“Uncle, why did we leave that big sister behind?” Fiona asked, puzzled and looking up.
“Because, the big sister is too proud. This time, I’ll grind away her pride. Whether I can do that or not, we’ll see,” replied Robin, holding Fiona’s chubby little hand as they walked away.
Left behind were Lacey Willis and Nick.
“Mister, don’t you think you’re being a bit too confident? Although you just defeated me, I wasn’t actually being very serious,” Lacey Willis said, looking at Nick, who was dressed like a construction worker and limping. She found it hard to take him seriously.
Despite having been caught by this middle-aged man earlier, her pride wasn’t hurt too much. She simply hadn’t paid enough attention. After all, she was Stillwater’s toughest police officer and the champion in the martial arts competition. Dealing with this middle-aged man should be a piece of cake.
“You’re just a little girl,” Nick shook his head. Such a girl was not worth his time to teach, so he turned and began to walk away.
“Don’t you dare leave!” Lacey Willis became unhappy when she saw Nick leaving. Why did everyone seem to look down on her? She had trained hard to develop her skills, and she wouldn’t accept defeat so easily.
Immediately, she rushed forward, determined to subdue Nick and prove her strength. “Come back!” she cried, reaching out to grab Nick’s collar. But in the next moment, she found that Nick had shifted his position slightly, and she missed. Her face changed, and she threw a sweeping kick, but once again, she missed.
At first glance, it seemed Nick hadn’t even moved, but she had missed twice.
“I don’t believe it,” said Lacey Willis, unable to accept that she had missed. In the next moment, she moved forward again and unleashed a series of military boxing moves. This was a compulsory course in school and what she had got her best grades from. In the past, she had used it to defeat dozens of opponents. None of them had been a match for her.
She refused to believe that she couldn’t subdue this middle-aged man.
However, after executing her moves, Lacey Willis realized that Nick had easily dodged them. He moved left, then right, and she couldn’t land a single hit. Even his clothes remained untouched.
“You’re too weak. I don’t know why my master wants me to train you,” Nick said without even turning his head. He shook his head and continued walking forward.
“I–” Lacey Willis’s face turned red with embarrassment. Now she knew just how formidable this middle-aged man was. She no longer dared to underestimate him and bowed respectfully. “I’m sorry, I underestimated you.”
Her previous words had come back to slap her in the face. She had assumed he was just a disabled person, but she had been so wrong. She had used all her strength and still couldn’t even touch his clothes.
But for the sake of learning, she would put her pride aside.
“Youth is truly wonderful,” Nick shook his head. “My master has a test for you, and I have a test for you as well. Run around this villa non-stop until tomorrow morning at eight o’clock. That’s sixteen hours. If you can do it, then you’ll be qualified for me to train you.”
“Otherwise, as my master said, you’re not qualified for my training. You can leave.” With that, Nick walked away.
“Yes, sir.” Lacey Willis saluted and started running. Her heart was filled with determination, but sixteen hours of non-stop running was beyond the limits of human endurance. Could she really keep it up?
No.
She had to keep running.
This was the punishment for her previous arrogance. She had clung to her past glories, but now she realized how insignificant they were in Robin’s presence. Even with all her strength, she couldn’t touch even just one of Robin’s subordinates.
Maybe she had been wrong all along.
And so, Lacey Willis began to run. It was only sixteen hours, after all; she had to persevere, to endure, all for the sake of not relying on her father and realizing her own sense of justice. Robin had told her as much – one has to strengthen oneself in order to achieve more.
“General.”
At that moment, Nick hobbled over to Robin. Robin handed Fiona, who he had been holding, to Nick, allowing him to cradle his own child and giving her a gentle squeeze. For fathers, children were meant to be held and cherished – their soft, smooth, and tender skin a delight to touch.
“Finished with the training?”
Robin asked.
“No. I’m having her run for sixteen hours. If she survives that, I’ll take her in.”
“Sixteen hours? You weren’t even that tough back in the day.”
“Survival of the fittest, after all. You wanted me to train her as my disciple, so it couldn’t be too easy. Besides, General, are you planning to have Lacey Willis replace Pann?”
After some hesitation, Nick asked the question. Pann was just Pann London. It was an ordinary name, but he was one of the top ten generals of Eastern Kisia and head of the military punishment department. Though not as skilled in combat as the other great generals, he was one of Robin’s most valued subordinates.
This was because he was in charge of law enforcement. Everyone called him the “Iron-Faced, Merciless Lord London.” It was thanks to Pann London’s iron-fisted rule that Robin was able to gain control of Eastern Kisia’s army of over 300, 000 soldiers in just a few short years.
He was Robin’s trusted confidant.
“Yes.”
Robin nodded as an image of a young man with fair and delicate skin, yet possessing an inherent fierceness from Eastern Kisia, appeared in his eyes.
“In fact, they do share a similarity: they both love to dream.”
Robin smiled. In just a few meetings, he had discovered many similarities between Pann London and Lacey Willis – both pursued justice, fairness, and were filled with passion.
Pann London had met Robin and fulfilled his ambitions. However, this also made him one of the highest bounties on the enemy’s list. During one mission, he had been killed by someone from another nation.
For this, Robin was furious! He mobilized an army of 300, 000 soldiers along with the other nine great generals and four elite corps to completely obliterate that nation. By doing so, he sent a bloody message to the world: Do not touch Primus’s people, or face the consequences.
However, while vengeance had been exacted, Pann London was still gone, and the position of the head of the military punishment department remained vacant.
“Lacey Willis… Your future depends on your own luck. You only have one chance. If you grasp it, there will surely be a place for you in the future.”
As Robin watched Lacey Willis running outside, he murmured softly. Running for sixteen continuous hours was beyond the limits of any human body.
This was the price.
To be taken in as a disciple by a top assassin from the Darkboard was not an honor everyone could have.