Village Lawyer

Hobart asked Penny, "Ms. Penny, for the sake of your future with Mr. Barton, I need to be certain: do you intend to get a divorce? Please answer seriously."

Penny thought for several seconds before saying, "I'm very grateful to Mr. Barton, and I also feel deeply guilty toward him. All I can say is that I don't dislike him."

She gave a bitter smile. "Although that family wasn't what I wanted, and Mr. Barton has often lost his temper over the past year, I can feel his respect for me. Who would want to end a marriage like that?"

"I understand," Hobart said. "Ma'am, forgive my bluntness, but your initial concealment doomed this marriage to bear today's bitter fruit. Also, I think Mr. Barton should know the truth.

"And please end this marriage that has brought misfortune to both of you. There's no point in continuing it."

"I know." Penny looked worriedly at her child. "But, but..."

But she had been born into an ordinary farming family and had no ability to protect this child at all. She was afraid that once Baron learned the truth, the situation would spiral completely beyond her control.

Hobart reassured her, "Trust me, ma'am. We're all adults. No one will harm a child, and Mr. Barton won't either."

He said, "Although Mr. Barton needs to know the truth, it must be handled properly. You can't carry the child up to Mr. Barton yourself. The best approach is for me to tell Mr. Barton the truth."

Although this was Penny's first time meeting the young Lawyer before her, they should theoretically have lacked trust. Yet after hearing his words, Penny found them very persuasive. It was indeed the best solution at present; if Penny really had to carry the child to tell Mr. Barton the truth, she could easily anger him.

"You're right," Penny said. "But you must protect Benny's safety."

Hobart said solemnly, "I promise you, this is a matter between two adults. The child will not be involved."

He said, "I think the sooner this is handled, the better. The Law Firm's carriage is at the village entrance. How about we take Benny and leave immediately?"

Penny hesitated briefly, but her gaze quickly became resolute again. "All right."

"Wait!" Penny's father suddenly said to her with a mournful expression. "Child, what if Mr. Barton gets angry? What if he..."

"Father," Penny said with a smile, "perhaps this is my fate. Since I can't change it, I might as well face it head-on."

The old man shook his head. "No, no. I can't let little Penny get hurt. I-I'm going too." After saying that, he found an axe and tucked it into his belt.

Just as Penny was about to dissuade him, Hobart smiled. "Fine, but hold that axe carefully. Don't scratch the carriage seats."

Penny said worriedly, "Mr. Lawyer..."

Hobart smiled. "You should understand a father's worries, just as you worry about Benny."

In truth, he had suddenly thought of his father from the Common Era. If he got himself into trouble he couldn't resolve, his father would probably act much like this old man.

Once they set off again, the carriage became somewhat cramped. After all, it was only a two-wheeled carriage, yet it now held three adults and one child.

It seemed to be Benny's first time riding in such a carriage. Sitting on Penny's lap, he curiously asked questions about everything.

When he learned that Hobart was a Lawyer, Benny widened his eyes and asked, "Are you like Aputon, who's really good at arguing?"

"No!" Penny said. "This uncle is a real Lawyer!"

She smiled and explained to Hobart, "Aputon is a young man in the village. He always likes debating with anyone he meets, but strangely enough, he's extremely eloquent and has never lost an argument or a quarrel.

"Someone jokingly said it was a pity he didn't become a Lawyer, and gradually, 'Lawyer' became his nickname.

"But he doesn't seem to like that nickname. Once, I saw someone call him 'Lawyer,' and he got so angry his face turned white!"

The more Hobart heard, the more something felt wrong. "Has this young man named Aputon always been such a skilled speaker since childhood?"

Aputon's behavior was very much like that of a "Lawyer." After drinking the Lawyer Potion, Hobart too would unconsciously start arguing with others.

After Xue's inadvertent reminder made him notice this, he had tried to avoid arguing with others as much as possible, lest he expose his Extraordinary Ability and Extraordinary Pathway.

Perhaps Aputon didn't dislike the nickname "Lawyer" at all. Perhaps it was the name of the Potion he had consumed. And perhaps his face hadn't turned pale from anger, but from fright after a group of ordinary villagers had exposed his secret.

"I don't know," Penny said. "Aputon and his mother moved here five years ago. They seemed quite wealthy and bought a lot of land.

"Look, that house is their home!"

Hobart saw a two-story house with a distinctly rustic charm. In the countryside, it was unquestionably a mansion.

He guessed that Aputon was very likely an unaffiliated Lawyer, so he began talking with Penny about Aputon's family. He learned that Aputon's father had died ten years ago, while Aputon's mother had always been in poor health and had also passed away last year.

Now, only Aputon and a Male Servant lived in that large courtyard.

After learning this information, Hobart was already considering finding time to investigate.

He had no intention of harming Aputon. He was simply very curious where Aputon's Potion had come from.

After traveling for over half an hour, the carriage arrived at the entrance to Mr. Barton's farm.

Once again in the stable, Hobart saw Mr. Barton bathing a large white horse.

(From this chapter onward, the plot through Chapter 50 underwent a thorough revision. Some scenes were removed, so this chapter is shorter than the others.) Request for monthly votes, please vote with recommendations~