According to the Silverlight City Lord, the declining Glenn family couldn't possibly have any surplus wealth to help the poor—which meant that the expanded houses and distributed hot porridge must have been the work of Viscount Sommer.
Regardless of the reasons why he chose to take Hyde into his own home, rather than selflessly providing help from the sidelines as in the noble tales, the result didn't seem bad. Someone willing to provide food and supplies to those in need, without expecting anything in return, couldn't be that sinister. Besides, the Sommer family was using Hyde to express its goodwill, which in a way, was a form of compensation.
Even if Hyde was living a terrible life, she wouldn't intervene.
She was here just to see her childhood home, and... to reminisce about the past a little.
As Nightingale was about to go somewhere else, a strange feeling suddenly arose in her heart.
Wait, she stopped, what was wrong?
Poor people in rags, servants maintaining order, guards watching the mansion, and nobles in charge of the situation... she scanned the courtyard again, and her brows furrowed.
Hyde wasn't wearing a God's Stone of Retaliation—not even the lowest quality one.
In the Mist, his appearance and clothing were clear, but the guards at the mansion's gate were obscured by a black hole, with only the scabbard of their swords visible.
So that was it, Nightingale immediately realized the source of the strangeness: why didn't the heir of a viscount wear a God's Stone of Retaliation?
Even the guards were wearing them!
Because Hyde had no prejudice against witches? The answer was immediately rejected, she always remembered the disgusted expression when he said, "I wish I didn't have this sister, witches should go to hell and accompany the devil," more than a decade ago. Even if her ability couldn't distinguish lies at that time, she could tell that his words were sincere just by looking at his eyes.
Because he couldn't afford a God's Stone? This might be true for a declining noble, but not in the current situation.
After hesitating for a moment, Nightingale turned around and walked towards the courtyard.
As she crossed the mansion's gate, the low voices of two guards reached her ears.
"Nobles are truly a terrible kind of people. This guy is living about the same life as us, listening to the adults like a dog, but he can become completely different just by changing his clothes. Could this be the foundation that the adults always talk about?"
"Stop talking nonsense," the other one scolded, "The Viscount is inside the house now. If someone hears you and tells him, you can forget about this month's salary."
"Don't worry, my ears are very sensitive. I can tell if someone is approaching," the man shrugged. "Besides, I didn't make up the 'like a dog' part. The adults have a bad temper and are scolding so loudly that everyone downstairs can hear it clearly."
"Since you know he has a bad temper, you shouldn't be causing trouble at this time," the latter said in annoyance. "No matter how much the adults scold, they are still nobles. What are you? Does your clan even have a decent surname? Even the foreman of the next village is more famous than you. If it weren't for your uncle asking me to watch over you, I wouldn't bother telling you anything."
"Yes, yes, I'll shut up, okay... um?" He suddenly paused.
"What's wrong?"
"I feel like someone passed by..." He looked around, "Maybe it's just my imagination."
...
Ignoring the guards at the door, Nightingale directly went through the wall and quickly found the Viscount's room through the God's Stone field—the higher the status, the better the quality of the God's Stone they carried. She often used this trick to confirm her target when carrying out assassination missions, and rarely missed.
When she heard that Dort Sommer was here, she vaguely realized that the charity porridge distribution in the courtyard might not be as simple as it seemed on the surface.
There was more than just the Viscount in the room. Besides a fully armed knight acting as a bodyguard, there was also an old man in a robe standing in front of the table, looking like a scholar from the old royal capital.
"Lord Dort, you shouldn't have lost your temper at Sir Hyde yesterday. Although he has submitted to you, appropriate leniency will make it easier for him to play his role."
"I know, but I can't control myself!" Dort Sommer, sitting in the high-backed chair, angrily slammed the table. "It took me more than a decade to get to this point. Just when I was about to get the two pieces of land in the east, Roland Wimbledon said a word and wanted to take it all away! Did you hear what that old fool said? He's willing to take the lead in handing over the feudal rights and fully support His Majesty's new policies! Just because he doesn't need it, does he think others don't either? It's infuriating!"
"Smile, my lord... keep smiling, you already said these complaints last night," the scholar stroked his beard and said. "Since you're so unwilling, why didn't you refuse on the spot?"
"Uh..." Dort was immediately choked, then said unhappily, "Even the Royal Knights of Tiefeco couldn't stop Roland with one strike, what do I have to refuse with? Did you want me to die on the spot!"
"So these complaints are meaningless except for making things worse. With that being the case, do you want to continue?"
"—Damn it!" The Viscount hesitated for a long time before finally saying angrily.
"His Majesty is only taking back the feudal rights. You can follow Earl William's example and manage the existing industries in the territory well, and there won't be much loss."
"But without the power to govern, those greedy patrol teams will eventually search here. What excuse will I use to stop them then?" Dort shook his head repeatedly. "You know what I'm selling. Once it's discovered, I'll be hanged."
"Then give up that part of the business," the scholar said without hesitation. "I told you long ago that this is not a long-term solution. You have already saved enough capital, and the church has completely lost its control. You can focus your energy on legitimate business—otherwise, what was the point of taking the Glenn family's land after so much effort? Wasn't it to get off the single-plank bridge?"
The Viscount hesitated for a long time. Obviously, the income from the other business was too difficult for him to give up. It wasn't until half an hour later that he nodded fiercely, "I understand. This charity is the last time. After Hyde finishes, I'll tell him myself."
"Don't stop abruptly, to avoid arousing suspicion. It doesn't hurt to keep up the facade for a while longer. Just tell them not to come and pick up goods anymore."
"Okay, I'll do as you say," After deciding to give up the scholar's unsafe business, Dort completely relaxed. He leaned back in his chair and laughed, "Back then, the two members of the Glenn family must not have known what they missed. Since that's the case, I can only take it. I'm afraid that Hyde still thinks his parents died in the refugee riots, right? Hahaha..."
These words made Nightingale's pupils constrict instantly.