The Returning Student

It was a sweltering afternoon, the sun blazing down.

An ordinary, dilapidated carriage creaked and groaned as it slowly rolled into Scorched Stone City.

A few minutes later, the carriage stopped before a quiet residence in the West District. A short, chubby young man, looking to be about seventeen, hopped down. He wore a simple, durable brown robe, a thick, copper-bound book hung from his belt, and a wooden box with frayed, white-worn straps was strapped to his back.

Upon reaching the residence, he stood on his tiptoes to peer into the courtyard behind the iron fence before reaching up to knock with the ring on the gate.

Before long, an old servant came to investigate the sound and spotted the chubby youth.

"So it's Yero. What brings you back?" He recognized the lad; he had been a student of Scholar Heide in the past.

"I heard that Master Heide was preparing to teach again, so I rushed back immediately."

"I never expected someone as unsociable as you to be so well-informed this time." The old servant opened the iron gate to let Yero inside.

"Master Heide is taking his afternoon nap right now, so you'll have to wait a while to see him. Go rest in the side hall for a bit."

"Alright, thank you, Grandpa Manson." He walked familiarly through the small courtyard and into a side room off the hall to sit down.

About an hour later, the sound of soft, measured footsteps echoed from within the house. An elderly man with a long beard, dressed in a sleeping robe, entered the side hall. Shortly after he sat down, a maid brought him a cup of fresh, cold tea.

"I had just woken up when Manson told me you were back." He adjusted the reading glasses on the bridge of his nose and scrutinized the young man sitting across from him.

"My apologies, Master Heide." Yero stood up and bowed in apology before straightening up to explain.

"For the past two years, I have been in Valley City... the experience was not good. Perhaps I simply couldn't adapt to the environment there, so I humbly request to return to your side to continue my studies." Yero looked ashamed, his voice dropping low.

"Good child, tell me if there is any trouble. Why are you so reserved today? Haha." Scholar Heide's laughter eased Yero's tense heart significantly.

Yero held the utmost respect for this white-bearded octogenarian. He was not only his mentor but had also cared for him greatly in his daily life; otherwise, as someone born to commoners, it would have been nearly impossible for him to pursue knowledge and become a scholar.

"Ever since I bid you farewell, I took your letter of recommendation and went to Valley City to study under Scholar Harwin..." He began to recount his experiences over the last two years.

"The environment in Valley City is different from Scorched Stone City. It is very flamboyant, and everyone is obsessed with various arts and fashions. I know nothing of those things, so I could never join the conversation." In this new environment, the student from the countryside found it difficult to integrate with his peers.

"Furthermore, most of them are descendants of nobles, or at least from well-off families, and I..." His voice trailed off, but even without him saying it, Scholar Heide could guess the situation he had faced.

"It seems it was my mistake. I shouldn't have recommended you to Valley City back then." Heide shook his head slightly and stroked his beard as he spoke.

"Not at all. It was my own lack of ability. Fitz, for instance, got along quite well with the local students." Fitz was another student who had studied under Scholar Heide alongside Yero two years ago.

"Everyone has different personalities and traits; there is no need to compare yourself to others." Heide raised a hand slightly, signaling Yero to sit.

"I generally understand your situation now."

"Do not let the past trouble you any longer. For the time being, you shall continue your studies here with me."

Hearing this, Yero's eyes lit up. He suppressed his inner joy and nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, Master!"

"Haha, you are quite lucky, too." Stroking his beard, Heide remembered something.

"Actually, I had not intended to continue teaching. You know how old I am." He picked up the teacup before him and took a small sip.

"However, Viscount Xuefeng specifically asked me to take on a student this time, and I thought that teaching only one person would not be for the best."

"Interacting with peers—the comparisons, competition, social exchanges, and friendships that arise—are indispensable parts of a person's growth."

"If one has no mirror, how can one know their own face? This is the necessity of being among one's peers."

"By observing children of your own age, you come to understand your own strengths and aptitudes. Perhaps you are eloquent, perhaps you are quick-witted, or perhaps you are relatively ordinary."

"Only when one truly understands oneself can one begin their life."

"Thus, I had word sent out that I would be accepting young students once again." He set his cup down.

"In that case, has my return hindered your original intention?" Yero felt ashamed once more.

"Haha, there is no need to be so cautious." Scholar Heide leaned back into the sofa and closed his eyes slightly to rest.

"The student Viscount Xuefeng specifically asked me to look after is also seventeen. She has come from very far away; she is the daughter of the former Viscount Callen."

"Viscount Callen?" Yero recalled something, his voice filled with confusion.

"Your guess is correct. It is the same Viscount Callen who was stripped of his title last year." Heide explained in a slow voice.

"During the 'Battle of the Windmill' two years ago, the Regas Kingdom suffered a crushing defeat. The knights and soldiers gathered were decimated, which infuriated the Grand Duke. As the commander, Viscount Callen could not shirk his responsibility; after the war, he was dismissed and stripped of his title, and he remains imprisoned in the water dungeon of White Cliff City to this day."

"If it weren't for the fact that Viscount Callen was a favorite in the Royal Capital and had accumulated many connections who pleaded on his behalf, he likely would have lost his life long ago."

"He will find it difficult to ever leave that prison in this lifetime, but he has a daughter left outside—the student I am to teach."

"Why not study in White Cliff City? Naturally, it is because the 'Battle of the Windmill' cost the lives of too many knights, offending many nobles. Scorched Stone City, however, is located in the remote southern region of the Regas Kingdom and has little contact with the central regions, so the fallout is minimal."

"The Viscount Xuefeng from two generations ago had a daughter who married into the Callen family—she is the grandmother of the current Viscount Callen—so there is a layer of kinship between the two."

"So, do you understand why Viscount Xuefeng would specifically plead for me to teach her?" Scholar Heide opened his eyes.

"I understand." Although he understood, a different kind of anxiety rose in Yero's heart. He did not understand why his master was telling him so many secrets.

"Haha, you will eventually come into contact with nobles and their strange circles. This is also a way to train you in advance." Heide directly addressed the confusion in Yero's heart.

"The girl's name is Iona. It is said that she was once a famous socialite in White Cliff City, sought after by many. Now, her situation has plummeted. I heard from colleagues in White Cliff City that this child is not easy to get along with." At this, Scholar Heide paused.

"In the future, she will be your classmate. How do you intend to coexist with her?"

"You don't have to give me an answer now. I am only letting you start thinking and gradually find a way that suits you."

"If your goal is to join the 'Candlekeep School', then you should also be clear that the best path for a scholar is to assist great nobles in managing practical affairs, developing territories, and solving various problems. In this process, you gradually verify what you have learned, achieve the balance of the Law of Three Phases, and then advance."

"'The Path of Agony' cannot be avoided." —A maxim of the ancient sages.

"Consider this the trial I have set for you, Yero."

"Yes, Master." He bowed solemnly once more, his small, sturdy face filled with fighting spirit.