《A Powerful Duke In Another world》 Volume 1 chapter 1: Prologue This is how I used them Thoughts "Speech" Places
"OUCH!!!" I yelled out as my back hit the wall. The one who smacked me back was a girl, shabbily dressed in her high school uniform and she reeks of, well whatever she was smoking a little before smashing me here. Well, this is an alleyway so there is no audience aside from her fellow delinquents. "You really don''t get it, do you? Sakue has told you numerous time that she won''t go home with you. why don''t you stop already like an adult you are" She said those words right before my mouth on full burnt of her foul smell. I''m going to pass out. Sakue Hiroto is my sister. She was a loving sister but recently she has been in company with her school senior delinquents. She has changed totally and is becoming more of a delinquent day by day and I, as her brother can''t let the thing be this way. And on top of it, I''m a gentleman. Don''t think that I''m a coward always getting smacked around by girls younger than me. "Brother", my trail of thoughts were interrupted by a voice I''m most familiar with, My sister''s. "Saku!! I have always said this and I would say it again. Please behave and come home again. Don''t hurt me like this." I said this with the bottled feeling inside me from numerous previous failure to persuade her. She sighed loud enough for me and all other 4-5 delinquents present there.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "Come home? The home where you are absent for the whole day and only come to sleep at night to disappear in the morning again." She blurted that out with an ice cold voice which froze me. What she said was true but I couldn''t do anything about it. If I don''t work overtime, we will starve. "You clearly know why I can''t do tha........." "Go home. I''m not coming." I was cut off and she turned to leave. "Saku" I tried to run after her but I was blocked by the delinquents. I failed again. I really wish that I was a man enough to hit these annoying bitches. Way Home One hand in my pocket and another holding the locket that our late mother gave me. I went silent reminiscing her memory. We never knew our father and our mother passed away when we were young. She overworked herself for us. Since then, it has only been us or rather just me now. Don''t worry mother. I will make everything alright with her soon enough. Please continue looking after us.As I finished my prayer I have almost reached the road crossing. "Uwoohh" A baby was happy in her mother''s arms so I smiled at it and looked up to see its mot....... Today is seriously not my day. I sighed inwardly. The baby''s mother was one who held most of my regret. The girl who promised an eternity with me and went away to get married to someone else. "H-Hi" My greeting came out awkward and she answered her hello in a similar manner. We kept walking and I glanced for a bit but again I felt something heavy on my heart. Tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "Ano Sasaki......san" As soon as I said that she broke into a run. I didn''t know what to do until I noticed the signal turning red. Without thinking twice, I ran after her. That''s when it happened, she continued running without noticing the traffic lights, a speeding truck came her way. And every spectator knew she was dead if it hit her along with her baby. Just in time. I cheered inwardly pushing her out of the way. The last terror I felt when I noticed the truck before me. All my past memories, good, bad, of my sister and my mom ending with lots of things I couldn''t do. Add dying virgin to that. The last thing that came was a nerve-wracking pain through my body and the world darkening to pitch black. Somewhere So it is already time for you to wake up again.A figure emitting a mighty aura can be seen murmuring to himself. Volume 1 Chapter 2: Old God Origin "Arghhh" When I opened my eyes I was greeted by all white. My eyes were in pain seeing all glowing white. "Ah, you woke up". A mighty thundering voice ran a shudder through my body. and like magic out of nowhere, tatami mats began to appear and an old Japanese type table formed in the middle with cushions on both opposite sides. "Please accept my hospitality" After watching the miracle a moment ago I began seeing around when this voice made me whip my head so fast that a whipping sound could be heard. There sitting on one of the cushions was an old man in traditional Japanese clothes, white hairs, a white braided goatee, and a face emitting a warm smile. He was pointing at the opposite side vacant cushion. I quietly went and sat on it. "Please make yourself comfortable boy," he said pouring tea in two cups and passing one towards me. I stared at the tea for a long time. The silence was comfortable. "So this means that I''m dead" I finally looked towards him. The old man sipped his tea with closed eyes and then after sometime nodded without opening his eye. "So it was real" The memory of truck hitting me made me wince. "That life was not easy, I was going through a hard time but I believed that it would pass. And I did everything I could to survive there and now I died in a road accident trying to save a dishonest woman and her child. Ahahaha" It was really unbelievable for me. It was hard for me to accept it. To die like that. My mind wasn''t accepting it at all. "You will have to accept it somehow because you being dead is true and real", The old man talked after probably getting bored watching me break apart for a long time. "How can I accept it? I can''t!" I answered and I felt a lone tear stream sild off from my left cheek. "I can''t accept it at all. I still had a sister to look after. And I''m here dead when she needs me the most." Trying as hard as I can to hold my tears to no avail. The old man sitting in front of me was silent. He waited patiently for a while to let me handle myself.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "I''m really sorry for you but what happened can''t be changed, boy. I hope you will understand." The old man spoke calmly. I nodded my head. "I know it''s just that it''s hard for me at a moment. Now there would be no one who will be waiting for Saku at home, no one to listen to her or make her my special ramen." My memory with her flashed again. A cute little saku calling me Onii-chan made my heart heavier. "There would be no one to clean my mother''s grave and it would gather dirt. Saku always cried when we went there so she stopped going. I''m afraid my grave would be added there now. I don''t know how she will take it. I can''t even keep a promise I made to my mom today." The old man nodded slowly. "There would be no one to listen to my friend rant complains about his married life. He was a little moody so I was his only friend." Now it was my friend''s memory this time. After a while which felt like a long time to me, stopped crying, wiped my eyes and joining my hands together, silently prayed. Thank you for keeping up with me. please take care of yourself and goodbye. I remained in that position for a while. "So let me introduce myself, I''m God Origin. The supreme God and creator of all. After some time, he introduced himself in a very proud voice. A pressure built up around him that made my head bow. I couldn''t lift my head at all. And in an instant, the pressure resided. "Well, I figured as much. I used to read about isekai novels in my childhood and it seems exactly like that" "Hoh, the man who came up with that concept has quite an imagination." He replied looking intrigued. "So God Origin? If I''m here means you want something from me. What is it?" I asked him with a business-like attitude. "Don"t be so serious now. I do have some work. What do you think about living another life?" God Origin asked with great excitement. Because of those isekai novels, I''m not surprised at all. According to the old god, I was to be reincarnated in the body of Lyon Purgarian. He was meant for great things and although he was killed, I would be continuing his work from here on. "If I''m going to be reborn in his body then what about his memory?" I asked the old god. "Don''t worry about that. The first thing you experience after reincarnation will be a dream. A dream that will show the 13 years of Lyon you missed. You have to continue from there on." "Okay sounds fine to me. So when do I start?" I asked him which got me a raised eyebrow look. "You are starting now", and with that a white light surrounded me and I began floating. "Ah, I almost forgot about it. Here it is, a skill called ''God''s gift''. Think of it as a good luck gift from me." The old god held a shining purple orb in his hand which started to float up slowly towards me till it entered my body through my chest. "Thank you. And I have one request, I beg you please look after my sister in my previous world. So long." I yelled those words as I floated far and far away from him. "I will. So Long." After I heard that he disappeared and I closed my eyes waiting to be reincarnated. The feeling was complicated but I suppressed it with the excitement of this new world. Volume 1 Chapter 3; Life until now Part-1 Dark.....Dark......DARK....... I can''t see anything. It''s dark everywhere. "on....yon......Lyon". I opened my eyes and had to shut it down quick because of bright sunlight. "Lyon" a feminine melodic cooing voice called me again and I opened my eyes slowly. Between the rays of sunshine, I saw a beautiful face, a woman with brown hair calling name Lyon lovingly. Her eyes showered the same warmth that my mother on earth had for me. thinking about her made me tear up again. "Lyon!? Don''t cry now. I know that you are hungry." and saying so she began to lift her shirt and eh..... eh.... wait that''s not.....Well, no voice came out and her left breast was thrust in my mouth...I closed my eyes just before it but after feeling nothing I opened them again. I was surprised, I was suckling, yes but I can''t feel the bo.... in my mouth. Just then I remembered Old God''s word about a dream full of memories. So I''m an infant Lyon right now. I nodded in my head but I don''t know why I''m feeling much disappointed here. (Author: He is a virgin after all) SLAM!! "Lyon? Where is my son?" Just as I finished my feeding time, a guy, if I describe correctly, in a luxurious middle age noble clothing came in. He greeted my new mother and took me in his arms. "My son. I had been away for a week. Come here to papa." And just like that, I was smothered with his cheeks on mine. What I came to know is, my mother name is Merian and my father name is Leviet. The dream was showing me all the important memories of Lyon. And more convenient is that I was experiencing them as myself. Lyon''s first walk, his birthdays. His book addiction from a young age and Uncle Mark, the hunter of Purgarian family teaching him about archery when he turned 2. What? Why is it darkening again??? The next thing I know I was looking at a book about all the heads of Purgarian family till now. The book told me that Purgarian family has an ongoing centuries-long history. And it also read about the four kingdoms that made the now standing Sovern Empire. Milia, Comcel, Saluda, and Sovern, four nations who first summoned a hero from another world and that same hero who got them together as this empire. The king was selected by the hero''s then introduced game ''chess'' and Sovern''s king won it successfully naming the empire after his country and his country got renamed toRoyal State. So just nominal King for the public eh? And the other three are kings but only nominal Dukes for the public eye. They still retain their power and only come together at times of war. Hmm sounds good to me when there are large empires around. "Le-kun! I remember your father saying that this book is only for the family heads. You are not yet qualified to read this, the next in line inheritor of the throne." Okay don''t get it wrong, the one who snatched his book was his Aunt, Lavina and she like she has always is just teasing Lyon.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "And where is Elaine?" She inquired which I just shook my head sideways. "She was here a little while ago but....." "And you ignored her and she went away. Am I right?" I was cut off on my automatic mode by her. (Author: Because he has no control here) She bent her knees and brought her face so near that I could see only her face, both of her hands cupped my cheeks and a warm feeling spread over my chest. Wait, wait what is this? In automatic mode, so this means Lyon has a thing for his Aunt. That''s gross for me. And my thought was cut off by her words again. "Girls will always need attention, Lyon and so more from the guy they like. Even your Aunt is a girl and she feels happy when you pay attention to her. So, treat every girl better from here on." With that, she planted a kiss on my forehead. Okay, I take it back, If I was in Lyon''s place, having a thing for this aunt is within reach. She left telling me to find and bring Elaine back but then a sense of urgency came to me, I mean Lyon. He got up, Looked for his bow and arrow and sprinted towards theForbidden Forest,where monsters run rampant. It might have been 1-2 hours roaming around till I heard her scream. I followed it and reached the spot and there she was on her knees, looking fearfully at a monster known asOne-Horned Rabbit,an omnivore. I ran and stood on in front of her with an arrow drawn back in my bow towards the rabbit. "Lyon" She began to tear up. Seeing her like that, my automatic dialogue started. "Wretched monster! You dare scare her like that." And the heroic entry ended when the rabbit made a bold frontal attack. "Watch out!" Seeing it charging at me, Elaine shouted full of worry but I was caught up in something else within Lyon''s inner voices. Like Uncle Mark taught me, the path of the foe, the intensity of the wind, and the concentration to kill in one shot.Those things danced on my head and I shot my arrow as it pounced for me. it pierced through its left eye and out from the back in a straight direction without any resistance, thanks to this magical bow and its body fell in a heap. The first life killed by Lyon. Elaine was speechless, with awe showing in her face, she tried to stand, she fell and her mouth left out a small gasp in pain. Noticing it, I could only run towards her and began searching for the problem. A sprain in her ankle. I wouldn''t want to think about what could have happened if I wasn''t here on time. And she stubbornly refused to take a piggyback for a while. She stood up, took one heavy step and crouched down again in pain. Sigh* Aside from his mom and aunt, it was Lyon''s first time in contact with a girl his age. Delicate and soft is what he described her in his piggyback. "Say, Lyon." She asked in a low voice. "I''m listening" I replied my automatic dialog. "Will you always protect me all my life like you did today?'' She asked in a voice that was almost inaudible. Her arms around my neck tightened a little. "Yes, I will. You don''t have to worry one bit." And just like that, a sweet atmosphere formed when she buried her face in my back embarrassed. The hell dude? Do you even know you just proposed to her? I''m sure that is a type of proposal in this world according to that storybook. Well, my thoughts were, of course, unheard in this dream. And just like that later that day, an engagement was made official between the future Duke of Saluda and the daughter of Duke of Comcel, thanks to a little girl narrating a story in her point of view in front of every important person present there. And the young Duke-to-be who came to know about this news later replied he was okay with it and went back to his book like any other day. Goddammit!! this brat is set up with a girl when he is only four and that is seriously irking me off for some reason, said a virgin 24 years old soul seeing this memory dream. Volume 1 Chapter 4: Life until now Part-2 On the year when his engagement was announced, another big moment that took place was Lyon''s Aunt, Lavina''s marriage to the Duke of Milia, Vincent Wornhart. Everyone could tell that her brother didn''t cut off any expense for this marriage. The grandest celebration anyone would ever see in their lifetime. But only a soul knew about a young boy crying secretly over his aunt marrying someone else. It has been 2 days already, stop crying now for god sake, you damn aunt-con, yelled the soul but it was still inaudible to the sad guy with sad music playing in his mind. Time passed and Lyon turned 5. This was the year the engagement between Lyon and Elaine took place. People were surprised to see the celebration that lavish for only an engagement. This also cemented within them the prosperity of the Dutchy where the DUke was able to flow his personal money without any second thought which certainly was a matter of envy from the invited local and foreign nobles of any ranks. But there is a saying that you cannot have all the brightness without shadow coming with it and just like that tragedy struck this wonderful family. Lyon''s mother, Merian Purgarian fell ill some months after Lyon''s engagement. Her illness deteriorated every passing day. A lot of expert Herbalists, Priests who use light natured magic to heal, from all over the dutchy, neighboring dutchy and even the neighboring countries were called but her health grew worse. A lot of high-grade potions made by the Alchemists were also used but even they failed. After numerous trials, they were able to find the cause, Herb of death aka Helliciferinn. The Duchess had somehow ingested this herb. It apart from being extremely rare and hard to harvest is also a slow-acting poison which only reveals itself after the person has its poison circulating through the whole body. Lyon lost his mother before he turned 6. The whole of Saluda mourned for days, missing their gentle Duchess. I saw it, the despair felt by Lyon. The helplessness he felt, unable to do anything apart from watching her slowly reach her death. I know that Lyon gave his best, a bookworm who searched through a couple of hundred books on Helliciferinn, written by countless herbalist, ancient or modern, trying to find its cure to no avail. To me, it looked like he lost half a heart that day. His father Leviet was enraged beyond belief, all the people who made food daily or on the celebrations or someone else must have given it to her, he investigated everything, interrogated thousands for months to no avail, he stopped. He has a lot in his shoulder as a Duke so he can''t postpone his duties any longer. When Lyon turned 6, Leviet started teaching him about Swordsmanship along with Mark who continued Lyon''s bow handling. This year was also followed by Lyon being introduced to the Elite Squad. The squad that will be protecting him over their life. Bruce, the Destroyer, the latter is the title earned by him with absolute crushing attacks, along with his partner, Lizen, the Fortress, with absolute defense. The duo is famous and known by millions of people in and around Saluda. Marvic, who holds the title Dragon Slayer, along with Lyon''s father. They were on the same adventuring party and were the only members who survived against an evil dragon and even managed to slay it with their remaining strength. he is also the squad''s leader. Ethen, Rising Warrior, Marvic''s son and a prodigy of the highest level. Youngest to reach an A-rank as an adventure.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Greish, Grand Mage, One of the strongest Mage of Sovern kingdom. Also researches magic. Kyra, Little sage, daughter of Griesh, a magician prodigy. And Alissa, Hunter Mark''s daughter who will join at the end of Lyon''s 6th year. Newest member and acknowledged as Snipe Killer. Lyon life never returned to the normal track after his mother''s death. At age 8, the war with Valha, a neighboring kingdom was inevitable. Lyon''s father joined the war just days after Lyon turned 9. I heard his father''s parting word and saw his encouraging smile as he marched out. "Don''t worry Lyon. Your father is the strongest after all. But if anything happens to me, I know that Lyon can take care of my Dutchy properly as the Duke. If the worst comes, I will have faith in you, my child. But it''s only if worst happens. For now, hold your head high and see me depart towards glory." Those words are still ringing in my ears as it was said just now. The World is harsh. I have known this from my previous life but it was much harsher to this child who has been praying for his father''s safe return everyday for over a year. But when Sovern won the war, Saluda lost. Losing the Duke and the Duchess was no small deal. I heard Lyon''s remaining heart, breaking piece by piece. Lyon with his father''s loyal retainers support, took over as the Duke at the age of 12 with Marvic, his father''s closest friend appointed as his guardian. He will properly inherit the title with a ceremony when he turns 15. Age 15 is considered an adult in this world. After that I witness Lyon immersed in Political study every day. He read about how to treat his retainers, the relationship between Noble and Commoners, how to not overspend his dutchy''s treasury and a lot more. One interesting event happened on his 1st month after he turned 13. When he was visited by a retainer, Viscount Allen Belfrost. The one who accompanied him was his daughter, Lia Belfrost and I could totally describe what he saw. An angelic voice with light blue silky hairs, shining light blue eyes, thin lips and beautiful milky skin. In a decorated yellow dress all the way as a skirt down to her knees. (Author note: Sorry that I''m bad at describing things but a one-piece type for little girls which ends as a skirt yada yada) And Lyon asked for her, as his 2nd wife when she turns 15. In around his 3rd month after turning 13, his aunt, Lavina Wornhart, dropped in and stayed for a while. She brought Lyon a rare type of tea leaves only found in some villages of her Dutchy. According to Lyon, it tastes exquisite. And on her last day here, she made tea for both of them herself and as Lyon was immersed in his book he couldn''t see it but through the corner of his right eye, I saw her pouring something on the tea leaves container and closing it, she brought the tea to Lyon. And I know perfectly what was going to happen. But I had no control so I could just watch. Lyon drank the tea again only the next day after his Aunt left. It was right before his bedtime and one of the maids made it for him. She served the tea and left. Lyon sipped on it as he read. And after sometime, he went to sleep and it happened then. As I can''t feel the pain in this memory dream, I could only imagine his pain which looked unbearable. He was trying to shout but he couldn''t, he was clutching his throat and rolling on the bed with hands and legs flailing everywhere. Hard to breathe, almost boiling chest and at the end, he laid still. The vision darkening little by little as seconds passed by. I could feel a hot liquid through the throat and seeping from the corner of my mouth, certainly he also bled. The last thoughts of Lyon were of his loving mother, his crush on his aunt, his bow training with Mark, his first adventure with Elaine, Lia. the new girl he came to like and his father, If the worst comes, I will have faith in you, my child. Those words played in his minds as the retainers and the common people of his Dutchy flashed, before his eyes slowly dimmed out. I was immune to his pain in this dream but not his emotion, I received it all, his frustration, helplessness, heartbreak, disappointment over himself and his will to live for his deceased parents. I prayed and made a vow to his departing soul silently that I will accomplish them for us, as I live as him. Slowly the dark world began to brighten up indicating the end of this memory dream. Volume 1 Chapter 5; As Lyon Purgarian When the world brightened. I found myself staring at a decorated ceiling. A color mixture of Silver and Gold in a spiral pattern with a Chandelier of sparkling crystals. It was beautiful. "Ah, my Lord Duke!" The one who greeted me with this statement was one of the maids sent in by my chambermaid. The chambermaid is the one looks after the decoration and tidiness of her employer''s room. And to clean, she would send any maids as she exploits a higher position between servants. Chambermaids answer to the Head Maid, Mia in my castle. She was shocked because she was waiting for me to wake up around 1 hour later as usual to tidy my bed or clean my sheets if needed. I woke up a little early today. I got up from the bed and stood up. In my furry nightwear made from a rare magical beast and stretched a little. "Lord! This is?" The maid was holding up the sheets with visible bloodstains. "Ah! Err... that is" But I was cut off with her face right in front of me, checking out my face and then slowly lifting her hand up and tracing the side of my mouth gently. "I can see the blood trail" She said gently. "I''m fine." Saying so I moved away but my hand was grabbed by her hand and sandwiched between her chest. Even in her maid clothing, I can feel the softness. "But It is worrying me, My Lord" She said in the most gentle voice she could muster. I pulled my hands and turned around saying not to worry. I have gotten used to it. The maids in a higher noble castle are the daughters of lower nobles and they will try to seduce the heads and even their children. Same with Lyon, acting clumsy, caring, emphasising their breast and even swaying their butts when they clean the room for me to see. I better stay focused because with any maid sounds a lot of trouble. "It is quite a surprise to see you awake this early, master." The one who addressed me was Marvic, my butler and acting guardian. I gave him a blank look with my bed hair which made him chuckle. "Bloodstains? Why are they there?" He also noticed it. I sighed deeply, told him to not worry and ordered the seductive woman to wash that sheet and entered my lavish bathroom. After freshening up, I was brushing my teeth slowly looking at the mirror. Wait a minute! I took out the brush and looked at it. My brush had a silver body and the paste was jelly-like. A memory struck my mind. Hero Yuuji, the first summoned Hero was the one who introduced this. With this, it seems he was from a pretty modern timeline of Earth. After getting out of the bath, Marvic, as usual, escorted me, through the huge lavish hallway, decorated with paintings and walls filled with different light-emitting magic crystals towards the Dining hall for my breakfast. I was greeted by bowing servants and guards along the way who wished good morning and I replied their greetings with encouragement to work hard. All servants and guards had a surprised look when I did that and after repeating these situations, Marvic stopped and turned around with a bewildered face. "Master! I think you are ill." He asked calmly. It kind of irked me off. "Why did you say that?'' I asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because you got up early, in a good mood and now you are even replying to the servants." He said monotonously which made me give him a blank look again. "I apologize." Saying so he bowed and continued his escorting.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. After walking for ten more minutes, I finally reached the Dining Hall and there stood Mia, the head maid waiting for me outside. She bowed. "Good morning, young master." She greeted as usual. "Good morning, Mia" And again I got a surprised look from her but it disappeared in an instant and again she bowed and went inside. We followed behind. A large table was decorated with a variety of food. Marvic pulled the chair for me and I sat. And then Mia stood next to me and began to inform me about today''s breakfast. Bread is the staple food in this country so it is always there and along with it is pork, geese, salad, two variety of vegetables, vegetable soup and milk. Yup, I would lie if you say I''m not enjoying this. This much power, this much luxury is surely yearned by everyone. Breakfast was delicious, the bread was soft and a little sweet, pork and geese were cooked nicely and tender to eat, vegetables were fresh and milk was thick and creamy. Well, the people remained standing because the master, a high ranked noble eats alone. And. that I''m a royalty and title Duke is just my public title is also known by many more than just us. "I really wish we could grow spices here in Saluda." I murmured while in deep thoughts. Spices were only grown in Bravick kingdom. "Mia, I enjoyed my breakfast today." I smiled at her and her too after a pause smiled back. I was walking through the hallway again but this time, I was walking towards my office. On my way, I saw a little boy standing with his little butler suit. On his left side, there was a table with a jug and glass on top of it. There are several more people like him spread all over the castle for the purpose of serving water to an important person like me or my guest walking around the castle. The one that got my attention was his shoes. They were too big for him. I stopped right in front of him. He nervously bowed and began pouring water in the glass, placed it in a tray and offered it to me. I took it and gulped on it once. "Say what is your name?" I asked him. "I-It''s Will, Lord Duke" He answered stuttering. "How old are you?" I asked after another gulp of water. "I''m 8, Lord Duke" He answered on the brink of tears. "Will, aren''t your shoes too big for you?" I asked him gently. "Uh....I''m sorry, Lord Duke. It''s because my mother is ill. Her medicines are very expensive so, I have to save everything to afford it as soon as possible. I borrowed these shoes from another servant, Brother Adam. Please overlook this mistake. I will buy my size ones after my mother''s medicine" he prostrated himself and broke into light sobs. I sighed. Ordered Marvic to make him quit prostrating. He got him up, still bowing and sobbing. "Don''t cry now. I''m not firing you." When he heard that he began raining flattering words like Duke, you are the kindest, I will begin worshipping you etc,etc. I secretly asked the nearby guard if it was true or not which he testified as truth. "Now stop crying seriously. Guard, bring me a paper." A nearby guard went away for a while and after some time brought to me, a coarse rectangular sheet, yup it''s modern paper''s ancestor. I wrote something and with my signature and Purgarian family stamp on it(which Lyon always keeps in his breast pocket. I rolled it and gave it to the guard again. I gave him a task. To go to Viscount Espirit, my treasurer and give him this written letter. He will keep it and give him 20 gold coins for Will"s mother''s medicine. He has to go along with Will, purchase medicine, shoes for him and return. Give the total bill to Mr.Espirit and for his extra work, he will be awarded 2 big silver coins. Will wasn''t one to keep quiet. He denied this help strongly but he quietened down when I reminded him about his mother''s illness. But, instead, he promised to remain loyal to me all his life while sobbing again with happiness. I just nodded and walked off towards my office. Again being greeted by numerous servants and guards. My castle has hundreds of servants and guards by the way. I finally reached my officer room, door flanked by Guards on opposite sides. As I entered, I saw the working desk and chair at the far end. Both the left and right walls consist of book racks filled with books. Two windows, on the wall behind my desk on the left and right side of it. A map ofSovernand neighboring countries right behind the desk between the windows. I walked towards the desk and as I was reaching it, I felt something cold on my neck. A murderous aura surrounded me. The coldness on my neck was the blade of an orichalcum sword. A super rare and expensive metal in this world. And the one who was holding that was......... Marvic "I will ask you once. Who are you?" Volume 1 Chapter 6: As Lyon Purgarian Part-2 The blade felt cold in my neck. The air became thick with Marvic''s bloodlust filling the whole room. Making a ruckus, the two guards barged inside probably sensing the intense bloodlust. It also made my breathing uneasy and restricted. "So what is the meaning of this Marvic?" I asked him, my voice getting heavy and my temper starting to boil. "Earl Marvic! Sheath your sword and step aside from Lord Duke at once." One of the guards yelled, with hands-on his sword handle on his waist, ready to draw it out at any moment. "I will ask you again. Who are you?" He stared back at my glare and completely ignored the guards. They were no threat to him after all. "Do you think you can question me? Don''t forget your position, vassal. I make the law here." My temper boiled up. I was genuinely angry now. "I will accept any punishment you give me, master but I have to be sure it''s you in the first place." He repled back without flinching. That reply maxed out my irritation. "YOU SAY YOU ARE PREPARED. YOU ARE AWARE YOURSELF THAT EVEN POINTING A SWORD AT ME WOULD LIKELY LAND YOU WITH DEA....." I stopped yelling. I was completely going to lose it there on him. I''m glad that I was able to calm down. That much anger surprised me. It wasn''t me. Sorai Hiroto never gets angry for little reasons like someone doubting him. The anger was from someone who grew up knowing he was the next ruler. It was from someone who knew about the gap between statuses. it was an anger that a servant was doubting his liege and questioning his position by rebelling against him. Yes, the thing like letting your servant lift another servant instead of doing it myself so naturally. Lyon soul has ascended but his traits remain in his heart. I could feel them. "I know about that well enough master but I still think that so many changes are too much and too instantaneous for only one night. And the blood I saw this morning. It is probable that you killed the Duke in his sleep and took his place as him. What I said isn''t impossible for all the strange things I have seen in my long life." He spoke calmly again and somewhat it was near the incident that happened. I did take his place after he died. I sighed tiredly and began thinking of ways to appease his doubts here. Don''t be confused now, Lyon''s memory didn''t disappear which is very helpful. I don''t have to read hundreds of books again. And after thinking for sometime I smiled wickedly. "There is something about the kingdom''s strongest that is only known by a number of people that can be counted on the fingers of one hand. I believe even your son doesn''t know it." I said that slowly and looked back, and he was troubled. "I''m sure no imposter or assassin knows that the Dragon Slayer, Marvic, in addition to having three wives also has three mis......" I felt the sword coldness disappear as it was pulled off and turned back to see Marvic down on a knee (like knight''s pose). The sword was unsheathed held downward with the tip to the ground. With his head bowed. It was the position of... "I strongly apologize for ever doubting you, Your Grace. After I atone for my sins with your given punishment for my unforgivable offense then please let me swear my life as your personal butler and Elite Guard again." He spoke with his head bowed. The position of a warrior swearing his loyalty. "Again? You are pretty confident that I won''t give you death." I asked him gravely while he remained silent. I sighed again. "I''m leaving you off the hook this time. Don''t repeat it again." I got a surprised look from him. Why the hell are you getting surprised for my merciful behavior? I don''t have to think much about this decision. He did his duty as my guard and had a valid enough reason. Serving master''s imposter instead of the real one and not realizing it would have become one of the biggest sins of the century. And, giving him death for this is a shame to lose someone of that strength. Also, even the previous prideful Lyon had a personal relationship with him. He was pretty much off the hook in front of him as well.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "I''m having doubts again, master." A tick mark appeared on my forehead. Seeing me make a pissed off face, he laughed a little and stood up again returning to his normal demeanor. The air around him becoming a lot kinder. "MARVIC YOU FOOL! HAVE YOU GONE SENILE WITH AGE? IF YOU HAVE DONE ANYTHING TO THE LEVIET"S LEG...." The one who entered was the Grand Mage of Purgarian Family, Griesh. Along with him, entered an out of breath guard. One of the two that was guarding this room. It seems that the two guards planned to send one out searching for help when Marvic was distracted talking to me. That Guard then ran around in search of any member of Elite Squad or Griesh and he found him in his research lab. On hearing from him, Griesh became so furious that he ran all the way here at top speed spouting curses on Marvic but on entering, he noticed the kind vibes Marvic gave that made him lost for words. it needed quite some explaining to pacify Griesh. As expected, he freaked out when he heard Marvic did pull his sword against me. And he had to be ordered down from blasting Marvic with a high-level spell he began chanting after hearing about Marvic doubting me. After settling the matter, I made them follow me to my chamber. On the side note, Marvic made sure to shut the mouth of one of the guards who stayed behind and heard Marvic''s secret from me, he did it with lots of threats.
After reaching the chamber, I gave both of them, the utensil that contained the special tea leaves from my Aunt. At first, they both were puzzled but after opening the lid and whipping some breaths, both of their expression turned grave. "Master, why are you handing us this poisoned tea leaves?" Asked Marvic while Griesh nodded at his question. "You asked me what made me change. I would say my conscience just woke up.............. after drinking that." I completed my sentence with a pause in between. The room fell silent for a while making me uncomfortable. "WHAT???" They both yelled loudly at the same time. "Marvic, we need to take him to a priest quickly. We also need to buy some high-grade antidotes." Said Griesh already in a hurry. "We have to. master let me bring you to the priest. And give me the details about the one who gave you this. I will be sure to give him a painful death." He said that with a ferocious look on his face and even Griesh eyes turned sharp at Marvic''s comment. And then they came closer, to lift me and run towards the temple. I grew a tick mark and stopped them before they could do it. They stopped very reluctantly. "The blood you saw this morning. After drinking the tea made from that, I was in death doors. I probably vomited it then. It was a miracle that I got up all fine after that. If you think I''m behaving differently, it might be because I had a near-death experience and woke up to cherish life more. Don''t make a ruckus now since I''m all healthy." I spouted an excuse that I made up on my way here. "Indeed a miracle if you say it like that but......" I sighed again, how much time have I sighed now. I replied Griesh''s worry by saying that I would go to the temple right now for a check-up which got affirmation from both of them. Griesh left to prepare the carriage and I also was about to leave to change when... Marvic called out to me. "Master! You didn''t mention who you received this from? I would like to run an investigation. Trying to kill you when Saluda needs a Duke is an unforgivable crime. If it was successful it would have caused a civil war. So please give me the culprit''s name if you know something master". He asked with an aura ready to shed blood at any moment. I...................answered him.
"Master! Have you prepared for Lady Lia''s reception tomorrow?" I was making my way through the hallway when Marvic asked this. We were going for the carriage that Griesh prepared but this question froze me. Reception?Lady Lia?Marvic coughed getting me out of my stupor. "I wonder how a high noble like you can forget about one of his betrothed lady''s visit? He eyed me rather pathetically. Stop it, you damn womanizer. I ordered the nearby guard to inform Head maid Mia about Young Miss Belfrost visit and to prepare everything for her reception to the best of her ability. After sending off the guard with the message, Marvic and I exited towards the church for my check-up.
Somewhere a little farther away from the capital city, Alore A lavish carriage can be seen flanked by hundred of guards making its way towards Alore.The symbol of Belfrost family, a figure encased in a hexagonal icy crystal was visible as it reflected sunlight to a great distance. A lone head popped out as the carriage heads down a slope. The head with blue hair blown by the wind covering her beautiful face. She took out her left hand to pry aside her hairs enabling her light blue eyes to reflect the Large Alore city that looked like it was situated at the end of that dusty road. Volume 1 Chapter 7: Lia Belfrost My name is Lia Belfrost. The only daughter and third child of Anne Demene Belfrost and Allen Belfrost. My father is a Viscount in the Dutchy of Saluda. He has an extremely important position, entrusted to our house head by the Head of the Purgarians centuries ago. The position of the head of Domestic affairs of Saluda. The heads of a department exploit a lot of influence. They are all considered powerful after the Duke, three top Counts of Saluda, two Margraves and Marquis Lloyd, the advisor of the Duke. As stated above, I grew up in a family who has a good grasp of both the power and wealth within the Dutchy. And on top of that, being the only daughter, I am heavily doted by my father. My mother, on the other hand, had always been strict towards her children. I am also loved dearly by both of my brothers. Brother Albert, the eldest is 4 years older than me and Brother Arthur is 2 years older than me. I''m !2 right now and about to turn 13 in a few months. Even the servants are kind and loving towards me. The old ones pamper me while the young ones are my friends. My father told me that Belfrost house has never, and will never mistreat their servants who work for us and I have always followed those words. This love for me from everyone increased a thousandfold when my father found out that my aptitude for our house unique magic element is very strong. The unique element of our house is ''Ice''. It is very rare and having our house bloodline makes this element very easy to handle than any other people. Having our bloodline also has its drawback but now isn''t the time to disclose it. The first head of our family was a powerful man named Bell. He and his ice magics were so strong that he became famous through the ancient continent as the ''Icy Devil''. During his rampaging days, he came face to face with the head of Purgarian Family. He lost the battle against him, but instead of killing him, the head of that time took him under his wing and gave him a house name, Belfrost as Bel from his name ''Bell'' and Frost for ''his ice element magic''. Our house heads became the head of Domestic Affairs after the aptitude for Ice element declined in the later generations. Even my brothers can only channel a small amount of ice in their sword to fight. I, having a strong aptitude for the ice elements meant that I could be a mage like Lord Bell. My doting increased, so did my training. As years progressed, I became famous as the prodigy and gifted child of Belfrost House. But a change happened when I accompanied my dad to visit the new and also the ''Youngest Duke'' in Saluda''s history. After we were given permission to enter the Throne Room, we kept our head low as we can''t look at him directly without his permission when he is sitting on the throne of the whole Saluda. My dad went down on one of his knees as he introduced himself and then he addressed me. Without looking up, I lifted my skirt a little and bowed as a noble lady should and introduced myself. "Lord Duke! My name is Lia Belfrost, daughter of Viscount and Viscountess, Allen and Anne Belfrost. It is a great honor for me to be able to meet your grace." After I introduced, I waited for a little but only silence followed. I peered nervously upward to see him staring at me. And what I saw is, someone around my age with cerulean eyes, a deeper shade of blue than us and his perfect golden lock sitting on a very cute face. I remembered my father telling me about the Duke losing both of his parents, and the age the same as mine, I could only feel sorrow for him. He stared at me for a long time which made me nervous and fidgety. He finally gave permission to lift our head and then our eyes met. It felt like his cerulean blue eyes swallowed me. After a moment, he broke the connection between our eyes and asked my father to have me as his 2nd wife. I froze, I thought I heard wrong but it was confirmed when my father agreed. Back at home, every one of our family was surprised when my father told this news to them on our return. Father, Mother, and Brother Albert took the news well but brother Arthur was furious but he was outnumbered and couldn''t do anything about this matter.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. A letter was sent informing them about my ''Pre-marriage visit''. A custom of nobles to have the girl visit her future husband house several times to get used to her new surrounding before her marriage so that there is no problem for her after marriage. That is how it led to me, riding a carriage and going towards my future husband''s house...err...I mean castle in the capital city, Alore. Accompanying me are my two personal maid and bodyguards since my childhood, Olivia and Emma. Olivia sitting next to me, while Emma sat opposite of us. They were chosen by my mother for me when I was 4. Speaking of mother....... Flashback** "Lia! Its time for your departure" my mom said to me in her usual neutral voice. "I''m all ready for the journey. See!" I spun around showing her my new violet dress. She showed a small smile and nodded. "I don''t know what your father told you but Lia....." She sounded stern so I listened intently. "Yes??" I was rather unsure of what she was going to say. But I didn''t have to wonder for long. "Behave properly. I don''t want you disgracing our House Belfrost in front of the Duke." She warned me and her tone was telling me that this matter was serious. I can only nod. Flashback ends** A hand to my shoulder jolted me out of my flashback. It was Olivia. "Are you nervous?" She asked me. We are intimate enough for both of them to call me by my name. I nodded my head. "Don''t worry! We are with you so if the Duke turns out to be a jerk. We would beat him up." Emma gave a smile to me at this statement. I can only laugh as my hair was ruffled by Olivia. "Miss. We have reached the outskirt of Alore city." The coachman gave us the news of us almost reaching the city. I''m nervous but also want to know what type of person this Duke will be when he is 13 and already around the top of this world. I tried to keep my composure as the time for our meeting is approaching at a rapid pace. POV ends. Somewhere within the Dutchy of Comcel Baron Hue paced through the hallway as fast as he could with his most trusted guard, jack in tow. "Be sure to kill any intruders! Don''t spare anyone today!" As he passed through the hallway, he barked this order to every guard he could see. The Hue estate was tightly packed with security tonight. The reason for this level of security and his jumpiness is one letter he received which foretold him about his death before the dawn of tomorrow. He reached his office and barked orders at the guards again and entered the room with Jack and bolted the door from inside. "With everything I have done, I don''t think I will be dying today." He talked loudly as he turned away from the door. "There was no need to worry with me around after all" Jack told him a bit lazily. "Of course! I don''t think any petty assassin can match you." Hue said without looking back at him. "I don''t agree with you at all." A stranger''s voice came from the door which was still bolted from inside. Baron Hue panicked but Jack jumped into action. He swung his sword and a visible arc sped towards the black-cloaked man. The arc hit but passed right through him as the man faded. "Illusion?!!" Hue commented as he turned to see the man some meters behind him. He only noticed because the man was walking slowly towards him with audible footsteps. "Jack! What are you doing? Kill him!" Hue shouted but Jack remained in the same position after his first attack. "Ah him? He is already dead." The cloaked man said that casually as he stopped walking. Baron Hue''s mouth slacked as he took the words in. Jack''s back was towards him so he couldn''t see but if he was able to see, he could see his dead lifeless eyes and a knife lodged to his heart. He did see a pool of blood on the ground below making a circle around his feet. Baro Hue''s eyes opened wide like a saucer plate when he saw the badge in this man''s black cloak. A black heart with 5 swords piercing it. "Y-yo-you, that logo and f-five swords. You are Hoko, the top assassin who got the title ''Hoko, of Definite Kills''." Baron Hue was afraid to no ends. Here was someone who killed his best guard so fast that even the victim didn''t realize it. "I wonder what made me so famous?'' with that, Hoko chuckled. "W-wh-who? Just w-who wanted to kill me that much that he needed to hire you?" Baron Hue asked, trying to know the foe before he dies. "No need! After all........" With that Hoko turned as the body of Baron Hue slowly fell backward with a knife lodged in his heart. "...........you are already dead" Hoko finished his word and disappeared through the window as Baron Hue''s body made the sound of hitting the ground. Volume 1 Chapter 8: An Unforgettable Reception Part-1 In Duke¡¯s office ¡°THIS PAPERWORK IS GOING TO KILL ME YOUNG¡± I yelled out as I signed another report. Seeing the reports from my vassals is one of my duty. My vassals are obliged to send me a report of the territory under their control every month. They aren¡¯t allowed to do anything without my permission and need a decent explanation for their required changes. *Haah* I exhaled loudly, relaxing my strained features. Too many nobles are a pain as well, I mentally added. There are three types of nobles in this world, one ¡®Central nobles¡¯, formerly known as ¡®Imperial nobles¡¯ but was changed to central nobles after my house public title became that of a Duke.¡¯ Territory Nobles¡¯ and ¡®Honorary Nobles¡¯ are the other two types. Central nobles are nobles that don¡¯t have a territory of their own. They will get monthly allowances from the crown and usually own many businesses in big cities. The amount of their allowance varies with their titles. Some of them may have high posts like ministers. Others are often tasked by the crown to act as ¡®Crown Officials¡¯ and will temporarily look after the city or fief assigned to them by the crown themselves. Territorial nobles are those that receive their own fief from the Crown. They have more freedom than Central Nobles but are mostly bound to their fiefs. An official sent by the crown to look after it¡¯s assigned territory would have to give more than half of what the assigned place produces back to the crown, while Territorial ones are only obliged to give only around 10%-20% as tax depending on the prosperity and size of the fief. And the last, Honorary Nobles. Their titles aren¡¯t hereditary and they won¡¯t even receive the monthly allowance so in return they don¡¯t have any duty which if a real noble would have ignored then he would have been punished. But they do enjoy the noble privileges the same as the rank of equal real nobles. Nobility can be bought in some countries but Saluda is strict or to say ¡®too strict¡¯. For millions of people, there are only a few thousand real nobles and a few hundred honorary nobles. Getting a title here is hard and a fief even harder. This strict rule also has some good points i.e. even the honorary nobles of my dutchy are respected throughout the other countries because we don¡¯t distribute noble titles loosely. My eyes were drawn towards another pile or a paper mountain that piled up on the ground left from my table. They are the marriage proposals I received. The usual Local and Foreign nobles advertising their daughters. I have to reply to each one and decline them politely. The amount I would have to write is already giving me a headache. *Knock Knock ¡°Come in¡±, I replied without looking up. *Slam The door was flung open and in came Alissa. The archer from my elite squad. Only she would be this rude to me. ¡°Oh my! Lyon, are you slacking off from work?¡± She questioned at my exhausted sleepy figure leaning head down on the table. I don¡¯t have any energy to refute her. ¡°Even if I want you to sleep, I must stop you from doing so now. A messenger came in a few hours ago with the news that your girl has entered the outer Gate. It¡¯s around time for her to reach the inner gate.¡± She said that while leaning on the door with hand folded, maybe trying to look cool. Slamming both of my palms on the table and casting one last look on the seemingly endless report. I got up, stretched and began walking towards the entrance of my home to welcome her. As I passed through the door, Alissa closed it and followed behind me.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. About the inner and outer gate, it is directly related to my property here in the city Alore. All citizens and nobles can only see the giant outer gate. The outer gate fortifies my property around the castle with a 15 feet high wall. The top of the wall has wide space enough to move, with signal towers at some distances. A mini-rectangular Great Wall of China was reincarnated Lyon¡¯s first thought on it. Passing through the big outer gate, a vast land can be seen. Totally opposite from the bustling busy city outside, giving a feeling of countryside to the visitor. After starting from there, they will see a forest, patrolling ¡®Central knights¡¯ and rarely magic beasts of low levels. Only harmless ones are allowed to prowl freely in this property. Dangerous ones are rare and are exterminated by the knights if they are found out. Halfway into the land and the road will divide itself into two. One going for the castle and another to the Knights HQ. The people will be thoroughly investigated and questioned on the checkpoint situated here before they are given permission to carry-on to either destination. Castle way, there will be another parting of the road. One leading to the castle and another to Village Jadebank, situated on the banks of Lake Jade. This village is not for everyone. Only the retired servants and castle guards can live here with their family and only if they want. If they don¡¯t want to stay, they are free to go. This village was created because Lyon¡¯s ancestors thought it was a waste to not use this much land for farming but to be inside the wall, they needed some very trustful people. The people farm, fish and hunt and leave a peaceful here. They sell the farmed products at a lower price to the Duke who then will sell it at a higher price in the city. As everything is provided to them, be it materials, equipment and shield and are living without taxes, the villagers don¡¯t complain at all. And the other good thing is, they are only 1 day away from the city. A day for them because they are a lot further inside as compared to the Castle after the road divides. And then, the visitor will reach the inner gate circling the Castle area. Unknown to many, the castle is defended by many complicated magic arrays against any intruder and magical attacks. As I was making my way to the entrance, I saw another familiar face. With the usual smile on his handsome face, Ethen bowed until I nodded in approval. This is how the elite squad should be treating me even in a casual meeting. The rude girl grinning behind is just an exception. ¡°I was just going to inform you but I can see that Alissa was quicker,¡± Ethen said while giving Alissa a meaningful glance. ¡°I had to be. She is a girl Lyon just met and liked enough to want to marry her. I just thought he would be eager.¡± She replied little proudly. ¡°Getting eager over a beautiful girl is perfectly normal. Isn¡¯t it, Lyon?¡± Ethen winked at me, he did inherit the womanizing quality of his dad. ¡°But he never acts eager for me¡­¡­¡± I heard Alissa murmur behind and just shook my head. It¡¯s always fun chatting with them but this is not the time. Ordering them to follow behind we reached the entrance. A Red Carpet was spread from the entrance to the gate. This carpet was flanked by Maids on one side and Manservants on another. They all bowed in waves as we passed them. Before reaching the gate, I could hear the sound of horseshoes for a while during a slow trot and it neighing signaling a stop at the other side of the wall. I could also see a front roof of a carriage and the part of the symbol, an ice crystal. After some time, the one who entered was a central knight and another knight in an expensive full plate armor followed by his followers. ¡°Knight Kitt is at your service, your grace.¡± The Central Knight went down on one knee and greeted me. ¡°Viscount Belfrost Family, Knight Commander Powel greets his grace, the Duke.¡± The extravagant knight bowed along with his followers. Why he didn¡¯t go down to one knee is because it is Viscount Belfrost that he swore fealty to. He is indirectly under me while Central Knights are directly under me. ¡°You escorted them well. You are dismissed.¡± I ordered Kitt which he bowed, got up, asked himself to be excused, bowed and left. I wasn¡¯t looking at him, my eyes were fixed on the cute little lady trying to walk as elegantly as she could towards me. Her two maids following closely behind. Seeing him preoccupied like that everyone else remained silent and were looking forward to their meeting silently. ¡°Your Grace, I, Lia Belfrost has arrived for her f-first visit.¡± This lovely nervous voice that tickled my ears brought me back to my senses. Volume 1 Chapter 9: An Unforgettable Reception Part-2 Her voice did snap Lyon from her dream state but he still had his eyes on her. He walked up and stopped right in front of her. Lia, too nervous to face him, shrunk a little, looking down avoiding his eyes. His hands slowly made towards her, tensing everyone from the viscount family. They know that here they were helpless. The one who was going to bully their little miss was the highest authority of Dutchy Saluda. None words are above his, none can offend him when they stand in his Dutchy. Lia closed her eyes out of fright, she can¡¯t go against him after all. Until she felt both of her cheeks being pulled gently. The people seeing these scenes were stupefied as well. This was the first time that they saw their duke being gentle with any other girl except Princess Elaine, his fianc¨¦e. But it did loosen up the tension. Lyon¡¯s POV ¡°I apologize to disturb you when you are having fun. But I think you should continue that after we have welcomed our guest inside.¡± A strong voice called out to me. ¡°Aren¡¯t you late?¡± I asked Marvic when I turned my head to stare at him. ¡°I am. I heard Greish destroyed the training field again so I had to go calm him down first.¡± He answered and exhaled at the end. Must have been hard for him these days. Yesterday, when we came from the church after confirming I was poisoned by Cassendearth, we told him that I was poisoned by my aunt. He didn¡¯t take much time to convince it was her. Marvic never lies and as a wise old man, he knew my infatuation with her. He was pissed because he was her magic teacher after all. He has been angry ever since then and is blaming himself. I too exhaled thinking that. ¡°Umm, Your Grace, I think Lady Lia¡­..¡± Alissa butted in between and made me turn, as I was talking with Marvic, my hands were still pinching Lia¡¯s cheek. ¡°Eh, Lia, are you¡­.okay?¡± She was all red and I could see tears threatening to fall from her eyes any moment. Eesh, my bad. After all, I have the air of a frightening high authority. I let go of her cheek and coughed twice. Sorai Hiroto/me on earth liked pinching soft cheeks and my sister used to love it when she was young but she didn¡¯t let me touch her cheeks when she became a rebellious teen and then I died. Fin--. Okay, that memory was depressing. I recovered my composure and ordered a manservant to lead our guests aside Lia and her maids, towards the Guest Mansion. A different building at the side of the castle. After that, I entered the castle with everyone in tow. It was unneeded for me to receive her. A noble of lower rank should welcome a noble of higher rank personally if the latter pays them a visit to show respect but a higher doesn¡¯t need to welcome a lower-ranked one personally. I just wanted to be polite to her. She will be my wife after all. ¡°Who knows the direction of the room prepared for Lady Lia? Lead us there.¡± I said to the manservants and maids behind me. ¡°Please let me!!¡± Alissa interrupted before they could answer. I nodded at her. We moved with her on the lead. ¡°So this is the castle of the master of Saluda. So lavish!¡± Emma commented absently ¡°I agree. Little Miss, your estate might look a lot smaller and lackluster after I have seen this.¡± Olivia added. Lia could just nod. She could see pretty well how her family can never compete with the Duke which makes her even nervous. This is the first time in her life that she has come across someone she couldn¡¯t offend. Her house is strong. The one who can bring trouble to them can be counted on her fingers but here is one who can completely erase it with one order. But, she was a noblewoman after all. She also knows if she really ends up marrying the Duke, her family''s position will strengthen even more and the numbered enemies will disappear.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Alissa in lead, Lyon was following patiently. Climbing the stairs, through a number of hallways till she stopped outside a room. ¡°Here it is.¡± She exclaimed loudly. I shrugged and moved on to open the door. ¡°Duke Lyon, I don¡¯t think this is the ri¡­..¡± Ethen warning came too late and I opened the door wide. The curtains were closed. The room was lit with candles only, the magic stones were turned off. The whole room gave a fragrance, which everyone noticed as the smell of the herb ¡®Loserell¡¯, smelling it will work as an aphrodisiac and will keep a couple excited while doing ¡®it¡¯. Fortunately, it only reached faintly to them to have any effects. The bed was also decorated with rose petals and a bowl filled with oil made from ¡®Gilflower¡¯ plant used for lubrication. Everyone grew dead silent. They knew what this room was prepared for. ¡°Wha¡­wha¡­Na¡­No..¡± Seeing this scene, Lia¡¯s face turned deep red and spouting some incomprehensible words, her eyes spun around like a Pokemon fainting, and she fainted. Unknown to everyone, before coming here, despite being 12, she was given a crash course on intercourse by her family¡¯s head maid as directed by her mother and now a little understandable on these things, and now thinking the Duke all ready to go, her blood rushing to her hand, she couldn''t help but pass out. ¡°MISS!!!!¡± Her two maid rushed and Emma caught her before she hit the ground. Olivia spread out her hands like trying to shield them from me. ¡°Your Grace, please forgive me presumptuousness but you both are still too young to do those sorts of things.¡± She was able to utter those things with the feeling of walking on a sharp-edged knife.¡± I rubbed my forehead trying to avoid an incoming headache. ¡°Oh my! I thought pulling her cheeks were already you being bold master but now I¡¯m left speechless by this.¡± Marvic commented in his usual indifferent tone but inside he was giving a thumbs-up to Lyon. ¡°Ah, I remembered that I haven¡¯t punished you for that time, Marvic.¡± I smiled evilly at him that he actually sweated a little. ¡°Your punishment is to go and answer all of my marriage proposals. Properly thank them and write how sorrowful I am to decline them. Not one reply should be less than 2000 words and you are going to do that for a whole year.¡± I ordered him decisively. ¡°No!! Master, you can¡¯t be this cruel, they are in hundreds and two thousand words for a whole year means I will be writing an uncountable amount. Please reconsider.¡± He pleaded but I have made up my mind. ¡°That will make you learn to investigate before pointing a sword at someone. Go and right now.¡± On my strong tone, Marvic slowly slumped towards my office. Almost everyone had pity for him. After he disappeared down the way, I turned towards everyone present. ¡°Who prepared this room?¡± Looking at them, I inquired in a low voice. Everybody took a step back because they knew I was pissed. Alissa slowly raised her hand while Ethen slapped his face murmuring on the line ¡®I knew something like this would happen¡¯. ¡°And Why?¡± I asked her to continue. ¡°Erm¡­.because I thought you will like some alone time with your wife.¡± And then everyone was surprised when Lyon and Alissa disappeared. When they heard some noises from inside the room, they saw the Duke fastening Alissa to the bed. Each limb towards each corner of the bed and tight enough to not let her flee while she was trying her best to resist. After fastening her, the Duke came out and bolted the door behind him. ¡°Nobody¡­ I repeat nobody is allowed to free her before I am done with her.¡± Everybody nodded. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I just tried to shrug it off by thinking that a little drama is needed everywhere. ¡°Ethen, Lead me to the room that head maid Mia prepared for Lia.¡± When he replied in affirmative, we left towards the ¡®real¡¯ prepared room. So tiring haah*, I just have to preserve for a while, the day is coming to an end. I thought as I look at the red yellowish evening outside. POV ends. But this incident will be known to future generations. Duke Lyon portrayed as the invincible Duke whose name shook the entire continent even after centuries of his death, was also secretly known for his concupiscence. It could be seen in the world as he had numerous wives and concubines but also because of an incident. When he was only 13, he already prepared a room to consummate his marriage with Lia Purgarian, his second wife on her first pre-marital visit. This shows us that he was born with a strong Libido. Somewhere ¡°I don¡¯t think he died.¡± A feminine figure talked aloud. ¡°Certainly not, it would have caused a massive uproar by now if he did.¡± Said another female figure in a modified maid outfit. Not long till covering her feet but ending in a skirt. ¡°Ah, he would have died easily that way. Plan B will hurt him a little but we have to do it now.¡± Said the sitting feminine figure cheerfully. The other figure stayed silent. Volume 1 Chapter 10: Truly a Gods Gift The whole training field was ruined. The soil and dust that have been agitatedly flying around were beginning to settle. If someone has to describe the surrounding, they would say that it was totally devastated. When the dust settled, one figure can be seen laying in the middle of the field. His noble clothing lay in tatters and his exposed skin and face were dust-covered. It is none other than our protagonist, Lyon Purgarian. A week has passed since his historically recorded reception and as a normal person from earth, he couldn¡¯t control his urge to use magic and skills and so his training began as ordered by himself. Marvic and Griesh teaching him about swords and magic in alternate days have become a schedule. Marvic¡¯s teaching of the sword was ruthless so Lyon had to trouble the priest to be present on the field for cases if he gets hurt. He is improving Lyon¡¯s physical capabilities now before he teaches Lyon about using mana for physical enhancements. Griesh¡¯s, on the other hand, was quite a peaceful teacher. Like blood vessels on the physical body, there is mana circuits as well and one big mana pool around the heart. In this world, mana is the essence of life. There will be mana if there is life and there will be life if there is mana. His lessons/training are his lectures on mana. The one who understands mana better, will ultimately be better at ¡®magic¡¯, mana¡¯s final product. Change of mana(void type) to any 4 basics (fire, water, earth, wind) or two unusual(light and dark) nature, makes it magic. Magic, that is said to be able to create as well as destroy. Many, many things were taught by Griesh and there were many more that he still has to learn. His lectures on one side, he barely comes to see Lyon train because he believes the things gained by one himself through his hard work, concentration, and determination were more valuable than things taught by others. He says everyone is unique and so is their ability to understand things their own way but he does help Lyon when he comes up with a problem. Today was Griesh¡¯s training day which is the reason Lyon is alone in the field. There are two other training fields for the palace guards. This one is only reserved for the Duke and his elite squads. Each field Is surrounded by barrier magic, as magic isn¡¯t permanent, it is fueled by mana stones. Mana stones are solidified form of mana. Barrier magic prevents magic attacks or slipped physical equipment from going out of the field. Also once barrier activates, the people inside can see outside but from outside it looks like the field is empty but they can¡¯t walk through because of the barrier. Lyon having rested enough from his previous activity, slowly raised his back and sat up. Lyon¡¯s POV ¡°Status¡±. I murmured and an almost transparent like box appeared before me. About this status window, no one else knows about it. When I asked Marvic, he replied that he had no idea what it is but when I explained what I could see then he replied that people with the lost skill ¡®Appraisal¡¯ are able to see strength in numerical values. Lyon Purgarian Race: Human Age: 13 Level: 4
HP: 4320 MP: 4500
Strength: 488 Magic Strength: 490
Agility: 535 Speed: 448
Skills: Etiquette (common) ¨C Lvl 9 Poker Face (rare) ¨C Lvl 8 Intelligence (lost) ¨C Lvl 7 Insight (lost) ¨C Lvl 7You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Precise Perception (unique) ¨C Lvl 6 Godly Interpretation (unique) ¨C Lvl 6 Perfect Memory (unique) ¨C Lvl 6 Appraisal (lost) ¨C Lvl 5 Concealment (lost) ¨C Lvl 5 Mana Control (common) ¨C Lvl 6 Mana Manipulation (unique) ¨C Lvl 6 Combat Skills: Quick reflexes (rare) ¨C Lvl 5 Inhuman Senses (unique) ¨C Lvl 4 Instant Evasion (unique) ¨C Lvl 4 Archery (common) ¨C Lvl 3 Swordsmanship (common) ¨C Lvl 4 Dual-wield Swordsmanship (lost) ¨C Lvl 2 Close combat (common) ¨C Lvl 3 Magic: Mana Bullet (Void) ¨C Lvl 3 Mana Bomb (Void) ¨C Lvl 3 Special Magic: Purgatory flame ¨C Lvl 2 God¡¯s gift (Lvl 2 ¨C no known way to level up, level up on its own): A master skill gifted by the God Origin himself. Contains a number of abilities Title: Reincarnated one The Grandchild of God Origin Duke of Saluda Yup, a cheat, a super cheat!!! I¡¯m sure you are thinking that but what I came with is just ¡®God¡¯s Gift¡¯. As God Origin said Lyon would have done great things in the future which I have to believe now after I saw this status window 1 week ago. How I opened it? Well, I was just playing around and it opened on its own. Why I believe former Lyon was made for great things is because according to my memory of all the books previous Lyon has read, one lost or one unique skill is priceless but Lyon had 5 of them. Those two lost combat skills were acquired by me using the creation skill to survive Marvic¡¯s beat¡­.err.. training. And over that cheat Lyon, I, the reincarnated one added a super cheat over Lyon¡¯s previous cheats. A monster in the making if you ask me. With Hyper stats, my base stats at Lvl 1 were at 100s and HP and MP in 1000s. People here not knowing about stats doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t see their stats. Looking around the people at my castle I found the normal people had base stats of 5-10 and HP and MP in between 50-100s. I¡¯m OP? No!! The ordinary people needed 10-20 exp to raise to lvl 2, I needed between 100-200 and the needed numerical figure goes increasing as we level up. That¡¯s why I¡¯m still at Lvl 4 after Marvic and Griesh¡¯s training. Marvic stats are in 1900s the highest average I have seen but only his magic strength is in 600s while Griesh stats are in 900s with his magic strength in 2000s. They both are monsters in front of any people in my castle. Marvic never held back at his training. I suffered numerous gashes with just a ¡®wooden¡¯ sword and also broke some of my ribs last time. I wasn¡¯t that much in pain as my regeneration kicks in along with the priest¡¯s help but I found that a deep gash, cuts HP until the blood loss is stopped and internal injury will continue to sap my HP till we heal the injury. Having dense mana is advantageous. For example, a normal guy putting 10 MP in a spell and I doing the same, the result will be that my spell will be a lot more powerful as my mana is denser. But it also has it¡¯s flaws. According to Griesh, if a plant is exposed to warm sunlight, it will bloom while if it is exposed to extreme sunlight, it will dry up. A base light mana is white and can be barely seen when it is released, this is a little cold, a little denser bright blue, is warm, a darker blue is hot and Grand Mage like Griesh¡¯s darkish blue will corrode a human¡¯s skin so I concluded mine, purple in color can corrode some limbs or even take lives if I expose it freely so I had to practice hard on ¡®Mana Control¡¯. It will help me dilute my concentrated mana before using healing magic or ¡®Mana transfer¡¯ to someone else. Skills and Magic levels can be increased by using them more and more. Skills: Common < rare < super rare < lost < Unique The right side we go, harder to get that skill. Levels are 1-10. The higher we go, more we have to use the skills or magic. The gifted lad, Lyon was given a gift by God individually and also gifted ¡®Saluda¡¯ as his inheritance and here I have descended with another gift from God Origin. I would have loved to be a little proud but I can¡¯t slack off at all, if there is light, there should be shadows. If I¡¯m given this much power, I have to be wary that someone else might have also obtained powers the same as me or even fearsome. Shaking my head, I stood up and stretched. No one knows the future. But I¡¯m looking forward to seeing how these gifts of God turns out to be. I better get strong quickly. I made up my mind as I exited the training field. POV ends. Volume 1 Chapter 11: Approaching Menace? Chapter-11 Marvic was leisurely walking through the hallway as it was Griesh¡¯s day to teach Lyon. After writing replies to the marriage proposals received by the Duke, he was free. Even if he had free time, it was already evening. This punishment by the Duke is something he doesn¡¯t enjoy at all. Shaking his head, he knew that it was still better than banishment, demotion or even death for his act which could easily pass as treason. Every manservant and maid bowed as he passed by them. After some time, he came across an open area. A garden with grass, flowers, a fountain, a swing seat and a shaded sitting place where people can meet and drink tea. An open sky upwards. There is a difference between a mansion and a castle. A mansion is just a big house with rooms while castle is numerous mansions with one main building, several compounds, and residence of the people holding high positions directly under Duke. As he was passing through, he saw his master¡¯s second Fiancee Lady Lia sitting on the swing with one of her maid pushing the swing and another standing by her side. They were having a very lively conversation by all the laughter coming from them. After noticing Marvic passing through she got up and slightly bowed her head. Her two maids bowed a little lower and so did the other servants tending to the garden. Lia¡¯s bow was showing courtesy to a higher noble and others were just commoners bowing to a noble of high rank. The members of Duke¡¯s elite squad are given the title of Honorary Earl. A title that isn¡¯t hereditary but still exploits the privilege of an Earl, higher than Lia¡¯s father who is a Viscount. Marvic nodded and continued on his way and they all returned back to where they left off because of him. Marvic felt a little amused and he chuckled remembering how Lia reacted after the reception. She couldn¡¯t talk or even look the Duke in his eyes for couple of days. But now they are comfortable with each other. Every day his master will dine with her and even accompany her to this garden after breakfast and talk about various things. She has opened up to Duke after it became a regular routine. He was surprised when Lyon gave her permission to ask pointers about magic from Griesh. Griesh is, after all, one of the few GrandMages and the only one of Sovern Empire. It is almost impossible to even meet this figure. After walking for about twenty more minutes, he finally reached his destination. Grandmagus Residence. He was invited inside by the guard. There was no one in the castle who didn¡¯t know about him. He was then led to the guest room by a maid who requested him to be seated while she prepares some tea. ¡®Not bad at all! This maid possesses a fine body¡¯ thought the lecher, the unknown side of Marvic. ¡°Stop eyeing her with such a indecent gaze, you are already an old man now.¡± This was the first thing Griesh blurted out as soon as he entered and saw Marvic ogling the maid. ¡°Hahaha* Don¡¯t be so rude old friend. My blood is still hot.¡± He replied back cheerfully which made Griesh sigh. Griesh signaled the maid and sat down on the sofa opposite of Marvic. ¡°I don¡¯t see little Kyra around.¡± Marvic inquired. Kyra, one of the members of Elite Squad with the title ¡®Little Sage¡¯ was Griesh¡¯s daughter. ¡°I had her stay outside the training barrier for young Lyon. I have instructed him to ask her if he gets confused about something while training.¡± Griesh fell back farther on his sofa, a relaxing feeling running through his body and mind. ¡°And what about sister-in-law,¡± Marvic asked again as he was receiving a teacup from the previous maid. They have known each other for two decades now and hence were close enough to call each other brothers. ¡°Where would she be? At the parlor, gossiping with other ladies.¡± Replied the old magus with a humph. Marvic just smiled at that. It may look otherwise from his mocking tone but he knows Griesh loves his wife and daughter a lot. ¡°So do you have some work for me?¡± Asked Griesh after a comfortable silence. ¡°No. Not work but some talk.¡± Marvic replied sipping on his tea. ¡°Hmm. Talk? Shoot!¡± Griesh replied, also sipping tea. ¡°It¡¯s about Lyon.¡± Now, this got a reaction from Griesh. A look of interest crossed over his face. ¡°You know how I train people.¡± Griesh nodded with an unpleasant face to Marvic¡¯s statement. ¡°It was no different for him.¡± Hearing this Griesh just sighed. He couldn¡¯t say anything else. It was training after all. Be lenient and the learner will end up dead. This was the reality here.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°He already had a good grasp of the sword and did inherit his father¡¯s Duel Wield but¡­..¡± (Marvic) ¡°But¡­..¡± (Griesh) ¡°¡­¡­the things which surprised me more is his battle instinct and raw strength. I mean, I¡¯m called the kingdom¡¯s strongest you see and it should be easy to beat a kid without effort and it was easy at first¡­.¡± Marvic looked towards me as he placed an empty cup down. ¡°was?¡± Griesh repeated. ¡°It ¡®was¡¯. He began improving as we went on with the mock battle. It looked like he could see my moves, feel my intent as we went on. It is true that I could still beat him but I have to expend some effort and my effort doubled yesterday than it was before it. I think I can confidently say that he can become someone very strong, even stronger than Leviet.¡± Griesh stared at him for a while. A silence ensued. The maid standing at the side has started feeling uncomfortable. ¡°Wait here.¡± After he said that, Griesh hurriedly stood up and went out. After some moment, he was back but with some papers this time and he passed it to Marvic before he plopped down on the opposite sofa. He also ordered the maid to leave them. Marvic looked at Griesh for a bit before turning his gaze and skimming through the papers. His eye widened. ¡°This is¡­?¡± He asked Griesh who nodded and sat with a straight back. ¡°Spells created by young Lyon.¡± This shocked Marvic. ¡°He created a spell? Isn¡¯t he just 13.¡± Asked Marvic in a bewildered voice. Griesh stared at Marvic eyes and nodded. ¡°Yes he did and also spells of void type or spells of just mana without any nature conversion.¡± Marvic remained silent hearing Griesh words and dove back to the papers in hand. ¡°As you can see, ¡®Mana Bullet¡¯, a spell where you condense a little amount of mana in your fingertip and then propel it with a burst of mana from the same fingertip.¡± Griesh explained. Marvic nodded and went to the second page. ¡°And, ¡®Mana Bomb¡¯, a spell more complex than the first one. You bring out a lot of mana, then control it to condense and concentrate around a point while also making the resulting condensed ball unstable. Then you will envelop the sphere with a thin mana film. Thin enough that it would be destroyed at a touch. Then you throw the sphere, once it touches, an explosion is inevitable. The power depends on how condensed the unstable sphere is.¡± Marvic nodded again and then he placed the papers on the table in front of him. Griesh also added that the details were given by Lyon himself. ¡°It was interesting, a spell of a void type/raw mana. He just invented some unique spells. But like you, what surprised me was not this but his mana density.¡± Griesh word woke Marvic from his deep thoughts. ¡°Oh, that! I felt that too. I¡¯m not strong enough if I can¡¯t feel that. I just forgot to tell you.¡± Hearing him Griesh deflated but he still went on. ¡°Like you might have felt it. His mana is unique. Unlike me, his mana color was purple which I have never seen before and I can assure you that it felt 10 times denser than mine.¡± 10 times denser than a Grand Magus, these words left Marvic sweating. They both knew how strong Late Duke Leviet was and how much potential he had but he got outshined by his own son. If they have to describe Leviet as a beast among humans, Lyon would be a monster. They slowly descended into silence again, having their own thoughts to play in their heads. Somewhere in Divine Empire ¡°Guarding the gate sounds so easy but you feel so tired doing it.¡± Complained a guard standing at the side of the huge metallic city gate. ¡°We just need to guard for another 2 hours and our shift is done. Only thinking about it is making me sleepy.¡± Replied another guard finishing with a yawn. It was night time so the metallic gates were closed. Only a small door at the bottom corner of one of the gates can be opened and closed manually at this hour. This is so that any passerby or traveler can identify themselves if they want to stay or for the city folks who couldn¡¯t enter the town within the determined hour. After that determined time, the main big gate is closed and they have to pay fine in coins to get into the city through this door and even then after only gaining the head guards'' permission. The two guards were currently guarding this gate. Suddenly their bored silence was disturbed by a horse''s trotting sound until they saw another guard riding towards them. ¡°Emergency! It¡¯s an emergency! Our Lord has been assassinated and the Countess has given the decree for a lockdown.¡± The countess was preparing for a massive search for any suspicious person hence she wanted every gate to be locked down with no entry nor outing possible. She was furious right now. The two guards stared dumbfoundedly for a while. It wasn¡¯t their fault, it was too sudden for them after all. They got scolded by the messenger for this pause when everything was needed to be done urgently. With guards turning blank and another scolding them, they didn¡¯t see a faint ghostly presence that slowly went past them and through the door. Even the guards on the top of the wall couldn¡¯t see this figure moving right below them. A few miles away from the city The faint presence finally faded away as a figure in all black appeared at that place. ¡°urgh!¡± The figure grunted as he held his right hand. ¡°These higher nobles sure are cautious. I predicted he would have some magic items but didn¡¯t think it would actually be a Tier-4 defensive magic item. Because of that, my first attack got deflected and he retaliated. And I¡¯m supposed to be the top assassin who just got injured on a mission for not a king, not even a crown prince but a Count.¡± The self-mocking tone was harsh. The figure slowly looked up and saw a black raven perching on a branch of a nearby tree calmly staring at him. The figure in black extended his arm and the raven flew down and gently perched on his arm. With his other hand, he started caressing its head gently. Then he slowly reached out his caressing hands and took out a strap containing a tied slender cylindrical object from the bird¡¯s back. Removing the cork, he took out a rolled piece of paper. After reading it for a while, he took out a piece of unused paper and a feather pen, and began writing a reply. After some time, he rolled the paper, put it inside the cylindrical tube and strapped it on the bird''s back again. He waved his hands containing the bird a little upward, and off flew the raven. A slight spark can be seen in the standing figure''s eye as he kept staring towards the direction where the bird disappeared. Volume 1 Chapter 12: Duchess in Future!! Thoughts*
Chapter-12 Somewhere A guy in his late middle ages was going through his paperwork. The room was brightly lit with magic crystals. The figure stopped moving his pen, put it down and looked towards the window on his left. Soon enough, a raven flew through the window and circled the room once. Seeing the figure below extending his arm, the crow flew down and perched on that said arm. The figure was very familiar with this bird. After all, it was his messenger bird. Every member of his guild owns their own messenger birds. He took out the strap behind it, took out the rolled message, unrolled it and began reading it. After a while, he finally crumpled the paper himself and threw it in the dustbin below his desk. He then took out a dried piece of meat from his desk drawer and fed it to the raven, who ate it quickly. ¡°You did a good job. Now, go and rest.¡± He caressed the raven for a while before it flew through the window towards its resting place. The figure saw it fly away and then sighed after it was away from sight for a while. ¡°Number 6! I have some work for you.¡± The man stated seemingly to no one but then a figure materialized from his left side behind him. The figure walked up and stood in front of the desk facing him. ¡°What is your order, Sir Roko?¡± The figure was wearing a black mask coupled with an all-black look on his attire. There was a shiny badge on his right side of the chest, a black heart and four swords piercing through it. The symbol of the top assassination guild, Dark Heart. ¡°It¡¯s a message to the Client you are in charge of. Tell them that Sir Hoko is already on his way to another job and he isn¡¯t a type to abandoned a job midway so they will have to wait for a little. Also, tell them that we will notify them of the place to meet when Sir Hoko returns. Now go!¡± The guy standing before him bowed and then walked out of the room to complete his task. The guy sitting on the desk was Roko, younger brother of Hoko, the top assassin around. They both are the founder of this guild Dark Heart. Giving me trouble, as usual, big brother? I don¡¯t really remember the last time you got injured during a mission but I can¡¯t really tell our client that after all. I have to make an excuse for the time you will take to recover. Get well soon and take care brother. A smile formed on his lips which disappeared the next moment. He stretched and then picked up his pen again. Alore City, Saluda Duke Lyon¡¯s Castle Lia¡¯s compound She was sitting on her swing while one of her maids pushed the swing and another stood by her side. It was surprising that no conversation was going on and it was because of Lia. If someone tried to watch carefully, they could tell she wasn¡¯t in a pleasant mood with a confused look plastered on her face as trying to figure something out. It was an enjoyable day for our Lady, Lia Belfrost. She went on an outing with the Duke himself. It could easily pass as a date and she liked thinking it that way. She was led and showed around the Capital by Lyon himself and she was amused by how much he was taking pride in showing her many attractions of the Capital.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She was left awed over the area it covered, the number of people, the size of the market, the scale of activity and how much beautiful and clean it looked in comparison to the City under her father. That city wasn¡¯t even qualified to be compared to the capital in any way while she knew that her city is considered one of the big cities in this dutchy. And not to tell how she felt when the whole Royal section of Alore was controlled by Purgarian Family with more than half grasp of Noble Section and around half of the Commoner¡¯s Section. The control here isn¡¯t about power but money. Now she knows how all Duke of Saluda till now spent money like a river. They also own private property like Inns, mansions, restaurants, clothes shops, jewelry stores, blacksmiths, pharmacies, etc. throughout the Capital. She, nor her father had ever dreamt of owning this many establishments. And he entered and introduced her as his fianc¨¦e to each of these establishments. They were walking through the town but they weren¡¯t afraid as the elite squad and her two maids were protecting them. They walked as a circle with both of them in the middle. No one dared to try anything. But, even among these many amazing things, there was one thing she saw that left her confused and unsatisfied. Lyon¡¯s office Lyon¡¯s POV ¡°Hah! I¡¯m all refreshed. Bath is the best solution for exhaustion.¡± I spoke in a relaxed manner as I entered. Then I noticed Marvic seated on another desk left of my personal desk writing replies to all of my marriage proposals. Serve you right!! I yelled in my mind, seeing that old coot suffering after the beating he gave me in today¡¯s training. I walked up to my desk and got seated to start my work as well. ¡°Don¡¯t you think Lady Lia looked troubled on our return?¡± He must have finally noticed me. ¡°Yes, she was. When we came across the slum area, she happened to see some malnourished children. She had been that way since then¡± I answered after thinking for a while. ¡°Well forgive my impoliteness but she does look like a na?ve protected noble girl so I¡¯m not that surprised hearing that.¡± He stated that after thinking for a while and continuing his work without waiting for a reply. I couldn¡¯t agree more. "She might come to talk to me about it. I will explain it then." I replied flipping over a report to start. But this talk of Lia''s situation made me remind about someone else. Flashback***** Back to when I was a new Duke. I did came across the slums. ¡°So, it is because of these people situations that you cannot get rid of the slums.¡± A voice filled with sympathy came from my side. And there she was, the one who always stood by me since my childhood days, Elaine Phoenix. She had just figured out why I looked so lost looking at them. I just nodded. We stood in silence for a while before she finally spoke. ¡°If you can¡¯t help them completely then why don¡¯t you help them as much as you can.¡± Her words surprised me and when I looked at her, our eyes met. The warmth from them poured into me and then she clasped my hand in hers. ¡°If you can¡¯t get rid of it then you can at least keep it clean for them. In a clean surrounding, there will be better hygiene, less disease, less death, and more people can survive to find a way to live in the Commoners Section. You will be saving more lives of your subjects that way.¡± She finished with a smile, her smile dazzled me, I cannot think of any solution then because of my worry and the pressure of this heavy title but she cleared it all. Not only hygiene, but I also made several other changes to help them as much as I can. Flashback end***** What Lia saw today was a much more improved version of the slums City Alore had in the past. ¡°¡­¡­.different from Elaine.¡± I unintentionally let it out. Before I realized it Marvic has already heard it. ¡°They are different after all. Since age 4, Elaine knows that she would be your 1st wife, the one in power when you are absent. She is intelligent enough to know she should learn about everything related to ruling and by then she would have been told about the curse of Purgarian family. Lia, on the other hand, for her it was too sudden. You just asked her for yourself and she doesn¡¯t know anything at all, for now. She is a protected daughter on top of that.¡± Marvic voiced his wisdom again without looking at me. I sighed satisfied. I just had some flashbacks of Elaine¡¯s beautiful smiles. ¡°That or it might be that Elaine just wants to support me in ruling this Dutchy together. I''m not that innocent to not note her heart and her feelings. She is going to be my beautiful Duchess in few years after all.¡± I don¡¯t know why some kind of anime music started in my head as I said this. Laughing to myself and feeling light-hearted, I began to do my work. Volume 1 Chapter 13: The Decree The meeting hall of Purgarian Palace was just like any other palace room, lavish and well decorated. The overall color of the room was red with gold patterns now and then. The walls left and right were almost covered with portraits of former dukes. There was a large rectangular marble table in the middle of the room. Right above it was a reddish crystalline glowing chandelier. There were lavish golden chairs around the marble table. There was one more lavish chair than those golden chairs that were kept on the longer side. The lavish platinum chair was on the shorter side which you see first entering through the door. Behind it was a white marble fireplace and above it was some porcelain vases and even above it on the wall was the portrait of current Duke Lyon. As of now, the chairs on the longer side of the table were filled with some nobles murmuring with each other. They were summoned by the Duke for a scheduled meeting today and were catching up with one another before he arrives. Their murmuring stopped suddenly when Marquis Deder Lloyd walked in, followed by General of Duke¡¯s army, Earl Henry Lance and Knight Grand commander, Earl Bartel Hameil. The nobles stood up and bowed to welcome these big shots one by one. After some introductions, the Marquis sat closest to the Duke seat, in of the longer side with both Earls following to seat beside him. They sit closest to Duke according to their rank and power. ¡°What do you think Marquis Lloyd?¡± Viscount Allen Belfrost, the head of the Domestic Affairs department started a conversation with the new arrivals. ¡°I have no idea myself, Sir Belfrost.¡± Marquis Llyod answered candidly. ¡°Whatever may be the cause of Lord Duke summoning us together. I hope it won¡¯t be too much of a shock like last time.¡± Earl Hameil added, emphasizing the last words. Everyone drew a cold breath after listening to him. ¡°Did anyone of you heard any rumors of any family that disobeyed or offended the Duke in any way?¡± Earl Lance inquired turning his head to look them all in their eye. A silence ensued but after a while, everyone shook their head. ¡°But I did hear that His Grace was going around the city with your Daughter, Sir BelFrost¡±, Viscount Jeff Warkin, the head of the Food Department, directed his question towards Viscount Belfrost. It was no secret to any of those present there about Viscount Belfrost¡¯s daughter and the Duke. They were rather envious of him for that. ¡°He surely must have come across something that got his disapproval during his tour.¡± Added Earl Hameil. ¡°¡­..or someone¡­¡± Earl Lance pitched his thoughts calmly that made the room go silent again. Marquis Lloyd felt cold sweat pouring down his forehead. His Grace is entering the Meeting Hall One of the guards outside the room announced Duke Lyon¡¯s arrival, everyone got up from his seat and bowed their head as Duke Lyon, followed by Marvic, Greish, and Viscount Avalon Espirit, the head of the financial department and the treasurer of Duke Lyon. Duke Lyon nodded and took his seat on the more extravagant one before his portrait. After he was seated, Marvic, Griesh, and Viscount Espirit took their seat on the opposite side of Marquis Lloyd and Co. Lyon POV I didn¡¯t speak for a while after I sat down. Marvic and co. who came later bowed a little towards Marquis and he nodded back, acknowledging each other¡¯s presence. ¡°Your Grace, how was your tour around the city?¡± Seeing me silently looking at all of them, Marquis Lloyd tried to strike a conversation first. ¡°It was fine, I summoned you all today for the matters I came upon during my outing¡± I said that with as little interest I can muster. I could actually see them sweating cold sweat. I don¡¯t dislike this. According to Marvic, my aura of authority is frightening. A single man who owns Saluda. I signaled the servant standing behind me and he came forward and placed a bunch of written documents in front of me, bowed, and went back to stand again. I casually picked one of them and read a little¡­¡­¡­ ¡°General Henry¡­..¡± I called out. ¡°Your Grace¡­..¡± Earl Lance stood up from his seat. ¡°On my outing, I noticed the number of guards. They were, I can say very few when thieves and crooks were running around freely in the commoner¡¯s section. And, I came to know that it¡¯s my standing army that is used as City Guards, am I correct, General Henry?¡± I looked up from the paper, straight in his eyes.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± He answered back albeit a little weaker than before. ¡°And now that I see the numbers, my standing army is hardly above 10,000. After the war with Valha, you suggested cutting some military expenses. General Henry, I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t think that number was enough to control the population of over 500,000 of Alore City.¡± I was angry, at myself for ignoring this case for so long. General Henry remained silent. He pretty much knew it was his faults for neglecting this issue till now. ¡°A strong army is needed to keep peace and order intact.¡± Everyone in the hall understood my intention to increase the military. Saluda Dutchy was prosperous in every way. There were many greedy eyes who crave it across the continent far and wide. Even if I complain 10,000 isn¡¯t the full force of Saluda. It¡¯s my personal standing force only. Aside from me, there are 2 Margraves who guard Saluda¡¯s border from the 3 other kingdom of Sovern. After all, ¡®A good fence makes good neighbors. Both Margraves maintain an army of 30,000 each, the three Top counts are allowed to hold personal army of 10,000 each. Together, only us have around 100,000 standing troops. Saluda is a strong power but it won¡¯t be the case even if one of them betray when I rely on them too much. An extravagant reward and more power promised by a foreign force may sway them. Only having a strong personal army will save me or my descendants then. ¡°General, I need at least 40,000. 25,000 from this city and recruit 15,000 from outside the city. Be sure to supervise that¡± I ordered him. ¡°With honor, Your Grace.¡± The General put his right hand over his left chest and bowed. This gesture meant he received my orders. ¡°Viscount Avalon¡­¡± As soon as I called him, he got ready with a paper and ink. ¡°Your Grace, I¡¯m writing everything down. I will send it to you as soon as I¡¯m done with the calculations.¡± He answered and I nodded my head. As the financial head, he has to calculate all the added expense of maintaining a bigger standing army. Ah! A standing army is a permanent military unlike those conscripted during the war. The conscripted ones go back to their normal life after war but standing armies remain and they earn their salary from me. They and their family are also exempt from income tax and given a house in the military district of city Alore as long as they serve in the army. Saluda¡¯s treasury can support an army way bigger than this one. But I¡¯m a guy who looks at quality over quantity. Putting the paper down, I picked another paper. ¡°Knight Grand Commander Hameil¡­..¡± I called out after taking a look at the details of the paper. It was a similar report like General Lance''s but this time it was on knights. I was too bored to get angry again to get him sweating. ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± The Noble before General Henry stood up. ¡°¡­.hmm¡­it¡¯s kind of a similar order to General Henry here. Only over 1,000 knights, increase it to 3,000.¡± I can see Avalon writing hard on this one. Grooming a knight takes a lot of money and resources than a soldier. Knights also lead soldiers at war. Only 2000 more knights will certainly take around 15,000 normal soldier resources. ¡°And train them well so that soldiers know Basic Body Enhancements and each Knights should know to apply Magic Edge in their weapon. I want to hear no objections. I will be looking forward to see the results.¡± They both almost objected but swallowed it back with my last words. They did the gesture of accepting again. I finally gave them permission to sit. ¡°Marquis Lloyd¡­¡± Now it was the Marquis time to stand. ¡°On my outing, I overheard some Nobles talking about some faction. Didn¡¯t I order you to dissolve that faction right away.¡± I can tell my voice was cold as ice when I said that. No Purgarian head ever tolerated Noble Factions. It does nothing but gives rise to a Civil war at some point. ¡°M-My apologies, Your Grace. I will dissolve it right away.¡± Marquis Lloyd stuttered at this point. The Duke¡¯s gaze was too cold and he could see Marvic to the side. He won¡¯t think twice about lopping his head if the Duke gives the order. He can¡¯t even refute because he is the nominal head of that faction. ¡°Good. I will tolerate friendship but no factions. Am I clear?¡± I directed this question to everyone else present and they nodded their head in obedience. I let Marquis Lloyd sit after that but not without reminding him about the consequences if he didn¡¯t. I took a deep breath. Now, I need to discuss the real matters with them. ¡°Now that the side works are gone. Listen to the real reason of this meeting.¡± Everyone straightened their back on my words. ¡°I came upon some merchants who looked trouble. I talked with them and found out Bandits have increased a lot in just a year. They don¡¯t feel safe on their journey here. It will affect our trade.¡± I told with seriousness in my voice. ¡°What? Robbers? They dare¡­.?¡± Marquis Lloyd was surprised as well. It was first time in his life that he heard robbers acting so boldly. ¡°So your orders are¡­¡­.¡± Marvic spoke for the first time. ¡°Not just order but a decree. Each territory should construct a Guard post with around 100 guards every 10 km but it will¡­¡­..¡± There were objections on their way already but they were halted by my incomplete sentence again. Somewhere within the territory of Saluda In a clearing of a road through Forest Grenria, Four carriages can be seen toppled in different directions. Horses and people laid dead here and there. Some thugs can be seen in the middle of looting and killing more people. A girl with a pair of leopard ears was watching the scene gleefully. ¡°¡­¡­.happen after their complete extermination¡±, she froze. She looked left and right confused where that sound came from. Was it my imagination? Her intuition gave her a really unpleasant feeling but she shrugged it off after a while. They got their hands on some good loot today so she didn¡¯t want to ruin her mood over a hunch. Back to Lyon¡¯s office ¡°Your Grace, you mean that¡­.¡± Viscount Allen word stuck in his throat. ¡°Yes, I mean I¡¯m mobilizing the whole Saluda. Search every corner, in all directions. I want the bandits exterminated. Spare no one. They dare rob and kill people here, I don¡¯t want them alive for long.¡± Everyone gulped. Here was that feeling coming from their Duke again, the feeling of No-mercy and absolute destruction. ¡°This is the decree, exterminate every bandit within a month. After that, establish Guard Post every 10 km in their territory. If vassals can¡¯t afford it, it¡¯s their Liege¡¯s responsibility but I want it done, by every Noble with a territory¡± I stamped the written decree with my Purgarian House seal. I wanted it to be 5kms but I refrained because of over expense in maintaining them. The merchants will have security throughout my territory and a signal flare fired at the sky can be seen from only 10kms away so the nearest station can go in to help if needed After some more small details, I ended the meeting and left the meeting hall. It¡¯s time for me to act as well, let¡¯s get some experience. With those thoughts, I moved along the long-decorated hallway followed by Marvic, Griesh, and a servant. Volume 1 Chapter 14: The Need to Learn a Lot Viscount Allen was walking through the hallway, his one side had decorated walls, and another side had a beautiful garden with gardeners tending to it. They, and all the guards on the passage, all bowed as he passed by them. He was in a good mood, humming to himself as he walks. After all, he hasn¡¯t seen his daughter for over a month. He has already spent some days, working with other nobles to finish his part of the report, as the domestic affair head, right after the meeting with the Duke. Even being here, he couldn¡¯t visit her at all. Right now, his destination was Lia¡¯s residence. That was some surprise he got when he asked one of the servants about her room but he answered that Duke gave her a residence. This just meant Duke is serious about taking her as his wife. But he still wanted to know how she was faring. Was she unhappy? Uncomfortable? Were the things that were going through his head. He came upon the residence after a short walk, confirming his noble ID, the guards let him enter with respect. ¡°Master!¡± Emma and Olivia greeted him with a bow as soon as they saw him. Right now, Lia was in her courtyard enjoying tea leisurely. Seeing her father entering and her maids greeting him, her face was filled with delight and her eyes shone happily. She darted hastily, straight to her father¡¯s embrace. ¡°Father!¡± ¡°My little snow, I missed you so much!¡± Their familial love made the heart of the two maids warm and light. They missed this scene a lot. Their young mistress was always doted by her father, unlike her mother who was always strict on her. ¡°Won¡¯t you invite me in, little snow?¡± The Viscount asked cheekily and Lia felt a little embarrassed and looked down shyly. If it was her mother tagging along, she would have been scolded by now. Shyly, she pulled her father along with her inside her residence, and her two maids followed. Inside Lia¡¯s Mansion The Viscount was very content with his daughter¡¯s residence. Colored with light blue and white, decorated with beautiful furniture, the fact that the one he was sitting on came from a very rare tree, expensive vases on the cupboard, beautiful portraits, the one which caught his eye was the chandelier above him, the hexagonal crystal and darker blue crystals within it to make it look like a figure encased in light hexagonal ice, his family symbol. He could see that his daughter wasn¡¯t ignored by the Duke at all and she confirmed it to his heart¡¯s contentment. He was listening to his daughter¡¯s time in this palace. ¡°Wait? You mean his grace isn¡¯t in Alore City now?¡± I asked in a jolt. Lia puffed her cheeks complaining he wasn¡¯t listening at all and he had to make some excuse to pacify her. ¡°Yes Father, In the morning before yesterday, he visited me as usual. Before he left, he told me that he has some urgent important task to handle so he will be leaving right then.¡± Lia obediently repeated it again. Hmm, an urgent and important work that he didn¡¯t tell us about? What could it be? As unpredictable as always, eh. I might just be wasting my time overthinking it. I¡¯m certain he won¡¯t punish someone unjustly. Coming out of his thoughts, he was back to listening to his daughter. He knows his daughter well, and he could tell, she was purposely leaving out some parts in her narration. ¡°Lia, you didn¡¯t tell me the whole thing about your outings? What might you be hiding now, I wonder?¡± That question made Lia flinch a little, and she looked down again. She knew from the start she couldn¡¯t hide it from him. She slowly raised her head up to look at her father¡¯s face and decided to tell him about what happened then. ** Flashback ** It was the next morning after their first outing in the capital. Duke Lyon visited to have the usual breakfast time together. He would always come when he wasn¡¯t busy and eat with Lia, in her courtyard. He easily noticed her sulking quietly as she ate her breakfast. Huh* he sighed a little. It can¡¯t be helped then. ¡°Lia, please come with me to a place after breakfast.¡± She seemed surprised because he promised her to continue their city tour after lunch. Her surprised expression slowly faded away to her usual ¡®obedient-pleasant wife face¡¯ if Lyon can describe it and she nodded without any question. In Commoner¡¯s section of City Alore Lia was wondering why he brought her here. Right now, they were climbing stairs of a multistoried inn owned by Duke Lyon. She can tell they were heading for the roof. It didn¡¯t take them long to reach it. After reaching the roof, Lyon walked straight, stopping at the Parapet, and looked over straight at the area that the backside of this inn was facing. Lia followed as well and peered over it. What she could see was the ¡®slum area¡¯. She understood that she has been seen through by the Duke.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°E-erm...Your Grace¡­I¡­was¡± She was stuttering and couldn¡¯t look at his face. Lyon looked at her for a while and couldn¡¯t resist pinching her right cheek lightly. ¡°Tell me, Lia. What¡¯s bothering you about this scene?¡¯ Lyon asked her pointing towards the slums. Lia, still looking down, clenched her hand that was squeezing the helm of her long skirt (Author: You can picture the clothes that noble girls wear in isekai anime) and gathering her strength, she finally looked up. ¡°Your Grace, why are they still living in poverty? Why are they the only ones living like that in a deserted corner of this beautiful city? You can change everything in Saluda if you want to, right? then¡­.why¡­.why ignore them?¡± She looked down immediately after saying that. Lyon can tell she was shaking. If she was someone else, he would have been angry at questioning his duty. Alissa who accompanied them as a guard today thought it was wise to keep quiet. She was not good at explaining stuff. ¡°I¡¯m glad you said it but I¡¯m not ignoring them.¡± Lyon again pulled her cheeks and made her look up to the smiling him. He could see she was close to tears already. He sighed* again, he really has to make her stop fearing him. ¡°And, I can¡¯t develop it at all. It isn¡¯t because I don¡¯t want to but I really can¡¯t.¡± Lyon told her calmly. ¡°Why?¡± Her response made Lyon play with her cheeks more. They were so soft. ¡°See, over there.¡± He showed Lia, a man who was doing something with papers, he was continuously scraping and redoing whatever he was doing. ¡°That guy was a small merchant some months ago. He lost his fortune to some bandits and lost everything. This is the place where he is making plans to start over again. He got demoted from ¡®Citizen¡¯ to here by himself because slum people don¡¯t have to pay taxes to me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She was still confused. ¡°He won¡¯t be paying any taxes for now but he works to earn and he is making plans. As soon as he has saved enough, he can start another business that he is planning after regaining his ¡®Citizen¡¯ status as we can see.¡± I pointed towards him scraping the paper again. ¡°Slum in a city across Saluda is like this, a place where people start their city life, the ones who come from villages and remote areas and they haven¡¯t planned anything for now and don¡¯t have money for taxes, the slum is for orphans who have to pave their life themselves¡­¡­¡­ and for people like him, who come to the slum to restart their city life anew.¡± Lyon can see the expression of realization in Lia¡¯s face as he goes on with how slum works. She was told the reason why he couldn¡¯t develop it. If he develops it, first, the very low rent will be raised a lot and, secondly, people of slum won¡¯t be eager to get their ¡®Citizen¡¯ status back if there is no difference in lifestyle between the slum and the commoner area. She was shocked moreover when he told her that her City Gladen which her Father governs also has a slum area. The realization of not knowing much about this subject struck her as well making her feel guilty and embarrassed inside. Lyon also narrated all the changes he did to make the life of slum people easy. From establishing public order to introducing a lot of public jobs for them, clean water, clean surroundings using the slum people themselves, and paying for their hard work. And, he humbly added that all those credits go to his fianc¨¦e Princess Elaine. Lia wasn¡¯t foreign to news about Princess Elaine. She can bet that almost everyone knew about them. For now, she was convinced he paid attention to the slum people. **Flashback ends** Viscount Allen slowly nodded his head listening to his daughter¡¯s narration. He was satisfied that his daughter has learned something new. ¡°Father¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, what is it?¡± ¡°There was something that I couldn¡¯t ask the Duke then. I was overwhelmed at that time.¡± The Viscount could see the curious look in his daughter¡¯s eye. He nodded at her to signal to go ahead. ¡°Everything Duke Lyon said about the life in the slum, those things sound much favorable. What if those people always want to live in slums? Viscount Allen wasn¡¯t surprised. This question was normal. He slowly took out his ID and showed it to her. ¡°Like we nobles have an identity, the ¡®Citizens¡¯ also have it while the slum people don¡¯t. They can¡¯t have any paperwork done, like owning any property or marriage until they become ¡®Citizens¡¯, the one who pays taxes to the Duke, and the Duke and his vassals give them protection in return. If a war breaks out, and there is no way out, the Duke will prioritize his ¡®Citizens¡¯, not them. If you don¡¯t have an identity, and you travel outside of your country, the best outcome will be that you make it to that country¡¯s slum safe but the worst outcome is without an identity, you can be made a slave by a slave trader. So, it is rather favorable to get ¡®Citizen¡¯ status rather than living as a nobody in a slum.¡± Viscount Allen puts his ID back and looks towards Lia who took everything he said silently. ¡°I understand now.¡± She looked relieved and her usual smile was back. ¡°Father, I want to learn. I can¡¯t stay this ignorant.¡± Before Viscount Allen could pacify his heart over his daughter¡¯s beautiful smile, Lia plunged into his embrace and asked him with her upturned eyes. ¡°Okay, when you return, I will teach you everything that I know.¡± He patted his daughter¡¯s head lovingly. Yes, he is one of the most doting fathers, a noble girl could ask for. If I remember Duke Lyon asked for Lia as his second wife. It should be fine teaching her about governing. She should be ready for when the Duke and his first wife are absent in the future for some reason. He was already thinking about making preparations once he returns to his City Gladen. They talked about matters back at their home for sometime before Viscount Allen had to go to answer Marquis Lloyd¡¯s invitation to dinner at his place, along with other nobles that participated in Duke Lyon¡¯s meeting some days ago and then, he would return to his City. Lia couldn¡¯t leave for her house without permission from the Duke and the said Duke was outside of Alore City as of now so, she will have to wait a while before returning to learn from her father. ¡°I need to learn a lot.¡± Lia claimed to herself with a determined tone. Volume 1 Chapter 15: For me, A bandit is a Bandit. Somewhere A middle-aged man was diligently doing his paperwork, which appeared to be limitless, reaching from one side to another side of the table in stacks where he was working on. This man was Roko, one of the owners of the top, Dark Hearts Assassin Guild. The room was peaceful and windows were open as fresh air lightly brushed his long-combed hair now and then. If one viewed from outside the windows, they would see a figure working hard. Suddenly, the scene of him working hard became nearer and nearer, so near that one could hear him scribbling on the paper. ¡°Welcome back, brother.¡± Roko called out suddenly without looking up from his work. A silence ensued for a while, prompting Roko to stop his scribbling and stare at the empty space on his left between him and the windows. Haah* A quiet sighing can be heard before the empty space between Roko and the window looked distorted in different colors before revealing a figure, dressed all in black. The most noticeable thing was a badge of a black heart, pierced by 5 swords, placed in the middle of his chest. ¡°Why are you the only one who can see through my perfect ¡®Camouflage¡¯ and ¡®Mana Concealment¡¯ skills used together.¡± The tall figure drew back his hood that was covering even his eyes before, to reveal a face similar to Roko but a little more aged. His expression was showing exasperation at his brother for always seeing through him when he tries to sneak up to surprise him. He used to surprise him a lot before but it has stopped working on him somehow later. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just feel like some eyes are staring at me and you were always the one who used to appear before me after I used to call out. Why would I think that it would be anyone else.¡± Roko answered with an indifferent expression because he is used to explaining it again and again after his brother¡¯s every failed surprise in the past. ¡°Yea, yea, the same explanation. Why are you even hiding it from me?¡± Hoko asked lying on a sofa across his brother¡¯s desk. ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything¡­.¡± Roko deadpanned. His brother never believed his explanation, saying no way that his perfect skills would give him away like that. ¡°Most importantly Brother, you sure took your sweet time recovering. It has been a month since I heard from you.¡± Roko inquired to his brother who was lazing around on the sofa. ¡°This time, I got hurt pretty bad. The request was to assassinate a Count of the Divine Kingdom. Assassinating one of the higher nobility sure was hard.¡± Hoko explained in a nonchalant way, remaining laid down on the sofa. ¡°You got hurt that much?¡± Roko was surprised, He was wondering where was his brother fooling around in the past month, he never would have imagined his brother took a month to recover. It meant he was hurt pretty badly. He has no memory of his brother needing any more than 4-5 days of recovering after assassinating his targets. Seeing Roko all surprised, Hoko sat up but he was still not looking towards his brother. ¡°It was a Tier 4 defensive item. The reflection types. When I was going to stab him for a quick kill, I saw the item activating, I could only divert my knife which slashed his arm instead, that damage got reflected towards me.¡± Roko''s eyes widened in realization. A reflection, Tier 4 magic item which means if his brother actually went for the kill without seeing the item¡¯s magic activation, his brother would have been the one winding up dead there. Magic items have 5 Tiers. Tier1-5. Tier 5 is considered a national treasure and Tier 4 was the highest an individual will carry, now he can understand his brother¡¯s plight. He was also thankful inside that his brother came back alive to him. ¡°So, about the message, you sent back then. I would like to rest for today so, can you arrange the meeting as soon as possible after that?¡± Roko was pulled out of his gratitude-filled stupor by Hoko¡¯s request. He was actually amazed. His brother who almost died wants to go to another dangerous mission as soon as possible. ¡°No.6!¡± But he nodded in acceptance after a while. This was his brother after all and so, he called his attendant. The guy named No.6 appeared before him but he bowed towards Hoko first and then bowed to Roko.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°as you can see¡­¡± directing his eyes towards Hoko which the attendant understood and nodded. ¡°¡­do inform our client that we would be visiting him day after tomorrow in the town he is staying in.¡± The attendant No.6 nodded and disappeared again. After the work matter was done, the two brothers discussed the elder brother¡¯s journey and shared some laughs. Forest Grenria In a clearing within a dense forest, there were hundreds of bandits dancing and cheering. They were celebrating their successive robbery. An air of merrymaking was in the air. They all were enjoying their time in front of a cave. The cave¡¯s mouth was guarded by a few robust-looking bandits. If one looked inside this cave, they can see the path widening as they see further, the cave was a naturally made hollow hill from inside. A perfect place for bandits to store their looted goods. But, at this moment, inside the cave, rather than making merry, something else was going on¡­.. ¡°Tell me your excuse now, Vienah. Why didn¡¯t you follow my orders back then?¡± A leopard eared girl was currently stomping on a black-haired human girl below. ¡°Cough*¡­Cough*¡­.I- I just attacked that carriage first¡­¡­¡­. because I saw it trying to escape when we launched our attack.¡± The girl answered between coughs and heavy breaths. She has taken quite a beating already. Stomping down on the girl¡¯s stomach* ¡°¡­¡­And I will ask again. Did I order you to attack it?¡± The girl shrieked a little in pain from her stomping. She knew she would get punished for acting on her own when their leader was this prideful but nevertheless, she doesn¡¯t have to like this pain. After coughing for some time again, she decided to remain silent. ¡°Ah, staying silent now. It wasn¡¯t the first time you disobeyed me. You challenged my decision more than once. Do you want to become the leader when I¡¯m still around? Do you want to boss me around, huh?¡± She made a squashing movement with her foot on that girl¡¯s stomach as she said those words in a cold tone. The girl grimaced in pain. ¡°You remember, don¡¯t you? I can barely stand you humans. I, Lissie, have always hated you all but I still tolerated you as my subordinates. And you actually dare to disobey me.¡± The leopard eared woman named Lissie was pissed. The three wolf-eared men present in the room beside them can feel the tension as well. ¡°N-No, p-please¡­for-forgive¡­..me.¡± The girl getting squashed at the foot can barely talk but one could see in her eyes that she was terrified. She was continuously trying to grasp Lissie¡¯s feet but she can¡¯t really reach her. ¡°Forgive?... Certainly, I will forgive¡­¡­..but after some punishment.¡± Lissie showed a wicked smile as she said the last line. The girl at her feet grew more panicked as she saw that smile. Lissie removed her foot from above that girl¡¯s stomach and then walked up to a seat a little higher ground situated in the middle of that cave. She sat down, putting one leg over another. She went there to actually enjoy the show that was going to start now. ¡°Clay and your brothers¡­¡± She addressed the three wolf kin standing a little away from her. Their ears perked upon being called. ¡°¡­To reward your loyalty and good work for all these years. I give you this reward.¡± ¡°Boss, you mean¡­¡± They swallowed their saliva looking at Vienah. Lissie smile grew wider. ¡°Yes, I give her to you. Make her your woman. But, do share her fairly between you all.¡± She recited those lines like she was having the time of her life and those three wolf kin ¡°AWOOH~ ¡°howled in excitement. The one called Clay jumped on the girl Vienah as she struggled to shout ¡®NO¡¯ as loud as she could but no one came hearing her calls as the wolfkin who turned into a wolf of desire tore her clothes off. ¡°Wha-..? Who are you?¡± Lissie was enjoying the scene unfolding before her when one of the wolfkins gave a surprised yelp. Following his sight, what she saw was a young boy in a brown cloak covering even his eyes. He was just standing there eerily giving Lissie a very unpleasant feeling. ¡°H-Help¡­save¡­me¡± The girl Vienah, with her almost all of her clothes torn up, pleaded for help immediately after seeing this mysterious figure. Clay has stopped forcing himself upon her after noticing this mysterious figure as well. Lissie sneered at this scene. ¡°Well, well, aren¡¯t you quite a Hero here. Coming to save a ¡®Damsel in Distress¡¯. But do you think, you can save her?¡± She uttered those words in a mocking tone. The figure didn¡¯t move for a while but it slowly moved into a fighting stance which showed his intention. ¡°And why would I save her? For me, A bandit is a bandit.¡± Out of nowhere, two swords appeared in his hand and he emitted a thick bloodlust that gave off a feeling that they have done something very wrong to him somewhere in the past.
Author: If you can''t remember, Roko and Hoko''s first appearances please go back a few chapter and this leopard eared girl also made one appearance in the chapter ''The Decree''.