Old Anderson stood beside the bed with his cane, watching his daughter-in-law, Mrs. Lisa, treat Judiya's injuries.
"It isn't serious, is it?"
Mrs. Lisa rose and replied, "Not particularly. Her external injuries have already been treated. As for the rest, she'll be fine after some rest."
"Yes. Thank you for taking care of her."
"It's what I should do."
Old Anderson left the bedroom. Outside, his son Mike sat in a wheelchair and said apologetically,
"Father, this was my oversight."
"As long as Young Master Kallen is all right." As Old Anderson spoke, he slowly walked to the window in the corridor and pushed it open, letting the wind blow in.
Mike wheeled himself after him.
"Mike."
"Father."
"I was useless. My generation failed to hold things up, and I could only watch as the Raphael Family and the other families grew stronger and stronger. Your generation failed to hold things up, too.
"Fortunately, it was a scare, but no disaster. We've made it over this hurdle.
"So our hope now lies with the next generation.
"Borg and Judiya are the hope of the Allen Family's next generation. They have a chance of reaching beyond level five after they come of age. That way, the Allen Family will at least have a pillar supporting it both outside and within, and won't have to suffer the straits we were in a few years ago again."
"Father, there's Eunice, too. Our ancestor Earl Recar said Eunice's bloodline concentration was the highest."
Old Anderson looked at this son of his.
Mike also looked at his father.
Father and son stared at each other like that.
After a long while, Mike asked in puzzlement, "Isn't that right, Father?"
Old Anderson felt somewhat forlorn. Of his three sons, the eldest and second had never seemed