They all call me Great Master

Facing Arthur's inquiry, Madam Susan's lips revealed a smile unique to elders.

It was different from the amiable and concerned look she had when she was watching him.

Instead, it carried...

A hint of indulgence.

After noticing the smile, Arthur's toes began to fidget inside his boots.

'No way, right? Not another one?

Good Lord, Grandpa, just how many did you find?'

Arthur was filled with helplessness and couldn't help but grumble inwardly, although on the surface he maintained his etiquette—

"Merlin, take this lady to the Spirit Medium Parlor.

Gawain, pour this lady a cup of clear tea."

Arthur instructed, and then, when he turned to look at the lady, an apologetic expression appeared on his face.

"I'm sorry, my lady.

I've just finished attending a gathering and need to tidy up a bit.

Please wait for a moment."

Arthur spoke thus.

"It's all right, I'll wait for you."

Madam Susan replied with a smile and a nod.

Then, as Merlin led Madam Susan to the Spirit Medium Parlor, Arthur entered the washroom, quickly freshened up, and changed into a set of clean, loose clothing.

By the time Arthur returned to his Spirit Medium Parlor, Madam Susan was standing there, surveying the surroundings of the parlor with a nostalgic look in her eyes.

'Could it be?

Has this lady been here before?

Was Grandpa really so daring?'

These were the guesses in Arthur's mind.

As if sensing Arthur's speculations, Madam Susan smiled and waved her hand.

"This is my first time here, but the arrangement here is similar to what it was when I first met Charlie—at that time, it was in the countryside of Yan Fort.

My family and I were living there temporarily to escape the war.

When I arrived, your grandfather was transforming an abandoned Hunter's cabin. After demolishing the original building, he chopped wood, made charcoal, constructed load-bearing columns, built a weatherproof canopy over the roof, and covered it with thick moss. I secretly observed him for more than two months.

I was stunned by Charlie's hands-on abilities.

At the same time, the frantic me, watching Charlie build the wilderness cabin, involuntarily felt at ease, as if a strange pressure had been lifted.

Then one day, there was a sudden downpour, and I was soaked before I could react.

Charlie kindly invited me into the cabin to take shelter from the rain, served me some delicious tea, and his own baked biscuits. He even made umbrellas out of bamboo..."

Watching the lady in the study, lost in her memories, Arthur really wanted to say to her:

Is it possible that my grandpa was actually after you?

If he left out the parts of the lady's story that were embellished, what Arthur had roughly reconstructed was: Charlie, wandering around Yan Fort, took a fancy to this lady and then succeeded in attracting her!

'Grandpa, you're really something else!'

Although he had never seen this lady in her younger days, based on the occasional display of poise from the current Madam Susan, Arthur was certain that she must have been naive, serene, and gentle back then.

And Old Charlie?

Absolutely a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Charlie was truly a good man."

The lady gave her sincere evaluation.

Arthur: ...

'Yeah, right, right! Every woman who has had contact with my grandpa says the same thing!

So what if he's handsome, witty, has some knowledge of modern medicine and potions, can distill concentrated sulfuric acid, mix gunpowder, make firearms, lead bullets, machinery, knows a bit about gardening, painting, astrology, tailoring, small crafts, is skilled in some combat, swordsmanship, horsemanship, archery, occasionally cooks, and isn't short on cash?

What's so great about that?'

Arthur began to rant inwardly.

It's not envy.

Certainly not jealousy.

And definitely not sour grapes.

Absolutely not!

"Yes, my grandpa was a good man."

Arthur agreed with the lady's words with a nod.

However, afterward, Arthur saw the lady, who although should be of an advanced age still looked quite youthful, squint her eyes slightly.

"Yes, he was a good man, he was kind to everyone,"

"My cousin, having only met Charlie once, never forgot to ask me about him until her dying day—even though she already had five children, she still looked forward to having dinner with Charlie."

"Then, the lady from Yan Fort directly sold her entire family estate to fund Charlie's travels, becoming the laughing stock of our social circle at the time."

Arthur could see that as the lady spoke those words, her fists clenched tight.

Clearly, the lady's mood was not so wonderful.

At this time, keeping silent was a wise choice.

However, Arthur couldn't help but say,

"The lady from Yan Fort must be an object of envy now!"

Arthur's tone was very certain.

Ever since he knew that Charlie could break his own legs, crawl up to Baron Novita's daughter's balcony, and crawl into her bedroom, Arthur had a rough understanding of what kind of man his grandfather was.

Perhaps most of the time, not too reliable.

But when it came to the ladies, he was quite persistent.

Simply put...

Such a scoundrel, to each lady, it was true love.

How could he let his true love become a mockery?

Madam Susan looked at Arthur in surprise.

The lady was somewhat taken aback by Arthur's confidence in his grandfather's actions, as she knew Old Charlie never mentioned his 'great accomplishments' to his family.

'Family trust, huh?'

The lady thought to herself and then did not deny it.

"Yes, Charlie gave the gold mine he discovered during his travels to that woman from Yan Fort, making the woman, who only had a modest fortune, become the wealthiest woman in Yan Fort. All those who laughed at her now grovel before her, and she even acquired noble status, enjoying unlimited glory,"

As she spoke, a hint of envy emerged in Madam Susan's eyes.

And Arthur?

On the surface, all was calm, as if light clouds breezed across the sky.

Internally, however, there was a storm raging.

'What? A gold mine!

Handing out gold mines to woo women?!

Grandfather, you really went all out wooing them!

That's a gold mine!

Not a pebble on the roadside!

How could you bear to part with it?

Do you know what position our family would be in if we owned such a gold mine?

An opening hand in Mahjong!'

The more agitated he became inside, the calmer Arthur's expression grew, to the point where even a smile appeared on the lips of the young 'Spirit Medium'.

This greatly surprised Madam Susan.

Before, the lady had believed that aside from Old Charlie, nobody could remain indifferent to a gold mine.

Even now, the world only knew that the lady from Yan Fort had discovered the gold mine herself, completely unaware of Old Charlie's existence—as always, Old Charlie had not said much about it and was willing to be the butt of the joke for that woman's 'generosity and kindness.'

At the time, she had more than once felt indignant on behalf of Old Charlie.

She had also questioned the lady on how she could be so content?

'I am willing to exchange all that I have now for Charlie to stay by my side.'

That one sentence from the lady left her speechless.

But she, still felt a bit 'upset.'

So when the lady shared such secret news, it was also to 'vent her anger,' hoping to see Arthur's shocked and surprised expression and to dispel that little bit of resentment.

If Arthur were to get annoyed, that would be even better.

Unfortunately, the lady miscalculated.

Arthur showed no shock, no surprise, and certainly no annoyance but smiled indifferently instead.

Seeing this indifferent smile, an illusion seemed to appear before the lady's eyes, as the silhouette of a certain old scoundrel overlapped with that of the young man in front of her, that voice echoing again in her ears—

'The encounter in the stormy rain made me believe in destiny once more, because you are the greatest gift it has given me.'

'I now believe you are destiny's punishment for me, for we have not parted yet, but it already has me missing you constantly.'

Images of the time before and after the storm flashed through her mind, and Madam Susan's face reddened slightly.

Any small residue of resentment naturally disappeared without a trace.

The lady shook her head slightly, adjusting her emotions, and looked at Arthur seriously, formally saying—

"Arthur, hello!

I am Susan, you can call me Madam Susan... Madam."

"Alright, Grandma Susan."