Arman: "I'm back."
Arman opened the door and entered the massive hall of the Alan household.
He slowly looked around.
There was no one there to greet him.
Not a single person.
Arman raised an eyebrow.
Why is there no one here?
I thought they'd be excited to see me.
He turned toward Ganther.
Arman: "Where is everyone?"
Ganther was about to answer when a voice suddenly came from the staircase.
Herald: "You have the nerve to come back after what you did."
Arman immediately looked toward the stairs.
An old man was slowly making his way down.
He walked with the help of a cane.
His hair and beard had completely turned grey, but despite his age, he still carried an imposing presence.
His clothes were elegant and royal, befitting the former head of the Alan Family.
This was Herald Alan, Arman's grandfather and the former Head of the Alan Family.
He was seventy-nine years old.
Arman's expression immediately softened.
He walked toward him with a smile.
Arman: "Hey, Grandfather. How are you?"
Herald suddenly raised his cane.
BAM!
He struck Arman directly on the head.
Arman: "OW! Hey! That hurts!"
Herald glared at him.
Herald: "You deserve a hundred strikes for what you did!"
He raised his cane again.
Arman immediately backed away.
Arman: "Hey! Stop it! What kind of grandfather hits his grandson immediately after seeing him again after eight years?"
Herald pointed his cane at him.
Herald: "Don't act innocent as if you don't know what you did!"
Arman became quiet.
Herald's anger intensified.
Herald: "You broke the marriage arrangement with the Agnus Family, ran away with Leon's daughter, and got her married to a commoner!"
Arman's eyes widened slightly.
Herald: "Then you left for Earth and left us to deal with the consequences of your actions!"
He pointed his cane toward Arman.
Herald: "And even after coming back, you brought my innocent granddaughter into this mess!"
Herald took a breath.
Herald: "And you didn't even come to meet your family first!"
Arman lowered his head.
For once, he had absolutely nothing to say.
He slowly turned toward Ganther.
Arman: "Ganther..."
Ganther looked at him.
Arman: "Can I get some ice cream?"
Ganther sighed.
Ganther: "Yes, Young Master. I'll bring you some."
Herald stared at Arman in disbelief.
Herald: "You shameless fellow."
A few moments later, Ganther returned with two bowls of ice cream.
He handed one to Arman and the other to Herald.
Ganther: "Sir Herald, would you like some ice cream as well? Perhaps it will help cool your anger."
Herald took the bowl.
Herald: "Yes. I need something to cool me down."
Arman and Herald both took a bite at the exact same time.
They both made the exact same expression.
Ganther watched them silently.
A small smile appeared on his face.
They don't even realize how similar they are.
Arman finished his ice cream and looked at his grandfather.
Arman: "So... where is everyone?"
Herald sighed.
Herald: "They're at the training grounds."
Arman: "Why?"
Herald looked at him.
Herald: "Today is the day the twins receive their official rankings."
He paused.
Herald: "Leon informed me that you were coming, so I decided to wait for you here."
Arman smiled.
Arman: "Aww... you can't hide your love for your grandson."
Herald raised his cane.
Herald: "Do you want to get hit again?"
Arman immediately stepped away.
Arman: "Leave me be. Let's head to the training grounds."
Herald shook his head.
The two of them began walking toward the training grounds.
After walking for a while, Arman suddenly looked at his grandfather.
Arman: "So, what did the Agnus Family ask for as compensation?"
Herald's expression became slightly irritated.
Herald: "They wanted Reina to marry their eldest son."
Arman wasn't surprised.
Arman: "Let me guess..."
He smiled.
Arman: "She refused."
Herald: "Yes."
Herald sighed.
Herald: "And I had to give them 100,000 gold to settle the matter and clean up your mess."
Arman raised an eyebrow.
Arman: "Hey, don't say it like that. It's just a few pennies for you."
Herald stopped walking.
He slowly turned toward Arman.
Herald: "A few pennies?"
His eyes narrowed.
Herald: "That amount is enough to feed several small families for fifty years."
Arman became quiet.
Herald sighed.
Herald: "It's foolish to argue with you."
Arman smiled.
Arman: "You know the Grand Master already forgave me, right?"
Herald nodded.
Herald: "Yes. Leon told me."
AT THE TRAINING GROUNDS
The training grounds of the Alan Family were packed with people.
Reina was standing with Lisa when she introduced her to her parents.
Reina: "Mother, Father... this is Lisa, your niece."
Martha Alan looked at Lisa carefully.
She was fifty-one years old and carried herself with a strict, elegant presence.
Her personality was completely different from Audrey's.
She was obsessed with perfection, especially when it came to appearance.
Reina and Martha looked remarkably similar.
Martha: "So you're our niece."
A warm smile appeared on her face.
Martha: "You're even more beautiful than I imagined."
Audrey smiled.
The fifty-four-year-old Head of the Alan Family was calm and supportive by nature.
Audrey: "You're the spitting image of your mother."
Lisa smiled.
Lisa: "Thank you. I can't believe I have such a big family."
She looked around in amazement.
Lisa: "It's like I'm getting one surprise after another."
Reina smiled.
Reina: "Wait until you meet my brothers."
Lisa's eyes immediately lit up.
Lisa: "Where are they? I'm really excited to meet them!"
Reina: "They're preparing for their duel."
She pointed toward the training grounds.
Reina: "Today is the day they'll officially receive their ranks within the Alan Family troops."
Lisa nodded.
Lisa: "Ohhh, I get it."
She smiled.
Lisa: "It's like their exam, right?"
Reina: "Yeah. Kind of."
Martha suddenly looked Lisa up and down.
Her eyes stopped at Lisa's dirty shoes and her clothes, which still looked distinctly like something she would wear on Earth.
Martha walked toward her.
Martha: "Dear, would you like to come with me?"
Reina immediately became suspicious.
Reina: "Mom, where are you taking her?"
Martha grabbed Reina's hand.
Martha: "You're coming too."
Reina blinked.
Reina: "What?"
Martha pulled both girls toward the Alan household.
Martha: "Come on. We have work to do."
Meanwhile...
Herald and Arman finally arrived at the training grounds.
The moment Arman stepped inside—
Everyone turned toward him.
People who had been training suddenly stopped.
Some lowered their weapons.
Others simply stared.
Whispers quickly spread throughout the crowd.
"Hey, look! It's the Dragon Berserker!"
"He really is back!"
"It's my first time seeing him in person."
"Why did he go back to Earth?"
"I heard he was scared to face Dagon and the Skotians."
"I heard he impregnated a woman and ran away because he was afraid to face the consequences."
Arman's eyebrow twitched.
He clearly heard every word.
What the hell are these rumors?
He clenched his fist for a moment.
But then he took a deep breath.
Forget it.
He ignored them and walked toward Audrey.
Arman: "Hi, Uncle."
He smiled.
Arman: "Sorry I couldn't greet you properly at the Main Pavilion."
Audrey smiled warmly.
Audrey: "Don't worry about it. I'm just happy to see you're doing well."
Arman looked around.
Arman: "I heard the twins are taking their ranking test."
Audrey: "Yes."
He smiled.
Audrey: "They're not as naturally talented as you or Reina, but they're definitely hard-working."
Arman nodded.
Arman: "No doubt about that."
He paused.
Arman: "I also have something to ask."
Audrey smiled.
Audrey: "I know."
Arman looked at him.
Audrey: "You've come here for your emblem and your uniform."
Arman nodded.
Audrey: "But I also have something to ask from you."
Arman smiled.
Arman: "You're the Head of the Family. It's impossible for me to reject your request."
Audrey's expression became serious.
Audrey: "I want you to conduct the twins' test."
Arman looked toward Herald.
Herald simply nodded.
Herald: "I was the one who suggested it."
Arman frowned slightly.
Arman: "Why?"
He looked back toward Audrey.
Arman: "Shouldn't Commander Richard be the one conducting their test?"
Audrey shook his head.
Audrey: "You are the Dragon Berserker."
He paused.
Audrey: "One of the six Mystic Berserkers."
His expression became proud.
Audrey: "You were also the one who led the Battle of Utopia to victory."
He looked toward the training grounds.
Audrey: "Even Commander Richard agrees with this."
Then Audrey looked directly into Arman's eyes.
Audrey: "And I think you want these rumors about you to end as well."
Arman's expression became slightly serious.
He looked around at the people whispering about him.
Then he sighed.
Arman: "Fine."
He smiled.
Arman: "I'll do it."
At that moment, Commander Richard approached Audrey.
Commander Richard: "Sir, the trainees Dion and Ron are ready to take their test."
Arman turned toward him.
A smile immediately appeared on his face.
Arman: "Hey, Commander. Long time no see."
Richard smiled.
Commander Richard: "It's good to see you back, Great Dragon Berserker."
Arman waved his hand.
Arman: "Please, you don't need to be so formal."
He laughed.
Arman: "Just call me Arman."
Richard nodded.
Commander Richard: "Yes, Arman."
He looked toward him.
Commander Richard: "I assume you'll be conducting their test?"
Arman: "Yeah."
At the same time, Martha, Lisa, and Reina returned to the training grounds.
Lisa and Reina had changed into elegant outfits.
They looked like royal princesses.
Their beauty immediately attracted everyone's attention.
People throughout the training grounds began staring.
Even Arman was stunned when he saw his sister.
He stared at Lisa for a moment.
Then he looked toward Martha.
Arman: "Hey, Auntie. How are you?"
Martha smiled.
Martha: "I'm doing well."
She looked at Arman.
Martha: "And I'm glad to see my nephew is in good health too."
Arman nodded.
Then he looked around.
Arman: "By the way, have you seen my sister?"
He scratched his head.
Arman: "A short, ugly brat. I can't seem to find her."
Lisa's eye twitched.
Lisa: "You stupid idiot! Who are you calling ugly?!"
Arman looked at her.
He paused.
Then smiled.
Arman: "Oh, it's you."
He looked her up and down.
Arman: "Looks like you've put on quite a lot of makeup."
Lisa immediately crossed her arms.
Lisa: "It's all natural!"
Reina sighed.
Reina: "Mom, why did you force me to change?"
She looked down at her outfit.
Reina: "I'm the vice captain of the Dragon Squad. It's hard to fight in clothes like these."
Martha crossed her arms.
Martha: "You are both daughters of the Alan Family."
She looked at both of them.
Martha: "You should at least be mindful of how you look, especially when you're in your own household."
Then she glanced toward Arman.
Martha: "Besides, you can take one day off."
She smiled.
Martha: "Your captain is already dozing around anyway."
Arman looked at Reina.
Reina's eye twitched.
Reina: "Mom..."
Arman laughed.
He then walked over to his grandfather.
Arman: "Grandfather, there's someone I'd like you to meet."
He gestured toward Lisa.
Arman: "This is Lisa, my sister."
Herald looked at Lisa.
For a moment, his stern expression softened.
But before he could say anything—
Commander Richard: "Sir, the trainees are waiting."
Audrey nodded.
Audrey: "We can continue the reunion later."
He stepped forward.
Audrey: "First, let's do what we've gathered here for."
Audrey turned toward the training grounds.
His voice echoed throughout the area.
Audrey: "Trainee Dion! Trainee Ron! Come forward!"
Two young men stepped onto the training grounds.
They were both twenty-one years old.
Ron Alan was energetic, funny, and the kind of person who could become friends with almost anyone.
Except his twin brother.
Dion Alan was the complete opposite.
He wasn't particularly cheerful and preferred his own company.
To make it easier for people to tell them apart, Dion had dyed part of his hair red.
Despite their differences, the twins shared one thing.
They both looked up to their older cousin.
Arman Alan.
The two walked toward the center of the training grounds while talking to each other.
Ron: "Hey, I heard he's here."
Dion glanced at him.
Dion: "Yeah."
Ron grinned.
Dion: "Are you afraid?"
Ron raised an eyebrow.
Ron: "Afraid? Fuck no!"
His excitement was obvious.
Ron: "I'm excited to show our cousin that we're ready to stand beside him."
Dion sighed.
Dion: "Just don't let that excitement get the better of you."
Ron smirked.
Ron: "Worry about yourself."
They finally reached the center of the training grounds.
Commander Richard looked at the twins.
Then he spoke.
Commander Richard: "I will not be the one conducting your exam."
Ron looked confused.
Ron: "Then who will?"
Richard smiled.
Commander Richard: "The Dra—"
Before he could finish—
WHOOSH!
Arman suddenly flew onto the training ground and landed in front of the twins.
The entire training ground went silent.
Ron and Dion stared at him.
Arman smiled.
Arman: "I will."
The twins' eyes widened.
Ron couldn't hide his excitement.
Dion's expression became serious.
For the first time...
The two brothers were standing directly in front of the man they had admired for years.
Arman Alan.
Their cousin.
The Dragon Berserker.
And today...
He would be the one deciding whether they were ready to stand beside him.