When they arrived at the inner parts of the city, Isaac's eyes widened again.
This part was furnished luxuriously. The brick castles were so smooth and spotless Isaac almost thought it was glass. In fact, some of the buildings there had glass and tile-like structures.
Here the streets were sparse with pedestrians like Isaac and his father. Instead, carriages calmly rolled down the streets, displaying the superiority and wealth of the nobles.
"Which of the noble families are we visiting?"
Isaac asked curiously
"The Dalem family. They're a strong one. When we get there, be courteous and don't find trouble." Reymond answered, adding a warning too.
Isaac nodded obediently, though he grew nervous and excited.
The walk took a while, but they eventually reached the estate belonging to the Dalem family.
Reymond showed a silver card to the guards at the gates, granting them entry into the estate.
"Unbelievable… their land is so wide." Isaac whispered.
Reymond nodded seriously, "Yes. The noble families are the direct subordinates of the royal family, so it's expected that they're very wealthy."
Isaac nodded in understanding, comparing the noble families to the senators in a country on Earth.
'No wonder these guys are so rich.'
They walked straight for a while, then turned towards the direction of the stables. Isaac once again asked.
"What's the position of this your friend?"
Reymond straightened his neck. "He's the Stable Manager. A boss around here."
"Oh, okay."
Isaac nodded, falling silent again. They soon arrived at the stables where several workers were busy cleaning the horses or feeding them with hay and other plants.
As the father and son duo approached, they were assessed, then ignored by the workers.
Reymond held a faint smile on his face, and he approached the one who was directing the others.
"Yo! Maxwell, I came to visit you today."
The man turned, looking at them in surprise. His gaze swept past Reymond and stopped on Isaac's face.
"Reymond… is that your son? With Mira?"
His eyes held complex emotions as he asked. Reymond's smile thinned, but he still nodded. While they were both younger, they had competed for Mira's attention, but Reymond won her heart with sweet words, successfully marrying her.
Now seeing their son, Maxwell once again wished he had gotten Mira's heart. However, that was all in the past.
He smiled widely, then pulled Isaac's cheeks. "He looks so cute! Just like his mother. Good thing he didn't pick up any of your shameless genes."
While praising Isaac, he subtly insulted Reymond too.
The man's eyes twitched, but he didn't retort. He knew his friend was only trying to get back at him.
"Hmph, say all you want about me. I don't care. Anyway, this is Isaac, my son. And Isaac, this is Maxwell, my old friend."
He introduced the two to each other, then yawned.
"Hey Maxwell, aren't you going to welcome us? Or do you want us to keep standing under the sun?"
Maxwell shrugged. "If it were you alone, I'd have made you stay under the sun throughout. But since Mira's son is here, let's find a cooler place to stay."
Again, Reymond's lips twitched. 'This guy… always so snarky. Tch.'
As they prepared to find somewhere better, a young boy followed by two servants arrived at the stables.
Maxwell's eyes widened immediately. "Young Master Klein! It's an honor having you here."
The other workers immediately bowed to him, and even Reymond inclined his back slightly. Only Isaac stood clueless, directly staring at Klein without reservation.
'Is he the one who got defeated by Kael Veyren in the finals? Oh, what a coincidence.'
Klein noticed his gaze and walked over. "Why are you staring?"
He looked displeased, but not offended. Perhaps because he had suffered a defeat, his pride had been leveled to the ground. He didn't have the energy to go around acting arrogant.
"I am merely curious about how strong you are." Isaac replied honestly.
Huh?
His words surprised everyone present, and they all looked at him like he was crazy. Even Klein frowned slightly.
"Boy, are you trying to pick a fight? I have no time for manaless kids."
The word manaless once again ticked Isaac off, and he immediately produced a fireball on his palm.
"Manaless? What makes you think I'm not a mage like you?"
Klein was surprised, but immediately noticed something. 'The fireball… it was created almost instantly. His hands barely moved.'
Now interested, he folded his arms. "Well, do you want to spar? I want to confirm a few things."
"Eh? Young Master…" One of the servants called out to him.
He ignored the call. "Don't worry, I wouldn't crush you."
A cold smile bloomed on Isaac's face, and he immediately agreed.
"Follow me."
Klein turned around and left the stables, his two servants hurrying behind him. Reymond, Isaac, and Maxwell quickly followed, with the two older men surprised by the turn of events.
As they walked, Reymond asked. "Why do you want to fight him?"
His son answered honestly. "I just want to test his strength. He's the second strongest after all."
Maxwell's eyes widened. "You know this and you want to fight him?"
Reymond snorted. "Of course, my son is very strong too."
They finally arrived at an open field Klein mostly used for training.
"Get over here, boy." Klein said calmly, standing some meters away.
Isaac also stood opposite him, his expression full of eagerness.
Reymond, Maxwell, and the servants stood to the side as spectators, watching with focused gazes.
"Start."
As soon as he spoke, Klein launched five fireballs as fast as he could.
Isaac watched them approach, then dodged with surprising nimbleness.
Before he landed, he created two water arrows and shot them at Klein.
The boy was preparing to shoot another fireball at the spot Isaac would land, but was distracted by the water arrows.
'He's very smart.'
Klein noted, then changed his offensive. He tripled the number of his attacks, sending fifteen fireballs at Isaac.
The boy grinned, then immediately drew a magic circle in the air. Blue mana flower from his fingertips, creating a tall earth wall that blocked all the attacks.
Seeing this, Klein paused to ask. "What grade are you?"