When fate plays its hand

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By the time Kevin turned 13, he still wasn’t formally apprenticed to a mentor. Every time he tried, something went wrong. Either he fell ill, or the mentor he found had bad luck.

In the end, Ernest gave up.

“Just keep learning what you can,” he said. “Whatever you manage to learn is enough.”

Violet listened to Kevin’s story with mixed emotions. Was this guy some kind of bad luck magnet? His life was one misfortune after another, and it seemed like he even brought bad luck to his mentors.

She couldn’t help but wonder–would that affect her too?

Based on his past experiences, it always seemed like something would go wrong before he could formally apprentice. Now that he had finally managed to find a mentor and things were going smoothly, maybe it was a sign that his luck had finally turned. Since he managed to apprentice without issues, perhaps it meant his bad streak had come to an end and everything would start going well. Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.

Kevin had officially met his senior apprentices. Seeing his sincere and respectful attitude, none of them made things difficult for him.

However, Carissa asked him, “You’re from the Nightsteel Guard. Aren’t you worried that apprenticing directly to a mentor like this might make it hard for you to rise in the ranks there?”

“It doesn’t matter if I can’t rise to the top right now,” Kevin answered respectfully. “As long as I have the ability, I’ll eventually make a name for myself. But if I don’t hone my martial arts skills, even if the king values me, I won’t have the ability to perform. It’d be even worse if I’m removed from my position later. I’m still young, I can wait.”

Carissa nodded slightly, agreeing with his perspective. His persistence was rare–he hadn’t let his bad luck push. him off course, and despite everything, he hadn’t gone down the wrong path.

It seemed Rafael’s faith in him wasn’t without reason.

After they left, Travis entered and eyed the gifts. Unlike before, he didn’t rush over to inspect them. Earlier in the year, he had returned to his guild. Every last bit of the money he earned had gone to his mentor, and in return, he got a beating.

The reason? He had spent the money on jewelry, lip balm, and rouge. His mentor scolded him for wasting money and gave him a good thrashing. The next day, all the senior apprentices of the guild had painted their lips and applied rouge, protesting in their own way by using the very things their mentor had punished Travis for.

Alana and Leah were among the few who had traveled and seen more of the world. They told their mentor, “All girls today take the time to make themselves up. It’s not a big deal for them to dress up once or twice. After all, it’s the New Year, right?”

Though their mentor was stern, she was soft–hearted. After muttering that it was easy to fall into luxury but hard to return to frugality, she gave up on scolding them.

The night before Travis left the mountain to return to the capital, his mentor spoke with him for two hours.

“We may be poor, but we’ve been poor for so long that it’s become part of us. Poverty should come with dignity. If someone offers you a gift, you must thank them. If they don’t offer one, don’t take it by force, or you’ll lose your manners, and more importantly, your dignity. This year, my hope for you is that you become a person of culture, someone who can manage their emotions and remain stable. Learn to control yourself, and always keep your composure.”

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Travis was deeply moved by these words.

After the sentiment passed, however, he couldn’t help but ask, “When I was a kid, did you purposely send me to fight Cari? And when I lost, did you go to them to ask for reduced rent? Wasn’t that a sign of a lack of dignity? Didn’t that embarrass you?”

That question almost got him kicked out of the guild.

So, this year, he promised to be good, to listen, and to be a person of culture–someone who could control his emotions and behave with grace.

Violet noticed Travis had been staring but hadn’t approached the gifts.

“Don’t you want to take a look?” she asked.

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“That belongs to you. I’m not some rudè person,” Travis said with righteous indignation.

Carissa and Violet were both taken aback by his statement.

“Do you hear yourself? You’re not rude? Then, who was it who used to mess with my gifts?” Violet questioned, almost in disbelief.

“That was in the past. Now is now. I’ve reformed. I’m a person of high moral standing… very high,” he stammered, trying to say something nice about himself but failing, since he hadn’t quite grasped the finer points of culture.

“But still, why is Carissa your apprentices” martial aunt? You two come from different guilds,” he added.

“Mind your own business,” Violet replied, opening several embroidered boxes.

Inside, there were two Evergreen Roots, a pair of crystal figurines, and a few other tonic herbs.

“Put these in your private stash. These are for your mentor She’s looking a little too thin and could use a good supplement,” said Violet, handing everything over to Travis.

Since Violet was giving him the items, Travis didn’t hesitate. With perfect politeness, he thanked her and accepted everything without a second thought.