After dinner, the family gathered around the living room couch.

  Grandpa Patrick's voice dripped with remorse as he apologized, "Nathan, I'm truly sorry. I never could have imagined a bandit attack would happen so close to the capital." He had previously told Nathan that this would never happen.

  Nathan replied with a slight smile, "It's okay, Grandpa. No one thought this would happen."

  "Can you tell us what happened in detail?" Patrick asked, his gaze locked intently on Nathan.

  As Nathan recounted the events from the clarion horn to their wagon retreat, the family listened intently, nodding in unison. As the narrative unfolded, the family had assumed the siblings’ wagons would arrive in Coalville village without any incident. After all, the siblings were now sitting here, safe and sound. Consequently, when they heard that the wheel on the wagon had catastrophically fallen off, all eyes widened in surprise.

  "Wow! It must have been a very rough ride for a wheel to fall off like that," Thomas exclaimed in astonishment.

  Maya furrowed her brows, "They must have been cutting costs on wagon maintenance."

  "What happened next?" Chana asked, eager to listen to the story.

  Nathan continued his account, explaining how the two eldest children led the way into the mountain trail while Nathan carried Ashley on his back. However, as the bandits closed in, Nathan, being the third eldest, put down Ashley, created traps, and blew the whistle for help as they sprinted.

  "Then, we reached an open clearing with an empty house, at which point I decided to stay behind, giving Arielle and Ashley time to escape." Nathan calmly explained his decision.

  Abruptly, Arielle's voice shot up to a deafening shriek: "Never do that again!" As tears began to well up in her eyes, they then flowed down her face. It shocked Nathan to his core; he turned to face his crying sister, baffled at her reaction.

  "I was so scared when you stayed behind," Arielle wailed. "I didn't know what to do! Waaahhh..."

  Maya swiftly moved to sit beside Arielle, enveloping her in a warm gentle hug. As she placed her hands on Arielle’s cheeks, she softly cooed, "Shhh, sweetie, it’s okay. We’re all here, safe and sound."

  As Ashley witnessed her sister’s distress, her face flushed a deep crimson, and then she ignited into anger, shouting, "Right! Don’t ever do that again!" However, her emotions rapidly shifted, and then she dissolved into tears, sobbing, "I thought you were going away, just like Mom and Grandma!" Chana swiftly moved to Ashley and gave her a hug.

  Arielle's face reddened as she snatched a couch cushion and began pummeling Nathan, her voice rising to a furious shriek, "Bad Nathan, dumb Nathan, idiot!"

  Ashley then picked up the yellow chicken hugging pillow and followed suit, "Dumb Nathan, stupid Nathan."

  "Sorry, I'm so sorry!" Nathan apologized, raising his arm in defense. "Oh, and the chicken hurts. It wants you to stop!"

  "No, Chicky's mad at you too, so she's teaming up with me!" Ashley said as she continued her assault.

  Patrick, Harold, and Thomas watched from the side. As Chicky's soft beak twitched with each of Ashley's swings, they all quietly took notice that Nathan apologized but never said he wouldn't put himself in harm's way for the sisters again.

  "Please stop, sweeties," Maya gently spoke to the crying, rampaging girls. "Nathan feels very sorry already."

  As the onslaught subsided, the girls' anger gradually gave way to sorrow, and they burrowed back into Maya and Chana's comforting hugs; their tears still streamed down their faces.

  Overcome with deep remorse, Patrick apologized again: "I'm sorry, Nathan." The grandfather realized that his grandson had steeled himself for the ultimate sacrifice. Had he only stopped Nathan from working as a Botanist, this would never have happened.

  "Grandpa, I wanted to work as a Botanist because I enjoy being with nature," Nathan said with a reassuring smile, "It's not your fault."

  As the girls' sobs subsided, Patrick's expression turned inquisitive, and he asked, "What happened next?"

  "I made a landslide trap and a pitfall trap before they" Nathan pointed to Arielle and Ashley "came back to me. And then,"

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Ashley excitedly cut Nathan off in the middle of his sentence, exclaiming, "The scammer came and saved us!" Her nose was still streaked with tears and snot.

  "So, a single scammer fought off the bandits?" Patrick smiled and asked.

  "He was a leafleter who handed out flyer to his combat school to me." Nathan explained. "The flyer says something about being invincible. I thought it was a scam."

  Harold's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Ashley, wasn't that the flyer you showed me a while back?"

  "Yes, that was it," Ashley answered.

  "I'm surprised someone like that would come and save you alone," Harold said, his voice laced with bafflement.

  Patrick's eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, "Do you know his name?"

  "Um.." Nathan was going to say Louis, but he figured that Louis's other name would be more well-known. "Hawk."

  "What?!" Patrick, Harold, and Maya stood up immediately, their faces frozen in shock, their eyes were wide with astonishment. They sat back down after a moment and murmured, "The Adamantium Ranked Adventurer... the Demon God Slayer?"

  "Yes, that’s him." Nathan answered sternly before asking, "How do you know him?" It sounded like everyone knew Hawk, except Nathan.

  "Middle school Kingdom History class." Maya replied with a nod. "You'll learn about him in a few years."

  Harold's brow furrowed in confusion. "What's someone of his caliber doing handing out flyers in downtown? Doesn't he know the entire city would swarm him if he openly recruited?"

  "Are you going to study under him?" Harold asked, his eyes sparkling with exhilaration for his nephew's opportunity.

  Nathan’s brow furrowed in contemplation as he replied, "I’m still weighing my options. I’d like to talk to him before making a decision."

  Patrick’s expression turned informative as he asked, "Nathan, are you aware that all apprentices are registered with their Master on the reverse side of their rank tag?"

  "Yes, I noticed." Nathan answered.

  Patrick's tone turned grave, and his words were laced with a sense of importance, "As Hawk's student, your standing in the Kingdom would surpass that of any noble. In fact, Bluefield College would likely offer you a generous stipend to attend. Do you grasp the magnitude of this opportunity, Nathan?"

  "Yes. However, with my left hand in this condition, what if he becomes disappointed in me after a few years and kicks me out of his school?" Nathan said. "Then, I would have wasted several years of my life for a prestigious status that would be of little use to me."

  Patrick calmed down and thought about it. Nathan was right. A person's grades and abilities depended mostly on whether they worked hard. Only idiots would think that placing lazy students with bad grades into a good school would miraculously turn them into good students with high grades. Fortunately, Bluefield College's admission process was strictly merit-based, providing a level playing field for students from all backgrounds, regardless of their social standing.

  As long as Nathan worked hard on studying, he could get into a prestigious school!

  Patrick said in agreement after collecting his thoughts, "You're right. What are you planning to do?"

  "I'd like to discuss the terms of becoming his apprentice with him, so I can understand exactly what I'm getting myself into." Nathan said as his right hand reached out to the scars on his left arm again, "In the end, I think I still love martial arts."

  "Most people in this world would never try to negotiate if offered the chance to become Hawk's student." Harold smirked.

  "I agree with Nathan," Patrick said. "It's not going to be as simple as just paying tuition and learning from him. For such a secretive legend, his work and background must be very complicated. Don't bite off more than you can chew."

  Arielle's brow furrowed in concern as she asked, "But, Grandpa, why would bandits target us?"

  Slavery was prohibited in the Kingdom. However, there were many unregulated mines and dangerous occupations where nobles exploited "undocumented" workforces to maximize profits, sidestepping the Adventurer's Guild. As a result, these occupations suffered a staggering mortality rate, necessitating a constant influx of "new blood". There was also no need to explain why young girls would fetch a higher price than boys. Additionally, certain nobles would often buy children in bulk and train them for illegal activities, such as assassination. The cream of the crop would be adopted, polished, and primed as suitable mates for their heirs, securing the family legacy. Moreover, these nobles might also strategically marry their "adopted" children to other noble families, fostering alliances and furthering their political interests.

  "They want to sell you to monsters and witches who want to eat children." Patrick answered, his expression turning grave.

  Harold and Maya exchanged a glance at Patrick and murmured, "Um... that's one way to put it."

  Arielle and Ashley's eyes widened in terror as they clung to Nathan.

  "Now that there are children-eating monsters, the three of you should stop working as Botanists." Patrick said solemnly.

  Nestled on Nathan's shoulders, Arielle nodded, while Ashley nodded repeatedly in fear.

  "Maybe it's best for Arielle and Ashley to stop, but as for me, I'd rather not start over with a new discipline." Nathan said, contemplating on his study plan.

  Patrick then lowered his head in deep thought.

  "I think you should stop. Everyone will be worried." Thomas said firmly, gazing into Nathan's eyes. "You'll never get into Bluefield College if you're kidnapped or, worse, killed."

  Nathan's eyes clouded with concern as he wondered, "Will there be another bandit attack? Louis did mention the King's involvement, but can we really be sure it's safe now?"

  "Now that something like this has happened, I believe the Kingdom will increase security around the capital's vicinity. It should be safe from now on." Nathan voiced his opinion prudently.

  Chana's voice was laced with concern as she said, "I hope that's true... but what if they don't increase security? Look at what happened in Urie."

  The mentioning of Urie struck Nathan strongly, reminding him of the Kingdom's underlining weakness, causing him to immediately rescind, and he said fastidiously, "Alright, I'll choose a different field of study."

  "Do you have any discipline in mind?" Patrick asked.

  "I want to talk to Hawk first," Nathan said, "Perhaps he'll have some idea."