Rather than ask Leroy about Clan Leone right away, I decided to hold off for later. After all, we had an entire undercity to explore, and I wanted to take a look around before diving into my family history.

At first, Leroy was upset with me, since I charged ahead while leaving him behind. However, I made up for it by giving him two of the meat skewers that I received from the stall owner. Leroy took the beef and goat skewers, while I ended up with the lamb skewer. This was fine with me. It was quite delicious, and I looked forward to eating more in the future.

After we left the noodle shop, Leroy and I walked around the rest of Icefall Undercity. I also asked around to learn more about the place. It turned out that the tunnel we entered was one of four. Together, they formed a cross, with a large circular plaza in the center, making up the whole of Icefall Undercity.

Each tunnel was its own district, with its own specialty. They also corresponded to the four cardinal directions. The central plaza served as both a market square, as well as a gathering point for all of Icefall Undercity's inhabitants.

The tunnel Leroy and I entered, called the West Tunnel, contained the most restaurants, general stores, and inns. It was also the one with the most outsiders. The North Tunnel was where most of the artisans, alchemists, and doctors in the undercity plied their trade. The South Tunnel contained the entertainment district. It housed the music houses and other venues. There was even a small theater. Of course, this was also where the brothels were located.

Just as House Icefall ruled the Luminian side of the Icefall region, a Clan ruled the Murim side of things: Clan Frostheart. They lived in Icefall Undercity's East Tunnel, along with the families that served them. I didn't know much about them, but from what I gathered, they had ties with House Icefall. Perhaps one was an offshoot of the other. Clan Frostheart was also the local representative of the Martial Arts Alliance.

After Leroy and I finished walking around Icefall Undercity, we went back up to the surface and headed to our rented house. After everything that happened, we were both tired and needed some rest. We would start adventuring tomorrow.

It was late afternoon by the time we returned to our rented house. It was a small wooden hut. Plain and simple, but tough and sturdy. It was enough for our needs. Hell, I was happy that it had a bathroom and a meditation chamber.

After Leroy and I both cleaned ourselves off, I made us a simple dinner. It resembled a kitchen back on Earth, and included an enchanted stove, so I had little trouble using it. Our rented house was small enough that the kitchen also served as the dining room. It contained a small wooden table with two wooden chairs. A glowstone lamp hung from the ceiling, providing weak light.

When Leroy and I finished eating dinner, I made us some tea. The two of us sat in silence for a while, sipping our tea.

"So," I said, breaking the silence, "Tell me about Andre Leone."

Leroy raised an eyebrow at me.

"I wondered when you were going to ask me about him." He said. "I'm surprised that it took you so long."

"There were too many prying ears earlier." I gestured to our rented house. "At least we have some privacy here."

Leroy nodded, before he frowned with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I don't know too much about Lord Andre." He said. "I left Clan Leone with my mother a long time ago. However, from what I remember, he was hot-headed, arrogant, and… Simple-minded."

I snorted.

"So not much has changed since then."

Leroy shrugged, before he took a sip of his tea.

"Regardless, he can get away with it because he is a member of Clan Leone's main family. In fact, he is the heir."

Both of my eyebrows shot up. That caught me off guard. Someone like Andre was the heir to Clan Leone? Oh dear. They were in for a rough time. I hoped he married a capable woman, if only for his sake. Otherwise, I feared Clan Leone was doomed.

"Wait," I said, "If Andre is part of Clan Leone's main family, and he is my cousin, does this mean that my mother was also a part of Clan Leone's main family?"

Leroy nodded. I frowned. Maybe I should've asked Mother more about her Clan when I had the chance. I refrained, to avoid opening old wounds. However, that might've been a mistake. Before coming to the Icefall region, all I knew about Clan Leone was their name and the fact that they wielded great influence in Murim.

"That would explain their grudge against my mother." I said. "She must've damaged their reputation quite a bit when she disobeyed them and ran away."

Leroy nodded.

"I was just a child when it happened, but I remember hearing a lot of arguing. In fact, Lady Sturm might have even gotten into a fight with Lord Bartholomew, her brother and Lord Andre's father."

I blinked at him.

"My uncle's name is Bart?"

Leroy rolled his eyes.

"That isn't important right now." He said. "What is important is Clan Leone's grudge against Lady Sturm, and by extension, you. If Lord Andre finds out who you are, there will be hell to pay."

I made a dismissive gesture.

"That won't be a problem, thanks to the disguise ring my father gave me. As long as I don't reveal my true appearance, I doubt Andre will figure out who I am." I frowned. "His bodyguard, on the other hand, might be a problem. The man was much sharper than his charge." I nodded at Leroy. "In fact, he reminded me of you. Are you two related?"

Leroy froze for a moment, before he nodded.

"Yes," he said, a conflicted expression on his face, "Lord Andre's bodyguard is Richard, my older brother."

I blinked at him in surprise.

"What?! You have an older brother? Since when?"

Leroy gave me an annoyed look.

"I've always had an older brother." He sighed. "Well, I don't blame you for not knowing about him. Richard and I haven't spoken to one another since my mother and I left Clan Leone."

I stared at him, unsure of how to respond. In that moment, I realized that I didn't know much about Leroy at all. While he was my personal bodyguard, the two of us had a shallow relationship. We hadn't had the time to deepen our bond. Well, this was a good opportunity to.

"How come your older brother stayed behind?" I asked. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Leroy shook his head.

"I don't mind. It's not a secret, and it is related to your family history as well. My father is a retainer for Clan Leone. That was how my parents met, since my mother is your great grandfather's student. They fell in love, married, and had two children. Nothing unusual there. However, when Lady Sturm left Clan Leone and my mother chose to leave with her, my father decided to remain behind. I followed my mother, while Richard stayed with our father."

There was more to this story than Leroy was letting on. After all, his family split apart. However, I refrained from prying. It was none of my business, and I didn't want to hurt Leroy by asking tactless questions.

"Will your older brother recognize you, even though it's been so long?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I'm not sure. It's possible. After all, I recognized him."

"Hmm, that's a problem then. We need to disguise your appearance somehow, just in case we run into him again." I groaned. "Unfortunately, we don't have enough money to buy you a disguise ring. Damn it. I should have thought of that before we left Sturm Manor."

At the time, I thought it was fine to just disguise myself, since my appearance was far more distinctive than Leroy's. That was an oversight on my part.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"We don't need to go that far." Leroy said. "I can just wear a helmet or a mask. As long as he doesn't see my face, I doubt Richard will recognize me. Assuming we run into each other again. I doubt Lord Andre will stay in Icefall City for long."

"That reminds me. What is he doing here?"

Leroy paused for a moment.

"That's… A good question. This area is a popular destination for adventurers and martial artists, but not enough to attract someone of Lord Andre's status."

I frowned. There was something strange going on here, but I didn't have enough information to figure it out. When I met with Andre earlier, he mentioned an important meeting. Was it related to that?

I shook my head. In the end, it didn't matter. I just wanted to avoid Andre as much as possible. Getting involved in his affairs was just asking for trouble. As long as I kept my head down, I should be fine.

"Regardless of the reason," I said, "The less we get involved with Andre, the better."

Leroy gave me a sardonic look.

"Says the man who confronted him for the sake of a random stranger."

I shrugged, before grinning.

"It worked out in the end, didn't it?"

Leroy rolled his eyes at me.

"Now then, get some rest," I said, "We have a busy day ahead of us. Tomorrow, we start adventuring."

The next day, Leroy and I found ourselves back at the Icefall Adventurers Guild. Like yesterday, it was a loud and bustling place. The smell of cheap beer permeated the air. Leroy and I stood in front of the commission board, looking for a job to take. We weren't the only ones either. There were plenty of others doing the same. However, most of them gave us a wide berth due to Leroy's large frame. It gave him a rather intimidating air, and few wanted to attract his ire.

It was late morning. After eating breakfast today, the two of us spent a few hours training our bodies and cultivating our mana. There was only one meditation chamber in our rented house, so we took turns using it.

When it was my turn, I consumed one of the Spirit Elixirs that Mother gave me. This sped up my progress by a significant degree. At this rate, I might even reach Second Star before Leroy and I left the Icefall region.

After we left our rented house, Leroy and I went shopping for a mask to cover Leroy's face. While a helmet provided full coverage, it also looked weirder without any armor to accompany it. Unfortunately, we didn't have any money to buy armor for Leroy.

Well, maybe we could if I dipped into my quarterly allowance. However, Leroy and I wanted to rely on House Sturm as little as possible. We wanted to be as self-sufficient as we could. That was one of the reasons why we left Sturm Manor in the first place and became adventurers, to make our own way in the world.

In the end, we bought a simple wooden mask for Leroy. I thought it looked cool, though he felt otherwise. When we arrived at the Icefall Adventurers Guild, a few people gave him odd looks. However, given how eclectic adventurers were in general, Leroy didn't stand out too much.

Marilyn worked today as well. We waved at her when we arrived, earning a smile from her, before we headed to the commission board. The jobs posted there were divided by rank. Leroy and I searched among the Iron-ranked jobs, since we couldn't take any others at the moment. None of them stood out to me right away.

A few of them involved hunting specific kinds of monsters, but the majority involved searching for various kinds of magical herbs. That was how most beginner adventurers began their careers. They searched for herbs and hunted the occasional monster, until they gained enough experience to tackle more challenging jobs.

However, this was less than ideal for Leroy and I. While I was a beginner adventurer in this life, in my past life I was an experienced hunter. Taking jobs meant for complete newbies sounded tedious and boring. I wanted something more interesting.

As someone on the verge of forming his Second Star, Leroy felt the same way. His mother also took him out to hunt monsters a few times, to help him get some experience under his belt.

In short, neither one of us were inexperienced beginners. Unfortunately, almost none of the Iron-ranked jobs appealed to us. This included the monster hunting ones. Those focused on hunting one or two weak monsters and collecting their body parts. It was better than collecting herbs, but not by much. If I was going to hunt weaker monsters, I wanted to hunt entire packs of them.

Perhaps Leroy and I should focus on taking as many jobs as possible, so we could increase our ranks. While I disliked that idea, beggars couldn't be choosers.

Just as I resigned myself to grinding up my rank, a job caught my eye. It involved hunting down a pack of Tier One monsters. Similar to martial artists and wizards, monsters were ranked by their general power level, going from one to nine.

However, monsters were stronger, tougher, and more aggressive than humans. This made them more dangerous than martial artists and wizards of equivalent rank. Not that this mattered to Leroy and I, since we could both hit above our weight class.

According to the job description, a pack of inferno beasts had been sighted near a hamlet west of Icefall City. Inferno beasts resembled wolves, but were bigger and uglier. They also breathed fire and created fiery barriers to protect themselves, thus their name. Their body parts were used to create low quality enchanted items and low quality Fire Resistance potions.

All in all, hunting down a pack of Inferno Beasts sounded perfect for Leroy and I. However, just as I reached over to take the slip of paper with the job commission, another hand reached towards it, brushing against mine.

I looked over to find a young woman in a hooded blue robe standing next to me. She had the hood up and wore a veil to hide her face, making it difficult to discern her features. The only part of her that I could see were her icy blue eyes. The top of her head came up to my chest. With my mana sense, I discerned that she was a First Circle wizard.

"Oh, you're also interested in that job." The young woman said, studying me with those icy blue eyes of hers.

I frowned when I heard her voice. She sounded like a teenager, sixteen at most. More of a girl than a young woman. What was someone like her doing here? Like on Earth, Luminians legally became adults once they reached eighteen years of age. It was illegal for anyone underage to become an adventurer, meaning this girl didn't belong here. Is that why she covered herself up? To hide her true age? I wondered whether or not to call her out on it, but decided against it. For now.

"Yes," I said, raising an eyebrow at her, "What of it?"

If she asked me to let her have the job, I would say no. I didn't know if there was an etiquette to this sort of situation, neither did I care. I wanted that job, and I would fight her for it if I needed to.

"In that case, would you like to team up?" The girl asked. "I planned on finding a party after taking that job, so this saves me the trouble."

I crossed my arms.

"And why would we do that?" I gestured to Leroy, who stood next to me. "My friend and I are more than capable of handling a pack of inferno beasts."

The girl eyed me with skepticism. I didn't blame her. Most First Circle wizards found it difficult to deal with a single Tier One monster, let alone a whole pack of them. Even a normal First Star martial artist would be overwhelmed. There was a reason why the Adventurers Guild forced beginner adventurers to take it easy when they first started out.

From this girl's perspective, I came across as brash and overconfident. Maybe even stupid. However, that was none of my concern. I knew my strength, and a pack of inferno beasts posed little threat to me. With Leroy at my side, this job was a walk in the park.

"I'm a Water wizard," the girl said, "Adept at healing and creating defensive barriers."

Okay, that would be pretty useful. Having a healer on the team could save us a lot of trouble if something unexpected happened. Leroy and I had a few low quality Healing Potions, which did exactly what their name suggested, but they were less effective than an actual healer.

"Now let me ask you the same question." The girl continued. "Why should I team up with you and your friend? While I can't complete this job on my own, that doesn't mean I need your help. Healers are in far more demand than internal magic users. I'll have no trouble finding teammates."

She had a point. Internal magic users were a dime a dozen among adventurers, while healers were much rarer. In fact, I noticed several people around us eyeing the girl with avarice in their eyes. For me, a healer was useful but not necessary. At least, not right now. However, for other adventurers, a healer could mean the difference between life and death.

"Suit yourself," I said with a shrug, before reaching over and taking the job commission.

With that, I walked off. After a moment's hesitation, Leroy followed right after me.

"Hey!" The girl called out. "That job is mine!"

I waved the slip of paper in the air without looking back at her.

"And yet I'm the one holding the commission."

Several adventurers tried to grab me, no doubt to earn brownie points with the girl, but I evaded their hands with ease. A few of them eyed Leroy, but decided against messing with him. Once again, his large size came in handy.

The two of us exited the Icefall Adventurers Guild. However, before we made it more than a few feet, the girl followed us outside.

"Stop!"

I was tempted to ignore her, but I didn't want to be that much of a dick. Besides, she piqued my curiosity. Why was this girl so desperate to take this particular job? I knew why I wanted it. Why did she?

With that in mind, I stopped and waited for the girl to catch up to us. She jogged over and stopped in front of me.

"Fine," she said, irritated, "I'll team up with you."

I snorted.

"How gracious of you."

The girl narrowed her eyes at me.

"You're an ass."

I shrugged.

"I've been called worse." I said.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Leroy muttered under his breath.

I ignored him and focused on the girl.

"My name is Cally," the girl said, giving me a slight bow, "I'll be in your care."

I returned her bow with one of my own.

"Brandon Norwood," I said, "At your service. This is my companion, Leroy."

Cally narrowed her eyes at me.

"You're quite rude for a minor noble." She said.

I grinned at her.

"My family is on the decline, so my parents couldn't afford to hire an etiquette tutor for me." I put on a sorrowful expression. "It's a rather sad and tragic story."

Cally let out an exasperated sigh.

"I already regret teaming up with you."

I chuckled, before walking off. A moment later, Leroy and Cally followed behind me.

"Is he always like this?" Cally asked.

"He's not so bad once you get to know him." Leroy said.

With that, the three of us headed off to hunt some inferno beasts.

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