Finally arriving at lunchtime, John took us to an establishment called "Balad: Restaurant and Accommodation". The ground floor, as the name already indicated, was the restaurant that sold meals such as breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts for customers and guests. On the first and second floors were the lodging rooms. The restaurant had tables with chairs well positioned on the floor, allowing the waiters to get around without difficulty. At the bottom, there was a long wooden counter, with the owner of the establishment behind, right next to the cashier. Also at the back of the establishment, there was a door that led to the kitchen and warehouse and only the employees could enter. Next to the wall was the staircase that led to the accommodations.

Erina, John and I sat at a table next to the window. In a short time, a waitress approached to write down our requests, addressing John with a certain familiarity. Probably, in his years as a student, my brother ate a lot here. After writing down our orders, the waitress withdrew and John started talking to me.

“So, how have things been for you lately?”

“Oh, it's been good! I was improving my spells and I also helped a lot in mom and dad's store, both in the making of potions and in the delivery of them around the city. But they hired an employee to make the deliveries and take care of the store when neither of them are present, so I'm having more free time and I'm taking the opportunity to read many novels! Oh, of course, I also spent some seasons with Erina at her family mansion and participated in social events and her training!”

John listened carefully, nodding his head sporadically to show that he was paying attention.

“And mom and dad, how are them? Is everything okay between you and them?”

“Mom and Dad are fine. They are healthy and are also always eagerly waiting for your letters! And everything is great between them and me, why wouldn't it be? What a strange question, brother!”

“Hehehehe...”, He laughed, scratching the back of his neck, but soon returned to the conversation and, this time, addressed Erina, “These trainings that Amaris does with you, Miss Erina... I've heard they're very strict.”

“It is true that I receive rigorous training, but Lovelia, my older sister and coach, adapted the exercise program for Amaris, so no matter how much we are training together, we are not doing the same thing at the same intensity.”

“That way I get less worried...”, John sighed.

At that moment, the waitress from before came back with a tray with our dishes, a jar of juice and three glasses. After serving us, the waitress withdrew and returned to serve the other customers. With our lunches in hand, we continued the conversation and, this time, I took the initiative.

“Big brother, even though you graduated last year, you continued here in Norwill and only went to become a teacher now. What have you been doing in the last year?”

John, who was about to put a bite of food in his mouth, gave up the action and looked at me and Erina with a serious look. I feel my heart beating harder in anticipation.

“As you may remember, from the letters I sent you, there were attacks by unusual monsters during my student period. Judging by the force and organization of the monsters, it was possible to reach the conclusion that they were attacks orchestrated by someone or a group. Unfortunately it was not possible to get to the root of the problem before my graduation, so after my graduation. I volunteered for the participation of a countermeasure. Or rather, I was recruited by my veteran who was already working on it since his graduation, Hugo Reignia.”

The name mentioned by my brother made Erina almost choke on the food. Without realizing it, Erina had gotten up from the chair in a jump and exclaimed, astonished:

“Hugo Reignia? The Modern Imperial Dragon himself?!”

In the past, there have been reports of a lineage of dragons powerful enough to put an empire at their mercy! That's where the name came from "Imperial Dragon". Currently, it is not known if they still exist. Or if they ever existed to begin with! But it is believed that Hugo Reignia is a distant descendant of this lineage, so he received the title of "Modern Imperial Dragon". But it's not like they had made a DNA test or something like that, so I can't confirm that. Personally, I would like to be friends with an imperial dragon, but this is a kind of dream too high for me, who is not even friends with an ordinary dragon!

John had mentioned to me about Hugo Reignia a few times in his letters. Hugo was a veteran who was two years ahead of my brother. John several times described him as a frightening lad who had a piercing look. At some point in John's first year at the Academy, he and Hugo met and, to the sadness of little 14-year-old John, Hugo saw something special in him and put him in his sights. And there was no way my brother could avoid it, not least because Hugo's little sister studied in the same class as him! Despite this uncomfortable first contact, John got used to Hugo's presence and lost his fear, so much so that in the most recent letters, he mentioned it in a casual way.

Returning to Erina, everyone in the room immediately looked at her when they heard her voice of surprise. I think that was an unprecedented vision for them: a noblewoman who had an unreachable appearance was now shocked. But even in fright, Erina still looked like a girl full of dignity and superiority. She really had an aura of an innate noble!

Seeing the unwanted looks, Erina quickly apologized to the audience and sat down again, in silence.

“I'm sorry”, She apologized again, this time to me and John.

“No need to apologize”, John reassured her, “But, answering your question, yes, it's him. As I had said, Hugo had recruited me to help with the countermeasure and I accepted. So I spent this last year doing missions, hunting monsters and performing tests.”

“Tests?”, Erina and I talked at the same time.

“That's right. Hugo told me to test everything that was possible: tactics, weapons, shields, potions, magical items, mechanical equipment.... And that's what I did the most in that time!”

“‘Mechanical equipment’?”, I asked.

“Does this mean that there is a possibility that the equipment we use in the gym has passed through your hand before?”

“I think so. But I'll tell you, you see: Hugo wasn't joking with those tests! It was always ‘Give it all and nothing less than that!’. If he thought he hadn't gotten enough data, he told me to do it again later.”

Erina sketched a hint of interest in the Hugo.

“So it means that Mr. Reignia is a perfectionist?”

“You can say that again! But he's a good man, so I don't care so much about him asking me to take the tests...”, John seemed like he was lost in his own words and it seemed that he would keep talking for hours, but suddenly, he seemed disconcerted and wanted to end the conversation soon, “Well, and-and now I'm a teacher too! Hehe. Please excuse me, I ended up talking too much, didn't I?”

I gestured with my hands that he didn't need to worry about it and told him:

“No sweat, brother! This moment is to catch up! Not least because, starting tomorrow, I will be studying and you will be working, so we will be busier.”

The mention of his work caused John's face, whose expression had already softened, to become serious again. He had remembered something he needed to say, but he didn't do it because he had gotten lost at the pleasant moment of our conversation.

“About your registration, Amaris, there is something I need to tell you”, he said, taking a sip of juice next, “For the sake of secrecy, you were enrolled in Avalon with a different surname.”

I was silent, the fork in my hand unable to reach my lips. I had no idea that I had been registered with another surname. Isn't that something to let you know in advance? Why did I only know now? And could they even do that, for starters?

John, seeing my reaction - or absence of one -, became nervous, getting ready to explain himself.

“Don't get it wrong! It's not that I was ashamed of you or anything like that! But we are siblings and I'm going to be a teacher at the school you study, so this can lead to some uncomfortable situations for both of us, that's why you were registered with your mother's maiden surname, Welimir, so that we hide our kinship.”

I had to hold back the laughter when I heard him trying to justify himself at first. He thought I believed he was ashamed to be seen with me. I hadn't even thought about it! I was just worried about the fact that I found out the last-minute last name change, but now I understand that John has no bad intentions.

“I understand you, brother. You don't want me to be pressured to give cheats to my classmates during exams because I'm your sister.”

“Exactly”, He nodded, in a serious voice, “I also fear that the other students will end up mistreating you for believing you are here because of nepotism.”

“And I wouldn't like your future admirers chasing me, asking questions like ‘Is he single?’, ‘What's his type?’ and ‘He doesn't mind having a younger girlfriend, does he?’”

“I-I don't think this will happen...”, John's serious voice waved and he scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed.

“I don't think so either...”, Erina murmured, like a jealous girlfriend. In response, I stared at her with a look that meant ‘I was referring to YOU too!‘

Even though he felt embarrassed in the end, John seemed to be calmer. Appearing to have already said everything he wanted to me, he began to look at Erina, making her cheeks quickly take on a pink colour.

“There's something I'd like to ask you, Miss Erina. Since I'm going to have to pretend that I'm not related to Amaris, I wanted you to protect her so that no funny guy gets close to her. I hope I'm not asking you too much!”

John's eyes were tender and his voice as soft as the best velvet in the world. He had an extremely passionate charm, the kind that you would be unable to deny him anything! And with that, Erina was surrendered and melted in John's hands.

“Not at all! It's not too much to ask. Since you asked so nicely, you can count on me! Your little sister is in good hands.”

“Thank you very much, Miss Erina! Now I'm so much calmer knowing that you're with her.”

This time, although it still sounds friendly, John's voice no longer had that charming and seductive softness. It doesn't seem to be involuntary... This means that he changed the tone of his voice on purpose for Erina to do whatever he wants! He seduced Erina just to get a favour from her! My dear brother, I know that you have grown up and are already a man, but I miss your lack of malice from when you were a child!