How were you able to get her to leave the forest?" Arin asked with trepidation. He knew better than anyone how difficult it was to convince his grandmother to leave the Crimson Forest, as she preferred the peace of nature over dealing with people. Unless something truly important happened, she would simply refuse every invitation without a second thought. That was why he could not imagine what Tilly had said that had actually persuaded her to make the trip.
"Oh, that part was easy. I just told her that the principal was showing the same behavior as that teacher who still clung to those outdated beliefs," Tilly replied with a dangerous smile. It had been quite some time since that cult had survived in any meaningful form, and ever since then her mother and the rest of the family had spent countless hours educating the younger generation about its history. Personally, Tilly had always thought those lessons were unnecessary because she had never once seen women treated as inferior within their family. If anything, it was usually the other way around, as every married man in the Sonnenberg family quietly admitted that his wife was the one truly in charge of the household.
Besides, she had continued to follow what had happened to that cult over the years, and its situation had steadily deteriorated. Its leaders had an unfortunate habit of dying under mysterious circumstances before they could rebuild the organization. Whether it was coincidence or something else, nobody outside the family could say for certain, but the cult never managed to regain its former influence. In Tilly's opinion, that alone was proof that some ideas deserved to disappear forever.
"And she believed that?" Arin asked, clearly unconvinced. In all the years he had known his grandmother, she had never once fallen for an obvious lie. She always seemed capable of seeing through people, no matter how convincing they believed themselves to be. She had even been the only person capable of finding him whenever he hid somewhere in the forest to read in peace or sulk after an argument.
"No, of course she didn't," Tilly answered, letting out a cheerful laugh as she remembered the lecture she had received afterward. The moment Grandma realized Tilly had exaggerated the situation, she immediately scolded her for trying to deceive an elder. The lecture had lasted nearly half an hour and covered everything from honesty to family responsibility. Looking back, Tilly could only laugh at herself for thinking she could fool someone with decades more experience than her.
That seems about right, Arin thought with an inward sigh. He had expected nothing less from the woman who practically ruled the entire family through nothing more than experience and common sense. If anyone could detect a lie after hearing only a single sentence, it was Grandma Annemiek. Rather than interrupting again, he patiently waited for Tilly to explain what had actually convinced her to leave the forest.
"But she was interested in finding out what kind of blind fool had become the principal of the school that all of us children are forced to attend," Tilly continued with a grin. That remark alone had apparently been enough to spark Grandma's curiosity. Rather than believing Tilly's exaggeration, she had simply decided to verify the situation herself. Considering how protective she was of the younger members of the family, that reaction made perfect sense.
"That is true," Arin admitted with a nod. "I suppose you weren't the only student he had problems with?" The compulsory education laws were still in effect, meaning every child aged sixteen or younger had to attend school regardless of their background. Since the Sonnenberg family had plenty of children attending school, it was difficult to imagine that only Tilly had become one of the principal's targets.
"You're right," Tilly answered. "Most of them simply ignore the combat instructors during practical lessons. If they're quick enough, the teachers never notice they're using our family's techniques instead of the official ones. Even the younger children have already learned how to hide it." She spoke so casually that it almost sounded as though secretly disobeying the instructors had become a perfectly normal part of school life.
"But none of that really matters," she continued with a shrug. "Grandma left the forest because the principal openly disrespected our family. I asked my mentor, Teacher Miss Hoover, to speak with him first and politely ask why he was making things so difficult. She even hinted that he should think carefully about who he was dealing with before causing unnecessary trouble." Tilly smiled innocently, although Arin could already imagine that conversation had been far less polite than she made it sound.
"Oh, I remember Miss Hoover," Arin said with a nostalgic smile. "She taught me economics when I was still attending school. Wasn't she happily married and living comfortably in the city? Why did she volunteer to teach out here instead?" His curiosity shifted away from the principal for a moment, as he had always respected the calm and capable teacher who rarely lost her composure. Considering how comfortable her previous life had been, he found it surprising that she had willingly moved to a developing town on the edge of the Crimson Forest.
As for worrying about the principal because he had disrespected their family, please, Grandma had already gone to solve the problem. If the principal was not already dead, he probably wished he were by now, Arin thought with an inward shiver. He had seen more than enough examples over the years to know that when Grandma Lilly personally involved herself in a matter, the person on the receiving end rarely enjoyed the experience. There was a reason everyone in the family treated her words as absolute.
"The salary was better," Tilly explained with a shrug when Arin asked why Miss Hoover had accepted a teaching position there. "Besides, she and her children all have a strong affinity for the water attribute, so living in the town near the water-aligned filtering circle suited their cultivation much better." It was a practical decision rather than an emotional one, as many families had begun relocating according to the elemental alignment of the mana filtering circles. Since cultivation had become part of everyday life, choosing where to live based on mana affinity had become just as important as choosing a good career.
"But when Miss Hoover came back, she told us something that both surprised me and somehow didn't surprise me at all," Tilly continued with a helpless sigh. "The principal told her that she had nothing to worry about because, while our family might have influence around here, his father only answered directly to the European Union. According to him, if our family caused trouble, his father would simply wipe us out." She stared ahead with a look that suggested she had never encountered someone so unbelievably arrogant in her entire life.
To be honest, Arin had never encountered anyone like that either. His mouth hung slightly open as he tried to process what he had just heard. The sheer confidence required to threaten the Sonnenberg family after everything that had happened over the last few years bordered on insanity. Either the man was incredibly brave, or he was spectacularly uninformed.
"No... but I suppose he knows now that we possess a mana vein and managed to protect it all this time, right?" Arin finally asked, still sounding more bewildered than amused. The existence of a privately controlled mana vein had fundamentally changed the balance of power, making the Sonnenbergs far more influential than before. Anyone who still judged them by the standards of the old world was living years behind reality. "So what happened to him and his father?" Arin asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
"The principal had his qualifications revoked at the request of the town's mayor," Tilly answered with a satisfied smile. "After that, Grandma simply sent an email to the Great House in Spain, which currently oversees the European police organization, requesting that they investigate his father for corruption." Judging by the smile Grandma wore when she returned, the investigation had apparently uncovered far more than anyone expected. Tilly almost felt sorry for them, although not quite enough to actually sympathize with either of them.
"As for everything else I learned at school, not much has changed since your time," Tilly continued as they resumed their leisurely walk toward the central mansion. "The only real difference is that physical education has been replaced with combat training. Every other subject is almost identical to the old curriculum." She let out an exaggerated sigh before shaking her head in annoyance.
"Personally, I think we should have kept everything online," she complained. "Then I wouldn't have to travel into town five days every week and could stay inside the Crimson Forest to cultivate properly." She puffed out her cheeks in frustration, making Arin chuckle despite himself. Compared to the peaceful atmosphere of the forest, the town felt noisy, crowded, and far less suited to training.
The town itself had changed beyond recognition during the last three years. What had once been nothing more than a modest pier and a handful of wooden buildings constructed by the family had grown into a bustling settlement. Despite standing in the middle of nowhere, it occupied the perfect location between two major cities, allowing merchant ships to stop there and replenish their supplies before continuing their journeys. The strategic location alone had transformed it into an important trading hub.
The Sonnenberg family also contributed heavily to that prosperity. Their workshops produced large numbers of high-quality bows that were sold throughout the region, attracting merchants and adventurers alike. Every week, caravans arrived to purchase equipment before venturing into the surrounding wilderness. The growing economy meant that new shops and businesses appeared almost every month.
Many adventurers also came because of the enormous swamp surrounding the Crimson Forest. It was a dangerous place filled with hidden hazards that could easily claim the lives of inexperienced explorers. Surprisingly, the greatest dangers were often not the wolves, bears, or other beasts living there, but the terrain itself. One wrong step into deep mud or concealed pools of water was enough to ensure that an unprepared adventurer never returned.
Even so, people continued coming because the profits were simply too attractive to ignore. One of the swamp's most valuable plants was Purple Loosestrife, which grew there in remarkable abundance. The Bingen family possessed a famous medicinal recipe that used the flower to create an effective treatment for severe menstrual pain. Since humanity's rejuvenation had caused many women to experience regular menstrual cycles again after decades without them, demand for the medicine had exploded, making Purple Loosestrife one of the most sought-after medicinal ingredients on the continent.
As a result, experienced gatherers were willing to risk the dangers of the swamp every single day. The rewards were high enough to support an entire family, provided they returned alive with a full harvest. For the Bingen family, it meant enormous profits as they struggled to keep up with demand. For the Sonnenbergs, it meant a steady flow of visitors and commerce through their rapidly expanding town, ensuring that what had once been an isolated settlement was quickly becoming one of the region's busiest centers of trade.