The stranger seemed rather cocky.
He reminded Roland of Bard when they first met. At that time, Bard was as condescending and sarcastic as this man.
But Bard’s attitude gradually changed after all the incidents that followed, and he and Roland finally became friends.
So, Roland had deja vu when he saw the man, as if he were back to months earlier.
“Felwood, why are you in my manor?” Bard seemed unhappy, if not angry.
The man slowly walked toward Bard and mocked, “Isn’t it perfectly normal for an older brother to care for a younger brother who is about to be kicked out of the family?”
Roland was slightly surprised to hear that.
Bard looked at Roland guiltily and said, “Stop being a hypocrite, Felwood. You should be the happiest to see that happen.”
“Hahaha!”
Felwood burst into laughter, then focused his eyes on Roland. Observing him for a while, he asked weirdly, “A Golden Son?”
He seemed both disrespectful and somewhat scared.
So, the smile on his face became very odd.
At first, Roland didn’t understand why he was wearing such an expression, but then he realized that it was probably because of the players that Antis mentioned.
Stabbing themselves for money, resurrecting again and again after death, and running about naked, the players did leave an impression that they would do anything for money. But they also made everybody envious because they never died.
Furthermore, Roland was dressed differently from the previous players, who were all Warriors or agility classes.
Roland was a Mage, and every spellcaster was revered even if they were from a different race.
For example, even though people hated orcs, nobody dared to underestimate a Shaman diplomat in the human world or make any racist comments in front of him.
Thinking that through, Roland smiled and said, “Yes.”
Felwood observed Roland for a while longer and said with much less mockery, “Mr. Mage, you probably don’t know the latest news yet, but your friend, my brother, is about to be kicked out of the family. If he lied to you, you’re free to visit my manor. It’s not far away from here. Anybody on the street knows where it is.”
It was blatant poaching. Young Bard’s face was dark as if it had been dyed with ink. He glared at Felwood furiously and clenched his fists, but in the end, he didn’t do anything.
Roland nodded. “Got it.”
His voice was as casual as before. There was no telling how he felt.
Felwood couldn’t figure out Roland just yet. After waiting a few seconds, he looked at Bard with a gloating smile, before he returned to his carriage and left.
Bard didn’t say anything until Felwood’s carriage disappeared at the end of the street.
Roland heaved a sigh and asked, “How many brothers do you have?”
“Two,” Young Bard said. “He’s my second brother.”
“But I’m curious about one thing.” Roland thought for a moment and asked, “When Antis sent for you, I only mentioned Bard. Since you’re all surnamed Bard, how did the envoy find you precisely?”
“When Antis’s envoy arrived, we were all in my father’s manor,” Bard said. “He mentioned your name, so I came to you.”
Roland immediately got it. “No wonder he arrived the moment we reached your manor. He must’ve been eager to find out who your guest was and if your guest could help you make a comeback.”
Young Bard couldn’t have looked more awful.
Roland asked again, “Since you’re all surnamed Bard, I think I’d better distinguish you. His given name is Felwood. What’s yours?”
“Kaka.”
“Well, that’s a simple name.” Roland nodded.
“You mean a stupid name.” Young Bard, or Kaka, looked at the sky and said grimly, “It was my mother who gave me the name. My mother is the daughter of a merchant. I was mocked a lot for my name when I was little.”
“Is that really important?” Roland asked slowly. “Even if your name is Kaka and it’s unsophisticated, it doesn’t change the fact that your father is a grand noble. I think you’re too emotional.”
“You wouldn’t understand. Anyway, I don’t quite understand the Golden Sons.” Kaka sighed and said, “I’ve met a few other Golden Sons besides you. You have different personalities, but your eyes are similar. You stare at everybody as if they were loot.”
Roland burst into laughter. “Just a while back, Antis said that we looked at everybody as if they were gold coins.”
Kaka was briefly stunned. “I didn’t know that Antis felt the same… But it does make sense. He killed three Golden Sons in person. Also, he’s smarter and more gifted than me. It’s not unusual that he saw through things so clearly. Besides, the Golden Sons who were here a while back were truly… indescribable.”
Roland had been observing Kaka Bard and realized that he was truly not as confident as a few months earlier.
Roland looked at the manor and asked with a smile, “Are you not going to ask me to come in?”
“Oh… right.”
After a shock, Kaka led Roland to the gate of the manor, and two guards opened the gate and let them in.
At the entrance, Roland found that the guards were respectful but unnatural, as if they were only pretending to show respect.
They passed the courtyard and entered the study on the top floor of an extravagant three-story building.
There was the vague aroma of lavender in the study.
Looking around for a moment, Roland’s eyes stopped briefly on the bookshelf, before he asked, “I’ve been meaning to ask since just now. Why are you being kicked out of your family?”Kaka Bard’s mood had obviously been improved, but he was depressed again after hearing Roland’s question.
After a long silence, he finally said, “My father asked me to be the mayor of a town next to Sisilia, which is one of our family’s fiefs.”
“Inheriting a fief is not exactly being kicked out of your family, is it?” Roland asked again.
“The town only has a population of fifty thousand. The environment is terrible and the place has few yields. It’s always been the place where the members of my family are exiled when they make mistakes.”
Roland nodded and said, “Now, I understand why you’re buying derivative spells from me and even their copyright.”
Kaka Bard sighed helplessly. He had intended to keep it a secret from Roland, so that he could better negotiate with Roland.
However, now that Roland had learned the secret, he could only accept whatever prices that Roland gave him.
He only hoped that Roland’s price wouldn’t be too much for him to pay.
