Vol 6. Chapter 139: A New Job

Half a month later.

Outskirts of the Imperial Capital, at a certain farm.

Wearing a straw hat on her head, two canteens at her waist, and a sack of seeds in her hand, Safina pushed open the door and stepped out toward the vegetable garden in the backyard.

At the moment, the one digging holes with a hoe in the garden was Kaiser.

Though it was his first time doing this kind of manual labor, with his unparalleled sense of duty and innate battle instinct—being the strongest warrior born a bull—he’d learned it all after watching the neighbors demonstrate just twice.

With his natural 【Grow Stronger as the Fight Progresses】buff, his speed at digging planting pits just kept increasing.

But seriously, could he not use such a ridiculously powerful talent for farming, of all things? Bastard!

After that night beneath the lantern, when they confessed everything to Leon, they didn’t want to run off to some remote place and live in anxiety and suspicion.

Leon had given them a suitable option—the very farm they were on now, which once belonged to their old master.

Though a bit rundown, with some tidying up, it was livable and self-sufficient.

It suited the siblings' current needs perfectly.

Of course, they also understood clearly that Leon hadn’t chosen this place just so they’d have a roof over their heads and something to do.

The other reason was obvious—it made it easy for the Lionheart Order to monitor their every move.

The siblings accepted that.

After all, Leon had made the case to the Lionheart Order about Safina’s Mirror Abyss Eyes and Kaiser’s strength, so even if they had reached a truce, some degree of surveillance was only natural.

But over the past few days, Safina had noticed that the frequency and intensity of the Lionheart Order’s monitoring had dropped significantly.

That, too, was likely Leon’s intent.

Once her mind stopped spinning with all that, she slung the water jug and seed sack over her shoulder and made her way to the garden fence.

“Oi, little bro.”

Safina unhooked one of the canteens at her waist and tossed it to Kaiser.

He caught it, popped the cap, and took a big gulp of the cool, sweet well water.

Safina smiled, leaned her elbows lazily on the fence, and looked at him.

“Tired?”

“I’m okay.”

Kaiser noticed the sack by her side and asked,

“What’s that?”

Safina shook it.

“Some vegetable seeds. That girl Rebecca brought them yesterday.”

Kaiser nodded. “Alright, just leave them there. I’ll plant them this afternoon.”

After a pause, he asked again, “But Sis, the neighbor uncle told me that it takes months from sowing to harvest. What are we supposed to eat in the meantime?”

Safina shrugged. “Rebecca also brought some food along with the seeds.”

Her violet eyes flickered mischievously. Then she muttered,

“Kaiser, do you know what ‘pickled chili peppers’ are?”

Kaiser shook his head. “Nope.”

Safina pursed her lips. “Me neither. But Rebecca said the ones she brought are really good, and she insisted we eat them while they’re still fresh. Said they taste best that way—eat a lot, and bite down big, so the flavor really hits.”

Kaiser nodded thoughtfully, then said seriously,

“Alright, let’s have pickled chili peppers for lunch.”

“Sure.”

Under the scorching sun, Kaiser bent back down and resumed work.

Safina leaned against the fence, quietly watching her brother. Sweat trickled from his temple, but he didn’t stop for a second.

It was hard to reconcile him with an ordinary man laboring just to survive—

That in barely over a month, someone’s life could change so drastically.

Safina appeared calm on the surface, already having accepted this reality. But every time she sat still and thought back on her thirty-some years of life, and compared it with the ordinary existence before her now, she couldn’t help but reflect—

And ask herself:

Where did it all go wrong? What moment led them to this point?

Would their future be like this from now on, or would they one day return to Samael and fight to carve out a new place for themselves?

Safina wasn’t sure.

But one thing she was certain of: among the many forces that had changed her life, that man named Casmod—Leon—undeniably played a major role.

And not a small one.

She didn’t truly blame Leon. She wasn’t resentful.

She was just thinking—if not for his help, if he hadn’t stepped in and gotten them through that darkest hour...

There might’ve been days they didn’t even have a roof, might’ve been left exposed to wind ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) and rain, always fearing that the pursuers from the Void would come knocking.

What’s more—

Safina swept her eyes over the entire farm.

This was where Leon himself had once lived.

To think that such a powerful, reliable man had grown up in this quiet, unremarkable place—Safina often thought of that.

And she knew thinking about it didn’t really change anything.

But what else could she do now, besides sit around and let her thoughts wander?

A sudden sound of wings flapping snapped her out of it.

She turned toward the noise. Kaiser also paused his work and looked in the same direction.

A silver-white flying dragon slowly descended from the sky beyond the farm, its wings stirring the air. The neighbors started gathering to gawk.

Then a familiar figure leapt down from the dragon-eagle’s back.

He exchanged a few casual greetings with the onlookers and ran toward the siblings.

“Speak of the devil,” Safina smiled.

Kaiser set down the hoe, walked up to the fence, and asked as Leon approached,

“This is probably the first time we’ve seen him since the Festival of Lights, right?”

“Yeah.”

Safina nodded. “He came back once after settling the Golden Eagle Clan stuff, but didn’t come see us. Now he shows up again—bet it’s important.”

“I know, Sis. In Samael’s language and culture, this behavior is called ‘climbing the temple only when there’s business,’” Kaiser said with scholarly seriousness.

Safina smiled slyly.

“Our dumpy little yard doesn’t even qualify as a ‘temple’—more like a thatched hut.”

While the two chatted, Leon had already arrived.

“Yo, long time no see, hero,” Safina leaned her slender body back slightly, spreading her arms casually on the fence.

Sunlight spilled from above, casting deep luster on her violet hair.

She tilted her head and smiled at Leon.

Kaiser remained expressionless.

“Long time no see, Sir.”

Leon greeted them both. “How’s life here?”

“Pretty great. Meat every day, wine to go with it. Sometimes a filthy-rich hottie drops by to confess his love to me. Pretty lush.”

Leon raised an eyebrow. “Sounds awesome. That true?”

“Duh. Of course it is. You see us trying to grow our own vegetables just to have something fresh to eat.”

Seeing Safina still joking around like always, Leon felt reassured.

At least her mental state was holding up fine.

Safina shifted slightly, her gaze moving past Leon.

“You didn’t bring anyone but that flying dragon-eagle.”

She looked back at Leon.

“Your wife and kids? Didn’t bring them this time?”

Leon shrugged. “I can’t bring them every single time I leave home, you know. Bit of a hassle.”

“Hassle?”

Safina blinked, then gave him a knowing look.

“Oh~ I get it. You’re in that married-man phase. All lovey-dovey in the early years, but the longer you’re hitched, the less you wanna be at home.”

“...”

Leon didn’t bother arguing. He got straight to the point.

“I came to ask you for a favor.”

“Knew it. Little bro totally called it. ‘Climbing the temple with business,’ Casmod.”

“What’s the favor?”

“My daughter’s about to start school. Her new semester’s core focus is martial arts.”

Leon explained,

“I’ve been teaching her some of my personal combat techniques these past few days. But now I have to head out again to find the remaining Primordial Relics, so I can’t keep instructing her.”

Safina raised an eyebrow. She already knew what he was going to ask.

“So... you want me to take your place and continue teaching your precious eldest, since my Mirror Abyss Eyes copied your body technique and I’m familiar with your fighting style. Right?”

“Exactly.”

“You really know how to assign me work.”

Safina snorted. “From farming to tutoring—don’t you think that’s a bit of a leap?”

But she didn’t refuse outright, and that told Leon it was already half a done deal.

“From the soil grows life. Training the next generation ought to be your true pursuit, Safina.”

The master of mimicry scoffed. “Tch. Smooth-talker.”

“So you’re agreeing?”

This time, Safina didn’t answer right away.

She turned her head, looked around the quiet little farm, then at Kaiser.

His knees bore a few sunburn marks from the many days of outdoor labor.

If she refused Leon now, then the days ahead for her and Kaiser would continue like this—mundane and uneventful.

Even though she once told that she didn’t want to compromise with any power again, the truth was, she and Kaiser were born for more. Even if they weren’t serving any faction, they could never truly sit still for long.

And all those tangled relationships—Safina couldn’t sever them so easily.

As for the one digging holes—he took advantage of the moment to sneak away a bit before turning around and saying,

“No problem. I can teach your daughter.”

The two locked eyes.

They said nothing.

After a moment of silence, Leon asked, “And? Anything else?”

Safina was surprised. “Anything else?”

“Like conditions. Do you have any terms, or something you want me to do?”

“None. No conditions. I don’t need anything from you.”

Safina said,

“You giving me a new purpose—that’s already enough for me.”

That line from Safina was worth remembering.

She and her brother had fallen to the lowest point in their lives, what people often called a “lost phase.”

People stuck in that place tended to feel aimless, unsure of the future, without dreams or goals—short-term or long-term.

And when someone had no direction, it became easy to drown in painful memories.

The more they looked back, the more afraid they became of what lay ahead.

That kind of vicious cycle could crush even seasoned warriors like Safina and Kaiser, eventually.

Leon hadn’t wanted to watch them fade away like that.

Putting them on a farm had only ever been a transitional move.

He knew very well—those two could never truly settle for this life.

That’s why he’d used the excuse of training Noa to give Safina a new short-term purpose.

To let her feel that her presence still had meaning. That her abilities still had value. That she could still help others.

As for Kaiser—

That obsessive sister-lover would follow wherever Safina went.

Her goal was his goal.

So compared to Safina, Leon never had to worry about that guy.

“Then are you sending your daughter here,” Safina asked, “or... do I go tutor her at your house?”

Leon shook his head.

“Neither.”

“Then what?”

“It’ll be at the Dragon Saint Heath Academy.”

Leon smiled.

“Congratulations, Teacher Safina. You just landed a great new job.”