Chapter 11: The Cultivation of a Noble
[Nadia has discovered the little secret you revealed.]
[She discovered the fact that you are not entirely righteous.]
[Incredible!!!]
[She feels you are even more real!]
[Nadia Conquest Progress: 42%]
[Congratulations! Conquest Progress exceeded 40%!]
[Reward Obtained “Nadia’s Favorite Color”: Pink]
“Oh ho? There’s such a good thing?”
Shelley hadn’t expected to obtain this secret, and ideas began to form in his mind.
“I must make good use of this reward to strive for a greater increase in conquest progress! But speaking of which…”
“Pink? How girlish! Miss Tia!”
Beneath the exterior of a cold and aloof Queen lies a maiden’s heart? This contrast is quite something!
“…Why do I feel like someone is targeting me?”
As a Legendary Sorcerer with a Destiny Bloodline, Nadia had always been keenly sensitive to danger and premonitions.
It was very difficult to plot against a Destiny Sorcerer! Let alone a Legendary one!
Any thoughts or plans that might harm her would be perceived by her.
Taking this ability a step further would enter the realm of deities; just like chanting a deity’s name allows the deity to gaze upon their believer.
“Who could it be? And the feeling isn’t very clear, as if it’s been obscured by something?”
Secretly raising her vigilance, Nadia continued to fly invisibly above Shelley.
…
“Not adding pressure to my awkward mentor, I really am considerate!”
Riding his horse back from the inn, Shelley didn’t go up to see his mentor but rushed directly back to the Duke’s mansion.
Although it was just past noon, Shelley already had to prepare for the afternoon outing. Preparing for a noble’s outing was quite troublesome.
“Shelley!!!”
“Lord Bowen!”
Just entering the mansion, Shelley, who had relaxed his guard, was startled by a roar that sounded like weeping blood, almost jumping off his horse.
Shelley: “????”
What’s wrong? What happened? Teacher Bowen, what are you doing?
Turning to look at the furious, sweating Bowen, and Old Wyder following behind who completely failed to stop him, Shelley sighed.
“Wastrels…”
“Old habits die hard!”
Dismounting and handing the horse to the guard, Shelley actively walked towards the two, wanting to know exactly what had happened.
“Bowen looks furious, not like he succeeded. Otherwise, he would definitely be grinning and mocking me.”
“Wyder… looks like he couldn’t stop him. Was Lydia exposed?”
Having some guesses in his heart, Shelley still maintained a puzzled expression, tilting his head to look at the two.
“Shelley! Why won’t you let me go to your room? You actually dared to have your people stop me!?”
Bowen looked incredulous, as if he had received some inhumane treatment, yet the content of his words contradicted his angry expression.
Ignoring him, Shelley looked at Butler Wyder, who was in a mess.
His usually neatly combed hair was messy, his bow tie was missing, there was a distinct bruise on his left cheek, and his monocle was cracked.
Although he didn’t really care inside, on the surface, Shelley still faintly showed an expression of suppressed anger.
He believed someone could see it!
“Lord Shelley, we didn’t stop Lord Bowen, but it’s fine…”
Observing Shelley’s face, Old Wyder hurriedly explained:
“But rest assured, Miss Lydia was not harmed in any way.”
“Lydia? What Lydia? Shelley, explain clearly! Why did you have people stop me?”
Finding that Shelley ignored him, Bowen became even more agitated, shouting at the top of his lungs, attracting the attention of others in the mansion.
“Bowen, do you really not understand the reason I stopped you?”
Ignoring Bowen who wanted to continue shouting, Shelley continued to explain calmly:
“Let’s think together, what did you take from my room?”
“You smashed three of my mirrors. Was it because you saw your own face in them?”
Shelley seemed to just realize it and said helplessly:
“Bowen, don’t take your anger out on mirrors for things like that.”
“You also swiped every kind of perfume I had. Although those were gifts from others and I don’t really care,”
“But, the smell emanating from you cannot be saved by perfume, do you understand?”
Speaking of this, Shelley seemed to suddenly remember something. Looking at the wide-eyed Bowen, he said with a serious expression:
“Also, you secretly took the love poems I copied from my bookshelf to give to a certain Marquis’s daughter.”
“Ah, we have no relationship. I only knew about this when she gave the poems to me.”
“After all, those were just things I copied in my spare time. If they’re lost, they’re lost.”
“I’m also very happy to be able to help you.”
Wyder stared dumbfounded at Shelley, who was talking eloquently, and Bowen, who uncharacteristically said nothing. He felt something was wrong!
“What is this situation!?”
Throughout this entire process, Bowen was very quiet. Apart from waving his hands angrily and jumping up and down, he didn’t open his mouth to refute.
It wasn’t that his personality had changed, but that Shelley had used Dominate Person on him today. He wanted to open his mouth but just couldn’t speak.
Shelley’s voice became increasingly high-pitched, and more and more people in the mansion looked over:
“As a noble, your conduct is extremely base.”
“As an elder brother, your behavior is also despicable.”
“And I, as a Paladin apprentice, have always indulged you because of our shared blood…”
“This is wrong! An extremely wrong behavior! My mentor would be ashamed of me if he knew!”
At this point, Shelley closed his eyes painfully, took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and said heavily:
“After this, I will repent…”
Everyone who understood the meaning in Shelley’s words was shocked. Was he going to judge Bowen?
And it looked like he intended to send him to Hell and the Abyss to repent thoroughly!
The furious Bowen also realized something was wrong. He tried to retreat but tripped over himself, falling heavily to the ground, looking up at Shelley.
Drawing the longsword from Bowen’s waist, Shelley looked at the terrified Bowen and shook his head bitterly.
“My Lord! Lord Shelley! You can’t do this! The Duke will not…”
Wyder rushed up and hugged Shelley’s raised arm tightly, but to no avail!
Shelley slowly raised the longsword above his head…
“Judge Ev—”
“Enough! Cough, cough, cough…”
An old shout interrupted Shelley’s words, causing everyone present to look at the newcomer.
“Go back, all of you! I want to see if your justice means making an old man who is about to die lose his child?”
At this moment, Shelley was like a devout, even fanatical Paladin, still tightly gripping the ornate sharp sword in his hand.
“Evil must be destroyed! The sins committed cannot be forgiven just because he is a child!”
“Besides, he is no longer a child!”
The old Duke struggled to stand up from his wheelchair, glared at his illegitimate son, and said loudly:
“And you are not a true Paladin either! Enough, I’ll send Bowen to a monastery for a year! How about that? Do you have anything else to say?”
Monastery? Hmm? Bowen? That could work!
No, I must ensure there are no women there!
Shelley turned his head to look at the aged Duke Bell, at this biological father whom he seemed not to have seen for many years.
Hidden in the shadows, his once silver-gray long hair was now dry as withered grass, and his majestic body had long been hunched like an evil ghost.
At this moment, he was panting painfully, standing with someone’s support.
It was hard to imagine that this was once a high-level warrior who almost stepped into the Legendary realm.
Compared to a human, he looked more like an undead creature right now.
“You mean… a Monk Monastery?”
Shelley didn’t care about his appearance and asked uncertainly.
“You! Cough, cough, cough…”
“Sigh… let it be so.”
Feeling somewhat drained, Duke Bell sat back in his wheelchair, staring at the sword in Shelley’s hand, and stopped speaking.
“…As you wish, respected Lord Duke Bell.”
“I hope life and cultivation in the monastery can make him understand the crimes he has committed.”
After a long silence, Shelley finally lowered the longsword under Bowen’s terrified gaze and sheathed it back into Bowen’s scabbard.
Patting Bowen’s trembling shoulder, Shelley looked into his eyes with sincere emotion:
“I am about to become a true Paladin. This is the last time I indulge you as a brother.”
“I hope you can correct yourself. Don’t make me judge you personally, my dear brother.”
Looking seriously at the shivering Bowen, Shelley stood up, bowed to the old Duke, and turned to walk towards his own residence.
Looking at Shelley, whose silver armor shone in the sunlight and whose appearance was outstanding, and then looking at Bowen, who was lying on the ground sweating profusely despite wearing luxurious clothes.
Wyder stepped forward to help Bowen up, sighing silently in his heart:
“If, if Lord Shelley wasn’t…”
“How good would that be!”
The old Duke looked at Bowen, who was lying there gasping for breath and cursing loudly. He didn’t speak, signaling the servant behind him to return to the room.
Looking at the portraits of past patriarchs in the corridor, he sighed almost inaudibly:
“My son…”
“Sigh…”
…
Shelley’s room wasn’t in the mansion but in a small building built separately on the side eighteen years ago. He had always lived there alone.
“Haaa…”
Closing the door, Shelley sighed deeply, patted his face which was about to stiffen, and whispered to himself:
“With this, Lydia is safe and can walk out of the room…”
“Although I really wanted to chop that idiot, my current identity isn’t suitable after all!”
“…Still need power!”
“Really don’t want to live hypocritically like this anymore…”
“Nobles are truly hypocritical creatures, heh!”
“Including me…”
[Acting is a necessary cultivation for nobles]
Nadia looked at Shelley’s disgust after his grand performance, feeling somewhat surprised and somewhat enlightened.
“Although I always knew nobles were hypocritical… I didn’t expect they could perform to this extent…”
Her brows suddenly furrowed slightly as she thought secretly:
“Then… how different are half-elf nobles?”
“All these years…”
****
Translator’s Notes
Teacher Bowen: A sarcastic reference, likely alluding to a meme or just mocking Bowen’s “teachings” on how to be a wastrel.
