20 Onwards to the Test

On the following morning, Jack was surprised to see the servants leading him away from Jadelere's office in the basement after breakfast. Usually, he would head towards there to further his education (which meant him thrashing the pitiful accountant at chess) but on this day he was being taken to the manor entrance.

The Hare manor was a few streets away from the Wishful Hare. It had originally been a medium-sized building that had once belonged to Ichabod's father. It wasn't too impressive, but Ichabod had had it renovated a few months after Jack and Adras had come under his protection. The only extremely good aspect of the property was the vast terrain that came with it; a good twenty acres of forest land.

In the process of renovation, Ichabod had spared no expense and had hired some of the best architects to supervise the project. Then, he told Loren Gaff that his debt regarding the gamble for the qi stone would be written off if he provided with both the manpower and the materials to turn the old family home into a manor house that would be the envy of all Groamburk.

Loren Gaff was quick to comply.

After almost two and a half years of renovations, the Hare Manor was built. It was a fantastic construction that was a perfect blend of strategic development and aesthetic ornamentation.

It was large, and somewhat like a Victorian mansion with Eastern influences. The ceiling was slanted and tiled with gorgeous crimson coloured semi-circular tiles. Surrounding the manor were thick marble columns ornamented with jade patterns. The doors were made of thick dark-oak with silver pommels. Inside the manor itself were many paintings, festooned flower-pots, and bookcases all around.

The manor itself was two stories high; the servant quarters were in the basement alongside Jadelere's office and a small training quarter for the guards; the dining hall was on the ground floor as well as a lovely reception quaintly illuminated by a large fireplace which had a masterfully made painting on top of it of a far-away landscape that Ichabod had procured after much difficulty.

The second floor only had two bedrooms and an office. One of the bedrooms was for Ichabod and Adras, the other was for Jack. As for the office, of course it was Ichabod's. And it was there where he determined the future progress of his business as well as other financial and political manoeuvres.

The manor itself was constructed on a small hill tall enough to observe the comings and goings of anyone who would want to get too close to the house without explicit permission from the Hares. In addition, the small piece of forest had been left in place to halt the advancement of any large formation of men. That being said, guard posts were placed around the perimeter, and four stone paths were built which connected to four points on the tall fence surrounding the estate. This meant that, to get close to the manor, you could only traverse one of the four paths traversing the stretch of trees.

Furthermore, Ichabod had hired an array formation master to inscribe a protective enchantment on every brick used to construct the manor. This made it so even a full-blown attack from an Earth realm martial artist couldn't damage the walls. However, the array master had asked for an exorbitant sum of money in exchange for his efforts.

The Hare manor was a truly lavish construction, but Ichabod thought it was well worth the cost as it acted as insurance in the case that they were attacked by the combined forces of Groamburk or, worse still, an external enemy. After all, Ichabod had never really forgotten the dubious origins of Jack and was always worried that it might be discovered and attract all kinds of unwanted attention.

On this day, Ichabod was surrounded by his most trusted aides just outside the Hare Manor entrance (a large door which Jack knew, for a fact, that was built to work as a portcullis if the need arose). This included both of the Gaff siblings and Jadelere, who looked to be wrestling against a terrible hangover, judging by his expression. Adras was there, too, followed by her maidservants.

Ichabod was dressed as extravagantly as he always did. A bright yellow tunic covered him from head to toe, making him look like a giant sock; pointed leather shoes poking out from the bottom like curious little snakes. A belt much too large crossed his midsection and somehow made his already large belly protrude even further. The only change to Ichabod's appearance was that his beard, once braided awkwardly, was now carefully trimmed and taken care of. A positive aspect of Adras' influence on Ichabod.

"Finally, my son, you've arrived." Said Ichabod pulling Jack into his arms after having bid the servants goodbye. "We're going to do something really amazing today!" He said in a happy tone of voice.

"Are we really?" Asked Jack, full of awe and innocence. "Are we going for sweets?"

At this, Jadelere almost choked on a mouthful of blood that threatened to leave his body. Verily, this child only acted mature in front of him to spite him. Only now did Jack understand that the reason Jadelere looked so miserable wasn't because of a hangover; it was because he loathed the idea of having to watch Jack playing the part of an infant.

"Of course we are!" Laughed Ichabod merrily. "But first, we must go somewhere important."

"Where?"

"We're going to go test your martial talent!" Enthusiastically exclaimed Ichabod. "Every parent takes their sons and daughters to be tested when they are three years old. Today, it's your turn."

Jack nodded excitedly, albeit with feigned interest. He was not inclined towards knowing the results; in fact, he would avoid this event at all costs if he could. But he understood that even if he managed to postpone his testing by a few days, he couldn't put it off forever. Might as well get it over with, then.

With that, Ichabod bid his entourage forward. They all decided to walk towards the testing venue, as it was a beautiful day and Ichabod despised those who go around using palanquins. In addition, it was a great opportunity to walk around the streets of Groamburk and show Jack the city as the boy had seldom left the estate.

As they walked, Ichabod carried Jack and pointed out the diverse businesses and stalls on the streets, carefully but patiently describing what they did and how they were important to the city's economy. Even though Jack understood perfectly the intricacies of microeconomics, he found himself enjoying the experience of a father explaining these things to him.

After a while, they got on the main street and walked towards a majestic looking gothic-style structure at the far end of it. Three tall, pointed towers, and angular arches with twelve solemn looking statues surrounding the ceiling. Jack immediately recognized it to be the local church of divines.

He was surprised, however, to see that the testing would be carried out there. As they arrived, they were politely greeted by a young priest who sported the traditional attire of one initiated in sacred matters but who had not yet fully achieved the status of an agent of the Church, judging by his full head of hair. Clearly, they were expected.

The young priest, who seemed overly familiar with Lara Gaff (probably due to the fact that she was the head of the local school) led them inside to a side room very palpably devoid of any superfluous decoration. In fact, it only had the bare minimum; that being a few benches against the walls, a simple chandelier hanging from the ceiling which was all the light they had in the chamber.

"One truly feels the majesty of the Church of Divines whilst under this hallowed roof." Spoke Lara Gaff reverently. She was a devout believer, and the awe in her expression proved it.

"One would want to feel the majesty of the Church whilst sipping on their hallowed wine." Curtly replied Jadelere. "Majesty is not the word I would use to describe the quintessential abnegation of this room."

"Careful, imp, your words are judged within these walls." Lara was annoyed. Furthermore, she didn't like Jadelere to begin with. "To blaspheme within the confines of the Church is to ask for their wrath to fall upon you."

"If the Divines only judge blasphemy when it is spoken within their walls, then their worldly influence is sorely lacking."

"How dare you?!" Angrily spoke up Lara, momentarily flustered. Loren held back a snicker.

"Be quiet, you two." Chastised Ichabod. "Let's not have one of your quarrels today. Today is about Jack."

"But Ichabod!" Complained Lara. "He defies the Divines themselves with his scepticism."

"His scepticism is his own right." Sternly rebutted Ichabod, giving her a harsh glare. The truth was that his decision to hand Jack's education to Jadelere had made Lara very upset; so much so that a rift had been caused between the her and Ichabod. This made it that Lara often put his orders and opinions into question; sometimes very publicly. "But you're right, this is not the place to have this debate." Ichabod's eyes flashed with a dangerous light and none of those present in the room had any doubt that defying him here would mean severe consequences.

"Very well." Tiredly replied Jadelere.

"I also agree." Sighed Lara.

"Good. I will have no more of this pointless bickering. Not today."