?
“Let’s also meet the governor of the village, shall we? In this way, we can not only know Lord Joseph’s motive but we can even get some clues about the genius new mages,” Rowena suggested, her gaze fixed on the Monroe family’s manor.
She couldn’t contain her excitement at the thought of seeing Lord Joseph and the others’ surprised expressions.
“If Miss Rowena is sure, then let’s proceed,” Silas agreed, smiling at Rowena. He approached the manor’s entrance with her.
As they neared the entrance, the two guards on duty blocked their path.
“Halt! State your business…” one of the guards demanded after stopping Rowena and Silas.
“We’re here to meet your lord. We’re from the capital, more specifically, we’re from the Magic Academy of the kingdom. We have urgent business to discuss, which is why we’d like to meet your lord as soon as possible,” Rowena quickly explained, displaying the badge she wore.
‘T-T-This is really the badge of the Magic Academy of the kingdom…!’ The two guards were taken aback.
They knew how significant this badge was; it was only worn by the most exceptional teachers at the Magic Academy. No one else had the privilege of wearing it in public.
‘Their status is much higher than the Monroe family, we can’t keep them standing here, not to mention they’re teachers at such a prestigious academy,’ the guards thought, their hearts filled with a touch of fear as they regarded Rowena and Silas.
“Please follow me inside, esteemed guests…” one of the guards stammered, an awkward smile on his face. He wasn’t quite sure how to interact with individuals of such high status.
“Very well, lead the way then…” Silas replied with a gracious nod, and he followed the guard inside, Rowena by his side.
Meanwhile, after Yuan rendered Lord Joseph unconscious with a single slap, he promptly released the invisible aura that had pressed Lord Ivan and the two ladies to the ground.
“He’s just all bark and no bite. Due to his arrogance and self-righteousness, he’s ended up in such a state… What an idiotic old geezer…” Yuan muttered to himself.
After that, he returned to his wives and took a seat between his two mothers, Anna and Grace, settling his wife, Xi Meili, on his lap once again.
As the pressure lifted, Lord Ivan and Lady Diana hastened to Lord Joseph’s unconscious form, checking if he was breathing.
“How is he, Lord Ivan? Is he dead or alive?” Lady Diana inquired urgently, her eyes on Lord Joseph’s swollen face and bleeding head.
“His life isn’t in danger. He’s simply unconscious from the impact with the floor. However, we need to stop this bleeding with a healing potion, or he might succumb to blood loss,” Lord Ivan explained. He carefully checked Lord Joseph’s pulse, noting that it was somewhat unstable.
“Is that so? Thank goodness it’s not a serious issue, or it would be a disaster… I have a few high-grade healing potions with me. Let me take it out,” Lady Eliza sighed in relief. She reached for her magic pouch and retrieved a small bottle containing blue liquid.
Yuan noticed the bottle with the strange liquid in Lady Diana’s hand and furrowed his brow.
‘Is that a potion for healing people? It looks like it came right out of a Japanese isekai manga. However, it can’t be comparable to the recovery pills I have with me.’ Yuan thought, a smile playing on his lips.
Though he possessed the memories of the body’s previous owner, this was the first time he had actually seen a healing potion. 𝙚𝙙𝙤𝒗𝒆𝒍．𝒄𝙤𝙢
“Good, then I’ll open his mouth for you to feed him the potion…” Lord Ivan said, holding Lord Joseph’s mouth and prying it open so Lady Diana could administer the healing potion.
Following this, Lady Diana swiftly uncapped the potion and gently fed it to Lord Joseph.
Soon after, they could observe changes in Lord Joseph. His swollen face began to heal, and the injury on his head followed suit. However, Lord Joseph remained unconscious.
“It seems that Lord Joseph won’t be getting up soon, and unfortunately, we have to carry him back to our inn,” Lord Ivan stated, his gaze fixed on Lord Joseph’s unconscious form.
“Is that so? It seems we don’t have any other choice but to carry him back to the inn…” Lady Diana sighed, her eyes on Lord Joseph’s motionless body.
‘Why did he have to be so arrogant in front of Yuan and his wives? Now he’s made it nearly impossible to bring Yuan to our side,’ Lord Ivan thought, a touch of frustration clouding his mind.
A minute later, Lord Ivan turned to Yuan and inquired, “Yuan, while I don’t mind you reprimanding Lord Joseph for his arrogance, as we too are angered by his behavior, was it truly necessary to strike him so hard that he lost consciousness?”
“Lord Ivan, do you know what usually befalls those who display arrogance and insolence towards me?” Yuan asked, a smile gracing his features. After a moment, he continued, “If Lord Joseph were not an important official of the kingdom, he wouldn’t merely be unconscious right now; he’d be lying lifeless on the floor. So, I believe sparing his life was a favor.”
Lord Ivan, Lady Diana, and Lady Eliza were stunned by his words. They couldn’t help but stare at Yuan, their expressions blank.
‘If it’s like this, then he indeed did a great favor to Lord Joseph by not killing him,’ Lord Ivan thought to himself, his surprise evident as he regarded Yuan.
A moment later, Lady Diana turned her attention to Yuan and asked, “Yuan, can you tell us the reason why you don’t want to join the kingdom? I can see that you don’t hold any animosity towards the kingdom. So, what is the main reason behind your reluctance to join our ranks?”
Yuan considered Lady Diana’s question for a moment, then shook his head and explained, “Since you ask so nicely, I’ll tell you. It’s quite simple, really. I don’t like to be bound to one place. I prefer the freedom to go wherever I please and do whatever I want. That’s why I joined the Hunter Association, so we can earn a living while exploring the world.”
He locked eyes with Lady Diana and inquired, “Is that reason sufficient for my choice, Miss Diana?”
“I see… So that’s why you don’t want to join the kingdom, huh? No wonder you declined so swiftly,” Lady Diana acknowledged with a nod. She then turned her gaze to Yuan’s wives and asked, “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that your wives share the same sentiment, correct, ladies?”
“HELL NO!! None of us have any intention of joining the kingdom or anything of the sort. As Darling Yuan has already stated, if you’re in search of lapdogs, you’d best look elsewhere,” Lily retorted with an annoyed tone.
Grace nodded in agreement and addressed Lady Diana with her customary cold demeanor and tone, “You see, Miss Diana, none of us have any desire to be part of the kingdom or its affairs. I suggest you not press the matter any further, or the consequences will be severe.”
“I see… Then I’ll not pursue this matter any further….” Lady Diana quickly nodded. Grace’s cold voice alone was enough to send shivers down Lady Diana’s spine.
‘This lady is extremely dangerous. I can’t afford to offend her, or I’ll return to the capital in a coffin!’ Lady Diana thought to herself, her heart pounding faster than usual.
Grace nodded, a chilling smile playing on her lips. “It’s good that you understand, Miss Diana.”
Madam Layla and her family members were taken aback, witnessing Lady Diana’s sudden obedience towards Grace. This was beyond their expectations, even in their most fanciful imaginings.
After all, Lady Diana held one of the highest ranks in the kingdom. A single word from her could bring down many thriving businesses within the kingdom. Witnessing someone of her stature submitting to a person she had just met was naturally a shocking sight.
“But can you tell—” Lady Diana began to inquire, but her attention was abruptly drawn towards the door.
Crack!
The massive doors of the living hall swung open, and a guard entered, flanked by two other individuals—a male and a female.
‘Miss Rowena and Mr. Silas? What are they here for?’
Lord Ivan, Lady Eliza, and Lady Diana were taken aback to see Rowena and Silas arriving at the Monroe family residence. They hadn’t anticipated their presence here.
Madam Layla furrowed her brows at the unexpected visitors. ‘Who are these two individuals? That badge on their clothes… Isn’t that the teacher’s badge from the kingdom’s Magic Academy? What brings them here?’ She was visibly surprised, recognizing the silver badge.
‘Weren’t these two individuals teachers at the magic academy? Are they also here to recruit Yuan and his wives into the Academy? If so, they’re expending their time and effort in vain,’ Rose mused inwardly, observing Rowena and Silas.
Meanwhile, James scrutinized Rowena from head to toe, thinking, ‘She’s certainly beautiful, but her charm doesn’t hold a candle to even Lady Eliza here, not to mention Brother-in-law’s other wives.’
Yuan and his wives exchanged puzzled glances as the two new arrivals entered the living hall. They, too, were surprised by the unexpected guests.
Lily, in particular, gazed at Rowena and Silas for a moment, her thoughts racing, ‘Isn’t that Teacher Rowena from the Magical Theory department, and Teacher Silas from the Compad department? What are they doing in this village, and why have they come to Rose’s house?’