Field forced a brilliant smile and waited for his father, Count Kurt, to pronounce his fate.
His original name was Qin Hao, and he came from Huaguo on Blue Star. He had transmigrated to this world just three days ago.
The good news: he was a count's son.
The bad news: he was deeply unwelcome.
"Field, you've come of age. Like a lion in his prime, it's time for you to forge your own future." The lavishly dressed middle-aged man peppered his speech with stirring words, but the old count's voice was feeble and his expression listless, making the whole speech sound like a joke.
Everyone present had mockery in their eyes.
The count paused for a moment, his attention wandering. By the time he came back to himself, he had actually forgotten where he had left off.
The original owner of this body had been an exceptionally kind man. He had given his younger brother the potion for awakening battle aura and let his younger sister have his chance to pursue further studies at the Mage Academy. He had even treated every servant kindly. By rights, such a good man should have earned respect. Unfortunately, he was a noble, and in the eyes of nobles, his former self had been nothing but a weak, useless failure.
The mature woman beside the old count was Field's stepmother.
The voluptuous young beauty sat primly in the seat beside the lord's, elegantly raised her teacup for a sip, then set it down. Her seductive, almond-shaped eyes flicked toward Field. The deep, reddish-brown shadows cast by the sunlight accentuated the height of her nose. His stepmother lifted her lovely head haughtily, practically pointing her chin at him. "Nightfall Territory, in the vast Northern Frontier, will be your barony. You'll have plenty of room to make your mark."
Sure enough, even doing my best to please everyone couldn't save me from exile.
He felt slightly dizzy. The body's original owner had died of illness after being bullied by everyone, leaving him to clean up this mess. Field bit his lip hard, barely steadying himself.
Then Field sneered. His former self had been a real fool, thinking he could survive among nobles through kindness.
His stepmother glanced down at him indifferently and asked with disdain, "Any objections?"
"Phew..."
Forcing out the frustration pent up in his chest, Field dropped his smile and replied evenly, "As you wish, Father."
His newfound father had already been drained dry by his stepmother and followed his wife's wishes in everything.
"Pfft-idiot!"
Some relative burst out laughing, accompanied by a vicious insult from someone else.
The Northern Frontier had been home to two major races, humans and orcs, and was rife with bloodshed, violence, and barbarity. Ten years ago, the Holy Griffin Empire had used corrupting mists to slaughter an army of three hundred thousand orcs. The place was probably crawling with filthy goblins and trolls by now.
Of course, the Northern Frontier was even worse now.
The three hundred thousand orc soldiers, along with every human and animal in the Northern Frontier, had all become corrupted creatures. Lurking year-round in the deadly mists, they had made the region synonymous with hell on earth. The imperial family had organized three campaigns to reclaim the lost lands. Every one had ended in the total annihilation of its forces.
The Northern Frontier's territories, large and small, were nothing but lands that existed in name. Not even a dog would go there.
Most of the time, no one even mentioned them.
It was a cursed land, or worse. Even runaway serfs and criminals would never choose to flee to Nightfall Territory.
It's fine. I still have my cheat.
Field silently reassured himself. With a thought, a transparent map appeared, with a slowly moving green dot marked on it.
"Go make your preparations." The count looked exhausted, his face deathly pale.
His stepmother helped the count to his feet. Her nearly transparent silk nightgown seemed to give his almost withered body a little motivation to move.
Field pressed his lips together. His older brother and sisters had all received rich fiefs, yet this old bastard thought he could dismiss him with a couple of meaningless remarks. Field would never accept that. He immediately made his demand. "Father, I need your support. Developing Nightfall Territory won't be easy."
His stepmother pressed her soft flesh against the count's arm, then narrowed her eyes seductively.
"Greed is not a noble virtue, Field. You've already received more than enough," the count said without hesitation.
The family members nearby also cast openly contemptuous looks at him.
"Going out with that black hair and those black eyes will only disgrace the Ross Family."
"He's just a bastard!"
After the great invasions by eastern nomads and the fall of the ancient kingdom on the inland sea, black hair and black eyes were no longer a mark of ancient nobility.
Field bristled, anger flashing in his eyes.
The count was the one responsible for bringing this body's original owner into the world. Why take it out on me?
His mother had been a maid in the castle. She came from the distant east and had been sold to the castle by nomadic merchants as a rare slave. After one drunken night with the count, she had conceived the body's original owner.
His low birth, the lack of support from his mother's family, and the fact that he had inherited some of her features.
These were another major reason Field had been ostracized and despised.
"Five hundred gold coins. You may also take your personal servants. I treat all my children equally." With those parting words, the count hurried back to his bedroom, supported by his wife.
Field was utterly frustrated. Five hundred gold coins sounded like a lot, but investing that in a territory was like stirring a huge vat with a toothpick. He would barely hear a splash.
Still, it was better than nothing.
"Hey! Field, Nightfall Territory is a wonderful place. It never sees the sun-a pitch-black, stinking land that suits those demonic eyes of yours perfectly." Field's younger half brother sauntered over with a grin and spoke in an outrageously exaggerated tone. "My fief isn't nearly as good. Poor Fulan City, famous for its beer and goats."
Field felt fury blaze inside him, roasting his heart until it practically sizzled. A lousy fief was one thing. As someone who had transmigrated, he would find a way to deal with that.
But that blatant mockery of his appearance made Field want to dig up eighteen generations of the boy's ancestors.
(ノ=Д=)ノ┻━┻
Besides, this little bastard only had battle aura because of Field's kindness! Back then, his younger brother had shown terrible talent and hidden in a corner, sobbing. When everyone else mocked him, Field had been the one to lend him a hand.
"Get lost!" Field showed him no warmth.
"Remember that little girl with flaxen hair?" His younger brother ignored Field's expression. With a strange smile, he leaned close to Field's ear.
Field narrowed his eyes. A smiling face surfaced in his mind-the girl his former self had loved. Later, her naked corpse had been found in the alley behind a tavern. Overwhelmed by grief and rage, the body's original owner had fallen gravely ill and died, allowing Field to transmigrate into him.
His younger brother licked the corner of his mouth. "I did it. You have no idea how thrilling it was when she struggled."
Field's pupils contracted sharply, and shock seized his heart.
His younger brother, who had also only just come of age, had actually committed such a monstrous act. As a transmigrator, Field had never known the girl, but this casual destruction of another person's life filled him with a disgust unlike anything he had ever felt.
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