Divine Beast Ascension

As they finished propping up the tent, Oli took out some pouches of jerky and gathered a few fallen logs as makeshift seats. The three men each plopped down and grabbed a slice of the dark pink melon.

“Mmmm...” Leon was the first to acknowledge the natural sweetness out of reflex.

“You don’t eat many sweet things, do you?”

Shaking his head, Leon swallowed. “No, there’s rarely anything this sweet at the dining hall. If there is, it’s usually gone before I finish training or wrap up my lessons.”

“Oh yeah, you teach swordsmanship too...” Shadur mumbled between bites.

“Have you ever thought about learning swordsmanship?”

.....

“No... I’m too frail for that.”

“Though we specialize in dual-wielding, we can teach you one-sword style with light shortswords,” stated Leon. “Wouldn’t that help you be better protected in the future? Considering the terms of your future contract, you could likely get free lessons added.”

“That...”

“It’s not a bad idea, Shadur,” Oli commented. “For example, I’m definitely not a swordsman, nor do I plan to make that my focus.”

“What?! But you’ll–”

“I plan to learn to wield a sword and maybe master it on a fundamental level over time. But my technique and battle arts are better suited for other battle styles.”

“Then why learn swordsmanship at all?” questioned Leon, sharing a serious stare.

Grinning, Oli replied, “Because adding some versatility to my repertoire can make me a stronger warrior and cultivator. Seeing things from a new perspective might help me understand something I’d never thought of before. And learning swordsmanship also helps me better understand any future opponents who happen to be swordsmen. I think that’s more than enough reason to master the basics.”

“I guess you have a point...” Leon sighed.

“Why so down? Just because I’m not trying to be the next sword master doesn’t mean I’m looking down on swordsmanship. If anything, the fact that I’m taking time out of my usual training to learn swordsmanship shows how important it is,” reasoned Oli. “I think Shadur should take advantage of the opportunity as well, to at least learn the basics. You never know when it might come in handy.”

“I guess that would be beneficial...” Teetering his head from side-to-side, Shadur eventually nodded.

“Then how about I teach you the basics?”

“Leon, you–”

“If you’ll be serving my family as our dedicated doctor, then you’ll be working with my father. There’s not much that I can do, but teaching you what I know is the best way for me to show my gratitude.”

Shadur opened his mouth in response but said nothing. It took him a moment to speak, “Leon... I’m not promising that I can cure your father. I–”

“But–”

“I’m confident in the things that I know, but when it’s something I don’t know of, the only thing I can do is gather research and run tests. I’ve heard about your father’s condition upon discussing the contract with Patriarch Hurman, and I told him the same thing,” admitted Shadur. “Before I can promise anything, I’ll need to properly diagnose your father and likely run some tests. Only after that will I dare say anything about helping him recover.”

Staring at his half-eaten slice of melon, Leon took a deep breath and nodded. “... Okay.”

“Leon, I have to agree with Shadur on this one.”

“But, Oliver–”

“Would you rather have a doctor make wild claims and fail to uphold them or a doctor who promises little and delivers a miracle in the end?”

“... Huh?”

“Not to say that Shadur is a miracle worker or that he can save your father, but I’m far more trusting of a cautious doctor willing to admit the truth to his patients than one that flaunts his supposed knowledge and fails to back up his words with results,” Oli reasoned. “From the sound of it, I think Shadur will make a great doctor in time.”

“Oliver... Thank you.”

Leon felt a bit better hearing Oli’s words but Shadur was the most touched. A gloss of moisture appeared over Shadur’s eyes, which was promptly blinked away as Shadur took a big bite of jerky.

“But you’ll have to keep a close eye on Melinda,” Oli commented, smiling at Leon. “If you’re not careful, maybe Shadur will steal her heart and run away.”

“Why do you even bring that up?” Leon asked with a confused chuckle.

“Hmm?” Shadur quickly hopped back into the conversation at the mention of his name.

Oli shrugged and put up his hands innocently. “Just stating a possibility is all...”

“She’s too busy fawning over you,” stated Leon.

“And who said the feeling was mutual?”

Perplexed, Leon asked, “Well, what’s wrong with the proposal? You would inherit the family name and reputation whether you wielded a sword or not, you would get a young, pretty woman as your wife, and you would have a stable future guaranteed.”

“Why would I want that?”

“HUH?!”

“Why would I want a stable, uneventful future?” Oli rephrased his comment. “I’m all for living a good life with my loved ones, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to travel and grow stronger. Besides, there’s more to cultivation than just becoming an elder or a perennial.”

Both Leon and Shadur dropped their old expression, not brandishing a look of awe and disbelief. Their strange stares weren’t expected but Oli realized that he may have said a bit too much.

“Forget what I said.”

“Oliver, do you... want to become a king cultivator?” Shadur was the first to share his question but Leon nodded along.

Standing to stretch, Oli groaned in satisfaction as his joints release their pent-up tension. “I’ll go find some nice bushes to fertilize. Be back soon.”

“But–”

“Feel free to talk without me!” Oli waved as he jotted into the treeline.

Leon sighed, unable to stop Oli from escaping further questioning. This left Leon and Shadur to talk about life inside the Practor property and what Shadur should expect in the future. The sun had already fully set by the time Oli had returned and Shadur had already retired for the night.

Oli then sent Leon to bed as well, taking the first night shift, though he would eventually wake Johan for the last few hours.