The adults gathered at the dining table, awaiting the arrival of the two kids. "Why are they so late today? They're usually the first to arrive," Jane wondered, with the other ladies nodding in agreement.
"They might have lost track of time in training, I presume. Let me send someone to check if they are there or if they went somewhere else," James suggested to the ladies, preparing to call someone before sitting back with a smile.
The two boys entered the dining hall, whispering to each other with lowered heads. "Come join us quickly; it's already late," John informed, and both silently took their places without raising their heads. Elizabeth, suspicious, asked, "What happened? Why are you two so silent?"
"No... nothing, Grandma," Williams replied, and Alan nodded in agreement. Elizabeth pressed further, "Why are you two lowering your heads, then?" Williams insisted, "It's nothing, we're just tired."
John suggested, "Why don't we plan a visit to the forest for a hunting excursion? It's been too long since we were last there." Williams and Alan lifted their heads, exchanging smiles. Everyone's attention was on John, except for the maid serving them, who screamed in horror and accidentally dropped the serving spoon.
"What's the matter, Mary? Is something wrong?" Elizabeth asked in confusion.
The maid lifted her shaking finger and pointed her hands at the boys, "Young Master... young Master's... faces...!!"
Everyone looked at the two silent and obedient-looking boys. "Lift your heads, dear," Jane instructed. Both let out a sigh in defeat and raised their heads. All the ladies gasped, and the two men burst into laughter.
"What happened?" Helen and Elizabeth asked simultaneously. "You both look like monkeys," John remarked, making James laugh loudly.
"It's nothing, Grandma. We were sparring, but I think we just went a bit overboard in excitement," Williams tried to smile, but it only heightened the ladies' fear.
Their faces were heavily bruised, with blackened eyes and bloodied, swollen lips.
"What!??" All the ladies exclaimed in shock. "Just a bit overboard?" Jane asked in horror.
"Don't get too worked up over this. It's a small matter. Boys will get injuries, and it will heal up in a few days," John said, and James nodded in agreement.
"Small matter? Look at them, John. They look like they've been run over by a carriage," Elizabeth exclaimed.
James sent all the staff away saying they would serve the food by themselves today. Once they all were dismissed John continued, "That's not the issue here." "Then what?" Elizabeth asked in anger. John ignored her and looked at Alan. "Did you really let him beat you up after beating him first, or did he beat you first and then get beaten by you?"
Alan shook his head. "Neither, Grandpa John. It's as he said, we sparred, and in the heat of it, got overboard," he confirmed. Everyone fell into silence.
"Both of you have been practicing for three months in privacy. We also didn't check on your progress or ask about your training much. We were happy that both of you were getting along. Alan, can you tell me about both of your progress?" James asked.
Alan glanced at Williams, who avoided eye contact out of embarrassment. A sigh escaped Alan. "Sorry, Wil. I need to be honest here," Alan addressed Williams, turning to Uncle James. "Initially, I was using about 5% of my strength. Over time, as we enjoyed sparring together, it kindled a fire inside me. I believe Williams had a similar experience," Alan explained, and Williams nodded in agreement.
"As we progressed, we started utilizing more of our strength. By the end of today's sparring session, I was using 30% of my strength, and Wil could hold his ground against me," Alan concluded.
Both John and James stood up so abruptly that their chairs fell back. All the ladies were gawking at the boys at this news because they knew the strength of Alan. Williams stood up, put their chairs back in position, and they sat back.
"Alright, how much progress have you made in these three months, my dear boy?" John inquired. After a brief pause, Alan responded, "If it were three months ago, I might have needed to use half of my strength to match Wil today."
"You mean to say Williams can now produce half of your strength when you came here?" James asked, seeking reassurance. Alan nodded, "Yes, almost that much."
A heavy silence filled the room. A few moments later, Elizabeth sighed, "And here I thought I could persuade both of you to join the merchant guild."
Everyone stared at her with bewilderment. "What? I'm not joking. I was about to bring up this topic during dinner, but alas, these kids shocked us with different news."
"Wait, what??!!! Mother, do you mean to say even Williams is good at trading and economics?" James asked in surprise. "Yes, my son. Williams here is also a genius when it comes to trading. I've been running these kids through several assessments for more than two months now, and both are performing tremendously. I'm sure the trade guild will beg them to join if they just attend the entrance test."