19 Zion, Shane, Tesia

Zion was disgusted by the second young master of Atkin House's arrogance toward the soldier; he shook his head and left because he didn't want to be involved in the house's internal dispute.

He knows that if the second young master continues down the path of arrogance, the contentious argument with the knight's captain Tark won't be the first and last, and he will definitely do something to quench his righteous indignation, which is retaliation.

"I already have enough on my plate with my own family; the last thing I want is to expose myself to the second young master and be targeted by that inflated fool." Zion shook his head and turned around, not wanting to be a part of someone else's problem.

But, unbeknownst to Zion, it was already too late, as the second young master had already planned something before they arrived at the camp position.

"Young Master Shane, should we kill the knight's captain and his second-in-command?"

Shane came to a halt and looked around at his trusted knights before smiling arrogantly.

"No, the Knights' Captain is still on alert; wait for the plan before attempting."

"But, young master, can those monsters be trusted? You spent far too much money just to get rid of this damn pest of count Knight."

"Hahaha, as long as we can cripple my older brother's power, I'm willing to make the sacrifice; this would also give us a chance to kill him."

I can't even persuade my father to make me the head of the house, so he can't blame me for being ruthless." Shane burst out laughing as he imagined his brother's knights being slaughtered by the monster and in his hands.

"We will serve to be your protector, my lord, as long as we can swallow the House Atkin, all the connections and their secrets will be ours." Shane's trusted knight also swore his alliance to the second young master, as he had been ordered by the marquis to protect and support Shane.

Shane could feel the adrenaline rush as he imagined the knights and warriors in the camp dying in his brilliant plan as he smiled cheek to cheek, making everyone who saw him forget the handsome face he had before and replace it with a psychotic, horrifying smile.

They walk towards their own camp, much further away from the soldiers and knights of the House Atkin camp, as they don't want to be spied on or involved in the wave of monsters that will rush through the wooden walls.

The trusted knight instructed the fifty soldiers guarding their own camp to remain on the lookout for intruders.

Shane brought 50 soldiers and ten knights to ensure the plan worked and that the monster did not betray him.

"Damn, that was the second young master of House Atkin, what a douche," Baku said beside Gord, who nodded as they passed by the camp of the douche second master of House Atkin.

"Baku, shut your mouth; you'll get your head cut off if you talk like that or snoop around in other people's affairs."

A woman's slender and feminine voice, exuding cold air, approached the two middle-aged men, Gord and Baku.

The two looked at the beautiful woman standing in front of them, both of them giggling and smiling at her.

"I knew you'd finished your mission, and seeing you here means you were hired after you finished it, right?"

Gord walks up to the woman and pats his shoulder. "Oh, and the battle junkie is here as well, he's already recovered haha"

"Well, don't tease our cold tavern princess like that, haha."

"Hmm, that fool always makes fun of himself, he can't see the big difference between big brother and him," snorted the cold woman as she remembered Kain.

"Well, speaking of the devil, there he is, with Gord's idol, hahaha."

Baku directed his finger in the direction of Zion and Kain.

As the cold woman looked in Kain's direction, she was startled to see the young man beside him, horrified, as she felt the fluctuation of energy that only a mage can see and feel.

Gord noticed this and patted his shoulder; as a low-level, he couldn't see or feel Zion's energy or mana, so he assumed Zion was a low-level warrior, even lower than him.

" Uncle Gord, Baku, that young man is much stronger than me or my brother," Tesia remarked.

" What?" Baku and Gord were taken aback by the woman's words.

"Tesia, are you sure? He's just a young man under the age of twenty."

Tesia shook her head, certain of what he had seen in the young man because, as a mage, her senses and eyes couldn't be deceived.

"Fuck, so I've been joking with a higher-level person all this time,

thank the gods he didn't take it to heart and kill me." Baku's heart throbbed strongly as he always made fun of Zion during their journey to the camp, heck, he even pushed Zion to the lake in order for him to wake up. He began sweating bullets as he remembered that.

"No kidding, a wolf in sheep's clothing, huh. If the noble houses learn this, they'll try to win a genius to their side." Gord only sighs as he looks at Zion, now he understands why Zion behaved that way all this time—he wasn't sleeping but meditating, but in an awkward way if they asked him.

(No, he was sleeping the entire time.)

"Looking at Kain's interaction, we can say he has no malice." Tesia breathed a sigh of relief because she knew Kain was kind of annoying to talk to or be with, but that's what drew her to him. But the fool only knows two things to fight and eat, which is also why his brother, the tavern's top warrior, laughed at him privately rather than comforting her as a little sister.

(He did, however, have a childhood sweetheart haha)

As Zion and Kain talked and laughed, he sensed the gaze, and when he looked at it, he was stunned by how beautiful the woman is, as well as her strength.

This is the first time he has appraised a person rather than an item or a monster, as he noticed the woman was a first-star mid-level mage.