Grace was sitting in the room when she heard the sound of Caesar returning. Although she wasn't entirely sure of Caesar's intentions, she could make an educated guess. The way Caesar looked at her suggested that he didn't believe they were merely ordinary wealthy merchants.
But she had no choice. She had asked Raffi about Caesar's strength, and the man seemed to be on par with their former steward. Could he really have the strength of a low-level knight squire at such a young age?
Grace, unlike Christine, was not mistaken about Caesar's age. From his voice, Grace could tell he was a young man around twenty.
Before long, a soldier delivered Caesar's lunch. Naturally, lunch wasn't just a single chicken. He had already ordered a hearty meal to be brought. Raffi, despite the limited seasonings available, had skillfully made a delicious pot of chicken soup. Caesar had actually expected her to roast the chicken.
At the stone table in the courtyard, Caesar munched on a meat pie, occasionally sipping from his bowl of soup. "Come and eat with me," he said, waving Christine over.
"Okay!" Christine cheerfully ran over and plopped herself onto Caesar's lap. Caesar shifted uncomfortably but didn't push her away. Raffi, feeling embarrassed at first, couldn't resist the fragrant aroma and, at Caesar's insistence, sat down to eat as well.
Grace wasn't overly formal. She came out of the house and sat nearby. The four of them eating together felt strangely like a family.
"You've trained in fighting energy, haven't you?" Caesar asked Raffi during the meal.
Raffi fell silent, unsure how to respond. Grace spoke for her, "Yes, Raffi has trained in one of our family's fighting energy techniques."
Caesar noticed something unusual. Did Grace's family have multiple fighting energy techniques? The highest-ranking noble he knew was Baron Kyle, and even he only had access to one fighting energy training method.
Grace continued, "If you can get us out of this city, we will reward you handsomely..."
"Stop. You're my prisoners now. Your wealth is already mine, so there's no need for further rewards," Caesar said firmly, tapping the table.
While Raffi had trained in fighting energy, her combat awareness was poor. Compared to Caesar, who had fought his way through blood-soaked battlefields, she was no match. Caesar was confident he could defeat her with one hand.
Seeing her aunt's awkwardness, Christine intervened, calling Caesar "big brother" repeatedly in her sweet voice. Caesar's hardened demeanor softened. Christine had grown up largely alone, her high-ranking parents too busy to care for her. Caesar, though an enemy, had become a source of security and comfort.
Despite the interruptions, lunch ended on a pleasant note thanks to Christine's lighthearted presence.
After the meal, Raffi cleaned up the dishes while Grace and Christine sat in the courtyard, watching Caesar train. Caesar took out a piece of Red Sea Flower from his pocket, wrapped his hand in fighting energy, crushed it into powder, and swallowed it. He began guiding his fighting energy cycle.
He didn't fully understand how the Red Sea Flower accelerated fighting energy condensation, but his abdomen began to feel intensely warm. Having experienced this once before, Caesar remained calm, quietly running the fighting energy route. As the energy flowed through the fiery area in his abdomen, it grew noticeably stronger.
Two hours later, Caesar finished his training. He could feel his fighting energy vortex had grown by about one-third. However, the effect wasn't as significant as the first time he had taken the Red Sea Flower. His vortex was now about half the size of a soybean, meaning Caesar had already achieved half the fighting energy capacity of Uncle York.
At the entry-level knight squire stage, there were virtually no bottlenecks. Progress was mostly determined by the total amount of fighting energy one could accumulate. However, just because there was no bottleneck didn't mean advancement was easy.
Many people spent their entire lives stuck at this stage, either because they couldn't maintain long-term discipline or because their natural aptitude was poor. Caesar and York, who had earned their training opportunities through military merit, had no way of measuring their aptitude. For men like them, hard work was their only path forward.
Caesar had anticipated the diminishing effects of the Red Sea Flower. If its effects were limitless, Young Master Soren wouldn't have remained stuck at the peak of the entry-level squire stage. Still, it was a path to improvement, and Caesar resolved to seek out more Red Sea Flowers if the opportunity arose.
Feeling some residual soreness in his body, Caesar switched to practicing combat techniques. His fighting energy reserves were still too low to rely on entirely; physical combat skills were equally important.
An hour later, Caesar wiped sweat from his body with a cloth. Raffi, nearby, was lost in thought.
Caesar noticed her dazed expression, reached into his pocket, and tossed her a gold bracelet.
Raffi fumbled to catch it and gasped, "Where did you find this?"
"Picked it up off the ground," Caesar lied calmly.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Raffi said tearfully. "This is the only thing my mother left me."
Caesar remained silent, his expression briefly touched by emotion. "Don't lose it again," he said sternly.
"I won't, I promise," Raffi said, clutching the bracelet tightly.
Grace, watching from the side, spoke softly, "I know you're a good person. Can you let us go?"
"If I let you go, do you think you'll survive in this world?" Caesar countered.
Grace fell silent. She knew he was right. Even if they escaped the city, Shiloh was engulfed in war, and safety was nearly impossible to find—especially for three women.
"If you could help us cross the border, to another country..." Grace persisted.
"Impossible. I'm just a squad captain. I don't have that kind of authority. Besides, you're Shiloh citizens, and I'm Garrelian. You're my prisoners. I have no obligation to help you," Caesar interrupted.
Grace's eyes welled with tears. No one had ever spoken to her this way. Christine hugged her aunt and whispered, "Auntie, it's okay. Staying with big brother isn't so bad."
Unbeknownst to Caesar, Grace and the others were no ordinary noble family. But Caesar, a commoner, had little experience dealing with nobility. Keeping Grace around was, in part, driven by his own curiosity and ambition.
A few days later, Phalanx City officially became Garrel's territory. Baron Kyle summoned remaining soldiers and supply teams from Giza Town to transport the city's wealth back to the kingdom.
Chassie arrived and was assigned to the main bedroom of the courtyard alongside Caesar, while the three women moved into side rooms. Initially, Chassie was wary of them, but after realizing Caesar had no romantic interest in them, she relaxed.
Henry, the logistics merchant, also visited Caesar. Caesar entrusted him with managing half of their spoils, which earned Henry a small fortune. Henry promised to arrange for a custom-made shield for Caesar.
"A shield? No problem! Leave it to me," Henry said confidently.
"Make it an arm shield," Caesar specified. "It doesn't need to be huge, but it must be sturdy."
"Got it. I know an excellent blacksmith in Peters' Territory. I'll handle it," Henry assured him.
With that, Henry departed with the caravan, promising to return with Caesar's shield in two weeks.