The Ascetic Monk of the Monastery

"Adam, you look stunning," Lina exclaimed, rushing over as soon as she saw who had entered. Her small eyes blinked with admiration.

Adam ruffled the little one's hair but didn't linger. He had gotten off the carriage at the corner and sent Crow ahead to prepare.

Looking around the Boku household, Adam noticed many changes since his initial arrival. The house now bore traces of his presence.

As Adam's power as a sorcerer grew, the Boku family's status in the neighborhood also rose. Their economic situation had improved significantly, and they were even considering purchasing another shop to expand their business.

Adam had not asked Will or Doug to provide special help. He didn't want to appear too closely tied to the Boku family.

Maggie was not home, so Adam found Alis working on some carpentry in the small shed and discussed moving out.

With his growing responsibilities, commuting between the Boku house and the Shadow Tower was becoming a waste of time.

Alis looked at Adam, who was sitting opposite him. Amid his bewilderment, he felt a tinge of unfamiliarity towards Adam.

"Is the money I brought back last time still enough?" Adam asked, a question that made the atmosphere even stiffer, as if all emotions had turned into money.

Alis nodded silently.

"My studies have been very busy lately. I plan to move out," Adam got straight to the point, his face devoid of any emotion. "Thank you for everything over the past month."

"Adam..."

"And please give my regards to Aunt Maggie. That's all." Adam stood up and walked out of the shed, pausing slightly before saying, "I'll send someone to inform you of my new address. If you need help, you can come to me."

"But for ordinary matters, please don't."

"Got it, study well and come back if you need anything," Alis continued carving wood, not saying much more.

"Adam, I want candied fruit," Lina tugged at Adam's sleeve, pleading, not noticing the bit of syrup still on her lips.

Adam relaxed and took out the hidden candied fruit, handing the entire jar to Lina.

"Don't eat too much; it's bad for your teeth," Adam stood up as the sound of a carriage arrived outside. Crow and his men entered the house.

After giving some instructions, they quickly moved up to the attic.

Lina watched the strangers entering the house, looking a bit frightened.

As Crow and his men carefully moved the wooden paintings, self-portraits, and the box of clay downstairs, Adam opened the box and took out some clay.

A simple mental circuit later, a small, faceless clay figurine the size of a palm was created.

"Consider this a gift from me," Adam placed the little figurine in Lina's hands.

"Adam, where are you going?" Lina asked timidly, holding the two items, looking up at Adam.

But Adam stood in the doorway, backlit by the setting sun, making it hard for her to see his face clearly.

Adam ruffled Lina's hair again, said nothing, and then got into the carriage.

As the carriage moved along the road, Adam saw Maggie at the roadside. He lowered the curtain and stopped looking.

Soon after, Maggie's angry voice erupted from the Boku house.

"What does that kid mean, saying not to come to him unless necessary? He thinks he's too good for us now that he's doing well?"

"And you, why didn't you scold him? When that kid first came, his face was all swollen... and you, stop crying..."

Adam couldn't hear Maggie's rant, but based on his understanding of her, he knew her words wouldn't be pleasant.

"Mr. Adam, the house is not fully prepared yet due to the short notice," Crow said as he brought Adam to a house not far from the central clock tower, where many servants were cleaning.

"It's fine. Just bring dinner up when it's ready," Adam surveyed the house, carrying his belongings to an upstairs room.

Meanwhile, on the other side, some people were also heading towards Roya.

Flora and others sat around a campfire, listening to the sounds of various small animals in the countryside. Horses were breathing heavily nearby.

Opposite Flora was a blond boy, leaning on his sword, bandages covering most of his body, around fifteen or sixteen years old.

He had a blade of grass in his mouth, seemingly lost in the tranquility of the night.

"Are all ascetic monks like you?" Flora asked, curious about the boy.

Since failing to guard the previous night, Flora had felt guilty about Raven's injury, believing it was her incompetence that allowed the werewolf to hurt him.

So, after receiving a letter from her teacher at the seminary, she immediately took leave to visit the Holy Radiance Seminary.

After a brief wait, she met the blond boy before her.

Reportedly, he was an ascetic monk from a monastery.

Monasteries and seminaries are different; seminaries train monks, while monasteries train ascetic monks.

He was heading to Roya because of an extremely dangerous alien, a white-furred werewolf.

Few people were sent, and the notification wasn't official but rather through letters exchanged among ascetic monks.

It seemed capturing the werewolf openly was inappropriate.

The boy didn't search extensively in other regions but, upon hearing that Flora had seen a white-furred werewolf in Roya, concluded that the alien was hiding there and headed straight to Roya with his team.

"What do you mean?" The boy opened his eyes, always seeming to smile.

"Uh... are ascetic monks always this happy?" Flora struggled to phrase her question, quickly adding, "I mean no offense."

"I understand," the boy laughed, waving dismissively. "Most people think ascetic monks are either deeply devout or deeply suffering. Few can smile while enduring constant hardship."

"Most of them actually have sour faces. When I was young, watching those sour faces almost turned me into one," the boy said enthusiastically.

"Our monastery is on a high mountain where you can see snow."

"Not much food, not many clothes, and daily intense training; it's hard not to have a sour face."

"I always envied that kid who didn't have to train," the boy reminisced. "It was that kid who taught me to appreciate the beauty of the world."

"He would squat in a corner, admiring the buds emerging from the snow or the snowflakes in his hand for a long time."

"Who was that?" Flora asked, intrigued by the person the boy mentioned, who seemed interesting and appreciative of nature.

"Just another sour face, always scheming. If you spent time with him, you'd feel guilty even if he sold you. Only when watching nature would he smile a bit."

"Uh?" Flora frowned, confused if the boy was talking about the same person.

"I'll tell you a secret," the boy suddenly whispered, pulling Flora aside.

Although Flora was older, the boy seemed to dominate the conversation.

"Aidan, what are you going to say?" Flora called his name.

"Flora, I have high hopes for you," Aidan whispered to Flora.

"Why so mysterious?" Flora chuckled.

"Promise me not to tell anyone else," Aidan insisted before revealing, "The werewolf we're hunting is the person I mentioned."

Then Aidan skipped away, leaving Flora bewildered.

"Aidan said that person grew up in a monastery. Is he a werewolf?"

"How could a werewolf be in a monastery?"