Chapter 2: The Nobles of Today

Baron Krylliu Angus loved his daughter Cara dearly, and for that reason, he felt genuine gratitude toward Neo, who had saved her life. Yet, the gap in social status diminished this gratitude, as Angus never believed he needed to repay Neo with anything substantial for saving his daughter’s life.

When Cara pleaded with Angus to help Neo once by granting him a spot as a soldier to join the army heading to Tures in the south, Angus’s first response was to ask her, “Do you know who he is? A condemned prisoner, a rebel.”

Although Cara possessed a sweetness unlike most nobles of her age, that didn’t mean she was foolish. Her reply was, “I was unconscious in the ruins after the fire. When Neo saved me, he didn’t know my identity. He was also being chased by the evil fire puppets. And I don’t think he’s going to Tures to seek revenge. His purpose is the opposite—because his lover is there.”

If any virtue can touch a person’s heart, loyalty surely counts.
If any virtue can touch a young girl’s heart, loyalty in love is undoubtedly the best choice.

As a man with firm beliefs, Neo wasn’t ashamed like ordinary servants and was quite open about his emotions. He confessed to Cara (Cara: friend, dear) his desire—to return to Tures to ensure the safety of his beloved Melian, even though her father, Lord Manmoris, strongly opposed their relationship and even labeled him a “rebel” to prevent them from being together.

A werewolf servant and a human woman developed a romantic connection, and the human woman was a noble lady. Even a girl as simple-minded as Cara wasn’t optimistic about this relationship, but that didn’t stop her from being moved by her feelings and trying her best to help Neo achieve his wish. Thus, it was rare for the usually wild and independent Cara to ask her father for a favor.

Angus actually knew quite a bit about Neo, as he was a famous young swordsman. The fact that he was labeled a “rebel” and “degenerate” piqued many people’s curiosity. Before long, Krylliu heard Neo’s story from his butler.

“Obsessive, single-minded!” Though Angus disagreed with Neo’s methods, deep down, he admitted that such loyalty was admirable.

“Does Neo know your identity?”
Cara shook her head with a smile. “I only said I’d try to help him and see if there’s any way. But I won’t let him down.”

Most human nobles of this era weren’t so bad as to be arrogant, foolish, or ignorant. Whether legitimate or illegitimate, they mostly had their own hardworking sides, though their circles of life were different, often remaining unknown or incomprehensible to ordinary people. Cara, for example, also had her intelligent side—proof that Neo hadn’t realized she was a noble before. Of course, Cara’s innocence and lack of experience allowed the sharp-witted and cautious Neo to guess some things, which was also a fact.

Angus nodded. He knew his own daughter well—Kara would never lie about such things. It was the Morle family’s tradition: men should not be cunning, and women should not lack honesty. For that very reason, Kara’s sister had become the legitimate wife of the young Duke of Ensbass, someone who had come in person to propose marriage.

Having basically confirmed thatNeo had no ulterior motives, Angus smiled at Kara and said, “Loyalty is always admirable. I agree to help him. Go tellNeo the good news.”

“Thank you, Father! I knew you were the kindest man in the world!” Kara kissed Angus on the cheek and left like a cheerful skylark.

Watching Kara’s retreating figure, affectionate paternal love shone in Angus’s eyes. Yet his smile froze as she disappeared. He raised a hand over his shoulder and gave a gentle wave, and a tall human knight stepped forward, bowing respectfully. “My lord!”

“Keep an eye on thatNeo. If he harbors resentment and intends to harm the family of Lord Manmores, you know what to do.”

“Understood, my lord.”

“Hmm, and if things are resolved peacefully, tell thatNeo that Kara no longer owes him anything. Some things, some people, are better left forgotten.”

“Yes!” the knight replied, hesitated for a moment, then asked, “What if all of Lord Manmores’s family…”

Angus glanced at the knight coldly and said, “What do you think?”

The knight understood, bowed, and went to make preparations.

When Kara brought the good news toNeo, he was having breakfast with Gorton and the others—military rations from the West Wind Battle Corps: mashed potatoes, pickles, braised meat, and a large piece of bread. Everything was served in generous portions, with the braised meat in tin cans. For now, this was a unique feature of the Frey Free Alliance’s military food; the other two great powers did not yet have the capability to mass-produce thin, uniform tin sheets for canning.

Gorton and the others didn’t have much appetite. As residents of Solis City, they usually ate in groups. Only innocent children, after going hungry for days, could eat heartily. Oh, and there was one exception—Neo.

Chewing quickly and swallowing hastily was howNeo behaved at that moment. As he ate, he encouraged Gorton and the others, “You need strength to fight. Even if you don’t go into battle, there’s still plenty to do.”

Gorton and the others understood the logic, but the food tasted bland, as if chewing wax.

Neo shook his head silently. “With different environments of upbringing, expecting people to be inspired by a tragedy or bloodshed to become brave soldiers is unrealistic.”

“Ha, you’re lucky. I’ve been running around for you, while you’re here, enjoying a feast by the fire.”

Kara was just joking withNeo, but he pointed to the tin cans over the fire—mashed potatoes and braised meat were heated, and the bread was baked. They ate together. Then he stood up, wanting to move aside to make space.

“Well, at least you have a conscience!” Kala beamed with joy. As a noble lady, socializing wasn’t her forte, and opportunities like this to mingle with ordinary people were even rarer. It felt good—she could sense Nio’s sincerity. Military rations tasted plain and were clearly crudely made, but they warmed both the mouth and the heart. The people around them were ordinary folks—less hypocritical, with fewer restrictions and rules, which made Kala feel relaxed.

“Knight Adrian—he and his men are also having breakfast. You need to get there in 15 minutes, as there’s still some preparation to do before heading out on your mount. Hopefully, you can get a wolf to obey you; there aren’t many horses in the camp. This is your pass. They’re in the north, where the white striped flags are.”

Nio glanced north and faintly saw the white striped flags fluttering in the wind.

“You can see them from such a distance?”

Nio smiled slightly without saying much. His vision was already excellent, and after absorbing Kaylan’s dark evil energy, all his physical abilities had improved significantly. Vaguely, he felt he now had the strength of a level 3 mage, while his mental power had reached the standard of a level 1 mage—perhaps even slightly higher in purity. Of course, these were just his own guesses based on limited knowledge, not very accurate. At least he didn’t realize that his standards were as outdated as the Star Dark Magic…

The camp didn’t allow civilians to wander around freely, but with the pass, Nio faced no obstacles.

Only those who reached level 5 and could use “Battle Rest” could earn the title of knight. There were different types of knights: those with territories were called knights, those without territories but of noble birth were called court knights, while commoners were called field knights. There were also titles granted as honors or symbols of strength, such as Grand Knight, Silver Knight, Celestial Knight…

Adrian was a knight, level 6, around 30 years old. He and his armor alike gave off an air of having been through many battles, exuding a formidable presence just by standing there.

When Nio found Adrian, he was taking a break with his retinue and sergeants (light cavalry), drinking hot tea. This was a routine after breakfast. Those who truly fought understood that self-care was just as important, if not more so, than combat skills.

“A frail werewolf…” Adrian’s gaze at Nio was filled with undisguised contempt—not only for his weaker strength but also for his alien origin. In Adrian’s eyes, it was as if a noble lady would engage in romance with a werewolf like Nio—similar to those lonely noblewomen who indulged in relationships with animals or breeding stock. It was clearly beneath even pretty boys or eunuchs.

The pretense of knights lay in not showing arrogance toward the weak but instead embodying the eight virtues to highlight their own superiority. Besides, Adrian was too lazy to bother with someone like Nio—it would only be a downgrade to his own status.

“Nio, is that you?”

“It’s me, my lord!” In this situation,Neo chose a role completely different from that in Vladimir’s camp. He bowed to Adrien in a proper, respectful manner—no nonsense, no pretense of sincerity.
“Take my token and select a mount. You have 10 minutes.” Adrien acted in a businesslike manner, avoiding any tricks with the token to embarrassNeo in public. Of course, this didn’t mean Adrien would letNeo off easily; in fact, sometimes minor punishments weren’t even necessary.
If it were some reckless werewolf, or even a greenhorn human, getting a mount would never go smoothly. The Free Alliance’s regular troops weren’t some noble’s private property, let alone a team as distinctive as the West Wind Warriors. A knight wanting to claim a mount just by showing a token? There was no such thing as easy access—even with approval from above.
Yet, it all came down to human effort. Though young,Neo had over seven years of experience in the arena, understanding the importance of relationships and communication skills. So, facing a minor leader in charge of mounts—even if he looked ragged, hunched over, and blind in one eye—Neo respectfully handed over the token with both hands: “Knight Adrien, please lend me a mount to use as a means of transportation.”
The token bore Adrien’s name and was protected by magic to verify its authenticity. But what really mattered was that it also contained 5 gleaming gold dinars.