Coachman

Adam finished a day of study and left Reflection Tower at nearly five in the afternoon.

McLaren was already waiting outside the Clock Tower, standing obediently beside the carriage. Yet Adam could clearly smell his lingering scent on the window beside the Clock Tower.

Not long ago, the man had been lying on the windowsill, trying to observe what was happening inside the Clock Tower. If anyone checked, they would find that particular windowsill noticeably cleaner than the rest.

"Let's pay the Rom Family a visit." Adam climbed into the carriage and gave the order, and that oppressive feeling once again descended upon McLaren's heart.

McLaren drove the carriage without daring to look back. Though a curtain separated him from the passenger behind him, and even if he did turn around he would not be discovered, he still did not dare.

It was as if the one sitting behind him was not a young boy, but Lord Doug... no, someone even more terrifying than Lord Doug.

Yet that sense of oppression was perfectly measured. It filled McLaren with fear, but not enough fear to make him do anything out of line.

Still, pressure accumulated. Once it reached a certain limit, Adam guessed McLaren would collapse completely. When that happened, would he choose to surrender and confess everything, or would he take a desperate gamble and eliminate the source of that pressure?

From the moment Adam noticed the coachman's inexplicable hostility, he had already regarded both the coachman and the people behind him as potential enemies.

And when dealing with potential enemies, there was only one thing to do: disrupt their rhythm and weaken their state.

But for me, it is more important that he makes the former choice. With that thought, Adam gradually eased the pressure and slowly changed the aura he had released.

The pressure in McLaren's heart suddenly lifted, and sweat instantly poured from his entire body. It was as though he had awakened from a nightmare. The world became clear again—the familiar streets, the familiar whip, the familiar old companion. In that instant, McLaren felt as though he had been reborn.

"Mr. Adam... could you perhaps be... a noble lord?" McLaren could not find any other words to describe Adam. He only knew that noble lords were born noble and possessed all manner of extraordinary abilities that ordinary people like him did not have.

Other than them, only those reverends blessed with the glory of the gods could wield special abilities.

For a moment, McLaren became somewhat panicked. He was originally nothing more than a coachman of the Rom Family. His father had been a coachman, and his grandfather had been one too.

From the moment he was born, everything he had received was tied to the Rom Family. From life to death, barring any accident, his son would be the same, and even his grandson would be the same.

Yet for some reason, whenever he saw Walker following behind Lord Doug, he always felt a mixture of envy and resentment.

He should have been the Rom Family's coachman for generations. He should have been the one driving Lord Doug's carriage. He should have been the one following behind Lord Doug.

So when Young Master Matt came looking for him and asked him to help handle some matters, he chose to agree.

Young Master Matt was also a member of the Rom Family, also a noble born with innate superiority, was he not? Perhaps one day, he could drive for Young Master Matt and follow behind him.

With a heart full of worries, McLaren drifted into beautiful fantasies of the future while also feeling an indescribable panic. Yet the hands gripping the reins and whip did not tremble in the slightest.

He was the Rom Family's best coachman!

The carriage stopped beside the Rom Family's estate. Adam pulled open the curtain and let his gaze fall upon McLaren.

"You drive very steadily. You are an excellent coachman. I will praise you to Mr. Doug." Adam's praise made McLaren straighten his back a little more.

McLaren truly was an excellent coachman, but he was only a coachman.

Adam arrived at the gate and rang the bell. He took out the card from today's gift box and looked into the estate. Several little birds were hopping among the branches of a tree. The instant Adam arrived, they turned to look at him.

With the help of the calling card, Adam soon met the man from that morning—the third steward of Rom Manor, David. David was studying under his father, the chief steward, and would succeed him once the chief steward retired.

Most servants in noble households were like this, inheriting their fathers' trades generation after generation. Many of them even spent their entire lives within the estate. To them, the estate was their whole world.

Led by David, Adam walked deeper into the estate. As they passed beneath the shade of a tree, one of the birds in the branches chirped.

Neither of them paid it any mind. Adam followed behind David, his eyes sweeping over the servants along the way. He had learned something about the circumstances of noble servants in this era.

Everything seemed attributable only to the limitations of the era and the world.

For most people of this era, noble servants were considered more noble than ordinary commoners.

The world in their eyes consisted only of this one estate. They never considered what lay beyond it. In truth, most people outside the estate were the same, trapped within their own lives and never thinking of anything else.

For them, everything seemed quite good.

It is only that I do not wish to live this way. Adam showed no sign of anything unusual, merely thinking this in his heart.

Most people's lives were decided from the moment they were born. It had been so in his previous life, and it was so in this world as well. It was simply that productivity had been stronger in his previous life, and there had been no supernatural power, making it easier for ordinary people to rise above the limits of their birth. In this world, it was far more difficult.

To the people of this world, if one was born a servant's child, then one should faithfully serve the nobility and become a servant. If one was born a commoner, then one should strive to make a living. If one was born a slave's child, then one should carry out every order and remain a slave until death.

If one was born a different kind, then one should cling to life in the shadows, become a monster, and wait for the day one was sent to the church's stake.

Adam smiled and entered the Rom Family residence. Under David's guidance, he reached the second floor, where Doug was already standing at the top of the stairs to welcome him.

"Master Adam, welcome." Doug spotted the book Adam held in his arms at once, but showed no reaction. With a friendly smile, he welcomed him. "Please forgive this old man's inconvenience. I was unable to greet you at the gate."

"You are too courteous, Mr. Doug." Adam exchanged pleasantries and followed him all the way to the study.

He noticed that Doug's coachman had remained behind Doug the entire time, never too far from either of them. Adam could not help giving the tall coachman another look.

His black hair was combed back, and dark blue-black stubble covered his face. His clothing was somewhat similar to Jin's, and every one of his movements seemed exceptionally proper.

It reminded Adam of Jin's teachings.

Knights, especially those who cultivated combat schools, integrated every movement of their daily lives into their training methods. This allowed them to unleash formidable strength at any moment.

Strictly speaking, the Heart of Life Adam cultivated was not a combat school. It was merely used for combat by many people because it was the most widespread and had the broadest applicability.

True combat schools did not seek long life. Their sole pursuit was combat power: stronger bodies, more terrifying explosive force, faster methods of killing. Generally speaking, knights of combat schools were mostly found in the military, or among the deathsworn selected by nobles.

As though noticing Adam's gaze, Walker turned his head and glanced at him, but said nothing.

Adam tightened his grip on the spellbook in his hands and returned the look with a smile.

In the study, Adam and Doug exchanged some meaningless pleasantries. Adam roughly expressed his gratitude to Doug, while Doug said it was no trouble, merely a few small gifts. Then, seeing that it was getting late, he asked whether Adam wished to spend the night at Rom Manor.

Adam looked at the birds outside the window and declined a few times.

Just then, the door to the study was pushed open directly.

Two birdcalls rang out. Adam turned his head and saw a middle-aged man.

"What are you doing coming in here?" Doug's expression instantly turned stern as he rebuked him. "Get out! Can't you see there is a guest?"

He was dissatisfied with this son of his, as well as his other sons. That was why he so desperately sought an elixir of longevity, at least to allow him to hold on until the next generation grew up.

But Doug also knew that Matt could not be allowed to learn about the elixir of longevity. Once that disappointing son found out, there was no telling what trouble he might stir up again.

Matt looked at Adam, then at his father's furious face. His features twitched twice before he turned and left.