Chapter 111: Clearing Up the Misunderstanding and Purchasing a Private Residence

"Old William, authenticate this for me. See if it's a noble family crest," Security Captain Wells said, knocking on the door and speaking into the room.

The old mage, hearing the voice, hurriedly tucked the item into his robes and glared at Wells. "Wells, one of these days, you're going to be the death of me."

"You old lecher, how old are you, still looking at such things?" Wells, unfazed, walked up to the old mage and spoke without reservation.

"Impudent! For an old man, looking at such things is for the sake of physical and mental pleasure, for longevity. You don't understand, so stop talking nonsense."

"Let me tell you, this thing here—"

"Fine, fine, you're right. Now, let's get down to business."

Wells waved his hands repeatedly, signaling that he understood.

"See that you do," the old mage cautioned. "Remember, don't say a word to my granddaughter."

"Understood. I won't mention it to the Deputy Chief. Rest assured."

The old mage nodded, took the family crest from Wells, and approached a magical instrument. He placed the crest on the device and channeled his mana into it. A stream of information materialized into points of light, which then flowed into the old mage's mind.

"Old William, how is it?" Wells asked impatiently once the instrument stopped.

"It's authentic," the old mage said, opening his eyes. "He is from the Aikes family. He is the fifth son of Earl Angus, the Eagle Earl, and his mother is Alyssa, daughter of the Duke of Moravia. Their family holds considerable power in the military. I hope you haven't offended him."

Wells froze, suddenly recalling whether he had acted out of line. He replied with a sense of relief, "No, no, I was very polite when I invited him to come with us."

"How exactly did you 'invite' him?"

"Someone reported that he was buying regional maps. We suspected he was a traitor working for the dwarves, so we took action."

"Be polite. It would be best to gift him a less important map."

"Understood. I need to head back immediately."

Wells grabbed the crest and hurried out of the room.

Elsewhere, Vaelin sat quietly in a chair, watching the four men standing nearby, their positions forming a wedge that blocked his path. He pondered how to break through this encirclement.

"My lord, I apologize. It was our poor judgment that wasted your valuable time. On behalf of the 15th Security Squad, I offer you our sincerest apologies. I hope you are not angry." Wells walked in with a map and the family crest, apologizing to Vaelin with a sincere attitude.

"Have you cleared it up?" Vaelin retrieved his family crest and placed it into his inner pocket, asking Wells.

"It was our fault." Assuming the man was still angry, Wells bowed and presented the map to Vaelin with both hands. "This is a relatively detailed map, and it contains a travel permit. It is our gesture of apology. Please don't take offense; it was our error to have caused you trouble."

"Forget it. It wasn't a big deal."

Seeing Vaelin accept the permit and the map, Wells let out a sigh of relief.

"Where is my horse?"

"Arno, go lead the lord's horse over here."

"Yes, Captain."

Vaelin mounted his red-phosphor horse, took the map, and headed toward the east gate of the Kurze Province.

Watching him ride away, Wells exhaled, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said with relief, "It's fortunate he was magnanimous, otherwise our 15th squad would have been in serious trouble."

When the other security guards learned the situation, they all felt a sense of relief—grateful that they had maintained a professional attitude during their patrol and that the man’s noble upbringing meant he would not hold them accountable.

...

Riding his red-phosphor horse, Vaelin opened the map and searched for Lando City.

Lando County consisted of one city and six townships, covering an area of approximately twenty-six thousand square kilometers. After estimating the distance—crossing three counties and passing through nine townships—he calculated it would take at least three days to reach Lando City.

"So far. Oh well, the sooner I start, the sooner I return."

Vaelin gritted his teeth, tucked the map into a pouch on his saddle, and pulled up his visor to block the wind before setting off.

Three days later, Vaelin let out a sigh of relief as the town appeared in his line of sight. He presented his travel permit, successfully entered the city, and began searching for the location he remembered.

"Number 76, Third District, Lando City, Kurze Province."

Vaelin looked at the house built of wood and mud, compared it with the number nearby, and confirmed he was in the right place.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Coming."

A moment later, a one-armed man opened the door and looked at Vaelin with suspicion.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Are you the owner of this house?"

"I am." The one-armed man looked Vaelin up and down. "Are you the one Old Thor told me was coming to look at the house?"

"Uh, yes, that's me," Vaelin replied immediately.

"Fine, come in."

The one-armed man opened the door wide, and Vaelin led his horse into the small house.

Inside, the house was completely bare; there was nothing left.

"Old Thor should have told you. One hundred gold coins, and this house is yours."

"The price is non-negotiable," the man added.

"If I may ask, this house is hardly worth one hundred gold coins. Why such a high price?"

"Buy it if you want, or leave," the one-armed man said, sounding impatient.

"Fine, I'll buy it." Vaelin took a pouch from his horse, counted out one hundred gold coins, and turned to the man. "When will you move out?"

"Right now," the man said calmly, his eyes devoid of any greed.

"Very well. The transaction is complete. The house is mine. Please give me the deed and title."

"One moment."

The man went into the room, returned with a pack on his back, handed over the documents, took the gold coins, and left.

Not long after, a worldly-wise old man arrived with a naive youth, but Vaelin sent them away with a few words. He then tidied up briefly and decided to rest, intending to look for clues tomorrow.

...

The one-armed man arrived outside another house and watched the shadows dancing through the window.

"Mother, when will Father come back?"

"Father has gone to the Goddess of Life's divine kingdom. When you grow up, he will come back."

"Really?"

"Yes. Tomorrow, I will send you to the magic academy to study, to bring honor to our family."

"But, that costs so much money, so much money."

"Don't worry, Mother will find a way."

The one-armed man took five gold coins from his pouch, tucked them into his shirt, sealed the pouch, and quietly slid it through a gap in the gate into the courtyard.

"Dol, this is all your brother can do for you."

With that, the one-armed man shouldered his pack and left.