"Ahem, ahem, who is the scoundrel who said such a thing, my lord? Surely his eyes fail to see the greatness of your magnificence," baronet Edgar quickly tried to improve Arthur's mood before he gave the order to have their heads chopped off.
His son also chimed in, "My lord, some people have forgotten the value of life. Say the word, and I will sever their heads and hang them at the castle gate as a warning to the rest."
Edgar wanted to slap his own face when he heard his son's reckless words. He quickly nudged his leg, signaling him to be quiet.
Arthur lifted the edge of his gaze and gave them a slightly cold look before saying mockingly, "Heh, you're both good dogs."
Despite the harsh insult, Edgar felt relieved that Arthur had not decided to escalate things, and with obedience, he bowed and said, "To be called dogs by you is an honor far greater than we deserve."
However, Duncan showed clear displeasure, though he remained calm, not wanting to get himself into trouble.
'This man… he has no concept of dignity.'
In truth, Edgar was far from a decent person. He mistreated his people, and in the novel, he committed several vile acts. He could rightly be called Arvan's loyal hound.
Duncan, on the other hand, hated obeying Arvan's orders and had his own ambitions for power and rule.
'Enough amusement. These two are dangerous.'
Maintaining his cold expression, Arthur spoke a line the original Arvan had once said in the novel:
"They exiled me to this remote dump to manage a herd of worthless livestock. But I'll show them who Arvan really is. Listen well. This land has a new ruler now—and it's me. From now on, everything will be done according to my will. You have two choices: loyalty or death."
Without delay, Edgar dropped to one knee, followed by the servants and soldiers in the hall, all shouting in unison,
"We renew our loyalty to the lord!"
"Very good. Listen carefully. There will be new changes in this place. I expect you to do your jobs well, or you will be punished."
"We are at your command."
'Good. I've bought myself some quiet time.'
In the novel, once Arvan declared he would change things, he immediately imposed a living tax on the populace and confiscated the few fertile lands they had, leaving them in dire starvation.
Many died as a result. Despite the presence of the novel's protagonist, Novarian Eirnos , he didn't really care about what was happening. He focused solely on his training and power, spending most of his time in the forest hunting monsters and honing his skills. By chance, he stumbled upon an ancient magical artifact, which he discovered was responsible for the thorny trees growing in the forest.
'I must find that magical item… But first, I need to prepare myself and acquire some basic skills.'
Calmly, he activated the Plot Savant skill and looked at Edgar and his son.
[Sir Edgar Valerius Blackwood]
[Level: D]
[Class: Boundless Knight]
[Skills: Hardened Body (D), Swordsmanship (D), Knight's Aura (D), Horsemanship (D), Archery (E), Spearmanship (E), Shield Arts (E)]
..
..
[Sir Duncan Blackwood]
[Level: D]
[Class: Boundless Knight]
[Skills: Hardened Body (D), Swordsmanship (D), Knight's Aura (E), Horsemanship (D), Archery (E)]
'Hmm… just like the novel. The baronet is the strongest man in the barony, second only to the mage Tarian. Most of his skills are at level D.'
In fact, people couldn't normally see their own stats. They relied on intuition or used special tools to determine their level. Some individuals—especially mages—possessed appraisal abilities to view the stats of others.
"Take me to the vault," Arthur said, giving his next command with a cold tone.
Without delay, the treasurer arrived—a man in his sixties who was still in good shape. He guided Arthur through the cold stone castle down to a massive underground cellar guarded by two strong soldiers. The vault was secured with five heavy metal locks.
The treasurer opened the door and began explaining, "Our grain stocks are low this year. The last five harvests have been terrible, and it seems this one will be the worst yet—"
"Silence. That is not my concern."
Arthur raised his hand and cut him off—just as the real Arvan would've done.
Not daring to speak another word, the treasurer bowed his head and stepped back.
Arthur looked over the vast vault, half of which was filled with sacks of grain and the other half with gear and crates. Quietly, he opened a specific crate filled with crudely minted copper coins. Then he opened another—also full of copper coins.
'This place is dirt-poor. Normally, you wouldn't find copper coins in a noble's treasury.'
He sighed in resignation. Without drawing attention, he took a few coins and slipped them into his Dimensional Storage , just in case of emergencies. He did the same with weapons, storing a spear, a bow, some arrows, and a few small daggers.
After wandering the vault for a while, he found nothing of real interest. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a small box placed alone on a narrow shelf.
'What's this?'
Quietly, he approached and opened it. Inside were several dark red glass orbs. They varied in size—the smallest about the size of a pea, the largest like a broad bean. He quickly realized what they were.
"Magical beast cores."
Like any fantasy world, this one was full of dangerous magical beasts. Inside each was a core imbued with a trace of magical energy.
But judging by the small size of the cores in front of him, they clearly came from weak and small creatures. In truth, many powerful magical beasts dwelled within Thorndark Forest , but the outskirts were relatively safe, and large beasts rarely ventured there.
As he stared at the faintly glowing cores, he recalled a primitive potion that appeared in the novel—one known only to a handful of people. A faint smile crossed his lips. He quickly picked out the largest cores and stored them in the Dimensional Storage , then left the vault without another word.
He returned directly to his room, where he found his maid Octavia waiting obediently as usual. As his personal maid, her job was to accompany him everywhere, but since the vault was forbidden to regular servants, she couldn't join him.
As soon as she saw him, she bowed her head quickly and followed him inside. It was clear she was still terrified of him. Every time she saw him, she trembled involuntarily.
Arthur looked at her and sighed, remembering what had happened to her in the novel. Because of her beauty, Arvan had raped her multiple times. Octavia couldn't resist—too afraid of death, and also because she had a sick mother and a younger brother who needed care and money. In the end, Arvan killed her in a fit of rage. Not long after, her brother was captured and sold as a slave. At one point, Arvan wanted money so desperately that he sold much of his own people. With no one left to care for her, Octavia's mother died as well.
'A tragic fate indeed.'
Arthur looked at her sternly, causing her to tremble, and said,
"Bring me a cup, a knife, a stone bowl and a small pestle, some lavender, olive oil, and also clean hot water. A lemon. And a cup of blood from a herbivorous beast—I want it fresh. Tell the hunters to bring it immediately."
Octavia was stunned by the strange request. Flustered, she bowed her head.
"As you command, my lord."
Then she rushed off at once.