Father and Son

A battle, not so heavily armed, is about to erupt. →

As the Earl's personal bodyguards, these twenty Knight were all seasoned veterans.

Among them are fourteen Intermediate Squire, five Advanced Squire, and even one Intermediate Magic Apprentice.

Three Advanced Squire approached Saine in a triangular formation.

Instead of drawing their swords or other weapons, they pulled a rope that gleamed with a metallic sheen from their saddles.

This is Hundred Refinements Steel Cable, crafted at great expense by the Earl's mansion. Although it is not a magical item, it is remarkable for its hardness and toughness.

Several ropes stacked together can bind even the strongest Intermediate Magical Beast tightly.

The count had no intention of resorting to violence, but it was clear that his son, like him, was a stubborn individual.

Perhaps we need to keep Saine confined in the Earl's Castle for a while before this resentful little fellow can accept the place again.

The Earl was also very curious about where Saine had been all these years, including the suspicious circumstances surrounding the accident nineteen years ago.

Although the count has not found anything definitively in recent years, there are some clues and inconsistencies that seem to point to several other nobles within the Lisia Alliance and certain foreign forces.

The Grant Family also has its enemies.

Even though they are all in the Wizard World, or even in the Lisia Alliance, there are always some conflicts and disputes over interests.

Especially for a large family like the Grant Family, which has a history spanning over a thousand years, historical grievances will inevitably create some open or covert enemies. →

With the upper echelons of their families acting as a deterrent, and the relevant Knights' Hall organizations acting as coordinators, these noble families rarely completely break off relations.

However, some behind-the-scenes "minor squabbles" or conspiracies often occur.

It's nothing more than letting a bunch of bandits in to attack Grant Territory's holiday estate outside the city.

After all, it was just a six-year-old child who was kidnapped; many noble families have dozens of heirs.

It wasn't Earl Grant himself who died. As long as the mess is handled cleanly, you won't even know who did it; you can only suspect them.

But suspicion does not lead to conviction.

Although the Earl Grant has consciously retaliated against several rival families over the years.

For example, several sons of high-ranking nobles in the Lichia Alliance died mysteriously on the border battlefield.

They died at the hands of soldiers from the Sifa Kingdom and the Ok Empire.

As for why they ended up there on a mission, and were surrounded by the enemy kingdom's legions, and why the other legions of the Lichia Alliance were a bit slow to arrive, Saine's side's another story.

I don't know.

It might be a problem with the military's deployment, since the Lisia Alliance doesn't have a king and therefore lacks a unified command structure.

The infighting among the nobles was very serious. Sometimes, the nobles in power would only have a slight argument, and the opportunity to fight would be lost in the blink of an eye.

This is one of the reasons why, despite having a larger territory and population than the Sifa Kingdom, the Lichia Alliance is the weakest of the three human kingdoms.

With three Advanced Squire making a move, Earl Grant thought it would be enough to take down Saine.

He was even already thinking about how to communicate with his son and how to persuade him to stay.

As for the earldom, it's not impossible to pass it on to Saine in twenty or thirty years.

The Grant Family is powerful, and as long as Saine's bloodline is pure, even if he were an ordinary person, he could inherit the family business.

All he needs to do is successfully produce offspring for the family.

The decades of life of an ordinary nobleman may seem long, but in reality, they are nothing to those above the first level.

Even Level 1 organisms can have a lifespan of nearly a thousand years, not to mention those above Level 1.

Perhaps for those higher-level beings, it would only take the blink of an eye for their lower-level Bloodline to be born one generation after another.

This is the alternation and cycle of life.

Those of extremely low social standing cannot see the true nature and reality of this world.

In just a few decades, they thought they had seen the whole world.

However, for the vast number of planes in the true Star Realm, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Only those who reach Level 1 or above can truly "open their eyes to see the world".

While Earl Grant was still lost in thought, the battle in front of him was almost over.

The unexpected use of the Strong Acid Scepter allowed Saine to cripple one of his closest Advanced Squire right from the start.

The other two Advanced Squire also realized that Saine was no ordinary person, but by the time they regained their composure, Saine's Flame Blade was almost ready.

This is an unfair battle.

The three Advanced Squire neither drew their weapons nor anticipated that Saine would do this.

Tricky.

Faced with Saine's sudden outburst and swift, decisive attack, the three of them were actually repelled by Saine alone.

Saine did not harm the three Advanced Squire because he could tell that they did not seem to have much ill will towards him.

Even the Advanced Squire who was hit by the Strong Acid Scepter only had his metal armor on his thigh melted and was injured, falling off his warhorse.

If treated promptly, it will not be life-threatening.

The scorching Mars generated by the collision of the Flame Blade and the metal armor finally brought Earl Grant back to his senses.

Before the count could say anything, the three Advanced Squire who had just been repelled by Saine pressed forward again.

This time, they took out their weapons, and faint Battle Qi emanated from them.

Neither their legs were corroded by strong acid nor their breastplates were shattered by the Flame Blade, the three Advanced Squire didn't utter a single groan.

As expected of the Earl's personal guard, and a battle-hardened soldier.

These three Advanced Squire would not be weak even if they were taken to the Black Wizard Academy in City of Mozhsuobula.

The approach of the three Advanced Squire made Saine's gaze sharpen.

He was reflecting on whether he shouldn't have held back. If the Strong Acid Scepter had been suddenly aimed at the Advanced Squire's head, it could have been an instant kill, as the servant was completely unprepared.

Including the other two Advanced Squire who initially paid little attention to Saine, their injuries would definitely be much more serious than they are now.

Just as Saine was reflecting on whether he had become too soft-hearted, Earl Grant spoke up.

"Advanced Magic Apprentice?"

"Hehehe, not bad! I didn't expect you to have reached this level. Or did you inherit the superior bloodline from your Mother's family?"

"Step aside, my son, I will personally examine him!" Earl Grant said to the three Advanced Squire with a flick of his whip.

Three Advanced Squire in armor stepped down one by one and quickly took out medicine from the saddle of their mount to treat the injuries.

Having experienced many years of war, they were already very familiar with this procedure for treating injuries.

Earl Grant, however, rode a tall horse. He did not dismount to fight, nor did he draw his sword or any other weapon.

His weapon was a riding whip, from which a faint purple Lightflame emanated.