The Arrogant Count

Allen believed that as a noble, eating when full, sleeping after eating, and eating again after waking up were his innate, sacred, inviolable rights.

But when a frail old man raised a cane and viciously forced you to go to sleep, it was no longer such a wonderful thing.

"Keep reading! Read every book! Read whichever one puts you to sleep fastest!"

Old Butler Leisi's roar rang out from the Old Castle.

Holding a copy of "A General History of the Continent," Allen sat properly in the little garden like a schoolboy, his eyes dull and heavy with sleep.

Old Laixi's already rather wretched face had lost several strands of beard and hair to a magical explosion, making him look like an undernourished Colonel Sanders.

Allen asked helplessly, "Old man, I know that reading makes me sleepy, and once I fall asleep, I meditate unconsciously. But I can't cast magic at all. What use is it even if I accumulate mana?"

"I have no idea which god went blind and blessed an ignorant fool like you." Old Laixi glared at Allen, then continued, "A High Mage can fill their body with mana after meditating continuously for three days. Do you understand?"

"No." Allen rolled his eyes.

"Idiot, you've already meditated for five days. Do you know what it means that five consecutive days of meditation still haven't exceeded your limit?"

"It means I can sleep better than ordinary people?" Allen shrugged and continued, "What the hell use is that? I earned my Magic Apprentice title bare-chested, with my fists."

After saying that, Allen looked thoroughly pleased with himself.

Old Laixi stared at him as if fire were about to burst from his eyes. After a long while, he sighed, pulled a crystal radiating five-colored light from his robes, and handed it over.

The crystal was only half a palm in size. It shone with dazzling brilliance and was shaped like a shuttle.

After Allen took it, he discovered that the crystal had changed to black and deep blue. Only its lower half glowed, while the upper half was transparent.

"What the hell is this thing?"

Old Laixi lightly smacked Allen on the head with his cane and asked incredulously, "You've been loafing around the royal capital for so long, and you don't even recognize a Mana Testing Crystal?"

"What's it for?"

Old Laixi snatched the crystal back and said, "When the crystal approached you just now, it turned black and deep blue. That means the magical elements in your body are fire—the black dragon fire of another world—and orthodox Water Magic. The height of the light indicates how full your mana reserves are."

Allen beamed. "Oh, so I'm a dual-element mage? Fire and water? That sounds pretty terrifying."

Among the famous mages of Saint Cassis Continent, most cultivated two branches of magic. However, the branches cultivated by dual-element mages generally complemented each other. Those who cultivated water might also cultivate ice, while those who practiced spatial magic might understand a little Great Prophecy. Yet no one had ever cultivated both water and fire at the same time—unless that mage was tired of living and looking for creative ways to die.

"Bullshit!" Old Laixi felt as if he had already used up a lifetime's worth of anger in such a short time. He continued disdainfully, "Fire magic should normally be red. You idiot ate the Evil Dragon Egg, and that's flame magic, not fire magic—just a branch of fire magic. And since you were raised on Water Magic cultivation, there are temporarily two types of magical elements in your body. Before long, the fire magic in your body—meaning that otherworldly flame mana—will dissipate. Do you understand now?"

"After all that nonsense, I still can't cast a single spell."

Leisi said lazily, "I only wanted to know how high your Mental Power and mana storage have reached."

"Even if my Mental Power is equal to a Holy Rank's, what good is it if I can't cast spells?"

"No, who said it's useless?"

Allen asked doubtfully, "What use is it?"

"Hehe!" Old Laixi said mysteriously, "It looks scary!"

"Damn it!" Allen rolled his eyes and picked up his book, preparing to continue sleeping—or rather, meditating.

However, before falling asleep, Allen caught sight of the Mana Testing Crystal from the corner of his eye. He saw that the entire crystal was glowing, and the light came in many colors, representing multiple branches.

Perhaps noticing Allen's gaze, the old butler awkwardly patted the Mana Testing Crystal in his robes.

His pig-like life continued until the fifth day. Allen, who had nearly gone insane from being forced to sleep every day, finally saw the Mana Testing Crystal remain fixed at two-thirds full, no longer rising. His pig-like life had finally come to an end.

"What stage does this represent?" Allen asked with a yawn.

"Ma... Magus!" Old Laixi stared blankly at the Mana Testing Crystal like a senile old man.

"What the hell use is that?" Allen muttered before asking lazily, "By the way, what's this crystal's limit?"

"Archmage. Anything above an Archmage can't be measured. Why do you ask?" Old Laixi tucked the Mana Testing Crystal back into his robes.

"Nothing. Just asking." Allen gave Old Laixi a strange look.

Before the crystal had been put away, he had seen it flare with multicolored light again, filling the entire crystal.

"Oh, right. Why do I always dream of a golden dragon whenever I meditate?"

Old Laixi did not answer. Instead, he looked toward the Old Castle's gates and sneered silently.

Following his gaze, Allen realized that at some point, dozens of fully armed knights had gathered outside the gates.

Full-body armor forged from refined steel, Knight Greatswords gleaming with cold light, fully barded warhorses, and a golden battle flag—every detail showed that this was a well-trained cavalry force.

Allen had not even noticed when they had approached the Old Castle.

"Knights of the Holy See?" Allen suddenly remembered that Yorkshire had told him earlier that the higher-ups of the Holy See's Heretic Extermination Legion would be arriving in Outpost County around these days and staying temporarily at the Old Castle.

"Aren't you going to open the gate and welcome them?" Old Laixi sat calmly on a stone bench in the garden and asked with a half-smile, "They're all high-ranking members of the Holy See. Leaving guests outside the gate isn't something a noble should do."

Allen sat beside him with a grin and said nothing. He watched Wood hurry over and speak quietly with the leading knight.

The two seemed to get into some kind of dispute. The leading knight lifted his visor, jumped off his warhorse, and split the chain across the Old Castle gates with a single slash.

Wood's expression changed drastically. Dozens of knights charged into the Old Castle on horseback. Once they reached the garden where Allen was, all the warhorses reared up and came to a stop.

The knight who had split open the gates entered afterward. As though he had stepped into his own backyard, he strolled over leisurely, constantly looking at the giant trees within the Old Castle. Then he sat across from Allen and Leisi, placed his knight's helmet on the stone table, and sneered at Allen.

"My name is Sakre. Deputy Commander of the Holy Knight Order, Chief of Staff of the Papal Crusade Army." Golden-haired Sakre swept his hawk-like gaze over Allen and the old butler. His muscular build and golden full-body armor made him look all the more imposing.

Allen held up three fingers and waved them in front of Sakre.

After hearing Sakre introduce himself, Old Laixi frowned at his face, seemingly lost in thought.

Sakre looked puzzled.

"Three Gold Coins." Allen pointed at the Old Castle gates.

"Heh!" Sakre's eyes were filled with mockery. He flicked nonexistent dust from his armor and sneered, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I'm also a count. Baron Allen, did the Grand Duke not teach you any manners?"

The mounted knights truly deserved their reputations as veteran lackeys. They burst into loud laughter, doing their utmost to play along with Sakre's performance.

Allen looked at this group of third-rate actors and was utterly speechless.

Sakre pointed at his handsome face and continued, "Like you, I also have a Grand Duke father. My father is Gonsales, Grand Duke of the Duchy of Rothel. Have you heard of him?"

"Can you speak more simply? It's not like you're an actor!" Allen shook his head helplessly. By now, he understood why this knight with the title of count bore such strong hostility toward him. Their two countries bordered each other. Though no large-scale wars had occurred, border conflicts never ceased. Furthermore, the two families had been enemies for generations, with many historical grievances that even Allen did not fully understand.

"Pay your respects!" Sakre spoke again. "Do I need to remind you of noble etiquette?"

Before Allen could speak, Old Butler Leisi beside him asked with a smile, "Honorable Count Sakre, was your childhood name Tambour?"

Sakre's expression changed dramatically. He drew his knight's sword and asked warily, "Who are you? How do you know that?"

"I'm merely the old butler of this Old Castle." After Old Laixi said that leisurely, he suddenly raised his cane and swung it down with a furious roar. "I'm also your uncle, you little bastard! You came here to throw your weight around in front of me? Even your father wouldn't dare put on airs like that when he sees me! I'll beat the hell out of you, you idiot!"

Sakre's Martial Skills were quite impressive. Just as he raised his sword to block, Old Laixi's final words left him completely stunned. He stared blankly at Old Laixi and took a solid blow to the head from the cane.

Instinctively rubbing the swelling on his head, Sakre hurriedly held out a hand to stop the knights behind him from making a move. He continued staring wide-eyed at Old Laixi.

Seeing Old Laixi's furious expression, Sakre's gaze shifted from confusion to doubt, then from doubt to overwhelming delight.

Sakre suddenly sprang forward, wrapped an arm around the old butler's frail shoulders, and burst into tears.

Allen looked at Sakre, then at the furious old butler, and completely entered a state of bewilderment.