Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 68: Same Destination

”Are you ready to go?” Cairo asked his disciple, who was currently doing light stretches in front of the Hartwell residence.

”Yes, Master,” Alex replied. ”Everything I have is inside my storage ring, so I can go anytime.”

The Catkin nodded before glancing at his sister, who was walking toward them.

Lavinia had come to say goodbye to Alex and once again thank him for everything he had done for the Clawford Tribe.

”I have baked some cookies for you and my brother to take on your journey,” Lavinia said as she handed a magic pouch to her brother and the young man. ”Although I already said it inside the Etherion Domain, let me say it again.”

The young lady bowed respectfully, not caring about her position as the princess of the Clawford Tribe.

”Thank you for saving me and the other members of my tribe,” Lavina stated. ”I will pay this debt to you someday. Also, if you ever need help, don’t hesitate to approach our family. We will always support you in any way that we can.”

The young lady looked at her brother for a brief moment before moving closer to whisper something in Alex’s ear.

”If you ever feel intimidated by my brother and grandpa, you can just tell me what you want,” she murmured. ”I can be your middleman in the Clawford Tribe.”

”Thank you, Lavinia,” Alex whispered back. ”I’ll keep that in mind.”

After saying what she needed to say, the young lady took a step back and once again acted as the prim and proper daughter of the Hartwell Clan.

Cairo looked at his sister with amusement, knowing what his little sister might be thinking.

But since he believed that she was already old enough to make her own decisions, he decided to let her handle things the way she deemed fit.

”Alex, feel free to visit us again.” Ramza emerged from the residence and patted the young man’s shoulder. ”Our doors are always open for you and Dim Dim.”

”Dim Dim~” Dim Dim nodded gratefully because it had enjoyed the delicacies the Hartwell Family had served during the feast.

The Patriarch then glanced at his granddaughter and chuckled.

”Cairo once mentioned that you are an orphan. Is that right?” Ramza said as he shifted his attention back to Alex. ”Then, why don’t you think of us as your family? What do you think of this, Lavinia?”

”Grandpa, why are you asking for my opinion?” Lavinia replied in a calm manner. ”But that suggestion isn’t bad.”

Ramza smirked while Cairo only shook his head helplessly from the side.

”Thank you, Lord Ramza,” Alex replied.

He didn’t reject or accept the old man’s offer because he could feel that there were some strings attached to his invitation.

The young man valued his freedom the most, and he didn’t want to get tied down to one place.

This was also the reason why he had chosen the Oath of the Heart—he wished to follow whatever his heart desired.

Arcana was a vast and beautiful world.

He would like to travel to different continents and see new sights he had never seen before.

After bidding goodbye to everyone, Alex and Cairo walked down the stairs to head to the port where the Airship would arrive shortly.

Ramza and Lavinia watched them from the top of the stairs and wished them a safe journey in their hearts.

”Say, what made you change your mind?” Ramza asked his granddaughter. ”I thought you’re not interested in studying at Frieden Academy.”

The old Catkin had a sly smile on his face because he already knew the answer to this question.

However, he wanted to hear his granddaughter’s answer because it was still better to confirm things, rather than make random guesses.

”I realized that the Clawford Tribe is just part of a bigger world,” Lavinia replied. ”Although I love it here, in order to grow, I need to experience many things. Here, I am treated as a princess, and everyone respects me.

”But outside our lands, I am just an ordinary Catkin whose background will more likely not matter to the people I interact with. I don’t want to become stagnant, Grandpa. I want to keep moving forward.”

”Just like Alex?” Ramza asked in a teasing tone.

”Yes, just like Alex,” Lavinia replied without hesitation. ”He was a weakling when he first came here. Someone I could have defeated even if I had tied one of my hands behind my back. But now, he is the Oathkeeper.

”An existence not even the Clawford Tribe can ignore. Maybe, just maybe, Frieden Academy will give me the same growth. I have heard that even prodigies from the Kingdom of Avalon, as well as their neighboring kingdoms, gather there to learn and compete with each other.”

Ramza nodded. ”You’re right. I’m also an alumnus of Frieden Academy, and I truly learned a lot from my stay there. Within its walls, I also made lasting friendships and lasting enemies, some of which have remained until now.”

The old Catkin smiled faintly as he reminisced about his youth.

”Very well, I will use my connections and enroll you at the academy,” Ramza promised. ”Go there to learn and compete, as well as discover your true self.”

”Thank you, Grandpa.” Lavinia held the old man’s hand, acting like a pampered granddaughter.

”But aren’t you going to use your connections to let Alex enroll directly as well? That way, he no longer needs to join that trial to be a scholar of the academy.”

”A sword will become dull if it is not regularly sharpened, Lavinia,” Ramza explained. ”Also, I believe Alex would feel too indebted to us if I were to pull some strings to let him enter the academy easily.

”Granddaughter, he is now the Oathkeeper. Someone who will stand at the front lines of every battlefield he faces. I’m sure experiencing a few trials will not do him harm.”

”... Grandpa, we almost died in our last trial, you know?”

Ramza coughed lightly. ”That was an isolated incident and shouldn’t be used as an example.”

”Uh huh.” Lavinia smirked before shifting her gaze back to the young man, who was now far away from her.

However, she wasn’t worried.

Since their destination was the same, both of them would meet again without a doubt.