Both Suno and Izuna searched for something to do inside Argast's home. Izuna eventually found a book to read and called Suno over.
"Come here, Suno, let's read this book."
Suno agreed, and they began reading the book. Argast noticed them engrossed in their reading and asked if they wanted to eat. Initially, they declined, but after their stomachs grumble loudly, Argast insisted and started cooking.
As they were eating, Izuna was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the food and encouraged Suno to try some. Suno agreed, and they both enjoyed the meal. They asked for more, and Argast happily obliged.
The kids devoured every bowl placed in front of them, which made Argast laugh.
"You guys are just like your mother; you'll eat everything in sight."
When Argast checked for any remaining food for himself, he found that there was none left, as the kids had eaten it all.
Izuna's curiosity led her to inquire about the relationship between their mother, Kari, and Argast.
"Are you friends with Mom?" she asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.
Argast gave a knowing smile and responded, "A little more than friends. We're kind of like family. We were part of a team of adventurers when we were a bit younger."
Suno and Izuna, intrigued by this revelation, chimed in unison, "Cool."
Argast continued with a fondness in his voice, "Yep, we went on a bunch of missions together, but the one thing that never changed was your mother's appetite."
Suno, showing interest in their mother's past, inquired, "Was Mom strong?"
Izuna followed up, "Yeah, like really strong?"
Argast chuckled, reminiscing about the past. "She was unstoppable. We even gave her a nickname, 'Fire Lily.'"
Suno, still puzzled, questioned, "Isn't a Lily a type of flower, though? How can a flower be scary?"
Argast explained, "It's because appearances can be deceiving. Your mother looked nothing like a fighter, but when she needed to, she could flip a switch and become someone different."
Izuna, clearly impressed, urged him to share more stories. "So cool! Tell us more!"
Argast, with a knowing look, replied, "You'll have to wait until you're older for more. These stories are not meant for kids."
Argast then suggested they get the two youngsters set up in a room for bedtime. Suno and Izuna, not thrilled about the idea of going to sleep, protested, "Boo, we don't wanna go to sleep."
Argast, understanding their reluctance, reassured them, "I know, I know, but a lot happened today, so you should rest up."
With a collective sigh, Suno and Izuna accepted the idea and prepared for bed.
As night descended and Suno drifted into a peaceful slumber, his sister, Izuna, suddenly roused him from his dreams.
Izuna whispered urgently, "Suno, can you help me with something?"
Half-asleep, Suno mumbled drowsily, "Five more minutes, Mom, I'm not hungry."
An impatient Izuna smacked Suno to wake him up, causing him to jolt. "Ow? Who did that... Izuna?"
Ignoring his groggy protests, Izuna insisted, "Come outside, I need your help."
Suno grumbled, "Why can't this wait until morning?"
Izuna explained, "I can't sleep."
Resigned to his sister's persistence, Suno agreed, "Okay fine. Let's go."
The two siblings quietly left their rooms and ventured into the backyard. Suno yawned and asked, "So, what is it?"
Izuna revealed her dilemma, "I'm trying to do something Mom showed me, but I can't do it. She said I just had to improve my speed, but she didn't say how."
Suno scratched his head in thought and said, "Mom also mentioned the same thing to me."
He then activated his mana and added, "Well, I guess we can figure it out together."
Just as Suno and Izuna began to experiment with their mana, Argast suddenly appeared.
With an amused smile, he asked, "And what are you two doing?"
Caught red-handed, Suno panicked internally, realizing they were practicing without permission.
Suno stuttered, "J-just practicing."
Argast shook his head in disapproval and declared, "Nope. Go to bed."
Reluctantly, Suno and Izuna powered down their mana and trudged back to their rooms,
"I'm glad I don't have kids... Such a handful."
The next morning, as the sun's rays spilled into the room, Argast was ready to greet the children. He called out, "Kids, wake up; it's time to eat."
Suno and Izuna groggily got out of bed and joined Argast for breakfast. Eager to continue their magical practice, Izuna asked, "So, Argast, can we practice now since it's not bedtime?"
Argast, with a mischievous smile, replied, "Nope."
Izuna was taken aback and questioned, "What? Why not? We've rested like you said."
Argast turned to face them and said, "I don't remember saying you could practice in the morning or at all, even."
Both Suno and Izuna were baffled. "What?"
Argast stated "My job is to take care of you, nothing more"
"Besides why would I let you train after the mess you made?"
Suno defended himself, "That wasn't our fault. You can't blame us."
Turning away dismissively, Argast asked rhetorically, "Oh, so those kids beat themselves up and blamed you, right?"
Izuna felt the need to explain herself, "He was protecting me because they wouldn't leave me alone."
Argast admonished her, "Yes, how noble, but you, Izuna, bear the most blame."
Suno and Izuna exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of Argast's point.
Argast continued his lecture, "Did you even try to get help with this bully situation? Did you tell your mother, teacher, or even talk to anyone who might have been able to help you?"
Suno, in his thoughts, realized, "You know, I never thought about that. I didn't even bother asking about the bullying before I attacked."
Argast pointed out, "It's clear that you both lack discipline. So, to help you, you won't be using magic until your mother makes it back."
Izuna defiantly argued, "You can't tell us what to do!"
She powered up, preparing to attack, but Suno, recalling the previous day's incident, urged her to stop.
Nonetheless, Izuna fired a fireball at Argast, who casually caught it and extinguished it without breaking a sweat. Argast decided to teach them a lesson about respect. He activated his mana and moved so fast that Suno and Izuna couldn't react. He sent Izuna flying outside and then knocked Suno aside,
"Finally some training" Izuna smiled with excitement
With a defiant spirit, Izuna seemed excited for the training.
Argast, undeterred, decided to teach her a lesson about respect and began creating a protective armor with the rocks around him.
Suno, perplexed by the sudden intensity of the lesson, rushed over to see the spectacle, thinking, "Geez, this is a bit much for a lesson on discipline."
Izuna, not holding back, started launching fireballs at Argast. However, the fireballs simply hit him and seemed to have no effect. Undeterred, Argast inched closer to her, maintaining his composure.
Izuna, realizing that her attacks weren't working, decided to create a bigger fireball, ready to launch it at Argast. But before she could, Argast took swift action. He stomped on the ground forcefully, creating a shockwave that knocked Izuna off her feet. The powerful force left her unconscious.
Suno, witnessing the turn of events, commented, "Well, that's over... Huh?"
As Argast stood over Izuna, Suno noticed that Argast wasn't powered down yet, and his intense training wasn't over.
Suno, concerned for his sister, offered to help bring her inside. He stammered nervously, "Hey, Argast, you need some help bringing her inside? H-hehe."
However, Argast had different intentions. Ignoring Suno's offer, Argast began releasing even more mana, causing Suno to reactivate his own mana. Panicked, Suno pleaded, "Argast, that's not funny."
Suno rushed over to protect his unconscious sister, positioning himself between Argast and Izuna.
"That's right it's not funny, because I don't remember telling a joke.. Suno"