Chapter 14
Pei Sen felt a headache coming on; bratty children were always notoriously difficult to appease.
“You want to betray me too, don’t you?” Eagle had already smashed everything breakable in the room. He didn’t understand why he was so furious. Logically speaking, what Pei Sen did wasn’t particularly outrageous. Although Sarting kept him under strict control, there was still a fundamental difference between him and an actual traitor. Take Vago, the steward of miscellaneous affairs, for instance—he had already been secretly executed. It was he who ordered Vici to assassinate Eagle; that was true betrayal.
Pei Sen was well aware that this could hardly be considered betrayal, but since the bratty child was utterly unreasonable, he could only speak softly, “Young master, is it that you don’t want me to get too close to Lord Sading?”
This question actually left considerable room for maneuver. Had he asked, “Young master, is it that you don’t want me to learn swordsmanship from Lord Sading?” and the brat had answered affirmatively, it would have been truly difficult to salvage the situation.
By phrasing it this way, he preserved ample flexibility; regardless of the answer, learning swordsmanship remained an absolute necessity.
Eagle failed to detect his cunning and merely exclaimed in anger, “It’s always like this! Whenever someone actually listens to me, Sading takes them away! It happened with Mary before…”
Actually, Eagle hadn’t cared much about it before. Mary had taken care of him since childhood, always putting him first; yet at some point, she began listening more to Sardin instead.
Eagle himself didn’t understand why. Even back when he felt as though Mary had been taken away from him, he hadn’t been this angry and furious as he was now.
He had always known that Sardin only wanted to keep him in check, not to hurt him.
Pei Sen, however, suddenly realized: perhaps the brat was simply experiencing a sense of loss akin to having his toy snatched away. Was this possessiveness driven by a desire to prevent him from interacting too much with Sardin?
“If the young master is unhappy, I will try my best to avoid seeing the Head Steward.”
Eagle sneered, “I just saw Sardin holding your hand, and you even called him ‘Teacher’!”
Pei Sen: “…” The brat’s ears are surprisingly sharp.
“Even if the Head Steward has become my teacher, Young Master, you are still my Young Master.”
Eagle turned his head away. “You’ve always been fond of lying anyway.”
Pei Sen: “…”
“Young Master, by learning swordsmanship from the Head Steward, I will be able to protect you even better in the future.”
Eagle paused for a moment, then turned back to gaze at Pei Sen’s gentle and handsome face. “To protect me?”
“Yes, to protect you, young master.”
Eagle recalled the moment Wei Xi attempted to assassinate him; Pei Sen had thrown himself forward without hesitation, shielding Eagle with his own body. A great deal of blood had flowed when the dagger pierced through.
If Pei Sen were stronger, would he have avoided being injured?
Eagle finally fell silent. Seizing the moment, Pei Sen continued, “Young master, it’s not just me who needs to become stronger—you can grow stronger as well.”
“Me?” Eagle looked at him. Since he could remember, this boy, who was about to turn fifteen, had always been under protection. There were always many people around him safeguarding him, and those close to him constantly told him that his status was noble; he need not tire himself with arduous tasks. All he needed to do was enjoy everything befitting a noble’s life.
No one had ever told him that he, too, needed to grow stronger.
Eagle gazed at his own fair, delicate hands. Apart from his ornate noble sword adorned with gems and gold, he had never held any weapon. The education he received had always focused on mastering those obscure and abstruse aristocratic scripts, studying history, or reading documents considered exceedingly precious by commoners.
He knew that even Aijin was highly skilled at horseback riding, yet he himself had never been permitted to engage in anything carrying even the slightest hint of danger.
“No, I cannot learn those things.” Just moments ago, Eagle had been a temperamental brat, but now he was unusually calm; even his tone and gaze exuded a precocious clarity unfamiliar to Pei Sen. “Someone once said I possess extraordinary talent. Though I don’t know what that talent is, I do know that if I truly were to study those things, I would cross certain people’s bottom lines.” He chuckled lightly. “And when that happens, I will truly die.”
Pei Sen was profoundly astonished. Gazing upon Eagle’s face, beautiful to the point of near perfection, he sensed an unusual, fragile beauty about the youth, like exquisite, flawless porcelain that would shatter at the slightest fall.
At this moment, Pei Sen felt that Eagle might not be exactly as he appeared.
“My lord, in truth, strength can also be demonstrated in another way,” Pei Gen said softly. “You need not learn those things to become powerful. Do not forget, my lord, you are the ruler of this vast expanse of land.”
Pei Sen’s words carried a strangely compelling allure. Eagle stared into his gentle eyes. “Are you referring to this barren countryside?”
“Even if it is so barren that it has nothing, far from comparable to the royal capital, young master, we can change it.”
Eagle was the only son of Burkhanger Langno and Princess Carolina. To persuade his sister to willingly go to Bonfris, His Majesty had once paid a small price.
Although this price was utterly insignificant, it was nevertheless tied to the Langno family itself.
Burk Ang was originally just a count; at that time, the Langno family’s territory consisted solely of this barren land beneath their feet. Later, he journeyed to the royal capital in pursuit of greater power, rendering this estate utterly insignificant to him.
It was not until Laither ascended the throne that Burk Ang was enfeoffed as a marquess with actual authority and granted far more fertile lands. By the time he rose to become a duke, this territory had long been abandoned by Burk Ang.
Before the princess’s marriage, she petitioned His Majesty to confer a title upon Eagle and send him to Burk Ang’s fiefdom. The cunning King Laither verbally agreed, yet ultimately bestowed upon the infant Eagle the title of Count of Thorny Rose from the Langno family. Instead of dispatching him to Burk Ang’s holdings, however, he sent Eagle to this ancestral homeland of the Langno clan.
The Grand Duke was fully aware of all these machinations; indeed, it was His Excellency the Grand Duke who personally proposed sending Eagle here.
They deceived the princess and exiled Eagle a thousand miles away.
The princess had hoped that, as a father, Burkhanger would protect her child and raise him properly, but she underestimated his thirst for power.
Eagle’s clear emerald eyes gazed at Pei Sen. “Pei Sen, can I trust you?”
“Of course, my young master.”
Do not be afraid, young master; you will soon witness the terrifying abilities of the players.
Once Eagle is convinced, everything else falls into place. In truth, Sartin is not entirely competent as a steward; if he were truly capable, the Lord of Kaiwest City would never have ignored the assassins’ attempt on Eagle’s life.
This great swordsman serves primarily to intimidate all sides, ensure Eagle’s safety, and guarantee that he remains in this remote borderland.
As for anything beyond that, he cares little.
But compared to the cunning and treacherous Keso, Sardin was far more tolerable.
Within this estate, as long as matters weren’t too excessive, everything ultimately depended on the young master’s decision. As long as Pei Sen could persuade Eagle, he could do virtually anything.
Sardin’s tolerance was remarkably high. Provided Eagle never again mentioned returning to the capital, even if Pei Sen led Eagle to practically devastate this entire territory, Sardin might still choose not to intervene.
As long as that line wasn’t crossed, Sardin could show considerable “respect” toward Lord Eagle.
“Let’s give it a try,” Eagle murmured, turning to Neil, the new steward of miscellaneous duties. “Post this notice in Cayce City for me.”
Neil, dressed in his brand-new steward’s uniform, respectfully agreed. He cast a grateful glance at Pei Sen before departing. He was well aware that he had originally been merely a second-class valet serving outside the young master’s quarters; despite having spent several years on the estate, lacking any background or patrons made climbing the ranks nearly impossible.
If it weren’t for Pei Sen, he would never have been able to surpass several other butlers and a host of first-class footmen to leap directly into the position of Steward of Menial Affairs.
Despite Neil’s many flaws—bullying the weak while fearing the strong—he certainly excelled in one crucial aspect; otherwise, he could never have remained so securely within the manor for so long. While attendants around the young master came and went, Neil stood unshaken as solid as Mount Tai.
He was merely a pragmatic opportunist, very “sensible,” well aware of what to see and what not to see, what to hear and what not to hear. He might not be particularly good, perhaps not even entirely loyal, but he certainly knew how to gauge limits. Assign him a task, and while he might not excel, he would never botch it.
Pei Sen felt such a person was well-suited to deal with players: not foolish enough to be duped by them, likely possessing a high tolerance for their bizarre behavior, yet not so cunning as to trap people to death like Atwell.
“Young master, that lord of Kacey City…”
Eagle sneered coldly. “The Dragon Star Knights, hmph!” After a moment’s thought, he added, “Tomorrow I’ll order Keso to kill Valis. I’d like to see whether he refuses or complies!”
As a noble mage, Keso would never normally serve as a butler to any aristocrat, no matter how high-born Eagle might be.
He was originally a member of the Royal Mage Corps, accompanying Eagle from the bustling capital to this barren frontier.
A mage who indulges in luxury and adorns himself in splendid robes would hardly obey even a royal decree without some ulterior motive.
And Wallis, the lord of Casey City, must surely be aware of King Lether’s attitude toward Eagle; perhaps he dares act so arrogantly because he believes this young master won’t live much longer?
Perhaps he had already become one of Lether’s people long ago; after all, the commander of the Dragon Star Knights was once Lether’s personal guard in his early years.
Just then, Neil arrived at Kaiwest City and posted a new notice on the bulletin board.
“Ding!”
All players heard this pleasant system sound. When they opened their quest logs, they discovered a new bolded main quest entry. This main quest featured a dropdown menu, indicating it would be a long-term continuous mission!
“Faction Main Quest: Construct Langno Territory (Kayce City, Adrien City, Alqi Town, Starfall Plains).”
“1. Construct Kayce City.”
“—Proceed to the Golden Rose Manor to accept the construction quest.”
“Note: Accepting this quest will automatically enroll you in the ‘Thorned Rose Faction.’ Quest rewards will increase faction favorability and grant a certain amount of faction contribution points.”
Faction contribution points can be used to purchase faction-exclusive items; upon leaving the faction, all contribution points will be reset.
“Whoa, a faction main quest?” Even Pei Sen could never have imagined this would turn into a faction main quest. He had originally thought triggering a long-duration limited-time mission would already be quite fortunate, yet he never expected it to actually become a faction main quest!
On his panel, it was clearly written: “Successfully triggered a faction-level quest voluntarily. All faction rewards increased by 100%, faction contribution points +10,000, obtained 2x S-rank Story Chests.”
“Key Faction NPC: Count Eagle Langno of the Thorny Rose. Death of the key NPC results in failure of the faction’s main storyline quest.”
He was certain that the Bix Cube, which had just officially launched, definitely did not originally include this faction main storyline quest!
Pei Sen gazed at Eagle, his eyes growing ever more fervent and tender.
Young master, rest assured; from this moment on, I will protect you with my life.
Even if I must die a hundred times, you shall not perish!