Chapter 2, Meet Jerome

After parting with Sigrid, Oliver began walking towards the main tent of the camp. Oliver had light brownish short hair paired with thick sharp eyebrows and blue eyes, which made him look simple yet handsome. His lean, athletic build had muscles in the right places but didn't make him look buff. His height was actually the same as Sigrid's, both of them being 1.80 meters tall. Oliver had a complex about this fact because in his society, it was natural that a husband should be bigger than his wife. Because of that, he had been made fun of quite a few times, even though Sigrid thought that it made them look better together.

As he strolled, he began to think about what might await him. "I have a premonition that this won't end well… He always tries to find ways to get in my way or damage my reputation somehow, even going as far as humiliating me… uhhh, I don't even want to recall these things," Oliver thought.

"But now is not the time to think about the past. We got ourselves into a really big trouble this time, and it's not his fault even though he was declared as the team leader. Probably it has something to do with the Hughes Family," Oliver mused. "I wouldn't be surprised if this was their plot to weaken Bigge family as Jerome is the only son of Bigge's family patriarch. Maybe that is why he is so spoiled."

Without realizing it, he was already standing in front of Jerome's tent. "Let's see what you've got this time," Oliver wondered as he parted the tent's opening and went in.

"So you came after all," Oliver heard a deep, manly voice. "And here I almost thought you were dumb enough not to come," smirked Jerome.

"Jerome, I didn't come here to joke with you. Let's get straight to the business," Oliver replied flatly, standing straight.

"You're such a killjoy… You know, Oliver, making fun of you is the most enjoyable activity I can have right now while we're stuck here," Jerome joked with a big smile on his face. But slowly, Jerome's face became dark as he grimaced. "It's probably dogs from the Hughes family."

Seeing Oliver not showing even a slight change in his expression, Jerome showed a hint of surprise. "As far as I can tell, this seems to be too obvious," sneered Oliver.

"Oh, you've piqued my interest. Come sit," Jerome grinned as he poured some wine for Oliver. Oliver took the cup and gulped it down.

"I think Hughes's family got into cahoots with some other smaller families, even though we can't know with which of them," Oliver contemplated after satiating his thirst.

"That's possible… I understand that we are foreign, but it has been over a hundred years after we joined. We sacrificed a lot and have gained the most battle merits among all. But there are still a lot of families who antagonize us. I can't wait until our family finally gets the Guild's main family position… When these dogs will PAY!" Raged Jerome as he stood up.

Towering over two meters, Jerome looked like an enraged beast. Oliver could feel a threatening, boiling aura rolling off of him. Belonging to the Bigge family, he was black-skinned with very short, curly black hair. While Oliver looked athletic, Jerome was muscular and seemed like he was almost double Oliver's size. Muscular arms and legs, thick neck, and a warrior's face made him a strong fighter. It wasn't surprising because the Bigge family's forte was close combat mixed with body enchanting and ritual magic. He was the epitome of masculinity, Oliver thought, while feeling a little bit of jealousy towards his rival.