Chapter 7: Reprimand

Exhausted and relaxed, Neo awoke again at around 9 a.m. Millien beside him was still fast asleep, her arms, clad only in her undergarments, stretched out of the sleeping bag and tightly wrapped around one of his arms.
Pushing aside the strands of golden hair covering Millien’s face, Neo saw her delicate features. Her skin was exceptionally fair and smooth, like milkshake, with a slight baby fat on her cheeks that made them rosy, sparking an urge to kiss or bite them.
Gently pulling his arm free, he covered Millien’s shoulders with the military blanket, used the headgear as a makeshift pillow, and freed the “fluffy pillow” of White Sock before quietly getting up.
The campfire had reduced to mere ashes, but fortunately, the wind had stopped somewhere along the way, leaving the cave only slightly cold.
Poking at the embers to reignite the fire, Neo glanced at Dave, who was also asleep in the corner. After some thought, he relented and decided not to wake him for morning training. Dave needed to work hard to inherit and revitalize the Manmoris family; his battlefield wasn’t on the front lines but among the powerful.
Neo thought the strong wind overnight would scatter all the clouds, ensuring a clear day, but instead, it brought heavy leaden clouds so low that it seemed one could reach them by lifting their toes. Snowflakes began to fall again, gently and sporadically—though this was merely a prelude.
White Sock was already exercising, jumping around and playing. Neo could tell it was in a good mood, probably because it never wanted much.
Head east, Neo moved through the not-too-thick forest, with White Sock panting behind him, running ahead and behind, occasionally circling around Neo.
Neo could vaguely understand White Sock’s intentions. Smiling, he pointed east and said, “Come on, let’s run for a while and see who’s faster!”
White Sock already started running. Neo laughed and shouted, “You’re cheating!” as he chased after it. The man and the wolf raced swiftly through the snowy winter jungle, darting around like fleeting shadows…
“Huff! Huff! I can’t go on—you’re faster!” Neo slowed down.
White Sock turned back, glanced at Neo, and also stopped, with a hint of pride in its eyes.
Neo laughed, “Heh, Miss White Sock is a bit proud!”
Not going any further, Neo turned back and picked up some dry branches and rotten wood. There was some spare firewood in the cave, but to minimize smoke when burning, it was necessary to gather more and spread them out beside the campfire to dry.
On the way back, Neo pondered a question: What to do next.
This wasn’t the first time he’d considered it. With his wisdom, if he simply followed the situation, he could come up with roughly two plans.
The first was the mediocre plan: head to Soris City, offer incentives, and ask the army to rescue Tures from dire straits. This plan was safe, ensuring Dave and Millien’s relative safety, but its weakness was that they were already weak—women and children. Asking for help at such a time meant, even if Neo didn’t know all the sleazy details of the powerful, he knew they’d surely be exploited.

The next option was a risky one: to continue fighting against the dark forces on the front lines, primarily to establish contact with the townspeople, wait for the peacekeeping troops to join forces from within, and even earn merits through killing. With such proactive actions, from the perspective of the people, the lord would gain prominence; from the viewpoint of the nobility, he could be regarded as fighting bravely and unyieldingly. If he could secure a more powerful ally, at least Thures would remain under the Manmoris name. The problem with this plan was that it involved taking great risks; if no results were achieved or the townspeople weren’t rescued in time, delays would lead to even worse outcomes.

To be honest, Nio didn’t want to choose either of these options, but it gave him an opportunity to discuss them with Milien and Dev, to hear their thoughts, as they were the ones directly involved.

Back in the cave, they built a fire to boil water and washed up briefly. Then Nio cooked meals—soups and steamed flatbreads.

Dry rations were rather monotonous. To make them more palatable, efforts were often put into the soups: dried wild vegetables and mushrooms, meat in rich broth, mashed potatoes seasoned with salt and fat, eaten with the flatbreads. These bland foods were relatively easy to digest, and hot meals were crucial in such weather. Unless one had a cooking cart with ample supplies, even if a king or duke arrived, there was nothing better to eat.

As for roasted meat, it might work for three or five meals, but eating it at every meal would cause problems. Moreover, most animal meats weren’t suitable for roasting—either too fibrous to chew or having unpleasant odors. Besides, this era was not like hundreds of years ago when animals wouldn’t run away at the sight of humans and were abundant. Hunting now was time-consuming and laborious. If people were on the move, they preferred to carry more dry rations rather than rely on wild game for food.

Around noon, Milien and Dev, who had slept well, woke up one after another, washed up, and ate. It wasn’t long before the conversation turned to their next steps. Nio didn’t hide his thoughts and shared them fully.

Etiquette, social skills, and politics were essential lessons for nobles. Though Lord Manmoris wasn’t a scheming person and his family had a relatively upright reputation, his upbringing had still given Milien and Dev some understanding of the ins and outs of the noble system from a young age. Both knew Nio was right—“slaughter” was indeed a devastating word.

Regardless of the plan, it ultimately revolved around this concept. Needless to say, mediocre strategies were out of the question. It was true that Manmoris had died bravely, but perhaps all the nobles who lost their lives in this conflict could use this “dignified” excuse. Whether true or not, applying the principle of “scarcity makes things valuable” fit well here—since everyone died bravely, their deaths seemed less significant.

As for the other option, even if they took risks, they still needed to find a more powerful ally. Success was uncertain, but the cost would be high. How many examples were there in the Frey Alliance of people spending heavily only to fail in the end?

Milien bit her lower lip, her voice trembling with sorrow, and said, “Let’s choose the mediocre plan!”

Dave opened his mouth but ultimately couldn’t speak, only letting out a low sigh. He too favored the mediocre plan—the risky one seemed far too unreliable. He admitted that Neo was skilled and had great potential, but this wasn’t an arena duel; it was an invasion, a war!
Hearing Mireille’s decision and seeing her expression, how could Neo not know what she was thinking? For the first time, Neo turned away in front of Mireille, his gaze cold enough to chill the heart.
“Use your body to buy a future for the Manmores?” Neo seemed utterly indifferent to Mireille and Dave’s feelings, directly exposing that shameful idea.
Mireille didn’t dare look at Neo, lowering her head and murmuring sadly, “I’m sorry…”
Neo turned to Dave. “What about you? Do you also think this plan is the right choice?”
Dave avoided Neo’s icy gaze, feeling guilty, and explained, “The chances of success with the second plan…” He shook his head and continued, “It’s already a miracle that you’ve managed so much on your own. Miracles are rare enough when they happen once—how can we expect more?”
Before he could finish, Neo suddenly stood up, kicked him in the chest, sending Dave flying several meters away. His back hit the cave wall, causing intense pain and blurring his vision, nearly knocking him out.
White Socks, who was lying near the cave entrance, glanced up briefly before lowering his head again, eyes closed, his chin pressed against the rock, continuing to doze off.
At the same time,
“Neo, what are you doing!” Mireille screamed in panic, rushing to help Dave.
“Stand there quietly!” Neo’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was cold and stern. Combined with his expression and body language, it carried immense authority—not the domineering tone of a ruler, but the fierce and brutal courage forged by a warrior on the battlefield of blood and sand, inspiring fear more than respect.
Mireille was utterly intimidated, her legs trembling as she nearly collapsed. She had never seen Neo like this—feral and imposing.
Neo strode over to Dave, grabbed his hair, and forced him to look at him. “When necessary, sacrifice everything—even the happiness of your loved ones—to gain power and status. Is this what you’ve learned?”
With burning pain all over his body and being interrogated in such a humiliating way, Dave’s anger flared. His face turned red as he glared at Neo and shouted, “It’s none of your business, an outsider, what happens to our Manmores! Besides, how do you know it will come to that?”
Though angry and still dismissive of Neo’s identity, Dave remembered Neo’s sacrifices and those words from the McKendry vault: “After Solis City, I owe nothing more to the Manmores!” Moreover, he truly felt guilty. At 14, still young and full of dreams, even under such influence, he shouldn’t be as cold-hearted and profit-driven as an adult. His choices caused him deep pain, so despite his loud voice, he lacked any real strength—just a feeble attempt at deflection.

Nio ignored Dave’s words and sneered, “Don’t you dream of becoming a true noble? Recite to me the true spirit of nobility.”
Dave was stunned.
“Recite it to me!” Nio roared.
Startled by Nio’s fury, Dave began to recite, “One must possess noble demeanor, generous love, compassionate feelings, a pure spirit, and the courage to take responsibility…”
“Louder!” Nio continued to roar.
With tears in his eyes, Dave raised his voice, “One must uphold integrity, prudence, seriousness, and objectivity, respecting the dignity of character and human conscience—without flattery, pettiness, begging, self-pity, bias, or fear of difficulties…”
“Louder still!”
Tears streaming down his face, Dave choked out, “One must be strict with oneself, cherish honor, support the weak and suppress the strong, always adhering to the principle that ‘virtue and honor come first’…”
Woo woo woo… Dave cried like a child, his usual haughty noble demeanor completely gone. At an age full of dreams, the dream of being a hero—crude reality couldn’t extinguish all aspirations and conscience.
Nio released Dave and stepped forward to Mireille, who was cowering and avoiding eye contact.
“Dear, I also need you to look me in the eyes. We need to talk about your problems.”
Too afraid to meet Nio’s gaze, Mireille’s hesitation stemmed more from her own shame than from being startled by his outburst.
With a hint of dominance, Nio reached out and held Mireille’s face in his hands.
In that moment, as their eyes met again, Mireille found in Nio’s gaze a sense of stability. Yes, no matter how furious or forceful he was, at least one thing was certain—he loved her deeply, and that was what gave her peace of mind.
Letting go, Nio spoke slowly and deliberately, “I don’t want to discuss so-called responsibilities now, nor the virtue of enduring humiliation and doing one’s best. I only want to talk about feasibility. What do you have to ensure the other party’s honesty? With the current situation, do you have the time and resources to wait for the right price? Even if you solve these two problems, can you guarantee victory in battle and the recovery of lost lands? Can you ensure that once Thuresis is reclaimed, it will definitely be inherited by Dave, without complications caused by others’ greed or interference, and that Dave won’t be sidelined, allowing Thuresis to fall into someone else’s hands?”
With each question, Mireille trembled. Under continuous pressure, she lowered her head again.
Giving her a moment to think, Nio concluded in a deep voice, “You, Thuresis Manor, and the other properties under the Manmoris family are like easy prey—delicious meat ready to be devoured. Think about what will happen to Dave once you’re trapped and Thuresis Manor and the Manmoris family’s assets are drained through various pretexts? He’ll be at the mercy of others! Even if you become like those ‘socialites,’ shuttling among the powerful and indulging in pleasure, what can you gain for Dave? Do the powerful lack beautiful women? No, what they lack is novelty!”

“A noble lady, a young and beautiful girl, a traditional and reserved noble lady—when these elements come together, it’s novel. Having her is thrilling! As for what comes after, I’d say that if you make such a choice, you might regret having spent all these years cultivating yourself into a gentle, pure, and chaste lady. A lady isn’t capable of becoming a ‘socialite,’ but an excellent courtesan might be. Don’t think this is just an insult; if you take the time to observe, you’ll find this field also involves complex knowledge. To succeed, it’s not enough to be shameless—you need to study hard and even have talent.”

Meliene was also brought to tears by Neo, crying bitterly with her mouth tightly closed, trying not to make a sound, occasionally sniffling. Her pitiful and aggrieved appearance resembled that of a child punished for the first time.

Neo felt both anger and concern. Shaking his head and sighing, he pulled Meliene into his arms and said softly, “In the eyes of those who love you, you’re a treasure. But in the eyes of those predators, you’re just food—offered to them willingly. Besides eating and gnawing on bones, why would they care about your wishes?”

Meliene could hold back no longer and burst into tears, as if all the sorrow she had suppressed for days wanted to be cried out in one go. With snot and tears smeared all over her face, she lost all semblance of composure.

Neo didn’t try to stop her; he let her cry her heart out.

A few minutes later, holding Meliene’s slender shoulders and gently stroking her soft golden hair, Neo turned to Dave and said, “Even if I had to use coercion, I wouldn’t let Meliene take on that worthless responsibility. I can afford to be tough because my fists are bigger and harder. Not convinced? What can you do to me?”

Neo added, “Think about applying my tough tactics to the elite circles you need to navigate. To forge iron, one must first be strong oneself. With that little capital you have, can you even hurt them?”

Dave suddenly stood up, his eyes red, and shouted hoarsely in defiance, “To satisfy your own selfish desires, you can shamelessly destroy someone else’s family business passed down through generations. Is this your true nature? Is it this kind of character that gives you the right to judge others?”

Neo raised his eyebrows, abandoning his previous seriousness, and said arrogantly, “If you put it that way, there’s nothing more to discuss. Go on with your quest to revive your family. As for Meliene, I’ve claimed her. Use whatever tactics you want—arrests, pursuits—whatever.”

“You!” Neo’s slick demeanor left Dave speechless with anger.

After crying her heart out, Meliene felt much clearer-headed. She knew Neo’s personality well. She realized that since he brought up this topic seriously, he must have some plans and ideas, only annoyed by their naive and foolish approaches.

Seeing Neo and Dave arguing again, she complained playfully, “We’re in this mess already—can’t you two just talk properly for once?”

“Hmph!” Dave, annoyed, squatted down and started playing around with a dagger and a stick.

Neo wasn’t in a hurry to “pitch” the plan he had come up with; he simply whispered soothing words to Melian. All three of them had a fire burning in their hearts, as intense as the bonfire in the middle of the camp. Time would help the flames fade, and by then, they might be able to come up with a wiser decision…