"Ehem. I mean, 'who sent that High Mage to your family'."
Cherry reiterated and corrected her words from earlier.
"Ah, the Guild Master did."
Lawrend replied after understanding her words.
"Guild Master?"
Cherry tilted her head.
"The Branch Guild Master of the Mage Guild in Sheron Port City."
Lawrend explained to her.
"Oh, Reon."
Cherry realized who it was immediately.
"Why did he send Olgar with you?"
Cherry asked him curiously.
"This."
Lawrend pulled out the Mage Guild pin inside his pocket and showed it to her. She grabbed it and examined it carefully.
"He gave this to you?"
Cherry looked at the pin in disbelief.
"Yes. Is there any problem?"
Lawrend asked her in return.
"Uhm… Young Master, the cake is ready."
Nao interrupted them from the side. He was fidgeting as he stood there.
"Oh my. I forgot that it was your birthday party."
Cherry placed her hand over her mouth and laughed.
"Excuse me."
Lawrend said to her with a slight bow. He headed towards the large cake served on the dining table. It was chocolate flavor with 3 layers.
"Young Master, the Master is not here, but this is his letter."
Albert passed a letter to him. It was sealed with the insignia of the Horiel Family.
Lawrend took it and tore the side before pulling the paper inside and read it.
[Dear Lawrend,
My son, I will not be able to attend your 18th birthday with you. You must not disappoint me and become a successful merchant. That is my only wish for you.
Sincerely,
Your Father]
Lawrend's face twitched after reading the letter. He crumpled it in anger. His father definitely did not love him. He was sure of it. What kind of a father would write a half-assed letter for his son's 18th birthday!?
"Y-Young Master…"
Albert looked at Lawrend worriedly. He glanced at the crumpled paper in Lawrend's hand and at the anger on his face.
"Hmph."
Lawrend threw the crumpled paper to Albert who caught it with both of his hands, perplexed.
"I'll show you what I can do…"
Lawrend murmured as he gritted his teeth in anger. He lifted his head and looked at the large cake in front of him.
Lawrend turned around and faced the crowd.
"I would like to thank everyone here who came, prepared, and surprised me with this birthday party. I really appreciate it."
Lawrend spoke loudly to the large dining room. He bowed his head towards them.
"Young Master, you don't have to bow!"
The butlers hurriedly stopped Lawrend. They didn't think that it was correct for their Young Master to bow towards them.
"No. This is much I can do. You guys are here to celebrate my 18th birthday with me." (While my father is not…)
Lawrend said to them. He was glad that they were celebrating with him while his father couldn't even do it.
"Y-Young Master…"
The butlers were touched by Lawrend's words. They swore in their hearts that they would serve him well in the future.
"Come on, let's party!"
Lawrend cheered loudly.
"For the Young Master!"
"Long live the Young Master!"
The butlers shouted in unison.
"Young Master, is something the matter?"
Aleshia walked towards him and asked. There was concern on her face. She noticed his facial expression earlier.
"My father's letter is so upsetting…"
Lawrend replied to her. He knew his father wanted him to be a successful merchant, but he didn't expect that it was to this extent that it was the only thing that he's focusing on. He didn't even give him a gift to celebrate his 18th birthday.
"What did he say?"
Aleshia asked him curiously.
"He said that I should become a successful merchant."
Lawrend replied to her.
"And?"
Aleshia urged him to continue.
"That's it."
Lawrend looked her in the eyes and replied.
"That's so cold…"
Although Aleshia hadn't experienced what it was like having a father, she was sure that it must have hurt Lawrend seeing the look on his face.
"Mm. That's why I want to become a strong Mage even more. I'll show him that being a merchant is not the only way to become 'successful'."
Lawrend nodded his head lightly and explained to her.
"I'll support whatever your decision is."
Aleshia whispered to him. She had already decided to offer not just her heart to him but also her body. She already shared an intimate moment with him. It would not take long before he claims her body.
"Thank you, Aleshia."
Lawrend smiled at her. Her words reassured him.
"What do you say, Lawrend?"
Bardon, the old man from earlier, interrupted and suddenly said to him.
"About what?"
Lawrend looked at him blankly.
"About my discount if you want to hire guards. At the Sword Guild, we excel at mercenary work."
Bardon replied to him. The Sword Guild has many swordsmen, and they all seek to practice to improve their techniques. They could only improve so much by sparring with each other, so most of them opted to do mercenary work.
"I see. Thank you for the offer, but I'm not looking for guards at the moment."
Lawrend rejected his offer. He already had Olgar, he didn't think that he would need to hire another guard. Besides, it would be very expensive to hire an Army Sword to be his guard.
"That's a shame. Anyways, do consider my offer if you need it."
Bardon replied to him with a sigh. He already offered a discount, yet Lawrend wasn't even interested to hear it.
"Lawrend, where is that Olgar?"
Cherry walked towards them and asked. She had looked around, but she hadn't spotted a shadow of Olgar.
"He's inside his room. I think he's practicing magic."
Lawrend replied to her.
"Tch."
Cherry clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Tell him that I, Cherry, is not done with him. Hmph."
She said to Lawrend and snorted in anger before leaving. She went towards the cake to eat.
"Hahaha… What is her relationship with Mr. Olgar?"
Lawrend laughed dryly and couldn't help but ask Bardon. It seems like she had a lot of pent-up anger towards Olgar.
"Hohoho. Youth! It's the life of youth. She was Olgar's fiancee before. I don't know what happened, but they broke up."
Bardon chuckled and explained to Lawrend.
