Free Web NovelChapter 5: Yves Noctis Laurent [3]
The blood on the sword in my hands dripped onto the floor. I swung the blade to the side, cleaning the blood off it, then stabbed it into the ground.
I had just killed five people, feeling no remorse for what I had done. Even though I believed they weren’t real, their reactions, the screams, the blood, all felt too real. But alas, what was done was done.
I did it out of kindness... for Yves.
I was a kind man. Yes, that was what I was.
Most of the servants watched in horror and fear at the scene while others had a glint of recognition in their eyes.
I stood silently, the blood pooling under my feet.
I was sure that what I did was going to bring some changes to this mansion and how they perceived me. Though not everyone would acknowledge me yet, they would at least not take me lightly.
’Now, what are they going to do?’ I looked at the knights who were staring at me, the murderer of their companions.
A knight took a step forward and walked calmly towards me, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword strapped at his waist. I could tell from his armour, which had golden stripes on the shoulders, and the aura he gave off, that he was no ordinary knight.
He was a strong one.
The rest of the knights followed behind him.
Soon, he stood in front of me, a couple of meters away. And hell, he was tall — at least 1.8 meters while I was just 1.6 meters. He had a lean physique honed by years of experience. He was not like the bums I had killed; he was on another level entirely and carried the aura of a proper knight.
I guessed that was just the benefit of having mana running through your veins.
My purple eyes met his golden ones.
[Emotional Manipulator] was still active so I tried to search for any sort of negative emotion: anger, hatred, or sadness. However, I found nothing.
The man in front of me was not affected by his comrades’ deaths at all.
He looked at me for a moment and then dropped to one knee, his green hair swaying as he bowed his head — his right hand closed into a fist pressed against the ground. The other knights knelt alongside him as well.
"You are?" I asked, looking at his bowed head.
"I am General Lee. I greet the young master." He said, his voice deep.
Oh? So he was a general of the Laurent Knights. Again, he was another character I did not know, nor had I created.
"Go on."
"I apologize for the behavior of the knights. It was entirely my fault for not keeping them in line."
"So you admit it is your fault?"
"Yes. I shall take whatever punishment you see fit, young master." He gave a deadpan answer.
’Would you look at that? Isn’t he quite the leader, taking the blame for his subordinates?’ I thought with a smile.
"What if I ordered you to kill yourself right now? Would you do it?" I said with a cold smile.
"All I need is your word." He said.
Yeah, this man was not playing around. He would definitely do it.
As much as I would have liked to fulfill Yves’s wish to punish those who slandered him, I was not him and I couldn’t just make decisions based on emotions. And besides, he was already dead. All I could do from now on was honor his name and move forward. I couldn’t hold any grudges — well, with the exception of certain people from his memories.
Additionally, I couldn’t really blame the knights and maids for looking down on him. That was just how things worked in this family if you were weak. The family head could hear every insult hurled at Yves and not bat an eye, because he wouldn’t babysit someone weak.
Harsh, but that was the reality inside my book. ƒrēewebnovel.com
I opened my mouth and said, "There is no point in punishing you. After all, I deserved all the slander since I was weak and hadn’t awakened. That’s just how us Laurents function."
"Let bygones be bygones, and let’s start anew. I look forward to working with you all." I took a step forward and patted his right shoulder.
My words slowly started changing the expressions of every servant: some were surprised and shocked, others showed respect, while some still had fear in their eyes — but my speech seemed to have made some impression on them.
General Lee looked up at me and nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Pay respects to the young master!" General Lee called out.
The rest of the servants knelt as well.
"We congratulate the young master on his awakening!" They all said in unison, loud and clear.
I smiled widely. "Thank you very much. You can get back to work now, and please clean this mess."
"Yes sir!" They all stood up and each went their way, while others cleaned up the bloody floor and got rid of the bodies.
I walked towards the mansion and asked a maid to prepare me a hot bath and a meal that could feed a family of five, because I was starving.
All this work had made me hungry as hell.
Just before I got to the mansion entrance, I stopped and looked back at one of the knights.
I had almost forgotten.
"Right, don’t forget to fetch the body of the maid in the lake. She tried to kill me, so I won’t give her a proper burial — feed her body to the wolves."
I saw a maid at the corner of my eye flinch at my words.
The knight I had addressed seemed slightly shocked by it but quickly nodded and disappeared around the side of the mansion.
I turned around and walked inside.
...
General Lee watched Yves’s back as he disappeared into the mansion, a quiet look in his gaze. But despite his outward composure, his head was filled with questions.
How had the young master he knew — the one called useless, deemed a failure, unable to awaken — changed so suddenly in the span of hours?
The boy who had always ignored his servants, never complained about how they treated him, and kept his focus on training had just killed five knights minutes ago without even flinching, like it was a perfectly normal thing to do.
It was a sudden, jarring change that left him shaken.
And he was not mistaken — the boy had awakened. It didn’t matter that it was later than the other children. All that mattered was that he had awakened.
But even so, could he close the gap with the others?
What Main Story had he awakened on? Was it on the level of the other children?
He didn’t know. But he sure wanted to see where this boy was headed.
’This is going to cause an uproar in the family.’ General Lee thought, a smile forming on his lips.
A change was coming to the Laurent family. And not everyone was going to like it.
...
Walking up the stairs of the luxurious mansion — now mine.
Heh. Mine.
I soon reached my room, which had a door made of refined wood. Standing in front of it was the maid I had asked to prepare the bath.
She opened the door and said:
"Your bath is ready."
I nodded and stepped in.
The room was large — walls made of white marble, a crystal chandelier hanging from the tall ceiling, a small table stacked with books beside a chair placed next to two large windows, a bookshelf to the side. And in the middle, a large king-sized bed with ironed black blankets and white sheets.
Yeah, most bastard sons or children of concubines had it rough and lived poorly, but Yves was a different case entirely. He was rich.
After familiarizing myself with the room, I was about to undress when I noticed the maid was still inside, hands clasped in front of her.
I looked at her. Her face was red.
"Um... does the young master perhaps need any assistance with the bath?" She asked, the blush on her face deepening.
Why was she blushing?
"Assistance...?" I asked with a frown.
"Y-yes." She said.
What kind of assistance?
Was it like... helping their young master bathe?
Why would I need help with that? I could clean myself just fine —
Then it clicked. I understood exactly what she meant and why she was blushing. I had completely forgotten what kind of world I was living in.
She wanted to fuck me.
Oh hell nah.
You can judge all you want, but I believed a person shouldn’t just sleep with anyone other than their significant other.
"Ah, no thank you." I said.
A disappointed look flashed across her face, but she bowed and said, "You can call me anytime."
’I will not call you.’
Then she closed the door behind her.
