As Abelarda slowly left the room, her figure fading from sight, Liam let out a long sigh, watching his mother-in-law disappear. For a brief moment, he had genuinely felt the pull of her seductive nature. He knew, however, that Abelarda held no real feelings for him. She was simply toying with him, as she often did. Abelarda was not only his mother-in-law but also the head maid of the house—a position she had deliberately taken on when his wife became pregnant with their first child.
He remembered clearly why. During that first pregnancy, someone had attempted to poison his wife. The investigation revealed that the previous head maid had been a spy, sent by an outside force to infiltrate their household. When Abelarda discovered this, she used her influence to take over the position herself, ensuring that such treachery would never happen again. She had made a vow then—she would serve as head maid until all her grandchildren were married, and only then would she retire from the role.
Liam had tried many times to persuade her to step down, offering her the role of head of the household instead, where she could manage things without having to work so closely with the staff. But Abelarda had refused each time, stating firmly, "I will not go back on my word."
In the end, he had resigned himself to her decision, choosing not to push the matter any further. However, the time was approaching when he would need to reveal the truth to his children. None of them knew that their grandmother was serving as the head maid. They had always assumed she was simply a dedicated servant, unaware of her true role and the power she wielded in the household.
He began planning for the future, knowing that this secret could not stay hidden forever. Sooner or later, his children would need to understand the truth about their grandmother's sacrifice and the protection she had provided for the family all these years.
Meanwhile, in the training room, there was only one year left until Ajax's training would be complete…
In the training room, Ajax was now pushing his barrier ability to its limits. He had planned to use each of his abilities one at a time, but time was not on his side. So, he decided to focus on what he was most familiar with—his barrier control.
He started by creating simple barriers, but each one shattered effortlessly under Jared's punches. Frustrated, Ajax shouted, "You old man, stop bullying people like this!"
Jared chuckled. "Oh, don't say that! If anyone heard, they'd think I'm bullying a little girl."
Hearing Jared's mocking tone, Ajax's frustration boiled over. He lacked the strength to match Jared's power, let alone his words. He snapped back, "Look at me—I'm fighting against a dried-up old lake that's about to disappear!"
Jared nodded, unfazed by Ajax's sarcasm. "Yes, I may be a dried-up lake, but even in my state, I can completely drown you."
Without warning, Jared threw a punch, his fist connecting with Ajax's face. The impact tore off part of the left side of Ajax's face, sending him staggering. Despite the violent exchange, both men knew there was no true animosity between them. This was how Ajax vented his anger, and Jared was well aware of it.
In fact, Jared was more than willing to play along, allowing Ajax to unleash his frustrations. After all, he had trained many students in the past, and although they were hailed as prodigies by the outside world, none had lasted more than five years under his rigorous training. Each one had their fighting spirit crushed by his brutal methods, unable to withstand the relentless pressure. But Ajax was different. He had endured—he had grown.
Though they traded insults and blows, Jared could see the progress in Ajax. His student was tough, and even after 290 years of training, Ajax's spirit hadn't broken.
In the past, when Jared had trained other disciples, their parents had paid a hefty price to temporarily erase their sons' or daughters' memories of their brutal training. This was done to restore their fighting spirits, which had been crushed by the intense training. However, the memory seals would lose their effect once the disciples became strong enough. When those memories resurfaced, it often caused great turmoil, like a nightmare they had to relive. These people, who had always been at the top of society, found it difficult to reconcile with those memories, and it took time to digest the trauma.
Compared to those previous disciples, Ajax was far stronger, both mentally and physically. He was close to merging fully with his barrier ability, which would raise his power to the next level. But time was running out—there were only two days left before this training session came to an end.
The training area was designed with a strict time limit. If the area was used beyond what the manufacturers intended, it could explode or even kill the people inside. Ajax had asked Jared to extend the session or switch to a different training room, but Jared had refused.
Jared explained, "This training box operates on divine power, which goes against the world system. The stronger the user, the more the box can handle. You've been training here for 300 years. That alone shows just how strong I am. It's a miracle this thing hasn't blown up yet."
Ajax knew there wasn't much time left. If he channeled his energy into the training box, he might be able to squeeze out more time, but he didn't have enough power on his own. He briefly considered asking his wife if she could arrange something, but he hesitated.