After they found out that I formed my mana core, my parents threw a celebration feast for me. Well, first they scolded me for my recklessness. They said that I should’ve asked one of them, or even Caitlyn, to supervise the process. While a little annoying, I bore with it since I knew their words came from a place of concern. However, I still had my limits. When my mother wanted Joanne to examine me, just in case she said, I put my foot down.

The feast itself was a small and intimate affair. It took place that evening, on the same day I formed my mana core. Besides my parents and I, the only ones in attendance were the members of House Sturm that knew about Murim and martial arts: Caitlyn, Leroy, and Joanne. We ate in Sturm Manor’s private dining room, the one usually reserved for members of the main family. However, on this occasion, my father made an exception.

The food, of course, smelled delicious and tasted even better. House Sturm’s chefs were among the best in the Solarian Empire. Even the food on Earth couldn’t compare. The six of us ate, drank, and made merry.

After we finished eating, we retired to the drawing room for drinks and conversation. Well, most of us. Leroy returned to the Northern Annex, saying he wanted to wake up early in the morning for training.

Like the rest of Sturm Manor, the drawing room was simple but elegant. It was furnished with comfortable leather chairs and decorated with a few tasteful art pieces. Glowstone lamps filled the room with warm light.

My parents sat next to each other, while I sat a little apart from them. Caitlyn lounged in her chair with Joanne sitting next to her. Everyone held a glass of wine. I wasn’t a big wine guy but this stuff tasted pretty good, if a bit drier than I preferred. I liked sweeter wines.

As we drank, Caitlyn and Joanne shared several stories about my mother in her youth, to the latter’s embarrassment. It turned out that my mother had been a rather fiery young woman. Fighting bandits, slapping arrogant young masters across the face, and so on.

I also shared some of my adventures from my time on Earth. Everyone found this fascinating. After all, it wasn’t every day that they got to hear about another world. They found the concept of gates fascinating. While pocket dimensions existed here on Lumina, they were all artificial. They didn’t naturally occur.

When I finished telling one of my stories, Caitlyn barked out a laugh and nudged my mother with an elbow.

“Ha!” She said. “Lord Gabriel reminds me of you when we were part of the Adventurers Guild.”

My mother wore a proud smile on her face.

“Of course,” she said, “He is my son after all.”

I blinked her in surprise.

“You were part of the Adventurers Guild?” I asked.

Caitlyn and my mother both nodded their heads.

“Yes.” My mother said. “It’s a common practice for young Clan scions to disguise themselves and join the Adventurers Guild. That way they can gain experience in the wider world.” She glanced at my father. “In fact, that was how I met your father.”

My father nodded, a fond smile on his face.

“A cult of demon worshipers established themselves in a nearby territory.” He said. “The House in charge of that territory asked us for help. They also hired several adventurers to make up the numbers. Your mother was one of those adventurers. For me, it was love at first sight.”

“Aw, I love you too, Bryce.” My mother said.

My father grabbed my mother’s hand. They gazed at one another, lost in each other’s eyes. I resisted the urge to roll mine and turned my attention to Caitlyn.

“I’m curious,” I said, “What exactly is your relationship with my mother? How did you two meet?”

Caitlyn glanced at my mother, who was busy exchanging sweet nothings with my father, before shrugging.

“Eh, it should be fine to tell you.” She said. “It isn’t as if it’s a big secret. Her grandfather, your great-grandfather, is my master. He taught me everything I know about martial arts. Your mother and I grew up together.”

Ah, that explained a great deal. The relationship between teacher and disciple was akin to that of parent and child. In that regard, Caitlyn was family, even though we didn’t share blood.

I wanted to ask her more about this great-grandfather of mine, but I held back. While I wanted to learn more about my mother’s Clan, I also didn’t want to hurt her by reopening old wounds. Thus, I kept my curiosity in check.

“After the Martial Arts Alliance banished Lady Sturm from Murim,” Caitlyn continued. “My teacher asked me to watch over her, and even pulled some strings to make it happen. That’s how I ended up becoming her so-called watchdog.” She glanced at my mother. “She was always his favorite grandchild.”

Joanne snorted, before taking a sip of her wine.

“He spoiled her, you mean.” She said afterwards. “Half the reason she got away with as much as she did was because of him.”

My mother, who was apparently paying attention to our conversation, looked over at us.

“Of course.” She said without an ounce of shame. “What’s the point of having a powerful backer if you don’t take advantage of them?”

Caitlyn and Joanne both rolled their eyes at her.

“Your grandfather sounds like an interesting character,” I said, “I wish I could meet him.”

“You will,” my mother said, a serious expression on her face. “Once he realizes that you joined Murim, he will come see you for himself. His curiosity will compel him. That’s the kind of person he is.”

“Speaking of which,” my father said, “When do you plan on leaving, Gabriel?”

My parents already knew that I planned on joining the Adventurers Guild. When I first pitched the idea to them, I expected resistance. However, to my surprise, they agreed right away. My father even offered to procure a disguise and a fake ID for me, which I accepted.

This confused me at the time, but I decided not to question it. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth and all that. However, now I knew the truth. My parents expected me to follow my mother’s footsteps and join the Adventurers Guild.

“That depends.” I said. “When will the necessary documents be ready?”

“About a week from now,” my father said.

I sipped my wine.

“Then I’ll leave in a week.”

My mother looked dismayed by this.

“You’re leaving so soon?”

I shrugged.

“Now that I’ve formed a mana core, I see no reason to delay things.”

My mother pouted.

“That’s not fair.” She said. “Your father and I barely got to see you over the past month. Now you’re telling me that you’re leaving Sturm Manor in a week.”

My father patted her hand with a sympathetic expression on his face.

“Gabriel needs to spread his wings and fly.” He said. “He can’t stay cooped up his entire life. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of times he has left Sturm Manor.”

I winced. My father made a fair point. During my first life, I was a homebody. The only times I left Sturm Manor was to attend important social events, which wasn’t often. Otherwise, I spent all of my time at home. I broke this habit on Earth, when I became a hunter and traveled all over the world to enter Gates and hunt monsters.

“I know,” my mother said, sighing, “It’s just… We almost lost Gabriel once. I don’t want to go through that again.”

My heart went out to my mother. However, I could not abide by her wishes, not in this case. I wanted to go out and explore Lumina. Most of what I knew about my native world came from books. That wasn’t the same as seeing it with my own eyes. Hell, in some ways, I was more familiar with Earth than Lumina, which was sad now that I thought about it.

“Don’t worry,” Caitlyn said, “My boy will tag along and keep an eye on Lord Gabriel. Leroy will keep him safe.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. Who would keep who safe? I think she got the order mixed up. However, I kept my mouth shut. While they stung my pride, Caitlyn’s words reassured my mother. That’s what mattered most here.

“Very well.” My mother said with a sigh. “Just make sure you return in two months, Gabriel.”

“So we can pick up Kaylee from the Solarian Imperial Academy, I know.” I said, before taking a sip of my wine.

“Well, yes, that too.” My mother said. “However, that’s also when you’ll meet your prospective bride.”

My wine went down the wrong pipe, resulting in a coughing fit. After I managed to clear my airways, I stared at my mother in disbelief.

“What did you just say?”