When observed from the outside, the wagon didn’t seem remarkable at all. Just a regular wagon with a covered top for transporting cargo, roughly two by three meters. The only oddity about it was the pitch black portal that had appeared once the door to the Portable Mansion opened.

Red stepped into the void without minding it one bit. In the next instant he found himself in a tastefully furnished hallway.

The captain of the caravan guards hurriedly walked past several doors before stopping before the door at the end of the hallway. The man’s sloppiness was gone the moment he walked into this space. His appearance didn’t change, he was the same scruffy wiry man he was moments ago. It’s just that the air of a lax disinterested guard was gone, replaced by the sharpness one would expect of a high ranking military officer.

After taking a moment to gather his thoughts Red briskly knocked on the door.

*Da da da*

After a second Red opened the door without waiting for a reply. The caravan master had already allowed him to enter, and this knock was simply out of respect for the old man.

As Red walked in, the milky-yellow light of Light-Stones was replaced by a warmer candlelight. The caravan master was sitting at a darkwood desk, inside a room which seemed to be a cross between a study and a library. Several hundred books lined the walls, while several shielded candles flickered on the candelabra.

Aren’t Light-Stones a better choice for reading than Everburning Candles? a stray thought entered Red’s mind as he respectfully saluted.

Then the captain of the caravan guards approached the desk. There he stood at attention like a well disciplined soldier before his superior.

“Don’t be so nervous, Redford. Sit down and tell me what happened,” the old man in a warm bathrobe said relaxedly.

“Sir, it was like this...” Red recounted the evening’s events to the elderly noble.

After describing the amateurish bandit ambush, and potential trouble with Joe’s laziness, the man described the scene they found next to Archibald's and Wolf’s wagon. He made sure to describe the way in which a reasonably large number of bandits died without offering any resistance; as well as the fact that he had found several sets of small footprints at the scene.

The elderly man remained silent. He listened with interest and nodded several times, showing his agreement with some of Red’s conclusions, but he didn’t interrupt his subordinate’s report.

“So, long story short, you believe a passing Sword-Sage and his disciple paid for a ride with our caravan?” he summarised Red’s report. “Do you think they might be harboring some ulterior motives?”

“Sir, if I'm not mistaken, that boy alone should be able to slaughter us when we’re resting.” Red shuddered. After a moment of hesitation he continued. “Maybe even when we’re awake. So, I don’t think they need to deceive us if their aim is to rob us. In fact they can probably just take everything by force right now. But that’s not why I came here Sir. I would like to gift them with a bottle or two of Moderate Energy Expanding potions. I’m aware that those can sell for a hundred gold coins a piece, but befriending such people is worth more than a few hundred gold coins.”

After thinking for a moment, the elderly man nodded. “Offer them half our stock. Once you’ve dealt with them, I’d like to hear how they handled the situation. If they refuse, offer them two bottles with greater insistence. Also, make sure to mention that we are understaffed, and might need their help later on. They should take those two bottles if that’s the case.”

After Red remained silent for a moment the elderly man opened his book, and went back to reading.

“If that is all, you may be excused.” As far as he was concerned this conversation was over.

Red saluted and turned on his heel to leave.

“One more thing.” the elderly man said suddenly, stopping Red in his tracks.

“Good work Redford. It was the right choice to come here, and let me know about this development. I’ll make sure to mention how you handled this to the Owner once we get back.”

Red turned around and bowed.

“Thank you Sir.” After saying those three words the scruffy man left the room. As soon as he closed the door, Red’s shoulders slightly drooped, and his sharp, military bearing disappeared.

Inside the room, the elderly man once more closed his book, and gently placed it onto the desk before he started massaging his temples.

“A ten year old overweight youth that can kill fourteen men in cold blood without giving them a chance to cry out,” he said tiredly. “He left clean wounds, and showed no signs of hesitation or fear. To do something like that that child must have slain a number of people already. Sigh. What is the Emperor thinking? Look at what kind of an age he had ushered in… Even a child is a coldblooded killer…”

*Sigh*

The old man spoke to himself while shaking his head. He poured himself a cup of wine and went back to reading while sipping the fine vintage.

***

As soon as the sun rose the next morning, Red approached Archibald’s and Wolf’s wagon. The man gently rasped on the frame, and waited respectfully. While he acted civil, the sharpness he had when visiting the caravan master was now gone without a trace.

After several moments passed Archibald opened the waxed cloth curtain, and looked at the captain of the caravan guards.

“What can I do for you young man?” he asked without much emotion.

Red cupped his hands, mimicking the respectful greeting Sword-Sages often used between themselves.

“I didn’t know that the old Sir was a martial arts master,” he began talking. “I apologize for any previous rudeness.”

Archibald gave the red-bearded man a weird look and spoke honestly, “I’m just a novice in the field of martial arts.”

“No need to be so humble. Last night–” But Archibald gestured to the man to stop.

“Last night my son took care of everything.” Archibald explained calmly. “Wolf, come out. It seems that mister Red wishes to thank you for the help you provided last night.”

Wolf hopped down from the wagon, barely sparing Red a glance. “There’s no need for thanks. The bandits were planning on attacking our wagon, and I didn’t feel like waiting for you guys.”

The way Wolf casually acted about slaying over a dozen human beings startled Red a moment. However, he was a merchant as much as he was a warrior, so he regained his wits instantly.

“Nevertheless. You have done us a great favor. This is just a small token of our appreciation,” Red said as half a dozen glass vials appeared in his hands.

“What are those?” Archibald gave the vials a suspicious look. There were no labels on them, so he wasn’t sure which potions Red was offering them.

“There’s no need to worry Sir.” Red assured. “Like I’ve said, these are merely tokens of our appreciation, nothing harmful.”

“And what kind of potion is in those tokens of appreciation?” Archibald held back from rolling his eyes. He wanted facts and answers, not a classy act and empty words merchants were so fond of using.

“Moderate Energy Expanding potions. I figured that your son would need something like this at his age.” Red said with a knowing smile.

“Neat, thanks!” Wolf exclaimed happily, and reached out for the vials.

“Son, stop!” Archibald said sternly before turning back to face Red once more.

“Mister Red,” he started. “I’m afraid that this gift is too expensive to be casually taken. We will have to refuse, thank you for your kind intentions.”

Why do we have to refuse?! Wolf grumbled inwardly, but pulled his hand back without saying a word. Father’s word was law.

Red looked at Archibald as if the latter was putting him into a tight spot. The man was a born actor. Neither Archibald, nor Wolf could tell that he was faking it.

Red scratched the back of his head, adding onto the sloppy impression, before speaking once more.

“How about this?” he proposed. “You take two bottles. If you really think this kind of gift is too extravagant, you can just help us out whenever you see fit. I’m sure you’ve already noticed that we are sorely lacking competent combatants.”

“Still feigning weakness...” Wolf snorted while muttering for himself, but shut his mouth when Archibald shot him yet another sharp look.

The big man cleared his throat. “Ahem. If that’s the case, I’ll have to thank mister Red. Wolf whenever possible, you should lend a helping hand to the gentlemen from the Johns and Josh merchant group.”

“No problem, but can I take all six vials? He just said this is something I need– oww!” Wolf yelped when his father smacked the back of his head to shut him up.

“If you want to enjoy such extravagance, you should first earn some money!” Archibald chided. ”Then you can buy whatever you feel like. Those things are expensive!”

Red couldn’t help but smile when he heard Archibald. Telling a child to go earn a hundred gold coins sounded like a joke. However, Archibald was dead serious just now. Which meant that he was confident that his son could earn considerably more than a regular guard…

Well, considering his performance he’s probably still downplaying the boy’s ability. Either that, or he’s a stingy employer… Red thought with some amusement, but didn’t let it show.

“Yes Dad…” Wolf replied while sulking. It had been ages since his father had smacked him like that.

“Now thank mister Red for the gift.” Archibald said in a textbook display of parenting.

“Thank you for these TWO bottles mister Red.” Wolf dragged out the thanks, as if he didn’t really care about the two vials. Why would he, when he was entitled to six!?

“Boy are you being cheeky with me?” Archibald asked sternly, while Wolf mumbled back a “No Dad.”

“Those potions are worth a hundred gold coins per bottle, you know? Show some sincere gratitude.” On one hand Archibald felt obliged to smack the cheeky boy, on the other he was greatly amused by the way Wolf was acting.

“Really? Thanks a lot mister Red!” Wolf finally sounded excited, but there was hardly any gratitude to be found in his exclamation.

Red looked at the boy standing in front of him.

Is this cute kid really the same person that ruthlessly slaughtered so many people just a couple of hours ago? Red wondered. What kind of a monster is he? Acting like a child now and then at the drop of a hat casually slaughtering people…

As he thought this, Red suddenly had an idea. He really wanted to see what kind of a monster Wolf was.

“How about we have a little spar?” The man asked out of the blue, causing Archibald to frown, but before he could say anything, Wolf had already replied.

“If you want to go at it seriously, then sure. But, if you’re just going to go through some lame act like all those other fellows, I'm not interested in wasting my time like that.” Wolf said while showing a look of disdain.

What the hell? Where did the cute kid go? Red blinked. He was completely stumped. Did the boy see through their act? He glanced at Archibald.

“Did you tell him?” he asked.

“Nope. He spotted it on his own,” Archibald said while shaking his head. “He was fairly upset about it too. My son believes that those that are overwhelmingly strong should just do whatever they feel like doing. There’s no need to waste time on petty tricks. That’s why he’s making that face. I’ve tried to explain to him that you can’t just go about using overwhelming might all the time, but… I just can’t seem to change his mind.” The big man went on to explain something Red hadn’t even asked, but he just had to get that thing off his chest and share it with someone.

Being Wolf’s father wasn’t an easy job…

Red sized up the boy once more, but no matter how he looked at it this was a ridiculous situation.

“I promise I will take our duel seriously, and I won’t hold back,” he swore. “We should start the match five meters apart. It’s obvious that you focus on speed, and I don’t want to bully you.”

Wolf shrugged, and opened up a bit of distance between them. Red was creeped out. Even though the boy seemed to just walk leisurely, Red could swear that he pulled to a stop exactly five meters away.

“Whenever you’re ready.” Wolf said as a sword appeared in his hand.

The boy already has a Ring of Holding? Red thought with shock. Most children from noble families don’t get them before turning twelve and becoming adults.

A moment later Red unsheathed his sword and nodded.

Seeing the man signal that he’s ready, Wolf rushed straight at him. When he was two meters away from the man, Wolf jumped, startling the guard.

What kind of dueling was this?

The man swung his sword in a flustered manner, but the boy parried nonchalantly. When the flimsy rapier struck Red’s sword, the men felt like he’d hit solid rock. Wolf didn’t even seem to notice Red’s hurried attack as he rammed his foot into the man’s solar plexus.

Red flew back a couple of meters, slamming hard onto the ground. Wolf’s blow was brutal, and the guard was gasping for air.

He weighs as much as a grown man, he exclaimed on the inside. And how can he be so fast?!

While the man’s head was spinning Wolf looked down at him with a frown. “I thought that you were ready?”

“I… I was… I admit defeat, I’m definitely not your opponent,” Red said in defeat, his arm shaking. It wasn’t just that he was out of air. That single exchange had made his arm go numb.

Monster… An absolute monster, he thought with no small amount of awe.

“We agreed that you would use your full strength!” Wolf grumbled, pissed off because he believed that Red was putting on an act yet again.

He tightened the grip on his sword so much that his knuckles grew pale. His opponent dared look down on him and hold back!

Red squatted, shaking his head dejectedly. He still struggled for air, and fought back the urge to vomit.

“I did use all my strength.” Red said quietly, still breathing irregularly. “You’re superior in speed and power. Even that relaxed parry of yours injured my arm somewhat. How can you be this strong? You’re at least twice as powerful as I am. How much weight can you lift?” The man asked annoying pointless questions, irritating Wolf to no end.

The boy snorted then went back to the wagon. Wolf was angry. As far as he was concerned Red was faking it again.

How could a grown man be that weak?

The thing is, Red wasn’t weak at all. For a regular person that practiced neither Body Refining, nor Internal Energy Refining he was quite strong. He even recovered almost immediately from that nasty kick.

“Sir Malcom, I really did give it my all. You saw it yourself.” Red tried to explain to Archibald that he really didn’t go easy on Wolf. Seeing Archibald nod with an expression of a true expert helped Red to calm down a bit.

“How did your disciple become so strong? Would you be willing to train me and the boys for a while?” Once he saw that he hadn’t offended the man, Red popped the big question.

The question blindsided Archibald. After a moment the man started speaking in an embarrassed tone, “Wolf is my son, not my disciple. As for teaching you... I apologize, but I can’t help you with that.”

“There’s nothing for me to forgive. I was speaking without thinking. I apologize,” Red said as he nodded with understanding. Sword-Sages wouldn’t teach random people they had just met. Otherwise there would be people embarrassing them all over the place.

After pausing for a moment Red asked something else he was greatly interested in. “Which duchy do you hail from, if you don’t mind my asking? Our merchant group has some minor influence in the Silverhound duchy. If you’re willing to cooperate with us, Johns and Josh merchant group would offer you very generous terms.”

“I can’t make any promises for later, but we will help you out as much as possible during this trip. How does that sound?” Archibald completely ignored the part where Red inquired about their origins, but at least he told him he would cooperate with them for now, as for the future…

Well, that was in the future.

The caravan master agreed that forging a bond with these two was in their best interest, so Red decided to push a bit more.

“You’re probably aware of this, but we’re putting on a front in order to catch bandits for bounties,” he whispered. “Our men are actually very disciplined, and what you’re seeing now is just a front. Training such talented men is both a pleasure and a profitable endeavor. We don’t recruit strangers often.

“Most of us here are orphans raised and trained by the merchant group. We hired these adventurers only because they are likely to be bandits in disguise, and they make for a great way to make our bounties come to us.”

“I will keep your proposal in mind. Once we reach the capital city of Silverhound we can talk more.” Archibald answered without changing his tone, even though he was a bit annoyed with Red’s insistence.

What the hell could he teach anyone about being a Sword-Sage? He sucked at it, and only did what his son told him in order to heal his injury.

Even though Red was just as unhappy with this response from Archibald he couldn’t keep pestering the man.

He respectfully bade him a good day and went to organize the caravan for departure.

Archibald sighed in relief, and joined Wolf inside the wagon.

A short while later a pair of guards came, and cleared out the cargo from their wagon so that Archibald and Wolf would have more room to travel in greater comfort.

Archibald’s lessons:

The fact that non-combatants are considered citizens of lower order than those proficient in battle is concerning. A lot of people who decide to spend their time on education tend to neglect their bodies and martial training. I wonder how the clergy will react to this, since they never join battle.