Chapter 65 Twists
Gard was not sure what Kyle wanted from him.
But he was in a good mood compared to the earlier depressing weeks.
The blacksmith had spent a long time enduring physical as well as emotional pain.
For a blacksmith, his hands were his biggest assets.
Losing one arm had made him feel as if he was half-dead as if he was going to be worthless for the rest of his life.
Mell had helped him get out of the depression while simultaneously tending to the infested wound.
But returning home had made him less gloomy.
As such, he simply replied,
"Just ask, lad!"
Seeing that Gard wasn't disappointed about the failed attempt anymore, Kyle didn't beat around the bush.
"Teach me blacksmithing...please!"
There were several reasons for him to make this request.
But the most important was that he could make a huge fortune through blacksmithing.
And one of his mid and long-term plans was to learn at least one auxiliary occupation.
Kyle had been pondering whether he should wait for a few months before taking it further.
He was debating entering a bigger town, or even city to request being accepted as an apprentice for an auxiliary occupation.
However, based on the opportunity he perceived right now, it was worth a try!
Furthermore, Kyle knew that there would soon be a time in which hunting would turn less efficient for him.
This thought popped in his head when he recalled that a beast's evolution could take several months.
With that in mind, he recalled that the horned azure fox was a beast too.
So, if he would increase its potential, his Spirit Soul would evolve.
As such, it would most likely take a few months for the Emerald fox to evolve into a stronger Spirit Soul.
Because of that, Kyle was not even sure if he would be able to cultivate at that time.
His Spirit Soul converted cultivation energies into Soul force.
And as long as his Spirit Soul was evolving, it was unlikely that it could move.
Thus, Kyle didn't want to waste these months in which he would be restricted from cultivating.
Instead, Kyle wanted to improve his knowledge, increase his weaponry proficiency, and earn a fortune!
It was still a far-fetched thought, but Kyle figured out that Gard required help too right now!
At least until he found a way to help himself as a one-armed blacksmith.
Kyle knew that he was playing around with the feelings of a vulnerable person who was still traumatized but everyone had their own goals.
Furthermore, he had no ill intentions either.
As such, he simply smiled at Gard, who could only say cheekily.
"Didn't you hear what I said just a moment ago? I called you unsuitable to become a blacksmith!"
However, instead of taking his words to heart, Kyle just smiled as he countered,
"And? My persistence can prove you wrong, and trying it once won't hurt, right? If I'm hopeless, you can still abandon me…so you won't be at a huge loss!"
Kyle sounded way too confident and nonchalant to Gard.
But from Gard's point of view, having two helping hands was extremely important to him right now.
The young man had given him several useful tips in order to become independent as a one-armed blacksmith.
However, to make them possible, he required help, the help of a reincarnated being with the necessary knowledge, such as him.
Nevertheless, there were also other things, he required help for.
As such, Gard could take Kyle in as an apprentice.
'If he is truly helpless, I will just throw him out, just like Kyle stated himself!' Nodding his head, Gard took a moment to collect himself.
His past experiences were holding him back from immediately accepting Kyle.
But he contemplated his choices and looked at Kyle intently.
He didn't seem like someone who would take undue advantage of his skills.
Gard looked at Kyle's face whose eyes shone with sincerity.
After thinking about it for a while, he added,
"Alright, you can become my apprentice...for now!"
There were no formalities and Gard gave Kyle only a verbal agreement.
However, that was already enough for Kyle to feel excited which caused him to smile brightly.
The old soul in his body had completely returned to the time when he was a young, desperate man.
He couldn't even control his emotions in certain situations.
It was a similar situation right now, and Kyle didn't even try to fight against it.
He simply lifted his arms to take a deep breath before he wanted to let out a whoop.
Yet, at that moment, Kyle just recalled that the room temperature was searing hot.
Kyle had temporarily forgotten that the hot air he was inhaling had begun to hurt his throat.
This caused him to cough up.
Gard saw this and his lips twitched, debating whether his decision had been smart enough or not.
'Will he be able to take it?'
Nevertheless, instead of saying anything further, Gard turned off the smithy.
He doused the fire in the fireplace before he stored away from the crudely forged dagger blade.
After that, he used his mana to clean the room before he asked Kyle to return upstairs.
Dinner must already be ready.
And true to their assumptions, when they arrived on the ground floor, Mell and Selene had already set up the plates.
They noticed the stark difference in the appearance of the two men.
While Kyle was drenched in sweat, Gard was completely fine.
Yet, instead of commenting, everyone sat down as they began to have dinner.
It was quieter than expected and Kyle found the situation quite awkward.
He was surprised when Gard nonchalantly announced that he had taken Kyle as his blacksmith apprentice.
This caused Selene to look at Kyle in astonishment while Mell stared at them both with wide eyes.
"You did what? Are you serious...have you thought that through?"
Mell's shock astonished Kyle and he was even a little hurt to think that Mell didn't approve of this decision immediately.
But, when he saw her calm down the moment Gard nodded faintly, he realized that his request might have not been as simple as he had assumed.
After taking a deep breath, Mell calmed down in no time.
She hadn't expected her husband to accept someone as an apprentice so soon.
The chances had further decreased after he had promised their son to let him become his first apprentice.
But, Mell clearly knew that it was time to accept the undeniable truth.
Her husband seemed to have slowly accepted it, or he was trying by accepting Kyle as an apprentice.
As such, Mell collected herself and tried to be as courageous as Gard.
With a broad smile, she turned towards the young Lohar, who was facing Kyle.
"Selene, if Kyle is going to be Gard's apprentice, do you want to become mine?"
If Kyle had been surprised earlier, Mell's words shocked him.
Not just Kyle, but even Selene was staring at Mell with her mouth wide open.
Gard could only look at his wife with confusion, but what he saw in her eyes made him smile lightly.
There was a glint of bravery in her eyes which made him happy.
As such, he placed his hand on hers to show his support.
The last three years had been hard for the two of them.
They had grieved and mourned while leaving the town as everything made them recall what had happened three years ago.
Whether it was a coincidence or fate, Kyle and Selene had both changed them.
The Jars felt as if they could start afresh as long as the two Adventurers stayed by their side.
Somehow, both Kyle and Selene reminded them of their younger self.
This was probably the major reason for them to take them under their wing.
Mell had expected Selene to be overjoyed, but she was only silently staring at Kyle for help.
In the end, turning into a ranked Inscriber's apprentice was extremely difficult but probably Selene was clueless about that.
Right now, her eyes were fixated on Kyle, unsure of having no idea what to do.
Becoming an apprentice for an auxiliary occupation master was almost a certain path to wealth.
The only requirement was to work relentlessly to achieve the goal of becoming a ranked artisan!
However, contrary to Mell's expectations, Selene kept staring at Kyle, who could only say.
"It's your decision and not mine to take! I'm not your master, you remember that, right?"
He was not sure what to do with Selene, thinking that she was too dependent on him.
But when he heard her next words that she slowly whispered into his ears, Kyle couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
"Is becoming an apprentice expensive? I don't have a single Pryr crystal…"
Kyle had almost exclaimed with a loud 'Fuck!', but held back at the last moment.
He had been so happy after being accepted as an apprentice that this thought didn't even cross his mind. Clearing his throat, he turned and addressed both Gard and Mell at the same time.
"It might be a little bit late to ask..but how much funds do we need to pay in total…including the necessary materials, tools, and the apprentice fees?"
Scratching the back of his head, Kyle couldn't help but feel iffy that he had forgotten about such a simple thing.
However, when he looked at the Jars' faces, they seemed to have been as oblivious to this question as Kyle.
"Eh...to be honest, we won't bear a loss in the long run as long as we can sell the final products you two create. But I have a condition if you two want to become our apprentices!"
When she had begun speaking, Mell was not sure what to say.
But, by the end of her line, her voice became firmer.
Kyle remained silent, as he patiently waited for Mell to reveal her condition.
However, when he heard the next line, he wasn't sure if she was being serious or if it was light-hearted humor.
"If you two want to become our apprentices, I want you and Selene to be residents in this house!"
At that moment, even Gard couldn't help but give a shocked reaction.
He had been drinking water and her lines made him spit out the water as he blurted out loudly,
"What?!"
Selene was quiet and unable to understand the severity of Mell's request.
In the end, it was not as simple as it seemed.
Despite having turned into apprentice and teacher respectively, the Jars were in fact strangers to Kyle and Selene.
They didn't know anything about the couple because they had yet to open themselves to say something.
Kyle had only heard a few snippets of the things the vendors and artisans had spoken on their short shopping trip when they saw the Jars.
However, the same also applied the other way around. The Jars had only heard Kyle and Selene's story, but they didn't know whether it was true or not.
And even if everything they had said was true, did that mean that both he and Selene were trustworthy enough to start living in their house?
As such, Kyle shot them both an incredulous look and asked in confusion.
"That's completely out of context, why would you want us to stay here? Even Gard looks like he doesn't understand your reasoning!? And please don't state time management as the reason.
Your place is a less than ten minutes walk from Milli's guest house!"
Mell had expected her husband, and the two Adventurers to be astonished about her request. And, if she were to be honest, even she herself was not sure what she was doing right now.
As for a reason, Mell was not sure how to explain it without sounding insane.
'I cannot say my gut feeling tells me that it's necessary...or can I?'
"I don't know if this is the true reason, but maybe, I can overcome my past and inner demons if you two stay here for some time…"