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Chapter 17: Knowledge I

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Val nodded while stroking his chin, seemingly contemplating something, 'I recited the poem again, but nothing happened so he might be right. However... I will have to test a few things later.'

A well-hidden smirk surfaced on Alvion's face as he spoke, "Until the underground archery range is finished, you should focus on swordsmanship. Train in the first floor until you master it."

Val frowned and started stroking his chin, seemingly thinking about it before saying, "Perhaps I will... If you give me the entire Nether Book for about a month. I'd also like to learn a thing or two about formation and alchemy but let's leave that for later."

"Why? It's unnecessary. The words you'll need, you'll usually learn from the ether arts. They all have perfect guidance with all the nether words necessary for the casting."

"Just curious. That shouldn't be a problem, right?" Val responded.

Alvion seemed thoughtful for a while, trying to see how giving him any of those can screw him over. After all, he can clearly see that his bizarre son is still holding a grudge against him.

'Hah, having children is too troublesome. I tried everything, yet three of them have aspects different from mine.

Now, I tried to discipline my son as any father would, but he ended up hating blood, perhaps even hating me. Or he's just holding a grudge and trying to go against me just like Rhys.'

Alvion couldn't help but massage his temple in annoyance, "I'll have Louis send them to you. However, that'll only happen if you do as you said. You can go now."

He watched his strange children leave the hall while thinking to himself, 'The trouble a good father has to go through, huh. Am I a good father? Well, at least I'm better how my father was.'

"Berak. How is Rhys?" After a while, he asked, seemingly talking to himself though an answer came from the vacant hallway.

"He still visits his mother any chance he gets, and it's affecting him. He seems to be getting softer. He still fears you and would obey most of your orders, but I don't that will be for long."

A cold rough voice sounded throughout the hall, seemingly coming from everywhere.

"What about her?" Alvion further inquired with no emotional fluctuation.

"She still hates you, and likely want Rhys to hate you as well.

There is a possibility of her doing something extreme, but we will know beforehand. Her emotional state is unstable."

Alvion closed his eyes and released a sigh, "Keep watching over him. He will probably learn something from it and grow up... You may leave."

He then started talking to himself, "Women huh, we had a deal which you gladly agreed to... Now you hate me because... Of stupidity?

It's kind of my fault. I was ambitious and decided to try different kinds of fruits to see what flavors they can produce. Now, I suffer the burnt of my actions.

Hmm, well, Noah And Nious are not perfect but quite good. Rhys is a failure, but he's still young. Val is a flavor... I don't know nor understand yet."

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"Hmm, the flavors! Delicious! The sauce needs a bit of seasoning. The wine used to make it doesn't seem to be suitable. The spices also aren't enough."

In the castle's dining room, Val could be seen seated around the table. He was slowly eating the dish before him while giving his criticism from time to time.

Opposite of him was Rhys who had absolutely no table ethics, going down on the large portion of food before him.

Standing next to Val was a tall well-looking lady. She appeared to be in her thirties, vibrant with maturity and elegance.

She was wearing a maid's outfit and was listening attentively to Val's words, "I used red Swivene wine. I thought it was quite fitting."

Val shook his head as he picked up a glass of crimson wine and took a sip. "Swivene is made of soft red grapes, its flavor is a bit mild. It works with most dishes, but when adding the brown polar tiger's meat to the equation... It becomes a bit inconsistent.

As you know, its flavor is a bit too strong. I don't fit well with the sauce. Now about the meat, as expected of someone who has been in the craft for more than forty years, it's perfect.

The recipe is good, so you don't have to change anything if you don't feel like it. Remember, this is my taste, and I like consistency. Too many flavors aren't my thing.

That's why even in fruit salads, I prefer no more than five types of fruits. This is the main meal, so my criteria are even more strict."

Nora, the chef of the family was quite a calm lady. She listened to Val and kept a few notes from time to time.

Someone as young as Val criticizing didn't offend her one bit. Her job was to cook whatever they desire, and her salary is extremely high, so how can she complain.

Furthermore, cooking is a hobby of hers. She enjoys it and loves seeing people appreciate it.

Moreover, Val seemed strangely knowledgable about cooking to the point of astonishing her, and subjectively, not one thing he said for the past month was wrong. As he said, for some things, it's a matter of taste.

She found herself enjoying his company, hearing his words, and watching his enjoyment as he elegantly ate the dish. It was something no one in the castle shared with him.

The twins basically live in the library. The servants can only send the dishes to its door without the chance to take a step in it.

Rhys, on the other hand. He was giving a few glances to the duo from time to time, annoyance apparent in his eyes.

However, he had more important things in mind as he dug through his meal, and only then did he say, "Aunt Nora! That's not fair!! You never listen to my complaints!"

Nora gently smiled at him and answered, "That's because your complaints consist of 'The portion is small!', 'There isn't enough meat!', 'Where is the fire beasts meat!'

I increased the portions as you said. However, there is nothing I can do about fire beasts' meat. We're in the north where such beasts are extremely rare. The cost of exporting them is also too high.

I believe I said that last month, but I will keep saying it every month just so you can remember."

Rhys is quite muscular and a bit taller than Val despite the latter already being quite tall. So one can only imagine how comical it was for him to release a pout of indignation, "Whatever!"

Val's mind was on another thing, "Did she just roast him to his face without him noticing it? Well, whatever.'

Val used his fork to pick the last piece of delicious meat and brought it to his mouth. The tiger meat melted in his mouth, and he couldn't help but close his eyes in enjoyment.

Rhys interrupted that sweet moment by his excited loud voice, "Louis said before that you'll start practicing in swordsmanship, and Berak said that you used to practice with him before, so how about training together."

Berak is Rhys' personal servant. A seeker specializing in sabers, something he passed to Rhys because the latter uses the same weapon.

Val opened his eyes and looked at his brother calmly before standing up while saying, "I'll practice along, and I'm no longer interested in sabers."

Rhys' eyes turned wide as he screamed, "What!! But sabers are the best, they can slash, and they're so cool."

Val didn't pay attention to him anymore as he made his way towards his room where Louis had already delivered the books.

'Father, I agree, practicing swordsmanship is definitely necessary. Why wouldn't I want to practice it? There are so many possibilities ahead that...'

Val turned his attention to the four books on the table. He picked them one by one and looked through them for a minute.

The first book attracted most of his attention. It had a grey cover with its title written in black 'Nether Words'.

It's the thickest book of the four as it contains the most important knowledge within. That's what scholars around the world call Words Of The World...