The Seven Demon's Tamer

Chapter 63: Mara Conviction 2



Dr. Hamm's expression nearly didn't shift at all—was he not surprised, or was he just too tired to show surprise?

In truth, he'd been expecting this conversation from the moment he'd heard Ryder's name mentioned in connection with the recent events.

His daughter had never been good at hiding her interests, and he'd noticed her paying more attention in class whenever that particular student was present, despite the boy's apparent dedication to using the classroom as his daydreaming room.

He gestured toward a heap of rubble close to him, inviting her to sit. "This sounds serious."

Mara remained standing, clearly not accepting his invitation to sit. Her refusal was another sign of the change in her—the old Mara would have obediently followed his instruction, ready to abide by whatever pleased him.

This new version looked ready to speak out for herself.

"It is." She took a deep breath, gathering courage to spell it out. "I'm leaving the village to pursue a dream of my own. Tomorrow."

The silence that followed her declaration was absolute, disrupted only by the wind that began to whistle after Mara spoke.

Dr. Hamm's face went through a mixture of surprise and disbelief for a fleeting moment as his gaze remained fixed on his daughter, and finally settled into a resigned sigh that seemed to deflate his entire body.

He'd known this day might come eventually, but he'd always imagined it happening gradually. Not this sudden announcement amid the ruins of their home.

Well, the village had been destroyed; however, he had no intention of leaving it to reside somewhere else, not when he could simply join the villagers to rebuild it.

"With whom?" he asked quietly, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

"Ryder," Mara answered, refusing to break eye contact despite the disapproval that flashed across her father's face the moment the name was mentioned.

At that moment, a constant flowing wind somehow began to course through them, gently waving their hair. "And Leo and Brok. We're joining the Red Eastern guild."

Dr. Hamm's eyebrows shot up at the mention of the guild. The Red Eastern guild was legendary—their members were spoken of in the same breath as heroes, not to forget the fact that it is the fastest rising guild, already making their way to the top 100 in the hierarchy of formidable guilds.

"The boy who can't stay awake in class?" Dr. Hamm's voice rose with each word, as if the words had struck a nerve.

He didn't know who Leo and Brok were, so he ignored their names for now, focusing on the one student who had given him headaches. "The one who sleeps instead of taking notes? The dumb student who asked if 'quantum' was a type of fruit!?"

"That was a joke, Father," Mara defended, slapping her forehead. "He was trying to lighten the mood after you'd been bombarding the class with physics theories for two hours straight."

"Bombarding the class?" Dr. Hamm fired back, his eyes taking on a hint of madness. "I was teaching some essential topics you all would find very important!"

"You were putting half the class to sleep," Mara countered with reason in her voice. "Ryder was just the only one honest enough to admit he was lost."

"A bad choice," Dr. Hamm muttered, more to himself than to her. He stood up from the tiny stool with visible effort, his joints hurting after the long journey he had returned from.

"Mara, you have a bright future ahead of you. The university you applied to complete your studies already approved you with a full scholarship, all thanks to your outstanding intelligence. Why would you throw that away to meddle with... with..."

His fingers fidgeted in frustration, lowering his gaze to the ground, a habit he'd developed during conversations he found absurd. He was unable to find a word suitable for Ryder and his companions that wouldn't be too insulting, but his expression made his thoughts clear enough.

"I'm not throwing away anything I truly want," Mara countered, her voice gaining strength with each word. "I'm choosing a different path.

One that blends with my interest and dream. I want to be someone respected through helping with fist and power as a summoner."

Dr. Hamm stopped fidgeting his fingers abruptly, turning to face her with a piercing gaze. "And what aspirations would those be? Chasing after a boy who has more trouble than sense?"

The accusation stung, in all honesty. Mara couldn't deny that her interest in becoming Ryder's full-fledged friend had influenced her decision, but it wasn't the whole thing.

"Chasing after a boy is the least of my problems," she said firmly, meeting his stare without flinching. "It's about me. About what I want for my life."

"And what is that, exactly?" Dr. Hamm challenged, his gaze staring daggers.

Mara took a moment to properly formulate her response, knowing that her father could not be convinced with poor arguments.

He was, above all else, a scholar who respected logic after all. Emotional appeals alone wouldn't sway him, and poor reasons would only strengthen his belief that she was making a mistake.

"I want to be a valuable asset to the world and our village," she began carefully, choosing her words. "I want to be a figure that would be spoken about with pride, someone who makes a real difference in people's lives."

"You want fame," her father chimed in immediately. He ignored everything else she had to say except what he assumed was the main point of it all.

"I want to live a life of adventure," Mara continued, not minding his interruption. "Not live in this village, suffocating myself with hordes of textbooks and teaching the same lectures year after year to students who don't want to be there."

The words came out harsher than she'd intended, and she saw her father flinch upon hearing them. She immediately regretted the phrasing, but it was too late to take it back.

"Life of adventure," Dr. Hamm repeated slowly, the words sounding foreign and somehow distasteful on his tongue. "Is that what you think life is about? Can you even hear yourself?"

"Are you sure you remember the grade of familiar you contracted?" he continued, his voice rising as exhaustion made his usual composure weaken. "It is a brown mark! The weakest of all classes!"

"Didn't we already agree you would be a professor just like me?" Dr. Hamm pressed on, his voice low but angry. "Do you think I was being selfish with that decision? No, I wasn't! It was for your own good; I was trying to protect you from the cruelty of the outside world!"

"I think I have an idea about the outside world, dad, and you are wrong about something," Mara shook her head firmly, her own voice rising to match his. "We never agreed on what my career path was supposed to be."

"You told me what you wanted me to be without giving me a say in it," she continued, her words gaining momentum. "You were being selfish; you weren't protecting me. I never asked for your protection."

"Be honest with yourself, dad," she pressed on, her voice becoming gentler but no less determined. "Your father was a professor, your grandfather was as well, your great grandfather too, and so on."

It was true, and they both knew it. The Hamm family had been educators for generations, a long line of scholars and teachers stretching for so long it was practically centuries.

"Teaching has been a profession passed down in our family lineage, and you want it to continue no matter what. That is why you chose the path for me, your only daughter," Mara continued.

"You are forcing it on me, and unfortunately, I cannot accept that, but still, I need your approval."

"I never had the courage to voice my dream because I found this dream as a mere fantastical imagination in the past, but not anymore," she declared firmly. "I finally found my opportunity, and I don't want to let it slide by."

"I want your approval so I can follow my dream and do what makes me happy."

The silence that followed was heavy. Dr. Hamm looked at his daughter—really looked at her—perhaps for the first time in years.

When had she grown so strong? When had she developed such certainty about what she wanted? And how had he missed the signs that she was so unhappy with the path he had forced on her?

Dr. Hamm's expression softened slightly at her words as his gaze moved from her to the ground. Maybe it was because of the destruction around them, or maybe it was the exhaustion from his journey, but suddenly the fight went out of him.

He hesitated for a while but eventually spoke. "I do not want to fail as a father, it seems."

"I've never seen this stubborn part of you. I'm surprised and... proud."

"There's nothing I can say to dissuade you now," he continued, a proud smile extending at the corners of his mouth, "so it would be wrong of me not to approve."


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