Reincarnated

Chapter 25 - First Trouble (4)

"Ahem. So, you are Count Stan…" Marquis Heloin cleared his throat as he looked toward his right, as if there was something of interest there.

"Yes, Marquis Heloin." Filzer smiled brightly. He was feeling good.

'This bastard seemed to have forgotten to open the gate!' Marquis Heloin managed to calm himself after seeing the smirk appear on Filzer's face. And because of his now calm composure, he realized that the massive gate in front of him was still unopened.

They had been talking to each other with the massive gate in between them!

"Count Stan, I'm sure the reason for my visit is already clear enough for someone like you to understand?" Marquis Heloin knew he saw a smug look at his face as he raised his head and tried to look down on Filzer, seemed too tall no matter how he raised his head, the man standing on the other side seem to be standing on top of a mountain that he needs to look up to look up to him.

"Hmm? I don't understand, Marquis. How could someone like me know the brilliant Marquis' intentions?" Filzer acted innocent and as if he really didn't know the reason for the Marquis' visit.

However, 'I am too smart to try and understand your intentions,' that was the real meaning of Filzer's words.

"Ha. I came to make sure that everything is in place here," Marquis Heloin scoffed slightly and said with definite arrogance.

'I came to make sure you know your place.' That's the meaning behind the Marquis' words.

"For sure, the King didn't tell you to do so. You must be a very caring person, Marquis. My estate is already located outside the city, your territory, but you still care so much about me. But you may have wasted your time, Marquis Heloin." Filzer was smiling so broadly while speaking that it felt like his face was shining. However, that bright smile of his disappeared when he said the last sentence.

Marquis Heloin shivered after hearing his last name come out of Filzer's mouth. It felt like a centipede was threatening to go inside his ear as Filzer spoke his name.

"As you may know, the Count of Stan has always been the one protecting the border between the Heloin City and the Great Lands. You may have stationed your knights, soldiers and even hired some mercenaries to protect the one and only entrance, but have you ever thought of why those monsters never made their way out of that only entrance and exit?" Filzer spoke slowly.

It sounded like a threat to Marquis Heloin. However, it was not a threat but a warning and hidden advice spoken in a serious and cold tone.

"Who do you think prevented the monsters from going near the entrance? Who do you think protected the knights and soldiers you sent to protect your territory?"

Marquis Heloin could feel the sweat flowing down to his chin as he listened to what Filzer said. It was true that ever since the Heloin city was built and the Marquis had assigned some knights and soldiers to keep watch for the entrance of the Great Lands, not even a single monster ever showed itself at the gate, not even close. Although Marquis Heloin's goal was to protect his newly acquired territory and to prove that he was a responsible noble, he also had a different goal in mind.

And it was to know every single person who enters the Great Lands with the strength to come back in one piece. The reason for this was because the Marquis was preparing for whatever danger that he may face in the future. And to prevent that, he needed strong people, who he could control, to fight for him.

Filzer looked deep into the Marquis' eyes, which made the latter conflicted. He thought that those pair of eyes were looking at something deep inside him, which others must never find out.

Those pair of eyes were slowly but thoroughly digging through his deepest secrets. Secrets that the Marquis himself might not know.

"Are you saying that you have been preventing the monsters from crawling into my territory?" Marquis Heloin still had some pride in him today. He decided that he wouldn't do their first ever battle.

"..." Filzer was silent. And the answer that Marquis Heloin received was nothing but a smile.

However, that smile was actually not directed at him but at the person behind him.

"Hey, gramps. I brought our income for this morning." It was Cain.

Well, specifically, it was Cain covered in blood with an almost ten-meter monster corpse being dragged behind him.

"What?!"

"Isn't that a female lizard, lizardea?"

"He's covered in blood! Did he perhaps solo kill the lizardea?!"

The knights and mages with Marquis Heloin started creating a commotion after seeing the figure of no more than a fifteen-year-old kid dragging a monster corpse behind him while being covered in blood so casually!

Marquis Heloin was calm. In fact, his mind had no thoughts at all for a second after seeing the stature of Cain.

He regained himself after a second and noticed how the kid called Filzer, 'gramps'.

"Gramps? Is he perhaps your grandson, Count Stan?" Marquis Heloin tried to hide his astonishment behind his now indifferent facial expression.

"Yes. My goodness, look at you. Come inside and take a bath, I'v already made it so it's all prepared, not that it's hard doing it with magic." Filzer briefly answered Marquis Heloin and turned to Cain while flicking his finger.

The massive gates opened and the mages behind the Marquis all flinched. The magic that was used was nothing special. However, there seemed to be an underlying mysterious power, which made it seem not normal.

"I'll be the one to bring that to Telph, so no need to worry." Cain dropped the corpse and walked inside the gate.

Everything felt like it had been slowed on Marquis Heloin's side.

Cain's bloody back was turned to them and they didn't have a good look at his face, which was also because of the blood.

"Goodness, let me take care of the blood for you." Filzer used magic and made it so that the blood covering Cain disappeared into thin air.

"Thank you." Cain simply said and walked out on his own from the scene.

Silence was brought upon them by Cain's leaving figure and it was only after a few seconds did someone break it.

"Excuse my rudeness, Marquis, for not introducing my grandson. He was not in a proper state when he could have greeted you with that dirt on him." Filzer was the one to break the silence with a smile on his face.

'He worried about the blood but didn't care about his grandson's well-being!! It was like he was so sure he wasn't hurt. No, it was more like he was certain that child wouldn't get hurt!' Marquis Heloin's mind was in a massive mess right now.

He needed some time to organize his thoughts. His goal for today's visit was to let Count Stan know his place. However, it felt like he was put in 'his' place. Marquis Heloin was too proud to accept this result. However, he knew very well when to retreat and plan for a counterstrike.

"You must be worried about your grandson, we'll leave for today. You go take care of your grandson as he might be injured." Marquis Heloin couldn't do anything but make up an excuse he could use to leave.

"Of course, Marquis. Then, let us meet again some other time because, just as you said, I am quite worried about my beloved family." Filzer, in the end, was still such a tease.

Marquis Heloin's face looked like a crushed potato from holding back his rage and the humiliation he took from today's events.