A rather strangely tense atmosphere covered the dining room as Garwin quickly ordered the maids to close all the doors and windows, preventing the branch family from knowing what was going on inside the main family's manor.
The lord then quickly told everyone to keep what just happened a secret from Carter Neyvaris, threatening them that if word came out, he would be hunting for the perpetrator without any mercy.
"Hmm? What's going on?" Lohran asked, a confused expression on his young and handsome little face.
Garwin didn't answer him and instead told both his wife and Kiora to eat in Celina's room.
The maids quickly placed their meals back onto the food carts and wheeled them toward the said room, leaving only Louen, Garwin, and Lohran in the dining room.
The lord stared at his little troublemaker with a complicated gaze, Physician Vitali's words echoing through his mind.
House Neyvaris might finally be able to produce its first shielder.
Clearing his throat, Garwin suppressed his excitement, maintaining his stern exterior.
"L-Lohran, how did you feel just now? How were you able to endure the pain?" the lord asked, refraining from voicing his next thoughts for fear of planting a seed of arrogance in the little red runt's heart.
'That should've been far beyond what any ten-year-old child could handle…'
From what Garwin knew, only up-and-coming talented shielders had such physical and mental resilience.
Was his second son one such individual?
On second thought, the lord somehow doubted it, as shielders, even as children, had larger physiques than those their age.
His son, on the other hand…
Lohran was simply too scrawny to be a talented shielder, no?
"Well, it was painful, but not that bad, to be honest…" the red runt said casually. "A little pain is expected for improvement, right? I actually feel a bit stronger now, so it was pretty rewarding… Can I have more of that Zorphling meat?"
His expectant gaze flabbergasted both his older brother and Garwin.
Both of them clearly remembered when Louen ate his first quarter of a small piece of Zorphling meat—begging, with tears in his eyes, to save the rest for later or even tomorrow.
He had been nowhere near as enthusiastic as his younger brother.
This was why Louen couldn't help but stare at Lohran as though he was a nutjob.
Even now, the slightly older runt disliked eating Zorphling meat, enduring it only for the sake of a brighter future as a Dawnchaser and as the eldest son of House Neyvaris.
Once he turned fifteen, he would undergo an initial, unofficial test to determine his role in a Dawnchaser Squadron.
Louen had to adapt his body to Zoraph Cells and enhance his physical prowess through relentless training and consuming as much Zorphling meat as possible before that day arrived.
After all, the fate of the Minor Aristocratic House of Neyvaris rested on his and his younger brother's shoulders.
They were the last hope for their house to retain its status.
Enthusiastic as Lohran was, Garwin wasn't about to trust a ten-year-old brat's claim that the pain from eating Zorphling meat was "not that bad".
"No, you will receive another portion tomorrow. Since you seem to have a higher tolerance for the meat than your brother, we will gradually increase your consumption—but at a steady pace. For now, head to the training hall with Louen. I will join you both shortly after handling a few minor matters."
Lohran could only click his tongue in dissatisfaction.
"Tch, what a stingy father…" he muttered.
Garwin naturally heard his words but chose to ignore them.
Ever since Lohran had survived the Threat Level 2 Zorphling attack, he had been a bit unhinged and willful, and the lord was slowly growing accustomed to his sudden change in personality.
As long as the brat wasn't being disrespectful, Garwin could let a few words of dissatisfaction slide.
After all, he couldn't deny a slight sense of guilt for refusing Lohran's request—telling himself it was for the best, even as he felt he might be holding his son back.
Louen feared another confrontation between his little brother and their father was brewing, so he quickly grabbed Lohran's wrist and flashed him a smile.
"Lohran, let's go warm up, yeah? I'll show you the exercises Father taught me so that by the time he arrives, we'll be ready for the actual training!" the slightly older runt said with a wide grin.
As the saying went, one couldn't slap a smiling face… or something like that.
So, with a sigh, Lohran let himself be dragged along.
'Children are so tiring to be around…'
A few minutes later, the two red-haired runts arrived at a spacious training hall with two distinct floor surfaces.
The smaller half was covered in sand, while the larger one was cemented—likely for sparring and strength training.
The latter also featured an area with rubber mats, similar to those found on Earth, along with various gym equipment that resembled—but wasn't exactly the same as—the ones from his own world.
Overall, the training hall was a pleasing sight for Lohran.
He had been longing to train his body for quite a while now.
Without wasting any time, the brothers headed to the matted area, with Louen leading the warm-up session.
As an expert in training, Lohran found the routine somewhat inefficient, but he couldn't be bothered to care.
He had to give his older brother some face.
Despite being far older in mental age, his current body was still younger.
Stirring up unnecessary trouble with children wasn't worth it, so he simply went along with whatever Louen was doing, his expression indifferent.
Soon, Lohran felt the lovely sensation of sweat streaming down his temples, neck, and other body parts.
'Ahh… I missed this. Who knew all I needed was a one-week break? Why the hell did I even bother looking for women? Didn't that just get me killed?'
His thoughts were abruptly cut off as the massive doors of the training hall creaked open.
A group of men, both young and old, ranging from their twenties to forties, entered.
Leading them was a seasoned veteran with a fairly muscular build and black hair, his intense gaze locking onto Lohran before his expression softened into a smile as he strode toward him.