Mr. Colin

At the gates of Will Knight Academy, Colin and Bill bade each other farewell. One headed east, the other west.

The weather had been overcast all day, caught somewhere between rain and no rain. There were very few pedestrians on Wright Street, and the passing carriages hurried by.

Colin tightened the strap of his backpack across his chest as he passed a clothing store. He stroked his chin, then turned and walked past the shop to a store called Kyle's Tea Shop.

The shop had only one room. Half of it was a floor-to-ceiling window, while the other side had a blue-painted wooden door. Colin pushed open the door and immediately caught the scent of black tea.

"Welcome to Kyle's Tea Shop." A middle-aged man's voice rang out. It sounded somewhat familiar, so Colin looked up.

The single-room shop was quite cramped. An exquisite counter about chest-high divided it into two halves. Behind the counter stood a large cabinet divided into many smaller compartments, each holding lidded square porcelain containers. The fragrance was coming from those containers.

Between the counter and the cabinet stood a tall middle-aged gentleman with two large mustaches. He wore a pair of white gloves.

"Mr. Klee?" Colin asked in surprise.

"Colin?" Mr. Klee recognized Colin as well, and a surprised look appeared on his face.

Mr. Klee was a nobleman, a house tutor by profession, and skilled at oil painting. His family circumstances were merely ordinary, much like the Russell family's. He had a son named Richard, who also attended Will Knight Academy, though Richard was in his third year.

Mr. Klee's home was only a few villas away from the Russell family estate. They were not close, but they were acquainted.

"Did you take over this shop?" Colin asked casually after his surprise faded. Kyle's Tea Shop was an old-established tea store on Wright Street, and its former owner had been another gentleman.

"City Hall layoffs left many people unemployed, and they began competing for house tutor positions. I'm old, so I couldn't compete with them. I decided to find another way to make a living. As it happened, Mr. Lite, the owner of this shop, wanted to sell it because of some matters, so I bought it." Mr. Klee gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

Colin understood. He remembered how Smith had previously gone looking for work, only to fail because there had been too many competitors.

"Life really is unpredictable," Colin remarked casually.

"Indeed. I never imagined I'd end up selling black tea." Mr. Klee smiled even more bitterly. Then he asked eagerly, "Colin, would you like to buy some tea?"

"Yes. Black tea produced in Xilan," Colin nodded.

"What grade would you like?" Mr. Klee asked eagerly.

"Duke Black Tea." Colin recalled the tea he had drunk at Knight Victor's home last time.

"Certainly. One Silver Coin for five grams. How much would you like?" Mr. Klee showed a slight smile.

"One hundred grams." Colin took a gold coin from his pocket and placed it on the counter.

"Please wait a moment." Mr. Klee did not take the gold coin first. Instead, he gave a small bow and began working behind the counter. As he worked, he asked,

"Colin, Richard told me that you defeated Brian from your class at the academy?"

"Yes," Colin answered.

"Not bad at all. Brian may not be a noble, but his family is wealthy enough to afford potions. The fact that you defeated him proves that you're exceptionally talented. You will surely become a great knight in the future." Mr. Klee smiled. He was not merely being polite; he meant it sincerely.

His family's circumstances were similar to the Russell family's, and his son Richard was also among the lower ranks of the nobility at the academy. Hearing that Colin possessed such strength made him quite happy.

"Thank you for your kind words." Colin bowed in thanks.

By then, Mr. Klee had weighed the tea, placed it in an exquisite porcelain container, wrapped it in a delicate gift box, and handed it to Colin.

Colin reached out to accept it, intending to say goodbye. Mr. Klee stopped him and said seriously, "But, Colin, the old man in Brian's family is narrow-minded. Be careful that he doesn't cause trouble for you."

"Thank you for the warning, Mr. Klee." Colin bowed again in gratitude.

Then Colin took his leave.

Colin did not think much of his conversation with Mr. Klee. Brian's family was indeed troublesome, but it was not a major problem. It was not until Colin was nearly home and a nobleman stopped him for a friendly chat that he realized something.

Only then did Colin understand that he was no longer who he used to be. He had made a name for himself. Like Mr. Klee, this nobleman lived close to the Russell family but had never been close to them. Before this, he had never addressed Colin so warmly.

"Welcome home, Colin." After shaking off that nobleman, Colin arrived at his front door. Linda came out to greet him in an apron, though this time she was not holding a spatula.

Linda had intended to hug and kiss Colin, but she first noticed the exquisite gift box in his hand.

"Where was this tea produced?" Linda looked deeply wary. Remembering the red wine produced in Veil that Colin had bought so extravagantly last time made her heart ache.

"It is for entertaining Knight Victor. That gentleman likes Duke Black Tea produced in Xilan." Before Linda could explode, Colin hurriedly explained.

When Linda heard it was tea produced in Xilan, she nearly bristled. But when she heard it was meant for Knight Victor, she reluctantly accepted the fact.

"That is all Gold Coins." Linda sighed mournfully, then carefully took the gift box from Colin's hands and swayed inside. She even forgot to hug and kiss him.

"She forgets her brother the moment she sees money." Colin grumbled.

"What did you say?" Linda had not heard clearly and turned back in confusion.

"Nothing." Colin gave an awkward laugh, quickly bent down to fetch and put on his slippers, kicked off his leather shoes, and pattered into the house.

At dinner, because the sky was especially dark, a white candle had been lit on the table.

Colin and Linda sat facing each other. Tonight's meal was roast meat, vegetable soup, and bread. Linda speared a piece of roast meat with her fork and casually asked, "Colin, did you defeat a classmate named Brian during training at the academy?"

Colin rolled his eyes. You already knew?

"Yes." Colin did not want to say much, so he merely answered.

"I heard it from Madam Cher. No one used to tell me anything about what happened to you at the academy. As expected, the academy is part of the Empire too. Strength is the foundation of everything." Pride appeared on Linda's face. She reached out and rubbed Colin's head, messing up his short hair, then said with satisfaction, "Keep it up, Mr. Colin."

Madam Cher was a wealthy noblewoman. Her villa was only three villas away from the Russell family estate, yet the two families had never had any dealings before. This time, however, Madam Cher had taken the initiative to greet Linda.

Linda recalled her conversation with Madam Cher. The other woman had constantly praised Colin as a Quasi-Knight with a great future. Linda had kept modestly denying it, but could not hide her pride. The feeling had been wonderful.

"Alright, Miss Linda." Colin smiled as well.