A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 147 The Wicked God

Sunset.

The rain that had been falling for almost a whole day finally stopped, and the carriage wheels rolled over the wet ground, entering the manor belonging to King Ron on the shore of Mirror Lake.

The magnificent Barroth building stands in the center of the estate. Unlike the Branson family next door, this estate does not employ as many servants. The king only stays here briefly when he visits Eswell, and on weekdays only a few royal servants are stationed here to take care of things.

At this moment, five stewards and maids were lined up at the door, one hand on their chest, bowing at a ninety-degree angle to the passing carriage.

This is not the Branson family next door. These five servants have served the Ron royal family for dozens of generations. They are nominally servants, but in reality, they enjoy diplomatic immunity. Even the Ron Kingdom's senator in Aswell treats them with respect. Their status is far higher than that of ordinary servants.

In the Southern Continent, the most significant difference between nobles and merchants lies in their servants. Noble servants are often treated as "family members" rather than "property," receiving cultural and etiquette education from a young age, and are cared for in their old age by their masters. Royal servants, on the other hand, are selected from the best of the best; their actions represent the face of the royal family, and they only need to bow their heads when they see nobles, with strict rules governing every aspect of etiquette.

When meeting the king, one must kneel on one knee, while bowing at a 90-degree angle with one's hand on one's chest is the second most important etiquette, usually reserved for princes or kings of other countries.

The carriage was extremely understated, and the horse pulling it was not a purebred Gallic racehorse, but a genuine old horse.

The carriage slowly came to a stop outside the manor gate. A black-haired woman waited at the door, giving the carriage a bright smile.

Instead of her favorite maternal dress and black stockings, she changed into a well-behaved everyday outfit, her hair tied in a youthful ponytail, exuding an elegance surpassing even that of a lady from a prominent family. If Quinn saw Amamiya Nene looking like this, he would probably instinctively ask, "Who are you?"

Not only was the horse pulling the cart old, but the driver was also an old man.

He looked to be in his twilight years; his gray hair had mostly fallen out, yet it was still meticulously combed back. A simple but stylish vest, suit trousers, and ramrod straight posture—he didn't look like an old man at all.

"Grandpa Frey!"

“Young Miss,” he chuckled, holding the reins, “it’s been a long time. You’ve become even more beautiful.”

Amamiya Nene immediately rushed over, hugged the old man's shoulders and shook him back and forth, overjoyed.

"Don't shake your Grandpa Frey until he falls apart." A gentle voice came from inside the carriage.

Amamiya Nene reluctantly let go and stood obediently to the side.

She rarely behaves this well. Even when Dean Fofmark scolds her, she usually appears lazy and "knows she's wrong but doesn't correct it." But now she seems to be acting out of character, being incredibly obedient.

The carriage door opened, the curtain was lifted, and a maid stepped out first.

She looked to be around thirty years old, with a gentle appearance. She had a similar sense of competence to the five royal servants, but her temperament was more peaceful. A beautiful iris was embroidered on the hem of her maid's uniform, which was in the style of the Eastern Kingdom.

"Little Sister Yi~" Amamiya Nene waved her hand softly, while the maid lifted her skirt to bow to her, then placed a wooden ladder on the carriage, and the person inside calmly walked out.

Amamiya Nene then weakly called out:
"Mom."

The woman's gaze fell on her, and she asked in a gentle voice, "Is your work at the academy very busy?"

"No rush, no rush."

Amamiya Nene chuckled.

"—If you're not busy, aren't you going home for Chinese New Year?"

The woman's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, and a slender hand grabbed her ear without hesitation, pulling Amamiya Ningning over and slapping her pert buttocks.

Frey and the maid, Little Yi, pretended not to see anything and turned their heads away in unison.

"Aww!!! I was wrong! Mom, Ningning was wrong!"

The woman didn't hit her hard, but Amamiya Nene still wailed pitifully. The woman didn't let her off the hook, giving her several more solid pats on the bottom before pulling her into her arms.

Amamiya Nene was a bit taller than the woman, but she bent down to make it easier for her to be hugged. She showed a simple, innocent smile like a little girl and obediently let her mother pat her head.

"Mom, what are you doing at Aiswell? That's rare to see you out."

"Can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong?" The woman's voice trembled with heartbreak as she cried, "My daughter isn't coming home for the New Year, and Mom misses you so much."

This tone was exactly the same as when Amamiya Nene teased Quinn, exuding a cunning and scheming air.

Amamiya Nene completely ignored her and turned to ask the coachman, "Frey, what's my mom doing here?"

Frey smiled and said, "The Holy Sword of Britain has appeared, and the Duke wanted to see it. He stopped by Eswell to visit you."

Amamiya Nene immediately showed a dissatisfied expression: "Eh, such weak maternal love—Hey, hey, Mom, stop pinching me, I was wrong!!"

The gentle head pat turned into a serious ear pull, this time with considerable force, turning the beautiful earlobe bright red, making one want to take a bite.

"If I didn't stop by to see you, how long would you have stayed out there before coming home?" the woman said irritably.

"What do you mean by 'wild'?" Amamiya Nene protested, dissatisfied. "I'm working! I'm a teacher! I'm nurturing the future hope of the arcane world!"

"Nurture hope? I was already trying to nurture you when I was your age."

Judging from her voice, one might think the woman is a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, her voice as clear and melodious as a bell, bringing joy to the heart.

"Fofmark wrote to me."

"Hey, what bad things has that fatso told me about now? Come on, I've been teaching really hard this year!"

"He said you almost got into trouble in the abyss."

Amamiya Nene was taken aback; she hadn't expected the dean to tell her mother about something like this.

"But you seem to be in good spirits, so there shouldn't be any problems." The woman patted her head. "I've told Fufumark that it's okay to work and not come home, but you're not allowed to go down into the abyss again, understand?"

"Oh," Amamiya Nene responded weakly. She couldn't help but snuggle into her mother's arms again; the soft, sweet scent of her mother was overwhelming, and her mama's girl tendencies were fully unleashed!

She knew that the British Holy Sword and such were just a side thing; her mother had gone out because she had seen the dean's letter and was worried, so she came to check on things herself.

The old arrogant one.

"Fofmark also mentioned in the letter that you seem to have a new teaching assistant?"

"..." Amamiya Nene immediately became alert: "What did he say?"

"He didn't say anything, just that you two get along very well."

The woman asked with a smile, "Where is that teaching assistant? May I invite him to dinner?"

What are we having for dinner?

"I am grateful for his support of my daughter's work."

“He’s on vacation today, I don’t know where he went.” Amamiya Nene didn’t want her mother to find out anything, so she interrupted her other questions directly: “—He’s on vacation tomorrow too, and the day after tomorrow too. He’s probably dead in the dungeon, so he doesn’t have time to have dinner with you.”

The woman was on the verge of tears: "Is my mother really that unpresentable?"

Time has left no trace on this woman's face. She looks like a sister to Amamiya Nene. Her temperament has a dazzling beauty, as if youth has remained forever in this woman who is over forty years old. One glance is enough to make your heart flutter.

"Oh dear—" Amamiya Nene tugged at her mother in a spoiled manner, "What's there to talk about? Come on, come on, I'll treat you to dinner with my salary. There's a barbecue stall run by people from the Western Continent near East Will, it smells amazing."

The daughter pulled her mother along as they walked towards the door.

As night approached, the sky after the rain gradually changed from blue to golden, until the sun set, revealing a starry sky and deep black. The clouds dispersed just then, and the sun was still behind the mountains, its warm and gentle sunlight falling on them, casting long, long shadows.

Where's Wangcai?

"At the academy, it seems like I'm going to shed my skin again lately; I'm always sleeping, not as lazy as my dad."

Has your sister arrived at Aiswell yet?

"She hasn't arrived yet. My stepmother said she'd come to the academy to find me when she gets there."

"You used to bully her all the time when you were kids, she wouldn't dare come looking for you. She's probably with Garen, I'll go to the pub tonight."

"What do you mean I bullied her! You treat your stepmother the same way. Dad always says that in a palace drama, your stepmother wouldn't last three episodes in front of you."

He chuckled slyly.

"Have you and your stepmother made up? Or are you still arguing?"

"Children shouldn't meddle in adult matters. Wait, do you smell of cigarettes?"

"hey-hey."

The daughter ran to the flower bushes, hoping to get away with being cute.

"I want to pick a flower for Mommy~ Mommy, Mommy, look, there's a flower—ouch!!"

"Waaaaah, stop pulling my ears, they're going to break!"

"Your dad taught you girls shouldn't smoke since you were little! Did you ignore him? You promised me you'd quit when you came home last time, do you think a little perfume will cover it up? It's infuriating—"

This time, he was really angry.

The incessant lecturing continued all the way until they reached the manor gate, where it finally stopped.

Amamiya Nene was wondering why her mother had suddenly stopped scolding her when she saw a girl soaked by the rain at the door.

She walked down the road with her head down, her steps unsteady and weary, even her beautiful pink curly hair seemed to have lost its luster, appearing listless and dejected.

"This girl is..." Amamiya Nene frowned in surprise, almost not recognizing her. "She seems to live next door."

The mother released her hand, her gaze remaining fixed on the girl until a look of heartache appeared on her face.

“What a wicked god,” she muttered, as if sighing.

"What?" Amamiya Nene didn't hear clearly.

"Go and ask the housekeeper to bring a towel." After saying that, the woman went up alone.

Xia Dai'er wasn't looking where she was going until the blinding sunset shone directly into her eyes. Her eyes, blurred by tears, stung. When she looked up, she saw the woman in front of her, who was as gentle as a goddess.

"Did something happen to the poor child?"

"No," Xia Dai'er shook her head subconsciously. Many people had shown her such concern on the road; beautiful girls are never short of help.

"It's nothing, my house is just ahead, thank you for your concern."

Are you a follower of the White Sect?

“Mmm.” Xia Dai’er nodded gently, her voice hoarse.

The woman revealed a bell bracelet on her wrist, which, like her wedding ring on her ring finger, was made of diamonds, sparkling like crystal and refracting the sunlight into a kaleidoscope of colors.

“I am Cardinal Amamiya Yu of the White Sect. Do not grieve, child. It was the goddess who brought us together here.”

(End of this chapter)