217: Private meeting

"Good job. Honestly, you surprised me there. I didn't expect you would be able to practically apply what I have taught you so soon. Have you been secretly training?"

Oliver returned to the spectator area and was greeted with warm words of encouragement and praise from Val, which Val spoke to keep his image as stable in Oliver's eyes as possible.

He didn't want others to know he wasn't what he appeared to be as he was planning to stay in the frontier for a long time. Thus, he was always trying to act more and more humanely to the people around him. It was to the extent he seemed more kind-hearted than priests and priestesses of the Holy Church of Light in the eyes of the people he was trying to manipulate.

"I have," Oliver beamed.

Val was the first to notice that. Oliver thought, At least now he also had a friend who could recognize his efforts. And that warmed his heart.

...