Chapter 64: Raising the Price

Dealing with those guard patrol soldiers wasn’t a difficult task for Julian and Ophariel. After all, one was a noble and the other royalty. How could those soldiers of common birth dare to lay hands on them? As for the innkeeper, he was in for great misfortune. Not only did he have to deal with the corpses that came from who knows where and had nowhere to go, but he also couldn’t ask Julian for even half a copper coin in compensation. After all, he had said the previous day that the money was enough to book the entire floor, and if he were to ask for more now, it clearly wouldn’t end well. Moreover, that young nobleman didn’t look like someone easy to deal with, so in the end, the poor innkeeper could only swallow his losses—merchants need to make money, but they also need to stay alive. Without life, no amount of money would be of use.

News always spreads quickly. By early the next morning, almost all influential nobles in Roya City knew about the attack on Julian the previous night. If it had been earlier, most of them would have been surprised why anyone would risk their life to attack a high-rank swordsman. But after learning that the Zach Family’s heir, the young master, was under Julian’s protection, these nobles immediately understood.

So that’s how it is.

It must be said that this news was a matter of great concern for both factions within the Zach Family. Those branch families attempting to seize the position of family patriarch became increasingly anxious, fearing the return of this legitimate heir. It’s worth noting that during the young Zach master’s disappearance, they had already done a lot of preparatory work and had also recruited quite a few people. Some of these were those who couldn’t gain status due to family suppression and chose to cooperate with them. Another part were those who, seeing that the old patriarch’s child had disappeared without a trace, chose to ally with them to maintain the stability of the entire Zach Family. These neutral forces were very powerful. The reason they chose to cooperate with the opposition was to maintain the stability of the entire family, and of course, to get a slice of the pie for their own forces. After all, if they followed the faction that maintained orthodoxy, their forces would not be able to gain greater benefits.

But if the old patriarch’s heir could safely return to the family, these neutral factions would no longer mix with the opposition. After all, in this continent, nobles place great importance on blood relations. If all the direct bloodline heirs died out, then to maintain the entire family, letting an heir with collateral bloodline take over, although somewhat ridiculous, was not impossible. This way, there wouldn’t be much blame. But if the direct bloodline heir was still alive, yet they wanted to establish a collateral bloodline as the family patriarch, no one would agree to this. Not only the people within the Zach Family, but even other great noble families would ostracize them. After all, this would be overturning the rules among nobles.

Compared to the opposition’s panic and unease, the other side was obviously extremely excited. In their view, the young master was about to return to the family, so this way, the family’s orthodox glory could still be preserved. Unlike the opposition, to be on the safe side, they immediately dispatched a large contingent to the inn where Julian was staying to welcome their young master.

However, they had thought things too simple.

“Esteemed Mr. Felix,” the white-haired, straight-backed old man respectfully bowed to Julian before him, then raised his head, looking at this young nobleman with pride and a hint of gratitude.

“On behalf of the Zach Family, I thank you for everything you’ve done for us. If it weren’t for your help, our Zach Family would have forever lost its glory… Please accept our gratitude.”

“I haven’t done anything worthy of the Zach Family’s thanks,” facing the old man’s words, Julian merely narrowed his eyes slightly, crossed his arms, and looked at him.

“So, may I ask what brings you here today?”

“Well…” Julian’s attitude surprised the old man slightly. Wasn’t this young nobleman here to protect the young Zach master and bring him back to the family? He had thought so, but now it seemed somewhat different?

“We are very grateful for your protection of the young Zach master. In fact, the entire family has been worried about the young master’s safety. If you’re willing… I hope to take the young Zach master back, bring him back to the family, and keep him safely protected.”

“Is that really so?” Hearing this, Julian’s lips curled slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

“Frankly speaking, I don’t believe your guarantee.”

“Sir?” Hearing this, the old man’s face darkened slightly. Although Julian’s words were somewhat disrespectful, he still kept his composure and asked in a low voice.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Safely protected?” Julian smiled and shook his head.

“Honestly, I don’t think you have the strength to do this.”

“Well…” Hearing this, the old man’s expression became increasingly uncomfortable. Julian’s words were quite impolite, and he had no way to refute them. After all, this was the truth. Although after the old patriarch fell seriously ill, they had increased manpower to protect the young lady and young master, the results were not as expected. As the saying goes, it’s easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Shortly after the old patriarch’s death, the young lady also “fell seriously ill,” became bedridden, and soon followed her father. The young master also disappeared. Although they mobilized people within the territory to search, those damned oppositionists kept hindering them, and they didn’t have many ways to deal with their obstruction. After all, as time passed, many people had already turned to the opposition’s side. If they insisted on confrontation, it would cause considerable damage to the family, which might allow other great noble families to take advantage of the situation… This was absolutely not what the Zach Family wanted to see.

Because of this, what was currently taking place within the Zach Family was a war without gunpowder, and the final result depended on whether the young Zach master was still alive or already dead. If he was still alive, it would be their victory, but if he was dead, then the Zach Family was destined to be replaced by those branch families… After all, those who want to gain more benefits for themselves are always the majority.

But now, their hope for victory was right before their eyes. However, as Julian said, could they protect him well again?

Thinking of this, the old man’s expression became somewhat awkward. He opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. To say they could protect him well? To say such a thing in front of a high-rank swordsman, wouldn’t that imply that the high-rank swordsman’s strength was inferior to their own? But to just give up like this? No, no, no, perhaps there was a better way…

“We certainly understand that relying solely on our strength might not be enough to do this,” the old man lowered his head again.

“So, we hope to ask you…”

“I don’t see your sincerity,” Julian interrupted the old man, showing no interest.

“At least for now, I won’t accept your conditions, so I’m sorry.”

Saying this, Julian stopped. He didn’t say what came next, but his outstretched hand had already made his meaning clear.

Looking at Julian’s hand, the old man’s face turned extremely pale. He knew he had been too rash. After learning that the young master had returned to Roya City, he had been very excited, believing that his faction could finally restore their former glory. And after learning about the assassination attempt on Julian, he immediately became anxious. In his view, since the young Zach master had reappeared, staying outside was a very dangerous thing. That’s why he immediately organized people, wanting to bring back the young master and put him in the safest place.

But now, Julian’s words pointed out his weakness—even if they really brought the young master back, could they protect him well? Could they do better than this high-rank swordsman?

This was of course impossible. If they really had strength comparable to a high-rank swordsman, they wouldn’t have been so badly suppressed by those damned branch families.

Thinking of this, the old man let out a long sigh, then turned and left.

Watching his retreating figure, Julian gave a cold smile.

“How’s the situation?” Shortly after the old man left, Ophariel appeared beside Julian. She had been responsible for accompanying the young Zach master and his attendants, comforting them, and ensuring they wouldn’t leave her sight to do something stupid. Although after what happened last night, the young master and his attendant were somewhat uneasy, they were still persuaded by Ophariel to stay obediently.

“These guys are as impatient as expected. It seems their recent situation is clearly quite bad,” Julian’s lips curled slightly, revealing a mocking smile.

“This couldn’t be better. It seems our clients have enough strength and capital to purchase our goods.”

“Don’t you think that if our clients were in a desperate situation, we could get more benefits, my lord?” Faced with Julian’s words, Ophariel smiled and shook her head, asking.

“Between a desperate gamble and grasping the factors that determine victory, I prefer the latter. I’m sure the other party isn’t a fool either,” Julian pursed his lips, then looked at Ophariel, revealing a curious question.

“However, I’m a bit curious.”

“Huh?”

“I think, with your intelligence, you shouldn’t be unable to guess what we’ll ultimately do with that young master, right?”

Hearing this, Ophariel’s expression changed slightly. She lowered her eyes and didn’t speak. In fact, she had long known that although Julian was acting as if he could go either way, in reality, he was more inclined towards the opposition side. The reason was very simple. If they chose to support the orthodox family side, they would have to spend a lot of time protecting this young Zach master. As the orthodox faction imagined, if they simply handed the young Zach master back, the possibility of him being assassinated again would still be high. If this happened, and the Zach Family was later controlled by the opposition, Julian would have made an enemy out of thin air, which was definitely not what he wanted. In comparison, the opposition’s wish was much easier to fulfill. Their only threat was currently in Julian’s hands. As long as Julian eliminated this threat, the opposition would have almost no problem controlling the entire Zach Family. In terms of time and energy consumed, it was definitely more convenient on the opposition’s side.

So, the reason Julian was keeping the young Zach master now was only to use him as a bargaining chip to gain more rewards. Once his goal was achieved, the young master would have no more use value. Thus, his fate was certain—the opposition would not allow such a threat to continue living, and Julian naturally didn’t intend to leave himself a loose end.

But such a deal, in essence, was certainly not something that could be openly put on the table. Ophariel was after all young, and it was hard to say whether she could accept such a deal. However, from Julian’s current observation, this princess didn’t seem to oppose or be depressed as he had expected. On the contrary, although she didn’t show clear disgust, from her actions and behavior, this princess seemed to support his plan.

Given Julian’s understanding of her, this was unusual. Certainly, Ophariel wasn’t a pampered flower living in a greenhouse, but she wouldn’t be very familiar with such “backroom deals” either. She was more skilled at maximizing benefits and effects under existing rules and conditions, rather than methods that broke or circumvented these rules.

“I certainly understand,” Ophariel sighed deeply, but then shook her head.

“Frankly speaking, I still have some resistance to your plan, my lord. Of course, I admit this will gain us the most time, maximize benefits and effects. But, with the premise of sacrificing a child, honestly, I can’t fully accept such a result. But…”

“But?”

“That child, he scares me a little,” Ophariel raised her head. When she looked towards the door again, Julian noticed that her gaze contained a hint of fear and… sadness?

“On the surface, he looks so innocent, but in fact, he’s using us, using us to create the best situation for him. Of course, his methods are still naive, but for those who trust him, this deception is enough to create considerable influence and effect.”

Saying this, Ophariel hugged herself, as if recalling something.

“I’ve seen eyes like that child’s before, eyes that look sunny but are actually cold. I don’t know what kind of education that child received, but I understand, he…”

At this point, Ophariel suddenly closed her mouth, as if she had said something she shouldn’t have.

Is it just this?

Julian secretly frowned. Ophariel was definitely not the kind of neurotic woman who would do this because of a bad premonition. Of course, he had also noticed the young Zach master’s little tricks. The other party thought that by presenting himself as a vulnerable group, he could gain their sympathy, especially from “big sisters” like Ophariel, who are most defenseless against children. But he hadn’t expected that Ophariel wasn’t that kind of brainless noble lady. After all, she was once called a genius princess, with a sensitivity to politics and conspiracies far beyond ordinary people. So, the reason that forced her to make this decision this time… could it be related to her past death?

Of course, this question only turned briefly in Julian’s mind. Ophariel had never been willing to mention how she died, let alone explain to Julian how the most popular and prominent princess of a kingdom ended up dead in an abandoned well in a remote small town like Twilight Forest.

“I think I can understand,” Julian said.

“Huh?” Hearing Julian’s unexpected words, Ophariel was suddenly stunned. She looked up in surprise at the young man before her.

“Understand? Understand… what?”

“In my hometown, there’s a saying: human nature is evil,” Julian said as he stood up and walked in front of Ophariel, looking into her azure blue eyes.

“That is to say, everyone is born full of evil, and it’s only as we slowly grow up that this evil is suppressed.”

“What a strange saying…” Hearing this, Ophariel widened her eyes in surprise. Although Julian had said many strange things before, such a blatant statement that everyone is born evil was something she had never heard before.

“What’s strange about it?” Faced with Ophariel’s question, Julian just shrugged.

“When children are born, they instinctively choose what’s most beneficial for their own survival. They smile at others and express goodwill to gain others’ favor, so they can survive smoothly. As they grow a little older, they learn to choose and use ways that are most beneficial for their own survival. They will snatch everything they see and consider it their own. In mature eyes, this selfishness, lack of restraint, and greed are all forms of evil behavior. Of course, this behavior will be constrained by later education. As children grow up, they will gradually learn not to be selfish, to share, and to make judgments about their actions. A child might tear off a butterfly’s wings and stuff it into an ant hole for their own amusement, enjoying the sight. Is this behavior innocent? Or cruel?”

“This…” Ophariel opened her mouth but found she couldn’t say anything. Indeed, even she was very willful as a child, causing her mother to worry. It wasn’t until she gradually grew up, experienced setbacks, and received her mother’s education that she developed her current temperament. So, if she hadn’t encountered setbacks and hadn’t received her mother’s scolding and education, what kind of person would she have become?

“The same principle applies,” Julian said, patting Ophariel’s shoulder.



“Don’t worry, leave this matter to me to handle… But as my deputy, I think you should also understand your position.”