Chapter 403 - 280: Fulina’s Uncle (Part 2)

As if sensing the Lord’s gaze, he looked up, a curious expression on his face. Then, in an instant, a warm smile bloomed, one that could put a thousand vibrant blossoms to shame.

’Bewitching! He’s just too bewitching!’ The Lord immediately turned his head away, breaking eye contact.

This young Swordsman was terrifyingly handsome, at least on par with him, but the two were distinctly different.

If the Creator seemed to have concentrated all the masculinity and dominance of mankind into him, then it was as if the Gods had bestowed all of men’s remaining tenderness upon this young man.

Despite being a man, his smiles and movements all had a "soft" and "bewitching" quality. This was especially true of his eyes, which were as brilliant as a starry sky and almost made the Lord question his own sexual orientation.

It didn’t matter if he had his own doubts, but he absolutely couldn’t let anyone else suspect he was into... pretty boys.

Otherwise, if a bunch of opportunistic pretty boys hoping to take a shortcut to success started showing up at High Cliff Castle trying to make it big overnight, it would be a complete and utter disaster.

A scandal like that would be impossible to wash away, even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

"Good day, Lord. And you, sir."

The Lord was just shocked because the military camp was full of coarse brutes. Normally, someone with such looks would have been snatched up and kept in a private villa by some great personage long ago.

Add to that the fact that he was a man, yet possessed a unique "bewitching" quality, and it was inevitable that he would be a bit shaken.

"Just call me Mandela." The bald giant stood well over two meters tall, looking to be in his forties or fifties with a fierce face, but his voice was gentler than one would expect. "I’m the commander of those Red Swordsmen, and this is my deputy, Xi Ang."

"Good day, Mr. Levi." The young man nodded slightly, his voice as crisp and clear as a Yellow Crying Bird.

"I’ve heard of your deeds. After this is over, you’ll surely be a huge celebrity throughout Debei." Mandela clapped Levi on the shoulder, holding the Lion Hunter Knight in very high regard. "Fulina, Onaya, and Liya... thank you for taking such good care of them."

"???"

The Lord was no less shocked than he had been moments ago. He immediately asked, cautiously, "And you are, if I may ask?"

"I’m Fulina’s uncle." The man grinned, revealing two rows of perfectly straight, white teeth.

"Hahaha, I’m Liya’s Vassal. It was all my duty," Levi said, laughing it off humbly.

’It felt like the whole world was one giant clique of friends and family,’ he thought. ’Everywhere I go, I run into someone’s relative.’

’No wonder Fulina could secure the position of Duke. No wonder the King ultimately ignored the conflict between the northern and southern Dukes.’

’This Mandela must have contributed a great deal. It’s hard to imagine just how many people in the Royal Court are connected to those Dukes.’

"Levi, let’s sit and talk. You take the first seat," Mandela said with a wave of his hand.

He, Fulina, and Fatir sat side-by-side at the main seat. The first position on the right-hand side was for the Lord, and in descending order after him were Bodoff and the others, all the way down to Fujero at the very end.

To the left of Fatir at the main seat was the Swordsman named Xi Ang, who sat directly across from the Lord.

Fatir was the Saintess of the Holy Light Church, a station equal to that of a Prince or Princess, so her place at the main seat was perfectly appropriate.

"Xi Ang has always dreamed of becoming a true Knight," Mandela began, once they were all seated.

"I’m afraid that might be a bit difficult," the Lord said pragmatically.

A so-called "true Knight" wasn’t about the noble title of knighthood, but about being a Knight who truly revered the code of the Eight Virtues.

’But even Holy Knights couldn’t fully adhere to the Eight Virtues, so how could anyone else? I bet even the first Knight to establish the Eight Virtues wouldn’t dare claim he could follow them all perfectly.’

"When the stories of your deeds reached Gonda, I could see that you are a brave and powerful Knight. I think the two of you would have a lot to talk about."

Levi glanced at the handsome young man across from him, who smiled back. That smile instantly made the Lord feel completely uncomfortable, as if he were infested with lice.

’If at first the Lord was just stunned by the man’s exquisite beauty, now he couldn’t help but wonder if the guy was one of *those*... a pretty boy who preferred men.’

"We’ll see, when there’s a chance," he replied reflexively, brushing him off. He had no desire to get to know the man better; in fact, he felt he should actively keep his distance.

’If rumors started to spread about the two of them, his heroic image among the Noble Ladies would be shattered.’

The topic was quickly dropped. As everyone had arrived, the formal meeting began.

First, Fatir presented the situation at White Bone Fortress and the matter of the Space Channel. Then, Fulina and Mandela discussed their strategy. Finally, in the spirit of pooling everyone’s wisdom, they reviewed the plan to identify and patch up any oversights.

When the meeting ended and he stepped out of the room, the Lord was met with the Gentle Breeze on the Face and the reflection of the evening sun. Feeling as if he’d been liberated, he couldn’t help but stretch, letting out a couple of satisfied grunts.

’To be honest, the meeting room hadn’t been filled with the stench of sweat; in fact, there was a constant, delicate fragrance. The problem was the man sitting across from him who kept staring. Any normal man would find it unbearable and just want to escape the torture as quickly as possible.’

"Le—"

But just then, a familiar voice called out from behind him.

The Lord jolted, goosebumps rising on his back. In a flash, he bolted into the camp without a backward glance.

...

Zat was tidying up the tent. It had just finished organizing things and was sweeping the floor with a small broom, its ass in the air, when a figure suddenly shot inside, leaving several large, black footprints on the wooden floorboards. It opened its mouth, about to let loose a greeting in proper Wilderness slang, but when it saw who it was, it forced itself to change its words: "Boss, what’s the hurry? It’s not like there’s something man-eating behind you."

"Quick, draw the flap! If someone named Xi Ang comes looking for me, tell him the Lord went to take a shit." The Lord, still shaken, poured a cup of tea to soothe his throat.

’He was ten thousand percent unwilling to befriend that man. It wasn’t just about his looks. More importantly, the man was clearly far more than just Mandela’s deputy. After all, how could a mere deputy be seated across from him? Besides, although Mandela hid it well, Levi could still sense the respect he had for his deputy. Levi considered all sorts of possibilities—maybe he was some Prince who was bored and decided to go slumming it to ’understand the common folk’ or something—but ultimately, he had no clue. In the end, it was a case of ’out of sight, out of mind.’ He’d just shut his door and refuse all visitors.’

Zat was completely baffled. After sweeping the melon seed shells out of the tent, it lowered the flap. "Boss, what’d they talk about in the meeting?"

"Though we’ve fought well in the past, those were all minor skirmishes. Compared to those Griffin Knights or the Lion Heart Red Swordsmen, we still have many shortcomings and need to learn with humility." The Lord started with a stream of official-sounding nonsense that made Zat purse its lips, before finally getting to the point. "Simply put, this time we’re just going to follow behind everyone else. A little light fighting will do."

’This Demon war was no minor skirmish like before. If handled well, one could even become famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms. On the surface, they were saying that High Cliff Castle had performed with great merit recently—first by dealing with the Demons that raided Kolon, then by rescuing the besieged Fatir and Bodoff—and that they should get some proper rest. In reality, the high command must have felt that with the main army assembled, victory was already in the bag, so they were starting to scheme over the distribution of military honors. This wasn’t something that Fulina or Mandela could change on their own. Even if they didn’t want the military glory for themselves, every last one of the men under their command was eagerly waiting for a chance to prove themselves.’

Levi wasn’t the least bit angry about this. He had no intention of sticking his neck out. High Cliff Castle had, at most, about a thousand men. In a war involving nearly a million people, that was truly insignificant.

’Whoever wanted to go to the front lines to rake in military honors could go right ahead. As for him, he’d be perfectly happy to follow behind, pick off a few kills, and still come out way ahead.’