Knight Lords: Infinite Simulation and the Path of Light

Chapter 141 Leisurely Daily Life

Since Rihanna dropped out of the Royal Academy and transferred to the Imperial Military Academy, the Imperial Roses group has been on the verge of disbanding after losing its leader.

After attending several events organized by the sisters in Rose, Uri felt it was all rather pointless and even a bit speechless, so she completely severed ties with them.

This has made Uri feel rather down lately, and even when she has dinner with Haven, she seems distracted.

However, Haven was having a great time with some new friends and didn't notice the little girl's condition, assuming it was just her period.

"Hey, Haven, you were really amazing yesterday. Tell me, tell me, how did you do it?"

A plump man with short, reddish-brown hair eagerly surrounded Haven, asking him questions. He was Haven's new friend. Heiman, from the Hoylund family of the eastern province, had quickly become a friend of Haven's after being introduced to him by Cuban during a bath.

For Haven, Seaman was far more competent than Cuban and Lori, after all, he was much more interesting than the two of them. After several meals and gatherings, the two had established a firm revolutionary friendship.

"He-Man, that's luck. I'm blessed by Lady Luck, so I can win whenever I want."

Listening to Havent's pretentious words, Heman didn't show anything, and even agreed and believed him. After all, before he met Havent, no nobleman had ever been willing to truly open up to him. They all just treated him as a wallet that could be summoned and dismissed at will.

Speaking of which, the Hoylund family, as the least prominent minor viscount among the many nobles in the eastern provinces, actually controls enormous wealth. The Hendry Merchant Guild, which ranks at least among the top five in the empire, is run by their family.

However, the relatively weak power of the nobility meant that this wealth did not bring them much enjoyment. Instead, various forces saw it as a piece of fat meat, and the successive leaders of the Hoylund family, who were adept at navigating these complexities, did indeed demonstrate extraordinary abilities. Under such circumstances, they managed to maintain their dominance over the Chamber of Commerce, although the price they paid was still heavy.

This experience shaped Heman's cautious and timid personality, making him someone who never speaks in a way that would offend anyone. In this respect, he doesn't even seem like a nobleman's son, but rather more like a merchant's child.

“Yes, I believe you, Haven. I’ve been winning quite a few games following you these past few days. I know a really great dwarf restaurant, how about we go try it later? It’s on me.”

Seeing Heman practically throwing himself at him, Haven's brow twitched slightly, then he raised his hand and patted the latter on the shoulder.

"Hey~ Heman, I just think you're funny, we get along really well, that's why I consider you a friend, not for your money or anything else."

A dwarf restaurant! Come to think of it, I've never tried it before. Let's go find them at the library. I wonder what Uri's been up to lately. It's on me today!
"To be honest, I've been having pretty good luck lately, but gambling is such a pointless thing. Let's spend it all today and find something more meaningful to do."

Watching Haven's retreating figure, He-Man's fair and chubby face flushed red with a feeling he had never experienced before, but it quickly faded away as he strode after him.

"Alright, alright, Haven, you're treating to dinner. As for the activities after dinner, I'll arrange them."

By the way, I heard your cousin is getting married. I wonder if you've prepared a gift yet? If not, I can take you to the Chamber of Commerce to pick something out; they recently received a batch of high-end items.

Stepping out of his house and looking at the somewhat dazzling sun, Haven couldn't help but sigh again, "The capital is such a pleasantly warm place. If it were the North, it would definitely be snowing by now." He recalled how, when he was a child, Ancourt led him to build a huge snowman on both sides of the castle, and it felt like it had just happened yesterday.

"Oh yeah~ I had forgotten about it. It's really fast now. Well then, we'll have time to visit your business association later."

But why doesn't it snow in the capital? Is it still a winter festival without snow?

Heman, who had caught up, tightened his clothes. As an ordinary person with no talent, he couldn't even get into the most common warrior class because he couldn't persevere. The weather was already a bit cold for him at this time of year, and his fat body did not keep him warm at all.

"Hahaha~ Haven, you don't know this, do you? The first snow in the capital usually falls a week after the Winter Festival, and the winter in the capital is also very short, lasting about a month."

"Oh, I see~ Well then, I was thinking of building a snowman."

Wild Wind
Upon arriving at the dwarf restaurant that He-Man had mentioned, the decor was indeed very dwarf-like. Two huge steel hammers on the door made Haven think it was a dwarf blacksmith shop. The group sat at a table made of red copper and aimlessly flipped through the menu handed to them by the waiter.

“Brother Haven, why didn’t you go home again this week? Ms. Louise asked about it.”

Upon hearing Lori's question, Haven poked his head out from above the menu, his grey-green eyes looking at Lori with a questioning expression.

"I didn't mean for you to tell my mom that you have a study assignment that you need to finish quickly, so you won't be going back this week."

Seeing the disappointed look in Haven's eyes, Lori answered softly:

"But... but we used the same reason last week!"

"Oh? Really?"
Sigh~ It doesn't matter where you are, couldn't you just make up another reason?

Under Havent's disapproving gaze, Lori thought for a moment and decided to relay Ms. Louise's words to Havent. Otherwise, Havent, who didn't know the situation, would definitely be in trouble when he got home.

"Um, Ms. Louise hopes you can find some time to go back this week, and I think it would be best if you went back too, Brother Havent."

Sensing the unusual tone in Lori's voice, Haven noticed something amiss and put down the menu to look at Lori.

"What do you mean? Something about what you're saying sounds a bit off to me."

Lori hesitated for a moment, then organized his thoughts and said:

"Well, just a few days ago, Queen Caitlin went to the Marquis's mansion to meet with Lady Louise, but I don't know what they talked about."

However, after Queen Kateryn left, Ms. Louise asked me what I did every day at school. So I told her everything I did at school.

Then, Lady Louise asked me to tell you that you must make time to return to the Marquis's mansion this week.

After hearing Lori's words, Haven felt a chill run down his spine. Could it be that Queen Catelyn had told his mother about him beating Alice? That shouldn't be the case. It's too late for that. Besides, it was just a friendly spar, and Alice had come to play with him again afterward.

Did her mother find out about her fight with other nobles at school? That doesn't make sense. Would Queen Catherine go to her mother for something so trivial? That doesn't seem right either.
Still unable to understand, Haven looked again at Lori, who was sitting opposite him sipping her juice.

"Hey Lori, what do you think was the expression on Mom's face when she told me to go back?"

Seeing Haven's cowardly expression, Lori couldn't help but chuckle. Then she remembered that Haven was currently very upset, and she couldn't be like that. She had to share the hardships with Haven.

"Hmm~ um~ um~ you don't seem to have any particular expression, at least I don't see any anger in you, but you must have something very important to tell you." Hearing Lori's words, Haven couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, as long as it's not him, everything is fine.

"Alright, let's take a break this week and go back home. Let's order some food, let's order some food. It's rare that we don't have class today, let's find a place to relax later."

Seaman, sitting next to Kubant, immediately fawned over him, revealing a standard aristocratic smile etched deep in his soul.

"Hehehe~ Speaking of which, I just recently got a few cards. The Freya Tear Hall in the South Second District has just been renovated and upgraded. Shall we go and try it out later? I heard they've added a lot of new attractions."

Hearing what Hyman said, Haven immediately perked up. He mentioned that he and Lori had also gotten a card in Helgen before, but since coming to the capital, he had been going to the places that Kubant frequented. Although they were both high-end, they couldn't compare to the experience he had in Helgen.

"Hey~ that's great! I happen to have a membership card from them too. Cuban, are you coming later?"

After handing the matter over to Havent, Cuban was noticeably in much better spirits without the mental burden. Previously, he had been so exhausted that he looked like a listless old man, but after more than twenty days of recuperation, the light in his eyes looked like that of a young man.

Upon hearing Havent's invitation, Cuban, who was not particularly interested in such matters, would usually refuse outright. However, upon further reflection, he realized that he had already entrusted the heavy responsibilities of the North to Havent, and if he were to continue to be so distant in his daily interactions, he would be too lazy to enjoy his leisure time.

"Okay, let's go together after we finish eating. It's been a long time since I've been there."

"Hahahaha, okay, I thought you would refuse and go back to the library to read instead."

Sensing the sarcasm in Havent's tone, Cuban lowered his head and shook his head slightly with a self-deprecating smile.

"I really owe you a lot during this time, Haven. Without you, I wouldn't be able to be so relaxed now. To be honest, before you came, life here was a nightmare for me every day. During that time, I even thought that it would be nice if I fell asleep one day and never woke up again."

Hearing Cuban recount his life story once again, Haven felt sympathetic. After all, this guy preferred being a scholar to being a noble heir. Just like himself, his greatest ideal in life was to have some money and something to do, but not too busy. He could just squat against the wall every day, watching people come and go, and gossip about everyday life. He was already very satisfied with just that feeling of being alive.

"You must have had Yu Yu syndrome during that time."

"Huh? What?"

Kubant, holding his teacup and looking at Haven with a puzzled expression, was clearly not used to Haven's usual strange expressions.

"Um...it's a kind of mental illness. I read about it in a book. Let's eat quickly! This dwarf dish looks pretty good! Sizzle...sizzle...oh my god! It's so spicy!"

He had just put a piece of meat, made from some kind of monster, into his mouth when the pungent, spicy smell shot straight to the top of his head, and tears instantly streamed down his face.

Wow! This really works!

After downing a large glass of iced juice, Haven took a closer look at the dwarf dish that resembled black pepper beef cubes. Feeling a bit tipsy, Haven picked up another piece and put it in his mouth.

"Wow~~~~~ He-Man, this dwarf restaurant you mentioned is really interesting. Their food is amazing! Let's try some other dishes next time. But dwarfs aren't actually that short~~~"

He-Man, floating lazily on the surface of the bathwater like a white balloon, replied:
"I heard that the chef here used to be the personal chef of His Majesty Bangort of Ironforge, so his skills are superb. However, Chef Ralton doesn't show up at the restaurant much these days. The one who came out to greet us just now was his apprentice."

As for the claim that dwarves aren't actually short, I recall it being said that the major existing groups of dwarves trace their ancestry back to the Titans, but for some unknown reason, they evolved into their current form. If compared to the Titans' height, they are indeed considerably shorter.

Hevant, lying flat in the pool, nodded slightly after hearing He-Man's explanation. Speaking of which, the species in this world are indeed very diverse. He-Man had previously told him that there were many fish-men living on the islands near the sea in their eastern province. According to He-Man's description, these fish-men looked really strange, like a fat-headed fish that had grown limbs.

"Speaking of which, Alice hasn't shown up for a while. I wonder what she's been up to lately."

"Guluulu~"

As Cuban sank to the bottom, feeling his lungs about to give way, he leaped out of the water and swam to Havent's side.

“Hey, Haven, I have to remind you, although we are staunch royalists, I suggest you don’t get too entangled with those people in the royal family. Our princes are no pushovers. Especially since His Majesty hasn’t yet clearly identified which prince is the heir, which is making the already chaotic situation even more chaotic.”

Feeling the tingling sensation of the water rushing through his body, Haven was so comfortable that he didn't want to open his eyes.

"Aren't we subject to primogeniture?"

Kubant swam to the edge of the tub, took a bottle of mead from the ice bucket, and took a big gulp. The icy taste made Kubant shiver involuntarily.

"Yes, but the empire has been around for several hundred years, and for various reasons, this system has not been continued."

Even some of the most deserving successors failed to ascend to the throne for various reasons.

Therefore, although we are royalists, I think you shouldn't make the same decision as your father.

Listening to Cuban's rambling, Haven waved his hand dismissively. After all, humanity has no shortage of past lessons, but it's not like people have made much progress in dealing with similar situations. As for when we actually get involved, we'll see.

"Hey? Haven! Why is your arm glowing?"

He-Man lay leisurely on the bathtub counter, eating a fruit platter worth ten gold coins, and exclaimed in surprise when he saw the heart-shaped magic mark on Haven's arm light up.

"Huh? That's strange. Isn't that Serena..."

Before Havent could finish speaking, a bright silver portal crackling with electricity rapidly formed.

Haven! I miss you so much! I'm hungry!

As soon as she finished speaking, Serena, wearing the light blue witch's dress that Haven had bought for her, walked out of the portal.

"Huh? So many people~ Why aren't you all wearing clothes?"

"Um, Serena, let's take another bath. Also, you should knock on the door first."

(End of this chapter)