“Damn! You look like shit!” Travis said with a grimace after seeing black lines below Andel’s eyes.

“…” Andel didn’t bother to answer him and concentrated on his sandwich and glass of orange juice.

“Didn’t sleep last night?” Julio, who was sitting beside him, asked in between his bites.

“No,” Andel mumbled.

“Do you want to tell us the reason? Is it because you miss home?” Julio asked warmly.

“No, that’s not it.” Andel shook his head.

Should I tell them?

He wondered seriously. In the end, he decided against it. He was unsure what reaction they would have to his doubts and worries. He didn’t want to risk it.

It's alright. I can handle it.

Andel decided to shoulder the burden himself.

Julio looked at Travis’s face and pointed at Andel with his chin. Travis shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

Just then, Frendez, who was absent even during morning exercise, came back holding a stack of documents. His eyes were narrowed, and creases could be seen on his forehead.

“I have bad news for everyone.” He said. “Not you, Andel. Don’t worry.”

“What!? So early in the morning! What news?” Travis rubbed his face and looked at Frendez expectantly.

“The elves have crossed the border between Warren and Elf Marsh. The front line soldiers had fallen into a precarious situation. There are orders from the family. We have to go to the front lines from today.” Frendez revealed.

“Oh! They finally did it!? So! What does that have to do with us?” Travis asked, not understanding why they have to go to the front lines when there were reserve soldiers present for that job.

“Ivan Seras, who was serving his duty in the front lines, got captured by the elves. Our job is to rescue him, if possible, or…” Frendez left the sentence hanging for everyone to fill in their minds.

Ivan Seras? I never heard anyone named Ivan from the main branch.

Andel wondered in between his bites while pretending to be not interested in the news. Although, the family’s decision on Ivan was an eye-opener for him.

This family is really very ruthless. They are treating their own like expendables. Am I the same too? Will grandpa also one day decide to get rid of me if he can’t save me from a situation?

After hearing the mission brief, it was no wonder Andel would have some doubts about his importance in the family. That being said, this news also reinvigorated his willpower.

Well, I don’t think my mom and dad will allow that to happen, would they?

Unfortunately, with a mind that lived for thirty years, Andel couldn’t have that blind faith children tend to have in their parents. Other than that, the other half of the reason was due to him never having parents in his previous life.

“Oh! Is that so!” Travis mumbled while discreetly looking at Andel to gauze his reaction. He knew Frendez intentionally reveal this in front of him, or else he would have called them to his room and brief them on the mission. Andel’s poker face made him feel weird.

“Andel!” Frendez addressed him directly.

“Yes?” Andel looked at him with his dark eyes borning into his equally dark ones.

“You will stay here with Selina. The dojo will be closed from today. If everything goes well, we will be back by the end of this week. If we are not back by the of this week, then I guess this will be our last meeting.”

What?

Out of all things he expected for Frendez to say, it wasn’t one of them.

He sounded so casual as if dying wasn’t that of a big deal to him. Why? Travis and Julio too! How can these guys just accept it with a straight face?

Andel couldn’t get used to it. He couldn’t just accept what Frendez said. He couldn’t just nod his head and reply with a ‘yes sir’ to the man.

“Haha! What with that look?” Travis laughed loudly after seeing Andel’s face. Wiping away the tear from the corner of his eyes, he said, “hah! Don’t worry. Cap’n is just joking with you. We will be definitely back by the end of this week.”

Andel looked at Travis’s face, searching for any signs. But all he could see was mirth.

He isn’t pretending. It's true then. Frendez, that bastard, must be joking with me.

“That’s right. Captain Frendez was just joking. No need to take him seriously.” Julio patted Andel’s back and said with a warm smile.

“Okay.” Andel nodded and finished the last of his sandwich.

…

After Andel left the dining hall, holding the tray of breakfast for Selina, Travis and Julio’s face morphed into seriousness.

“How serious is this time’s mission?” Julio asked with a frown.

“The elves have kept him captive in the military base they captured. Since they haven’t taken him to the Marsh, it’s still within the safe zone. However, from what I heard, one of the Elf generals is leading personally. So, if we are really unlucky, we might be fighting with him.” Frendez said as he took a seat near Travis and took a sandwich from his plate.

“A fight with an Elf general? No thanks. That bitch is hard to kill with their cockroach-like vitality.” Travis moaned in misery.

“Last time, I think it was two years ago!? It took all the members of the 1st branch working together to kill one. We have lesser members than the 1st Branch. Can we deal with it?” Julio asked while scratching his cheeks.

“You guys, can’t you have some confidence? None of us are weak. Just one elf general is enough to make you piss your pants?” Lilia stood up holding her empty tray, and spat each word in contempt.

“I am going to prepare for tonight.”

…

Clank! Clank! Clank!

As the darts hit the wooden plank, they made clanking sounds. After giving Selina her breakfast, he came inside this special chamber to practice his aiming. The Stiffness Resistance proved to be more than just a Reflex bonus as it didn’t feel uncomfortable to throw the darts.

Though he didn’t manage to hit all the daggers in the bull’s eye, he would still get one or two in every ten throws. This growth was astonishing, considering it was his second-day practicing throwing.

Still, Andel didn’t give up. He continued throwing darts for one more hour before stopping to take a breather.

“Holy shit!” Suddenly, Tavis’s voice rang from behind him, which startled him.

“What?” He shouted angrily to suppress his fright.

“How can you throw better than yesterday? You weren’t this good.” He asked with widened eyes.

“Well, I worked hard.” Andel couldn’t say he had a system that helped him. He just came up with some bullshit on the spot.

“Even if you work hard, it's impossible to be this better in just one night!” Travis wasn’t convinced and continued to look at Andel, expecting some satisfactory answers from him.

Andel, in response, just shrugged his shoulders.

Damn! Comparison is odious.

Thought Travis while smiling bitterly. He had heard that this boy from the main family was very talented, a genius among others of his age group. Now, he saw it with his own eyes.

“Here!” Travis handed him a small dagger sheathed in a leather case. “It’s a gift from me.” He said with a smile.