Long En Campbell.
The current head of the Campbell family, one of the four great ducal families of the empire.
And also, a crowned-level powerhouse who has earned the title of “Lion King”!
Who could be a better teacher than a father who is right there, experienced, incredibly powerful, and willing to impart all his knowledge to you without asking for anything in return?
No one!
“Mu’en Campbell, oh Campbell, you really deserved that miserable end. You had a treasure trove right in front of you and didn’t even realize it.”
Mu’en gleefully looked at the name on the paper, once again feeling that his future was full of light.
With the personal guidance of this bargain father, a top-tier powerhouse, plus the Black Book that allowed him to practice anytime, wasn’t his strength going to skyrocket?
“And then there’s the second point.”
Mu’en picked up his pen and continued writing on the paper:
2. Safety.
Compared to having a good teacher, safety was actually the most important, as it concerned Mu’en’s life.
But the reason it was listed second was because Mu’en suddenly realized this issue wasn’t that urgent.
Why?
“Well, of course, it’s because of Father!”
All along, Mu’en had been stuck in a blind spot, thinking that so-called safety depended on his own strength, which was why he had been so anxious to become stronger.
But just now, when he remembered the reassuring name of his father, he suddenly realized…
Why was he in such a hurry? Father was so strong, and as long as he hid obediently behind him, who could possibly harm him?
The assassination attempt on Celicia had indeed nearly cost Mu’en his life, but because of that, the Duke’s Mansion was now so heavily guarded that not even a mosquito could fly in!
Hmph, want to slice me into pieces? Father will snap your knife in half!
“Decided, from now on, I’ll be a homebody!”
The more Mu’en thought about it, the more excited he became. It was like he was a broke scoundrel buried in debt, only to suddenly discover that his long-dead father had left him five apartments in the third ring of the capital. Life was full of surprises indeed.
“Hmm, with these two basics, formulating a plan like this should be correct.”
Mu’en looked at the newly devised plan on the paper and nodded with satisfaction.
– Be a homebody. (School? What school? Does school have cute maid girls?)
– Learn martial techniques from Father.
– Practice, then refine myself through the Black Book.
– At least become a fifth-tier powerhouse before making a dramatic appearance to shock everyone!
“With this plan, no matter how cruel and unpredictable fate is, I’ll handle it with good old-fashioned turtling!”
“Hehahaha, I can’t wait to see the protagonist’s horrified expression when they find me in the Duke’s Mansion years later, only to discover I’m no longer that useless blonde moron who let them trample over me!”
…
Just as Mu’en was getting excited about his perfect plan, a voice came from outside the door.
“Young Master, are you awake?”
“Ah, yes, I’m awake. What’s up?”
“Lord is looking for you.”
“Huh? Father’s looking for me at this hour?”
Mu’en glanced at the time and realized it was still early morning, not even time for breakfast.
“Looking for me so early, must be something important, right?”
“Whatever, even if it’s important, it’s probably not a big deal. It’s probably still about Celicia’s assassination attempt.”
Without giving it much thought, Mu’en quickly washed up and headed out of the room.
An was already waiting outside.
“Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
After greeting An, Mu’en headed toward the study as usual, where his father would often read the empire’s latest news in the morning.
But this time An suddenly stopped him. “Young Master, Lord isn’t in the study.”
“Oh? Then where is he?”
“At the mansion’s front gate.”
“The front gate? What’s he doing there so early in the morning?”
Mu’en was puzzled but followed An toward the front gate.
“Good morning, Young Master, Head Maid.”
Along the way, maids bowed respectfully to Mu’en, who nodded in acknowledgment.
But he soon noticed something odd.
“Head Maid?”
Mu’en looked at An in surprise. “Were they addressing you?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
An bowed slightly.
“Recently, I was appointed the new Head Maid by Lord.”
“New Head Maid… What about the old one?”
“She resigned due to the incident.”
“I see.”
Mu’en realized the situation.
The arrangements for the coming-of-age ceremony were all handled by the Head Maid, so when something like that happened, the former Head Maid naturally couldn’t escape responsibility.
“I’m really sorry, it was because of my orders.”
“Young Master, there’s no need to blame yourself. It’s not your fault.”
An comforted softly.
“Besides, even without this incident, the former Head Maid was already planning to retire in a year or two. This just let her rest a bit earlier.”
“Father must be really sad, huh.”
Mu’en sighed.
Just like how An was his personal maid, the former Head Maid had been Father’s personal maid. Unlike An, who was about the same age as Mu’en and had been trained from childhood, the former Head Maid was over ten years older than Father. To Father, who had lost his parents early on, she was like a mother figure.
Father must have been very reluctant to let her go.
“But still, congratulations, An.” Mu’en smiled.
“Nothing to congratulate.”
An remained low-key, not as happy as Mu’en imagined.
“Being the Head Maid is too busy. I hardly have time to stay by Young Master’s side now.”
“That’s a good thing. We’re not kids anymore, we have to grow up on our own, right?”
“Grow up… on our own?”
An suddenly lowered her head, her expression unreadable.
For some reason, Mu’en felt her tone had turned a bit cold.
But he didn’t pay it much mind.
“Young Master, are you saying that one day we’ll have to part ways?”
“Well, isn’t that inevitable?”
Mu’en turned, resting his hands behind his head, gazing at the clear blue sky outside the window.
The weather was nice today.
“We all have to live our own lives, An. You shouldn’t be bound by your role as a maid.”
As a good young man influenced by socialist values, Mu’en believed that even being a maid was just a profession. An shouldn’t address herself as his servant, nor should she tie her fate to a blonde villain like him, who could kick the bucket any time.
Just like in the original story, ending up hanged.
“So, An.”
Mu’en turned back, a standard smile on his face, combined with his handsome features inherited from his mother, shining as brightly as the morning sun outside.
“If you ever meet someone you like, just tell me. I’ll let you go.”
“Brave the pursuit of your happiness. That’s what I want for you, and also my gratitude for all you’ve done for me.”
…
“Part ways?”
Staring at Mu’en’s back, An’s eyes suddenly filled with a dense, terrifying darkness that was constantly surging.
“How can you say such things, Young Master?”
“We can’t be apart.”
“Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never…”
“Never ever.”
An bit her nails, a chilling grin creeping up her face.
‘We will… always be together, Young Master.’
