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Chapter 17: The Worries of an Old Father

The sun was shining brightly.

Golden waves of wheat swayed in the wind, painting a peaceful, warm scene.

Spring was the season for sowing, and farmers were diligently working in the fields, rarely distracted by anything else.

However, when the tall griffon let out its majestic call, the rather humble yet knightly-looking convoy slowly passed by, the farmers couldn’t help but put down their sickles and eagerly welcome the procession.

The red swords and shields symbolized the Ainbrad family’s role as both a sharp blade cutting through the kingdom’s challenges and a sturdy shield defending the peace of the borders.

The people might not understand the meaning of the noble family crest, nor would they simply respect their lord out of his prominent status.

But over the years, Karl had earned enough prestige for himself.

Not to mention, the lord personally led raids every year to slay the invading monsters and dragons, which was enough to make the proud people of the Lionheart Kingdom feel honored and grateful.

Because of this, while Iron Blood Ridge wasn’t particularly wealthy, even the born and bred city folk would show respect when they mentioned the Ainbrad name.

“It’s Lord Ainbrad!”

“People from Ainbrad have returned!”

As the farmers shouted Ainbrad’s name, they flocked towards the convoy, and Karl, sitting atop the griffon, smiled and waved in return.

However, as they peered into the convoy, hoping to spot the golden figure and the black-haired boy, a hint of disappointment was unavoidable.

“Is the young master not back yet?”

“And Miss Alice… oh wait, she should be called the Saintess now.”

“Fool, it’s that time—aren’t they at school?”

“Exactly, the young master and the Saintess are swamped with work. Unless it’s vacation, how could they have the time to return?!”

“Hey, then why did you run over here just now?!”

“We… We were here to welcome the lord…”

They thought they had hushed their voices enough, but as a Level 5 Extraordinary Being, Karl had already caught every single word carried by the gentle breeze.

The disappointment of the people wasn’t a good thing for a lord; even if he wasn’t angered, it would certainly cause some discomfort.

As Karl listened, a slight smile crept onto his face.

Every father wishes for their child to succeed, and how could he not feel pleased witnessing Roy’s rising fame?

Throughout the journey, passing through towns, villages, streets, and fields, everywhere echoed the names of Roy and Alice.

The holy knight had finally become the Destined Saintess.

Meanwhile, the kingdom’s Oath Knight served as the honor guard to the Saintess.

For the people, the significance of these titles was a bit perplexing.

But they could clearly see the fervor of the White Harbor Church.

Since then, the Church had heavily invested in the kingdom, establishing many churches, providing free medical care and education, even going so far as to use expensive projection tools to broadcast recordings of the Saint’s Trial every day, all to showcase the radiant deeds of Roy and Alice.

Both had already held significant prestige in the kingdom, and with the Church’s endorsement, their images shone even brighter.

Karl was thus affected by this shared admiration.

He knew he had always been liked by the people, but he had never experienced this level of enthusiastic cheers everywhere he went through the kingdom.

Especially upon returning to Iron Blood Ridge, this phenomenon grew even more frequent.

Even though he had become accustomed to this scene, whenever he heard people speak with reverence about Roy and Alice, this old father couldn’t help but smile.

“Ever since then, Lord Karl has been in a great mood.”

“Of course! The Oath Knight, the Saint’s guard—my little brat has made a name for himself; I could dream of it and laugh awake!”

“No doubt he’s the young master!”

The loyal guards who had followed him for years couldn’t help but chuckle, feeling the same pride for their young master and honor for the prestigious family.

Still, occasionally, they’d think back to the past.

“Speaking of which, a few years ago, the young master wasn’t that obedient, right?”

Recalling the reckless young Roy, the guards couldn’t help but sigh, finding it hard to connect that past with the present.

An older, bearded knight remarked, “They say a man can grow up overnight; perhaps the young master just suddenly grew wiser one day.”

Another lean, handsome man whistled, “Ah, you don’t know! There’s a real story about how the young master turned over a new leaf!”

Curiosity ignited, everyone leaned in to hear more.

“I heard that the young master was moved to change after encountering the Saintess, formerly known as Miss Alice!”

“Ohhh, I see; that sounds quite romantic… Huh?!”

The big guys weren’t usually into love stories, but for the kingdom’s knight—especially since they witnessed that grand ceremony where the black-haired boy received commendations from the princess—this news was explosive.

“Wait, true feelings?! Are you sure?!”

“Hang on, wasn’t the young master already engaged to the princess?”

“Isn’t being an Oath Knight essentially adopting into the royal family?!”

“But, but I heard that the Saint’s guards are supposed to remain single for life and dedicate their lives to the Saint!”

As it turned out, gossip wasn’t just a girl’s territory; if the news was juicy enough, even the big boys couldn’t resist discussing it.

On one side was the princess, the most dazzling ruby among the mountains, and on the other, the Destined Saintess of the White Harbor Church, an angel bathed in the feathers of light.

Who would the young master choose?!

For this question, several seasoned griffon knights argued heatedly, sweating profusely, unable to convince one another.

It was the most wonderful yet most difficult choice in the world.

“Hey, what’s the use of arguing here?!”

The lean man grinned and looked at Karl. “Lord Karl! Which lady do you think would suit our young master Roy?!”

The iron-fisted knight, who had faced dragons while riding his griffon, almost fell over on the spot.

No matter who it was, if he had to choose one, Karl could grin from ear to ear, but if there were two, or more than two, he wouldn’t be able to smile at all!

You guys are talking so casually about it—who even considers how crazy the one left out might go?!

Offending either side would be like going against an entire power!

Throughout history, beautiful women had always brought trouble; how did his son end up with potential disasters on both sides?!

Honestly, even if Roy picked a plain little maid as a concubine, he could bite the bullet and handle the pressure from the royal family since his son didn’t amount to much.

But now the issue was his son was doing too well!

Angry emperors could unleash their wrath for a woman, and the aftermath was no laughing matter.

Considering that Charlotte had inherited a certain fiery temper, she might just do something reckless!

If things went poorly, it wouldn’t just end with a few tears and tantrums; it could ignite a war involving two major powers and millions of people!

Just the thought left Karl dripping with sweat.

“I think there’s no rush; we should see what the young ones want first…”

“Lord Karl, even so, as the father-in-law, you could express your opinion, right?”

Express an opinion? You want my head served up like Charlie’s daughter complex to the griffons?!

With a face full of black lines, Karl was just thinking about how to steer the topic away when his expression suddenly changed.

The griffons came to a halt.

At the edge of the fields lay a deep, dark forest.

The griffons fixated their stares on the depths of the forest, letting out low, tense growls, their limbs taut—gleaming cold light glimmered in their eyes, enough to scare away any hawk or falcon.

 

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