Chapter 47

In an era when communication was extremely underdeveloped, any noble who wanted to keep their information up-to-date always had to expend a great deal of manpower. In situations with limited manpower, how to balance this resource investment became a skill for those in higher positions.

By common sense, Francis could be considered a wise superior.

To intercept Sally, he arranged most of his subordinates to go to the seven or eight towns around Holler City, while he himself returned to the ducal mansion as quickly as possible on horseback—because as long as he arrived first, he could then leisurely "lay in wait" for his sister's arrival, comfortably taking control and making all the necessary preparations...

Such a decision seemed flawless to anyone. In the plains, anyone on horseback would be patrolled by Francis's subordinates, and if they went through the forest, how could they possibly outrun the fine warm-blooded horse he was riding?

Unless the other party could fly, Francis did not think Sally had any way to bypass his surveillance and return to Holler City.

Having taken so many measures, Francis felt very reassured. So when he appeared at the city gate of Holler City at noon, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and show a relaxed smile.

Imagining his sister helplessly running in the wilderness, Francis rode into the city with his head held high and chest puffed out—because of the rapid pace over the past few days, the people responsible for gathering intelligence had not had time to report anything about the city to him. However, Francis was not in a hurry; a noble should have the grace of a noble, and he planned to return to the mansion and then listen to his subordinates' reports.

Of course, another important reason was...

Francis had never ridden for such a long time before. He was now somewhat uncomfortable.

Riding fast horses for three consecutive days, he suffered greatly, almost unable to hold on. The saddle had rubbed his inner thighs raw, and the pain in his testicles made his lips twitch. But to maintain the "grace" of a noble, Francis did not dare to walk as soon as he entered the city, because once he dismounted, his walking posture would likely be as ridiculous as a turtle's.

So the young earl returned to the ducal mansion with a straight back. When the mansion gates closed behind him and the old butler Alpha came out to greet him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and stiffly climbed down from the horse.

"Phew..."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Francis, whose legs were bowed and dared not straighten, looked up and said to the old butler with a good mood, "Alpha, I don't want to ride fast horses anymore, it's really uncomfortable—"

"Heh, young master, you returned much earlier than expected."

"Yes, some things happened, the border has been unstable recently. Sally and I took different routes back, she's behind, and she probably hasn't arrived yet."

This was a reason he had already thought of, and Francis said it naturally. The old butler Alpha's expression did not change much, he smiled and just waved for the servants to help the young earl. However, after a few steps, as Francis was about to return to the mansion, the butler suddenly said, "Is it... that you and Miss are having some kind of competition again?"

"Competition?"

Francis raised his eyebrows, thinking about the past when he and Sally always competed, Alpha probably still thought they were "competing"? But thinking that this reason seemed logical, he nodded and said, "You could say that, this time... she's probably going to lose."

The young earl's smile was very confident and bright. Alpha, however, did not show much reaction, nodded, and turned to arrange the guard knights.

With the help of the servants, Francis returned to his bedroom. The first thing he did was take a hot bath—after a vigorous release with the plump maid he had possessed since the age of fifteen in the bathtub, he felt extremely refreshed due to the physical stimulation.

Sally was doomed, and the next step was to wait for his father to pass the title to him.

Francis wanted to laugh with joy, but his crotch ached from the excessive movements earlier, which made him very uncomfortable. So he lay sprawled on the bed, letting the maid carefully apply ointment to him.

In his mind, he imagined the glorious scenes of his future when he would wield power over the territory.

The Luciferon family, as an old noble family, had a power network that almost covered half of the empire. He had aunts and uncles who were nobles in other territories, and if he raised an army, the entire kingdom would tremble at the family's powerful might, he thought.

Just thinking about the once arrogant royal family bowing before him made Francis's lips curl up—

"Master, what has you so happy?"

"Many things make me happy, like... you here... have gotten bigger."

Francis, in a good mood, pinched and teased, causing the maid to coo. Her reluctant yet welcoming demeanor made him want to release his desire again, but thinking about the unfinished matters, he calmed down, got up, and prepared to have the servants report the latest information.

"Master... won't you rest a bit more?"

"No, I want to see how long it will take for my sister to return."

Francis replied casually, straightening the collar of his white shirt, his tone returning to a calm state.

"Miss Sally?"

The maid, who had just gotten up from the bed, put her dress back on and answered with some surprise, "Miss... she has already returned, hasn't she?"

"She can't return... ha—uh?"

Francis's expression suddenly froze, and it took a few seconds for him to realize something was wrong with the maid's words. His hand, which was adjusting his sleeve, stopped mid-air. "You... what did you say? She has returned?"

"Yesterday, Bishop Benjamin held a 'Rose Cross' temple speech and blessing ceremony in the square, and Miss Sally was announced as the new 'Candidate Priest'! Master, you just returned, so you probably didn't know? Miss—Master... Master?"

The maid, who was speaking, suddenly noticed that Francis's expression seemed off and hesitated in her words.

"You... you mean Sally has become a 'Candidate Priest'? I—do you mean... she attended the ceremony yesterday?"

Although he couldn't believe it, Francis still cautiously confirmed the news. To his relief, the maid shook her head.

That's right... the Rose Cross must have gone crazy, Sally couldn't possibly have returned.

He thought to himself.

"I didn't go to the scene, but I heard that Bishop Benjamin personally performed the blessing ceremony for Miss Sally. So Miss... must have returned."

The atmosphere in the bedroom suddenly became tense.

As an elementalist, Francis's body seemed to be struck by lightning, and the air instantly began to fill with floating magical elements. The maid standing beside him felt as if the young master was suddenly enveloped in a hot flame...

Francis turned his head, blinked, looked at the woman in front of him, tilted his head slightly, opened his mouth, and seemed to want to say something, but after a few seconds, he couldn't utter a word...

Sally didn't die...

Sally escaped...

Not only did she escape, but she also returned to Holler City before him...

Now, she had even become a 'Candidate Priest'?!

Where are my cavalry? Where are the intercepting teams? What about the alerts I set up along the way?!

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, and an unprecedented sense of defeat instantly enveloped Francis. The feeling of control and planning he had over the wolf cavalry, which had made Sally feel terrible, now seemed to be completely affecting him!

Struggling to integrate this information, Francis grabbed the maid's wrist and asked in a low voice, "You mean... you just heard about these things, and she hasn't returned to the ducal mansion?"

"Yes... yes, Master. Miss seems to have been resting at the Rose Cross convent for the past few days and has not returned to the mansion."

The maid felt her arm about to be crushed and quickly answered Francis's question.

This answer finally made Francis breathe a sigh of relief—because he realized he still had a chance to fight.

Although Sally had entered the temple, she currently could not use the temple's power to oppose him. In other words, Sally now had more than enough "defense" but lacked "offense."

But Francis was the opposite, because he... still held the initiative!

Realizing this, Francis suddenly relaxed, and after a few steps back, he plopped back onto the bed—this action, however, made him let out a pig-like scream...

He had forgotten that he was still in pain.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends