These strangers from the distant Kingdom of Trasin were the Edelweiss family, who ran one of the largest and most renowned merchant companies in the eastern part of the continent.

  Although not the largest, the Edelweiss family was still one of the Empire’s biggest suppliers, importing to our lands our all sorts of goods, especially weapons and magical artifacts, as Father had told me.

  At my father’s invitation, Mister Franz Edelweiss and his wife, Miss Maley Hoff, had come to join us for the Empire’s foundation anniversary celebrations.

  Long before they had moved to the Kingdom of Trasin to found their business, the Edelweiss family had lived for generations in the Empire, that was why they still sometimes returned for visits.

  Mister Franz had been one of Dad’s few childhood friends. They had both attended the same military academy for several years, Gladiar Academy, and regardless of the distance holding them apart, they had stayed in touch through letters.

  The Edelweiss couple was accompanied by their children, a young man, now in his early twenties, and a girl around my age.

  Everything was arranged so that we could meet them this afternoon at the inn where the Edelweiss were staying.

  Only Father and I went to meet them. My mother had dropped out of it with the excuse of wanting to go shopping.

  Baryon, persuaded by Mother’s honey-coated words, had reluctantly agreed to accompany her. She didn’t have to insist that much to actually convince him.

  Naturally, Lelya had tagged along as well.

  “It’s not good to make your guests wait, especially when they come from so far away,” Father said, whisking me through the inn’s door.

  “But don’t you think arriving more than half an hour early is a bit excessive?” I replied.

  I get it that being late would have been rude, but arriving this early seems just a bit… extreme, you know?

  My father shook his head. “You don’t know them. I’ll bet they’re already waiting for us. You can take a man out of the army, but you won’t be able to take the army out of the man.”

  His reasoning sounded a bit off, but I played along. I was in no position to judge after all. I gave him a light shrug and fell behind him.

  Turns out, he was right.

  After a short exchange with the innkeeper, he directed us to the inner courtyard, where the Edelweiss were supposedly already waiting for us.

  Seeing them in such an unbefitting place for their status, all four laughing amiably around a small round table, no one would have ever guessed they were the owners of one of the world’s most influential merchant companies.

  That was the very first thing that crossed my mind.

  “Is that really them?”

  “Who else could it be?” Father replied.

  It was the second time someone answered me with another question today.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know… maybe just a cheerful family visiting the capital?”

  Father was about to point out that the two things weren’t mutually exclusive when he was recognized by the four sitting at the table.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “Damyon, it’s been so long!”

  The stocky, dark-haired man who had just called him out was the first to stand, with the others quickly following suit.

  “Franz, it’s a pleasure to see you again,” Father shook firmly the hand that Mister Edelweiss had extended.

  While they filled each other out about the last few years, I stood aside, a few feet on his right and beside him, shifting awkwardly on my feet.

  I let them have their moment; it had been a long time since they’d last seen each other after all.

  “This is my son, Arda,” Father moved slightly to the side, gesturing to me.

  I greeted them with a few polite words, hoping I didn’t slur them too much.

  “Nice to meet you, Arda,” Franz replied, with a nod of acknowledgement. “These are Bianca and Richard. I hope you three get along.”

  I greeted them again, this time in a more casual manner, which I thought would be more suitable given their age.

  The two responded with the same casual nod and a warm smile.

  Once the introductions were over, the conversation shifted back to light chatter. Since they weren’t addressing me directly, I took the opportunity to observe them more closely.

  They seemed like perfectly ordinary people, almost overly so. Mister and Miss Edelweiss wore modest, light brown clothes, elegant and simple. The two children were dressed more casually.

  “—Arda?”

  I only now noticed that Richard had sheaths attached to his belt, clearly part of his adventurer’s gear. Fascinating. His outfit had the classic attire of an adventurer.

  I wonder what he keeps in those sheaths.

  “—Arda?”

  The girl, on the other hand, wore a light grey blouse over a lovely white dress, which had been paired with a hat of the same color with a wide brim, which covered most of her golden hair. I had never seen hair so yellow.

  It was hard to tell, considering her hat cast a shadow over her eyes, but I could have sworn they were green, and that they were staring right at me.

  A hand suddenly rested on my head, stirring me out of my thoughts.

  When I looked up, my father was cocking an eyebrow at me, wearing a mildly scowling expression.

  “Arda, they’re talking to you,” he said, pointing at the two sitting across from me.

  Oh damn, did I ignore them the whole time?

  “Go on, kid, it ain’t like they’re gonna eat you,” Father gently nudged me toward them.

  We stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say. How did you break the ice in situations like this?

  “Too much buzzing in your mind, huh?” Richard spoke in a friendly tone, trying to make me feel more comfortable.

  “I apologize,” I said, embarrassed, scratching the back of my neck. “I think I got a little carried away.”

  “It’s okay. Why don’t you come sit with us?” Bianca suggested, and I eagerly accepted.

  We chatted for a while. I wasn’t used to being asked so many questions, but it was nice talking to them. Their voices carried a soothing and amiable quality that made talking with them really easy.

  “Have you been around here for long?”

  Richard shook his head. “We arrived last night,” he said. “Teleportation gates truly suck.”

  The two siblings teased each other constantly, either joking about Richard’s carriage-sickness or going through the usual sibling squabbles.

  But despite their constant, light-hearted bickering, we managed to get to know each other.

  I didn’t ask Richard about his past as an adventurer; it didn’t feel right to bring it up out of nowhere.

  Instead, I stuck to more general questions: what’s the Kingdom of Trasin like, if they traveled often, what they studied, and so on.

  “By the way,” Richard seized a pause in the conversation. “Father told me that you want to become an adventurer too. If that’s okay with you, both of you,” he added, sending a glance to his sister, “I think I could share some insight with you. You know, as a future senior,” he concluded with a chuckle.

  Bianca shrugged nonchalantly, and Richard turned his head to me with a sigh.

  “Gladly,” I replied, a big smile quirking up my lips.