Chapter 336 – The Noble Who Courted Death

In the world of Faerûn, a nation’s strength depends on the power level of its Kingdom Protectors, but its prosperity hinges on the Nobles who rule over the common folk.

Upon arriving in the Maple Leaf Kingdom, Punk immediately recognized that both the noble and powerful classes of this nation must be deeply flawed when he saw a town with excellent geographical location, resources, and environment reduced to conditions worse than a refugee camp.

Sure enough, before Punk could even ask Ben Lajie to hurry their journey, something that appeared routine in this small town occurred in broad daylight.

A grotesque-looking young man dressed in lavish clothing swaggered down the street with an unbearably arrogant demeanor. His gaze venomously swept over the impoverished masses huddled in street corners, his expression suggesting he wasn’t looking at living people but rather sorting through garbage for usable items.

The vicious young man patrolled through the trembling crowd of poor residents until his eyes suddenly lit up upon spotting an old man using tattered hemp clothing to wrap around a child for warmth:

“Hey! You old fossil, get up!”

Without warning, the man delivered a fierce kick to the old man in the corner, then snarled loudly:

“Listen, you old fool, you’re the one! Hurry up and pay your head tax! Don’t you value your life anymore?”

This repulsive man was clearly a noble’s son collecting taxes. Witnessing his tyrannical behavior, the surrounding poor residents dared not even breathe heavily, shrinking further into themselves. Even hearing the old man’s pained groans didn’t draw anyone’s attention.

The old man, kicked in the ribs, nearly lost his breath. But to avoid another blow, he struggled to rise while tightly clutching the thoroughly wrapped little girl in his arms, pleading obsequiously to the noble youth:

“Sir, I’m just a sick old man! All I have left to eat is a piece of tree bark! How… how could I possibly pay any head tax?”

The old man’s hands had already begun trembling as he spoke. Unless something unexpected happened, the vicious noble youth would certainly fly into a rage and violently assault someone, never stopping until his victim hovered near death.

Truthfully, this noble youth knew better than anyone that these poor people had nothing left to extort. Usually, his tax collection visits served more as excuses to beat people for entertainment.

But today, surprisingly, the noble youth didn’t resort to violence. Looking at the shabbily dressed old man, he even revealed a peculiar smile.

“Heh, old man, your luck has turned! The Kingdom’s recruitment team arrived yesterday. That child in your arms shows some promise – just what we need! The recruitment team lacks enough ‘comfort girls’ anyway. Hand her over, and this month’s head tax is waived!”

“What? Th-this is absolutely impossible!”

Hearing the noble’s words, the emaciated old man’s face drastically changed color, while the little girl in his arms trembled with terror. Everyone in these slums knew exactly what becoming a military “comfort girl” entailed – being taken away meant a fate worse than death itself.The ashen-faced old man immediately dropped to his knees begging for mercy, but the Noble paid no heed to his pleas. He roughly shoved the old man aside and yanked the little girl hiding in the old man’s embrace over.

“Heh heh, who’d have thought this little one’s quite a beauty. Before sending her off to those brutes in the military, this young master ought to have some fun first, hahahaha!”

“No, Nivi! Don’t take Nivi away!”

“Grandpa! Grandpa save me! I don’t want to become a comfort girl! Save me!”

Ignoring the blood he coughed up after falling to the ground, the old man lunged at the Noble again. But how could the starving old man be a match for the young and robust Noble? Before he could stagger more than a few steps, the Noble kicked him to the ground once more.

For a moment, the entire corner descended into chaos – the little girl’s piercing cries, the old man’s desperate pleas, and the Noble’s triumphant laughter all tangled together in disarray.

In stark contrast to the turmoil in the corner, the surrounding commoners remained silent and detached. Dozens of impoverished people leaning against the walls outside quietly tightened their hemp cloth garments, pretending to know nothing.

However, just as the Noble was about to hoist the little girl over his shoulder and leave, a solid hand silently rested on his shoulder:

“Alas, when the world is already so dark, one shouldn’t snuff out what little light remains. Even if tax collection is necessary, there’s no reason to harm innocent children!”

The sigh carried a low, hoarse tone, but the terrifying aura behind it nearly made the Noble collapse to the ground.

Without doubt, the one who had intervened was Ben Lajie, who had finally seen enough.

Punk had guessed correctly – although this fat old man usually acted carefree and bore no resemblance to kindness, when it came to children, Ben Lajie became a completely different person. His entire alignment would instantly shift. Even though he could casually abandon his own apprentices, whenever Ben Lajie encountered children, he would immediately become as compassionate as a saint, appearing utterly out of character.

Seeing that Ben Lajie was determined to seriously meddle in others’ affairs, Punk, who disliked trouble, had no reason to stop him. Besides, he also wanted to learn from these poor people and this Noble what exactly had happened to this kingdom. It was rather perplexing how a kingdom with a Holy Warrior as its Kingdom Protector could become this dark.

His interest somewhat piqued, Punk simply stood at the alley entrance, quietly watching Ben Lajie display his might (and put on an elaborate show) before the refugees.

The Noble, who had been nearly scared to death by Ben Lajie’s hand on his shoulder, became furious the next second. Perhaps the noble practice of inbreeding to maintain “pure bloodlines” had endowed this man with deficient intelligence, or perhaps Ben Lajie’s crudely made Mage Robe looked too unimpressive. Of course, mostly it was because this Noble wasn’t a professional combatant – he didn’t realize he was facing an enraged, incredibly powerful Master-Level Caster.

Driven by humiliated rage, the fellow actually threw a punch at Ben Lajie without hesitation:

“Damn commoner, you…”

“Whoosh!”The nobleman never got to finish his sentence, because the moment he tensed his muscles, Ben Lajie’s flames instantly vaporized the ugly noble into thin air.

Well, it must be admitted that this fool was truly asking for death. If his target today had been just an ordinary woman, Ben Lajie—who was currently looking forward to Joni Zordas’ hospitality—might not have bothered with the affair. But unfortunately for him, the victim he intended to harm was a little girl. To make matters worse, he even tried to drag her away right in front of Ben Lajie to become a “comfort girl”! After successfully provoking Ben Lajie’s wrath, this suicidal noble actually dared to attack a Master-Level powerhouse. Having courted death to such an extent, he truly got what he deserved.

(End of Chapter)