Rian sprang to his feet.
But before he could react, Vincent was already there, moving faster than anyone else.
The moment he wrapped Shirone in a bear hug, the overwhelming stench of alcohol hit him. It seemed Vincent had been drinking quite a lot.
"Oho! My son, you’re finally home! You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?"
"Ugh, the smell of alcohol... What’s going on? And why is Rian at our house?"
"He’s been staying here for two days just to see you. He even helped with woodcutting and joined me in hunting. Rian had fun, didn’t you, Rian?"
"Hahaha! Of course, Father! A real man must know how to hunt!"
Shirone was dumbfounded.
His father, the man he knew, would never treat a noble so casually, even if he was his son’s friend. What on earth had happened in the past two days that they were already drinking before lunchtime?
Shirone slipped out of Vincent’s embrace, brushing off his father’s rough beard, and turned toward Rian.
"You were out of contact for a while. Did you stop by your family home?"
"Why would I go there? This is my lord’s house, after all. Isn’t that right, Father?"
Shirone immediately saw through him.
"Cut the nonsense! What kind of trouble did you get into this time?"
"Wh-what trouble? I didn’t do anything!"
Rian tried to act innocent, but Shirone could see it clearly on his face. It wasn’t that he hadn’t gone home—it was that he couldn’t go home.
Letting out a sigh, Shirone walked toward the living room.
’This isn’t how I imagined it...’
He had been looking forward to this reunion, yet it had turned into a drinking party.
Still, seeing his father looking thinner than before, he felt a bit relieved that at least he didn’t break down in tears.
"Shirone, my child, you’re home. Come here."
Olina pulled Shirone into a warm embrace.
Shirone finally felt like he had received the welcome he truly wanted. As he hugged his mother, he thought to himself that in this world, the only person he could always rely on was her.
"Mom, you must have had a hard time while I was gone. I’m sorry."
"Hard time? Not at all. The Ozent family has been helping us a lot."
As she patted Shirone’s back, Olina cast a sharp glance at her husband. Their son had returned after half a year, and yet Vincent had already gotten himself drunk—it wasn’t a sight she was pleased with.
Oblivious to the tension, Rian suddenly spoke up.
"Father, instead of just standing here, why don’t we go chop some wood? We should celebrate Shirone’s return properly!"
"Puhaha! That’s a great idea! Let’s go, the three of us! We’ll make a day of it!"
Olina’s eyes narrowed.
"Honey! You’re drunk! How can you go woodcutting in this state? Just go inside and sleep it off."
"Mom, it’s okay. We’ll go and come back soon."
Since things had already turned out this way, Shirone figured he might as well go along with it and enjoy some quality time with his father and friend.
Olina still didn’t look convinced. Vincent could hold his liquor well, but climbing a mountain while drunk was dangerous, even for an experienced woodsman.
"Are you sure you’ll be okay? What if you get hurt?"
"Don’t worry, I’ll be there. We’ll be back before lunch."
In the past, Shirone would have simply followed his mother’s words. But now, he had the ability to take responsibility. He had fought against the Ulks and protected the children, so this was hardly something to be concerned about.
Seeing the newfound confidence in her son, Olina found it strange.
His expression was brighter than before, and his words and actions carried a sense of self-assurance.
’Is this the power of education?’
He had always been a good child, but there were times when she found him unreadable. Now, he seemed like a completely different person—someone who truly believed in himself.
"Alright. But be careful."
With Olina’s reluctant approval, the three men left for the logging site, chatting about all they had missed over the past half year. Rian, especially eager to show off his progress, walked ahead with an excited bounce in his step.
Upon reaching the logging area, Rian clapped his hands together.
"Alright, let’s do this like real men! What do you say, Shirone? Want to have a little competition? Loser grants the winner a wish."
Rian had grown taller since they last met, and he could now hold a double-headed axe with just one hand.
"Hah! Sounds good to me."
Shirone had never lost to Rian in their childhood games. If the loser was challenging the champion, the winner had no reason to back down.
Rian glanced at Vincent, who responded with a proud thumbs-up from beneath his crossed arms.
"Alright, I’ll go first."
Rian swung his axe with all his might. The sound echoed through the trees, and the trunk trembled violently.
His raw power was monstrous. It was clear how much he had trained over the past half year.
"Wow, amazing. Is that Schema?"
"Huh? Ahahaha! Of course not! Why would I use Schema just for chopping wood?"
His answer was a little awkward, but Shirone, unaware of the details, decided to let it slide.
Rian grinned mischievously and lifted his axe again, winking at Shirone.
"The real show starts now."
With precise force, he struck the weakened part of the bark again. A cracking sound rang out, and the tree toppled over.
Shirone immediately recognized it.
And if he could pull it off, it meant that Rian had now reached the level where he could use sword energy.
"Hahahaha! What do you think, Shirone? I’m not the same guy you used to know!"
Despite his confident boast, Rian’s heart was pounding.
He had learned sword energy at the swordsmanship school, but his success rate wasn’t very high. The only reason he had managed to execute it here was thanks to Vincent’s guidance and a full day of relentless practice.
"That was impressive. The sound is completely different from when I use Thunder Cleave."
"Heh, well, naturally. But remember, this is a bet. Since I succeeded in two strikes, you have to do it in one."
Vincent laughed heartily.
"Shirone, give it your best shot! If it’s a tie, we keep going until someone wins. At this rate, we might end up cutting down the whole mountain!"
Vincent had faith in his son. Rian’s strength was incredible, but Shirone, who had been chopping wood since childhood, had talent in technique.
"No, I’m fine. I’ll just do it my way."
Shirone placed his hand on the tree trunk. Vincent and Rian exchanged puzzled looks.
How did he plan to chop down the tree without an axe?
Shirone gauged his position and activated Spirit Zone.
Using the basic spell Wind Cutter, he sent a precise, razor-sharp gust through the tree. A faint cracking sound followed.
As the two onlookers tilted their heads in confusion, Shirone gently pushed the trunk.
With a clean, seamless cut, the tree fell over effortlessly.
Vincent and Rian stood there, stunned.
The cut was so precise that the tree hadn’t even budged until it was nudged.
’Ah, so that’s magic...’
Rian inspected the stump. It was as if an impossibly thin blade had passed through it.
"What kind of magic is this?"
"Wind Cutter. It’s a basic spell that sharpens air into a cutting force."
Vincent was at a loss for words.
He had expected Shirone to learn magic, but this was beyond anything he had imagined...
And to think, his son had only just begun his journey.