Chapter 598 - 598 Head of the Kaizer Family (2)

It took Avery a few moments to calm down, but when he did, he saw that he had left several indents in the ground.

He had been stepping off with enough force to damage the reinforced floor of the training room.

Truthfully, if the fight had continued, he was planning on doing a lot worse.

Avery had planned to begin stomping his foot into the ground with as much strength as he could muster to start wrecking the room and give himself debris to throw around.

That was how cornered he was starting to feel about his prospects of winning the fight normally.

"Was all of that really necessary?" Avery asked, his tone harsh as he cracked his broken arm back into place.

"Perhaps not, but it was the quickest way for me to take your measure. There's only so much one can learn through reports and secondhand accounts."

Avery took a deep breath to calm himself down.

He did not very much enjoy the ambush, but he at least understood what Matthias Kaizer was getting at.

Urs had used a similar method when assessing Avery before deciding to train him.

'Maybe it's just something all old mercenaries have in common.'

Knowing he was no longer in danger, Avery turned his attention over to Liesel.

She was standing off at the side of the room with a worried expression on her face.

Judithe was next to her, likely to keep Liesel from rushing in to help Avery out.

When he looked back at Matthias, he saw that the helmet that had been covering his head was now gone. Having receded into the back of his combat armor.

Though he was well over a hundred years old, Mattias Kaizer appeared to be in his late fifties at most.

His hair still had most of its dark brown color, with only a few bits of gray here and there.

What was most striking though was his eyes.

They were red just like all of the direct members of the Kaizer Family line, though there was a strength behind them unlike any Avery had ever seen. Not even from Cerise or Zefield.

'I suppose that this is the man who most would argue is the strongest mercenary in the Dramid Alliance.'

Dispute still being a bit miffed about suddenly being attacked, Avery could not deny that he was excited to meet such a legendary figure.

He might not have been quite as famous as the founder of the Kaizer Mercenaries, but being the current leader made him a very notable figure.

"I suppose that greetings are in order now. Though, I do wish we could continue sparring for longer. Even within the fleet, there aren't many that can serve as training partners for me." Matthias said, grinning at Avery.

He was not really happy with his performance since he had basically been on the defensive the entire time.

Still, it seemed that he had managed to impress Matthias just by doing as well as he had.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind going again. Next time I want a melee weapon of my own. Just having a laser pistol put me at a distinct disadvantage."

"Oh?! Many would say that a laser pistol is far superior to the metal poles I was swinging around."

Avery scoffed at this and replied, "and those are people neither of us would need any weapons to beat. I bet you could crush even a thousand average mercenaries equipped with laser rifles with just the gear your have on your now."

"Perhaps when I was younger. A thousand might be a bit too much for this old man now." Matthias said with a hearty laugh.

While there was a part of Avery that wanted to continue verbally sparring with the man, he decided to keep quiet to move things along.

Obviously picking up on his intentions, Matthias waved Liesel over and lead the way to a wall that retracted to reveal a hidden room with plush chairs and light refreshments set up on side tables.

Once the three of them had sat down, Matthias finally addressed Liesel.

"It's good to see you again, Liesel. It has been too long. You've grown into a fine young woman and found an exceptional partner."

"Thank you for the praise, fleet leader." Liesel said respectfully.

"No need to be so formal. I'm not here today as the head of the Kaizer Family. I'm just a great grandfather interested in his great granddaughter's life and wanting to meet her husband."

Avery was a bit surprised by the affectionate way that Matthias looked at Liesel and the calm demeanor he was exuding.

It was a stark contrast to the warrior who had greeted him by swinging a metal pole at his head.

'I honestly figured that he would be a bit harsher and distant. Maybe I misjudged him.' Avery thought, revaluating the man.

He seemed genuinely interested in what Liesel had been up to since the last time they had spoken.

No doubt he had received some updates through reports and already generally knew everything.

Yet, as he had judged Avery through combat, there was also worth in hearing everything from Liesel as well.

"Impressive. You've been quite busy. Especially being the youngest of the family. Though, not for much longer. Your cousin Leonore is pregnant."

The way that Matthias appeared to be genuinely happy talking about his family showed that he really cared for them.

From what Avery knew about how cutthroat the whole succession for the position of fleet leader was, he had almost figured that the man would mostly care about the value his progeny brought to the fleet.

"It has been nice to catch up with you Liesel. Although, talking like this makes me realize how uninvolved I've been with you and my other great grandchildren. There just never seems to be enough time to spend quality time with my family. Something I hope to rectify once I retire."

"Speaking of. The two of you wouldn't want to help an old man out by taking over. I'd feel secure leaving the future of the fleet to both of you."