Chapter 13 - Wesley's Preparation

The Black Family's study was indeed a treasure trove of knowledge. Thousands of books, all in good condition, were collected here. Wesley was sure that he would spend most of his time in here. After staying in the study for about an hour, Wesley decided to get some sleep.

Of course, since he had given the master bedroom to Lane, he would sleep in one of the smaller rooms. When he reached upstairs, Wesley checked to see if the kids were sleeping well, but he was surprised to find that most of the rooms were empty.

*'Hmm. Could it be that they decided to run away?'*

Wesley thought that maybe the kids were unwilling to serve him, so they had decided to escape when he wasn't looking. However, when Wesley opened the master bedroom door, he saw that all five children were sleeping together, with little Sala in the middle. He realized that it was somewhat thoughtless of him to treat these children like adults and give each of them a separate bedroom.

Wesley left them to their sleep and went into one of the unoccupied rooms. He was really tired. This day had been longer than most. Between the entrance exam, finding and buying a home, and taking in five children, he felt as if he had done enough for an entire week.

*'I really don’t feel like refining tonight. I should just go to sleep.'*

Wesley immediately set his dark sword aside and went to sleep.

Just as Wesley had closed his eyes for almost a second, a knock at the door pulled him out of his slumber.

*'This better be an emergency, or someone might lose their head.'*

"Who is it?"

"Master, it is Lane. You've been asleep for half the day. We were worried."

*'Half the day? I just closed my eyes.'*

Wesley glanced at the window to his left, and seeing the sunlight peering through the shades, he realized that what Lane said was true.

*'Haha, it seems I was more tired than I thought.'*

"Give me a second, Lane."

Wesley immediately got up, changed out of his dark, beggar-like travel clothes, and donned a more comfortable but still dark outfit—pants and a shirt. He then grabbed his dark sword and walked out of the room. Lane was waiting respectfully outside Wesley's room. Wesley was genuinely impressed by this kid's sense of etiquette. He was everything nobles claimed to be.

"Lane, call your siblings and come see me in the study."

"Yes, Master."

Wesley immediately headed downstairs to the study. He wasn’t in a particular hurry, but he still had a few things to take care of before school started the next day. When Wesley reached the study, he picked up a book that had piqued his interest the previous night, titled *[Blackreach City]*, which outlined the city's history, government, and layout. Wesley sat down on one of the numerous chairs around the study and began reading.

A few minutes later, Lane knocked on the door.

"Come in, Lane."

Lane walked in immediately, with the other four sleepily following him.

*'It seems they also slept through most of the day.'*

Wesley was amused by the fact that Lane was the only one who woke up early enough. This kind of diligence even made him feel somewhat embarrassed. However, before Wesley could dwell on his embarrassment, Sala walked off to one side, climbed into one of the seats in the study, and went to sleep. The other four, including Lane, were flabbergasted, but Wesley couldn’t hide his amusement. Lane was about to wake her up when Wesley spoke:

"Lane, let her sleep. I didn’t want her to hear what I need to say anyway."

"Yes, Master." Lane's voice contained a hint of surprise. *What could Wesley want to tell them?*

"Lane, does anyone know about your family's death at the hands of the Shorn Family?"

"Yes, Master. But no one did anything, since the Black Family was simply a minor family without influence or wealth."

"I see. And does anyone know that you five are survivors of the Black Family?"

Lane immediately understood why Wesley was asking these questions.

"No, Master. We were nothing more than street urchins, so no one bothered to look into our background. Also, only Stein and I were old enough to remember what happened two years ago. The other three were simply too young to remember things clearly, especially Sala, who was only one at the time."

*'Good. This means I can proceed without much worry of backlash.'*

"Lane, Stein, Wannel, Lavar. Tonight, I plan on getting you the justice you’ve yearned for. I will wipe out the Shorn Family. However, there is one thing I need to take care of before I can proceed."

Wesley paused for a moment to observe the reactions of the four brothers, gauging whether they understood his words. Lane and Stein, as the oldest, immediately nodded, but Wannel and Lavar simply stared at Wesley with confused looks. Wesley continued speaking:

"If I kill off the entire Shorn Family, and people find out that there are descendants of the Black Family around, it wouldn’t be hard for them to connect the dots. So, what should we do?"

Wesley paused again, this time watching the four brothers more closely. Both Wannel and Lavar seemed to have understood what Wesley was talking about. Wesley nodded in satisfaction and continued:

"There is only one thing we can do. There will no longer be a Black Family. For all intents and purposes, they have all died that night. You siblings are now the Grey Family."

The four brothers knew that what Wesley was saying was true, but they still felt some hesitation deep in their hearts. Giving up one’s family name was no simple matter for nobles. Seeing their hesitation, Wesley spoke again:

"Don’t be so worried. I checked your Black Family’s family tree last night. Your Black Family was originally descended from the Grey Family."

Hearing Wesley's words, the four siblings relaxed slightly. Lane stepped forward and spoke:

"We understand, Master. We are now the Grey Family."

"Good. Now, for less important matters."

Wesley tossed a coin purse toward Lane and spoke:

"There is a thousand gold in that purse. I want you to hire some guards and maids. Just make sure you hire them from the Seventh District. Also, see if you can find some people to renovate the Manor."

Wesley told him to hire from the Seventh District because the people there were the ones who most needed work. He also believed that it would be easier to gain the loyalty of those who saw themselves as delivered from dire straits than those who saw it simply as compensation for their skill.

"Understood, Master. We lived on these streets for years now. It shouldn’t be too hard to find loyal and capable people."

"Good. Also, remember to inform the people you hire that the basement and study are off-limits. Only you five siblings can enter the study, while the basement is still off-limits to you as well. Now go, you have a lot of work to do."

"Yes, Master." They all spoke at the same time and promptly left the study.

Wesley immediately used his Dark Warp to appear at the center of the basement. He then released his Dark Globe and began refining. Refining usually didn’t require this much effort from regular mages, but according to the *[Refining Darkness]* book, if one released their Dark Globe and refined at the same time, their mastery of the Dark Globe would increase while also expanding their mana capacity due to the constant expenditure and collection of mana. This kind of open, expansive space was perfect for practice.