The boy ground his teeth before opening his mouth. Yet, while his jaw hung open, no words came out. A moment later, he heaved a long breath. “You’re right. I can’t deny it. I was in a rush and my tone might have come off rude. And it was only a bump. It’s not something to cause a fuss over. I shouldn’t have gotten angry like that.

“I’m sorry. But remember this: I’ll come back tomorrow to beat you. You better be prepared. No excuses will save you at that time.”

The apology caught Samuel off-guard. However, the words after made his expression twist. His eyes almost rolled back in their sockets. Holding desperately onto his solemn expression, he looked the young man in the eye.

“Why’re you after me? What did I do for you to be this insistent about fighting me?”

“Because you’re the Leo’s son. A while back, my master told me that that man had scammed him and he wanted to beat him up. But, your father disappeared and nobody could find him. So I decided I’ll find him and teach him a lesson to not scam others. Scamming is a bad thing, after all.”

“And now that I found you, if I beat you, you’ll tell me where he is. After that, I’ll go beat him up. Hehe!”

Samuel blinked, speechless. Mechanically, his head turned to the side, barely catching Zhu, who almost spat out the tea he was drinking and was trying his best to cover up his laughter.

Samuel opened his mouth to say something, but looking at Diego’s honest and righteous expression, no words came to his mind. At the same time, he wondered, Where did Teacher Zhu manage to get this marvel?

Looking at the silent Samuel, Diego asked, “You want to fight now?”

Hearing his words, Samuel snapped out of his reverie. Walking up to Diego, Samuel raised his hand before patting the boy’s shoulders while saying, “Big brother, I can’t help but feel a sense of admiration for you. Seriously. You have such a bright head that I want to prostrate myself in admiration towards you. I can’t help but feel it to be a pity that someone as bright as you to be here instead of ridding the world of its problems. My deepest apology for my earlier rudeness. I hope you forgive me.

“Whenever I get a chance, I’ll bring you to see him whenever I get the chance. But remember to bring some Mythril with you. Mythril coins can work well for that, I guess. Otherwise, things can get problematic.”

“Why’s that?” Diego asked, blinking in confusion.

Haha! The fish caught the bait! Want to fight? Sure! But remember, you’ll pay the price. Samuel laughed inside.

However, outside, his expression was as somber as earlier. He answered with a question of his own, “Do you know where the name Mythril came from?”

Diego shook his head.

Samuel coughed before continuing, “Let me explain. Back in the day, it’s said that there were countless gods and devils who roamed the lands. But now we look, we find them nowhere. The reason for that is a great war. The great war that split the continent of Ackerhon into these smaller continents we see today. You must’ve heard of that, right?”

Diego nodded. His brows knit tight as he stared at Samuel unblinkingly.

Looking back at Diego listening to him attentively, Samuel nodded inside with satisfaction. His smile eased as he thought about what to say next.

When he was about to continue, the voice of a young girl urged, “Please continue. Tell what happened next.”

Turning his head to the side, Samuel saw a young girl walking down the staircase to the floor above while rubbing her eye as if she had just woken up. She was still in her pajamas, with her hair messy.

Realising he was still standing in the corridor, he said, “How about we take a seat inside and then continue? Miss Shi Mei, would you like to join in as well?”

Samuel’s exterior was as confident as a storyteller who had told his tales a thousand times. However, the sweat lining the back of his palm betrayed his calm. Inside, he scrambled to cough up a good story.

Having been seated, Samuel poured himself a cup of water before gulping it down in one go.

“Son of Leo, continue already. Don’t waste our time.” Diego said. His tone carried a tinge of annoyance as he glared at Samuel.

“Hey, I have a name for your information. Don’t go spouting ‘Son of Leo this’ or ‘Son of Leo that’. Just call me Augustus. And can’t you see I came back tired? I haven’t even showered like I wanted. Yet, am I complaining? Seems you really want to fight, no?” Samuel stood up from his chair, glaring at Diego while curling his hand in a fist.

Diego also stood up to respond to provocation, his hands also curling into a fist. His eyes locked with Samuel’s as both exchanged fiery looks.

Suddenly, as if in sync, both their hands raised before their fingers locked together. They both began a round of wrestling. Their expressions were grimmer than their adversary’s as if their life depended on this battle.

Looking at the scene, Shi Mei hurriedly jumped in between before using her hands to push both their heads back to separate them.

Looking at the little girl, both of them snorted before sitting back down.

Looking at Samuel, Shi Mei said, “Just continue already. We’ve been waiting for a while now.”

Inhaling a nervous breath, Samuel asked, “Where did I leave it at?”

“You said some stuff about the great war and how it split the continent of Ackerhon.” Diego replied, his tone tinged with displeasure blended with curiosity.

Samuel closed his eyes as if recalling something. All of a sudden, he clapped. Aha! This idea is pretty good. Hehe! I should try writing a book sometime. I’ll definitely become a best-seller in no time. Just watch how I’ll make you two prostrate yourself with my bragging. The amount of effort I’m putting into this con. I hope I get a great harvest, hehe.

Samuel took in a deep breath before his gaze turned gentle and all-accepting while concealing a resolute sharpness within. His back straightened whilst his shoulders relaxed, giving off a feeling extremely similar to a scholar.

“Alright, I’ll continue. Be sure to pay attention, as I won’t repeat myself.”