I Just Wanted to Raise My Son... Why Is Everyone Challenging Me?

Chapter 9: A Mansion?

Two men dressed in full iron armour, an iron sword tucked next to their waist, walked in the forest, doing their daily patrol. "Did you hear that there was a huge commotion in the city just a few hours ago?" A man muttered.

"Huh? Something like that happened?"

"Yeah, and I also heard that there was an unknown man who came up and saved a lowlife."

"Is that man trying to court death or something like that? Because the countess doesn’t like the low-standard people."

The man had expected a reply, but the reply never came. He turned his gaze towards his companion and noticed that the man was trembling lightly as his eyes completely widened.

"J-Josh, what happened to you?" The man’s voice stuttered, grabbing the shoulder of his companion, grip firm.

Josh pointed towards the front, finger had no strength in it. "T-there’s a huge mansion there, Max."

Max turned his head towards the front, and the thing he saw next made his entire body shiver.

There was a huge mansion in front of him, covered with proper fences. "H-how... I remember well that it wasn’t there yesterday."

Josh didn’t waste a second; he started running towards the city. "Don’t waste your time there, just run!!"

Max wanted to run, but his legs had no strength left at all. He still muttered a bit of strength to get away from the forest.

"Commander!! Commander!!"

Both of them reached in front of their camps, and both Josh and Max started to shout in unison.

Their voices carried an eerie sense of feeling inside of them.

A man stood beside a table on which a massive map was spread out. He wore a robe embroidered with the symbol of a falcon, while a sword rested at his waist.

His build resembled that of someone who had trained his body for countless years, broad and well-defined.

A scar stretched across the corner of his lips, adding a sharp edge to his appearance. His silky golden hair framed his handsome face perfectly, further enhancing his striking presence.

The voices fell inside his ears as he raised his gaze from the map. "Huh?" He lifted an eyebrow.

He made his way out through the tent and noticed that two soldiers, completely in an eerie situation, were standing in front of him.

"Why are you both shouting like idiots?"

Max didn’t look up to him, but still answered. "Commander, there’s an unknown mansion inside the forest."

The man crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow. "This isn’t the time to joke around; go do the tasks assigned to you both."

Josh cut in between the conversation. "I’m sorry for my behaviour, commander... but the thing he’s saying is true, and we both are not lying."

The man looked at them for a while, and then he let a sigh pass through his mouth.

"Stephan," The man’s voice roared through the surroundings.

A boy who only seemed to be in his early twenties appeared through the dorm, which was a few meters away. He wore the same robe which the commander was wearing, but the embroidery on it was slightly different.

Both Josh and Max saluted the instant they saw him. "Salutations, Vice Commander Stephan."

"Drop the greetings, we’re in front of the commander."

"And why do you both seem to be in a rough situation? Did you guys see a ghost or something?" He let a chuckle escape through his mouth.

"Stephan, take a few soldiers and follow these two idiots. They said that they saw a mansion in the forest."

"A mansion? How can a mansion spawn out of nowhere? Are you both trying to trick us or something?"

Both of them bowed down in unison, and sweat covered their faces completely. "No, vice commander."

Stephan’s hands travelled down to his waist as he looked at them. "I’ll heed your order, commander." freewebnovёl.ƈom

Stephan bowed lightly, his hand travelled to his chest. "I’ll be back, commander."

He, alongside a small group of five soldiers, made his way towards the place which Max and Josh had mentioned.

When they reached there, a huge mansion awaited them ahead. It looked breathtakingly beautiful, surrounded by tall fences that added to its grand presence.

Stephan’s eyes widened completely, mouth opened slightly as he muttered. "Whoa... then it means that those idiots weren’t lying."

After staring at it for a few seconds, he shook his head. "Ahmm," he cleared his throat and continued. He looked towards a soldier standing just beside him. "Hey, you!!"

"Go and announce that the count’s soldiers are here."

The man was completely dumbfounded by the appearance of the mansion in the middle of nowhere, and he completely forgot to listen to Stephan’s words.

Stephan grabbed the man’s shoulder and shook him. "Did you hear me or not?"

He finally came back to his senses, eyes still widened and body completely drenched in sweat. "Y-yes, vice commander."

The man took a few steps forward and then took a deep breath.

"Hey, is anyone there?"

"Open up, the count’s soldiers are here."

They waited there for a while, but no response came from the other side.

"Vice commander, I think there’s no one inside."

Stephan was standing there with his arms crossed. "No, I can feel the presence of a man and a child from inside."

"It seems that two people are living inside this mansion."

--- freewёbnoνel.com

A/N

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