"I know you're afraid I won't be able to accept it right away, but I'm pretty open-minded."
Jonathan draped an arm over his shoulder and said with a grin, "I might not come back often in the future, so it's good to have someone by your side."
"But you should find out more about her background."
"Someone as beautiful as her is rarely an ordinary commoner. More importantly, everything she does carries a noble air. That sort of thing is taught from childhood and sinks into your bones. It's hard to change."
Hearing Jonathan say this, Abraham nodded. "I asked her about it, but she didn't say much, and I didn't press her. I thought she was just staying here while she recovered from her injuries."
"Forget it. Even if there's trouble, you've got me!"
Seeing how confidently Jonathan spoke, Abraham looked him over curiously. "It's been a few years, and you're a lot more confident. How much stronger have you gotten?"
"Not bad. Pretty decent."
"This afternoon, the two of us should have a proper spar."
"I'd love to."
Jonathan said, "By the way, take this bundle. I was going to give it to you for drinks, but it looks like you can use it for your wedding expenses instead."
"What wedding expenses? It's way too early to talk about that!"
Abraham took it and found it quite heavy. When he opened it, he saw gleaming gold coins—several thousand of them.
"Where did you get this much money? Have you started taking assassination jobs already?"
"Sort of. I just did my first one recently. It was fine—not too difficult."
"That's good. Saber was willing to send a Level Nine assassin to train you not only because they value your talent, but also because they see your potential. They don't make losing investments. You need to be careful."
Jonathan said, "You're less and less like an assassin. You definitely wouldn't have said something like that before."
"An assassin? Forget it. This life is pretty good too."
Going from an assassin's life straight back to peaceful everyday living was bound to be difficult at first. He might have nightmares, but once he got used to it and adapted, it was really no big deal.
That was the resilience of people.
"By the way, your Aunt Sanita's cooking might be a little hard to stomach. Just bear with it."
"Ha! Already standing up for her, are you? And you said there was nothing going on. Have you two done that yet? When are you planning to have children?"
Abraham's face turned black as he slammed the door and stormed out.
At dinner, Jonathan took one bite and his face darkened. Was this just a little hard to stomach?
It was either so salty it nearly killed him or so sweet it nearly killed him.
Didn't she taste it while she was cooking?
Incredible confidence?!
Jonathan immediately changed the subject and skipped over the whole matter of the meal.
When he asked Sanita a few questions about herself, she either mumbled or gave answers that were obviously made up.
Jonathan really was worried she might bring trouble to Abraham.
So he decided he'd speak with her alone after a while and get her to come clean about everything.
That afternoon.
Jonathan and Abraham sparred.
They chose a patch of woods not far from Blackstone Town.
Jonathan showed him the assassination techniques he had learned over the years.
Whether it was concealing his presence, assassination techniques, or perception, he had surpassed Abraham across the board.
Before long, Abraham called off the spar himself and sighed. "It's only been six or seven years, and you've already surpassed me. Lord Xue Yan really is incredible. Your assassination skills must be first-rate in the Saber Organization by now."
"Why not say I'm talented and quick to learn?"
Just then, Bode hurried into the woods, flustered. "This is bad, Abraham! A group of people came to town carrying Sanita's portrait and asking about her."
"What?!"
Abraham hurried back, while Jonathan followed calmly behind him. "Perfect. Let's see where you're really from."
Not everyone in town could be like Bode and realize something was wrong enough to go warn Abraham.
After asking around, the group went straight to Abraham's house.
By the time Abraham arrived, a young man in brocade robes was gripping Sanita's hand and forcibly dragging her out the door.
When Abraham saw him, a Black Blade dagger was suddenly in his hand. He thrust it straight at the young man's chest.
But a middle-aged man flashed in front of them, raising an enormous greatsword to shield the young man and block Abraham's dagger.
The other four or five people charged at Abraham, some wielding War Blades, others great axes.
Abraham used the force of the impact to flip backward through the air and land far away, near Jonathan.
Everyone except the young man had released their battle aura. The man shielding him was a mid-to-late-stage Level Seven warrior, while the rest were all Level Six.
"Judging by their clothes, they're probably guards from some noble family."
Jonathan stopped Abraham. "Father, don't rush into a fight. Let's find out what's going on first."
He looked at Jonathan and saw the confidence in his eyes, so he calmed down too, realizing he'd acted too rashly.
"Gentlemen, what do you mean by barging into my home and forcibly taking someone? Don't you think you owe us an explanation?" Jonathan stepped forward a few paces and smiled faintly.
The young man in brocade robes said, "Why would I owe you an explanation?"
"Bate, kill them. We're leaving for Black Phoenix City."
"Black Phoenix City? I'm from Black Phoenix City too. Allow me to introduce myself: I'm a student at Ulada Magic Academy."
"Ulada Magic Academy?" The young man in brocade robes froze for a moment, then sneered. "So what? You're just a student. You think you can meddle in the affairs of the Bred Family?"
"The Bred Family?!"
Hearing this, Abraham cried out in shock. "You're people from the Bred Family?"
Jonathan was baffled. He glanced back at Abraham and asked, "Father, do you know this family?"
Abraham fell silent.
The young man in brocade robes said, "Even in this backwater place, someone knows of the Bred Family. I see you've been around a little."
"My Bred Family is a marquis family of the Bandas Kingdom, with a thousand years of history. We were here from the kingdom's founding, and we were among its founding heroes."
Jonathan didn't care about any of that. He replied coldly, "If you were founding heroes, how come you're only marquises now? Have you fallen from grace?"
The young man in brocade robes looked as if Jonathan had reopened an old wound. His face turned dreadful, and he ground out, "Looks like you really do want to die. Get them!"
Bate sensed danger from Jonathan and stayed in front of the young man in brocade robes, while the others charged forward.
"The ones who don't matter are no use to me alive."
He muttered under his breath, lifted a foot, and cast Gravity Spell. Then he cast Anti-Gravity Spell on himself to cancel out the gravity weighing him down.
If he controlled the range properly, Anti-Gravity Spell wouldn't cancel out Gravity Spell. Instead, the two would pull in opposite directions, making the restraint even stronger.
The reason was that Gravity Spell had a limited range—not only across an area, but also in height. Once someone rose above a certain height, they were no longer affected by gravity at all.
Everyone's vision blurred. A black bolt of lightning streaked past.
Without a sound, the people who had charged forward fell to the ground, their throats torn open.
Abraham's heart jolted. "So he was holding back a lot during the spar."
"But the Bred Family..."
"What's coming will come!"
Before you continue