Chapter 20 - Dinner

Once Julius had finished taking a bath and getting cleaned up, he was given a new pair of casual clothes in the form of a black t-shirt and black sweatpants. He was guided through the castle by one of the butlers all across the castle. After finishing all his other tasks, Julius was finally allowed to have a meal for the first time in nearly 2 days.

In the dining hall was a single small table which was set up for 3 people, those being Jun, Mary and Julius. Even though Jun had told her to relax, Mary couldn't help but still feel nervous around Jun.

"So... how do you two know each other?" Julius asked Mary but she kept quiet which was a little rude, even for her. As such, Jun answered for her.

"She used to be my student. In fact, she was one of the best. To be honest, I would've preferred if she were to be known as the strongest human alive instead of your father. And speaking truthfully, if she didn't stop her training back then, she might've gained that title," Jun began to speak.

"She was your student?! You not only trained my father but also another ruler of the 9 kingdoms?" Julius asked in amazement.

"If that surprises you, wait until you hear this... I taught all of the 9 rulers!" Jun exclaimed. Although he looked to be enjoying himself, Mary on the other hand was the complete opposite.

Julius was beginning to understand why Mary was so nervous around Jun. It was most likely because she didn't know how she should act around her teacher who she suddenly quit on. It was completely understandable that she would feel nervous. Especially knowing how he probably treated those who weren't as gifted as his newest student. Seeing as that was the case, Julius felt that it was his job to fix things between them.

"So do you feel hatred towards her because she stopped training since she was your favourite student at the time?" Julius asked.

"Of course not, why would I hate it if I had to worry about one less brat? If anything, it made my job easier when it came to teaching the other 8. However, don't get me wrong, I still wish that one of the 8 remaining had left instead of her. She could've really shined if she had stayed. It's just a shame, that's all there is to it.

"Wait so you never hated me?!" Mary stood up in surprise.

"Why would I hate you? I could never hate one of my students. Even though I treated all of you harshly, it was so that you wouldn't face hardships in the outside world. I would never put my students in any real danger," said Jun as he comforted Mary.

...

"Hey old man, remember when you sent me to a forest full of black bears and I almost died? Want to explain what that was all about?" Julius asked in an irritated tone.

"Let's see... are you alive right now?" Jun asked.

"Yes, but-" said Julius before he was cut off.

"Then I've done my job. Stop complaining and keep eating, you won't be getting this type of food once you return to the mountain," said Jun as he continued to eat as much as he could without a care in the world for manners. Hearing her master's words brought comfort to Mary and for the first time that evening, she began to let her guard down.

After they finished dinner, Julius went with his temporary butler to get ready for bed in the guest room. However, once Julius had left with the butler, Mary stopped Jun from leaving the dining hall as he had important news to inform him about.

"Yes, what do you want now?" Jun asked in an irritated tone as he had plans to relax a bit more.

"This is serious... please train me once again," Mary requested.

"Why would you need training from me? You're already plenty strong. It's not like anyone would willingly start a war with you, especially seeing as you have the full support of the other rulers," Jun replied.

"That's the thing..." said Mary before her lips forcibly closed.

"What's wrong Mary?!" Jun asked in worry before realizing what was happening.

"I understand now. How much time do we have?" Jun asked as sweat began to overtake his body.

"We have until prince Julius' training comes to a close. I would like that to take as long as possible but knowing how you're treating him, we've got a single year at best. Delaying it isn't an option either as once his training comes to an end, no one will be able to stop him and he'll most likely join with the enemy," said Mary, making sure that her curse wouldn't activate by keeping things vague.

"Why would Julius join the enemy... no. It couldn't be, why would it be him. He was the one that was supposed to protect us. Why would he do that?" said Jun as his face began to be enveloped in worry.

"That's not the end of it. Even if we managed to get prince Julius on our side, we still might not be able to win. The enemy most likely has IT," said Mary, which brought Jun's heart to a stop before it forcibly started to beat once again as he had a duty.

"Don't fret. We won't lose this battle," said Jun as his face changed to that which was more serious than ever. There was no more time left for goofing of anymore. He would need to train his new students quickly as their time was limited. He would especially have to focus on Julius as he had much more potential but also had a lot to learn and master.

"I only hope that he doesn't choose his father over the safety of the world. We cannot allow him to leave us. He'll be our trump card in this battle, the enemy won't know what hit them when they realize the beast we have on our side.... as for you, I'll be teaching you some of the secret arts which I've kept hidden from the world," said Jun as he turned to her with an evil smile.