“Alright, now that I know your current level, I’ll take some time to consider how to train you further. For the rest of the day, you’re dismissed. You’re free to go about your day. Now, you may leave.” Finishing his words, Yuan Mo turned to leave.

Scratching his head, Samuel nodded. ‘So I get a free day. But what am I supposed to do?’

With his gaze landing on the old man, a thought crossed his mind. “Um… Teacher Yuan Mo, can I ask something?”

Yuan Mo stopped before turning to ask, “What is it?”

Samuel asked, “Is there anywhere around here with a large open space and next to a lake or a river? Would be good if it’s somewhere nobody visits.”

Brushing his hand through his beard, Yuan Mo asked, “For meditating and gathering Arcana?”

Samuel nodded, “Yes, that, to practice swinging my sword and other stuff.”

Yuan Mo thought for a while before pointing into the distance. “Do you see those two mountains over there? Walk straight from here towards the valley in the middle of the mountains. In the middle of the way, you’ll cross a river. Instead of going over the river, go in the direction opposite to the river and…”

Yuan Mo gave instructions, which Samuel listened to closely. After confirming that he got the instructions right, he rushed through with his chores: tidying up the yard, placing the weapons the two used back to where they belonged, tidying the room he would use and other things he felt he needed to do beforehand.

Patting his hands in contentment after finishing, the boy set off as per Yuan Mo’s instructions, aiming to find a silent clearing within the surrounding meadow.

Running in the direction Yuan Mo mentioned, Samuel soon cut through the forest and ended up on a path paved with stone. On the path, he saw many monks and nuns, almost all of them wearing either violet or blue robes of various designs.

Despite the differences in attire, they had one thing in common — all of them carried a wooden rod over their shoulders, with both sides of the rod carrying a bucket each. The people going along with him had their buckets empty, and the ones coming from the front had their buckets filled.

While walking, he looked down and thought ‘Did I go in the wrong direction?’

Next, he raised his head, finding the two mountains he used as a landmark in the distance. ‘Mountains are there, so I did come in the right direction. Still, it never hurts to be too sure. I’ll ask someone. That sister there looks approachable. I’ll ask her about it.’

Walking up to one of the nuns coming from the front, he greeted. “Hello, big sister!”

The nun in question looked around. Finding no one around her, she pointed to herself. “G-greetings, esteemed one. Are you talking to me?”

Samuel nodded before asking, “Is there a river nearby?”

The nun hurriedly replied, “Yes. It’s just up ahead. But you shouldn’t waste your time on such menial tasks, esteemed one. You can ask anyone around and they’ll be more than happy to help.”

Scratching his cheek, Samuel looked down at his saffron-colored robes. ‘Are they a type of status symbol here? And I think she misunderstood why I asked.’

Unknowing of how to explain, Samuel waved his hands, “Miss, I think you misunderstood something. I am not here to draw water from the river. I’m here for some other business. In any case, thank you for giving me the directions.”

Samuel took a step back before he bent by the waist slightly, giving the nun a bow of courtesy. But before he could bend, a sudden impact from his back made him tumble to the side, scrambling to regain his balance.

Before he could turn to look, a shout echoed through his ears, “Don’t you see I’m walking through here? Why would you bump into me?”

Samuel’s brows sank. ‘Is this guy an idiot? You were the one who bumped into me.’

Turning to look at the source of voice, he saw a boy a little older than him, his bald head shining as bright as the sun overhead. He had a long scar running over his shining head. Similar to Samuel’s, his robes were saffron, but unlike the former, the latter's sleeves didn’t cover both his arms. Instead, they were barely a few inches from the shoulders.

The bald boy got up before patting his robes. Walking up to Samuel, he punched the latter’s shoulder lightly as he said, “You should watch where you’re going. Don’t bump into people again.”

Without waiting for Samuel to reply, the bald boy turned to leave.

Without even a twitch in his expression, Samuel’s leg slid forward, getting tangled with that of the bald boy, causing the latter to fall face first.

Watching the boy fall down, Samuel imitated the boy’s tone to a tee as he said, “You should watch where you’re going. Don’t step over other people’s legs. Now my leg hurts because of you. Thanks.”

Without waiting for the response, he swished his sleeve before scurrying off in the river's direction.

The nun stood to the side, mute in shock. As the bald boy got up to see Samuel’s back fading into the sea of people carrying buckets, he asked, “Big sister, who was that guy? Do you know him?”

The nun hurriedly shook her head. “S-sir Diego, I do not. I know nothing. He just asked me if there was a river nearby.”

“Tch! Lucky guy. He got away. I don’t have the time to teach him a lesson. Fine, I’ll settle this next time. Thanks for answering, sister. I’ll leave first or my master will scold me for being late.” The bald boy scratched his head before rushing away.

The nun looked at the bald boy oddly before shaking her head and continuing with her work.

Samuel ran opposite to the river, following the directions given by Yuan Mo. As he ran, he thought back to the bald boy who bumped into him, “Guess given how big this place is, there are bound to be a few idiots. And when I get back, I’ll have to ask about what the colour on these things means.”

He pulled on the sleeve of his other hand, looking at the saffron cloth covering his hand. Shaking his head, he sped up.