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Chapter 28
Chapter 28: The Vagrant
After the group left the Royal Capital, Luna did not intend to return by water. She had not ridden a horse for a long time and was just in the mood to gallop freely.
But this made things hard for Count Morphy. Luna was running wild up ahead, and he had no choice but to follow behind, suffering through the jolting ride.
However, not long after they left the city, heavy rain began to fall. The group could only search for a nearby village to rest in and wait until the rain ended before setting off again.
When they arrived at a small tavern, Luna had not even stepped through the door when she kicked something soft and limp, nearly falling to the ground.
Wӗb_n о̊ v̆е̄l Е̇ǹ ú mа̌
When she looked closely, she saw that it was a vagrant.
“Get up. Do not lie here. You are getting in the way of my business!” The tavern owner was a middle-aged woman. The moment she saw Luna’s clothing and appearance, she knew an honored guest had arrived and hurriedly tried to drive the vagrant away.
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“Looking down on people with a dog’s eyes...” The vagrant got up, hunched his body, tucked his hands in, and limped outside with a disdainful expression.
“Heh. In our Northern Territory, people like this would all be dragged off to mine.”
Luna casually mocked him and did not pay much attention to this small episode. Unexpectedly, the vagrant immediately stopped after hearing her words, turned around, and stared straight at her.
Luna had seen the sharpness in his eyes before. It was the pride that belonged only to scholars, especially those who were conceited about their talent yet incomparably down and out.
W̄ е b́n̂о̄ v̂ ѐ l En u.ḿa
“Young Lady.”
The two personal guards sensed a threat. The blades in their hands rang as they came out of their sheaths, and they blocked Luna from the front and rear. As long as Young Lady gave the order, they would cut this man into pieces.
“It is fine. Sir, may I ask what guidance you have?”
“I am hungry. May I ask if Miss has anything to eat?” The man bowed. If not for his tattered clothing, he really would have looked like a talented scholar.
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However, after he finished bowing, he collapsed with a thud.
...
E ṅū m а_.i d
Looking at the young man sitting across from her, swallowing bread in large mouthfuls like a starving ghost reborn, Luna showed no disgust at all. Instead, she giggled as if she had discovered something amusing.
At the end, she did not forget to instruct the tavern owner to pour him a large cup of water, lest he choke to death right here.
“Sir, do you want meat?” Luna ordered a serving of minced beef and passed it to the young man.
“Yes!”
The young man accepted the plate and no longer cared about etiquette. He held the plate and stuffed the food into his mouth. After finishing it, he did not forget to burp.
“Young Lady’s life-saving grace is something I will never forget.”
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Luna was amused. She had heard of people repaying kindness, but she had never heard of someone merely remembering kindness.
“I can see that Sir is also a scholar, so how...” Luna pointed at his tattered clothes from head to toe. “How did you end up like this?”
“Sigh. This is a long story.” The young man brushed aside his messy hair and tidied up his appearance. Although there was no need for it, he slowly began to speak.
“I had originally been studying quietly in the Southern Territory all this time. I believed I had achieved some success, but my reputation had not yet spread. When I heard that the King was getting married, I used the banner of a Southern Territory talent and slipped into the Royal Capital’s World Tree Academy. I thought I could follow them to an audience with the King and display my learning.”
“Unexpectedly, there was a mage in the procession who coveted the Queen’s beauty and caused a disturbance. Afterward, the King was furious and ordered every academy to conduct strict inspections... and that was how I was caught.”
At this point, how could Luna fail to understand what had happened to him? After his true identity was exposed, he must have been beaten harshly by the people of the academy and then thrown out of the Royal Capital.
Ѐn u m а
Impressive. Luna had seen plenty of people who cheated food and drink by bluffing, but someone who managed to cheat all the way to the King was truly one of a kind.
Luna applauded his wonderful experience, then asked with a smile, “Then why did Sir not return to the Southern Territory? This is the direction toward the Northern Territory.”
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The young man’s expression became proud as he began to comment on the state of the world. “The nobles of the Southern Territory are all short-sighted people. They value commerce but not military strength. They love wealth and have no ambition to advance outward.”
“The Duke of the Eastern Territory is lustful and lacks courage. He is extravagant beyond measure and has squandered all the reserves in his treasury. Although his territory is wealthy, its population is large and its farmland insufficient. Once grain becomes scarce, the consequences will be unimaginable.”
“The Western Duke is old and sickly. Although he has many children and grandchildren, not one of them can shoulder great responsibility. Moreover, the Duke’s entire family has been away from the territory for many days and ignores the people’s conditions. Disaster will inevitably befall them in the future.”
Hearing him speak so clearly and logically, Luna could not tell whether it was true or false, but she still wanted to know his view of the Northern Territory.
Е̊ n_ũmа̊
“Sir, what about the Northern Territory?”
Seeing that he had successfully attracted her interest, the young man tucked his hands away and wanted to put on airs, but he did not dare go too far. He weakly asked, “Is there wine?”
“Owner, bring wine!” Luna waved her hand generously. In any case, it would not cost much. She would treat it as listening to a story.
The tavern owner hurriedly brought wine and personally poured it for the young man. Her extremely respectful manner drew a roll of the young man’s eyes.
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After drinking a large mouthful of wine, the young man looked satisfied and directly answered Luna’s question.
“In the Northern Territory, the lord is strong and his ministers are weak. Although Duke Oswald is exceptionally valiant and dared to capture the python alone, he has not left his estate for many days. He must have been severely injured in that fierce battle.”
Еň u m a
Hearing this, Luna frowned. In Eileen’s letter, she had not mentioned her brother being injured at all.
The young man drank cup after cup, and his speech grew faster and faster.
“The Duke has no one useful under him. The few important officials he has cannot be moved lightly, which is why he suffered such an injury. It is true that the Duke is accomplished in both civil and military matters, but the Northern Territory faces the demon race directly, yet has no great general guarding its passes and military camps. Although he divided the Marquis’ land and gave it to the people, he has no capable ministers to help govern the territory. How can this continue?”
“Moreover, the Northern Territory has yet to recover its vitality. Today, the Duke can seize the Marquis’ wealth. What about tomorrow? The Duke wants to be an enlightened ruler, but he is trapped in the north. He cannot expand his territory to achieve a wealthy nation and strong people. What should he do then?”
A muffled thunderclap sounded in the sky. The personal guards watching the door looked at the curtain of rain, all falling silent.
That was right. The Northern Territory was too poor. Every year, more than half of its fiscal expenditure was spent resisting the demon race. If this went on for long enough, it would inevitably drag the entire territory down.
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If they wanted to change this deadlock, they could only expand outward. But how could that be easy? The King and the Dukes of the other regions were not fools. They restricted the Northern Territory precisely to prevent it from becoming independent.
Do not look at how friendly Frank was toward Luna now. If one day the Northern Territory truly became wealthy and strong, Frank would inevitably join forces with the other three Dukes and send troops to subjugate the Northern Territory.
“I have learned much.” Luna nodded. The young man could see through the Northern Territory’s situation from a thousand miles away. That alone was enough to show his ability.
The young man cupped his hands. “You are too courteous. Young Lady is going to the Northern Territory. Why not bring me along as well?”
“You understand the true situation, so why do you still want to go?” Luna discovered that she somewhat could not understand the person before her. With his talent, he would sooner or later be able to obtain a place in the palace. Why...
The young man stood up, grabbed the last cup of wine, and drank it in one go. “Because I am short on funds. I heard the people of the Northern Territory are more generous.”
W е̊b nо̃ v ĕ l̃ Ēn̈û m̄ ӑ
Having never heard such an interesting answer before, Luna immediately burst into delighted laughter. “Hahahaha! Good. This young lady will bring you along. What is your name?”
“I am Jacob.”
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“Good name. This young lady will first reward you with ten silver coins. Go change your outfit.”
“Many thanks, Miss Charles.”
After the rain passed and the sky cleared, the group set off again. Luna brought three hundred personal guards and galloped on horseback, soon disappearing into the vast plains.
Morphy grew anxious and hurriedly poked his head out of the carriage, urging the newly arrived coachman, “Hurry. Speed up and catch up with Young Lady.”
Е̇ n̊uṁ а. ĭd̈
Jacob unhurriedly drank a mouthful of wine and continued driving the carriage at a leisurely pace.
“Count, there is no need to be so anxious. Young Lady will return after circling around.”
Morphy was silent. You do not need to be this brave. If anything happens to Young Lady Luna, none of us will be able to keep our heads.
Sigh. This young man from outside probably still did not understand how terrifying Duke Oswald was. Oswald was not one of those useless nobles in the Royal Capital who spent their days drinking and indulging in pleasure. If he stamped his foot, the entire Northern Territory would shake three times.
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Count Morphy sighed. In the end, he was still a loyal and honest man. “In any case, hurry along as much as possible and try to catch up with Young Lady.”
“No need.” Jacob heard a sound and smiled as he pointed ahead. “Look. They have already returned.”
W̄ě bǹ о̃v̈ё l̊ Еǹ u m̂ а̊
Before he even finished speaking, Luna rode over on horseback, carrying a wild rabbit. She came before the carriage and showed it off to the old Count. “Look, I shot it. I hit it with one arrow.”
“Young Lady is truly impressive.” The old Count gave his daily praise, then quietly glanced at Jacob, who was still drinking wine.
He could not help thinking of Eileen, who understood the Duke thoroughly and could execute the Duke’s orders perfectly.
Young Lady had also reached the age where she should cultivate her own trusted aide...
The journey was dull for Morphy. He was no longer young, and he had seen too many sights on the road, so it was naturally difficult for him to remain interested in them.
Right now, he would rather stay at home and spend his days leisurely lying in a rocking chair.
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Along the way, Luna led the cavalry hunting. Sometimes, she would not even return until the next day, annoyed as she complained to him about things like letting a bear escape.
After entering the Northern Territory, Jacob no longer spent every day drunk. He began frequently getting down from the carriage, warmly chatting with all sorts of people along the way. He would also stand in the fields, quietly observing the surrounding natural environment.
As the days passed one by one, they finally saw Eileen standing at the city gate to welcome them.
Luna still wanted to sneak away, but Eileen caught her back with a single glance.
“I already know about how you brought soldiers to fight in a group brawl at the academy, and how you drew your sword in the palace’s main hall to threaten Duke Dale.” Eileen spoke calmly. “Go rest first. The Duke will see you later.”
“Brother is home!?” Luna trembled in fright. It was over. This time, no matter what, she could not avoid it.
Ѐn um̄ā..іd
Temporarily letting Luna go, Eileen looked at the soldiers again. Her order was extremely concise. “The personal guards are given three days of leave. Return to your camps and rest.”
“Yes, my lord.”
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The personal guards received the order in unison, dismounted, entered the city, and walked toward the camp in a neat and orderly manner.
The city gate quickly became empty. Toward the only two people who had made no mistakes on this trip, Eileen’s attitude was clearly friendlier.
“Counts, please come with me.”
“Yes, my lord.” Morphy and Pete did not dare overstep in the slightest. To be honest, when Eileen said “please,” it sounded more like she was about to punish them for something.
W е̊ b n̂ o v̄ eĺ Е̂n̆um̂ã
Jacob watched this little scene with great interest. Such a young maid could actually handle nobles and soldiers so easily... Not simple. Truly not simple.
However, as the people around him left one after another, Jacob finally reacted with a start.
Wait. It seems I have been left behind!
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