A few days later,
With the Count awake, the burden on Man En had lightened considerably.
The territory seemed to have returned to its former state.
A quiet, still-rebuilding, warm place.
Man En walked along the city streets. Only when he saw the slowly recovering territory did he unconsciously smile.
“Brother Man En, I contributed a lot too, you know. Don’t think a smile is enough to brush me off, hmph!”
He turned to look at the speaker. It was Lai La, who was accompanying him to buy ingredients.
Unlike her mature figure, she was a bit too lively, still a child at heart.
Man En gently stroked her hair.
“Don’t be cheeky. When I come back this time, I’ll bring you some strange and wonderful things.”
“Huh? That’s more like it.”
“Also, who is that Eilais? I always feel like you and Uncle are deliberately hiding her identity and whereabouts.”
Hearing this, Man En stopped his hand and looked up, pretending to be profound.
“Well, it’s better if you don’t know.”
“A Demihuman?”
…
“How did you know?”
Man En looked at her, feeling a bit incredulous.
“It’s simple. Because Aunt Lifu knew nothing about it, so I made a bold guess.”
“Considering Aunt’s status, that Miss Eilais…”
“Alright, alright, I can’t do anything with you.”
Man En quickly interrupted her. After all, they were on the street; it wouldn’t be good if someone heard.
He took out the pure white dagger from his clothes.
“Hehe, thank you, big brother!”
Long ago, she had been coveting Man En’s dagger. Now that her wish was fulfilled, she couldn’t stop grinning.
“Don’t rush. You can’t use it yet.”
“Speaking of which, a girl actually liking this…”
Man En couldn’t help but complain.
It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel reluctant. But giving her the White Fang was also for her self-defense.
After all, she had no ability to protect herself.
“Ah, forget it.”
“Drip a drop of blood on the blade. After it recognizes you as its master, this White Fang will be yours.”
Upon hearing this, Lai La did it without hesitation, immediately dripping blood.
Under Man En’s guidance, the dagger slowly absorbed her blood, and at the same time, Lai La felt a connection being established with the dagger.
After receiving it, she carefully put it away as if it were a treasure.
It was clear that she really liked this dagger.
“Thank you, big brother. I’ll treasure it.”
“Haha, I hope it can help you in the future.”
Man En smiled, his eyes incredibly tender.
“I feel like you’ve become a different person, big brother…”
“Really? Maybe. I just feel that some things can’t be changed, but now that I’ve thought it through, I’m at peace.”
“Mm…”
Lai La nodded thoughtfully.
“Silly brother.”
She ran ahead and playfully stuck out her tongue.
Man En lowered his head and smiled helplessly.
“Stop messing around. We need to hurry back and help Ge Rui En. She can’t manage alone.”
Saying that, he chased after Lai La.
…At least I still have you all by my side.
And if fate allows, we will meet again.
“That’s what you think too, right, Mei?”
…
That night, a grand banquet was held at Matthews Manor.
It was both to celebrate the restoration of peace in the territory and to send Man En off.
Early the next morning, he was to set off for the Elf Tribe’s territory.
Whether Helgort could be saved might be this last chance.
That night, he got dead drunk for the first time.
In the end, it was Ge Rui En who helped him back to his room.
“Ge Rui En…”
“Young Master?”
“Don’t worry about me… go rest. You’ve been the busiest these past few days.”
Looking at the drunken Man En, a hint of pity appeared on Ge Rui En’s face.
“There’s no need for you to mind.”
“…”
The atmosphere suddenly grew silent. For a long time, neither spoke.
“I… I’ve also forgotten about you. Don’t you have anything to say?”
“To me, Young Master Man En is just Young Master Man En. That’s all.”
“I see… Thank you… really…”
Ge Rui En helped Man En to the bed and carefully tucked him in.
“Then… good night, Young Master.”
“Mm…”
…
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Man En was woken up early by his father.
“Had enough sleep, boy? Time to leave.”
“So early?”
“Nonsense. Have you forgotten that the girl has a special identity?”
Man En thought about it; that did make sense.
“But what does that have to do with you waking me up so early? Or is there something you’re hiding from me?”
At these words, the Count’s expression immediately changed. Clearly, he had hit the mark.
But he still pretended to be nonchalant: “Don’t overthink it. The carriage is ready. You don’t want to keep her waiting too long, do you?”
What’s up with him today? Why does he always seem weird?
Although, he didn’t really have a reason to suspect him.
He had indeed done his best. The Demihuman identity in the Empire was a hot potato, and others had been avoiding it. He agreed to take her in and promised to help hide her identity. The pressure was immense.
And he wouldn’t harm his own son, would he?
“Alright…”
And so, under the urging of Count Matthews, Man En boarded the carriage.
Inside the carriage, a girl with emerald-green hair looked a bit impatient. It seemed she had been waiting for a while.
“You’re as casual as ever. I could have just taken the Armor of Time and left alone.”
“Ah, sorry about that.”
After all, he was the one asking for help, so Man En really couldn’t say much.
Just then, the carriage slowly started moving.
“Let me confirm. After the Armor of Time is repaired, I get one chance to use it, right?”
“Correct. You can rest assured. Once promised, the Elf Tribe will not break their word.”
Eilais answered confidently. Whenever she mentioned the Elf Tribe, she was always full of pride.
“Then I’m relieved. You’re very reliable!”
“Of course.”
She lifted her chin even higher, which was oddly amusing.
So she was the type to get carried away when praised. Well, at least this trip wouldn’t be boring.
Soon after the carriage left, back at Matthews Manor.
“Reporting to the Count, Commander of the Kingdom Army, Wen Si, is waiting outside.”
“Sigh.”
Count Matthews sighed. His originally smiling expression instantly furrowed into a frown.
He went to the main hall, where Wen Si was.
“Count, now can you come with us?”
“Granting one day’s leniency was already the limit of what I could do.”
“Mm.”
The Count nodded.
“Let’s go now.”
Lifu, who had heard the news, saw Count Matthews being taken away by Wen Si and was momentarily confused.
“Why are you taking him? Kris’s incident should be over, right?”
Wen Si looked at Matthews. After a moment’s thought, the Count gave a slight nod.
With the Count’s permission, he had no more scruples and simply stated the facts.
“Two days ago, Prince Kris was killed by an assassin. The Count is only going to cooperate with the investigation. No need to worry.”
“What? Kris is dead?!”
“Yes, he died within Matthews territory.”
Hearing this, Lifu felt a daze and instantly grew much more haggard.
Matthews wanted to reach out to support her, but his movements were already restricted. He was powerless.
“Lifu, the territory is in your hands for now.”
“And as for my matter…”
“…Don’t let Man En know.”