—Seeking recommendation votes on Monday~
Bathed in the warm glow of the approaching midday sun, an understated yet luxurious carriage made its way toward the heart of the Nobility District in southwestern Ural City — the "Withered Vine" castle.
Along the road, every pedestrian who spotted it — noble or commoner alike — stepped respectfully aside and let it pass, for it belonged to Count Vitt, the lord of Ural City. Moreover, it was no ordinary three-horse freight carriage.
Inside the carriage, Lucian pretended to admire the exotic street scenery while actually flipping through Shahran Empire maps that he had deliberately collected in the Soul Library, focusing on the area around Ural City.
The Count's invitation had arrived so suddenly that Lucian couldn't find any excuse a proper noble might use to decline, which meant he had no choice but to agree to visit.
This left Lucian feeling rather wistful — when one played the role of a noble exceptionally well, one also became bound by that very identity.
"This invitation must have caught Karilena and Ivanovsky off guard. It could disrupt their original plans and catch them completely unprepared, causing them to make serious mistakes. But it could also bring about intense and dangerous changes. I need to prepare early."
Lucian was quite certain that the invitation was not orchestrated by Karilena and Ivanovsky. Before they had brought him or other members of the Vladimir family without powerful connections under their control, they would never have taken the risk of letting him appear before Count Vitt. If the Count suddenly took a liking to him and designated a different Vladimir family girl, their greed and desires would come to nothing — like trying to carry water in a bamboo basket.
This assessment was also one of the reasons Lucian had accepted the invitation.
"But shouldn't Karilena and Ivanovsky be strictly controlling what Count Vitt sees and hears? How could an invitation that caught them off guard slip through?" Lucian wondered with puzzlement. Since they were scheming to seize Count Vitt's inheritance, and the Count was already deep in the grip of aging illness, given Ivanovsky's capabilities and the degree of favor Karilena enjoyed, it shouldn't have been difficult to keep the Count's subordinate Great Knights and knights in the dark — ensuring he only knew what they wanted him to know.
If they couldn't even manage that, then all Lucian could do was advise Ivanovsky to go home and buy an estate, farmland, and mines to become a landed landlord, rather than continuing in the dangerous profession of smuggling — and certainly to stop dreaming about seizing a Count's inheritance, because with that level of intelligence, he simply didn't have what it took!
While studying the maps, Lucian casually chatted with
From the very start, one had to prepare for the worst.
"Mr. Peter, with the Church around, truly haunted places only exist in stories meant to frighten children, or are created by those evil mages hiding deep in the mountains. However, from what I know, there are several mines to the west of Ural City that have been shut down because of frequent collapses and numerous deaths — they're called 'places cursed by demons' and 'caves that connect to hell.'" Nikita, the Count's chamberlain who had come to invite Lucian, overheard the conversation between Lucian and
He was a formidable warrior at the official knight rank, holding the title of baronet. But back when he was fighting heretics in the south, he had served under Count Vitt and been saved by him many times over. As a result, he willingly gave up the trappings of a prestigious position and status to serve as the Count's chamberlain.
In truth, whether at the side of great nobles, grand dukes, kings, or emperors, there were always figures like him. They differed from the noble knights who followed their knightly obligations, joining knightly orders in rotation to protect their lords. For various reasons, they had forfeited the right to openly hold fiefs and instead devoted themselves to personal protection of their lord:
Some had transferred their rights to their children, taking on the role of bodyguard to consolidate those rights or secure a family title above their own station. Others did so out of gratitude for having their lives saved. Still others, when they received secret training and material support from their lord, had sworn knightly oaths to serve as guards for a set number of years upon reaching a certain rank. And some simply did it for the precious and unique methods of tempering and enhancing bloodline that the lord's family had passed down through generations.
After listening to Nikita's words, Lucian smiled. "Mr. Nikita, actually in the northwestern province there are places that are truly eerie, frequently haunted, and where the dead cannot rest in peace. Although the Church keeps them under tight control, I do know a little about them." This was an indirect way of proving his identity as a member of the Vladimir family.
"Following Mr. Peter's logic, perhaps there are similar places near Ural City as well, but they too have been brought under Church control and thus remain unknown to us. But what's the point of discussing things we don't know about?" Even when Nikita attempted to show his humor, his typical military bearing made it come across as somewhat stiff and lacking in softness.
Lucian didn't mind in the slightest and continued asking Nikita and
Half an hour later, that magnificent ancient castle — its walls covered in withered vines, exuding an air of desolation — appeared before Lucian's eyes.
At the same time, from the opposite direction, a refined and splendid carriage came hurrying over.
The moment Lucian steadied himself, he saw the carriage's horses rear up and come to a halt. A beautiful woman dressed in an elegant woolen gown stepped down with the assistance of a maid, looking rather anxious. Her snow-white attire set off her pretty and poised appearance.
"Mr. Peter…"
"Madame Karilena…"
Neither Lucian nor Karilena had expected to meet at the castle gates, and they both showed considerable surprise as they greeted each other.
Seeing Karilena's expression and recalling her previous behavior, Lucian smiled. "Madame Karilena, you've come to visit Count Vitt?"
"Indeed. I heard that Uncle Vitt had invited a guest, and I was worried he might not follow the charity hospital physician's instructions, so I came to remind him not to tire himself out and to get proper rest." After her initial surprise, Karilena's smile bloomed into something charming and radiant — just as it did when she hosted her banquets.