"One week," Orien said to Wisp, "It has been one week since I've seen another familiar face or had any interactions with another, but I don't think I got the full experience. You and I have been talking all this time, so I haven't been lonely. There was also that scrap I had with that baboon, Lars.”

  Wisp trailed along before hiding in Orien's body, "Indeed, I've grown used to just floating about. I shouldn't be careless, although not just anybody could see me, it pays to be careful."

  Orien nodded and didn't say another word, thinking to himself, ‘I should jog now that I'm not carrying anything too heavy. Going at this pace, it’ll probably be a while before I get home. I may as well speed up the process; I don’t feel like wasting time.’

  And then, he began to jog down the pathway.

  By the time he reached his house, he was dripping sweat.

  He pushed the front door open as he knew it would be unlocked given that his mother should be home at this time.

  He found her tending to some plants and flowers in her garden behind the house.

  "Orien!" His mother smiled and waved but suddenly put on a very serious expression. She walked up to him and squinted her eyes, closely inspecting him, especially his face.

  "You... have gotten taller? No? You seem... different. Something looks different,” she said as she walked around him.

  He couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't gotten a look at himself since he began training, but he imagined himself looking quite shaggy.

  "You're exaggerating! How have you and Dad been? Any bad habits creeping up?" He asked with a playfully judging expression.

  "We've hardly been drinking if that's what you're insinuating, young man. At best, a little sip before bed,” she smiled as she replied.

  Whether that was the truth or not, Orien wasn’t here to bicker.

  They both had a small chuckle and headed inside.

  "Sorry to bother, Mom, but can you give me some food? My cooking is never as good as yours. I've only come down to resupply. I've still got a bit more than two more weeks to train,” Orien pleaded with her.

  "That's perfectly fine, I'll be happy to help. You're quite lucky. Your friend from school, Haruki, has to cook all of his food by himself,” she replied as she began to prepare the meal.

  Orien raised his eyebrow, "How do you know that? Did he stop by?"

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  "Oh no, I just spoke with his mother a few days ago. They've raised their children to be very independent. I prefer to spoil my children," Eve let out a giggle and tousled Orien's hair.

  He smiled and didn't say anything.

  She then said, "Oh, by the way, you should be careful out there. There was quite a scene the other day because of a robbery. There aren't any suspects, but the village guards have been questioning everyone and doing more patrols. Who would have guessed, huh? Crimes are few and far between here...”

  ‘I had suspected as much...’ Orien wasn't surprised but still feigned a shocked expression.

  "Really? That doesn't happen often around here in our little village! I wonder what could have caused this..." He said with an exaggerated expression.

  Siiiip. His mother had brewed tea, and the minty fragrance spread throughout the room. “Peppermint tea?” She asked.

  “No, thank you. I would actually prefer something cold, but I'll help myself,” He then poured out some cool drinking water.

  "Right. Anyway, it's better to be safe than sorry. Stay vigilant out there!” She gave Orien a big hug and handed him another basket full of freshly prepared food.

  "Thank you, Mom. I will. You also stay vigilant,” he said while looking at the ground.

  He felt a little bad for not relieving his mother of her worries, but how could he tell her that he was the thief?

  He left home, waving goodbye to his mother. He didn't visit his father as he was sure that his father would prefer him to stay focused on his training anyway.

  Although it was a short visit, it was a breath of fresh air to Orien.

  He didn't have much else to do. He didn't know where Haruki was, Mila was already gone, and Hubert was gone too.

  His mind ran on his classmates, including Hiyono and Lucille. It lingered a moment on Lucille, but he quickly shook the thoughts out of his head as, in his heart, he was invested in Mila.

  He would consider visiting Mila's parents, but he felt it would be too wasteful if she wasn't home.

  ‘I've got to work hard,’ he thought, bringing his mind back into a serious mood.

  He began to make his way back to the peak, feeling renewed.

  Casting Line Sect, Male Dormitory

  Hubert, a friend that Orien regarded as the closest, had just finished stretching his limbs.

  There were more beastmen like him at the sect, but not a whole ton. He and the others had been put onto a schedule of training and classes. He was hopeful that there would be more potential recruits in a few weeks. Hubert attended his lectures every day, and trained often as well, as the quality of the facilities and classes were drastically higher than what the school could offer.

  Hubert also enjoyed the change in scenery, as the Castling Line Sect was very beautiful and different from what he had experienced in the village. He had been split up from the few of his classmates that came along with him, like Lucille and Hiyono. Geno was probably in the same male dormitory, but he wasn't particularly fond of Geno.

  Hubert let out a sigh, looking up towards the clouds drifting along in the sky.

  The sect was located at the edge of Castaway Island, overlooking the ocean as far as the eye could see. Hubert could not see the ocean from where he was, though. His mind wandered and landed on his friend. He couldn’t help but wonder how he was doing.

  Pawooooo. Hubert sounded off his elephant trunk to break his current train of thought.

  ‘He will be fine. I have a feeling that I'll be the one that needs to worry about keeping up,’ he thought, having no real reason to believe this but clinging to it as a possibility regardless.

  Orien, climbing the peak once more, was staring at the massive structure in the distance.

  ‘The Casting Line Sect... I'll be seeing you soon,’ he thought as the wind blew through his hair and his robes.

  He continued to climb, his back straight and his resolve hardened.

  He would now begin the second week of his training on Alnilam Peak.

  https://imgchest.com/p/pg736m25o7r