Within a grand mansion in the inner city of Volantis.
“Young Master, everything is prepared, just as you instructed…”
A young man, clad in light armor, stood bowing subserviently before another youth, a picture of profound respect.
With short golden hair and an air of utter arrogance, the young man lay comfortably in a rocking chair, eyes half-closed. If Leya were present, she would undoubtedly recognize him at a glance.
After all… this young man was Harvey.
“Oh? Is that so… Heh, has His Highness indicated when we should make our move?”
“Well… His Highness said that after persuading Edwin, we should first attempt a peaceful takeover. If that proves impossible, then we are to resort to force…”
Harvey remained silent.
He continued rocking back and forth in the chair for a long while, momentarily at a loss for words.
“His Highness truly lacks the necessary boldness. Something that could be easily settled, he insists on making so complicated…”
“Er… Yes, Young Master, you are absolutely right. Your subordinate also feels that His Highness—”
“You scoundrel!—”
Before the young man could finish his sentence, Harvey’s expression suddenly darkened, and he roared:
“You *feel*? Who are you to question His Highness’s decisions? What exactly do you think you are?!”
“Ah?” The young man paled at the words, immediately dropping to his knees. Tears streamed down his face as he pleaded, “Young Master, Young Master, please be magnanimous and forgive your subordinate this once. I was merely feeling indignant on your behalf just now, and spoke rashly!”
It was undeniable that this time, the young man had truly learned the meaning of ‘serving a lord is like serving a tiger.’ He now understood, with stark clarity, that even flattery required impeccable timing.
“Hmph—”
Seeing Harvey merely let out a cold snort, the young man breathed a long sigh of relief. It seemed he was safe for now.
“Young Master, there’s one more matter regarding the woman you asked us to investigate…”
Noticing that Harvey remained in his rocking chair, eyes still narrowed, showing no flicker of emotion, the young man silently braced himself and continued:
“Although her whereabouts are still unconfirmed, however…”
*Smack!*
Harvey, who had just been lounging with half-closed eyes, suddenly sat bolt upright, his eyes wide with fury. He slammed his hand heavily against the wooden armrest of the chair.
“But? But what?! You useless wretches! I spend money and resources to keep you alive, and this is how you repay me? How many times have you said this now, huh?! You can’t even find one woman, so tell me, what *can* you do?!”
“Er… Young Master, this time… this time it’s different…”
The young man stammered, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.
Seeing his distress, Harvey’s anger momentarily subsided. “Very well, then, tell me how it’s different. Depending on your explanation, I shall decide the punishment for you lot of good-for-nothings!”
“Er… well… we, we haven’t found the woman herself, but we did find the sprite who was accompanying her…”
“A sprite?” Harvey stroked his chin. “Is it the sprite His Highness bought and gifted to that woman?”
“Yes, that’s right, Young Master. It’s her. Her name is Erica, and she is currently residing at the Thunder Tavern. What’s more, another girl is living with her…”
“Another one?” Harvey exclaimed in surprise.
“Yes, Young Master. Our investigation revealed that the girl had virtually no life history before entering the city. We couldn’t find anything; it was as if she appeared out of thin air. And now, as soon as she arrived, she became the personal disciple of the Great Sage Edwin…”
“Oh? This is rather interesting…”
A mysterious person whom even his own forces couldn’t investigate? And she became Edwin’s personal disciple immediately upon entering the city…
Could she be a junior from some prominent family, out gaining experience?
It had to be said, the thought instantly struck Harvey as perfectly plausible!
Otherwise, it would be truly difficult to imagine that the blonde woman, who seemed to know this girl and possessed such martial prowess and aura, could possibly be a commoner.
But then again, what was the relationship between these two women? Harvey found himself falling into deep thought.
“Where is that girl now? Is she also at the tavern?”
“No, Young Master. According to our investigation, we found that yesterday morning, she had already joined a D-rank adventurer team and departed to a village on the outskirts of the Netherworld Forest for a mission…”
“Hm? A village on the outskirts of the Netherworld Forest?” Harvey’s expression suddenly froze. “Does this village also have a church, and an Elder named Ingmar?”
“Er… Yes, that is correct, Young Master. Is there something amiss?”
Harvey said nothing.
Instead of replying directly, Harvey furrowed his brows, a look of deep concern clouding his face.
This sight of Harvey even startled the reporting youth. It was truly hard to imagine that Young Master Harvey, who usually acted as if the heavens were his only superior, could ever display such a troubled expression.
This spurred the young man’s imagination, and he ventured to ask, “Young Master, could the Church of Light be involved in this matter…?”
“Tsk, silence! Is that something you’re permitted to ask?”
“Er… Yes, yes, yes, Young Master is right to chastise me. Your subordinate was presumptuous…”
Despite his words, the young man had already concluded in his heart that the mission was likely far more mysterious than it appeared.
Nevertheless, the young man, seeing an opportunity, his eyes gleamed with an idea. He said with a fawning smile, “But this works out perfectly, Young Master. Of those two mysterious women, one has vanished, and the other is far away in the Netherworld Forest. Why don’t we seize this chance to capture the sprite first, and then…”
*Bang!*
A sound, much louder than the previous one, erupted from Harvey’s direction.
Indeed, Harvey had erupted in anger once more.
“And then what? You scoundrel! With my standing, do you truly think I would resort to such despicable tricks to deal with a mere woman? Hmph—”
Truthfully, Harvey was utterly infuriated.
He considered the hundred thousand strong army commanded by the Edgar family, which stood behind him. Their might was such that even if the eastern provinces united, they would be nothing more than petty demons, easily crushed by his family.
Even among the two thousand elite warriors who had accompanied His Highness into Volantis City this time, seventy percent hailed from the Edgar family.
With such power at his disposal, Harvey’s excessive pride and vanity, cultivated since childhood, made it utterly impossible for him to accept such a suggestion.
As a second-generation noble, essentially at the apex of the power structure, Harvey’s primary concern was his reputation.
Of course, this wasn’t about what common folk thought of him; such rabble were beneath his notice. A mere ten thousand of his soldiers could easily withstand a mob of a million commoners, for these ‘commoners’ were simply ordinary people incapable of cultivating martial arts or learning magic.
Indeed, in the eyes of some truly powerful individuals, they disdained associating with ordinary humans, deeming them nothing more than ‘waste that exists merely to exist.’
Therefore, in summary, Harvey’s real concern was the opinion of other nobles. Every noble valued their reputation immensely, and if others discovered he would resort to such underhanded tactics to deal with a woman…
‘Where would he put his face then?!’
‘Or was he truly expected to admit that without such methods, he couldn’t handle that woman? Heh, what a joke!’
If not for the injury Leya had inflicted on his waist, which still hadn’t fully healed, Harvey would have truly wanted to stand up and kick the man.
Thus, with a cold snort, Harvey decided not to dwell on it further. He simply stated:
“You, now, immediately, go send someone to contact Ingmar for me… Hmm, tell him that there is one person he is not to lay a hand on, and he is to send her back to the city, safe and sound!”
“Otherwise… tell him that all agreements will be immediately voided. Furthermore, from this day forward, my Edgar family will no longer permit the Church of Light’s influence to step even half a pace into the Netherworld Forest!”
“But… Young Master…” Upon hearing this, the young man’s face twisted into a difficult expression. He said with a bitter face, “Can this truly be done without the Sixth Prince’s approval?”
“What? Do I also need to tell you how you should speak to me?”
The young man fell silent.
“Yes, as you command, Young Master…”
With a helpless sigh, the young man could only reluctantly accept the order before retreating from the room.
‘Ah… whatever happens, happens. As soon as I step out, I’ll just grab some newcomer to carry out this mission. That way, if anything goes wrong, it won’t fall back on me…’
****
Shortly after the young man closed the door and departed.
Harvey, still rocking in his chair with his eyes closed, suddenly broke into an eerie smile.
“Heh heh, Church of Light, oh Church of Light… Don’t think that just because others don’t know what you’re up to in the Netherworld Forest, no one truly knows…”
“It’s just that you still have some use for now, whether it’s for that mysterious [Ruins] or to put on a show for the Archbishop in the capital…”
“Hmm, oh, and that blonde woman who appeared out of nowhere… One day, I will make sure you all understand the consequences of crossing me, Harvey… Hmph!”