Isaac POV
Isaac sat near the window, arms crossed, watching Emily and Alice as they moved around the backyard, checking over their gear for the third time.
They wanted to make sure everything was prepared before leaving.
Emily’s short platinum hair bounced as she flew around.
Alice, quiet as usual, adjusted the strap on her backpack.
Her long blonde hair was tied into a low braid today, and her red eyes scanned over the weapons they’d laid out on the table in front of the jeep.
Tyr was waiting near the gates.
His bark-like skin gleamed faintly in the sunlight, and one of his hands still had soot stains from the smithy.
He’d been there early in the morning to train.
Now he stood silently with an axe strapped to his back.
The axe wasn’t a masterpiece, but it was definitely made from the unique metal Try could create.
Professor Catherine was going with them as expected.
’Everyone is going to the wilderness today.’
’Can I go too?’
He stood up, sliding the chair back quietly, and started looking for Professor Catherine.
He eventually found her, checking a digital map on one of the terminals.
She was wearing a black jacket over a slim combat vest, though the loose brown hair over her shoulders made her look less like a professor and more like an adventurer ready for a field mission.
“Professor,” he said, stopping a few steps away.
Catherine glanced at him, then looked back at the map. “Hmm?”
“I was wondering if I could come with all of you.”
“No,” she answered swiftly.
Isaac blinked. “That was… a quick rejection.”
Professor Catherine turned to him now.
“You’re an SSS-rank Farmer, Isaac. The Sanctum is doing its best to give you freedom even though you are high priority target. But leaving the city border, and entering wilderness isn’t something we can allow you yet.
“Wait until Master comes back. Without her, there is a chance something can happen to you. That’s a risk we can’t afford.”
He could’ve insisted he could protect himself.
But the fact that Professor Catherine, who usually riled him to go do dangerous things, shut him down without a second of hesitation said more than her actual words.
The danger outside wasn’t some vague idea. It was real. And even someone like her wasn’t willing to take the risk.
“Got it.”
Professor Catherine studied him for a moment, then gave a small nod of approval and turned back to the map.
A few minutes passed before Emily and Alice came, fully geared up.
Emily was smiling, but there was a tension in her shoulders she hadn’t bothered to hide.
She walked up first and pulled Isaac into a tight hug.
“Don’t go anywhere today,” she said, burying her face into his shoulder.
“Yes, I will be at home. So take care of yourself, and come back on time.”
She pulled back and gave him a small smile, then flew outside where Tyr was.
Alice didn’t say anything.
She gave a polite nod, and was about to follow others outside when Isaac grabbed her wrist and tugged her into the hug too.
Her body stiffened.
“What—”
she started, but her words caught when he patted her back and held her just long enough to make her ears turn pink.
“You too. Stay safe.”
Alice didn’t reply. But she didn’t pull away either.
When he finally let go, she took a small step back, brushing her fingers over her hair, avoiding his eyes.
Professor Catherine chuckled quietly and motioned toward the jeep.
“Alright, let’s move.”
Isaac watched as the three of them climbed into the vehicle.
Emily leaned out of the window and waved.
Tyr climbed onto the back, his weight causing the suspension to creak a little.
He didn’t turn small since they might need to fight at any moment once they enter the wilderness.
Transforming would take time, and the delay might cause them something.
He decided to stay big enough that he could immediately enter fight mode without a second of delay—these were simple things he learned from Isaac and Freya.
The engine came to life, and with a low hum, the jeep headed toward the northern gate.
He watched until it disappeared down the road.
Then he turned and made his way to the farm.
There was no sense in wasting the day.
The farm was quiet.
The soil was still warm from the evening sun, and most of the grains were ready for harvest.
Isaac swung his hoe once, harvested them and placed the harvest in containers before reseeding the soil with fresh seeds.
He worked for half-an-hour straight before heading back.
When he stepped into the kitchen, he found Professor Catherine sitting at the table, munching on some sort of crispy snack from a crumpled plastic bag.
She looked up and raised an eyebrow.
“Back already?”
He pulled a stool next to her and sat down. “Did you clone yourself?”
“Is that a type of pick-up line?”
“I’m serious. You’ve been all over the place lately. Even now, you just left with Emily and Alice, and ’you’ are back here.”
Professor Catherine leaned back, still chewing.
“Who knows? Maybe I can clone myself.”
Isaac gave her a sideways glance.
“You’re being obvious about it now. So what’s the harm in just telling me what the skill is?”
Her eyes sparkled a little as she smiled.
“You really do like knowing about abilities in detail, don’t you?”
He nodded. “Of course. Skills are tools. If you don’t know what a tool does, you can’t use it properly.”
“Exactly,” she said, popping another snack into her mouth. “Which is why, by not telling you, I’m making you more curious.”
Isaac lips twitched.
Professor Catherine smirked seeing his reaction and crumpled the empty snack bag, tossing it into the bin across the room.
“Keeps you on your toes.”
She stood up and stretched, her arms lifting high over her head.
Isaac’s eyes flicked towards her bosoms for half a second, before he caught himself and looked away.
“You can look, you know. No need to be shy.”
“So. What’s today’s practical training?” He changed the topic.
Professor Catherine grabbed a water bottle from the counter and turned back toward him.
“Today, I’ll teach you how to use Aura.”
“You mean normal Aura?”
She nodded.
“That takes years though.”
“You already know how to use Sword Aura,” she said, walking toward the door. “That’s the step that usually comes after Aura. Since you are at the second step already, learning how to control baseline Aura isn’t as impossible as you think.”
He nodded and stepped toward the door.
They were about to go out to the backyard when there was a knock.
Both of them stopped.
Isaac frowned.
He hadn’t sensed anyone walk on the land before they reached the door.
Professor Catherine’s gaze turned sharp. She exchanged a look with him.
A second passed.
Then the door creaked open.
No one was there.
The door closed on its own.
Isaac was prepared to summon roots, and Catherine’s eyes were flickering with faint golden light.
Both were ready to act.
But before either could move, space shimmered.
Vale appeared.
The invisibility faded from his body like mist being pushed aside.
His figure solidified in the room, his usual quiet demeanor intact, but there was something heavier about it.
Something Isaac couldn’t quite define.
“I apologize for entering the house this way. I had to be careful. I didn’t want to leave any traces.”
He looked first at Professor Catherine, then at Isaac.
His tone was respectful, but there was a certain sharpness under it.
“I’m here to talk about the offer you gave to my sister. Can we discuss it?”
Professor Catherine didn’t answer.
But Isaac heard her voice in his mind.
’Be careful. He feels different today.’
Isaac gave a short nod.
They moved to the living room and sat across from each other.
Isaac watched Vale closely.
He didn’t miss the slight tension in his shoulders, or the way his eyes moved from one corner of the room to another before resting on him.
Vale broke the silence first.
“Celia told me you offered her a place in your Guild, and that you’re a lord candidate.”
“I see,” Isaac replied.
“You’re not surprised I know about it?”
“I gave her the information knowing she’d probably tell you. I expected you to come talk to me.”
Vale leaned back and rubbed his forehead, letting out a short breath.
“So does that mean your recruitment offer was for me too?”
Isaac nodded once.
“You’re quite reckless,” Vale muttered. “Do you understand what you’re stepping into?”
“I do.”
“The Governor won’t sit still once he finds out you are a Lord Candidate. It won’t matter how good your intentions are. The moment he knows you are gathering power, you’ll be seen as a threat.”
Isaac didn’t deny it.
He didn’t bother explaining that his reason for becoming a lord wasn’t out of greed or ambition.
Words like that wouldn’t change anything.
People didn’t believe justifications when power was involved.
They would only see him as someone reaching too far, too fast.
And frankly, Isaac didn’t care what they thought.
’I need to become a True Lord. No matter what.’
He hadn’t forgotten what the goddess had shown him when he ’married’ Alice.
In that future, the city had been destroyed.
Isaac wouldn’t let that happen again.
If he could become the True Lord, he could start preparing, strengthening the walls, improving the energy barriers, organizing a real emergency response by using the Fortified City.