After days of enduring the hardships of the wilderness, the convoy was a shadow of its former self.
Every member was gaunt and ragged, their once-proud noble attire now tattered. Yet, a faint glimmer flickered in their weary eyes.
For at the horizon’s edge, the grand silhouette of the kingdom’s capital, Elosia City, loomed like a mirage, majestic and imposing!
The long, brutal journey was finally nearing its end.
The towering city walls stretched like a mountain range, built of sturdy stone, gleaming with unyielding strength under the sunlight.
Guards stood like statues atop the walls, with arrow towers rising every hundred meters.
Faintly visible, runic arrays shimmered along the walls, emitting a soft halo.
In the city’s depths, the spires of churches and grand castles peeked through, alongside residential areas with rising chimney smoke and occasional bursts of magical light.
“Look! The capital! We’ve made it!” Count Reinhardt pointed a trembling finger at the vast city, his voice hoarse with the joy of survival.
Tears welled in his eyes, like a child’s.Baron Fabio and General Brandon leaned out of their carriages, their eyes alight with hope and relief, as if all their exhaustion had been washed away.
“We… we’ve survived!” Fabio muttered incoherently, his plump face brimming with excitement.
The surviving nobles erupted in irrepressible cheers, while the weary guards roared, raising their weapons to celebrate the hard-won destination.
Even the horses seemed to sense the joy, their steps growing lighter.
“Lord Jack! Our deepest thanks for your protection!” Fabio rushed from his carriage, gripping Jie Ming’s hand, trembling. “Without you, I’d have perished long ago…”
Count Reinhardt, trembling, approached, taking a heavy, gold-inlaid box filled with glittering gems and coins from a servant and presenting it to Jie Ming.
“My lord! This is our humble token of gratitude! Please accept it!”
He added solemnly, “Once we reach the capital, our families will do everything to secure the highest royal honors for you!”
Jie Ming accepted the box, glancing at it with a slight, mocking smile.
These nobles appeared grateful, but in the safety of the capital, they were already subtly probing him.
As expected of nobles—their shift in demeanor was absurdly swift.
While the convoy awaited inspection at the city gates, Jie Ming observed the capital’s defenses.
The massive, heavy gates were flanked by a deep moat, the drawbridge slowly lowering.
The walls bristled with guards, catapults, and giant crossbows, while intricate runic arrays glowed faintly with energy.
With so many nobles present, the inspection was swift, and the convoy soon rolled into the city.
Broad, smooth stone streets greeted them, lined with bustling shops and throngs of people.
Silver-armored city guards, sharp-eyed and disciplined, patrolled in neat rows, a stark contrast to Golden Harbor’s broken soldiers.
Children played along the streets, vendors hawked fresh pastries and vibrant silks, while distant castle spires pierced the sky, and temple bells rang solemnly.
This was the true heart of Elosia’s civilization.
The nobles’ carriages, though caked in mud and tattered, drew attention from the city’s residents.
Despite their disheveled state, the luxurious materials and haughty demeanor betrayed their status.
Sharp-eyed citizens recognized the crests of Reinhardt and other prominent families, sparking whispers and gasps.
“Good heavens! It’s Count Reinhardt! They… they survived!”
“Wasn’t Golden Harbor overrun? How did they escape?”
“Look at their state—they must have suffered greatly…”
Inside his carriage, Reinhardt peered through the curtains, the capital’s vibrancy and safety soothing his long-suppressed exhaustion and fear.
But he quickly snapped out of his relief, his gaze sharpening.
“Quick! Send men to the palace and the great temples! Report all of Lord Jack’s heroic deeds!” Reinhardt leaned out, ordering a servant by his carriage.
The servant, a decades-long loyal aide, understood his master’s intent and nodded respectfully. “Yes, my lord!”
The convoy proceeded to the noble district.
Here, the streets widened, flanked by opulent, uniquely styled mansions, each proclaiming its owner’s wealth and status.
When the carriages stopped before Reinhardt’s family estate, the gates were already open.
The steward and servants stood in formation, pale-faced, clearly having feared for their master’s safety.
“Master! You’ve returned!” The steward wept, his voice breaking as he rushed forward.
Reinhardt, ignoring the dirt on his face, summoned Fabio, Brandon, and other surviving nobles for a secret meeting in the estate’s hall.
“Everyone! We owe our survival to Lord Jack!” Reinhardt’s voice was hoarse but resolute. “We must immediately report his heroic deeds to the king and secure everything he demands! This is not just to honor our promise—it’s for our own safety!”
He glanced meaningfully at Brandon, hinting at the “jackals” in the capital.
Fabio nodded vigorously, his plump face cautious after days of fear. “The Count is right! Our kin in the capital are likely waiting to mock us—or worse, take our lives! Only by elevating Lord Jack to a kingdom hero can we gain protection!”
Brandon met Reinhardt’s gaze, understanding the implication.
When fleeing Golden Harbor, they had chosen only the most loyal servants and guards—betrayal seemed impossible.
Yet, along the journey, beastmen had relentlessly tracked them with uncanny precision.
Each time, Lord Jack had flawlessly dealt with them.
If anyone was suspect, it was Jack himself.
But Fabio was right—fleeing Golden Harbor had cost them most of their strength.
Facing predatory kin, they needed a figure of weight to deter them.
And this mysterious Jack was the perfect “enforcer.”
“I’ll personally draft a report detailing his feats in Golden Harbor,” Brandon said gravely.
“Good! I’ll submit one as well!” Reinhardt smiled.
Thus, a polished yet gripping “heroic saga” was swiftly delivered to King Ottolek III’s desk.
In it, Jack was portrayed as a mighty mercenary fighting not for gold but for the kingdom’s honor, his strength near-divine, saving key noble bloodlines in dire straits.
King Ottolek III, a monarch in his prime, was grappling with beastmen invasions and frontline wars.
Reading the reports, a playful glint appeared in his eyes.
“This man… truly so formidable?” Ottolek set down the reports, tapping the table. “What do you think?”
The chief minister bowed. “Your Majesty, Count Reinhardt and others personally attest to this, and their few guards corroborate the reports. This ‘Jack’s’ strength is indeed extraordinary.”
“Don’t play dumb!” Ottolek rolled his eyes, dropping all formality. “You can’t tell me you don’t see the issues with this man.”
The minister maintained his calm demeanor. “Your Majesty, this Jack is indeed of unknown origin. Based on the reports, he’s likely a beastmen spy. However, there’s no concrete evidence…”
“Enough with the act!” Ottolek waved dismissively. “Five legends didn’t escape Golden Harbor, meaning the beastmen’s assault was formidable. How could a group of nobles survive? It’s suspicious.”
The minister nodded. “Since they’re openly promoting this Jack, he’s likely a disposable pawn. The beastmen probably have other spies in the shadows…”
“Among the nobles who arrived?” Ottolek sneered. “Fits their cowardly, greedy nature.”
“What of this Jack?” the minister asked. “His exploits are already the talk of the capital. Arresting him without proof could be unwise.”
“Why arrest him?” Ottolek tilted his head. “If we seize him, the real ‘rat’ in hiding will slip away.”
“You mean…”
“He’s earned great merit—reward him grandly!” Ottolek stood from his throne.
“A pawn below legendary status is meaningless to capture. Let him roam the capital—that’s where his value lies!”
“Understood!”
Soon, Jie Ming received a proclamation from a royal minister.
“Jack! By His Majesty’s decree, you are hereby appointed as the kingdom’s ‘Special Advisor’! You shall have a special rank in the intelligence division, unrestricted freedom of movement, and access to all public historical archives, maps, and intelligence reports!”
“Your duty is to offer your ‘advisory’ insights, free of tedious obligations. Furthermore, His Majesty grants you a mansion in the capital to honor your deeds!”
“My thanks to His Majesty’s grace!” Jie Ming bowed, accepting the medal and documents from the royal guard with an impassive face.
“Congratulations, Mr. Jack. Few receive such honors upon arriving in the capital,” the minister said, his stern face breaking into a smile as Jie Ming accepted the documents.
Jie Ming softened his expression. “All thanks to His Majesty’s generosity…”
After some mutual pleasantries, Jie Ming slipped the minister a bag of gold coins, and the minister left with his guards, satisfied.
Turning to the mansion now his, Jie Ming eyed the medal, his smile turning sardonic.
“Special Advisor… a fine-sounding title.”
But a title was all it was.
It seemed prestigious, with apparent authority, but held no real power.
The “public” information he could access depended entirely on the royal family’s whims.
As for the so-called freedom of movement, it was likely no greater than that of an ordinary noble.
In sum, aside from this mansion—likely riddled with surveillance—Jie Ming had gained only a hollow title.
“Still… exactly what I wanted!” Pocketing the medal, Jie Ming gazed at the mansion, a genuine smile of satisfaction spreading across his face.
As he had planned from the start, everything was unfolding as expected.
“The public intelligence from the wizard camp was correct—Ottolek III is indeed an ambitious, clever man.”
Fortunately, he was clever. A brute would have been troublesome, but a clever man overthinks.
“In their eyes, I’m likely a beastmen spy—a disposable pawn. My methods of passing convoy information to the beastmen were far too crude.”
Jie Ming mused, smiling as he pushed open the gate and strolled through his new mansion’s courtyard.
His methods were hardly sophisticated, his actions riddled with flaws.
As a wise monarch, Ottolek III would naturally seize on these flaws.
But for Jie Ming, being seen as a beastmen spy meant his true goal was already achieved.
His identity didn’t matter, for from the beginning, his aim was simply to blend in as a person “of this world.”