The Choice of Road

Castle hall.

Candlelight flickered gently, illuminating the intricate patterns of the tapestries hanging on the walls.

Silverware and empty wine glasses remained on the long table, and maids were quietly clearing away the remnants of the feast.

Xian leaned back languidly in the soft chair at the head of the table, while Karen sat upright and properly in the seat to his left.

The banquet was over. After he suggested speaking with Viscount Hughes alone, Ilith and Danielle performed elegant curtsies and quickly departed, leaving the two men space.

"Your Highness, what is the reason for keeping me here alone? Do you perhaps find the castle's environment unsatisfactory and wish to leave?"

Although Karen still wore a gentle smile on his face, he was actually nervous inside, and his fingers on the armrest were trembling slightly.

He had escaped death many times on battlefields filled with flying flesh and blood, and he thought that he would never experience any major psychological fluctuations in this life, but after meeting this Your Highness, he was as nervous as he was in his youthful days.

After all, Your Highness's status is too noble! This is the weight of the future master of 1.4 billion humans, almost equivalent to the weight of a continent!

"Viscount, I have a request. Would you be willing to help me?" Xian poured another glass of bright red wine and handed it to Karen.

"Your Highness, please speak. I, Karen Hughes, swear in the name of the Black Wolf Territory, that I will do my best to fulfill it!"

Hearing this, Karen immediately stood up from his seat with a solemn expression.

Being able to help Your Highness Mingyu is his honor and his opportunity.

He doesn't fear that Your Highness wants everything, but that Your Highness wants nothing.

As long as Your Highness doesn't want his wife Danielle to sleep with him, he will complete anything else even if it costs him his life.

Well... if Your Highness is willing to be the godfather of his son little Hayden, then Danielle would probably be happy to spend a few nights with him, and he can also relax his waist for a while. "My servant Berg wants to advance to become a Hunter. Do you know what advancement conditions are required to advance from Hunter to Hunter?" Xian said.

That's it?

Karen's face relaxed, and then he said seriously: "Your Highness, if a Hunter wants to advance to become a Hunter, they need to choose one of the magic potions made from the organs of several magical beasts to take, such as the 'Eagle Eye' potion, the 'Cat Tail' potion, etc."

"Viscount, can you help me find a bottle of 'Eagle Eye' potion?"

After thinking for a moment, Xian spoke again.

Berg is best at archery, and the "Eagle Eye" potion should be more suitable for him.

"Your Highness, this may be a bit troublesome for other nobles, but it is easy for me."

"The Bishop of the Storm Church, in the southern branch of the kingdom, was a comrade who participated in the Dragon-Lion War with me, a comrade who shared life and death. With our friendship, he will surely accept a magic potion."

The corners of Karen's mouth turned up slightly, and his rugged face was full of confidence.

Heh, if he doesn't give it, he will shout loudly in the Church about the ugly things that guy did back when the army was besieged during the war and lacked food and clothing, when he didn't hesitate to call him daddy in order to eat a piece of Black Bread in his hand.

"But..." Karen changed the subject.

Just when Xian thought he was going to make some request, he hesitated and said, "Your Highness, I don't really recommend your servant to take the path of the Hunter. Although the individual strength of the Hunter is stronger and the advancement is faster, the stronger the Hunter, the more risk there is of losing control of reason. It can be used as a weapon of war, but even the Storm Church has now greatly reduced the cultivation of Hunters."

"You'd better think about it carefully. If you really decide, tell me, and I will immediately ride the Black Abyss Wolf to set off to ask for the magic potion for you."

Karen said solemnly.

When Xian left the hall and returned to his room, he found that Berg was already waiting at the door.

"My lord, I have a matter I wish for you to decide for me."

Berg, his skin slightly reddened from the sun, knelt on one knee before him, bowing his head deeply.

"Speak."

"I learned from Sauron Knight about the subsequent advancements and advancement conditions for Hunters. I hope, my lord, that you can decide for me, should I walk the path of the Hunter or the path of the Knight?" Berg said in a low voice.

"Hmm." Xian rested his chin in his hand, lost in thought.

Hunter or Knight? Hunters are prone to losing control, and in the future advancement process, they will replace their organs with those of magical beasts, becoming neither human nor beast. Knights, on the other hand, prioritize loyalty and responsibility, undoubtedly making it the best profession for a servant to their lord.

From his perspective, advising Berg to choose the path of the Knight would be the correct choice.

But, "Raise your head," Xian said in a deep voice.

The boy slowly raised his head, revealing a face that, though still young, was already weathered.

There were still many bruises on his face, all inflicted by Robert before he left the village.

"Berg, how old are you?"

"Sixteen years old," Berg replied without hesitation.

Sixteen years old... On Earth, that's just a student entering high school, but here he's already ambushing merchants with him on the road.

He also heard from Robert that most of the prey Berg hunted was sold for money to support the village, which is why Fruit Basket Village hasn't had to worry about food and taxes for several years.

Thinking of this, Xian's eyes gradually became serious.

"In my hometown, there is a saying that no matter what you choose, you will regret it, so you might as well choose what you want to do now."

"So, Berg, ask your own heart, which path do you want to choose more?"

Xian approached Berg and gently patted his increasingly sturdy shoulder.

He decided to return the right of choice to Berg, because Berg was not only his servant but also his savior.

Berg saved him, and he also saved Fruit Basket Village once. Although in status, the two were lord and servant, in his heart, he always felt that they were equal.

"Which path do I want to choose?"

Hearing this, Berg's expression was somewhat dazed, and a stream of distant memories began to appear in his mind.

"Berg, you will definitely become a great Hunter when you grow up!"

That was his father's excited shout after seeing him shoot an arrow for the first time.

"Hunting is the most wonderful thing in the world. You gamble everything with another life in a fight. Even death is happiness."

His father sat by the river, shaking his fishing rod, and suddenly pulled out a large fish, splashing water all over his face.

"Why can't I advance?"

Awakened in the middle of the night, he secretly watched his father smoking a pipe, looking at the wall full of prey and sighing.

"Berg, don't cry, I am happy..."

In the process of fleeing, the man who fed him all the food, and who had inadvertently had his chest collapsed by a wild boar during hunting, said weakly.

The memories came to an abrupt halt.

The final image was fixed on the scene of himself in the past, standing in front of Your Highness, being sent flying by Sauron Knight's sword.

The boy also made a silent decision in his heart.

"My lord, I choose..."