“Thank you very much, Father.”
The light in Hulim’s eyes was rekindled.
Razelian nodded with satisfaction, then glanced sideways at Amon.
“Hulim, just keep it up. As long as you don’t end up like someone else—practicing swordsmanship for so many years and still stuck on the Third Form…”
“Hey hey, Dad, I heard that! Is mastering the Third Form really not good enough?! Don’t joke around!”
“Alright, alright, it’s getting late,” Razelian ignored Amon’s protests. “Hulim, you should go wash up and eat breakfast.”
Hulim looked up at the height of the sun and saluted Razelian.
“Understood, Father!”
With that, she turned and left the courtyard.
Behind her came the sounds of Amon and Razelian arguing.
“Hey, Dad, don’t ignore me!”
“You’ve got some nerve. Look at how you swung your sword just now—is that really Hayeral swordsmanship?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?!”
“Hah, still talking back? Fine, I’ll show you what real Hayeral swordsmanship looks like!”
“Eh?! Wait, Dad, what are you trying to do? Wait—”
Clatter!
After washing off the sweat in the bath, Hulim changed into her school clothes and entered the dining room.
At this moment, Lilia was the only one in the dining room.
Seeing Hulim arrive, Lilia smiled and said, “Come on, Hulim, the bread is getting cold.”
“All right, Mother.”
Hulim sat down in her seat, picked up the warm bread in front of her, spread some jam on it, and ate it with fresh milk.
Only the two of them were having breakfast—not because the others didn’t eat, but because almost everyone else was out of the house at this time.
Big Brother Zigg had long finished his outdoor training but hadn’t graduated yet. Once he did and obtained his Imperial Knight Academy certificate, he could smoothly inherit their father’s title.
Second Brother Reed wanted to make his own way, so half a year ago he joined the Imperial Army and was still a new recruit in the barracks.
Third Sister Luti wanted to become a teacher and went to study in the Earl of Lester’s capital.
As for Elders Lumia and Lucia, their situation was a bit special.
Because they possessed the rare Light attribute talent, they passed the Seven Days Church’s selection half a year ago and were currently candidates for church clerics, likely studying in the church city.
By the way, Hulim did not participate in that selection.
Besides them, only Hulim and Amon remained at home. Amon was not yet old enough to leave home and should have been eating at the table too, but since he was receiving instruction from their father, the bread on his plate was left to grow cold.
After finishing breakfast in the dining room, Hulim saluted Lilia.
“Mother, I have finished eating.”
With that, she left the table.
“All right, be careful on your way,” Lilia’s voice came from behind.
After tidying her attire, Hulim stepped out the door.
“Father, I’m heading out!”
Passing through the courtyard, Razelian was teaching Amon proper swordsmanship—by beating him.
“Oh, be careful on your way.”
“Wait, Hulim, don’t go yet, come save me!”
“Oh? Still have the energy to talk? Then I’ll just double your weight again.”
“No, please—”
As the iron gate of the Hayeral residence closed behind her, Amon’s pitiful cries faded into the distance.
The Hayeral estate was located on the southeastern edge of Ment Town, while the preparatory school was on the northwestern side, next to the Adventurers’ Guild.
In other words, Hulim’s route to school passed through most of the town’s streets.
The warm sunlight bathed the street, and the number of pedestrians gradually increased.
“Oh, Hulim is going to school so early.”
“Yes, good morning.”
“Hey there, little miss, want some sugar cakes? They’re really sweet~!”
“Thank you, no need, I already had breakfast.”
“… S-s-sir! I can still drink~…”
“… There are monsters nearby!”
“Really? So close?”
“Absolutely true! Several people saw them! And some unidentified glowing monsters flying in the sky!”
“Ah, according to adventurers, the forest near the mines has recently become dangerous.”
At a street corner, the young priest of the town was explaining the church’s doctrines to a group of young women, extolling the greatness of the gods.
“Ah, so magnificent! Father, I’m truly moved. I wish I could listen to you all day. Do you have time to come to my house to preach today?”
“Me too, Father, please come to my house and deliver the teachings!”
“Me as well…”
The young women swarmed around the priest, eager to invite him to their homes, their eyes never leaving his face.
One might wonder if they were even listening to his words.
The priest looked a bit troubled.
“Ahem, ladies, please watch your words. It is the gods who are great, not a humble believer like me.”
“Oh, yes, that’s what I meant. I spoke too quickly earlier. It was wrong of me. Father, please come to my house and admonish me!”
“Father, don’t only talk to her. Look at me too~!”
“Father, my house is pretty big as well~…”
Faced with their enthusiasm, the priest was momentarily overwhelmed.
Just then, he spotted Hulim passing by.
Suddenly, he had an idea.
“Ah—young lady over there, Miss Hulim, please wait!”
Hearing someone call her name, Hulim stopped and tilted her head, looking at him.
The priest quickly pushed through the crowd surrounding him and said apologetically:
“Sorry, ladies. I have some business to attend to with this young lady. We’ll save the preaching for another time.”
“Eh—what a disappointment.”
“Father, you must come to my house next time!”
“See you tomorrow, Father…”
The young women dispersed.
“Hehe, I will, I will!” the priest said nervously, breathing a slight sigh of relief.
“May I ask what you need? Um… what was your name again?”
Hulim looked at the priest in front of her and asked.
“Uh… just call me Father. Miss Hayeral of course.”
The priest replied, then added, “Thanks again for helping me out today. These ladies are getting more and more playful; some were even tugging on my robes secretly…”
As the priest was complaining,
“Oh, I remember now!”
Hulim seemed to finally recall who he was.
“You’re the one who always followed the old priest around, and after he died two years ago, you inherited his duties, but now you’re always dreaming about transferring to the Central Cathedral!”
The young priest’s mouth twitched.
Is your way of remembering people a bit off?
“Is there nothing else? If not, I’m going to school now.”
Saying that, Hulim prepared to leave.
“Sigh—wait! Although I said that just to get rid of those ladies, there is something.”
The priest quickly called her back.
“It’s about your two elder sisters. A messenger just passed by with news about them. If you have time these days, you can ask your parents—especially Lady Lilia—to listen.”
“So it’s news about Elders Lumia and Lucia. Understood. I’ll tell Father and Mother.”
Much of the church’s affairs were kept confidential, including those studying as cleric candidates. So to learn news, one had to wait for the church to deliver it.
By the way, Hulim knew the priest’s situation well—not only was he the only church member in town, but also because their family had a mother who nearly joined the church and two sisters who had actually joined.
The Hayeral family had frequent dealings with the church branch in Ment Town.
Father was friends with the former priest, and the current priest’s dream of transferring to the prestigious Central Cathedral was a secret inadvertently revealed by the previous priest.
“Heh, this really helps me out. Now I don’t have to make a special trip.”
The priest said, visibly relieved.
“Father, I think you should pay a bit more attention to church matters.”
“Oh? Why?”
“Because if you keep this up, you might never make it to the Central Cathedral…”