Don't Look-No Matter How Much You Look, It's Real

At the entrance to Fruit Basket Village.

"To have such a beautiful maidservant, His Highness must be a man with a profound appreciation for aesthetics."

Karen remarked, then urged the Black Abyss Wolf forward, preparing to enter the village.

Though he had yet to meet that prince, he already believed it to some extent.

After all, a maidservant's appearance could, in certain ways, reflect a noble's standing.

Perhaps the beautiful maidservant before him had come with that prince all the way from the East Continent.

"Please wait."

Just as Karen was about to enter the village, Anlìyà stopped him.

Her slender, snow-white arm fearlessly blocked the Black Abyss Wolf's intimidating jaws. She did not seem to consider that the massive beast could tear her apart the moment it lost its temper.

"His Highness only permits you to enter alone. Please dismount, Viscount. Get off the wolf," Anlìyà stated calmly.

Karen's brow furrowed tightly at those words.

It would have been fine if Sauron Knight and the guards were forbidden from entering. If a battle truly broke out, they would only become a burden to him.

But Black Tail was different. A knight's combat strength would be greatly diminished without a mount.

Furthermore, Black Tail was itself a formidable magical beast.

"My mount has a good temper. It will not disturb His Highness," Karen said in a deep voice, with a faint chill beneath his words.

He patted the Wolf Head beneath him, and the Black Abyss Wolf intelligently began wagging its pitch-black tail to show how docile it was.

"My apologies, but this is His Highness's order. If you insist on refusing, please leave."

Ignoring the coldness in the lord's voice, Anlìyà spoke in a clear, springlike voice, enunciating every word.

At the same time, she raised her arm and gestured for him to leave.

Karen fell silent.

His dark green eyes fixed tightly on the young woman, trying to exert mental pressure on her.

The Black Abyss Wolf beneath him also transformed from a "dog" back into a wolf in an instant, glaring fiercely at Anlìyà and baring its sharp fangs slightly.

Yet faced with this oppressive sight, enough to terrify an ordinary person into fleeing in panic, the young woman's resolve did not waver in the slightest. She maintained her earlier gesture for him to leave.

Ten seconds, twenty seconds, then a minute passed before Karen conceded.

He let out a soft sigh and leaped down from the Black Abyss Wolf's back.

He had originally intended to use the Black Abyss Wolf as a means of testing the other party's identity.

After all, if the other party truly was a prince from the super kingdom that had unified the entire East Continent, then even if he was not skilled in combat, he would surely be accustomed to magical beasts of the Black Abyss Wolf's caliber.

He therefore would never reveal surprise upon seeing the Black Abyss Wolf. If he did, it would prove his identity false. But now, that test was unnecessary. Even one of the man's maidservants had paid no heed to the Black Abyss Wolf, so why should Karen make a fool of himself?

"Viscount Hughes, simply proceed straight ahead. His Highness is waiting for you beneath the oak tree in the center of the village."

Only after seeing Karen give up on riding the Black Abyss Wolf into the village did Anlìyà lower the arm she had used to block his way.

"You are an excellent maidservant."

As he passed Anlìyà, Karen spoke indifferently.

"My master taught me well," the young woman replied calmly.

Sunlight slanted across the ground, and an ancient Old Oak Tree, thick enough to require several people to encircle it, stood majestically there.

Its sturdy trunk and lush canopy resembled a giant umbrella, sheltering the ground from the blazing sun.

Beneath its shade stood a stone table and two wooden chairs.

A young man of around twenty was already seated in one of those chairs.

That was the sight Karen saw after entering the village and walking a short distance.

Of course, he did not spare any attention for that scenery. His entire focus was fixed on the long string of white words above the young man's head.

"Heir to a kingdom of 1,400,000,000 citizens!"

Karen read it aloud without thinking, then froze completely.

Though he had heard Servant Knight Sauron tell him about it, hearing something and seeing it with his own eyes were entirely different matters.

What was more, that absurd Status Blessing was actually exactly as described! No, no, it could still be some kind of illusion. Calm down. I need to calm down.

Karen clenched his hands into fists, and the pain of his nails digging deeply into his flesh quickly jolted him awake from his astonishment.

Then he gathered his magic power in his eyes. His dark green pupils glimmered faintly as he attempted to see through this exquisite illusion.

One second, two seconds, five seconds passed, yet the words before him did not change at all.

That meant either the heaven-bestowed Status Blessing was real, or the other party's illusion—or some other magic—had reached a level that even a Star Rank powerhouse could not see through.

Either way, it meant the other party deserved his utmost caution.

With that thought, Karen immediately withdrew his magic power. The indifferent expression on his rugged face was swiftly replaced by a brilliant smile that was even slightly fawning.

Ah, ever since becoming a lord, it seemed he had not shown such an expression again. After all, there had been no need to put on an act.

Worried that his smile might look too fake and be seen through by that prince, Karen nervously walked toward the young man.

Meanwhile.

"Is he Viscount Hughes, the lord of Black Wolf Territory?"

Xian sat in his chair, gazing at the mature-looking man in his early thirties from afar.

After taking the College Student class, his physique had improved across the board—strength, speed, and endurance. Even his eyesight had improved, allowing him to clearly see the newcomer.

So tall and huge!

That was his first impression.

Xian was 1.83 meters tall barefoot, which counted as tall even on Blue Star.

But the man in the black formal suit, whose muscles could not be hidden by his clothes, was at least 1.93 meters tall. Combined with shoulders as broad as double doors, he gave this Blue Star native quite a shock at first glance.

Xian had no doubt about the viscount's combat ability. Judging from his appearance alone, even three Sauron Knights might not be his match.

Aside from his appearance, another thing that caught Xian's attention was the line of emerald-green text above the man's head—"Noble."

Short and to the point.

There was no doubt that this would be his first contact with this world's ruling class.

To be honest, Xian was somewhat nervous. His forehead had even begun to bead with sweat from his nerves and the hot weather.

But he relaxed a moment later.

Because he saw the lofty viscount standing there blankly, staring wide-eyed at him—or rather, at the words above his head.

The man's eyes had become dry and glinted in the light, yet he was still unwilling to look away.

Hey, stop staring. No matter how much you look, it's real.

Though aside from the words over my head, everything about me is fake.

Xian lifted the wooden cup filled with bright red fruit wine from the table, took a sip, and thought to himself.

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