Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 543: A Journey Doesn’t Always Go In A Straight Line

The hotel stay of the Frieden Academy students had been extended for one more day.

Free to do anything they wanted, the majority of the students strolled the city, looking for souvenirs to buy. After all, they didn’t know when they could come to the city of Solivane again.

Alex was no exception and took this opportunity to wander around the city alongside Lavinia, Lumi, and Fran.

They visited famous shops and local restaurant, sometimes stopping to patronize the pastry and snack stores they pass by.

One of the members of the Demon Worshipers, whom Alex had secretly made his subordinate, even came across them.

The unfortunate soul was Chris P. Bacon, who flinched as soon as he saw the young man responsible for rooting out the Demon Worshiper Branch in the city of Solivane in a single night.

In time, their organization would realize that their agents in Solivane were missing, send their people to investigate, and then replenish the manpower.

But now that they were part of the Zodiac, Chris and his comrades had to come up with an excuse.

All of them agreed to report the same story—the Branch Head of the Demon Worshipers, as well as his subordinates, had already gone missing when they arrived at the city. Not wanting to endanger themselves, they decided to keep a low profile while secretly investigating what had happened to their colleagues.

Of course, part of the story would include their very very very intensive effort to search for clues that might lead them to the answer, only to fail. And that they believed only a powerful person could be so traceless, so they feared for their safety and reluctantly stopped investigating.

There was no problem with this excuse, and there was no danger of one of them spilling the beans.

The Old Man who accompanied Alex was very thorough and had forced them to make some kind of Oath.

After helplessly obeying, they felt their very soul bind to some kind of power that prevented them from betraying their new Master, Alex.

Chris gave Alex a brief nod before walking past him and the ladies accompanying him.

When the young man was no longer in sight, Lumi glanced at Alex, recognizing Chris as one of the students whom the young man had dealt with during that fateful night.

"Is there something wrong?" Lavinia asked. "You seem to know something I don’t."

Her senses were quite sharp, so the small exchange between Chris, Lumi, and Alex didn’t escape her notice.

"I’ll tell you later," Alex said. "Let’s just enjoy our trip for now."

Since he had already recognized Lavinia as one of his people, he planned to tell her everything about the Demon Worshipers.

The Clawford Tribe and he were already joined at the hips ever since his Master, Cairo, had introduced him to their family.

Not to mention, it was thanks to them that he became an Oathkeeper, the same Profession the Founding Leader of their tribe had. They even treated as a symbol representing them, not minding that he was an outsider.

Originally, Alex and Lavinia planned to visit the Clawford Tribe on their way back from the City of Solivane.

However, after the incident in the Whispering Valley, the young man decided to reschedule their visit to another time.

Lavinia didn’t say anything. Since they could always go to the tribe during the weekend, this delay was not an issue.

For now, she was just happy to spend some time with Alex and her "sisters," who loved the same person as she did.

While Alex and the three ladies were enjoying their last day of vacation in the city of Solivane, Renard found himself sitting in the living room of the Duke Percival’s estate.

Lady Celestria had visited him two hours ago and invited him to their residence. She didn’t beat around the bush and directly admitted that it was her father who wanted to talk with him.

Renard agreed, curious as to why the Saintess’ father was looking for him.

Of course, he made sure to not lower his guard. Aside from Lady Celestria, he didn’t trust anyone else.

"Your performance during the tournament was great, Renard," Duke Percival said with a smile. "How about it? Would you like to transfer to Solara Academy? I promise to handle all the paperworks, as well as sponsor you if you agree to this proposal."

"I have thought about it, Your Grace, and I have decided to stay at Frieden Academy for now," Renard replied.

"Oh?" Duke Percival rubbed his chin. "Did my offer fail to interest you? If you want to negotiate, I am all ears."

When he first heard about the fact that his daughter had become close friends with a commoner during her visit at Frieden Academy, he thought that she was just being kind.

However, when the news about the duel reached his ears, he thought that this young man that he had heard about might not be as simple as he thought.

After watching the battle, he saw that Renard possessed great potential, surpassing even the geniuses of their kingdom.

Although he had lost to Charles during their battle, the Duke’s interest in him didn’t diminish.

In fact, it even soared to new heights.

That battle was a very close call, and fighting against a Void-Touched toe to toe was something to be proud of.

Even so, he was certain that if Renard were to be properly trained and provided with enough resources, he would even surpass Charles in the future.

Duke Percival was someone who wouldn’t hesitate to do anything for the sake of nurturing a talent that would leave a mark in history.

If Renard truly grew into the powerhouse he envisioned, he wouldn’t mind if he becomes the lover of his daughter in the future.

"There’s nothing wrong with your offer, Sir. I simply believe I can become stronger if I stay at Frieden Academy," Renard replied firmly.

"At first, I stayed because Frieden Academy had the only person I regarded as a rival. Though after the tournament, I found one more person I am resolved to overcome no matter what."

After hearing his reply, the Duke chuckled. He understood that having a rival was indeed a good way to push someone to their limits.

However, he thought of something that would still allow him to form a connection with Renard.

"Very well, I will respect your decision," Duke Percival said before handing Renard a black card. "This card contains a million gold coins, which you can exchange into any currency at any bank within the three allied kingdoms of Solara, Avalon, and Faelarun.

"I know you don’t want to feel indebted to me, but let me just say one thing to you. Your two rivals will continue to get stronger, and if you don’t use every method to catch up to them, they will leave you in the dust."

The Duke of Solara had experienced the same issue in his childhood. And when he grew up, he regretted not using his family’s influence out of foolish stubbornness.

He believed he could grow strong using only his own means, but he had forgotten that his family and background were also part of his strength.

Not utilizing the things you were born with was a waste of time and opportunity. He didn’t want Renard to go down that path, especially since he had already planned to sponsor him.

Renard was still hesitating when Lady Celestria spoke her mind.

"The path to reach the top of the mountain doesn’t necessarily mean you have to tread the journey alone," Lady Celestria said in a serious tone. "People specialize in different things. You may be strong, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a good cook.

"That also doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a good scout or tracker, who could find the fastest way to reach your destination.

"A journey doesn’t always go in a straight line. Sometimes, you have to make a detour in order to discover new opportunities that will help you on your journey."

Her strong gaze conveyed her will, and Renard wasn’t able to refute her words.

While Alex and Charles managed to get to where they were using their own strengths, they had experienced many "fruitful encounters".

In fact, he felt that Alex seemed to be guiding them to a path that would allow them to become stronger.

The Skill Books he received from his club president allowed him to reach his current level of strength, which he believed was something he couldn’t achieve if he were left to his own devices.

Because of this, the Saintess’ words held weight. Her words reminded him that he had already been helped by the person he considered a rival.

"Understood," Renard accepted the black card that the Duke had given him. "I will put this to good use."

"Excellent!" Duke Percival nodded with a smile.

He didn’t know what the future would bring, but he was certain of one thing.

Investing in the young man in front of him would allow him to see something that would make him say that everything he did was worth it.