Reincarnated as an Alchemist - If i have no cheat then, i just have to make one

Chapter 86 - Problem Solved

I had tried my best. I had done everything I could to lessen the delay on our departure. Alicia's problem was done in 1 day. I helped my mother dealing with the paperwork with the help of Alicia and Karina. I took us a day and a half to finish the piles of documents thanks to my constitution that didn't need to sleep daily. 

With the documents finished, nothing could shackle my mother and Anastasia anymore. Eris and Nova were free since the beginning. They decided that only Nova would come with me as Eris wanted to avoid any possible danger befall their child. Seeing this, I kind of wanted to leave behind Lily in the village for her safety but she insisted to come. I wonder why I couldn't say no to her teary eyes when I tried to persuade her earlier. Could it be I had turned into a doting parent here?

And with that, I entrusted Lilliana's safety to Karina. I gave her last warning as she had failed to do the guarding duty several times already. I told her that if she failed once again, she would have to relieve her position as the dragon zodiac brave and got replaced by new personnel I was going to summon later. Afraid that she would get demoted, she quickly declared to the men who aimed for Alicia's stead that she swore to never be in relationship with anyone until she could regain her dignity of the holder of Zodiac Brave title.

The next problem was SHade's daily challenge. I listened to Anastasia's explanation that the men who challenged him were those who wanted to marry a maiden they loved. it seems like the maiden's parents put the defeat of Shade as the requirement to gain their consent. As for the girls, they challenged him due to the village's dueling custom. It seems like the proposal ceremony came in the form of duels here. Usually, the winner would declare their love to the loser and they became engaged afterward but in Shade's case, he had chosen to give a neutral answer which still giving those challengers hope to rechallenge him later.

In that matter, I decided to call him to have a talk directly. I had him talked to me in the pretense of having a drink with fellow men as a boss and subordinate. We were having the drink in the balcony as we watched the starry sky.

"Shade, what do you think about the daily challenges you had every day?"

I asked him.

"It was very educational in many things. Thanks to them, I had gradually learned how to overcome my weaknesses and cover the opening I had during the combat. The boys from the villages are quite hard workers that they gave me a clue on my weak spots precisely."

He said.

"The boys aside, what about the girls?"

I asked him. I poured myself a hot tea from the prepared teapot. I glanced at Shade's expression. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes in deep thought.

"They were good fighters. I kind of want to train them as my direct disciples and subordinates."

He said. He had some kind of proud look on his face when he said it. I sighed. It was within my expectations. This guy was so dense in this matter.

"Shade, let me ask you this, do you know the meaning of the duels between men and women in this village?"

I asked.

"The meaning, is it? I couldn't say I understand what Milord is asking me. Please enlighten me, Milord."

Shade asked.

"Listen, in this area, there's a custom regarding duels here. They were not a way to measure the strength or to gain victories. For the people here, they hold something 'special'."

I said.

"Is that true, Milord? I didn't know that the duels had such deep meaning behind it. Does this special thing means a secret move or a hidden strength, Milord?"