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nThe next morning, Howard was out in the yard with a scowl, airing out the bedding.

n“Why do I have to stand here!” Jelia protested loudly from under the eaves, dressed in her skirt.

nHoward glanced at her with a dark expression and continued to air out the bedding without a word.

nIt wasn’t just the mattress pads but also two quilts that had taken Howard the entire morning to take apart and wash, nearly causing him to miss breakfast.

n“What’s going on, making Jelia stand as punishment?” Greg emerged from the blacksmith shop, wearing his thick blacksmith apron, and approached Howard to inquire, “What did she do?”

n“Wet the bed.” Howard raised a hand to unfold a quilt cover, nodding his head towards Jelia.

n“This one insisted on sleeping with me last night, and then she wet the bed. I’ve been washing these since the morning, and the looks I’ve been getting from Antalya and the others are just bizarre. Didn’t you notice?”

n“Me? I just came out from the blacksmith shop; how could I have noticed?”

nWith Greg mentioning this, Howard remembered not seeing Greg at breakfast; even his meal was brought out by Antalya.

n“You were in the blacksmith shop? Came back in such a rush, what’s the hurry?”

n“Hehe, you’ll find out soon enough.” Greg was evasive and wouldn’t disclose much but patted Howard on the shoulder, “Don’t forget to come see me in the afternoon. Your basic knowledge isn’t solid at all. If you don’t brush up on it, we won’t feel at ease letting you out.”

nIn fact, the folks at the tavern had their suspicions about Howard’s background, but without conclusive evidence or Howard opening up about it himself, no one was going to pry.

n“Got it.”

nHoward responded, listening as Greg’s footsteps receded into the distance.

nAfter airing out the quilts, Howard tidied up everything and stood in front of Jelia.

n“Do you know why I had you stand here?” Howard asked, his face stern.

nThe little orc looked up to meet Howard’s gaze.

n“I don’t know.” Jelia shook her head honestly, this being the first time Howard had punished her.

n“It’s not because you wet the bed, but because you’d rather wet the bed than wake me up!” Howard pressed her hair softly.

n“Listen well, this isn’t doing any good for me or for yourself; it only adds unnecessary trouble. If you’re scared, just say it. You’re not alone anymore, you need to understand that.”

n“I took you in to provide you with a better living environment, not to have you suffer in a different place.”

nJelia nodded, understanding more than a child might, yet some of her thoughts were still confined by her youthful perspective.

nArriving in a completely unfamiliar place, Jelia, although not showing it, would involuntarily want to stay by Howard’s side, the only familiar presence to her.

nShe was scared.

nEven though she seemed to get along well with Antalya and Vivia, she was still scared.

nShe knew she was an outsider, and if not for Howard, neither Vivia nor Antalya would likely have chosen to take her in.

nRubbing Jelia’s hair, Howard sighed.

nHe could somewhat see what Jelia was worried about, but even his reassurance wouldn’t have any practical effect.

nIt was something Jelia had to understand on her own.

nHe hoped time would change the situation, but he didn’t know how much time Dorek would give him.

n“Let’s go, I’ll take you to Antalya to see if there are any chores you can do.”

nEven a child can’t be idle; they must learn to fend for themselves.

nHoward might be able to support her, but that didn’t mean Jelia could just do nothing.

nWorking together is the best way to integrate into a group.

n…

nSince it had been just over half a month since the inn reopened, the clientele was sparse.

nAside from a few regulars, a significant portion of customers had chosen other taverns during this time.

nBreeze City wasn’t short of taverns, many of which were cheaper than the Gold Coin Inn.

nAfter greeting the few familiar faces, Howard found Vivia behind the counter.

nDressed in a simple cloth dress, Vivia was serving guests while simultaneously managing the tavern’s accounts.

nUpon seeing Howard approach with Jelia, Vivia reached out to stroke Jelia’s hair, offering a smile, but her demeanor changed to one of indifference when her gaze shifted to Howard.

n“What are you doing here? Get back to work! You’ve already skipped half the morning!” Vivia’s face was expressionless, clearly not intending to show any warmth towards Howard.

n“If you’re looking to ask Antalya for a leave, she’s out and won’t be back until tonight.”

nGone out?

nHoward paused, recalling Antalya’s previous mention of an adventurer’s certification.

nHe wondered if there was any connection.

n“I’m not here to ask for leave.” Howard, pondering, pulled Jelia to the front.

n“It’s about Jelia. I was wondering if there’s any sort of odd jobs she could do.”

nVivia’s gaze lingered on Howard’s face for a few seconds, understanding his intention.

nThe Gold Coin Inn, already small, had Ali in the kitchen, which was enough.

nWith her, Antalya, and Howard upfront, and Greg occasionally lending a hand, they were hardly short-staffed.

nAs for tasks requiring physical strength, those were beyond Jelia’s current capabilities.

nHoward was aware of this but still hoped Jelia could be given some form of employment.

nLiving under someone else’s roof was hardly ideal, but if Jelia could contribute, it would at least grant her a sense of purpose and belonging.

n“I’ll mention it to Antalya, see how she wants to arrange it. She might end up helping in the kitchen; Ali could use an extra pair of hands.”

n“That works. Thanks.”

nVivia nodded, accepting Howard’s gratitude.

n“And don’t think you can continue slacking off. Get to work, or Antalya might dock your pay when she’s back.”

nHoward chuckled, taking Jelia back to the courtyard to discuss her temporary oversight with Ali, then changed into work clothes, ready to start his day.

n…

nLife seemed to return to normal.

nIn the following days, the number of customers gradually increased.

nUnder Antalya’s arrangement, Jelia found her place in the kitchen, assisting Ali and carving out a role for herself within the tavern.

nThere was still no word from Nula and Dorek, leaving Howard unsure of their arrival.

nNotably, Howard and Ali were informed by Antalya that they could collect their adventurer’s certificates from the guild’s office at any time.

nAntalya had already completed the necessary procedures; they merely needed to sign at the office to receive their certificates.

nThis meant that Howard and Ali could soon join Antalya’s adventure group, granting them the freedom to leave whenever they chose.

nThis option was offered upon Antalya’s return to Breeze City.

nBesides daily duties, Howard spent time with Greg and Ali, intensively learning the basics of magus knowledge in the New Continent.

nHe aimed to record as much information as possible in the shortest time, understanding that memorization now would allow for review later.

nHowever, if Nula and Dorek were to arrive, he wouldn’t have the luxury of this stable environment for study.

nDespite the tutoring, Howard’s strength saw no significant improvement, maintaining a steady level as a mid-tier level 3 magus.

nAs level 3 magi, both were still at the bottom tier within the ranks of magi, barely qualifying as certified magi.

nEver since Jelia spent a night in Howard’s room, she never returned to her own.

nAlthough Antalya didn’t voice any objections, she decisively transformed the room previously prepared for Jelia into a small storage room, implicitly suggesting that Jelia and Howard should share a living space.

nGreg, on the other hand, was scarcely seen throughout the day.

nAside from tutoring Howard, the sound of his blacksmithing hardly ever ceased, even meals were delivered by Antalya.

nWhat exactly he was busying himself with remained a mystery; his beard grew denser by the day, yet his eyes sparkled with increasing intensity. 𝑖𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ𝘮

nHoward had inquired about Greg’s preoccupations, but each time, Greg would only say, “You’ll know when it’s time,” leaving Howard with nothing to do but wait patiently.

nHe hadn’t requested Greg to forge a two-handed greatsword for him, as he was becoming more accustomed to his current blade.

n…

nTime hurriedly passed in the routine of daily life.

nAnother morning dawned, and Howard was in the courtyard, practicing his morning exercises.

nThis had become a new habit, not merely for physical training but for honing his control over mana.

nAs a dual-specialty magus in sculpting and enhancement, his ability to manipulate mana directly affected his survivability.

nBreathing out and refocusing, Howard recalled the techniques learned from Ali and Greg.

nHe controlled the flow of mana within the palm of his hand, not shaping it into anything specific but maintaining it in a state between energy and matter.

nMastering this balance would allow Howard to quicken his pace in combat significantly.

nThe assassin pathway was Antalya’s suggestion.

n𝘦𝑎.𝒸ℴ

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