"Heh, so my reappearance really made you nervous enough to come see me in person?" Old Jaque said smugly. "Tairon, you came even sooner than I expected."
"No, I'm not here for you," Tairon repeated calmly. "I'm here to meet the Sword Saint."
"Only because you might know him," he added.
"That's the only reason I came to this place."
Old Jaque was stunned.
For a moment, his face burned with shame, as if someone had pointed right at him and told him to stop flattering himself—he was just a supporting character, and the real protagonist was someone else.
"Don't stop me! I'm going to fight him right now!" Old Jaque roared, furious.
"No one's stopping you," Celia, who had been watching the scene with amusement, said softly. "The area's already been cleared. Please, go ahead."
"No. It's not the time yet," Tairon said coolly. "Jaque, I can see your strength has grown significantly, but I can also tell—you're not in peak condition yet."
