[You have killed a Level 5 Root Master. 100 Skill Upgrade Points added. 10,000 Tower Points.]
[You have killed a Level 5 Root Master. 100 Skill Upgrade Points added. 10,000 Tower Points.]
[You have killed a Level 5 Root Master. 100 Skill Upgrade Points added. 10,000 Tower Points.]
Three messages appeared before Kent after he killed the attackers. At this point, calling them attackers seemed far-fetched—they were more like Skill Points delivered on a silver platter.
Uncle Drew was visibly shaken from the near-death experience, though it was an occupational hazard in his line of work. Still, Kent resolved to make it up to him later since the situation was entirely his fault. The attackers had come for him, and Uncle Drew had nearly become an unfortunate casualty.
“Are you okay?” Unity asked as the carriage resumed its journey.
“I’m fine,” Kent replied with a small smile. He truly was. Killing the three attackers hadn’t affected him at all. He felt as fresh as ever, with no hint of guilt or uneasiness in his eyes.
Unity noticed his composure but chose not to dwell on his mental state further. Instead, he chose to take a different route.
“Who would have thought you were that good with a sword?” Unity said suddenly, breaking the silence.
Kent smirked. “Oh, I’m really good with a sword, alright. Want me to show you?” He reached for her bare thigh, giving it a light massage.
“Pervert!” Unity blushed, realizing he had no intention of discussing his swordsmanship. Instead, he turned into his playful, teasing self, making a joke about his dick.
‘Black Veil Syndicate… Orlan… I wonder who he is and what his organization is made of,’ Kent sighed.
[Does the master need me to gather information on the Black Veil Syndicate and Orlan? It would only take a few minutes.] the Tower suddenly inquired.
<Wait, you can do something like that?>
Kent asked, clearly taken aback. Vexthra had already explained that while the Tower bore similarities to a system, it wasn’t truly one. Its capabilities were limited, which was why Kent rarely burdened it, relying only on what it could reliably provide.
Hearing it could gather information on something this secret surprised him.
[Of course, I can. I am not just a Tower, master. I can do far more than you think. Naturally, as you grow stronger, so will I. Gathering information within a couple-thousand-mile radius is a simple task.]
<Then go ahead, Tower. I’ll be counting on you,> Kent replied before shifting his attention back to Unity, who was resting her head on his shoulder.
“So, what did you and Vexthra talk about?” he asked casually.
“Nothing that concerns you,” Unity pouted.
“Oh, really?” Kent arched an eyebrow.
“Yup,” Unity nodded firmly.
“We’ll see about that in the next few hours,” Kent said with a sly grin.
A short while later, their carriage arrived at Alderford Mansion. However, the moment they stepped out, Kent’s gaze fell on a group of unfamiliar faces standing beside a grand carriage. The lavish design made it obvious that it belonged to someone of great wealth and influence.
“Those are soldiers from the Ashland noble family,” Unity said, walking beside Kent.
“If I remember correctly, they are the ones in charge of the city, right?” Kent asked, recalling the soldiers who had picked him up from his master’s place a few days ago told him.
“Yes. They are one of the noble families in this kingdom. Very powerful and wealthy,” Unity replied.
“Oh, I see. So it’s a wealthy people thing,” Kent mused, clearly wanting to avoid whatever the rich were up to. “I guess I’ll come see John later, then.”
“These people are soldiers of the second son of Lord Ashland. It seems they are here to propose marriage to the young miss now that she is awake,” Unity said, her expression tightening slightly.
Kent raised an eyebrow at this. A marriage proposal to the girl he had already marked? That was a new one.
“I’ve changed my mind. Take me to the mansion. I want to see who dares to propose marriage to my woman,” Kent said with an amused smile.
Unity nodded, looking as though she couldn’t wait to see this proposal crash and burn. She led Kent toward the mansion, while the soldiers beside the Ashland carriage watched them leave, their gazes lingering.
“Who is that young man?” one of the soldiers asked, his gaze fixed on Kent.
“Are you asking me? We both aren’t from here, so how should we know?” another soldier responded, shrugging.
“I recognize the young lady beside him, though,” the first soldier said after a moment of thought. “She’s the servant of the young miss our young master is here to propose to.”
“Wait, what?” the second soldier asked, raising an eyebrow. “You mean she’s with the young miss?”
“Yes,” the first soldier replied, nodding. “I’ve seen her a few times. She’s always with the young miss, acting as her attendant.”
“Then what’s she doing with that man? And why’s she walking so closely with him?” another soldier wondered, clearly confused.
“Maybe he’s a guest?” the third soldier suggested, though his tone lacked conviction. “But he doesn’t look like anyone from the Alderford family. Something feels off.”
The soldiers exchanged uneasy looks again. The presence of Kent was making them increasingly uneasy.
Lilian was already promised to the second son of Lord Ashland, and they couldn’t imagine anyone daring to interfere with such an arrangement. Yet, the way the pair walked together—so familiar, so confident—raised more questions than answers.
If the servant is this smitten with this young Man, how much more entangled would the young Miss be?
While the soldiers were having their back-and-forth, Kent and Unity just arrived at the hall where the Alderford family, consisting of John Alderford, his wife Cynthia Alderford, their daughter Lilian, and another lady Kent was meeting for the first time, were gathered.
They were on one side of the room, with John sitting at the head chair. On the other side of the room, a young man with short dark hair and some handsome features was seated, and around him, two elderly men could be seen seated beside him.
The look on their faces wasn’t friendly at all. That was especially true for the young, short-haired man, who seemed to have immediately become hostile toward Kent as soon as he entered the hall.
Clearly, he didn’t like him from a mere glance. Kent, of course, didn’t bother with what was running through his mind, even if it was plain jealousy.
His handsomeness was something that could threaten any guy.
“Master Kent, you are back,” Lilian suddenly said with a smile as soon as her eyes landed on Kent.
“Indeed,” Kent replied with a small smile as he walked to an empty chair as if he was invited to a family meeting. Unity moved and stood beside Lilian.
“You are the Master Kent?” Suddenly, the young master of the Ashland family asked, his tone unfriendly.
“Who is asking?” Kent, instead of answering, asked in a way that showed he didn’t place the young man in his eyes.
“I am Jacob Ashland, the second son of Dave Ashland. I challenge you to a battle to the death. If you win, you get the young Miss Lilian. If I win, I will have her.”
Contrary to what anyone expected, Jacob Ashland challenged Kent to a death match over a woman. The place fell silent, everyone shocked by the sudden challenge.
Kent smiled.
