the ancient language of fairies, referred to the mermaid. Even the Windsor house's insignia depicted a warrior mermaid with a three-pronged fork.

Right now, it was almost customary to wear dresses and gowns by the Windsor brand to attend parties hosted by the elites of Morante City. There was even one such occasion where the daughter of a merchant guild chairman cycled through 17 different dresses and seven different high-heeled shoes throughout the party, effectively turning her father's banquet into an advertising event for Windsor Apparels and Accessories.

Now that the business was running without a hitch, the young mistress assigned the task of managing the boutique to Suzy and the clothes workshop to Lina while she started to plan to reclaim her dominion.

Lina's father, Knight Somm, had already arrived at Morante City a month before, bringing Lina's two younger brothers and her mother along. However, Somm's injuries were not fully recovered yet and he still had to rest and recuperate for a period of time.

Somm was a silent, well-built man. Lorist sometimes doubted whether he was actually Lina's biological father given their totally different personalities. How does a solemn, loyal man like him have such a nosy and meddling daughter? Lina did resemble her mother quite a bit though, but her mother was more gentle and amiable, whereas she had a sharp tongue and never hesitated to speak out on anyone.

The ex-garrison caption also brought some news from the old dominion. As the new rulers of the place were harsh and ruthless towards the dominion folk, the people there longed to be under the rule of the Windsors like before. Additionally, many of the old soldiers and guards that had lost their jobs had resorted to survive through banditry and were causing quite a lot of chaos in the area.

This wasn't an uncommon phenomenon on the Grindia Continent. Usually, when a new lord comes into power, he would introduce certain tax policies that greatly burdened the local folk to make up for the losses he has incurred throughout the conquering process as well as to make sure the people under his rule knew who's in charge. When the people in the dominion finally revolt one day, the new lord would take the opportunity to eliminate the ones who opposed his current rule and make an example out of them. In time, the new ruler would loosen his iron grip on the people so that they will eventually naturally cast away their loyalty to their previous lord and fully devote themselves to the current one.

Lorist believed that this was the perfect opportunity to sneak a few of their agents into the old dominion, a sentiment that Knight Somm also shared. With that, Miss Windsor ordered Somm to bring a group of ten or so people back to the dominion to form the resistance army after her 18th birthday and her coming-of-age ceremony, with their first priorities being setting up several hidden bases throughout the dominion, recruiting the soldiers and guards who used to work for the Windsor family as well as forming their spy network to monitor the situation of the dominion. After the initial phase, she would then start sending martial and material support to the resistance so that they may begin to disrupt the new rulers' affairs.

The coming-of-age ceremony was a tradition of the nobles in Grindia. It represented the entrusting of hopes and ambitions of the senior generation to the younger generation. For males, they would be bequeathed a ceremonial sword from a warrior in the family while females were crowned with a floral tiara. After some congratulatory words, the whole family would party and enjoy themselves at a banquet.

But Wenna's ceremony was rather simple and had only a few attendees. Placing a floral tiara on his mistress's head and sprinkling some sacred water unto her, Knight Somm expressed his wish that she would live a fruitful life and one day find someone she can truly devote the rest of her life to so that she would live on happily as a virtuous wife and a proud mother in the future.

After the coming-of-age ceremony, the Windsor house ceremony of succession was carried out. One by one, the old folks of the Windsor family walked towards the seated, tiara wearing girl and paid their respects, passing their hopes and responsibilities onto her as the new head of the Windsor house and pledging to her their unwavering loyalty. Even the pregnant Madam Windsor and her son went forward and bowed in respect.

When everyone present had paid their respects, the new head of the Windsor house stood up and summoned Hurd, the ex-garrison captain, drew a sword and tapped it against both his shoulders as he knelt, and proclaimed, "During the times of the Windsors' fall from power, it was you, brave warrior, who held on to your duties and responsibilities to us and gave hope and protection to the people in the midst of chaos and despair. As an acknowledgement to your noble deed, I, the eleventh head of the Windsor house, Windsor Prinna, grant you the title of Knight Protector of the Windsor house."

Knight Somm took a few steps forward and shouted, "Knight Hurd, are you willing to become the last line of defense of the Mermaid Castle?"

"I am willing!"

"Are you willing to die fighting under the banner of the mermaid?"

"I am willing!"

"Are you willing to march into battle without a shred of hesitation upon hearing the call of the mermaid?"

"I am willing!"

"Are you willing to devote the rest of your life in service of the house until you take your last breath?"

"I am willing!" shouted Knight Hurd, with each call louder than the previous as he trembled in fervor.

"Then I welcome your entry into the fellowship, my brother!" Knight Somm strided forward, lifted Knight Hurd from his kneeling position and gave him a big hug.

The onlookers broke into a thunderous round of applause.

Overlooking the ceremony as the main witness, Lorist recalled a similar scene from the memories of the body's original owner, where the young Lorist officiated one such knighting ceremony in the Norton household. Only, there were much more people back then and the atmosphere was even rowdier.

After the ceremony, Lorist and Wenna finalized their plans before Knight Somm and Knight Hurd began their journey back to the old dominion. Refusing the two knights' invitation for her to go back to the dominion with them to participate in the resistance, Wenna announced her plans to found the Windsor Trading Company that she would use to purchase weapons and equipment as well as hire Silver ranked mercenaries which the resistance will need.

Additionally, she also reminded Knight Hurd to train diligently in the high-ranked Battle Force technique that she had acquired for him as a gift for his knighting ceremony at a high price before working on anything else. With his current Three Star Iron, wood attribute Battle Force, it wouldn't take him more than half a year to break through to the Silver rank. But Knight Hurd said that he could not sit around training when his comrades are busy working away. In the end, Wenna gave him the task of organizing the reception of the equipment and manpower that she would later provide.

Lorist also warned Knight Somm that their current objective was not to form a large military force to go against the dominion lords but rather to build a spy network and to set up several strongholds in the dominion. He instructed that they were to avoid all conflict with the forces of the current dominion lords and focus on survival and information gathering for the time being.

Deep in the night, Lorist found it hard to fall asleep. He noticed that he had an incorrect impression on the noble families of this world after witnessing the knighting ceremony just hours before. He found it hard to reconcile the noble, just and loyal qualities the knights of the family had displayed with the notion that nobles were prideful, blood-sucking and self-serving monsters that took advantage of their subjects as they were often depicted in the comics and novels he had read in his past life. What he witnessed today made him cast away that stereotype and acknowledge that there were in fact honorable. righteous nobles who fought for a just cause.

The door to Lorist's room slowly opened and a girl wearing a floral tiara clad in white silk pajamas slipped in. Taking a look at the empty bed, she frowned and said to herself lightly, "Where has that fellow gone at this time of the night?"

Lorist let out a snicker from the balcony and greatly startled the young girl. She turned around immediately and said angrily, "What are you up to this late into the night? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Without a word, Lorist pointed a finger towards himself, to the room, then to the girl, posing her a silent question of what she was doing in his room at this time of the night.

Swift as a breeze, the girl leapt into Lorist's embraced and wrapped her hands behind his neck, saying in a whisper, "I was too overwhelmed by happiness to be able to sleep tonight. Lorist, thank you. Had it not been for your help, I wouldn't be standing here today. Not only did you give me hope, you also gave me a future…"

Closing her eyes, she proceeded to give Lorist a kiss, to which Lorist responded passionately. As they continued, Lorist's rationality slowly gave way to his instincts.

Pushing Lorist away, the girl said in a shy tone, "I want to… I want to dance for you."

Under the illumination of the moonlight, the barefoot girl's feet started moving about on the dark-red, wooden floor. Her pure white pajamas fluttered about in the calm of the night, seemingly emanating a soothing fragrance, as her body moved like the moon fairies of legend, offering a dance to the Silvermoon Mother Goddess.

When she finally stopped her dance and unmovingly basked in the moonlight, she seemed like a precious statue of unparalleled beauty.

Her face reddened again as Lorist gave her two thumbs ups. She proceeded to untie the knot of her pajamas and let it fall to the ground, revealing every inch of her bare, smooth skin in front of Lorist as her breathing intensified.

"Lo-Locke, do you think I'm pretty?", she asked in a soft and stuttery voice. It was at that moment when Lorist finally lost every shred of self-control that remained in him....

....

During that fleeting moonlit dreamy night…

....

Hehe, it really does sound like an old-fashioned love story…

A Fleeting Moonlit Dream (6)

Lorist used to think that relationship of his would last forever and remain blissful and passionate for a long time to come. At that time, he happily moved out of the student dorms in the academy to live with his sweetheart, Wenna.

As he was not favored by many of the Silver ranked instructors of the academy for being appointed a swordsmanship instructor when here was merely at the Iron rank, he had been staying in the student dorms rather than the instructor dorms to avoid any unnecessary conflict.

When did their relationship start to change? Was it because of his stunted Battle Force training? Or was it from that one time when he called her a show-off when she wanted him to design two exclusive night gowns for her to wear to a party? Since then, she had moved to a luxuriously furnished residence located behind the boutique which she used as the headquarters of Windsor Trading Company. From that day onward, she would continue to live and host many parties there, causing it to become a rather famed gathering place for the rich and powerful of Morante City.

On the day before she moved, she lied lazily in his embrace and expressed the expectations that she had for him. She hoped that Lorist would quickly break through to the Silver rank and become a proper knight of the Windsor house so that he could be sent to support the resistance back in the old dominion.

Nowadays the resistance had already taken firm root in the dominion and it was causing the new lords tons of trouble with the costs of fixing the damage highly exceeding the amount of tax and revenue collected. Having no choice but to further squeeze the common folk for more funds, rebel groups formed by the oppressed mushroomed and further exacerbated the already dire situation.

A report from Knight Somm had stated that the resistance had decided to take direct action against the dominion lords and were preparing to attack the households of these lords in an attempt to deal some lasting damage on the rulers' hold on the dominion.

Miss Wenna had hoped that Lorist would break through to the Silver rank soon and aid in the reclamation of the Windsor dominion as a Windsor knight so that he could more firmly establish his position as the benefactor of the family and she would not have to bear the embarrassment of being married to a petty Iron Swordsman. Following that, she can let Lorist manage the affairs of the dominion in place of her brother who had yet to inherit the family head title while she would be in charge of the boutique and the trading company to further increase the income of the Windsor house. She believed that the Windsor house would be more prosperous than ever.

Lorist really wanted to promise the beauty in his arms that he would do what she requested. But deep inside his heart, his pride and stubbornness made him refrain from it.. An apparition of a strong nobleman holding a two handed greatsword seemed to have materialized in his mind and declared proudly that Lorist would not pledge allegiance towards anyone other than the Krissen Emperor and the Norton house.

The stubborn insistence and noble pride carved deep into his soul was a vestige of the body's original owner. Lorist understood that to become a Windsor knight was to shoulder the burden of defending the Windsor house for the rest of his life and to submit to the insignia of the mermaid.

Seeing her lover's hesitant expression, she gently stroked his face and softly said, "Locke, won't you do this for the sake of both of us? When your Battle Force finally breaks through to the Silver rank, nobody can stop us from being together…"

That's right, there's still the issue with my Battle Force, thought Lorist to himself cynically. He couldn't bear to tell his lover that he had been training in the Aquametal Technique which he inherited from his past life up to the peak of the Bright Stage. This was something that he would never tell anyone, including this girl that he treasured so much. Possibly as a side effect of training in it, his hexagram circulation path was no longer able to hold a shred of Battle Force in it and he would possibly never be able to break through the Iron rank in the future.

He could tell Wenna that he was a dual Gold ranked instructor in the academy, or that he could easily defeat all the Silver ranked instructors and easily complete missions even peak Silver ranked instructors couldn't accomplish, but would it be of any use? She did not understand the implications of any of those feats and only knew of the traditions and customs of the nobles. Only when one was a Silver Swordsman could one be entrusted with the hopes and responsibility of fighting for the family's glory.

With the exception of certain special cases, most noble families would not let descendants who weren't able to awaken their Battle Force or reach a minimum level of power in their Battle Force training inherit the title of the family head. Wenna thought that Lorist was one who distinguished himself not by his Battle Force training but rather his wits and intellect. That's why she would rather Lorist not have awakened his Battle Force at all so that he doesn't have to wear that ugly, black Iron ranked badge all over the place. Whenever Lorist was not at the academy or the mercenary guild, she would insist that he not wear his Battle Force badge so that she would be spared the embarrassment.

Hoping that she would understand him, Lorist had tried to convince her to ignore such things about face and public appearance and told her that it would be alright as long as they had each other to no avail. From her viewpoint, the reputation of the family was paramount and nothing should be allowed to undermine it. She could not endure having her family's reputation tarnished even one bit. Wenna wanted to be able to show herself in front of her peers with Lorist without him being ridiculed for his rank of an Iron Swordsman.

A similar thing also happened two years prior, after Madam Windsor gave birth to the child whose father was unknown. Immediately after the delivery, Wenna sent for someone to give to child away to a local farmer in an attempt to cover up the embarrassing affair. Having not even looked at her newborn child even once, Madam Windsor eventually became depressed and was driven to the brink of her sanity. It was not until when Lorist arranged for a meeting between the mother and child out of pity that Madam Windsor's state of mind returned to normal.

Lightly shaking his head, Lorist told Wenna that he would be willing to do anything for her. He even considered going to the dominion to provide support to Knight Somm and Knight Hurd in the resistance against the dominion lords. But with him having trained in his family's hereditary Battle Force technique, he was unable to use any other technique to break through to the Silver rank.

Also, he also mentioned that he could not accept to serve as a knight under the Windsor house as he still had to heed the summons from his family should a time like that arise even though he was an exile. Though, that was more of an excuse for Lorist. Being the dimensional traveler he was, he naturally treasured unrestricted freedom and couldn't afford to accept binding oaths of service like that of a knight's. Just like Charade once said, it was Lorist's dream to simply spend the rest of his life blissfully in Morante City after settling down there with Wenna.

Having heard Lorist's reply, the girl stood up without a word, dressed herself and headed for the door. Before leaving, she said, "Lorist, you know very well that you don't actually love me. You're just like other men who talk about how much they cherish me but in fact, you only care about yourself…"

Laying on the bed, stunned, Lorist questioned himself whether he really felt true love for Wenna. Of course I do, you're the only one I have ever loved in my current and past life. Having been forced into marriage by his father in his previous life, he didn't truly feel any shred of true longing for his wife. While he did treasure the son he had with her, they merely spent their days in tepidity. It was not until he had crossed over that he discovered that the love and romance he had so often read about in novels were real after all, having experienced the burning passion and willingness to devote himself to Wenna. Feeling the intense connection of the heart, the heart-shaking whisper of his lover as well as her mesmerizing gaze, he came to understand that to love someone was to hold the other in the most important place in one's heart and only have eyes for one's other half.

Since when has his relationship become single-sided with only him giving it his all for both of their futures? Has his initial goals and determination changed as a result of that? Wasn't love about mutual tolerance and acceptance? Was Lorist the selfish one for having his own reservations about devoting himself to the Windsor house? Or was it Wenna who had changed over the course of time? Sigh, I won't get an answer no matter how much I think about this. It's best to wait for us both to calm down before we talk it out with each other.

What Lorist didn't expect was ever since that night, Lorist wasn't able to meet Wenna in person anymore; even the collection of the designs for the dresses was handled by Suzy most of the time. Whenever he went to the head office of the trading company, he was given the cold shoulder by Wenna who often cited her occupation with her work as an excuse. Initially, Lorist thought that Wenna was only throwing a childish tantrum, until he saw her together with a middle-aged nobleman in the garden of the trading company, happily chatting and flirting away.

It was also on that night when she formally asked Lorist to break up with her. The pain and agony he had felt following the breakup had tore through his heart, greatly imprinting the suffering that could not be put into words into the depths of his soul.

The only thing that was on Lorist's mind at that time was the cold, smiling expression on her pale white face as she hid behind that nobleman. The noble gentleman spread his arms to shield her and asked warily, "Mister, what's going on?"

Looking at the girl who hid behind him and turning back to Lorist, the man's expression turned grim as he said, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Without a word, Lorist only pointed a finger towards Wenna.

Her expression fluctuated briefly before she stopped hiding behind that man, and spoke. "Locke, I'm so disappointed in you. I know you have your own goals and you have never intended to sacrifice them for my sake. While you have indeed been a major help for me and my family, after much consideration, I still think that we're not suited for each other. For the future of the Windsor house, I have no choice but to part with you. I know you're a good person and hope we can still remain friends."

Was this how it felt like to be betrayed? thought Lorist with his heart already in shambles.

Never would he expect to be friendzoned in his first romantic relationship in another world. That suffocating feeling made him want to sprawl on the ground to recover his breath. But, his pride prevented him from doing so and he turned around and left, staggering.

All that happened after that was a blur. He did not even know how he made it back to the house. He only remembered seeing Lina's shocked expression after witnessing his pathetic, messed up state.

He woke up drowsily on bed the day after, following which Lina informed him that he had a visitor. It was that nobleman who was together with Wenna yesterday.

He spoke in a gentle and calm tone and informed Lorist that he had heard all about his situation. While he expressed his sympathy for Lorist's plight, he said that he would not give up on Wenna as he truly loved her and deeply apologized. Now that he had already broken up with Wenna, Lorist made no to objection to the man's courting of Wenna but neither did he offer them his blessings. The man also mentioned that it was quite unappropriate for Lorist to continue living at Wenna's house and asked if he could do anything to reimburse Lorist for having to ask him to move away.

Lorist took note of the gold badge that depicted a fiery bird which signified the man's prowess as a Gold ranked combatant with a fire attribute Battle Force. He did not expect that polite, gentlemanly man to be an expert, given his demeanor.

Shaking his head and refusing the man's offer, Lorist thanked him and also mentioned that he would move away even if nobody told him to. The nobleman left after he exchanged another round of pleasantries with Lorist.

Casually packing away some clothes, he left the place that he lived in for the past three years for good. In there was countless memories of her smile, the oaths they shared, the laughter and happiness they experienced, the arguments they had as well as her cold, icy betrayal.

He went back to the Red Grace Inn and got a room there before asking his good friend Els to get a background check on that middle-aged nobleman. Els brought him the report rather quickly. That man was called Lorf Fustat, a 38-year-old One Star Gold ranked expert who was a marquis of the Jigda Kingdom that was greatly valued by the royal family. He came from a long line of distinguished military commanders with his father being the captain of the kingdom's royal guard as well as the cousin brother of the Jigda king.

Having been sent to Morante City on a mission to exchange the Jigda Kingdom's gold and silver reserves for the currency of the Forde Trade Union, Marquis Lorf got to know the mistress of the Windsor house on a shopping trip with his wife. Being of the same kingdom, they had a lot of common and got along pretty well. He had already been fervently courting Wenna for half a year following the completion of his mission.

"Does his current wife not know about it?" asked Lorist.

"Of course she does," said Els, "She also seems rather supportive of it too. Apparently she is also a great friend of Miss Wenna who can share all their secrets together."

Good Sol, that woman really has some issues.

Shaking his head, Els said, "Forget it, brother. I've witnessed tons of stuff like that. When the man's feelings change, the woman suffers, but there is still a chance for them to get back together. But when a woman's heart is swayed, there is almost no way for their relationship to ever work out again. Additionally, how would you be able to rival someone of the likes of him? From his family background to his wealth and strength, he beats you in almost every aspect. Having many powerful contacts and being a One Star Gold expert at the age of 38, it's almost a given that his future would be bright. It's no wonder your lover had her heart stolen by him.

"Let me tell you something you might not want to hear. That man is not like your average lustful greedy young noble that would ambush or challenge you to a duel after finding out that you were the young mistress's ex. To him, you're just a small-fry who's not even worth his attention. Even if you were to challenge him, he would only cream you without breaking a sweat given the difference in Battle Force strength," warned Els solemnly.

Lorist only kept quiet at Els's warning. Three days later, he joined the academy's expedition to the Relic Islands in hopes that half a year later, things over here might change. Though, in the end it still remained the same.