Chapter 637 - 538: Repayment and the Closed Loop

Chapter 637: Chapter 538: Repayment and the Closed Loop

Hearing Allen’s simple, unpretentious answer, Roland understood completely.

The down-on-his-luck scion of a noble family, adrift in a foreign land and hiding his name while searching for opportunity. Or perhaps a young man from a fallen house, forced to venture out and make his own way...

Such stories were not uncommon in any era, on any continent.

An unexpected voyage, a long overland migration, a decision to travel far from home for the sake of survival or an ideal—any one of these was enough for a bloodline to take root in a strange new land.

Perhaps this was the very reason the bloodline of the Collins family had appeared a thousand years later, on a distant continent, in the Golden Valley Kingdom.

The long journeys of ancestors and the turning points of destiny often began with a choice that seemed accidental, yet was utterly inevitable.

With this in mind, Roland spoke directly.

"There’s an old saying in my homeland: chance encounters are a form of destiny. You also just mentioned that you’ve never had any systematic training. I happen to be staying in Gray Rock City for a time to handle some business. If you’re interested, you can come and find me during this period."

He paused for a moment, his calm gaze fixed on Allen’s suddenly shining, sky-blue eyes.

"I’ll teach you some things. Some... real Combat Skills that will let you survive on the edge of a blade, and even overcome your enemies to achieve victory."

As he said this, an almost imperceptible trace of distant nostalgia flickered in Roland’s eyes. He added softly,

"For instance, a... very practical Combat Skill."

He enunciated the word "practical" with particular clarity.

The expression on Allen’s face shifted from surprise to irrepressible joy.

For a young Adventurer eager to improve his Power and establish himself in the treacherous Gray Rock City, the willingness of such a powerful expert—who had just demonstrated immense strength and clearly harbored good intentions—to offer guidance was a dream come true.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he straightened his spine, pressed his right hand firmly to his chest, and performed a salute even more formal than before.

"Mr. Rudolph! I would be honored! I can’t thank you enough!"

His voice rose with excitement, but he quickly realized he was being too enthusiastic. He gave an embarrassed smile and tried to steady his tone.

"I will study with the utmost diligence! I won’t disappoint you!"

He glanced toward the back of the Potion shop, then at the deepening night outside, knowing this wasn’t the time to impose any further.

"Well... I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll come visit again once you’re settled and it’s a convenient time."

Allen gave Roland another solemn nod. He then turned to Holland—who was slumped on the floor, having finally caught his breath and now staring resentfully at the ceiling—and to the silently observing Ellis, giving each a polite nod of farewell.

Without further delay, he turned and pulled open the heavy oak door.

As Allen’s figure melted into the night and disappeared around the corner of the alley, Ellis slowly walked over and sat down on an empty wooden crate beside Roland.

His gray-blue eyes were full of thought. He didn’t speak right away, instead habitually straightening the slightly wrinkled cuffs of his Mage Robe before asking in his usual calm, analytical tone,

"Are you planning to... recruit them into our group?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the plain cloth bag on the workbench before glancing toward the back of the Potion shop, from where faint rustling sounds could be heard.

"Pardon my bluntness, Mr. Rudolph. That Allen Collins seems to have an upright and responsible character, and Lady Vanessa... well, she demonstrated considerable Concentration and potential during the healing, at least. However, their Power..."

He shook his head gently.

"I’m afraid it’s far from enough."

Unlike Holland, Ellis didn’t believe for a second that Roland’s help for Allen, or his inexplicable trust in the young Witch, stemmed from a momentary whim or her good looks.

Roland didn’t answer right away. He simply picked up the herbal tea that Vanessa had prepared earlier to alleviate the fatigue from the ritual. It was lukewarm now, and he took a small sip.

He let the slightly bitter taste spread across his tongue.

"Of course not."

He set down the clay cup. His voice wasn’t loud, but it reached Ellis’s ears clearly.

Just as Ellis said, Allen’s character was upright, and the Vanessa of the future was certainly no villain.

But at this point in time, their Power was indeed pitifully weak.

Even he couldn’t predict the level of danger he would face on the path he was about to walk.

To be honest, if Holland and Ellis hadn’t insisted on following him, and if they didn’t each possess considerable skills and value, he wouldn’t have wanted to drag anyone into this perilous journey.

’Bringing Allen and Vanessa along?’

’At this stage, it wouldn’t be a wise move. It might even get them killed.’

’So why offer guidance? Why give them extra Gold Coins and my trust?’

Countless fragments of memory surged quietly in Roland’s mind, and the corners of his mouth curved into a barely perceptible smile.

It was a complex expression.

A mixture of nostalgia, acceptance, and a faint, sardonic amusement at the whims of fate.

He turned to Ellis, his dark eyes appearing exceptionally deep in the dim light.

"Ellis, do you believe... in causality and cycles?"

He didn’t answer directly, instead posing another question in a low, even voice.

"Some skills are passed down through the bloodline. Some debts of gratitude transcend the barriers of time."

"What I teach today may be the very instruction someone deserved a thousand years ago. And what I give now may be to repay a future debt—one that has not yet been incurred, but is already destined."

He gently brushed the corner of the table, as if he could feel some kind of resonance across Space-Time.

"This isn’t recruitment, nor is it an investment. It is simply... following a path already faintly traced by the threads of fate, giving it a gentle push. Letting what is meant to happen, happen. And letting what is owed... be repaid."

"It is merely closing a loop that was written long ago."