Dear Broom Knight.

Chapter 917 Encounter in the Earth Labyrinth

In families like this, fairness is indeed very important.

Resources are distributed equally, parents work hard to earn money, and there's not much for siblings to fight over—it's just a limited amount of resources.

Even with just one serving per person, it's barely enough to make ends meet.

But for capable children, it is also really tough.

She can't blame anyone, after all, her parents didn't show favoritism or neglect her. Compared to children from ordinary families, she is truly much happier.

But those endings that were just a hair's breadth apart are truly frustrating and...

In the end, she could only console herself that her abilities were not strong enough to escape the influence of her family background and directly reach the top.

Although they all know very well that the family one is born into is part of one's talent.

The resources, divided equally into five parts, should at least allow the two children to reach a higher level.

The Austin children, after all, grew up in love. Even if they had some unspeakable regrets, they wouldn't have made bad choices.

However, some children clearly still wanted to fulfill their regrets and tried to move up in the social circle when choosing a spouse.

In any case, all five children have the talent to become knights, which is enough to ensure that the Austin bloodline is welcomed by some nobles.

Especially those aristocratic families where only one son has been born for generations, and each generation is in a precarious situation.

Among these nobles, the Marquis Edwards was not actually the one with the best conditions.

After all, when Brutus came of age, the Marquis of Edwards had only just begun to establish a portion of the trade routes, and even he himself didn't know if they would have a good outcome!
It's not easy to marry the most talented daughter of the Austin family, even if she's just an earl.

It was Alia who chose Edwards herself.

She saw in the Edwards family’s sincere marriage proposal a path that neither she nor her family had ever considered.

Compared to those nobles who already had chambers of commerce and fixed assets, the Edwards family, who were rebuilding these things, could teach her a lot.

The truth that it's better to rely on yourself than on others is a profound realization she has gained over the years.

After all, talent is something that sometimes doesn't go as planned.

The most talented people don't need to consider any other conditions; they can just go straight for the top.

Although the Northern Kingdom has many dark sides, its army is indeed a contest of talent. There's no need to worry about those whose pure talent surpasses those with various external 'talent' bonuses and suffer misfortune.

Therefore, even children who are descendants of nobles but not heirs, or whose families are not wealthy, will most likely take a stint in the military if possible.

Even those who were eventually eliminated but managed to reach the mid-level officer rank before leaving were not weaklings.

Among these people, Aliya was the best. Even her servants were full of energy and spirit. They were not the kind of people who looked down on themselves or even their peers just because they were considered inferior.

Otherwise, the Marquis Edwards wouldn't have specifically mentioned having Aria's servants go through the labyrinth.

Some people, if given a chance, will only harm them.

Of course, Alia is not without her flaws. Growing up in a family like hers, although her siblings each had their own grievances, unless they were born bad, they would all value their parents and siblings very much.

She would definitely bring her family along whenever she had the chance.

However, if all five children had this kind of temperament, it wouldn't be considered a major flaw.

It's not that there aren't any selfish ones, but they've been used to fair distribution since they were little. If anyone dares to give even a little less, the other four will definitely rush over and beat them up.

After all, everyone does it this way, so why shouldn't you?
So, it's alright.

For example, the reason Brutus dared to let the young Padric lead the caravan to the North was because his aunt and uncle were exactly at the two points in between.

A small caravan, traveling thousands of kilometers, can almost guarantee unimpeded passage by finding two absolutely safe resting places besides its starting and ending points.

Therefore, the Marquis of Edwards had no doubt that Alia said no one could leave without permission.

That child must have tested the waters many times.

She would definitely want to send a message to someone far away.

But this child will certainly not overlook Edwards' territory.

That'll do.

Anyway, he didn't think anyone in his family would benefit the most.

After all… Marquis Edwards couldn’t help but glance back at the hall… It seems that most geniuses are not raised in happy little families.
-
The mature gentlemen and ladies were testing each other, even holding each other back. Even if they were sure that the underground maze was not dangerous enough to endanger their lives, they did not want to go in first, but they also did not want their rivals to go in before them.

But the young people didn't have so many frivolous thoughts; they gathered in groups of three or five and stood in front of the moonlight tapestry.

At first, everyone was a little hesitant.

After all, although they knew the tapestry was the entrance, they also knew that there was a thick wall behind it.

But soon a fully armed knight bravely charged at the Moonlight Tapestry, shield in hand. Amid gasps of alarm, the knight charged straight into the moonlight on the wall.

Accompanying the few figures charging forward was a chorus of exclamations.

After that, the children, calling their friends, happily ran together towards the moonlight on the wall.
-
Gloria didn't like the bright moonlight, so she instinctively walked into the moonlit field.

She actually wanted to be like some happy little knights, rushing towards that invisible wind that stirred the treetops, but unfortunately, she didn't want to attract too much attention.

As the eldest daughter of the Austin family with mediocre talent, Gloria had to seek help from her aunt after she came of age.

Her father, because of some shadows in the past, had a somewhat... strange attitude towards his children.

Although they will provide money and resources, that's about all they'll offer.

Moreover, there was only Gloria and her younger brother, who was ten years younger than her, at home.

If Gloria hadn't been so talented, barely able to become a knight, her brother probably wouldn't have even had the chance to be born.

Although Gloria lost the opportunity to become Earl Austin because of her brother's appearance, she didn't feel regretful at all.

Spending your whole life with a father who has a strange temper and a long lifespan... that would be too painful.

Moreover, her beloved grandparents clearly have several decades left to live!
Then there's her mother, who was somewhat irritable because she came to the house drawn by the Austen family tradition but ended up marrying the most narrow-minded man in the family.

My father is not the kind of person who would betray his family.

But he couldn't provide any family warmth either.

Love that's forced out only makes people feel numb all over.

Even though she didn't qualify for the King's Army, Gloria still chose to leave home and live her own life... The Austin family would provide her with basic necessities until she got married, and they wouldn't have any complaints about her rebellion.

After all, the family rules were set by the grandparents.

Although life outside wasn't easy, Gloria, who had no worries about food or clothing, didn't feel particularly miserable.

Until we arrived at my aunt's house.

The Edwards family, somehow, became wealthy.

It even got involved with the new king.

Gloria did come to watch the king's coronation, but she never expected that her relative would suddenly become such an important person.

But outsiders wouldn't notice.

After all, she is the daughter of an earl, and they are related by marriage. How could she not know such an important matter?
Those whispers bothered her more than the past ten years combined.

In particular, when Patrick was around the same age as her, and although he had someone he was pursuing, he was not yet officially married, an unmarried Miss Austen could indeed evoke some unpleasant associations.

So, although she longed to ride the wind, Gloria, after confirming that she had seen Patrick take that path, opted instead for the fields.

In short, as long as it's not moonlight, that's fine.

Then she regretted it.

Falling, falling endlessly... Does choosing the fields mean falling off a cliff?
What could it be that runs towards the wind?
A sudden hurricane strike?

Frustrated and confused, Gloria struggled to pull her little tent out of her pocket and held onto the two corners of the tent tightly... She had to at least leave her aunt with a complete body.

Don't let her think she got some benefits and left without saying goodbye.

It lands so lightly, it must be either a ghost or a cat.

Gloria, realizing she had done something futile, mocked herself.

“That’s not necessarily true. You don’t seem to like birds very much!” A clear voice rang out behind her.

Gloria then realized that she had actually spoken aloud.

Perhaps it's because this place is eerily quiet and empty... No, Gloria! The most important question now is, where did this strange gentleman come from?
She had been keeping her eyes fixed on the ground, making sure she was fully prepared for her return to the earth!

There was indeed no one here back then!

She suddenly remembered what she had just blurted out and involuntarily took a few steps back.

"How interesting. This is the first time I've seen someone so convinced of the existence of ghosts!" A sharp-eyed man, showing absolutely no mercy to the lady, said with a smile. "Wouldn't a normal person guess I'm a sorcerer?"

"Perhaps it's because I've never seen such a powerful mage before?" Gloria pondered for two seconds and decided to assume that the person opposite her was an archmage. "The ones I usually see are guys whose fireballs emit black smoke when they're cast in a row."

"That's quite interesting," the man said cautiously. "Did you learn the Fireball spell on your own before the teacher even started teaching you?"

He was extremely tall. Even Gloria, who was naturally tall and stood at 1.82 meters, had to look up when she saw him up close... He must have been at least two meters tall.

Moreover, although their bodies were not as robust as those of the knights, they were still quite intimidating, even when wrapped in a wide black mage's robe.

(End of this chapter)