Chapter 26: Discovery

Mayor Bernard had taken his leave, but Myron, seemingly fixated on David, showed no intention of departing. Instead, he began chatting with David, sharing entertaining anecdotes from within Peran City.

Hans, observing from the side, felt a wave of relief seeing David able to converse freely with someone his own age. In the past, it wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted to pave the way for David, but David’s stubbornness and their strained relationship had made any father-son conversations nearly impossible.

While casually exchanging small talk with Myron, David discreetly recalled his Shadow Attendant, allowing it to hover above his head. All the while, his attention remained fixed on Garen. Given Mayor Bernard’s attitude towards Garen, the man’s strength must be formidable; if the Shadow Attendant could escape his notice, then David could be reasonably confident no one else would detect it either.

Once the Shadow Attendant appeared, Garen continued his conversation as before, showing not the slightest reaction. This reassured David.

"Hans, how have you been lately?" A middle-aged man approached Hans, his voice full of concern.

But as soon as David heard that voice, his entire body tensed—it was all too familiar. It belonged to the boss who had spoken to Amos outside the police station that day. There was no chance of a mistake; David had heard that voice through the Shadow Attendant’s peculiar hearing. Once heard, it could never be mistaken.

"David, are you alright?" Myron noticed something amiss in David’s expression and quietly inquired.

"It’s nothing. Who is that man?" Realizing Myron seemed well connected and had just introduced him to several guests, David seized the moment to ask.

"You mean you don’t know him?" Myron looked at David with a strange expression, curiosity piqued.

"If I knew, would I be asking you?" David, impatient for an answer, replied irritably.

"That’s Mr. Sturt, the owner of this hotel," Myron explained, pausing before adding, "He’s also Mrs. Hans’ father."

David’s pupils shrank abruptly. He understood that "Mrs. Hans" didn’t refer to his biological mother, but rather to his current stepmother, Bertha.

He had never imagined that the person orchestrating Amos’s surveillance was Bertha’s own father.

A storm of questions raged in his mind: Did Bertha know about the surveillance? Was this her decision all along? Was his predecessor’s death also orchestrated by Bertha from behind the scenes?

Sturt’s arrival cast everything into even greater uncertainty. The truth felt closer than ever, yet infinitely more complex.

Garen, noticing Sturt’s approach, chose not to engage. Instead, he turned to David, catching the troubled look on the young man’s face, and sighed inwardly. He was well aware of David’s situation, and he knew that Sturt’s identity placed David in an extremely awkward position. Garen gently patted David’s shoulder.

"David, I’m feeling a bit tired. I heard you have a private residence with plenty of spare rooms. I’ll go there to rest—would you show me the way?" Garen had long since lost any desire to stay. He had only attended for the sake of Peran City’s reputation. Now, he seized the moment to speak to David.

"Uncle Garen, you’re always welcome!" David sensed Garen’s misunderstanding but could also hear the concern in his words, so he nodded and smiled.

"I’ll take you both home," Myron volunteered.

"Hans, I’m heading back with David," Garen called, waving at Hans.

Without waiting for a reply, he led David toward the exit.

As Hans turned to watch Garen and David go, a flash of cold malice flickered in Sturt’s eyes, though he did his best to hide it.

Guests at the New Year’s Eve banquet typically stayed until midnight to ring in the New Year, but few among them knew Garen’s true identity, and since David and Myron were both teenagers, their departure didn’t attract much notice.

Stepping out of Sturt Hotel into the cold wind, David’s mind felt suddenly clear. Another enemy had surfaced, but whether Sturt was the mastermind or merely a pawn, David had no way of knowing. He decided not to share this with anyone for the time being.

In truth, without evidence, even if he told Hans, it would accomplish little—only further strain Hans and Bertha’s relationship, with little Edith ultimately suffering the most.

So, he opted to investigate on his own. With his skills in electronic countermeasures, he would uncover the general outline of the matter before deciding on his next move.

Just then, the latest model of the Gladstone Six automobile pulled up in front of them. Myron opened the door for Garen and David to enter before taking the driver’s seat himself and activating the controls.

"Myron, how do you have permission to drive?" David asked, knowing Myron was about his age and also a senior in high school. Yet Myron could operate the car himself.

"Haha! I’ve passed the Pre-Knight Assessment, so my authority level is already at F. Driving a car is no problem!" Myron replied proudly.

Garen only smiled, watching the two young men interact.

"Myron, your strength has reached eight hundred kilograms?" David asked in disbelief.

With only half of their senior year completed, Myron had already reached the eight-hundred-kilogram benchmark, the minimum requirement for entrance to Naan University. Given his family background, the other admission criteria would pose little difficulty.

"I’m already at eight hundred and fifty kilograms. I’m confident I’ll reach nine hundred by graduation. With Uncle Garen’s guidance, getting into Naan University will be a breeze!" Myron boasted.

David looked at Myron with a tinge of envy. If David himself could be called content with modest wealth, then Myron was truly the winner in life.

The Pre-Knight Assessment was not something for the poor. Its sole purpose was to allow minors with no privileges to obtain the minimum F-level adult authority early.

The assessment fee alone was a hundred thousand credits—essentially buying your way into F-level status.

Of course, most people didn’t take the assessment not because of the fee, but because of the strength requirement: eight hundred kilograms. Only a select few could meet such a standard.

Take, for instance, the Gladstone Six they were riding in—its lavish interior made it clear it was a recently purchased luxury car, a world apart from David’s own Gladstone Three, a secondhand vehicle.

Stung by the comparison, David barely spoke for the rest of the ride. The Gladstone Six was swift, and they soon arrived at David’s residence.

"David, do you mind if I stay as well? That way I can benefit from Uncle Garen’s instruction, too!" Myron, whose thick skin knew no bounds, now made an even bolder request as he grew increasingly comfortable addressing Garen as ‘uncle’ alongside David.

"David, let him stay," Garen interjected before David could reply.

"Alright, Myron, you’ll take the guest room on the first floor. Uncle Garen, you can have the side room on the second floor," David agreed, since Garen had already given his consent.

"The first floor guest room it is," Myron muttered, clearly dissatisfied, but he was well aware of Garen’s status and determined to remain for his tutelage no matter what.

"David, get a good rest tonight. We’ll begin at first light tomorrow," Garen said as the smart assistant Emma guided him to his room.

"Understood, Uncle Garen," David replied.

As the host, David couldn’t neglect Myron. While Emma assisted Garen, David personally helped Myron settle in.

"David, I’ve found something we have in common!" Myron said to David with a grin.

"Something in common?" David looked left and right; he saw no similarity between himself and someone like Myron, a genuine rich kid.

Even with his own reserve of four hundred and twenty thousand in cash, plus less than eighty thousand in credits on his ID band, it seemed like a lot. But that four hundred and twenty thousand was dirty money; using it quietly was fine, but any large transaction would quickly draw attention.

"Of course! My smart assistant also uses Emma’s voice!" Myron said, pointing upstairs as if he’d found a kindred spirit.

"Myron, Emma has hundreds of millions of fans. If that’s our only similarity, I could find millions more just like us," David replied, exasperated.

"David, in a couple of months, Emma will be coming to Stone Star and holding a concert in Naan City. We should go together," Myron suggested.

"Myron, I’m just a student—I don’t have permission to leave Peran City," David said. Though he remembered Emma vividly and would love to attend the concert, it simply wasn’t possible.

"I’ll figure something out when the time comes!" Myron promised, patting his chest reassuringly.