Chapter 2653

Regardless, Otto's unspoken words were quite clear.

Nash arrived at the entrance to the back area of the mountain. Just as he was about to step into the secret realm, a voice rang out. "Oh, well if it isn't Master Calcraft? What a coincidence."

Snapping his head toward the voice, Nash saw Reese standing before him. He had actually found his way here.

Nash replied, somewhat irritated, "Yeah, what a coincidence."

"Master Calcraft, what are you doing heading to the back area of the mountain this late?" Reese asked.

Nash sensed Reese's underlying intentions and decided to drop the pretense. "What I'm doing is none of your business," he replied coldly.

Reese's expression shifted to one of disdain as he chuckled slightly. "Master Calcraft, do you really think I'm an idiot, or have you and the grandmaster thought of me as a nuisance from the start?"

Nash's expression was blank, but there was a hint of annoyance in his voice as he replied, "Reese, right? I'm busy. I don't have time to give you any attention."

"But I'm quite interested in having a little competition with you, Master Calcraft!" Reese said, taking a swift step forward.

The sound of footsteps echoed from the front hall, soft and steady.

Wrendell yawned, drowsiness creeping up on him. Beside him, Dwight and Cayden were in the same boat. Wrendell let out another yawn and weakly complained, "Really, who let the word slip? How did the master find out..."

Dwight sighed. "Ah, I'm sorry. If I hadn't mentioned that incident, you guys wouldn't be getting punished with me."

Wrendell waved his hand dismissively, his tone brightening a bit. "Oh, come on! It's definitely not your fault. Just think about it, why did the grandmaster ask you to deliver food to Reese? It was obviously to send us a message.

"Our grandmaster is known for being protective of his own, and he dotes on the younger ones like us. Don't you think so, Cayden?"

The most aggrieved among the three, Cayden, looked a bit downcast. "I don't think I did anything wrong. Why am I being punished too?"

"Hey! What kind of talk is that? We're buddies, after all! We share both good fortune and hardship," Wrendell said, putting his arm around Cayden's shoulder.

Cayden retorted listlessly, "It feels like I've never enjoyed any good fortune with you..."

Wrendell was momentarily at a loss for words. Dwight stepped in at that moment to diffuse the tension. "Alright, you two, stop bickering. Let's take another stroll around the backyard, then we can head back."

"Got it, got it! I'm on my way!" Wrendell hurried over to Dwight's side.

Cayden sighed helplessly. "I just want to sleep..."

The three made their way to the back of the courtyard, which was the closest point to the back area of the mountain and a necessary path to take to reach it.

Typically, no one would come here during the night watch, but their masters had suddenly flown into a rage today and ordered them to replace all the oil lamps in the courtyard.

Since there was one oil lamp in the back courtyard, they had no choice but to go check it out. They arrived at the narrow path and found the extinguished oil lamp. After replacing it, the area brightened considerably.

Just then, all three of them unconsciously glanced toward the back area of the mountain. The moment they did, they were taken aback. Nash was fighting Reese!

Wrendell turned to Dwight, a worried expression on his face. "What should we do?"