Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 480 - 442: The Ignorant Young Master

The stealthy figure hid in the shadow of the dilapidated cabin, slicing something on the only wooden table.

Perhaps the feeling of stealth was just a delusion of Matt, the guard. His Young Master Kevin had brazenly pushed open the door of his friend Mr. Lyle’s house, and now he immediately began examining every detail inside, focusing intently on the patterns of worm damage on a board, as if trying to connect it to some sort of magical pattern.

"Young Master Kevin, please spare a thought for Mr. Lyle’s provisions," Matt said, holding his sword, as he cut the half loaf of dark bread into slices. It was the first thing Kevin had rummaged out, and trusting his so-called intuition, he believed there was something inside the dark bread.

Kevin’s gaze remained on the pattern on the wall as he stretched out his hand and displayed a metal key.

"This is a key from the Lyle family, originally to my trunk, so I have a spare. I didn’t use it to unlock the door when I came in earlier. Do you know what that means? By the time Lyle left, he had taken everything that he cherished. The things that thieves could touch so easily, of course, I can touch as well."

"Young Master Kevin, have you ever thought about the lock you gave, it’s supposed to be made of brass, right? Are you sure that Mr. Lyle would use it to lock his door, instead of keeping it as a valuable item? I look around, the things in this house, put together, may not be as valuable as the lock you gave."

Kevin seemed to freeze for a second, turning his head stiffly, the stricken detective glaring at his guard, "Have you found any information? I have a premonition that the remaining half of that dark bread is key."

"I’m very sorry, but there’s nothing inside but breadcrumbs."

"Breadcrumbs? Why would there be breadcrumbs in the bread?"

"To fill the stomach. Adding sawdust can increase the feeling of fullness."

Kevin was somewhat ashamed under Matt’s gaze, that look seemed to say, "Aren’t you friends? How could you not know this."

Kevin stepped back, a trace of dimness appearing on his face. "Lyle is very proud. He rarely accepts my help, and out of respect for him, I haven’t inquired about his food and living conditions..."

Kevin’s face grew a bit ugly, "Fortunately, he now has a wealthy partner, and shouldn’t have to suffer these things anymore."

"Matt, do the poor in Cassandra eat this?" the thoughtless noble young master finally recognized the disparity between people.

"Yes, most of them, and some can’t even afford that."

"...What can I do?"

"You can’t do it. The residents of Cassandra are not subjects of the Borey Family. You don’t have the authority to manage the people. The city is controlled by the Royal Family and the church; they have made these rules where the peasants grovel in the mud, looking up to the nobility. Do not act unnecessarily, Young Master Kevin, you might provoke other powerful figures."

"I understand..."

"Your family has already done enough. For us servants, at least in Borey Manor, we don’t taste these things. In fact, you’ve treated us too well. It is beyond my expectations that such a benevolent noble could prosper as much as you have. This is probably why Baron Borey indulges you, for you have the capability to be capricious."

"Is that so, it seems I’m not such an ignorant and useless young master after all."

"Young Master Kevin, you don’t need to understand dark bread, because it will never appear anywhere in Borey Manor. If one day, your territory, your subjects, could all be treated as well as in the manor, then dark bread would only become a thing of life seasoning in novels, utterly needless knowledge for you."

A somewhat dejected Kevin quickly rallied, perhaps a characteristic of his, like the sunlight, warm and dazzling. "You’re right, Matt, it’s not my fault for not knowing about dark bread! Because I will make it so that no one has to eat dark bread! I need the power to manage the people, I need a fief and subjects! I... the fief of Hamlet County, doesn’t seem to have been sold yet..." Although there probably weren’t many living there anymore.

"Right! Our goal is to find Lyle! Then have Lyle help me select my own subjects! I want to rule over interesting people!" An impassioned Kevin burst from the house, yelling up at the sky.

"Let’s go, Matt, we’re off to find Lyle!"

"But, didn’t we just arrive at Mr. Lyle’s house?"

"There’s nothing much to see here anymore! I’ve thought of a better place!"

"A better place?" Matt put down the sword in his hand and looked at a table full of black bread slices, "Young Master Kevin, shall I dispose of this black bread then?" Matt’s intention was to throw it away.

"Okay, let’s take it with us to eat on the road, I’m actually quite curious about the taste of black bread!"

"Yes..."

Night had fallen deep.

Baron Borey was mingling among the nobles, incessantly complaining about his troublesome wild son. Kevin’s eccentricity had become legendary in noble circles, especially since he became Earl Hamlet and led the Borey Family to greater prominence. Everyone greeted him with smiles, and nobody spoke ill of Kevin. That was a skill in its own right, perhaps.

As for the legendary Earl who was the center of everyone’s attention, he was holding a bowl of hot soup, eating black bread with his loyal guard, among a few dozen "old masters and mistresses."

The rolling of his Adam’s apple, the difficulty of swallowing. Kevin complained about the black bread’s challenging texture.

Matt didn’t complain about his young master’s penchant for seeking trouble, because he had something else on his mind he wanted to complain about even more.

"This is the better place you mentioned? If I ever believe your tall tales again, I’ll punish myself with black bread for every meal for a month."

This place was the Cassandra Cemetery.

The two of them squatted in the middle of the cemetery, where the steam from the hot soup mingled with the graveyard’s chill, bringing a touch of vitality to the cemetery.

Yet Kevin kept eating the soup as if nothing was amiss.

"My brother Lyle is a Necromancer, this is absolutely the most fitting place for him. Keep a close watch, and if you see a grave moving, alert me at once. The steam is affecting my vision."

"Ah... They’re going to move?!"

"Isn’t that obvious? What kind of Necromancer can’t manipulate corpses? To be honest with you, this is all child’s play for Lyle. His real strength lies in controlling something much fiercer."

Fear of death crept into the guard’s heart, but loyalty still upheld his spirit.

Two more hours passed, the white moon in the sky turned blood red, truly marking the midnight hour.

There were no signs, no sounds. The only movement came from the two of them. Just as Matt breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Young Master Kevin’s plan had failed,

Kevin pointed toward the back of the cemetery, to that faint and mysterious path.

"Seems like the outside won’t do, let’s go inside and take a look."

Matt’s legs visibly started to shake.

"Matt, if you can’t handle it, you can go back. This is a cemetery, nothing will happen. You’re not unaware of my abilities."

"Young Master Kevin’s abilities work better when there are people around. And as your guard, how can I... It’s the least I can do to personally escort you to Mr. Lyle."

"Alright then, off we go!"