Chapter 018: Hunting?

As Prince Fischer boarded the carriage, Du Fan was momentarily stunned. He realized that although the carriage was roughly the same size as before, its interior space was much larger—far from looking as compact as it appeared from the outside. It was likely that a magician had used some spell to expand the space inside.

In the middle of the carriage sat a small table, covered with fruits, pastries, and wine bottles of various colors. On the other three sides of the table were small cushions. The cushions were lined with soft wool, giving off a very comfortable visual impression. But Du Fan knew that such wool had to be taken from a tiny area near a sheep’s jaw. It was likely that thousands of sheep would be needed to weave such a woolen blanket, highlighting its value.

What surprised Du Fan the most was that there were already two people in the carriage—one sitting and one lying down—both quietly observing Du Fan without saying a word. As Du Fan wanted to take a closer look, Prince Fischer smiled, pulled him along, and said, “Lord Du Fan, come in first. Stop gazing blankly!”

With that, Prince Fischer entered the carriage. He pointed to an empty spot, signaling for Du Fan to sit down, then went around to the back of the carriage and sat down calmly before declaring, “We can go now!”

Soon, the sound of horse hooves could be heard outside, and the carriage began to move slowly. At that moment, Prince Fischer casually pointed to the two people beside him and said, “Come… Lord Du Fan, let me introduce you. These two are my good friends from Fischer. I’m sure you don’t know them yet…”

He then pointed to the person lying on the cushion and said, “This is Jerome, from the Lionheart Family… I’m sure you’ve heard of them.”

Hearing the name Lionheart Family, Du Fan’s heart skipped a beat. The Lionheart Family was one of the prominent noble families in the Gavin Empire, with immense influence in the military. It could be considered the most powerful family in the empire’s army, and the name itself hinted at their bravery and strength. In fact, the patriarchs of this family had always been senior military figures, and their heirs were all geniuses. It seemed that the Western Legion, one of the empire’s four major armies, was under the control of the Lionheart Family.

Beyond that, the Lionheart family holds absolute dominance in the military. Nine out of ten of their patriarchs have been empire marshals, effectively controlling the entire empire’s military forces—showing just how powerful they are. Although the Northern Legions, for various reasons, are not under the control of the empire marshals, the Green family has always adopted a policy of neither allying nor offending the Lionheart family. It is said, however, that the Lionheart family seems to side with the Crown Prince—so why is there a member of the Lionheart family here…? With these thoughts in mind, Du Fan couldn’t help but examine Jerome closely. He appeared thin, with a sickly pale complexion, and his hand resting on his chin was shockingly white—making it hard to believe he was part of the Lionheart family. His face was somewhat long; it was hard to say whether he was handsome or ugly, but he seemed to possess a strange charm that made it hard to look directly at him. Noticing Du Fan’s gaze, Jerome slowly sat up, gave a cold smile, and said, “So this is the much-talked-about Du Fan, right… To be honest, I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time… I’ve heard you defeated Aldas in the North. I wanted to see what kind of remarkable person you are. Now that I’ve met you, it’s truly as good as the rumors!” Du Fan quickly smiled modestly and said, “Lord Jerome, you’re too kind. It’s Lord Jerome, from the Lionheart family, who is truly extraordinary… As for me, Du Fan, I have nothing special to boast about in front of you.” Hearing this, Jerome showed no other expression except for a smile and said, “Lord Du Fan, you’re too kind.” Then, he casually picked up some fruits from the table and began eating them slowly, his every movement and expression exuding utmost elegance. Seeing his attitude, Prince Fisher, who was sitting inside, couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Du Fan, don’t pay attention to him. That’s just how Jerome is. Once you get to know him better, you’ll understand… Come on, let me introduce you to someone else—this is our empire’s youngest general, Lord Alex.” At Prince Fisher’s gesture, Du Fan quickly glanced at the person sitting across from him. The man appeared to be in his twenties, with a heroic look and a rather handsome face. He was sturdy-built, and although he was wearing only a simple knight’s uniform, he still appeared valiant. What surprised Du Fan the most was that there was a long sword lying across this Alex’s thighs.

Originally, with his temperament, he didn’t seem particularly special, but with that long sword, Alex appeared incredibly heroic, as if he were a sword drawn from its sheath. Du Fan inwardly admired him—such a person must be top-notch in both martial arts and military strategy; otherwise, as Prince Fischer, he would never have used words like “friend” to win people over. Du Fan observed Alex, who in turn observed Du Fan. After a moment, Alex seemed to fall silent before saying, “Lord Du Fan is truly extraordinary. If I have the time, I hope you could share your wisdom with me…” Du Fan was stunned and didn’t know how to respond at first. Prince Fischer, hearing this, couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Lord Du Fan, please don’t take it personally. Alex is just that way—always straightforward and blunt. He must have seen your exceptional skills and couldn’t resist showing off a bit.” Hearing this, Du Fan couldn’t refuse and simply smiled at Alex, saying, “Then, if I have time, I’d like to see Lord Alex’s skills… Though I’m presumptuous, I’m rather ignorant, so I’m not familiar with Lord Alex’s fame…” Hearing this, Prince Fischer shook his head slightly and said lightly, “Du Fan, don’t say you don’t know Lord Alex… Even if you don’t know him personally, you’ve surely heard of the title ‘Rider of the Lake,’ right?” Du Fan was momentarily stunned before recalling it. The Rider of the Lake was considered a top figure in the Gavin Empire. It was said he was born into humble circumstances but possessed great talent. By the age of twenty, he had already reached level six in combat energy, making him the most outstanding among his generation. His combat energy was said to be related to water—his strength would multiply several times when fighting by water. Legends even claimed he could ride a horse across the lake, hence the title “Rider of the Lake.” Though he was formidable, he had some personality issues. He joined the army and participated in several battles, achieving great feats each time, but due to defying his superiors and other reasons, all his achievements were taken away. He could be considered a tragic figure. It was unexpected that Prince Fischer would bring him up—could this Alex be…? Thinking of this, Du Fan couldn’t help but glance at Prince Fischer.

Prince Fischer smiled and said, “Alright, Du Fan, you don’t need to guess anymore. Let me introduce him to you again… This is Knight of the Lake, Alex, the youngest major general in my Gavin Empire, and also my closest friend!”
Only then did a hint of surprise appear in Du Fan’s eyes. After all, while the title of major general wasn’t extremely high-ranking for Du Fan, it was almost impossible for an ordinary person to reach such a position without at least thirty years in the military. Even military families would need at least a decade of gradual promotion to have their heir become a major general, as once one achieved that rank, they could command an army on their own and even govern a province without much difficulty… But this Alex, with no background or status, had managed to become a major general so quickly?
Thinking of this, Du Fan glanced at Prince Fischer, who was still smiling, and understood.
It was likely Prince Fischer’s merit that had enabled Alex to be promoted so swiftly.
Such kindness in recognizing talent… Hmph…
Prince Fischer truly knew how to manipulate things. By promoting such a proud individual, this guy would likely remain loyal to him from then on. Most importantly, since this person had no background, he wouldn’t switch sides due to family ties. Thus, for Prince Fischer, he would undoubtedly be his most trusted subordinate.
As for this Jerome, since he could appear here, he must also have been subdued by Prince Fischer.
Hmph, so-called “closest friends” — it sounded nice, but in reality, they were all just Prince Fischer’s trusted subordinates…
It was strange that Prince Fischer would bring his trusted subordinates to hunt with him…
Hmph, hunting…
Hunting at a time like this? Could it really be as simple as just hunting?