Castle and Duke

Last time, he had come in a hurry, and in order to keep up the pretense, Lu Xing had not examined the details inside and outside the castle. This time, with Anne having the Goddess vouch for her, he could finally admire without restraint what a noble castle in this magical otherworld was really like.

Catherine followed behind him, calmly observing how he looked around at everything with curiosity.

"What is this?"

Lu Xing pointed at the sculptures above Anne's bedroom door. They stood on either side, guarding the double doors to Anne's bedroom.

Even the bedroom doors were double doors. It was clear how luxurious the castle was.

"Angels under the Goddess." Catherine explained flatly, "The one on the left is Raiphael Angel, who holds authority over the Goddess's light. The one on the right is Telophis Angel, who holds authority over the Goddess's purification."

Neither angel's name resembled Western names from Earth, nor did they come from Western legends.

What puzzled Lu Xing was something else. "The Goddess does not personally hold authority over those domains?"

"The gods must not be questioned!" Catherine warned him.

Yet she found it increasingly strange. Where exactly had the soul of the filthy, crude man before her come from?

It would have been one thing if he did not know noble etiquette, but he did not even know how magic was used, or common knowledge such as the famous angels under the Holy Light Goddess.

Thinking of this, Catherine looked into Anne's eyes and said, "Five days ago, Miss Anne went to the church to pray to the Goddess and received the Goddess's attention. Only then were these two angel statues permitted to be placed above Anne's bedroom door."

Lu Xing raised his head and looked at the two angels again, guessing that they had been sent by the Holy Light Goddess to monitor her.

But he seriously doubted whether the Holy Light Goddess could detect him with his system.

"Oh."

Lu Xing replied blandly.

Anne was a devout believer. She had already told the Goddess everything, so there was no point in Lu Xing continuing to hide it. He would take things one step at a time and see what the Holy Light Goddess wanted.

As they continued forward, Lu Xing saw even more extravagance within the castle.

The ceilings stood five meters high, the walls were carved with intricate patterns, exquisite carpets covered every floor, and sculptures in all kinds of poses, vividly colored paintings with excellent composition, and all manner of magical decorations could be found everywhere.

Through the stained-glass windows, Lu Xing could see gardens surrounding the castle. There were also two slightly shorter castles nearby. According to Catherine, those were where the maids, servants, and castle guards lived—the castle guards were stationed in barracks around the castle walls.

In addition, there was a hundred-meter-tall Magic Tower near the castle. Light seemed to flow faintly around its spire, making it exceptionally conspicuous. After asking about it, Lu Xing learned that it was the Swinton Family's Magic Tower, currently inhabited by the Half-Elf Philys Esselen.

"Rowens Che City is the northern gateway of the Empire."

Catherine said calmly, "The Swinton Family has more than three hundred mages and over ten thousand knights. For a thousand years, they have guarded the Empire's north, blocking the orcs from the Barbaric Snowfield."

Lu Xing nodded slightly.

He did not look down on an army of ten thousand knights simply because wars in China often involved hundreds of thousands of troops.

Western knights were the lowest rank of nobility. They often possessed one or several villages as fiefs, and every knight who went into battle would bring a group of attendants.

Moreover, those ten thousand belonged only to the Swinton Family. Other families would have knights as well, and together, the entire northern territory possessed far more soldiers.

"Mages seem a little scarce."

Lu Xing smiled.

Catherine did not answer, because she had already realized that the man before her—though he occupied Anne's body—knew almost nothing about this continent. He simply had no idea how much it cost to train a qualified mage.

Lu Xing had roughly figured it out as well. Although this world appeared to be in the Middle Ages, its productivity was still far higher than that of the West on Earth during the same era because of its supernatural powers.

The most obvious contrast was that medieval Western castles reeked of foul odors, whereas the Swinton Family Castle in the Magic World was luxurious, exquisite, and fragrant.

The higher the productivity, the more refined the lives of nobles became.

Following a maid's guidance, Lu Xing went downstairs to the dining hall.

As he descended the stairs, he placed his hand on Catherine's and allowed her to guide him down. It was elegant, but terribly troublesome.

Then—

"Wow!"

A middle-aged man's delighted voice rang out, accompanied by applause. "My dear Anne, how did you become such an elegant Noble Lady today? I almost didn't recognize you!"

Lu Xing looked at Catherine. The head maid calmly withdrew her hand and whispered, "That is your father, Duke Swinton."

The Duchess beside him also said with a smile, "It is rare to see Anne descend the stairs with such elegant manners. Is it because of today's Ancient Elven Language lesson? It seems I was right to invite Mr. Noi to teach you."

Lu Xing knew it. With Anne's personality, how could she possibly follow a Noble Lady's etiquette so strictly?

She probably would have rushed down the stairs, happily thrown herself into the Duchess's arms, and acted cute. Why would she let the head maid hold her little hand and lead her down step by step?

The maid had set him up again!!

After glaring at the cold-faced, long-legged maid in black stockings, Lu Xing walked toward Duke Swinton and the Duchess. Only after reaching them did he bow. Wearing Miss Anne's appearance and using Anne's voice, he said, "My respects to you both, sir and madam!"

Behind him, Catherine's pupils contracted.

"...Huh?"

The richly dressed Duchess froze, while Duke Swinton was equally startled. "Anne, what is wrong with you today? Why are you using a man's etiquette..."

Suppressing the discomfort coursing through his entire body, Lu Xing smiled. "The Goddess's radiance shines upon the northern territory. As for your questions, I do not wish to answer them now. Anne will tell you in a few days."

"Madam."

Catherine stepped forward, bowed, and told them, "She is not Anne! She is a ghost of mysterious origin!"

"No, I am Anne."

Lu Xing emphasized, then said helplessly, "But I do not want to explain it. Let Anne explain in a few days, all right?"

Anne! Anne! Still Anne!

Without her coming to rescue him, there was no way Lu Xing could keep fooling them.

It was best to dump all the troublesome explanations on her. With Anne's cuteness, she only needed to act spoiled a little. Lu Xing would not need to rack his brains for excuses.

Duke Swinton looked at him for a long while before finally saying helplessly, "It seems my Anne has encountered a thorny problem. Can you tell me whether Anne is all right now?"

"Anne is doing very well. She is having a lot of fun."

Lu Xing revealed.

With Anne's personality, she was probably going wild at his school right now, chatting with the university girls and becoming besties with them. Oh, she had probably even learned how to use the phone and was chatting with Xiao Yu.

"That is good." The worry on Duke Swinton's face eased somewhat. "I trust Anne, and I trust that the Goddess will protect Anne."

"Goddess bless us!"

The Duchess made a prayer gesture, then invited Lu Xing, "I do not know where you came from, but you are Anne now. Please take a seat. I would like to hear the story between you and Anne."

"Madam, I am afraid you will have to ask me tonight, or in a few days. Because I am Anne."

Lu Xing still remembered what Anne had said in her letter.

Though he suspected that no matter how Anne explained it, she would not be able to conceal the truth.

Duke Swinton and the Duchess exchanged a glance. Both of them had guessed that this strange person kept emphasizing that he was Anne because he meant that he was their daughter.

After finishing the meal, Lu Xing excused himself for a walk in the garden. Catherine remained behind to explain to the Duke and Duchess what had happened that morning.