Chapter 81: A Bond Beyond Blood
After finishing our training, I escorted Julius and Marius to their respective rooms. They looked utterly exhausted, having overused their aura today. Patriarch’s training was nothing short of brutal.
I intended to head to my own room, but the thought of learning more about Aura Force lingered in my mind. If I could master it, I was sure I’d grow even stronger.
Sneaking down to the training ground on the lower floor, I tiptoed through the halls. But as I reached the third floor and passed through the central open garden, a voice called out to me.
"Where do you think you’re going this late at night, Naoki? You never change, do you?"
It was Lilia, sipping tea in the middle of the garden, wide awake as usual.
"Uh, well, you’re one to talk, Lilia. Still indulging in your midnight tea sessions, huh? Looks like we both have our quirks," I said, hoping to find an excuse to slip away quickly.
"Ugh, honestly. I thought you’d grown more mature, but you’re just the same. Let me guess—you’re sneaking off to train again, aren’t you?" Lilia hit the nail on the head.
"H-how did you know?!" I stammered, caught off guard.
"It’s obvious. Patriarch used to do the same thing. Honestly, you two are so alike in some ways..." She sighed.
"Don’t lump me in with him! But yeah, you’re right—I’m just going to train a bit. It won’t take long," I tried to reassure her.
"Well, it’s not like I can stop you. Even if I did, you’d go anyway," she replied, sounding resigned.