Who Can Truly Be Relied On at a Critical Moment

Aaron stared in astonishment at the silver armor that had stopped in front of him, his mouth agape.

Seeing Aaron's astonished look, Jeans said calmly, "I also know a little about Transfiguration."

"This, this, this is too smooth."

"To avoid suspicion, it will be your next opponent, young master."

This armor doesn't discriminate based on appearance; in other words, it shows no mercy.

Aaron's expression changed slightly, and his hand holding the sword trembled involuntarily.

Is this trick really suitable for a beginner?

Shouldn't they have arranged such an opponent for me after I've mastered certain skills?

"Young master, don't worry, its attack techniques are average, and its movements are not as agile as a real person's."

Therefore, defeating it is not that difficult.

"That's not important. What's important is that I might get seriously injured if I'm not careful."

Haven't you thought about this?

Jeans raised an eyebrow. "This armored suit has no weapons in its hands..."

"This is an enchanted suit of armor; its fists are probably no less powerful than swords!"

"Why not just dodge it?"

Aaron's lips twitched. "But what if I don't manage to dodge it?"

"Unless something goes wrong, I have faith in you, young master."

Furthermore, even if something unexpected happens, the Treasury has extremely high-quality healing Potions that can help you recover from your injuries in the shortest possible time.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Aaron clapped his hands and exclaimed, "I give this arrangement a perfect score."

This must be my dad's idea. Even tigers don't eat their cubs, how could he possibly be so heartless as to harm me!

"This is all well-intentioned advice from the family," Jeans explained with a chuckle. "Young Master, you are Gaius's next successor, and you will become High-level Mage before you turn twelve."

This is a threshold, but since you have crossed it, young master, your future will have to bear more burdens than others.

These are the rules set by the first clan chief. I don't know the specifics, but the clan chief will tell you sooner or later.

For three generations, only you, young master, have met this requirement; you can be said to be the expectation of Gaius.

That's why your training has to be a bit stricter.

Upon hearing this, Aaron paused for a moment, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

He had been trying his best to hide his talents, but he hadn't expected that he still hadn't hidden them well enough, and he hadn't expected that he would have an unexpectedly heavy burden on his shoulders.

Although he didn't know what it was, he knew that there was no way to avoid it.

This is practically an ancestral rule; his small frame simply cannot defy these thousands of rules.

The hope of the whole family; this title is not something to be taken lightly.

Tell me, how much do you know about this ancestral rule?

"I know a little."

"Explain."

Jeans shook his head. "It's not time for you to know yet."

"Ha!" Aaron sneered. "You are the Butler, and I am the young master. You should know that."

"Young Master, please don't make things difficult for me." Jeans said with a wry smile, "I have a contract that I must keep the secrets I know unless you advance to the level of Magus."

Aaron rolled his eyes in exasperation, speechless.

That's incredibly meticulous! Unless he reveals his true strength now, we can only suppress our curiosity.

But could he expose himself? Absolutely not!

High-level Mage is the family's only hope; what if it were Magus?

Aaron took several deep breaths to calm himself down a bit.

"I won't ask questions I shouldn't ask in the future."

It's not because I understand you, but because I know it's pointless to ask.

Jeans wholeheartedly agreed; you know that's enough, it saves me the trouble of explaining.

"But isn't it a bit too cruel to give me this on my very first training session?"

"The more you suffer now, the less you'll suffer later," Jeans said seriously. "Those who haven't been hurt don't know the pain. Getting beaten up is a lesson you have to learn in life. Remembering this feeling is much more effective than just training."

"You're right, I can't argue with you, okay!" Aaron rolled his eyes, seriously picked up his sword and armor, and created a few meters of distance between them. "Come on!"

"Wait a moment!" Jeans hurriedly cast a spell, placing an Iron Armor Charm on Aaron. "This is a medium-difficulty defensive spell that can greatly reduce the damage you take. If you want to learn it, young master, I can teach you."

Aaron:...

No, no need.

Swordsmanship is the main course this holiday, so let's get started!

"Alright." Jeans snapped his fingers, and a flash of light appeared on his armor as it was powered up again.

The next second, the silver armor burst forth with astonishing speed, and its clenched fist slammed down.

Aaron's pupils contracted sharply, and without the slightest hesitation, he leaped backward with all his might.

A clear fist print appeared on the floor, with spiderweb-like cracks clearly visible at the edges.

Aaron couldn't help but swallow hard. As expected of magical armor, wearing it might even allow him to fight against Troll.

The silver-armored warrior didn't pause after missing his first strike; he raised his fist and attacked again, this time targeting Aaron's chest.

Aaron parried with his sword, and sparks flew at the point of impact.

But the armor's strength still knocked him back several steps, and he almost dropped his Longsword.

Before he could even regain his footing, a silver fist suddenly appeared in front of him. It was slightly weaker, but much faster, and a sonic boom could even be heard.

"My life is over."

Aaron closed his eyes in Despair. He knew all too well the power of that punch; he didn't think his head was harder than the floor.

The image of a watermelon falling from the roof and shattering into Severing Charm flashed through his mind, and at that moment he clearly felt how close death was to him.

A second later, he felt no pain whatsoever.

He thought it was Jeans who intervened in time, but when he opened his eyes, a three-meter-tall khaki dragon stopped in front of him, blocking the punch for him.

Abei looked down at the silver armor, exhaling thick, brownish breaths from his nostrils.

Its pupils were filled with contempt, mixed with intense anger.

It bullied its owner right in front of it and dared to hit it so hard.

This is truly intolerable! This is intolerable! This is intolerable!

Abei raised his grizzly claws and slammed them down, instantly Severing Charm, restoring it to its pre- Transfiguration state.

But it didn't stop, slapping down with its claws, a dozen times in total, embedding the silver parts into the ground, before finally unleashing a burst of Dragon Breath.

The blazing flames surged across the ground like a tidal wave, burning the armor and rubble until they glowed red-hot, barely quelling its fury.

"Abei!"

Aaron was moved to tears, then gave Jeans a disdainful sneer.

In critical moments, it's crystal clear who you can truly rely on!

After dealing with the armor, Abei quickly shrank and jumped into Aaron's arms, trying his best to comfort his master's fragile heart.

Through the Dragon Language, he understood the concern, worry, and a hint of fear in Abei's roar.

After all, this was its master's training, and it couldn't help but interfere. What if the Butler got angry? Then it might not even get an apple for breakfast anymore.

"Well done, beautifully done." Aaron patted its head approvingly. "Commendable loyalty!"

Forget about dieting. You're all grown up now, what's wrong with eating more?

From now on, I'll decide: an extra roast chicken for every meal, with plenty of meat.

Abei nodded eagerly, his long eyes narrowing into crescent shapes, his happiness written all over his face.

"Young Master, this... this isn't right!" Jeans stammered. "Dumbledore said Abei was only a little over a meter tall, how did he grow so big?"

"It's none of your business."

Maybe my dragon was so eager to protect its master that it unleashed its potential!

"This...is truly unbelievable!" Jeans exclaimed. "This is extremely rare even among Fantastic Beasts, but isn't it a bit too brutal?"

The floor is alright; although it was severely damaged, it can still be restored to its original state using Repair Charm.

But that magical armor was different. It withstood a series of attacks from the dragon, leaving it in pieces, and needed to be reforged by a professional blacksmith.

"Hmph!" Aaron snorted coldly. "You have the nerve to say that? You know how dangerous the situation was just now. I almost died."

Jeans:...

"It's not that bad, it really isn't that bad."

I know my limits. Even if you take that blow, young master, your life won't be in danger.

With the Iron Armor Charm protecting you, young master, at worst you'll get a black eye.

"Heh! You can hit someone but not in the face, right?"

Jeans chuckled awkwardly. "You can't expect your future opponents to go easy on you."

Enemies are never merciful; they'll stop at nothing to achieve an effective attack, let alone humiliate you.