"My foolish, stubborn grandson," Mercer muttered to himself as he watched Sami from his vantage point in the treeline.
The moonlight allowed him to see the fight. Mercer was amazed at how his grandson had handled the situation so far.
He had been here watching the fight since the Gbahali attacked both Sami and Lyra.
Mercer was going to step in, but watching his grandson unleash his magic shocked him. Mercer thought Sami didn't inherit any abilities, just like his son.
It's one of the major reasons why he didn't want Sami to train.
Why give him hope of something that won't come true? Maybe he should've trained him together with Lyra.
Imagine how strong his grandson would be now. If he had known his grandson possessed this much talent, he wouldn't have kept him hidden for so long.
Even now, watching his grandson retreat, he felt proud of how much he had stood up to a monster for the first time.
This entire day has been nothing but trouble for Mercer. He lost one trainee out of the three he'd sent to check for monsters in the area.
He only brought Lyra's team so he could see his grandson for the first time in a year.
In the future, he would have to redo his intelligence network because there weren't supposed to be any monsters in this area.
Somehow they ended up facing an A-rank, borderline S-rank monster.
It's still strange when it comes to his future; it's hard to see things involving his grandson. He can only see events around him such as Lyra being attacked.
Though Mercer knew that there was going to be a fight around here, due to Lyra being attacked.
Granted, his apprentice handled the battle as best she could. Switching to her hammer sooner would have been smarter.
Soon, the sound of sticks breaking behind him told him it was Lyra already. "Master, sir, I–" Lyra's soft voice cut through.
He didn't turn around, already knowing that Lyra was about to show up. "Are you injured?" Mercer interrupted with slight concern in his voice.
"No, sir, I'm only slightly tired from the use of magic," Lyra replied. "Honestly, that last attack could've killed me if it wasn't for the shield Sami used to protect me."
"Hmm, I see," Mercer said, saying nothing else.
Mercer was lucky she wasn't injured, knowing her family is all gone.
The weight of leadership isn't easy, especially when it involves the loss of a student.
Sometimes he would even pay for the funeral himself, feeling responsible for every death that happens under his watch.
The two members he assigned to Lyra were supposed to be her new team going forward, all with decent talents.
He wanted her to learn how to be patient, not take risks, and how to finally make friends. Sadly, one is dead and the other is in a coma from injuries.
He was able to save Poke before he died of blood loss. Sadly, Gin was ripped to pieces, barely enough of a body for a funeral.
Mercer turned his focus back to Sami. Mercer could tell his grandson was starting to get the hang of the spells he had learned.
Shockingly, he can use them without chanting and with no issues at all. Sadly, no other spells came forth during the end of the battle.
He enjoyed Sami's using the hunting knife, and that Shield spell to attack the Gbahali from the top.
Beside him, Lyra shifted her weight restlessly, wanting to eagerly rejoin the battle.
Her impatience stemmed from watching her teammates get killed and wanting to kill the monster in an act of revenge.