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“This–”

Not letting Jonon interrupt, Oli added, “Also, that bandit leader used the battle art Revolving Frost when we fought.”

All three of the men were speechless hearing that. They didn’t know what to think of such a claim.

“That leader was found beheaded so I bothered to store that as well. Would you like to see his face to verify his identity?”

“Yes!” Jonon stated loudly, more serious than ever. “If a student dared lash out against us, then he’s lucky to have only paid the price of betrayal with his death.”

The moment Oli retrieved the severed head wrapped in cloth, both Jonon and Hurman appeared to be stumped. Oli removed the broken mask but it didn’t seem to change anything. “From your expressions, I take it you don’t recognize him?”

.....

“No, I’ve never taught this man in my life,” affirmed Jonon. “I don’t forget faces, even if I may forget a few names. I’m confident that he’s never set foot in any of my classes.”

Hurman added, “And I’ve never seen him within the property either. I make it a point to greet each student taking advanced courses at least once, yet I’ve never seen this man’s face before.”

“Hmm... Is there a chance that he acquired such a skill from outside of your family?” Keldon questioned out loud.

“Impossible.”

“Don’t shake your head so quickly, Hurman. You didn’t know about your true debts until I did some digging for you,” commented Keldon. “If Mertin’s been doing business without telling you, why wouldn’t he be willing to trade a battle art for some extra coin?”

“Keldon... I understand that you’re trying to deduce a cause but I’d prefer that you don’t blame my son without proof.”

“I’m not finished with the report just yet,” Oli continued, grabbing their attention again. “Later on the third day, we had a run-in with two masked merchants on horseback claiming to be with the Libarn Guild.”

“What?!” Jonon shouted.

Oli nodded and stated, “Their timing was too much of a coincidence while their target was clearly to leave us with no lilies, either through paying more than market value or through sheer force.

“Luckily, my fight with a merchant was interrupted by the beast likely responsible for the massacre of those bandits. Both parties went their separate ways as the beast chased after us, eventually leaving us alone after I gave up a few months of dried rations to satiate its appetite.”

“... Anything else?” Huramn asked, patiently waiting for a chance to divulge deeper in what had been mentioned.

Shaking his head, Oli replied, “No. That day and the next were spent running to the open fields, resting for a few hours, and hurrying back to the city gate as quickly as possible.”

Jonon sighed, “Hm... I don’t want to believe that someone aside from my students used Revolving Frost but that sword alone proves that it’s a likely possibility. Another question would be how that bandit had such a sword.”

“Mertin had access to the storage, didn’t he?”

“Keldon–”

“I’m just hypothesizing. We need to examine the possibilities, which include Mertin’s already proven record of deception to likely run deeper than expected.”

“Keldon may be right,” Oli mentioned. “Unless you can think of something else, I believe Mertin’s involvement would explain everything. And the fact that he’s fled the property with his family only adds to suspicion. Why else would he leave so hastily if it weren’t for him wanting to escape while he had the chance?”

“That... I’d rather not believe that my own son sold out the family...”

“But he did, didn’t he?” Oli reasoned, “I thought you mentioned him taking on more debt than he had reported, leaving the family with an unexplained loan with likely no recorded expenses for such money. If that’s the case, then Mertin has legitimately sold the Practor Family’s reputation while likely pocketing the money.”

Keldon continued Oli’s train of thought, “Escaping before embezzlement could be proven is a common tactic among business, something that I’ve seen many try in the past. And given how your debt is to the Libarn Guild, doesn’t Oliver’s story add to the validity of my theories against Mertin?”

“Father, I think it’s not wrong to consider such a thing.”

“Jonon... You think–”

“Yes...” Jonon replied with a solemn nod. “Mertin knows Revolving Frost and has access to our storage. There’s a chance that he’s been teaching his own students for extra coin without sharing profits with the family, at the very least.”

“I suppose you’re right... But where did I go wrong?” Hurman mumbled loudly.

Oli responded, “No one’s perfect, but I personally wonder if it may run deeper than you’re admitting. If Mertin has been putting the family in debt to the Libarn Guild, that would explain why the masked merchants were so insistent on us returning without a single lily. Gaining those lilies is a great boost to your family income for the short-term, which is likely something the Libarn Guild wouldn’t want as your debt collector. What would you lose if you can’t pay off your loans?”

Sighing, Hurman paused. He struggled to admit the truth to the others and himself. “We... There’s a chance that we lose the property due to the great debt that Mertin’s forced us into.”

“Then why are you defending him?!” shouted Jonon, the most surprised of everyone. “You knew that yet you’re still keeping us from mentioning him in a bad light? What’s happened to you, Father? Since when have you not been using your head?!”

Hurman accepted Jonon’s harsh words with a sad smile. “I know... It’s something I must accept, no matter how badly I want to deny it... Sadly, while I wished for there to be a way to return to how things were in the past, I now believe it’s too late. Mertin fleeing was the first sign of that.”