Fireside Talk

As they settled into the conversation, the mood gradually relaxed.

Cain shared a few stories from their days in the Knights, while Harold and Renn occasionally chimed in with details. Even the shy Ailian couldn't help chattering away, and quiet laughter rose from around the campfire.

As they talked, Cain looked at Ye Wei'an's calm profile, illuminated by the firelight, and felt a pang of emotion.

Thinking back to the rumors he'd heard before setting out, and to the way Ye Wei'an had commanded the battle with such poise and unleashed such fierce spells that day... the words slipped out before Cain could stop them. "To be honest, young master, you're very different from what your subordinates heard before... from the rumors."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere around the campfire visibly stiffened.

Harold and Renn lowered their heads and stared intently, as if they'd suddenly become extremely interested in their hardtack.

Both men's hearts sank at the same time. What was wrong with their boss? Why was he doing this again? Bringing up the reputation of an infamous bastard in front of him—wasn't that just asking for trouble? What if they angered young master Ye Wei'an and had nowhere to sleep tonight?

Harold and Renn had underestimated Ye Wei'an's magnanimity.

That bad reputation belonged to the original owner. What did it have to do with him, a transmigrator?

Ye Wei'an didn't feel any ill will toward Cain, despite the knight's lack of tact.

If anything, it was precisely because Cain was this kind of person that Ye Wei'an had managed to talk him into joining an operation where "the mastermind was quite possibly our own lady of the house."

"So you mean I don't seem like the useless bastard who spent four years at the academy without improving, good at neither letters nor arms, right?" Ye Wei'an picked up where he'd left off.

Only then did Cain realize he'd said something he shouldn't have.

"Uh... well..."

The usually decisive knight was terribly awkward now. He wanted to explain, but didn't know where to start. In the end, he could only nod stiffly. "Sorry, young master. I spoke out of turn, but I meant no offense. Please forgive me."

"It's nothing. Anyone would be curious to discover that what they'd heard didn't match what they'd seen with their own eyes." Ye Wei'an understood.

"Thank... you for forgiving me, young master." Cain breathed a sigh of relief.

"Besides, I can answer your question," Ye Wei'an continued, his tone as flat as if he were talking about someone else. "I am a bastard, after all. In noble circles, I'm already beneath everyone else. Those self-important types were hardly going to say anything nice about me. 'Mediocre,' 'cowardly,' 'good for nothing'... I can guess them all."

With that, he smiled freely. "My noble younger brother Lucas, back at Firefall Fortress, is the rightful heir. Someone like me is supposed to be a 'good-for-nothing' who poses no threat. That's better for everyone, isn't it?"

After he finished speaking, the campfire fell silent for a moment.

Harold and Renn exchanged a glance. They could both see the indignation in the other's eyes.

Unlike a knight like Cain, the rank-and-file soldiers loved hearing the nobles' dirty secrets and gossip, making it their favorite after-dinner conversation... Which knight was sleeping with which lady, which noble was at odds with his brother... The more scandalous and sordid, the better.

As soldiers of the Xiaxing House, their lord's family, they'd naturally heard a thing or two about its affairs.

Before, they'd treated such news as a spectacle, thinking it was just "dogs biting each other."

But hearing the person involved talk about it so openly made it hard not to sympathize with Ye Wei'an.

Could anything about young master Ye Wei'an's strength, resolve, and care for the wounded today be called "useless"?

And then there was the "legitimate" heir back at the Castle...

The two men lowered their heads in unison and chewed hard on their flavorless hardtack. The scales had already begun to tip in their hearts.

Ailian's eyes reddened as she listened, and she blurted out, "Young master isn't useless! He's the best! Those people... they're just jealous! Jealous because young master is smarter than them, and better-looking!"

Ailian's childlike defense lifted the heavy mood around the campfire at once.

Ye Wei'an patted her on the head. "You sure know how to flatter me."

Ailian puffed out her cheeks, ready to say more, but Ye Wei'an was quick to stuff a piece of chicken into her mouth. "Eat your meat before it gets cold."

"Young master," Cain suddenly said, his voice firm. "I don't understand the complicated rules and schemes among nobles. I only know who led us to defeat the enemy today, who reached out when our brothers fell, and who truly deserves our loyalty."

"Well said!" Harold promptly thumped his chest and echoed him solemnly.

Renn didn't speak, but nodded firmly, his expression just as serious.

"Thank you. That means a lot." Ye Wei'an raised his teacup and drained the hot tea.

One camping trip and one honest conversation had been enough to win a seasoned knight and two soldiers over to his side. He was very pleased with how things had started.

But after that, the casual conversation couldn't quite get going again.

The moon was already high overhead, and it was nearly midnight. After refilling the pot with hot water using a cantrip, Ye Wei'an said good night to the three of them and returned to his tent with Ailian.

"Thank you, young master." At the sight of the hot water appearing from nowhere, Cain and the other two thanked him again and watched them leave.

On the way back to the tent, Ye Wei'an could still faintly hear Harold and Renn complaining that their boss didn't know how to talk.

Back in the tent, Ailian pulled out the folding bath tub and set it up on the thick carpet.

"Young master, we've been traveling all day. Would you like a bath to relax?" She looked up at him with concern. "I've heard that a hot bath is the best way to relieve mental fatigue. It's especially good for Wizards."

"Sounds good."

Although using a cantrip didn't consume a Spell Slot, it still put a considerable strain on the mind.

Ye Wei'an had lost count of how many cantrips he'd used throughout the day, and he was indeed feeling a little tired.

"Then I'll get things ready!" Ailian's eyes lit up, and she immediately turned to rummage through the toiletries and clean towels they'd brought.

Ye Wei'an pointed at the bath tub.

"Four Symbols Method: Water."

A clear stream filled most of the tub.

Then he raised two fingers and traced a circle on the surface of the water. Arcane energy gathered at his fingertips, glowing red.

"Prestidigitation!"

Within seconds, white steam curled up from the cold water.

Ailian tested the temperature and smiled with satisfaction. She sprinkled a few drops of expensive Amn Rose essential oil into the water.

The air in the tent instantly grew warm and sweet with fragrance.

Then she stepped over to Ye Wei'an and, with practiced ease, began undoing the ties and buttons of his outer robe. Her movements were gentle and skilled, her fingertips occasionally brushing his neck or collarbone.

The moment his undergarments slipped off, the air inside the tent seemed to freeze.

This was a body remade by the system, with a Charisma score of 18.

Unlike the exaggerated, coarse muscles of a Fighter, Ye Wei'an's physique was lean and powerful, his pale skin almost glowing.

As he stepped into the tub, water slid down the perfect furrow of his spine. Every inch of his body looked like the painstaking work of the finest sculptor.

Ailian knelt beside the tub and rolled up her sleeves. Her breathing, steady until then, immediately faltered.

The moment her fingers touched Ye Wei'an's shoulder with the silk washcloth, it was as if she'd been struck by an electric current.

Young master's skin was hot, hotter than the bathwater. The masculine aura radiating from his high Charisma score mingled with the scent of primal arcane energy, going straight to Ailian's head.

"...Why did you stop? Is something wrong?" Ye Wei'an leaned against the tub and tilted his head back slightly.

Ailian clearly saw the man's sexy Adam's apple move up and down as he spoke.

"N... nothing." Ailian's voice was as soft as a mosquito's. Her little hands trembled as she lathered Ye Wei'an's chest.