"Guards! Summon Uncle Brown for me. Tell him it's an urgent matter that cannot be delayed!"Mila's voice thundered across the grand hall, making every servant and guard flinch. They scattered at once, leaping through windows and rushing out the doors to search for Uncle Brown.
"I don't know what game you're playing, but the truth will come out soon enough…" Mila's gaze lingered on Robin, piercing and cold, before she walked to the main seat and closed her eyes. Robin only shrugged, sitting back in his chair as if nothing had happened, signaling Caesar to calm down.
Caesar, however, was on the verge of madness. Why did Father have to pick this particular woman if he knew there would be trouble? Why reveal his age and make her angrier still?
Ten long minutes passed in suffocating silence.
Finally, an aged voice boomed through the hall."What is it, girl, dragging me from the tavern like this? Don't you know an old man needs his rest—hm…?" Uncle Brown froze mid-sentence when his eyes landed on the smiling youth before him.
"You… it's you! But your bones, your age…? How can this be?!" His voice trembled. The memory of that encounter in the Outer Beast Zone had never faded—Robin's presence had carved itself into him deeply. Recognition was instant.
"It's good that you're here, Uncle Brown," Mila snapped. "This brat claims he was my age when we met in the Beast Zone. Is that true?"
Uncle Brown sighed heavily and shook his head. "…No."
"Hmph! Just as I thought, a swindler—"
"He was a year younger than you."
"...."
"...…"
"Uncle Brown… this isn't funny." Mila's eyes shifted from Robin's smile to her uncle's solemn face.
"Do you see me laughing?" Uncle Brown said firmly. "The boy was truly fourteen when you met him. I didn't tell you at the time because I feared you would become obsessed with him and abandon the path your father laid for you."
All the while, Robin sat calmly, nodding to himself with a smile, as though enjoying a tune only he could hear. Caesar, meanwhile, clung to the edge of his chair, eyes wide as if he were watching a play unfold before him.
"A full year younger… and stronger by an entire level…" Mila's chest heaved as she pointed a trembling finger at her uncle. "All these years I believed I was the most talented of my generation, for centuries even—and you're telling me it was all a lie from the very beginning? You knew, and you said nothing?!"
It took her several moments to steady her breathing before she sank back into her seat. Her eyes locked onto Robin."What's your name? Your true age? How do you change the age of your bones? What are you really doing here? And why have you chosen to reveal yourself to me?"
Robin's voice was gentle. "The first two questions can be answered together. I am Robin Burton. Do you still remember the name?"
"Robin… Robin…" Mila muttered, then her eyes widened. "Ah! The one I intended to challenge back then, the one who escaped me and-- It was you?! ...This explains much—and confirms your true age. It means you are not some ancient monster wearing a child's skin. Of course… if you are honest."
She turned. "Uncle Brown, send our fastest bird. Have our men in Jura seek out an elder there and order him to paint a likeness of Robin Burton. Tell him it's for a book on young geniuses across history, or some such excuse." Uncle Brown gave a curt nod and departed swiftly.
Robin tilted his head slightly. "Shall I continue? As for your third question—you could say I ate a strange herb, and this is the result."
"But that's not the truth, is it?" Mila's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Maybe. But it's the only answer you'll get." Robin shrugged. "For your fourth question… as you can see, my brother and I are weak. We have nowhere safe to cultivate until we grow stronger. I came to collect your debt. Protect us, give us a proper place to train, and provide some resources for five years. That is my request."
"Why should I agree?" Mila narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp. Where does this boy get his confidence?
"Because a woman of your stature, talent, and strength would never break her word—and certainly not over something so small. To do so would weigh heavily on your conscience, wouldn't it? You are a woman who is raised to lead a Duchy After all."
"...What would I get out of this? This interesting herp sounds nice..." Mila arched a brow, "You were honest enough about you age and possibly you identity, why not everything else?"
"I'm a man of many interesting things, you will know more as the days pass." Robin replied smoothly, "And I choose honesty with you because I knew you uncle would identify me and my age immediately anyway, and he did as soon as he saw me. What can I do? I'm a charming man... so lying is of no use."
"Are you always that arrogant?" Mila frowned, not knowing how to response.
"How dare I?" Robin smiled, "I put a lot at risk to come here, But I have a feeling that we will have a fruitful partnership, one that will benefit us both."
"...Enough said," Mila sighed. "You and your brother may use one of the empty rooms while we await the portrait from Jura. Until it arrives, you are forbidden from leaving." A flicker of killing intent flashed in her eyes, making Caesar swallow hard.
...The days that followed were uneasy. A servant escorted Robin and Caesar to one of the grand chambers, where they remained for two full days. Robin relaxed, cultivating as if at home, while Caesar spent every moment on edge, counting his breaths, terrified that one mistake would bring disaster.
What if the guy they asked to draw the portrait was drunk or something!!
At last, the portrait arrived from Jura. Mila studied it in silence for several minutes before sighing and summoning the brothers back before her.
"It seems you were telling the truth. Your age and identity are confirmed. You truly were more talented than me back then. Interesting… I wonder if you will reach that same height a second time." Her eyes narrowed. "Now, tell me. Exactly who do you expect me to help?"
"I already said," Robin answered with a faint smile. "I need protection and cultivation resources for five years. Such things are nothing to you. But I know I cannot stay here in your house, nor can I be hidden away in some safe residence. That would attract too much attention. So… here is my proposal: place me where teenagers of my apparent age would normally go. Just instruct the overseer not to group me with the others."
"The teenagers of your age? You mean the infirmary?" Mila smirked. "Very well. I will send you and your brother to the finest martial institution in the duchy, where the sons of nobles train. You may study there for ten years. As for resources—I will provide one hundred gold coins per month for each of you. Is that sufficient? I want to see what kind of fruitful future you will make."
Caesar's jaw dropped. One hundred gold coins a month! Even selling the hide of a level fourteen beast—suitable for forging mid-grade weapons and armor—did not yield such wealth.
"Haha! You did not disappoint me, Mila. Or rather… Aunt Mila. You won't regret this."
"Shameless! Who are you calling Aunt? You're my age!" Mila snapped. "Servants! Take these two to the martial institution. Oh, and deliver this message to Uncle Felix there."