19 NINETEEN...

"What do you say?"

Yusuf watched Gates with an unwavering resolve, his whole life would change depending on his decision right now. He could either become the most wanted man in the city and have even his close associates as knights behead him just for the bounty or he could join the family that put up the bounty...

In long term, he would benefit more from such a proposal, however one thing weighed heavily on his mind,

"What does being your Guardian Knight entail?" Yusuf questioned...

"Ah, great question...I don't care about the generalities of it, your freedom after you've completed my orders are yours to enjoy, no need to report back to me unless I explicitly want you to, You are not to hesitate if I request for you to kill someone, ah, and you must swear loyalty to me...on your mana of course." Gates said all these with a smile on his face, his last statement widening the smile to an insane degree.

"What? Why would I willingly swear on my mana?!" Yusuf exclaimed as well as questioned the youngest master of the Gates family, even though he could admit that Gates was a very confident and reliable person, it was not enough for Yusuf to swear his loyalty to him, a child.

"Ah, you're disappointing me after all Yusuf...However. I'll indulge in this, do you remember the flower?" Gates asked him, putting his hands down.

"Why are you bring that-"

"What if I told you I knew more locations of such things, of course not in rarity as the flower but in at most the same value or extraordinary existences in and off itself." Gates said as he thought about using this as another bait to nring Yusuf, whom was crucial for his plans.

"T,that's impossible.." Tusuf said as he clenched his fists looking to the ground, in all these years, he toiled with so much effort trying to amass coins to find himself a cure to his sisters disease.

Yet he found the herb he needed for such a thing at once and could find many more things with similar or different properties? All of these by the same person? If someone else were to account such a story to him, he would truly think they had run mad.

"No, not impossible Yusuf...Probable, the worls is limitless and we have to grow as well or be left behind, the potential to grow is beyond anything you had imagined...However I cannot help you if you do not want to help yourself." Gates said, speaking like the true con he was. He wanted to help Yusuf to help himself...

His innate ability, Magic Seal worked by multiplying the amount of power, whether the magic or stat of the person whom received the Seal will be transfered tenfold to the person who owns the Seal, Aka Gates.

However, Gates was also a lazy bastard, with such an overpowered skill, he only needed not to waste his life doing pointless things and he would be fine but such a plan was never an option given the events of the future that would be coming all at once...

He thought he may not live to see that future but with such an ability, he needn't work hard but smart...

Say, if he brought ten talented people under him and aided them to reach the high ranked mage status, what happens to him whom has his Seal on all ten of then...with the multiplication of all their stats tenfold, and all that power going into him without a single consequence...

...He would kill that fucking protagonist in a fell swoop...

"Alright, I agree..." Yusuf said after a moment to think, reaching out his own hands to Gates...

Shaking his hands, Gates activated the ability,

<System Notification>

The host base level is too low to create a magic seal on someone higher than they are...

...

To his disappointment, he couldn't form a magic seal on Yusuf, his stats said otherwise as he was such his magic power was on the same level as a mid ranked mage multiplying tenfold from the Magic Warrior, Sar'har.

"Why?.." He voiced aloud subconsciously reading the tab from the system.

<System Prompt>

The host's base level and stat are still that of a beginner mages, the power gotten from the magic seal is a secondary power display added to your base, but can still be removed one way or another...

"Why what?" Yusuf asked wondering what was wrong win the kid as he watched Gates staring into the air and saying words out of nowhere.

"Ah, oh, Nothing...Let's start going, We'll be back when you win to get your stuffs and your cute sister." Gates said making sure to stress on his last words.

Yusuf looked at him defensively towards this sister, he couldn't allow his sister be involved with this guy...he wasn't sure it would end well for her and he wasn't sure he would ever be able to deal with him if it did come down to it.

"Dont even think about it with my sister, I'm coming right behind you" Yusuf said as he shooed Gates out of his house as he went to the room to see how she was doing...

"Brother..." She said noticing his presence when he walked in..

"Laura, I'm gonna be gone for an hour or so, when I get back we'll move to somewhere better than here...okay?" Yusuf said siting on the bed where his sister currently stayed, seated up.

"It's fine as long as I'm with you, are we going with Amon?" She said as she followed up with a question...

'Hm, first name basis....this is bad' Yusuf thought to himself as he brought her in for a hug...

"Yeah, but don't worry about it..." Yusuf said as he felt her hug him back.

After saying a few more things with her, he kissed her forehead as he left the house, Gates waiting outside for him...

"Well, shall we?"