Branch Family’s Visit

Lohran stood face to face with a six-foot-five-tall giant of a man, a competitive smile on his face.

'Finally, someone my own size!'

From the man's physique, he was certain that the guy would have been in the same division as him back on Earth, and, judging by the fact that he was in the training hall, the man could probably fight.

"Hohoh, what's your name, big guy? I'm Lohran Neyvaris. How about a little spar, huh?" he said, rubbing his chin with his index finger and thumb.

The guards of the Main Neyvaris Manor and Louen looked at Lohran in bewilderment.

Did the little runt just challenge the six-foot-five titan to a sparring match?

If Louen wasn't too sure earlier, he was sure as hell now—sure that his little brother had turned into an utter nutjob!

He had to inform his father of this matter later!

After the initial stupefaction, the middle-aged man in his mid-thirties laughed uproariously.

"Young Master Lohran is truly heroic and courageous! With you around, I probably have nothing to worry about in the future!" the man said, bringing a grin to Lohran's small face. 

"Who even said you ran away from home for something as silly as not being allowed to use a digital handscreen? What a lie! You probably just used that as an excuse to go fight a Zorphling, didn't you? BAHAHAHA!"

The grin on Lohran's face widened as a realization dawned upon him.

'So my stingy old man finally let me use the handscreen because the previous me almost died because of it, huh?' he mused before responding to the friendly giant:

"Hahaha! I guess you really do understand me! Indeed! Although I lost my memories, I'm sure I probably just used that as an excuse to fight a Zorphling—though I, unfortunately, lost. So, what do you say? Will you agree to a spar? I just want to compare notes, that's all."

Lohran seemed to be outright boasting, but he didn't give a flying f*ck as long as he got the sparring match he wanted with the veteran guard.

"Hahahaha! As much as I'd like to, young master, you're just a little runt right now. Maybe in the future, after you return from the Dawnchaser Academy, we can have a proper spar! As you are now, you're no match for me," the hulking man replied. "By the way, the name's Brodvar, the guard captain of House Neyvaris. Nice to get to know you again!"

"Likewise," Lohran replied, a good deal dispirited.

Right…his damned scrawny body…

Who the hell would take him seriously like this?! Even he wouldn't take himself seriously!

Gritting his teeth, Lohran thought, 'I need to get big and strong as quickly as possible!'

"Hey, Lohran, I'm sure you don't remember, but he's the one who saved you from the Zorphling." Louen suddenly chimed in.

"Oh, is that right?" Lohran momentarily turned to his older brother, then back to Brodvar, scanning him from head to toe one last time before letting out a sigh. "Sigh… Thanks, I guess…"

Louen was unsatisfied with how impolite his little brother was and was about to reprimand him in place of his father.

But before he could do so, Brodvar spoke with a lighthearted, slightly excited tone:

"Well then, young masters, shall we start training?"

"Hmm? I thought father would join us today?" asked Louen.

"Yes, the lord would, but the matters he's attending to will take longer than expected, so he'll be joining us later in the sparring sessions." Brodvar shrugged. "Well then, I assume the two of you are almost done warming up? You both finish up, we'll just change into our training clothes."

Brodvar and the seven guards then left, returning two minutes later wearing white shirts and black training shorts.

"Oh? Those are nice training clothes. Are there any for me and my brother?" Lohran asked.

"Oh, you want these? We'll tell the lord to order some for you two, then."

"Great, thanks."

After a brief conversation about the training outfits, Brodvar led the seven and the two young masters to the sandy area to "jog."

Around thirty seconds later…

'H-Haaaoww is this a jog?!' Lohran inwardly complained.

The bastards were full-on sprinting, even his older brother!

He wasn't one to yap, especially during training, it was just that he was caught off guard, both by the "jog" and how weak his damned body was.

'H-How is that brat even managing to keep up for this long?'

Louen was right behind the guards, though it was clear he wouldn't last more than another minute.

"Ha… Hahahahkk… cough… cough…" Lohran tried to laugh, pleased that the training was this intense, but his body wouldn't even let him.

Another half-minute later, he could barely move forward, swaying left and right.

Still, he persevered and didn't stop running.

"Hoh… the young master at least has spirit, I'll give him that," Brodvar muttered as he observed the lagging, red-faced runt.

Louen, too, was quite pleased and proud of his little brother's performance.

This was what a young master of the Minor Aristocratic House of Neyvaris should be, unyielding despite the overwhelming odds!

The ten-minute jogging session finally ended.

Lohran was about to leave the sandy area, barely conscious, but suddenly halted midway.

He could feel something rising from his guts, then his throat…

'There's no f*cking w–'

"Bleerghh!!"

Lohran, for the first time in decades, vomited due to how tough the training was.

'Ahh…f*ck, how embarrassing…'

"BAHAHAHA! You're a tough little man, young master! Your dedication is truly worthy of respect!" Brodvar boomed, then turned to the youngest member of his small guard squadron.

"Rodner, call one of the maids to clean up young master Lohran's mess."

Meanwhile, the proud older brother escorted his exhausted little brother to the side, hoping to give him some time to rest.

Just then, the massive doors of the training hall swung open.

A man and his little brat stepped inside, subtle grins on their faces.

"Oh? I see the training has already begun! Mind if my son joins for today? My manor's guards are on break, you see."

Brodvar didn't look so friendly this time.

The guard captain's eyes narrowed for a moment before his expression returned to that of a simple, amiable, middle-aged man.

"Hoh, young master Kael, welcome to the main family's training hall. I'm sure the two young masters will appreciate your company."

"Oh, come on, Brodvar. I don't even get a greeting?" the older man said, his subtle grin widening into a smile.

"Oh, I apologize, Lord Carter. I was just caught up in the excitement of the three young masters training together," Brodvar explained.

"No worries, no worries!"

With that, the training session resumed, while Carter Neyvaris—Lord Garwin's younger brother—watched from the sidelines, a mysterious and cunning grin on his face.