“Young master, can we go for a walk around the city now?” Mira asked, her eyes sparkling.

  Lucius nodded.

  “Very well. Where do you want to go?”

  Despite being the one who asked, Lucius’s answer seemed to catch her by surprise. When he questioned her with a look, she replied, stammering.

  “Well, it’s just that… I never imagined the young master would agree.”

  “Why?” Lucius asked.

  “It’s just that, to the young master, it seems like anything other than training is a waste of time. So I imagined that after doing what you needed to do here in the city, you’d want to go back home right away,” she said, a little embarrassed.

  Well, she’s not entirely wrong.

  But it wasn’t as if the only thing that existed in Lucius’s mind was training. No—training simply held the highest priority. That didn’t mean that, given the opportunity, he was averse to other activities.

  Still, he could understand why she thought that way.

  Lucius nodded to himself before turning his gaze back to Mira.

  “So then, where do you want to go?”

  “Oh, right,” she nodded, her face full of expectation. “I heard from the other maids that there’s a puppet show happening in the city square. Can we go watch it?”

  Lucius agreed, his response making Mira’s eyes shine.

  “Then let’s go, young master,” she said as she grabbed Lucius’s hand and started running.

  The two of them ran without stopping until they reached the square at the center of the city.

  Another point.

  When they arrived, they found the place packed with people, and in the middle of it all, a small wooden stage had been hastily set up.

  Children crowded close to the stage—some sitting on the ground, others perched on their parents’ shoulders.

  It didn’t take long for the show to begin. In truth, it was more like a play, a story. The tale of a tragic princess who, deceived by others, betrayed her father and took the throne for herself, only to be betrayed by her own allies and buried for eternity in a coffin of ice.

  It wasn’t a local story. Lucius supposed it must be some ancient Western tale.

  But no matter how dramatized the story was, Lucius doubted whether it was based on any historical event or simply a complete fabrication.

  Well, none of that seemed to matter to Mira. The maid watched everything with shining eyes. Seeing this, Lucius couldn’t help but compare her to the children at the front of the stage—their reactions weren’t all that different.

  When the show ended, with the princess’s imprisonment and the fall of her kingdom, the maid had tears in her eyes.

  “Ugh…” Her hand, holding Lucius’s, tightened so hard that he frowned.

  Another point.

  “Young master,” she looked at him with teary eyes, “do you think the princess managed to free herself afterward?”

  Lucius shook his head.

  “I don’t know the tale, and the play doesn’t say anything about that, so most likely not.”

  His words didn’t please Mira, who shot him a resentful look.

  “If you didn’t like it, why did you insist so much on coming?”

  “Because I didn’t know it would be such a sad story,” she said, puffing out her cheeks.

  Well, this was, after all, a performance for children.

  Despite the tragic story, the show was filled with dramatization and comedic moments. Looking around, Lucius could see that the children present had enjoyed it greatly, most likely without truly understanding what the story was about.

  Only someone with an adult’s mind could abstract away the comedic parts and focus on the tragedy itself.

  “Well, maybe the princess did manage to free herself later on,” he said after contemplating for a moment.

  “You really think so?” Mira looked at him hopefully.

  Well, it’s possible.

  The play didn’t make it explicit, but what was used to imprison the princess was most likely some kind of sealing magic. And no magic could bind someone powerful enough forever.

  Well, in my opinion, the strongest of them all was the old king.

  Even though he was defeated by the princess, it was implied that she had used some unconventional methods during her battle against him. So in Lucius’s view, even in defeat, the king had still been the strongest.

  “Well, anyway, it was a fun experience, so I don’t regret it,” Mira said, already smiling again.

  “If you say so…”

  Lucius found it surprising how quickly she recovered her mood. Perhaps that was a special ability of hers?

  “In any case, what else do you want to do?” he asked.

  Instead of an answer, he received a surprised look from Mira, who must have thought they were already heading home.

  “I still have matters to take care of here in the city, but only later. So we can spend more time doing whatever you want.”

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Matters? What kind of matters?” Mira asked, half surprised, half suspicious.

  Lucius could understand her reaction. Having accompanied him for weeks, she must have noticed that he didn’t have… many acquaintances. So it was only natural that she would be suspicious when he said he had business to take care of.

  “If you have any complaints, you can go back to the estate ahead of me,” Lucius said indifferently.

  His answer completely erased the suspicion from the girl’s eyes—or at least made her hide it very well.

  “No, no, no. I don’t mind staying in the city a bit longer. You don’t need to send me back,” she said in a panic.

  Seeing this, Lucius felt like laughing.

  “So, where do you want to go?” he asked.

  Thus, for the rest of the day, Lucius and Mira wandered through nearly all of Nowen.

  Despite having been born here, and his family being the owners of these lands, only now did Lucius realize just how large the city was—and how little he actually knew about it. It truly was a new experience.

  By the time they finished, it was nearly nightfall.

  “You seem quite satisfied,” Lucius said, noticing the smile on Mira’s face.

  “Of course, young master,” she laughed as she looked at him. “Because today was a very fun day.”

  “Incomprehensible.”

  Lucius shook his head.

  “What could possibly be fun about wandering around aimlessly like a headless chicken?”

  Mira didn’t like his words, clicking her tongue in reprimand.

  “Fun lies in not having a clear objective,” Mira said, lightly shaking her head. “In simply… being there.”

  Lucius frowned.

  “That’s inefficient.”

  “Maybe,” she replied without a second thought. “But not everything needs to be efficient to be worthwhile.”

  She slowed her pace, forcing Lucius to do the same.

  The sun was already low in the sky, painting the streets in shades of orange and gold.

  “The people we saw today,” Mira continued, “the children in the square, the vendors, the performers… none of them seemed to be thinking about becoming stronger or achieving something grand. And yet, they all seemed happy, even if only for a moment.”

  Lucius walked on in silence.

  He remembered the faces he had seen throughout the day. The easy laughter, the trivial conversations, the relaxed expressions—things he would normally dismiss as background noise.

  “These moments pass quickly,” he said at last. “And they leave nothing concrete behind.”

  “They do,” Mira retorted, turning to face him while walking backward. “They leave memories. And sometimes, that’s enough for someone to keep moving forward.”

  Lucius stopped.

  Mira stopped as well, perhaps thinking she had gone too far. She quickly returned to walking at his side, a little embarrassed.

  “Sorry, young master… I just—”

  “No,” Lucius said, interrupting her. “I understand what you meant.”

  She blinked in surprise, which he found amusing. Did she really think he was that irrational? He was perfectly capable of understanding that others thought and lived differently from him.

  The problem was that…

  When different worldviews clash…

  Lucius clenched his fist.

  What a joke.

  He shook his head and continued walking, this time setting the pace and direction himself.

  And as they walked, the streets began to change.

  The stones on the ground became uneven and broken, some sunken completely into the earth. Dirt accumulated in the corners—food scraps, dried mud, and debris that looked like it had been there for a long time.

  The houses changed as well. Well-kept fa?ades gave way to cracked walls, rotting wood, and hastily patched roofs. Windows were shut even during the day—some barred with iron, others covered with old wooden planks.

  The smell wasn’t good either. As if on every street, in every house, there were dead animals left to rot, their stench permeating the entire area.

  The people’s demeanor and appearance changed too. Faces full of suspicion, guarded postures, threatening looks that seemed ready to start a fight at any moment.

  “Young master…” Mira’s voice came out slightly nervous. “This area looks very dangerous. I think it would be better if we went back.”

  “I already told you, I still have matters to take care of.”

  “Matters?” Mira looked confused, a little exasperated. “And what kind of matters would you have to resolve… in a place like this?”

  “Matters,” Lucius replied as he kept walking, only stopping after they had gone another ten blocks. “We’ve arrived.”

  “We’ve arrived…?” Mira asked, confused.

  Looking ahead, all she saw was a bar with a suspicious atmosphere, with people covering their faces as they talked outside.

  Even though night had only just fallen, the bar was already full. From outside, one could hear the noise of music and the shouting of its patrons.

  “Young master, what did we come here to do?” she asked hesitantly.

  Lucius turned his gaze to her.

  “You stay here outside. I’ll go check something inside and be right back.”

  Mira froze at his words—only for an instant. The next moment, her face flushed red with anger.

  “No way I’m letting the young master go into a dangerous place like that alone,” she said with a sharp look.

  This girl… another point.

  Lucius narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

  “I’m not asking,” he said in a tone that allowed no objections, then immediately entered the bar.

  Obeying his order, Mira stayed outside—at least, that was what Lucius concluded after a few seconds passed and he didn’t see her enter the bar.

  “…”

  Lucius’s arrival brought all the music and conversation in the bar to a halt. Perhaps it was strange for such a reaction to occur just because he was an unfamiliar face, but Lucius supposed it was because many of those present recognized him from the night he had been there before.

  “Brat, you really had the nerve to come back here?” one of the men shouted.

  “You caused quite a mess last time. Did you come back with more gold for us?” another said.

  “Hehehe, this time, brat, you won’t just drop your gold and walk away,” another mocked.

  In the blink of an eye, everyone in the bar was on their feet, weapons in hand. Lucius recognized only a few of them, but he assumed the rest had heard the stories from the first group and decided to try their luck as well.

  Hmm, that’s right.

  Lucius opened and closed his hands repeatedly. Just as he suspected.

  They’re not trembling.

  It’s not like the first time I came here.

  No, it wasn’t just that.

  Lucius swept his gaze over those present.

  “What are you waiting for? I don’t have all night.”

  “Kill him!”

  …

  “Young master!”

  When Lucius exited the bar, the first thing he saw was Mira running toward him.

  With a tearful look on her face, she began fussing over his body—arms, legs, torso…

  Lucius tried to stop her by grabbing her arms, but he discovered that behind those slender limbs was monstrous strength, and Mira ended up inspecting nearly every part of his body.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Yes, it seems so,” Mira said with a sigh of relief.

  And once she calmed down, she realized just how inappropriate her actions had been, which made her blush with embarrassment.

  “I-it’s n-not my fault. Anyone would’ve reacted the same way if they saw you like that,” she said, her face red as she tried to justify herself.

  Well, I suppose so.

  Lucius had to agree. His clothes, once intact, were now completely in tatters. His body was covered in dirt and blood. Anyone who saw him would think he had just been in a terrible accident.

  But he was perfectly fine. None of the blood staining his body belonged to him, and his clothes…

  Well, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

  Lucius reflected.

  “But what—what on earth happened?” Mira asked nervously. “The young master told me to stay here, and I didn’t want to, I couldn’t… but I ended up staying, it was strange… then I heard noises and people shouting, and I wanted to go in, but the young master said no, so I stayed here. And the next thing I know, I see the young master coming out covered in blood. What happened, young master? What did you do?”

  Lucius let Mira speak freely, venting all her anxiety through words. Only when she finished did he nod.

  “Let’s go,” he said, gesturing for her to follow.

  But she didn’t move, even when he started walking.

  “You’re not going to give me any explanation, young master?”

  Lucius stopped and looked back at her.

  “If you don’t come right now, I’ll leave you there,” he said, then resumed walking.

  The next moment, he heard Mira’s frustrated huff, followed by the sound of her footsteps.

  Yes, it’s different. It’s different.

  But Lucius’s attention was no longer on the girl. It was on what had just happened—on what he had just confirmed.

  Good. Very good.

  He nodded, satisfied. It was far from enough, but it was a start—the beginning.

  In silence, they made their way back to the estate. Mira walked beside him, seeming to have a thousand questions to ask, but perhaps reading Lucius’s contemplative mood, she kept them to herself.

  Soon, they returned to the estate. And when they arrived, they were met right at the entrance by a figure Lucius had not expected.

  “We need to talk,” Cédric said as his sharp gaze swept over Lucius from head to toe.