Chapter 53: No way, but there is still a way

“My lord, what do you mean by this?” Caster stood before Julian with a gloomy face. He never imagined that the trick he had planned to trouble this lord would now entangle himself. Frankly speaking, Caster really didn’t know what a big fish he had inadvertently caught. He had only judged based on his years of experience that these people indeed had some issues. Although those traveling merchants roaming various places weren’t clean characters, ordinary people wouldn’t want to cause them trouble to avoid bringing trouble upon themselves. But it should be known that one of the tasks for Caster and his men coming to Twilight Forest was to bring trouble for this lord. Although it wasn’t easy to deal with those merchants operating locally, these traveling merchants absolutely couldn’t be let go. In Caster’s view, this young lord didn’t seem to be someone with particularly strong opinions. If he caused such a thing, he definitely wouldn’t be able to handle it well. No matter the outcome, the bad reputation of Twilight Forest would definitely spread. Those traveling merchants roamed all over the place. At that time, as long as they were released, this mission would be 100% completed. Taking a step back, even if that lord gritted his teeth and killed to silence for the sake of the territory’s good reputation, weren’t there still Caster and his men? At that time, they would just need to spread some rumors about this lord being ruthless, which would similarly cause considerable impact… However, unless it was absolutely necessary, Caster really didn’t want to do such things himself.

But now, the development of things was obviously somewhat beyond Caster’s expectations. Julian did indeed release these people, but what followed made him dumbfounded. This lord not only planned to travel together with these merchants but even specifically named them to accompany? What was this about?

“My lord, we are members of the guard squad. We are only responsible for the internal security affairs of Twilight Forest, so…”

“But I am your lord,” Julian interrupted Caster’s words, looking at the middle-aged man with an elegant, cold smile.

“As my subordinates, shouldn’t you obey my orders?”

“I think you’ve misunderstood, my lord,” Hearing this, Caster’s expression also became serious.

“Although we are responsible for the security of Twilight Forest, we are not your subordinates. Please don’t forget, we were sent by Viscount Euwen to ‘assist’ you in managing Twilight Forest. Apart from this, we have the right to refuse other matters.”

Caster emphasized the word “assist” heavily, clearly reminding Julian that he was not his subordinate, and he had no power to order him to do things that only vassals would do. After all, although these people were nominally under Julian’s name now, their true masters were still the Bird family. Compared to the Bird family, Julian as a lord was far inferior in terms of status and power. How could they possibly obey his orders? Thinking of this, Caster couldn’t help but glance at Julian again. This lord should be very clear about the relationship between them. Now issuing such an order, could it be that he planned to completely swallow them up, making them truly become residents here?

Caster inwardly sneered. He wanted to see what capabilities this lord actually had. How dare he confront the Bird family? Wealth? Fame? Or women? But come to think of it, those maids in the castle did all look quite good. If this lord was really willing to invest such a big stake to win them over, then they might consider working under him for a few years… Of course, they would absolutely not become this man’s vassals. Looking at the strength, no matter how hard this man tried, he could only be a small lord at most. They weren’t so stupid as to choose to abandon a great power like the Bird family to develop with him.

However, contrary to Caster’s thoughts, faced with his answer, Julian didn’t show any reaction. He still wore a calm smile, not even changing his facial muscles. Then, he slowly spoke.

“Ophariel.”

“What is it, my lord?” Ophariel, who had been following behind Julian, pulled her cloak and stepped forward.

“As a commoner, being disrespectful to a noble, how should they be punished?”

“At the lightest, fifty lashes. At the heaviest, expulsion from the territory,” Ophariel quickly gave an answer after searching her brain for a second.

“Given that he is your subordinate, my lord, we should add disobeying orders and insubordination… With multiple offenses combined, in this case…”

“In this case?”

“Death penalty,” Ophariel said decisively, without any room for negotiation. Hearing this, the anger hidden in Caster’s heart immediately ignited.

What a joke, just a mere small noble, does he really dare to kill me? Does he really think that being a noble means others will obediently let him kill them? What a joke! I might not be able to fight against big families like the Birds, but even you fallen small nobles who can’t even see a bird’s feather dare to threaten me? Do you really think I’m an idiot?

Thinking of this, Caster’s face immediately darkened.

“My lord, I advise you to stop these boring ideas. We don’t take small nobles like you seriously!”

Caster believed his words were already very face-saving for the other party, and there was already a vague hint of threat. He originally thought that after hearing his words, this young noble would at least have some reaction, but who knew he would still be whispering with Ophariel.

“Did you hear that, Ophariel? This is blatant, naked threatening.”

“According to the law, this deserves public execution…”

These guys!

“You…” Caster gritted his teeth fiercely, then reached out to grip his sword hilt, drawing the long sword at his waist. Today, if he didn’t teach this young small noble a lesson, he would really think he was something!

Just as Caster drew his sword, he suddenly felt his hand lighten. The force that couldn’t be withdrawn in time made Caster draw out the sword like this. But when Caster looked closely, he was greatly shocked. In his hand, there was only a sword hilt left, while the blade had been neatly cut off, completely disappearing without a trace.

What exactly happened?

Caster looked at the sword hilt in his hand with uncertainty, then shifted his gaze, only to find that the young noble’s hand, which was originally hanging down, had somehow already been placed on the sword hilt behind his waist.

Could it be him?

Caster took a sharp breath. He instinctively looked around, only to see that in the large reception hall, there were only three people. He of course knew his own weapon, and there was absolutely no problem with it. And now the situation was that at the moment he drew his sword, someone was actually able to break his weapon silently!

Among these people, Caster’s strength was relatively high, and he was also very confident in his own abilities. But now, Caster’s originally extremely inflated confidence suddenly disappeared.

What exactly is going on? Could it really be this kid who looks not even half my age who did it? Caster couldn’t believe his judgment. If that’s really the case, doesn’t it mean this kid has at least the strength of a high-rank swordsman? This is absolutely impossible. Caster believed he had seen through this young small noble clearly. Every day he had a lazy appearance, apart from drinking tea and reading books, he just chatted with those little maids in the castle, looking no different from other young nobles. Instead, the girl beside him seemed much more enthusiastic about the development of the territory than this lord. And Julian, this lord, was leisurely and carefree, and Caster hadn’t seen him take time to practice any swordsmanship. Of course, Caster and his men had seen the sword Julian carried with him, and at the time they had even mocked this young noble for not knowing how to use a sword, just putting on an act.

But now…

“Mr. Caster, I think you now have only two choices,” Julian quietly looked at the man before him.

“I think you should be clearer about the first choice than I am, so I won’t say much.”

“…Then what’s the second choice?” Caster calmed down, lowering his hand again, and asked in a low voice.

“There are not only you who can be the captain of the guard squad.”

Julian’s words were clear and straightforward, leaving no room for compromise. This made Caster’s brows immediately furrow. Although from Julian’s earlier actions, he had guessed that the other might kill him to silence him. But now hearing Julian say it, he still felt a chill in his heart. Honestly, although Caster deep down still refused to believe that the young man before him really had such powerful strength. But as the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. What if this young lord really was a high-rank swordsman? Caster was different from those single-minded fools of the Zach family. He had stayed with the Bird family for several years and was quite familiar with the dealings between nobles. Don’t look at how much Viscount Euwen values him now, but his status was still just a commoner after all. As Ophariel said, insubordination by commoners was a serious crime. If this noble young master was a waste, that would be fine, but if he wasn’t a waste, would the Bird family give up the opportunity to befriend a high-rank swordsman because of him?

“I understand your meaning, my lord,” Thinking of this, Caster bowed deeply.

Although he still couldn’t be sure of this young noble’s background, it was better to be cautious in everything. Let this lord do whatever he wants to do. Anyway, when the time comes, as long as he reports to Viscount Euwen, he won’t receive any punishment. It would be unwise to vent his anger here.

“I will do as you instruct. May I ask how many guards you need?”

“I need three squads of guards. For Twilight Forest, leaving one squad for patrol is enough.”

“This… alright,” After hearing Julian’s order, Caster reflexively wanted to say something, but as soon as the words came out, he swallowed them back. Then, he solemnly bowed to Julian and turned to leave.

This matter must be reported to Viscount Euwen immediately!

Having made up his mind, Caster quickly left the hall. Julian and Ophariel looked at his back and smiled at each other.

“It’s still more convenient to deal with smart people.”

“Of course.”

“But… I think you must have already considered the next problem, my lord.”

“Of course,” Faced with Ophariel’s inquiry, Julian smiled and nodded.

“With Judy and the others appearing, I don’t think I need to worry about anything… Next, we just need to protect our goods well.”

“You mean… goods?” Ophariel turned her eyes, then looked at her master in surprise.

“My lord, do you mean to…”

“If what those gentlemen said is correct, then at this moment in the Zach family, there must be many people expecting this young master’s return, right?” Julian patted Ophariel’s shoulder, chuckling as he answered. In his eyes, there was a hint of cold and cruel smile.

“Such good goods, if we don’t raise the price on the spot, wouldn’t that be too much of a waste?”