Chapter 52: Good Brothers

That fire burned fiercely.

Luo Yi reached out and pulled Cassius Lyoncourt up from under the wolf’s claws.

“Thank you.”

The marquis family heir spoke.

“Why did you come to save me? Because my cousin is Xue La Linde…”

The red-haired boy rolled his eyes at him.

“We’re teammates, teammates!”

Cassius immediately laughed again. This guy was always like that, joking when he first met Luo Yi, and joking again now.

“Yes, yes, we’re teammates, we should look out for each other.”

Eric came over from the periphery with relief.

Lubriz had been cut in two by Luo Yi’s sword, and the dire wolves had scattered. In other words, the wolf-slaying mission was truly complete.

“The alcohol’s wearing off…”

Eric plopped down.

“I’m exhausted.”

Evelyn clenched her fists, observing the boys who had survived by the skin of their teeth—yes, boys. Cassius was around seventeen or eighteen, Luo Yi thirteen or fourteen. In the elf girl’s eyes, they were just little kids.

“Are you alright…”

Evelyn’s eyes were full of worry.

“I’ll cast healing magic right away…”

A faint emerald light gathered in the girl’s palm, bringing warmth and contentment to everyone. Eric’s drunkenness faded, along with the fresh wounds on his body—that was always the case when fighting dire wolves. Cassius was probably worse off—he had been knocked to the ground by Lubriz’s paw, nearly crushed. His internal organs and bones… very uncomfortable.

Luo Yi was the “luckiest.” He blocked the first wave of attacks and then decided to step in. That was all.

Luo Yi didn’t quite understand why his Blazing Sword was the bane of the Dire Wolf King Lubriz. But the reasoning was actually clear—fire was the best weapon against beasts of harm, and it had been so for millennia.

***

Eric hadn’t contributed much. The only thing he could do was swing his axe and cut off Lubriz’s head to bring back to show the guild.

“Now Luo Yi will become famous!”

Eric said.

“This young brother clearly has potential…”

“Not just that, I think Luo Yi is really a good match for my cousin—”

Cassius put his arm around Luo Yi’s shoulder.

“From now on, we’re brothers!”

The matter of brother-in-law and sister-in-law’s husband… Luo Yi wasn’t ready for that.

Evelyn couldn’t help but laugh, but out of the courtesy befitting a princess, she covered her mouth and nose with the back of her hand, laughing softly…

When they returned, they saw many banners. Not the dove banner of the Adventurer’s Guild, but the many noble banners of Norsenia. Among them was the sheep banner of House Linde.

***

The knights of House Linde were dispirited—ever since the Manticore Incident broke out, these people really couldn’t keep up their act anymore. That Kai Luo Si had deceived both his superiors and subordinates, and was demoted and punished by Count Brian. The rest had no choice but to accept the new knight brought by Countess Katarina from her maiden family, an old man named Kargon to take charge.

Damn, this guy’s methods are harsh! They had to get up before dawn for training, practicing the most basic weighted runs, sword swings, shield blocks, etc… But training day after day made their waists and legs numb. Then old man Kargon started cursing, saying a bunch of useless knights couldn’t protect the young lady, no wonder they were outdone by a kid named Luo Yi.

Day after day of scolding and cursing—these people were naturally full of resentment. But since Kargon was a knight from the countess’s maiden family, even private ridicule required the right timing.

Knight Kai Luo Si’s main grievance was with Luo Yi, that damn brat. Who told him to kill the Manticore and steal the credit of saving the count’s daughter? Setting aside the knights’ own lack of skill, wasn’t Luo Yi at least somewhat responsible? A farm brat should act like a lowborn, bent over planting wheat and sleeping with stinking sheep. How did he even learn to use weapons and rescue the young lady? This made them lose face!

But the current scene somewhat restored Kai Luo Si’s pride.

Adventurer’s Guild people are just pathetic! Facing a crisis of monsters blocking the road, all they could do was wait on the road? What a bunch of trash.

Kai Luo Si didn’t say it out loud, but he was laughing inside—many adventurers before leaving their homes were also lowly farmers’ or craftsmen’s children, picking up short swords or wooden bows for a meal, trying to find a way out. The proud knights looked down on the Adventurer’s Guild; they were just upstarts who happened to rise during the era of monster rampages!

Of course, some adventurers were not like that. Kai Luo Si actually knew that many children of great nobles were willing to join the guild—after all, protecting the people was theoretically their duty. That was also because we nobles are benevolent and kind! It has nothing to do with these guild people.

Kai Luo Si thought this way because there was cheering coming from this camp of failures. At the head was the young master of the Lyoncourt family, Cassius Lyoncourt. The nephew of Countess Katarina’s maiden family! One of the most famous young talents and adventurers. Rumor had it that it was his adventurer team that personally eliminated the Dire Wolf King Lubriz—the “one that got away” from the war back then!

“I knew it, the young master is the best.”

Kai Luo Si grinned.

Their leader, Kargon, was also a knight from Katarina’s maiden family, so he naturally had to exchange pleasantries. Just thinking that it was Cassius Lyoncourt, the eldest young master of the Lyoncourt family, who personally killed Lubriz—even a mediocre knight like Kai Luo Si couldn’t help but straighten his back.

The knights of House Linde dismounted and hurried over to congratulate the Lyoncourt family’s young master on his achievement. And they had to rush! Because it wasn’t just House Linde that rushed to rescue the Maisolonge Monastery in Privet Town; many other families’ daughters or younger sisters were also receiving lady-like education there. If the orcs had broken through… The consequences would be unimaginable! Thank goodness for this young talent, Cassius Lyoncourt!

Kai Luo Si also felt honored by association—after all, his name was similar to that young master of the lion family.

“Move aside, move aside, this is our young master…”

Kai Luo Si swaggered through the crowd.

“Our young master is the most impressive!”

Never mind whether Kai Luo Si had any shame—the countess’s nephew on her maiden side was, by any approximation, also Kai Luo Si’s master, someone he should help, right? And Kargon, after all, was from the Lyoncourt side. So congratulating Young Master Cassius (while also polishing his own reputation) was strictly speaking not a mistake.

‘People might even praise me as “loyal and sincere,” “warmhearted and generous,” “with the style of an ancient gentleman”!’

The crowd was pushed aside by the swaggering Kai Luo Si, barely making a path.

“Congratulations to Young Master Cassius Lyoncourt… for killing the Dire Wolf King Lubriz and ridding the people of a menace…”

The smile on Kai Luo Si’s face suddenly froze. It wasn’t because there were other adventurers beside the Lyoncourt family’s young master—those people Kai Luo Si didn’t know, so that was fine. Why was there that red-haired, gray-eyed brat he had met before among them? How could Young Master Cassius have his arm around him in such a close, brotherly manner?

‘Something’s wrong?!’

And those gray eyes finally spotted Kai Luo Si. This made the latter feel utterly ashamed.

What’s going on? Kai Luo Si still didn’t understand the whole story—a stupid kid like that, joining the Adventurer’s Guild to make a living, would most likely die in the wilderness or in dark alleys. How could he be standing here?

And the words spoken by Young Master Cassius Lyoncourt were even more shocking.

“This is Luo Yi, the great hero who killed the Dire Wolf King Lubriz and saved me from the wolf’s claws!”

The handsome blond young master patted Luo Yi on the back, and then his eyes fell on an acquaintance.

“Senior Kargon?”

Everyone bowed in salute. They bowed toward Luo Yi’s direction, not just because he was standing with Cassius, but because he was the one who had saved the latter.

A knight had to bow to a red-haired lowborn brat again? Kai Luo Si’s nose was twisted with anger—but circumstances were stronger than him, so he had no choice but to obey. Otherwise, he would just have to go back and be scolded by Kargon!