Dispute

Era of Chaos, Year 1843.

The wind outside the window swirled dead leaves, tapping against the glass panes.

"Happy birthday, Young Master Aise."

Holding a small velvet box in both hands, Eni presented her prepared gift with a rare look of restraint on her face. "Congratulations on turning sixteen. You are an adult now."

Eni opened the lid, and Aise took the gemstone brooch from her hands, slightly taken aback.

It was just an ordinary gemstone, not some precious magical material, but the craftsmanship was exquisite. It couldn't have been cheap; Eni must have saved her pocket money for quite a while to buy it.

"Thank you," Aise replied lukewarmly, though a faint, gentle smile touched the corners of his lips.

It had been nearly half a year since they left home.

"But, Young Master Aise, are we really not going back for your coming-of-age birthday? That's such a pity," Eni asked. "Lord Xia Lun and Madam will be very disappointed."

"No, it's quite far from home," Aise shook his head.

"Hehe, then it will just be me celebrating with you." Eni smiled brightly, full of vitality like a flower blooming suddenly in winter.

Aise looked slightly dazed for a moment, but as if recalling something, he quickly concealed his emotions.

"Aren't you worried, Young Master Aise?" Eni poked Aise's arm and continued asking.

"Worried about what?"

"You've been away for so long, Young Master Aise... Do you think you'll have a new little brother or sister by the time you go back?" The corners of Eni's mouth slowly curled up.

Precocious girl...

Although they were the same age, Eni was half a year older than him.

Aise cast a mild glance at Eni. The girl had laid down on his bed without any hesitation, pressing a faint outline into his neatly folded blankets. She stretched her body, looking completely relaxed.

Eni was wearing a thin dress that perfectly outlined her delicate curves, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Noticing Aise's gaze, Eni's cheeks flushed slightly. She reigned herself in a bit and sat up straight.

"Alright, I need to rest. Hurry back to your own room." Aise suppressed an inexplicable restlessness in his heart and shooed Eni out of his room.

Muttering something under her breath, Eni left.

Aise lay down on the bed.

The girl's scent lingered on the blankets—not a strong, pungent perfume, but a faint aroma of soap mixed with the fresh scent of sweet apricots.

The scent tangled with his senses, stirring up thoughts he shouldn't be having.

Aise took a deep breath and went out to take a cold shower to suppress the heat in his chest. Passing by Eni's room, his steps paused slightly.

"Heh, monster," Aise muttered. For a split second, his expression turned resentful and ruthless, but it quickly smoothed out as he walked briskly away.

...

The next morning.

The adventurer's guild hall was bustling with noise. The smell of ale and metal permeated the air, and the rough wooden floors and long tables were covered in sword marks.

"Look, those two youngsters."

"Newbies, right?"

"But they are very strong. The guy is a high-tier warrior, and the girl is a mid-tier mage."

"Are you serious? A high-tier warrior? At that age?"

"That girl is really pretty, though..."

Aise and Eni ignored the chatter and stares of the crowd, walking up to the commission board.

They had become adventurers.

After all, being away from home, they naturally had to find a way to make money.

"Young Master Aise, how about that commission?" Eni stood on her tiptoes, pointing at a spot higher up. She knew Aise was suited for such tasks.

Over the past half year, Aise had shot up in height and was now almost half a head taller than Eni.

Aise thought for a moment before tearing down the commission to subjugate forest wolves.

These monsters had been frequently attacking border villages recently. The reward was good, and the difficulty was within a manageable range.

Forest wolves were not particularly powerful monsters. With their strength, there shouldn't be any accidents.

Aise noticed that a group of people had suddenly gathered behind him.

They were several burly men wearing matching black iron armor. They looked aggressive and quite formidable.

A cracked skull emblem was emblazoned on their iron armor.

"It's the Bone Crusher Adventure Group."

"I heard they were promoted to a level 4 adventure group not long ago."

"Makes sense. After all, they have several high-tier experts in their ranks."

These guys stood like a wall, blocking Aise's path.

Aise slowly raised his head, looking at the leader with an indifferent expression: "Can I help you?"

He was a relatively young man, seemingly in his early twenties, with ordinary features and a small scar on his face that didn't detract much from his appearance.

The leading man sized up Aise and Eni, his gaze lingering on Eni for a moment.

"I heard you two are quite skilled. How about it, want to join our adventure group? You'll definitely earn more than working alone."

"Sorry, the two of us don't plan on joining an adventure group for now," Aise shook his head.

"Oh?"

The man raised an eyebrow and smiled without the smile reaching his eyes. "Joining an adventure group comes with a lot of benefits... while not joining can bring quite a bit of trouble."

This was practically a naked threat.

But Aise acted as if he didn't understand the underlying meaning: "Could you please step aside? We need to go register our commission."

"Heh, of course."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they naturally wouldn't dare make any excessive moves. Such actions would affect the adventure group's reputation, and no one wanted to ruin a painstakingly built group over a trivial matter.

"By the way, newbie, what's your name?"

Aise stared straight into the man's eyes and countered, "Isn't it common sense to state your own name before asking for someone else's?"

"My name is Leiva, leader of the Bone Crusher Adventure Group." Leiva's eyes darkened for a split second.

"Aise."

"Very well, Aise. I'll remember you." Leiva gave Aise a deep look before leaving with the others.

"Young Master Aise..."

Eni hid behind Aise, asking somewhat nervously, "Is it really okay to offend them like this?"

"What else could we do?" Aise sneered. "If we joined those guys, it would be hard to break free later, which would definitely be more troublesome... I don't want someone above me bossing me around."

Aise glanced at Eni again.

He had noticed Leiva's gaze earlier as well.

What a troublesome woman.

But he had to admit, having Eni take care of him normally saved him a lot of worry; and during combat, Eni indeed provided excellent support. She wasn't just a pretty vase.

Besides... no matter what, she was his maid. When he left home, his father had also asked him to take good care of Eni.

Aise's expression darkened slightly, a faint cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He would not easily give his belongings away to others.