After some bickering, the trio followed Leon to the bakery. Jon and Marie walked home. On the way, Leon tried to slip away many times; however, he could not escape Asha. Every time he tried to run, she would blackmail him with something or other. After a few times, when he realized what ever he did it he could not escape, he eventually gave up.
"You know, Asha," Leon muttered, leaning toward his cousin. "Stealing from your own family is a crime in some parts of the Empire, and my wallet is feeling very light right now. They say in Gerath Province, first offenders have to bake apology pies for the whole neighborhood. Are you planning to start a bakery, or should I report you?"
Asha didn't even look at him. "It's not stealing, Leon. It's a 'laziness tax.' Besides, the look on your face when Aunt saw your backward shirt was worth at least five silver coins. You should know this: I'm giving you a discount."
"A discount?" Leon gasped. "I could have bought a new meditation mat with that!"
"You mean a new pillow," Herold chimed in from the front, not even turning around.
"Quiet, you!" Leon pointed a finger at his younger brother's back. "I haven't forgotten your 'heroic' betrayal. You're lucky I'm a man of great patience and spiritual depth, or I'd—"
"Or you'd what? Nap at me?" Herold quipped.
When they got to the town square, the smell of fresh bread from Ron's Bakery filled the air. Helga started jumping up and down, shouting "Cake! Cake! Cake!" as she tugged on Leon's hand.
"Alright, alright, Princess of Chaos," Leon said with a sigh as he reached into his pocket and took out a small leather pouch.
Leon peeked inside the purse, counting the coins. "All I can get is one honey-almond cake and maybe some cinnamon rolls, only if Asha promises not to tell Mom about the tiger cub incident ever again."
"No promises," Asha said, her eyes twinkling as she reached for the bakery door handle. "That story is my retirement fund."
Leon entered the bakery along with the trio,
ting ting
The bell rang, signaling the arrival of a customer. Ron, who was placing the freshly baked potatobun, turned towards the door. Looking at the customers, a gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Don't call him a sloth, Ron," Asha said, leaning against the counter with a smirk. "Sloths actually move when they're hungry. Leon is the kind of man who waits for the food to grow nearby."
"It's called patience, Asha—a rare virtue only one with wisdom has," Leon interjected smoothly.
"Or a man who's going to starve if a stray gust of wind blows that fruit two feet to the left," Ron muttered, not even looking up as he polished a glass.
Asha let out a sharp laugh while hitting the back of Leon. "See? Even Ron knows the difference between patience and profound laziness, Leon. "
"Haha! Fair enough!" Ron turned to Helga, who was pressing her nose against the glass display case, her eyes wide as saucers. "And what for the little lady today?"
"Cake!" Helga shouted, her breath fogging up the glass. "The big one with the honey!"
With droopy shoulders, Leon stepped up to the counter; he even looked inside his wallet and rummaged for a few times, as if finally he decided what to do. "Just a slice, Ron. And maybe a few of those day-old rolls for Herold. He's been a very 'good' brother today and deserves something... slightly stale."
Herold rolled his eyes but didn't argue; food was food.
After emptying the money from Leon's purse, the trio walked towards home.
Inside Leon's house, Marie was cooking food while her sister-in-law was setting the table for family dinner.
"Emma, where is Elliot? I have not seen him since morning "
"Yesterday, some villagers spotted a goblin near the borders; he went for patrol, taking a few soldiers with him"
"Marie, we also need to inform the kids so they don't wander outside the village carelessly, especially your lovely son Leon"
As two sisters were chatting while doing work, the men of the house entered
"Alan and Elliot", Marie called
Elliot is Marie's older brother and he was married to Emma and has two children Asha and Jon and now Marie and Allan Along with their 4 children living with them.
Elliot took off his heavy Armor and hung it by the entrance, his face worn with fatigue from a long day in the horse ride. Allan followed right behind him, looking equally exhausted after a long day at his clinic.
"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Emma said with a faint smile, wiping her hands on her apron as she crossed the room to greet Elliot. "We were just talking about your patrol."
Elliot leaned in to kiss Emma's cheek before turning his attention to Marie. "If you're talking about the goblin, Marie, you can breathe a little easier. We looked around; there were none"
Twenty years have passed since Marie and Allan first arrived in the village. The infant they brought with them has grown into a young man—and the biggest troublemaker the village has ever seen.
Two decades brought massive changes. Allan became a famous doctor and healer, drawing patients from neighboring estates. However, the constant travel to the border villages to gather rare medicinal herbs began to take a toll on him. That strain, combined with the fact that Mathias's sons wouldn't stop harassing young Leon, finally drove the family to act. They packed up, moved from the center of the barony to a border village, and established a hospital there.