Time slipped by little by little. Nearly half a year had passed since Radeus returned home, and the two boys' tenth birthday was fast approaching.
One crisp morning, Radeus pulled open his bedroom curtains, bare-chested, and a ray of sunlight shone straight onto his face.
"What a beautiful morning!"
Looking out at the clear blue sky, Radeus could not help marveling at the wonders of life.
Just as Radeus was lost in his reflections, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Hey! You've been home for half a freaking year already. When are you coming back?"
"Eris keeps demanding that you practice swordsmanship with her, too. You haven't started slacking off at home, have you?"
Rudeus's voice rang out in Radeus's mind.
"Heh heh heh, don't rush, don't rush. Young people are so impatient. You need to learn some patience!"
"How could I possibly be slacking off? It's mainly because there are more and more monsters around the village. Dad and I keep killing them, but their numbers haven't dropped at all. There's nothing I can do!"
Radeus spoke with a perfectly straight face.
But this was a lie!
Ever since Radeus cleared out those wolf packs, there had been far fewer powerful monsters harassing the village. In fact, when monsters attacked, Paul and the others did not even need to intervene; the villagers could easily deal with them themselves.
Radeus had been holed up at home without budging for over half a month. This man solemnly making excuses was simply letting himself go and slacking off!
He bore no resemblance whatsoever to the man who had once discussed the kingdom's future at length with Philip. Now he was just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill good-for-nothing!
Who knew whether Philip would regret partnering with Radeus if he saw what a layabout this man had