"Am I that scary?" Levi scratched his head.

To be honest, he had only given Zat a normal lesson yesterday. After all, if that guy went a day without a beating, he’d be tearing the roof off the house. Levi had to serve him an iron-fisted reminder every so often.

Sophia was just collateral. Besides, considering her delicate and frail appearance, the Lord swore he had held back at least seventy percent of his strength.

"Miss Liya."

Liya, having finished washing up with the help of her personal maid, emerged from the exquisite little wooden cabin built just for her, letting out a yawn.

The Lord greeted her with a wide grin. The rough brutes of High Cliff Castle wouldn’t know any better, but Miss Liya—who knew about the Glowing Holy Word Treasure Manual and had even brought it to him—would surely be able to tell.

"That Glowing Holy Word Treasure Manual... I’ve already..."

"Finished reading it already? It took Diaylot three days just to reach the entry-level, and a whole month to step into the Firefly stage," Liya yawned. She looked awful, with dark circles under her eyes. "So, Levi, don’t be anxious. The Glowing Holy Word Treasure Manual isn’t that easy to practice. Generally speaking, achieving the entry-level within a month is already considered a sign of commendable Talent."

"..." The Lord, having been cut off, lost the urge to continue the topic. Instead, he asked out of curiosity, "Miss Liya, what’s wrong? You look terrible."

"It’s because a certain someone was suddenly making strange noises in the middle of the night." Liya looked at him resentfully as she said this.

Levi gave a couple of awkward laughs. He had indeed gotten a bit too excited a few times last night, enough to disturb the neighbors.

"Miss Liya, are you leaving?" Levi raised an eyebrow, sizing up Liya, who was dressed efficiently in Leather Armor, Cowhide Horse Pants, and Silver Armor Boots.

This was clearly an outfit for traveling in a hurry.

"Yes, I have to leave." Liya stared blankly at the distant horizon.

"Did you think I was going to stay here until the Minotaurs heading south were dealt with?" Liya turned her head to Levi and smiled faintly.

"Not really. I just thought you’d be staying a few more days," Levi said, scratching the back of his head.

"I came to see you this time for two reasons. First, I heard you were developing well and wanted to see for myself. Second, I wanted to bring you the Glowing Holy Word Treasure Manual. Now that both objectives are complete, it’s time for me to go back," Liya explained.

"..." The Lord was speechless for a moment.

"Besides, you’re preparing to head south. I can’t just sit around. Some families in the Southern Territory have always supported me, so I can try to win them over. I also know some people in the Royal Court; I’ll see if I can ask for some military aid," Liya said with a smile, raising her eyebrows.

"Haha, in that case, I’ll be eagerly waiting to see it. I hope by then, I won’t be the only small fry by your side, Miss Liya," Levi joked.

The nearly one hundred Bailiu City cavalrymen escorting Liya were actually an advance unit sent by Fulina to deal with the Minotaurs.

Normally, there would be about fifty at most.

Naturally, not all of them would be returning. In the end, the true commander, Si Kai, decided to dispatch fifty cavalrymen to escort Liya back to Bailiu City.

Bailiu City was nearly a full day’s journey from High Cliff Castle. However, unlike the trip here by carriage, the return was clearly much more urgent.

Liya, who was about to mount her horse, left the waiting Guard Team cavalry and Kale—a Knight who had become much more tactful—and walked aside with the Lord.

"Levi, I’ve been very happy these past few days in High Cliff Castle. This is a kind of life I’ve never experienced before."

"Especially that room filled with tulips. It’s clear you put a lot of thought into my arrival," Liya said seriously.

Unlike other places, High Cliff Castle gave her a sense of freedom and vibrant energy. Everywhere else, there were insurmountable rules.

But High Cliff Castle didn’t have them. Even the subordinates could mingle freely with their Lord.

Just a couple of days ago, Liya had even seen the Lord arm-wrestling with a group of High Cliff Castle Warriors, completely without airs.

This was a scene that would be absolutely impossible to see with any other noble.

"Uh..." Liya’s words left the Lord flustered. Even with his thick skin, he couldn’t handle such praise. He scratched his head awkwardly. "Actually, I only gave a few suggestions. The one who really decorated the room was Tina."

"I know. I’ve spoken with her. She’s a girl who holds a great deal of knowledge. A few hundred years ago, she would have been a Princess," Liya said with a smile.

"Haha, now she’s just a princess in a backwater ditch."

Levi quipped.

The two chatted casually, completely unconcerned that the Feder Tribe was the predecessor to the Feder Kingdom, a kingdom that was destroyed by Debei. The current King was still openly hunting the Federation People.

For the two of them, now that King Debei was clearly leaning towards siding with Damon, he could already be considered their potential enemy.

"Orak! Orak!"

When their chat ended, Levi yelled at the top of his lungs.

The Shaman Beastman, clad in a wool coat and standing a full 2.9 meters tall while weighing a thousand pounds, quietly approached Levi’s side.

"Do you have any orders, my Lord?"

Compared to him, Levi and Liya were like two small children who could be crushed in one hand.

Levi first gestured for him to wait, then turned to Liya and said seriously, "Miss Liya, I know this is a bit sudden, but I want my warrior to serve as your Personal Guard Team."

"I don’t mean to second-guess Duke Fulina or anyone else, but right now, we are like lambs and sheepdogs in a pasture, with a pack of hungry wolves watching from the outside."

"If either of us falls, things will become incredibly difficult for the other."

"And you don’t have a team you can trust right now. Orak is a squad leader under my command. His strength is decent. You can completely trust him with anything and leave it in his hands."

Orak stood to the side, saying nothing. He was a Dragon Vein Orc who had mastered three self-enhancing Magic spells. He could kill an Ice Bear in just a few punches, and an Ice Tiger was nothing more than a large house cat in his eyes. He could smash a Giant, creatures supposedly of infinite strength, to death with a single hammer blow. His martial prowess was supreme, and he had no rivals in the surrounding deep Wilderness, earning him the title "Storm Roar."

’Anyone else who dared to say his strength was merely ’decent’ would have been challenged to a warrior’s duel.’

’But this Lord... Hmm, better to just forget it and go to sleep. There are better ways to commit suicide.’

When he first arrived at High Cliff Castle, he had been reserved, confident in his own strength and believing he would surely be given an important position. But then he witnessed the power of the Beastman named Zat and was shocked to realize that, in terms of raw strength, Zat was superior to him.

Later, having had no chance to show off his abilities, he remained stuck in the position of a two-person Magic squad leader, and he began to grow restless.

After that, on a whim and goaded by that brat Zat, he impulsively decided to challenge the Lord, who was rumored to be the strongest person in High Cliff Castle.

He hoped the Lord would recognize his strength and give him an important role.

But he was knocked down with a single punch in the first round. Not believing it, he thought he’d just been careless and failed to dodge. The second time, however, he was slapped to the ground just as easily.

He decided to get serious. He used both of his self-enhancing Magic spells, Blood Rage Awakening and Dragon Scale Blood Technique, without holding anything back.

The result was indeed a little better this time. Hmm... it took two slaps to shatter the Dragon Scales on his body, which were as tough as Armor. He lay on the ground for a good while before he came to his senses.

From then on, he understood two things. First, if you wanted to die, the quickest way was to challenge the Lord to a duel. Second, that kid Zat might look simple and honest, but he was actually full of bad ideas.

Liya was a little surprised that Levi would do this. Then, a smile bloomed on her face, as brilliant as a daisy. "Thank you, Levi. To be honest, I have been troubled by the lack of trustworthy people around me."

Compared to Fulina, Levi was truly in the same boat as her.

After escaping from Kolon, she had no one by her side. When she arrived in Bailiu City, even her maids were chosen by her aunt, Fulina.

To even send a letter, she had no choice but to rely on Si Kai, a vassal Knight belonging to Duke Fulina.