Even as he made his way to his own courtyard, Harold was still thinking about what had happened to him three years ago. Three years—neither long nor short—felt so distant to him. The wild and reckless days of three years past seemed to linger in his heart. Wasn’t it just a few more women, a few more drunken nights, a bit of drunken madness? What was the big deal? This thought suddenly popped into his mind, and even Harold himself was surprised by it. Though he said this, the consequences were real enough. If not for those... he wouldn’t have been forced to leave his home and wander in exile.

Shaking his head, he thought of his two troublemaking friends. Harold felt as if he had become the same wild and unrestrained second son of the Lei Se family he was three years ago. A faint, sly smile slowly crept onto his lips.

The burly, horse-faced young man and the pale, thin man formed a stark contrast. But when they saw Harold appear at the doorway, both couldn’t help but show complex expressions—a mix of pain, humiliation, anger, and memories. The three exchanged glances, as if each understood what the others were thinking. A strange, oppressive silence filled the room.

It was the horse-faced youth who finally rushed forward and punched Harold in the chest, letting out a loud laugh: “You brat, you finally came back! I thought you’d really been assassinated and left to feed the wolves in the wilderness.”

The pale-faced young man also walked up slowly, putting on a deep, serious look. “It’s good you’re back. It’s good you’re back.”

Seeing his best friend pretending to be all mature and somber, Harold couldn’t help but give him a kick. “If I didn’t come back, did you really think I’d wander outside for the rest of my life? Three years—surely that’s enough to atone for my sins, right? If you keep clinging to the past, don’t blame me, Harold, for being heartless.”

“Heartless? As if you’ve ever been heartless!” The horse-faced youth curled his lip. “If you were heartless, Seprus City would have sunk into the Undersea to meet the Lord of the Underworld by now. But if you were truly a good man, you’d have disappeared from Seprus City long ago, right, Paul?”

“Let’s not talk about such downers. The boss just got back—let’s go have some fun. After three years of hardship and wandering, I bet the boss needs to relax a bit, right?” The pale youth kept his unhurried manner, which made the horse-faced youth beside him fume.

“Yeah, you’re right. The three of us haven’t gathered together in three years. Seprus City has probably forgotten our names by now, huh?” With a sigh of emotion, Harold’s mind grew a bit dazed, as if he’d suddenly returned to those wild days three years ago—reckless and wanton, which ultimately led to disaster. Yet Harold didn’t feel much regret. Acting on impulse was just his nature, and deliberately letting himself go brought his caged heart a fresh thrill. He didn’t want to change himself too much, and the strange experiences of three years in exile had taught him things he could never have learned otherwise—especially meeting his mentor.

“Why did you pick this place?” Looking at the people coming and going around them, Harold frowned in confusion.

“Because this place doesn’t attract attention. If someone recognized the three of us, rumors would be flying everywhere by tomorrow—‘so-and-so three reunited’—and then Elliot and I would have even fewer chances to go out.” With a helpless lick of the sharp-tasting tequila in his glass, the fiery liquor burned like a heavy blaze. A flush rose on the pale youth’s face. He realized that these three years seemed to have changed his friend a lot. The once arrogant and wild Harold seemed to have become a different person—more mature and steady. But occasionally, he could still glimpse that same defiance and challenge from three years ago in those dark eyes.

Chapter Six: Experience

Another awkward silence fell. The three of them just silently raised their glasses and gulped down their drinks, as if trying to numb themselves with alcohol. Staring absentmindedly at the drunken guests coming and going, Harold let a faint smile appear on his face and finally broke the silence: “Alright, let’s stop looking so gloomy. We’re all back now, that’s something to celebrate. What, are we supposed to act like a bunch of women and start bawling? Ridiculous! Let’s talk about what you two have been up to these years.”

The horse-faced youth grinned, his smile uglier than a cry, and spread his hands nonchalantly. “I did better than you two. When I got the exile order, I went to the Mogan Plateau. My dad’s friend is a fortress commander there, so I became an officer and spent two years there. I can’t say much else, but my martial skills have definitely improved.” As he finished, the horse-faced youth proudly puffed out his chest to show off his strong physique.

“The Mogan Plateau? That’s orc paradise. You didn’t get caught by orcs and ransomed off?” Harold joked with a laugh.

“Heh, the more dangerous the place, the safer it is. The first two years, the orcs were pretty well-behaved—no real trouble. But I hear that since I came back this past year, the orcs have started acting up again.” The horse-faced youth put on a look of deep concern for the country.

“Pfft, as if the orcs’ good behavior those two years was all thanks to you.” Harold laughed, teasing him.