"Damn it, Gustav, you really have the perfect life. A caring family, two brave sons, and now one of them has become the guardian of the village too," someone at the table said.
Seven men had gathered there, all familiar with one another from their hunting days or simply because they belonged to the same settlement.
Lex was among them, though he sat slightly to the side with his own small group of friends.
"Well, what can I say?" Gustav replied with a proud grin. "I must've traded my arm for immense luck."
The remark made everyone snicker and chuckle.
"But old man, you should be careful now. The stronger the younger one gets, the less respect you'll receive," someone from Lex's group joked, making Gustav scoff.
"My sons will always look after their family and me. I know it," he said firmly.
As he spoke, he glanced toward Lex before adding, "They are the pillars of our family... always standing tall together."
Lex knew exactly what his father meant by those words.
