Chapter 34: Alex’s Gamble "Child, are you hungry? Come. Have lunch with us." "Hey! Would you like to try our local drink? It’s called Poncana." "Hey, handsome~ How about you spend some fun time with us sisters? We’ll make sure you don’t regret it." "Big brother, you’re so cool!" "Here, I picked up some excess bananas. It’s good for your health, you know? Have some." Alex blinked once, then twice, as he took the bananas offered to him by the granny he happened to pass along on the streets. It was not only her. The entire village seemed to want to get to know him better. Some even invited him to eat with them. Overwhelmed by the good graces of the villagers, Alex accepted what he could and politely declined what he couldn’t. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Alex finally reached the staircase that served as the Trial of the Hartwell Clan. "Dim Dim, do you know what is happening?" Alex asked. "Dim." Dim Dim shook its head. Just like Alex, the little one was also surprised to see everyone suddenly treating the young man exceptionally well. Even those who had initially wished to challenge him for the position of Cairo’s disciple had changed their minds and were now trying to befriend him. "You’re back, Master Alex," Roselia said in a respectful tone. "The Young Master asked me to take you to see him." "Um?" Alex tilted his head in confusion. "But I still haven’t cleared the Trial of the Hartwell Clan. How can I see him?" Alex was treating the trial as a special training course where he could farm stat points without too much effort. There was no way he would give up such a sweet deal since all he needed to do was to take two to three steps further in order to gain some stat points. "You’re right, Master Alex." Roselia nodded. "This is why I have come to give you this bracelet. Anyone who wears it will be exempted from the trial and can have an audience with the Patriarch of the Hartwell Clan." "No thanks," Alex replied in a heartbeat. "I’ll pass." "... Huh?" Roselia, who was about to hand over the bracelet to the young man, paused because she thought she had misheard him. "Sir Alex, did you just say that you’ll pass up the opportunity to wear this bracelet and get exempted from the trial?" "Yep." Alex nodded. "As my master’s disciple, how can I possibly cheat on something like this? I want to gain the qualifications to meet the Patriarch of the Hartwell Clan fair and square. I have no intention of taking the easy way out!" The young man’s face was filled with righteousness, but he was starting to feel anxious deep inside. According to his estimation, he could farm thirty to fifty stat points if he cleared the trial normally, which would be a big boon to his stats. How could he possibly give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? ’Meet the Patriarch of the Hartwell Clan? No thanks! No one is taking away these stat points from me!’ Roselia, who had no idea that Alex only wished to farm stat points, looked at the young man with admiration. ’Instead of taking the easy way out, he chose to challenge the trial fair and square...’ Roselia thought admiringly. ’It seems that I have underestimated the Young Master’s disciple. Maybe I shouldn’t have looked down on him when he first arrived.’ Cairo and Ramza, who also heard Alex’s declaration, were moved. "You got a good disciple," Ramza said. Cairo only smiled at his grandfather’s praise, but, deep inside, he was also touched to hear that his disciple wished to take this challenge as a man. Unfortunately for Alex, the one who really wanted to meet him was not Cairo but Ramza himself. "Bring him here kicking and screaming if you have to," Ramza ordered to no one in particular. "Yes, Sir!" Several shadows moved from the corner of the room and vanished from sight. Just as Roselia was about to ask Alex to reconsider, she heard a voice inside her head, which made her stop whatever she was going to do next. "I’m sorry, Sir Alex," Roselia bowed apologetically, "but the Master’s words are absolute." Alex suddenly had a bad premonition, making him take a guarded stance. "Dim Dim!" The young man hurriedly turned to look behind him because Dim Dim had warned him that someone was there. The first figure he saw was someone wearing a skin-tight, black Ninja outfit. Before Alex could even do anything, the Ninja lightly touched his chin, making him feel as if he had lost control over his body. Alex staggered as his knees gave way and fell face-first on the ground. At least, that was what was supposed to happen. However, instead of hitting the ground, his face hit something soft instead. "Oh my~ I guess you’re one of those aggressive types, huh?" the Ninja lady said with some amusement while patting the young man’s head, which was currently planted on her chest. "W-Why?" Alex asked. "Why?" she giggled. "It’s because the Master wishes for it, that’s why. Roselia, the bracelet." For a brief moment, the maid hesitated, but since this was the Patriarch’s wish, she decided to obey. But just as she was about to put the bracelet on the young man’s wrist. Alex gritted his teeth and forced himself to say something first. "Wait!" he shouted. "Dim Dim!" echoed Dim Dim, who was glaring at the Ninja and the maid as well. "I’m sorry, Sir Alex," Roselia replied. "This is the will of the Patriarch." Two other Ninjas appeared beside Roselia, ensuring that Alex wouldn’t be able to escape no matter what. Although they thought that the cute little creature perched on Alex’s head was harmless, they didn’t want to take any chances. The moment Dim Dim showed any signs of resistance, they would also neutralize it. "Let me say something first!" Alex pleaded. "If you agree, I will comply and will no longer resist!" He knew that he only had a small window of opportunity, so he decided to bet everything on the next words that he was about to say. Roselia paused before glancing at the Ninja who was holding Alex. The Ninja just shrugged to indicate that she didn’t mind waiting for the young man to finish whatever he wanted to say. "A-At least, carry me over the stairs without wearing that bracelet," Alex insisted. "I want to do it right." The Ninjas glanced at each other and gave the young man a thumbs-up in their hearts. "I will allow it." A voice filled with authority descended upon the group, which made Roselia pull back her hand that was holding the bracelet. "Well, then. Time to go, sweetheart." The Ninja lady giggled before carrying the young man like a princess. She then sprinted up the staircase, flanked by the two Ninjas who served as escorts. Roselia also sprinted up the stairs, following them with ease despite wearing a maid’s clothes with a long skirt. When the Ninja reached the halfway mark, she felt Alex’s body getting heavier. This meant that the trial was still active on the young man, who was being subjected to this immense pressure. However, the Ninja only smiled faintly as if this wasn’t a big deal to her. Her speed slowed down a bit as she continued to run up the rest of the stairs, but she didn’t stop running. [Constitution +1] [Strength +1] [Dexterity +1] [Agility +1] [Intelligence +1] [Constitution +...] Alex looked at the blue window screen in front of him and was doing a fist pump internally. The consecutive notification sounds inside his head were like music to his ears. Just as he expected, he was able to gain the stat points because the effect of the trial was still active on him. If he had worn the bracelet, he would have no longer needed to do the trial. The bonus stat points would’ve been gone as well. Due to how happy he was, Alex had the strong urge to give the Ninja carrying him a kiss. This had been the fastest way he gained stat points ever since he arrived in Arcana. When they finally reached the top of the staircase, Alex was laughing giddily inside his heart because he had managed to get thirty-five stat points in less than a minute.