Chapter 3 - First Meeting

After Nathan arrived at the Hale mansion, he followed a butler who invited him to the reception hall to receive him as a guest.

The last time Nathan visited Colond city and the Hale family was decades ago before he went traveling. Compared to his previous visit, the current city lacked vitality.

Nathan waited for some time before a mature man came out. The man had golden hair and blue eye, which were common among the Hale family.

This man was Dante Hale, the current acting patriarch of the Hale family. Nathan looked at him and could not help feeling doubtful.

Dante Hale did not look old or give off any bad feelings. The first impression of him was the quiet air and the remorseful vibe.

Nathan did not question Dante's youthful appearance. He could sense that this person was a 3rd-rank mana user. A person who can cultivate to this level can have a lifespan of up to three hundred years, so it was natural that he looked young.

He was more confused about the feeling Dante gave; he did not seem like someone who would fight for power but more like a sad person with a story.

Although Nathan was close to his missing brother, Farrell Hale, he did not meet Dante much before. In the past, Nathan only heard Farrel tell him that his brother was not good at communication and did not like speaking to outsiders.

"Welcome to the Hale mansion, Master Nathan." Dante Hale smiled slightly and said, after sitting down and serving tea to Nathan.

They first began the conversation by talking about trivial matters. Most nobles were like this; they would speak about minor issues before getting to the point.

After some chatting, Nathan started talking about the intention of his visit: "I just returned to the Sorrel Kingdom and received a letter from my friend, Farrell. I come to visit his son. Can I see him?"

"Yes, of course." Dante paused for a moment before agreeing.

Dante then signaled the waiting-maid to bring in his nephew, Theodore Hale.

It was not that Dante wanted Nathan to meet Theodore, but he had no choice. He knew that sooner or later, this would happen. The family of his nephew's mother was influential; even if he wanted to act, he could not be obvious.

...

After a bit of waiting, the previous maid brought in a boy wearing noble cloth.

A sense of familiarity struck him when Nathan's eye met the boy's. The appearance of this boy reminded Nathan of his friend, Farrell.

"Theodore, this is your father's friend, Master Nathan," Dante said while signaling Theodore to sit beside him.

Theodore hesitated and looked at Nathan with begging in his eye. No matter what it took, he would leave this mansion with Nathan. This little resistance could show his attitude.

"Come and sit beside me." Nathan noticed the clue sent by Theodore; he smiled and decided to help this little child.

Theodore sat down beside Nathan after receiving his cooperation. Only he knew how nervous he was at this moment.

His father might have many friends, but how many were reliable? His father had been missing for more than two years, but none of his friends even came to visit and check on him. If he could not leave with Nathan, there might be no other opportunity.

Nathan, Theodore, and Dante started the conversation. Most of which were Nathan asking about Theodore's situation with Dante answering.

Theodore could only keep quiet. His previous personality was a silent child without confidence due to the control of his uncle. He would leave soon and did not want to arouse his uncle's suspicions.

There was a higher chance that his uncle would let him out if he were a bashful, docile, and simple child lacking courage. In this way, his uncle would think that the likelihood of him coming back for revenge is low.

If he displayed his true capability, his uncle might risk offending other nobles to get rid of him.

Therefore, Theodore showed his hesitation to intervene during the conversation at some point but did not speak at the end. He wanted to display a weak child personality.

During the exchange, Nathan also observed Theodore and could not help but feel he wanted to help this child.

When Nathan was a child, Theodore's father also helped him; without his help, he might suffer from the bullies of other noble's children and not have grown up so smoothly.

Thinking up to this point, Nathan did not hesitate anymore. After finishing talking with Dante, Nathan stated his intent: "After traveling for many years, I want someone to inherit my teaching. I saw that little Theodore is a good child; how about I accept him as my disciple?"

"I believe that the Hale family do not lack anything." Dante refused after a slight delay; if he let Theodore leave, who knew what this child would do in the future?

"This paper states Farrell's intent before he went missing." This paper was attached to the letter sent to Nathan. He brought it up and showed it to Dante.

Dante checked; he found his brother's handwriting and signature. He hesitated, knowing that it would be difficult to continue keeping Theodore. He knew his brother had left behind many backhands, but they had yet to work.

His brother had two main kinds of friends: one did not have enough status to interfere with the Hale family, and the other did not see the benefit in helping Theodore. Nathan was an outlier; he had enough status and was unafraid of trouble.

Nathan could sense Dante's conflict and continued: "Leave Theodore to me. Don't forget that Theodore had another blood other than the Hale family's."

Dante contemplated Theodore's situation. The essential part was still the family of Theodore's mother; this was why he could not harm Theodore while he was responsible for supervising the child.

Dante decided to agree to Nathan's proposal. It would be acceptable to let Theodore go first, and he can continue winning people over. Moreover, if Theodore got killed when he was with Nathan, this was not his responsibility.

"Alright, but all of this is based on Theodore's opinion." It was Dante's last struggle; Nathan could not do anything if Theodore refused himself.

"That is natural." Nathan agreed with Dante's suggestion. He turned to Theodore and asked, " Do you want to leave with me and become my disciple?"

'It is finally here. I can finally leave this place.' Theodore thought excitedly to himself, but he still kept an uncertain wavering expression on his face.

Since he started to act, he would perform to the fullest. He showed the right hesitation a meek and submissive child would have.

Theodore glanced at his uncle's warning gaze and Nathan's encouraging eyes. He pretended to bite his lip hard before saying in a low voice: "I want to be your disciple, Master Nathan."

After saying so, Theodore glanced into his teacher's eye; he knew that his bright future would start from here.