Chapter 322: It’s The Taste Of Home
The walk to the farm didn’t take long, and Lavinia immediately saw Alex when she arrived at her destination.
The young man was currently chopping some firewood, holding an axe in both hands.
He was so focused on what he was doing, he failed to notice Lavinia standing only a few meters away from him, admiring the young man doing some labor.
But her gaze wasn’t focused on Alex’s face. It lingered on his lean and toned body that was on full display—the young man had taken his shirt off to prevent sweat from drenching it as he chopped wood.
Suddenly, Lavinia felt a presence beside her.
As she turned to her side, she saw Lumi materialize with a knowing smirk.
"Look at him," Lumi whispered, pretending to be scandalized. "This guy is trying to seduce good, proper girls from polite families by flaunting his body so openly. Lavinia, why don’t you give this shameless guy a piece of your mind?"
Lavinia looked at Alex again. This time, she scanned him from head to foot.
She couldn’t help but nod in agreement to Lumi’s statement.
Alex was already quite handsome, and if the ladies were to see his toned body, they would definitely find it... incredibly appealing to their eyes.
"Tsk." Lumi clicked her tongue as she activated a recording crystal so she could bless Latifa’s eyes later when she returned to the clock tower.
Lavinia wanted to tell Lumi not to film Alex, but when she opened her mouth to rebuke her friend the words that came out were, "Could you make a copy for me too?"
Finally sensing that there were others around him, Alex turned to look at the two ladies, who quickly put on solemn expressions.
Alex blinked once then twice before returning the axe to its rightful place.
He then picked up the firewood on the ground and added it neatly to a pile of firewood he had chopped earlier.
The young man then took out a hand towel from his storage ring and carefully wiped the sweat from his body.
Although he admitted that getting stared at by his two club members made him feel a little embarrassed, he endured their heated gazes and calmly wiped himself properly.
When he was done, he took the shirt that he had set aside after folding and slipped it on as casually as he could.
Only after he was done did he finally address the two beautiful teenagers, who were still eyeing him like they were in a famine and he was some kind of premium steak prepared by the best chef in the world.
"Well, what are you two doing here?" Alex asked.
"I am here on official business," Lumi replied calmly.
"And what is that official business?" Alex inquired.
"Paying close attention to suspicious people."
"... Then why are you here?"
"Because you are one of those suspicious people, obviously."
The corner of Alex’s lips twitched, having zero idea why Lumi had labeled him a suspicious person.
Not wanting to continue this conversation, he shifted his gaze to Lavinia.
Knowing her, she would definitely have a good reason for being here, right?
"I came here to complain a bit," Lavinia stated as she held Alex’s gaze.
"Complain a bit?" Alex frowned. It seemed like everyone wanted to speak cryptically to him. "What do you mean?"
Lavinia explained the things that had happened after Alex’s win. The young man’s frown deepened as he listened to her.
"I’m sorry," Alex said. "I didn’t think that far ahead. Have you received any reply from your grandfather?"
If the Clawford Tribe was forced to share their Etherion Domain with the Kingdom, it would definitely not sit well with the Catkins.
However, a Job Class that could easily counter the Solar Knights of the Solara Kingdom wasn’t something that Kingdom of Avalon was willing to pass up on.
Although the three Kingdoms were technically in an alliance, there were still conflicts between them, and these conflicts were usually resolved by duels between their knights.
A profession that had the ability to resist the Solar Magic of the Solar Knights was a very tempting option for the Kingdom of Avalon.
Little did they know, it wasn’t Alex’s Job Class that made the fight look easy.
It was his shield, Svalinn, the mortal enemy of Fire and Solar Magic.
Of course, Alex had no intention of letting anyone know about this. After all, Svalinn was one of his trump cards.
"I’m still waiting for Grandfather’s reply," Lavinia replied. "But I’m sure he will have a private word with His Majesty about this matter."
Alex agreed. In his eyes, the Patriarch of the Clawford Tribe, Ramza, could certainly be very shrewd.
Even if he opened the Etherion Domain to the Kingdom, he would definitely reap some rewards in the process, ultimately making him the winner in this exchange.
But there was one thing that piqued Alex’s curiosity.
Was it possible to have more than one Oathkeeper at a time?
The Oathkeeper Job Class was a Hidden Job Class that "The Lovers" had personally bestowed upon Leonard Hartwell.
Even if others were to meet the requirements for the Oathkeeper Job Class, Alex assumed they would still need to gain the approval of the Deity to obtain it.
Perhaps reading his thoughts, Lavinia smiled and offered Alex some encouraging words.
"Even if another Oathkeeper appears, the Clawford Tribe will always be on your side," Lavinia said firmly.
"Thank you," Alex replied, rather touched and a little surprised. "Knowing that the Catkins will always have my back puts me at ease."
Alex could still remember how hyped the Catkins had been when they realized that Alex was going to participate in a Monster Stampede.
Many warriors had volunteered. In fact, even a captain of an airship had offered his services for free!
Having reliable allies just because they wanted to fight alongside the Oathkeeper was something that made Alex very happy.
So, hearing Lavinia’s words silenced his misgivings.
"Well, having more Oathkeepers might not be a bad thing." Alex smiled.
"But whether there can be more than one at the same time is yet to be seen," Lavinia commented. "To be honest, I wish you would remain the sole Oathkeeper of this era. That way, the prestige of the Job Class will not get diluted."
"I feel the same way," Alex admitted.
Suddenly, the door at the back of the house opened, and a dwarven lady wearing an apron appeared.
"Lunch is ready, Alex," Fran said before shifting her gaze to Lavinia and Lumi. She did not seem surprised by their presence on her farm. "I have prepared a lot, so feel free to join us for lunch."
"You girls should try Fran’s cooking," Alex insisted. "It’s the taste of home."
Fran blushed a bit as she waved her hands frantically.
"Don’t listen to Alex," Fran said hastily. "He’s exaggerating."
Lavinia and Lumi glanced at each other before nodding together.
"I’d love to eat a home-cooked meal for once," Lavinia said. "The food in the cafeteria is good, but I still miss the taste of home."
"Well, I just eat what I want to eat," Lumi stated. "So I’ll partake in the meal that you have carefully prepared for Alex."
Fran’s face grew a shade redder, and she turned around to enter the house in a hurry, as if she had a pot boiling over on her stove.
Alex followed behind her, looking very pleased that he would get to eat Fran’s food after a few days away from the farm.
Lavinia, who was only a few steps behind Alex, wondered if she should pick up cooking. It did seem like Alex enjoyed meals that were especially made just for him.