Alex Is Injured

Time flowed like water, and it was already evening.

Andres prepared to leave.

He descended from the rooftop. Teresa had also finished his training for the day and was resting.

"Teacher Andres, I feel like I've improved again today. It won't be long before I fully comprehend 'Treating Light as Heavy.'" Teresa was very excited.

"With your talent, this won't be difficult for you." Andres smiled. "All right, it's about time for me to head back as well. We'll continue tomorrow."

He walked toward the courtyard exit and happened to see Mr. Ivan, the head of the Goblin Merchant Guild in the Oga Kingdom, entering.

"Mr. Andres, have you considered it? If you're dissatisfied with the terms, we can still negotiate." Ivan spoke warmly.

These past few days, Ivan had been trying to persuade Andres to join the Goblin Merchant Guild.

The goblins were not particularly gifted in cultivation. To maintain the guild's vast business empire, they needed many powerful individuals, and they had always placed great importance on recruiting and nurturing experts.

The strength Andres had displayed had already earned the Goblin Merchant Guild's recognition.

The Goblin Merchant Guild had offered Andres extremely generous terms, no worse than Teresa's.

Yet Andres had never agreed.

"Mr. Ivan, the Goblin Merchant Guild cannot participate in wars between races or internal power struggles, correct?" Andres asked.

"That's right. It isn't permitted. We only do business," Ivan said.

"Then there's no way around it. I can't join the Goblin Merchant Guild." Andres shook his head.

After completing Teresa's Binding Quest, he still had to help Inori seize the throne of the Oga Kingdom in order to obtain the Fire Elemental Lesser God talent.

Once he joined the Goblin Merchant Guild, he would be restricted and unable to participate in the struggle for the Oga Kingdom's throne.

The terms offered by the Goblin Merchant Guild were not enough to make him give up the Fire Elemental Lesser God talent.

Even in the face of Andres's refusal, Ivan remained all smiles. The Goblin Merchant Guild was very patient when it came to powerful people.

"Mr. Andres, the doors of our guild will always be open to you. If you change your mind, you are welcome to come find me," Ivan said with a smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Ivan."

Ivan saw Andres out of the Goblin Merchant Guild's residence.

"Oh, right, I haven't congratulated you yet, Mr. Andres," Ivan suddenly said outside the Goblin Merchant Guild's gates.

"Congratulate me?" Andres froze.

Ivan smiled. "We've received news that Miss Inori has returned to Oga City ahead of schedule. She will certainly report the battle situation to His Majesty the King. The matter of you killing Resior will soon spread everywhere. You're about to become famous."

"Inori returned early?" Andres was startled. The army could not travel that quickly. Usually, messengers returned first.

"Yes. Miss Inori did not travel back with the army. She returned ahead of them," Ivan said.

Andres understood.

He guessed that Inori had returned to make preparations for going to the Holy Alliance. After all, there were less than twenty days left before departure.

If she returned with the army, time would be tight.

Inori had a Unicorn, so she would travel much faster than the army.

Andres did not care much about becoming famous. He bid Ivan farewell and headed for Oga City.

The moment he returned home, Andres sensed that something was wrong. Raul and Helen were standing there with anxious expressions, seemingly about to head out.

"Father, Mother, what happened?" Andres asked.

At this hour, the elderly couple would normally be at home waiting for their two children to return for dinner.

When Helen saw Andres return, the anxiety on her face eased slightly. She grabbed Andres and said, "Andres, something happened. We just received word that Alex was sent to the East City Medical Hall. I heard he was seriously injured!"

Andres's expression changed immediately. "What happened? Wasn't he training with the Kingdom Knights? Who would dare hurt someone in a place like that?"

The Kingdom Knights was practically one of the safest places in the Oga Kingdom.

"We don't know either. Your mother and I were just about to go to the medical hall to see your brother." Raul's face was grim.

"Let's go. I'm coming too," Andres said.

The three of them hired a carriage and headed straight for the East City Medical Hall.

In an era when magic had matured, places like medical halls did not exist. The healing magic of Light Element and Life Law mages was more effective than any medical treatment.

It was only because the Dylan Plane did not yet have magic that such places existed.

The East City Medical Hall was located in the East District. It covered a large area and was built like a small castle.

After Andres and the others arrived, they described Alex's appearance to the medical hall staff and were led to a private room.

The moment he entered, Andres saw two tall, burly Kingdom Knights soldiers. Both wore platinum-colored armor.

Hearing the sound at the door, the two soldiers turned around as well.

As they moved, Andres saw Alex lying on the white hospital bed behind them.

Alex's armor had been removed. His left hand was wrapped in bandages and secured in a cast.

His right foot was also wrapped in thick bandages and suspended.

His face was slightly pale.

"Father, Mother, Brother!"

Alex saw Andres and the others as well and called out.

"How... how did you get hurt like this?" The moment Helen saw Alex, tears of heartache streamed down her face. She rushed to the bedside in a few quick steps.

"Mother, I'm fine." Alex forced a weak smile. "My life isn't in danger. My left hand and right foot are just fractured. I'll recover after resting for a while."

Hearing that, Helen's expression improved slightly.

"Alex, what exactly happened?" Raul asked.

Alex opened his mouth, hesitated, and finally said, "Don't worry about it. It's a personal matter."

"What personal matter? You're injured like this, and you still call it a personal matter?" Helen said anxiously.

Alex still refused to say anything.

Andres walked over to the two soldiers. "Are you Alex's friends? Thank you for bringing Alex to the medical hall."

"You're welcome," the two soldiers hurriedly said.

"Could the two of you come outside with me for a moment?"

The two soldiers exchanged glances and nodded.

The three of them went outside.

Andres spoke directly. "Gentlemen, I'll be frank. My brother may not want to say anything, but as his older brother, I can't remain in the dark. Please tell me what happened."

"This..." Both soldiers looked troubled.

One of them said, "I think you should ask Alex. He doesn't want to talk about it himself, so we can't speak out of turn. Besides, we also think it would be best to let this matter pass."

Andres frowned at once. "Does this involve some extraordinary person?"

The two soldiers' expressions shifted slightly, and they hurriedly said, "Please don't ask any more questions. We won't say anything. Now that you're here, we can leave without worry. Goodbye."

After saying that, the two soldiers hurried away.

Andres had no way to stop them.

Just then, an elderly gentleman dressed in black and carrying himself with refined manners passed by them and walked toward Andres.

The old gentleman glanced at Alex inside the room before asking Andres, "May I ask if the injured person here is Mr. Alex?"