Ban Frok was feeling good.
No—"good" wasn't the right word.
What he felt after watching that frail cadet, Rin Evans, was closer to vindicated.
At last, someone worthy had appeared. Not because of their strength, nor their speed, nor their mastery over mana… but because Rin understood. The boy did not waste food. He respected the gift of the soil. He had the eyes of one who knew the weight of a single grain of rice.
Ban could still see it clearly—the way Rin had accepted the tomato he'd tossed earlier, not letting it fall to the ground, even while under pressure.
That was no coincidence.
"That's the spirit of a farmer's heir…" Ban muttered to himself, already imagining raising this kid into a proper successor.
The thought brought a wide, satisfied smile to his face.
But the smile faded in an instant. His ears twitched. Something… was wrong.
'A vegetable thief?'
Without hesitation, Ban dashed toward the source of the disturbance.
