The Herb King

"Do you want to check our other weapons, Sir Aethelwolf? We still have a few top-ranked Refined type weapons in our shop." Enrique said with a proud look. He was the one responsible for crafting the best Refined type weapons in their shop!

Leric shook his head and declined tactfully. "I'd love to. Unfortunately, I have to meet up with Miss Samira Reynolds. I can't let her wait for me."

"Oh? The young miss of the Reynolds Household is actually here in Vale City?" Enrique and Chris exclaimed in surprise.

Samira Reynolds was one of the top talents of the empire. Many young nobles tried to ask her hand in marriage, but none of them managed to enter her sights! However, there are still many young scions who never stopped in their attempts.

Leric nodded his head. It seems like Samira was quite popular in the empire. Even the patriarch candidate of the Maynard Household knows about her. Well, it wasn't surprising especially after knowing that Samira is a great beauty and a top talent.

"Gentlemen, I have to take my leave now. I hope to see you in good shape soon, Sir Enrique." Leric smiled as he bid them farewell.

"I'll make sure of it, Sir Aethelwolf! Cousin, take Sir Aethelwolf to the exit." Enrique replied.

Manager Chris accompanied Leric toward the exit.

"You can go back now, Manager Chris. I know the road." Leric waved his hand and walked away like a carefree wanderer.

Manager Chris imprinted this peerless image in his mind before he went back to Enrique's room.

"Sir Aethelwolf has left. What are we going to do with this guy?" Chris asked his cousin while pointing at the unconscious young servant.

Enrique's face darkened as he replied through gritted teeth. "I'll interrogate him first!"

***

Leric didn't immediately go back to the meeting spot. He decided to take a stroll in the busy market of Vale City.

Suddenly, he saw that there were a few red dots in his [Virtual Map].

Seeing this, Leric's eyes turned cold. His figure blended into the crowd before disappearing like a phantom.

Crouching on top of a building, Leric used his enhanced vision to observe the lurking enemies. He noticed that they were secretly spying on the guard who was supposed to meet up with him.

"They are wearing normal clothes so no one can identify their origin, but other than the Northern Viper Group, I can't think of anyone who would dare to tail the guards of the Reynolds Household." Leric counted the red dots on the [Virtual Map] and discovered six enemies hidden among the crowd.

"Should I kill them?" Leric muttered with a cold look, but he then shook his head after carefully thinking.

"They might be alerted if they find out that their scouts are killed. I'll just let them be for now…" Leric was astonished at how casually he could speak about killing. In his past life, killing was a serious crime and it was punishable by law. The offender would end up in jail until his death! However, the Regalis Continent has a different set of rules. The strong can do whatever they wish, while the weak could only follow everything they set up. As long as you have sufficient power or background, you can escape being punished even after killing someone! This is a dog-eat-dog world!

Just as Leric was about to go down the building, he noticed that a big red dot has appeared in his [Virtual Map]. Based on the size of the dot, Leric could immediately tell that the newcomer was a strong Level 3 Esper!

"I have to be quick or that guard might be killed!" Leric immediately got down from the building and put on his casual look. He walked towards the guard and smiled at him.

The guard spotted Leric and bowed at him. "Sir Aethelwolf, I was sent here by Miss Samira to wait for you." The guard was awestruck by Leric's temperament. The sword behind his back looked extremely domineering!

"Alright. Take me to see her." Leric said while observing his [Virtual Map]. He noticed that there were more red dots. They were about to take action, but his sudden arrival made the enemies abandon their plan.

Leric heaved a sigh of relief when he noticed that they had retreated.

The guard noticed that Leric looked alert. He immediately surveyed the surroundings, but he didn't find anything amiss.

The guard took Leric to a high-end building. From the architecture alone, he could tell that owner has placed great detail in the design.

"Sir Aethelwolf, Miss Samira is in the dining area of the building." The guard said as he opened the door for Leric.

The interior of the building was also fancy. From the looks of it, the owner must have hired a professional designer to make the building. There were even beautiful ladies dressed in alluring clothes serving the customers.

Soon, Leric spotted Samira and her two maids. They were conversing with a man who seemed to be in his middle twenties. He had a short blonde hair and was dressed like a noble. There were also four men standing behind this guy like loyal servants. They exuded great pressure that was comparable to Samira's guards.

Leric didn't want to intrude in the middle of their conversation, but he saw that Samira was waving her hands at him with a smile. "Sir Aethelwolf!"

Skylar and Kathlyn also greeted him politely.

The blonde-haired man frowned upon seeing this. Who was this guy? He seems to have a good relationship with these ladies.

"I apologize for coming late, Miss Samira. I met a few obstacles along the road." Leric muttered apologetically.

Samira shook her head and stared at him with a gentle expression. "You don't have to apologize, Sir Aethelwolf. Come! Sit here with us!" She invited him with a smile.

"Thanks!" Leric sat in between Samira and Skylar.

"Miss Samira, is this gentleman a friend of yours?" The blonde-haired man asked.

Samira nodded her head. "Yes! This is Sir Aethelwolf. He is an Alchemist. I invited him to our residence to check my grandfather's condition."

"Oh?" The eyes of the blonde-haired man flashed with a glint. He then smiled at Leric and introduced himself with an air of confidence. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Aethelwolf. I am John Phillip Manzano, the Captain of the army stationed in Vale City."

"The pleasure is mine, Captain John Phillip!" Leric replied with a calm smile. He noticed that this army captain was looking at him with wariness.

'Did I land myself into trouble again?' Leric muttered to himself helplessly.