"But wait," he paused, recalling what he read. "Did he actually defeat Fenrir? I saw it in a book. It's an S-rank beast, one of the highest-level threats an adventurer can face. Only the strongest adventurers could hope to fight it, and even then, barely anyone could win…"
"Yes," Edric said. "But your dad did. He's an S-rank adventurer, and he actually succeeded."
"Yes, I did," Aldwin said, "but I can't defeat a Fenrir myself, to be honest. If it went all out on me, I'm sure I'd be defeated. But after injuring it, it just decided to retreat and live on its own. That's all I can say."
"Wow! That's impressive," Rowan said. "That's right, come on!"
"Hey, mister. Are you also an adventurer?" Rowan asked.
"Yes, I am. Are you interested in becoming an adventurer?" Edric said.
Rowan nodded eagerly. "Would that be great?"
"It seems you already have talent in you," Edric said. "But… you look really young. How old are you? We won't be able to live on our own."
"I'm actually just six years old," Aldwin said, smiling.
"What? Six years? I don't believe it. How is he capable of moving that way—or even thinking like that? Just a few minutes ago, I was talking to him," Edric said.
"Well, he's my son. I'm not that smart, but his mother is," Aldwin said.
"Ah, that's impressive. Six years old, reading already… and strong enough to lift a sword and wield it. He truly has a bright future ahead of him," Edric said.
"What rank are you as an adventurer?" Rowan asked.
"Rank B," Edric said. "Not as high as your dad, but still decent."
"Are you strong?" Rowan asked.
"Sort of," Edric said with a smile. "In my own way."
Just then, Mira arrived. She froze as she saw Edric standing there.
Edric stood up. "Hey, you haven't seen your brother in a while. Come give me a hug."
Mira hesitated, as if she didn't know how to react, and then stepped back. Edric pretended to hug himself.
"That's actually brutal. You haven't seen your brother for years, and you can't even give him a hug?" Edric said, feigning disappointment.
"What are you doing here? You didn't even tell me you were coming," Mira said.
"Well, I'm your brother. Do I need an invitation to come see my sister?" Edric asked.
"Yes, you do," Mira replied.
"No, I don't. Stop being cruel and give me a hug. I've missed you," Edric said, stepping closer.
"No, I'm not going to. Why did you even come?" Mira asked, crossing her arms.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Edric said. "What I wanted to tell you while I was here is a message from Dad."
"What? Dad sent a message? What message?" Mira asked.
"It's nothing too special, but it's about you having a child… which you already did," Edric said. "He'll be thrilled to hear the news. He wanted to talk to find out why you hadn't had a child yet, not knowing that six years ago you already did… and never told anyone. Honestly, I'm a bit pissed about that."
"Why would you, of all people, be pissed?" Mira asked.
"Well, you didn't even tell me I was going to be an uncle. I never knew. And now you've already given him his grandson—amazing!" Edric said.
"Oh… that's true. I honestly didn't think about it," Mira admitted.
"It doesn't matter. But here's the thing—you're going to have a ceremony that you never carried out for your child. We're going to do it," Edric said.
Mira frowned. "How? Won't it be too late? He's already not that young. Usually, people hold these ceremonies when the child is just one year old. Isn't it too late now?"
"No, it's not for his birth," Edric clarified. "It's for his name, and in a way, also for his birth since you guys never did it. I'm going to invite everyone I can think of. It'll be proper this time."
"Hey, you can't just go making decisions on your own. We didn't even talk about it," Aldwin said.
"Yes, that's right. You don't even have a say in this," Mira added.
"What do you mean? I'm his uncle. I have a say," Edric shot back. "It's already been decided. The ceremony will be celebrated at our house."
"Wait… what do you mean? Your house? You mean… Duke Will's house? Your dad?" Aldwin asked, surprised.
"Yes, my dad. We'll be the only ones there," Edric said.
"Isn't that going to be weird? Talking to him is always a test for me," Aldwin admitted.
"Well, you'll be fine. I think I better get going. But before I leave, I want to test something else," Edric said.