A day after Alex and Cairo had arrived at the Hartwell Residence…
"Ready, Dim Dim?" Alex asked.
"Dim." Dim Dim nodded.
The Dim Sum God had a determined look on its face.
Both of them were currently at the base of the stairs, looking up at the residence in the distance.
"On the count of three!" Alex said. "One… two…"
"Three!" Dim Dim shouted before jumping on the first step.
But the Dim Sum God didn't stop there. It hurried up the stairs, leaving Alex behind.
"Wait! You cheated!" Alex exclaimed as he ran after the Dim Sum God, who was giggling as it jumped from one stair to the next.
Ramza, his family, and the servants, who were paying close attention to Alex, didn't know how to react to the young man's actions.
Although Cairo had known the young man longer than the others, he was just as clueless about why his disciple was behaving this way.
He watched as the young man and Dim Dim climbed up the stairs.
When Alex was about to take the 398th step, he and the Dim Sum God both jumped at the same time.
A moment later, the young man's foot landed on the 404th step, while Dim Dim landed on the 405th.
"Ahem!" Dim Dim raised its body, feeling proud of itself for being a step ahead of Alex.
"Good job, Dim Dim!" Alex chuckled as he patted the Dim Sum God's head, who was very pleased with its victory.
[Constitution +1]
[Agility +1]
Seeing the notification that had appeared in front of him, Alex's smile became wider.
Despite the fact that he could no longer move due to the power of gravity holding him in place, he was very pleased because his Agility and Constitution had gone up by one more point.
'I knew it! This staircase is meant for training,' Alex thought. 'As long as I keep making good progress climbing it, I'll get a boost in my status points as a reward.'
'Now I understand how the Hartwell Family and their subordinates can get stronger by simply climbing these stairs. I'm glad I came here!'
"You sure are a very interesting human."
The voice of a young lady reached Alex's ear, prompting him to look at the top of the stairs, where a beautiful Catkin, who seemed to be around his age, was staring down at him.
Standing beside the young lady was a Catkin maid holding a basket.
"Master Alex, I have come to bring you your breakfast as per the order of the Young Master," the maid, who went by the name Roselia, said respectfully.
"Thank you, Roselia," Alex replied. "What are we having today?"
"Ham and cheese sandwiches." Roselia went down the stairs and handed the basket of food to the young man. "There are also two bottles of milk in it. Please enjoy your breakfast."
"Thank you." Alex smiled at the pretty maid before moving down the staircase.
Roselia was the maid who had delivered dinner to Alex a day ago as ordered by Cairo. Truth be told, she was very curious about her Young Master's disciple.
She couldn't understand why Cairo had chosen to make a human his disciple when countless Catkins in the Clawford Tribe would jump at the opportunity of having the Catkin Swordsman as their master.
News had already spread throughout the tribe that Alex was Cairo's disciple, and now, many teenage Catkins were eager to challenge him to see for themselves what had made him worthy of being chosen by someone from the Hartwell Clan.
Unfortunately, they didn't dare go up the stairs that led to the Hartwell Residence because only those who genuinely wished to have an audience with them were allowed to climb them.
Although no one could see them, there were hidden guards stationed around the mountain paying close attention to those climbing the stairs.
Anyone looking for trouble would face their wrath, so the hot-blooded Catkins could only wait until Alex left the safety of the Hartwell Residence.
Alex, who had no idea that he was now the center of attention, walked down the stairs until the pressure descending on him eased up a bit.
He then sat down on the stairs and invited Dim Dim to have breakfast together.
"Let's eat, Dim Dim."
"Dim Dim~"
The two ate happily, enjoying the view of the town in the distance, oblivious to the countless gazes that were looking in their direction.
"Say, why did my brother choose you as his disciple?" The pretty Catkin walked down the stairs and stood two steps away from Alex. "My brother isn't a very social person. Did you trick him into making you his disciple?"
Alex didn't answer right away. He had been guilty of approaching Cairo with ulterior motives from knowing that the latter was going to be a very important character in the world of Arcadia.
"Although you're not completely right, you're not wrong either," Alex answered after organizing his thoughts. "You see, I am somewhat of an oracle. The moment I laid eyes on your brother, I just knew he was an extraordinary person.
"It's like meeting a swan in a tavern filled with ducks. He just had an air that made him stand out from the crowd, you know? So, I thought, why not befriend someone so amazing?"
Cairo and Ramza, who could overhear the conversation from their spot in the residence, listened in silence.
"Hah! So you admit you're just taking advantage of my brother!" the pretty Catkin sneered. "You're such a shameless person!"
"Hahaha! Well, I won't deny it," Alex answered. "But I didn't expect my master to be so righteous. Even though I was a complete stranger, he decided to teach me how to use a sword.
"I decided I couldn't possibly let that opportunity slip away, so I started calling him Master.
"Back then, Master was very uncomfortable whenever I called him that. He believed he didn't have the qualification to become a teacher because he himself was still learning the ways of the sword.
"It was just me calling him Master one-sidedly. Miss, your brother is a very kind and righteous person. He doesn't mind helping complete strangers and will even fight for the sake of the weak and the oppressed.
"I admit I had hidden motives when I approached him, but after getting to know him, his character won me over. Now, I'm really serious about becoming his student. To be honest, though, I intend to be a Shielder, not a Swordsman."
"Hah?" The pretty Catkin arched an eyebrow. "A Shielder? What's so good about a Shielder? As expected, you're just a coward hiding behind a shield."
She didn't even bother to hide the contempt in her voice as she looked at Alex in disdain.
But Alex didn't take her word to heart. He simply ate with Dim Dim and savored the taste of the sandwiches Roselia had prepared for him.
"What's wrong?" the pretty Catkin asked. "Why aren't you talking back? Aren't you even going to defend your dignity as a man?"
Alex glanced at the young lady, who seemed to be purposely picking a fight with him.
"I am Alex Stratos," he said. "This is Dim Dim. What is your name, Miss?"
"Lavinia," the pretty Catkin replied. "Lavinia Hartwell, that's my name. Are you now going to answer my question?"
"What was your question again?" Alex asked back in a teasing tone.
"You…" Lavinia glared at the young man, who seemed to be making fun of her.
"Ah, I remember." Alex raised his hand and gestured for the young lady not to say anything. "You asked me what's so good about a Shielder, right?"
"That's right." Lavinia nodded. "What's so good about it? How can it be any better than a Swordsman? Just hiding behind a shield—aren't you just a coward?"
A chuckle escaped Alex's lips because that was the funniest joke he had heard in his life.
His laughter made Lavinia glare at him even more.
Watching from the main residence, Cairo shook his head helplessly. His sister had simply never suffered any hardships in life.
She was treated as a princess and had been spoiled by their grandfather and parents.
However, he didn't make any move to stop her. Just like his sister, Cairo also believed that a Swordsman was much better than a Shielder who only hid behind the safety of a shield.