Following the ruckus that had just occurred, Dad led Arnold and the Great Sage to the main dining hall. He let them sit in the middle section, where a large round table is surrounded by four chairs. The spacing between the chairs is neither adjacent nor far from each other. The Great Sage sat on one of the chairs, and Arnold sat right next to him.
The dining hall was spacious, albeit it seems that only three people will be present tonight. Well, the tavern was never open in the evening in the first place. Such a thing caused uncanniness to the surrounding. Dad was in a state of uncertainty upon realizing how awkward it is for three people to be in such a large room. The glowstones in the dining hall emits orange light, which partially makes the surrounding a little bit dim.
"Worry not. The environment of this magnificent dining hall gives the best atmosphere for chatting. I'd say it's better this way." Sensing that the host is troubled, the Great Sage said these words wholeheartedly, for He knew the roots of the affliction.
"Thanks. Make yourselves feel like you're at home. I'll go brew some tea for us. Then I'll be out for some time to prepare dinner." Dad responded, happy to hear that the visitors aren't that much affected by the dining hall's current state. He went to the kitchen to brew some tea.
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Greg took Laurence to Dad's room, which was located near the intersection between the stairs, kitchen, and the dining hall. He gently placed the sleeping Laurence on Dad's bed and covered her with the blanket. She was sleeping comfortably, by the fact that she was snoring loudly. It was a little bit awkward for Greg to just watch Laurence. Although he does watch her whenever he comes inside her room to wake her up, this time, he was watching her sleep for no absolute reason at all. Well, he was ordered by Dad to take her to the room. Greg wanted to go outside to join the conversation, curious by what's Dad's response by hearing Laurence's destiny. He also doesn't want to go out. Scared by the fact that the hypnotizing woman might come back.
As time passes by, Greg heard murmurs and laughter of the conversation. He couldn't tell what it was all about as the room was sound-proofed by the door that tightly sealed out the noise coming from outside. Feeling sleepy, Greg tried slapping himself to wake himself up. It was no use. He couldn't keep himself awake. Standing up from the chair to where he was sitting, he moved to the bed where Laurence was sleeping. He doesn't care. Greg moved her to the side to provide some space for himself to sleep.
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"Now, let's discuss the main topic of why we had come to visit your residence." The Great Sage said as He swaps His jubilant look into a state of seriousness. There was silence. Dad was tensed because of this, and he gulped the knot on his throat.
"Your daughter is destined to be the hero that will defeat the Evil Sorcerer, which will rise in three years after this autumn." The Great Sage said.
"Go on. Tell me more information." Dad replied, feeling a little bit dreaded by the fact that his daughter will have to defeat the Evil Sorcerer that nearly took over the world four hundred years ago.
"The Evil Sorcerer will be much more powerful this time as there will be a great eclipse which will intensify Its use of dark magic. This time, I won't be enough to stop it." Hearing what the Great Sage said, Arnold and Dad couldn't help but have hair-raising shivers. Arnold couldn't believe the fact that the all-mighty Great Sage would admit that He can't stop it. He wondered how the Great Sage was able to defeat it four hundred years ago.
"Fret not. I have instructed Arnold to teach Laurence everything she would need to know to beat the Evil Sorcerer. We are taking her to the Imperial Palace of the North, where it'll be much safer for her to stay compared to here, where she might potentially get assassinated by evil cults." The Great Sage said as He presented a parchment with gold linings. Dad took a closer look and read its content. It's, without a doubt, a legitimate letter from royalty. What's written in it surprised Dad. He would be guaranteed that he'd receive a bag containing one hundred pieces of gold per season if he were to send Laurence to the palace. Conflicted by the fact that he would be earning a considerable sum of money in exchange for sending his beloved daughter away, he placed a more profound thought to his decisions. Considering that a single gold coin is enough to provide a good quality of life for a whole week, imagine if it's a hundred. Dad found it hard to refuse the deal. 'I mean, besides the gold coins, Laurence would also be saving the world as well as learning other things.' That was what Dad thought. He was already convinced of the idea. All he had to do is confirm the deal.
"Alright. I'll accept this deal but listen to what I have to say. Carefully. Let me be franker. I don't care about how much money you send me. I want the guaranteed protection of my daughter. You must send me detailed reports on what is to happen to my beloved daughter. I don't like her to return as crippled, and if you can't guarantee that, then screw you and this world." Dad said in a composed tone. Hearing his words, Arnold couldn't help but glare at Dad for insulting his master.
"Rest assured. I promise, with my life, that she'll come back in one piece. I also guarantee you that once she's done saving the world, she'll return as a better person." The Great Sage said while maintaining his cool. Although the pragmatic Dad had spat rude remarks at Him, the Great Sage was not a hot-headed person. Rather, He was more of a peaceful type.
Dad confirmed the deal by signing up the contract on the parchment. Then he passed it to the Great Sage.
"Thank you so much for your generosity. We'll depart once it's dawn. Don't worry too much about packing Laurence's necessities. It'll be provided at the palace. You should be more concerned about having to figure out how you would spend the rest of the remaining time with your daughter." The Great Sage said in a courteous way of speaking.
"Then, if you'll excuse, I'll be checking on my daughter." Dad excused himself out.