“Why don’t you take Mother to a mirror, Emily? I’m sure she would like to know what she looks like.”
That was pretty smart of Abel. He knew how eager Emily wanted to drink the “beauty potion,” so he found her an excuse to do it without anyone watching.
“Thank you, Abel,” the knight of Bennett said. His tone sounded a lot nicer now.
Abel smiled, “It’s okay, Father! No need to say thanks. It’s for Mother, remember?”
“I’m not thanking you for the potion,” the Knight of Bennett said, “It’s about… well, I just talked with Marshall. I’ve talked about this before, but a knight’s skillset is very important to his family. If we can pass down the right system to the next generation, we might just have another knight’s commander in a few years.”
“And… once there is a new knight’s commander in the Bennett Family, maybe that’s when I’ll finally be able to honor my family name.”
Abel said with a serious look on his face, “Father, I need you to become an advanced knight for me. Once you have, you need to push harder to become a knight’s commander. Other than you, I can’t think of a better candidate to lead my Harvest City’s elite team.”
The Knight of Bennett shook his head, “I’m sure you’ll find a lot of people more suitable than me. You understand, don’t you? With my ranks and titles, I don’t think a lot of people would like it when you let me, you know, do something that important.”
The Knight of Bennett certainly had a point there. Harvest City was a city of elites. It was meant to be protected by elites, not an old man who barely counted as one.
“But Father,” Abel persisted, “With the lands I was given, I don’t have enough people to look after them. You know how hard it is to find people that are trustworthy. I was going to let Uncle Marshall do it, but he’s never going to leave Harry Castle.”
“If you don’t think you’re qualified, don’t worry. I have some potions with me. Once you drink them, they’ll turn you into an advanced knight in no time. Does that sound good?”
To be honest, giving the Knight of Bennett this power wouldn’t do much good. Once Wizard Yveline came over here, there would be three wizards that’d be in charge of this domain’s defense. That was about the same amount of force that’s used to guard an entire duchy. An “elite team” consisting of knights was pretty much useless.
So why was Abel pushing his father to become the head of an entire team? It was very simple. Due to Knight of Bennett’s stubbornness, he couldn’t just give him stuff that would boost the Bennett’s domain’s status. If he could “frame” his father into doing something, say, “worthy of a reward,” he could potentially give him a title that was just a bit more secondary than an earl.
“Sure,” the Knight of Bennett finally nodded after thinking for a while, “One I’ve become an advanced knight, I’ll lead your elite team for you.”
Marshall suddenly interrupted, “By the way, Abel, you still have any more of that “beauty potion” with you?”
“Oh! Wait, do you happen to fancy anyone, Uncle Marshall?” Abel asked in surprise. As far as he knew, Lord Marshall had been single ever since he knew him.
Lord Marshall’s voice suddenly spiked, “Wha- No, no! Abel! What are you talking about? Are you saying that only women can use the “beauty potion?” Of course, it’s for me!”
Lord Marshall paused, then suddenly stared at Abel’s skin, “I see your skin. You must have used it on yourself?”
Abel explained, “It was for testing, Uncle Marshall! How else would I know if there’s anything wrong with my potion?”
“Testing? What “testing?” You’re not the one who made it, are you? Whatever just give me a bottle if you have any spares.”
The Knight of Bennett couldn’t help but laugh, “Ha, haha! He’s not lying about using the potion for himself, Abel. Our golden boy always liked looking pretty.”
“You get me, Bennett,” Lord Marshall nodded, then said in a nostalgic tone, “Emma always liked what I looked like at my prime. You know, I’d always think that when you die, you will keep whatever look that you pass away with. If I can keep my younger face when I die of old age, it’d be a lot easier for her to recognize me in the other world.”
Abel didn’t know how to respond to that. Instead of saying anything, he took out a bottle of “beauty potion” and passed it over.
For Lord Marshall to have such longing for his deceased wife, it was an absolute miracle. There were a lot of nobles and knights who drowned themselves in love, but only a few could be in a relationship that truly, lasted for a lifetime. After all, this society condemned and mocked noblemen with no lovers.
But Marshall was willing. He was willing to be alone to preserve the memories he had in his younger days. It’s the same for his biological father, the Knight of Bennett. While the relationship between him and Nora was quite, frankly speaking, bland, it was the kind of love that truly could last for many, many years.
Moving on. A few minutes later, Abel was sitting inside Bennett’s Castle’s study room with Lord Marshall and the Knight of Bennett. While Zach had already become a knight, his father never allowed him to step in here.
The Knight of Bennett said with a serious look on his face, “Tell me the truth, Abel. Bennett. Harry. How many potions do you have for our two families?”
This was a talk about the families’ economy. Right now, the Bennett Family was being pulled out of its financial hardship. It was approaching the stage of “rapid development,” but at the same time, it was also facing the issue of increased expenditure on resources. More specifically, it was about the potions that Abel was providing. Abel knew that he had enough to give, but Lord Marshall and the Knight of Bennett couldn’t tell for sure.
Lord Marshall said as he shook his head, “I don’t like the way you’re sorting this, Bennett. We’re good friends, right? There’s no need to put a clear line on everything. If Abel decides to give the both of us something, let’s just split them in however ways fair.”
The Knight of Bennett responded, “But that’s us, Marshall! What about the next generation? What about the generations after us? Who’s there to guarantee if they can get along with one another?”
Lord Marshall quickly became quiet. After all, no one knew what could happen in the future.
“If,” Abel spoke after he glanced at the two, “If it were up to me, I’d like to see the two families develop for at least a thousand years. It has to be a thousand years at a minimum. That’s something I can manage.”
“What…” Lord of Marshall and the Knight of Bennett said at the same time. They couldn’t believe what Abel was saying.
“As you two know, wizards have a very long lifespan. I, myself, am a rank six wizard. If nothing goes wrong, I am expected to live up to three hundred years. I’m also guaranteed to rank up even more, and that’s going to boost my lifespan further.”
“With the amount of talent I have, it would make sense that I’ll become an advanced wizard. With that, I can make sure that I take care of both families for at least a thousand years.”
“That’s incredible, Abel!” Lord Marshall called out, “I didn’t know wizards could live that long! Alright, I’ve made my decision. If there’s anyone in the Harry Family that can become a wizard, I’ll write a rule that gives them the opportunity to become one!”
“Same here,” the Knight of Bennett nodded as he had already given up on clinging onto his family’s old customs, “Remember, Abel, if there is anyone in the Bennett Family that’s fitting to become a wizard, do help them by providing them with the right opportunities.”
As a consensus had been reached, Abel proceeded to announce his plans.
“And to give you an answer, Father,” Abel said as his voice became slower for a moment, “About the number of potions I have. I didn’t plan to tell anyone about it, but since you’re all my family, just promise me to keep my secret for me.”
The Knight of Bennett said quickly, “If it’s not safe for you to say, just don’t say it.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Abel explained, “So, apart from the identities you know me as, I have another identity, which I used when I lived with the elves.”
“Yes, I did live with the elves under an elven disguise. My elven name was Bennett. I was granted the honorary title as the “Bennett Alchemist.” Now, an honorary master is, by no means, a true master. My skills are around the same as an advanced alchemist, and my only expertise is in brewing potions.”
“Wait, what?” Lord Marshall looked at Abel as though he was looking at a ghost, “You mean… you made all these potions yourself?”
“Yes,” Abel replied, “That’s why I told you both to not worry about running out of potions. I’m on very good terms with the elves. If I need to make anything, I can always get the materials from the elves that live in the Double Moon Forest. They give a lot of them free, and even if they aren’t free, I do have enough money to buy them.”
As exotic and bizarre as Abel’s story was, both the Knight of Bennett and Lord Marshall were educated men. They fought against the orcs, so they knew about what the alchemists were like. Essentially, they were a higher being than even a knight’s commander. Yeah, even if it was just a novice alchemist.
And from what Abel was saying, he was an “honorary master” amongst the elves. That meant he was among one of the best, much better than most ordinary alchemists.
