Farewell

Returning to the house with Astrona, Rentaro felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

Behind this exhaustion was contentment as he looked over the progress he made these past three months.

Sure, his cultivation stayed the same, but he mastered the basics of throws and felt his reflexes were much faster than previously.

Aside from cultivation and his strengthened soul, he also had his Extrasensory Perception innate talent to thank for his progress. His comprehension and talent was high enough to make up for his age being above that of his peers.

And in the village, he wasn't much further behind Haz's quintet who were in their twenties. Of course, this was purely in comparison to the average levels of those in the village, not taking into account the resource rich locations throughout the world.

Before Rentaro could seek out Icrin, Astrona decided to go have a talk with him privately in concerns to Rentaro seeking out the Silver Moon Academy.

Rentaro could hear Icrin's cheers of excitement, and he couldn't help but feel a slight headache as he thought of how chaotic the trip would be—not to mention it would take about a year to get there.

Icrin stormed out of his room, rushing up to Rentaro, "When are we leaving?!"

His eyes blazed with vigor, Rentaro couldn't help but feel like his own eyes burned painfully as he looked into them.

"I-I'm not sure, three days?"

Rentaro blurted out a number at random, which Icrin immediately noted down. There was no way the schedule was going to change now.

At the back of the room, Astrona looked on with melancholy.

'No matter how much I've prepared myself, it still hurts to see Icrin leaving so soon. He's only 14.'

Still, he kept his thoughts to himself. The last thing he wanted was to hold Icrin back.

"Icrin, I'll cook up a nice meal tonight! Why don't you and Rentaro go check on Haz and the others?" Astrona suggested.

"Good idea, Gramps!" Icrin ran off, dragging Rentaro along.

"I-I'm following, don't pull me!"

Shortly after leaving, they bumped into Haz's group of five, though they seemed to be discussing something.

They took notice of Rentaro and Icrin, calling out to them, "Hey, why are you two in a rush?"

Icrin blabbered on, quickly explaining that he and Rentaro were leaving for the Silver Moon Academy to the others' disbelief.

"Eh? You two are leaving for the Royal Academy? You know how far that is, right?" Phu asked doubtfully.

"Of course we do! Rentaro turns nineteen in three months, and we need to reach the deadline before he turns twenty!"

"It would be a pity to give up on such an opportunity, but you're going too Icrin?"

"Of course, the two of us are sworn brothers!"

"Rentaro...?"

Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, he weakly answered, "It should be fun... My summons are fairly strong, Astrona and the others think we'll be fine."

Ichi chimed in, "If only you learned to cook from me during these past three months. You would be in even better shape!"

Shin declined, "His training is enough, but had he trained his muscles under me, he would have reached the apex!"

Haz clapped his hands together, quieting the others.

"You know what, the five of us have been cooped up in the village for quite awhile, we haven't even had the chance to go out for our Krose Family Tradition."

The others stood up straight at his suggestion, nodding eagerly in agreement.

Rentaro asked, "Krose Family Tradition? What's that?"

Shin answered, flexing his biceps, "Krose Family Tradition? Heh, Let's just say, it's a search for love."

Rentaro: ...

Icrin: ...

Everyone: ...

"What? I wasn't wrong, was I?"

Phu interrupted, "Ignore him, chemicals are getting to his head."

"Hey—"

"Anyways, we have reached the age where we need to go out in search of a companion. Then we'll return, have kids in a couple years, and live a good life."

"The good life—" Shin's eyes shone like stars. "When are we leaving?"

"Shin, you're truly a primitive specimen."

Seeing Shin and Phu were about to go at it, Haz quickly interrupted as the middle man, "Alright, let's not make a scene in front of the others. Rentaro, when are you guys leaving?"

He answered, "Three days, why?"

"Three days, huh? Guess that's when we'll depart as well. Of course, we'll be going in different directions."

Tsyun interrupted quietly, "Haz, Phu, Ichi, Shin... I plan on going alone. With how handsome, cool, and mysterious I am, the four of you wouldn't stand a chance at starting a relationship. Especially you Ichi."

"Oi—"

Aside from Ichi, the others were quiet. In understanding, they relented.

Nothing can be forced, and as the other four left in search of a companion, they would find themselves splitting up over time.

But eventually, they would all meet again back at the village.

After a few jokes and laughs, everyone separated to gather their stuff together.

Rentaro relayed the situation to his summons, thankful that they, Wilhelm, and Tess would follow him everywhere.

There were also the spirits in the Grimoire, though he hadn't heard from them recently.

***

It was morning of the third day, and they were all ready to depart.

Everyone met up at the gate, sharing their laughs and thoughts on their futures.

"Hey, Tsyun," Haz started, "You better come back to the village in 10–15 years. The four of us will have wives and children by then, so make sure you're bearing gifts upon your return!"

Tsyun gave a smile, "I'll bring gifts that are so exotic, you'll have no clue what any of them do. And your kids will definitely surpass all of your cultivations within 15 years of their birth thanks to them."

Phu spoke exasperatedly, "You two, let's calm down. Why not bring a wife and children back instead? The more people in the village, the more lively our future days will be. Just imagine when we're all old men."

"When we're old men? I'm staying young, baby!"

"Shin, are you looking for a wife, or the Springs of Eternal Youth?"

"Springs of Eternal Youth would net you a full harem." He said proudly.

"Women actually love a great chef, you'll see." Ichi winked.

They turned their gazes to Rentaro and Icrin, "Icrin, be careful out there. You're mischievous at times, but you need to be aware of the time and place out there."

"And Rentaro, although we haven't known you for very long, take care. Hopefully, we can all meet again here in the future."

Rentaro felt warm, "I'm sure all of us will succeed in whatever our goals are. Best of luck to you all."

Under the farewell of the gatekeepers, Astrona, Quint, Nero, and numerous others, everyone turned in their own directions before leaving.

Tsyun smiled, turning his back as he headed north west.

Haz, Phu, Shin, and Ichi left together in the south eastern direction.

Rentaro and Icrin started moving north east, going off of a map which showed the general position of Silver Moon Academy, located in, well, the Silver Moon Kingdom. Naturally, the Silver Moon Kingdom was the capital of the Silver Moon Empire.

Astrona called out for them to stop just shortly after, bringing with him a small jade box.

"Icrin, this was left for you by your parents. Take good care of it."

He gave Icrin a small hug, his eyes glazed over, before hurrying him forward.

"Icrin, come back stronger, strong enough to do as you please."

Icrin balled his fists, sniffling with warm tears, "I will, Gramps!"

It was a touching goodbye, and Rentaro waited patiently before calling gently.

"Icrin, let's get going. Much more in life awaits us."