Chapter 53: Receiving the Rewards, Before Facing the Problem

Strax and Samira separated, initially for the obvious reason that any association between them could now cause problems for him. While they would love to incite a war, they needed to gather strength first. For now, they would not appear together, although this did not mean much. They simply did not enter the duchy together, maintaining appearances for the time being.

"Shall we go straight home?" Strax asked, and Jason nodded. At this moment, Strax was wearing a classic black Victorian suit, with golden cufflinks adding an extra charm to his appearance. "I informed them of our arrival yesterday. Fortunately, no squad was sent to our location, or we might have had issues with appearances; they still believe the young master is weak," Jason commented.

Strax smiled with satisfaction. If they knew that Strax now used magic instead of swords, there would be a significant problem. This was precisely why they left no assassins alive besides Carlos; Carlos wouldn't spread information about him so easily, unlike the others.

"All we have to do is pass through the gate," Jason commented. However, Strax was not very confident. It seemed as if something different might happen, as if he could sense something coming.

They rode lightly, cutting through the lines of visitors. Everyone looked at the man and the knight in silver armor with the duchy's insignia. Strax heard some murmurs of discontent, as many of these people had been waiting for hours and this man was cutting the line. It was indeed irritating, but what could they do besides curse under their breath?

"Tsk, I hate this," Strax commented. He had long endured the malicious looks directed at him, but the current Strax would not accept such treatment. It might seem like arrogance, but he wanted respect for once. "Calm down," Jason said, turning his attention back to him. After all, he needed to maintain peace now.

He didn't know the current state of the knights; the probability of this place being in chaos was high.

"Halt, identify yourself," two halberd-wielding knights stopped Strax, who was ahead of Jason. He looked at the two knights with a serious gaze. "Identify yourself or go to the back of the line," one repeated. Strax was not pleased with this treatment and was about to cast a spell, "Isolen—" but fortunately, Jason intervened.

"First-Class Knight Vorah, Jason Gorthan, reporting back from a contact mission," Jason stepped in front of Strax. "And who is this man?" Another knight, a bit farther away and seemingly older than the halberd bearers, approached.

Jason looked at Strax and nodded. Seeing this with disdain, Strax pronounced, "The youngest son of Duke Vorah, Strax Vorah." The knights quickly changed their demeanor and knelt immediately, the sounds of their armor echoing in the air. "Welcome back, young master!" they said in unison. Strax's expression turned slightly confused. It was the first time he received respect like this; it was very...

new to him. "She notified them of my arrival," Strax said, and the knights trembled. "Y-Yes, Lady Xenovia personally delivered the message," the older knight commented, as if he had seen a ghost, and quickly handed Strax a white letter with a fire mark and a black seal.

"Damn..." he murmured, breaking the seal on the letter. He had already feared the worst, but... "Welcome back, my dear brother." Upon reading this, Strax froze, and even Jason turned pale upon realizing it was just a... welcome letter.

"I hope the knights didn't treat you poorly. I spared their lives earlier, hoping they would recognize you and not treat you like any commoner. Come to our home and seek me in my building," he read aloud. The knights trembled completely. "P.S.: If they mistreat you, I will return later to fulfill the promise I made to them," the letter added. Strax lowered the letter and looked at them.

"You guys are quite clumsy with your lives, huh? You should resign. If you can't follow orders, you should go to the fields," Strax said, and the knights exchanged glances. Part of it was true, but...

"The salary is really good," one of them commented. Strax looked at Jason, who let out a light chuckle upon hearing them talk. "Pff..." It was the first time in a long while that he saw Jason smile or laugh at something. Jason had been quite anxious throughout the mission, possibly because of Xenovia?

It wasn't something Strax could know, seeing how supportive Jason was of the men. He observed the scene, and the knights ended up laughing at their comrade. "Alright, I won't tell Xenovia about today," Strax said, smiling. The three knights looked at him, surprised, and said in unison, "Thank you very much, young master!"

Even Jason couldn't believe what he saw, but he kept the smile on his face. "Let's go, Jason. I need to meet that demon," Strax said, smiling. "Don't tell her about this, okay?" Strax said to the knights who had already regained their composure. "Tell her what? Did you hear anything, guys?" the older knight asked, and they shook their heads.

"Not a thing," Strax just laughed and continued through the massive gates.

"He's... not a bad guy, is he?" one of the halberd knights said, and the other agreed. The leader, the gatekeeper, commented, "He's already a cultivator..." The two knights looked at him. "But wasn't he a useless person?" These questions lingered in the minds of the three knights, the first people to see Strax, now curious about who this man was and what he might represent in the future.

As for Strax? He had no idea what those three knights were thinking. He just thought they were foolish enough to disrespect Xenovia.

[Name: Strax Vorah]

[Age: 18 years old]

[Cultivation: Supreme Cultivator of Condensed Stage (*Energy Condensation* and *Mana Condensation*)]

[Talent: Rare]

[Race: Human]

[Physique: Dragon-Demon (Advance Cultivation to unlock its sealed powers)]

[Level: 20]

[HP: 385/385]

[Vitality: 27]

[Resistance: 20]

[Strength: 25]

[Agility: 20]

[Intelligence: 18]

[Defense: 25]

[Blank Points: 0]

[Harem Members: Beatrice von Stainhardt, Samira Blaze]

[Abilities: Inventory (S), Complete Vorah Cultivation(5*), Brutal Cut (1*), Sword of Tomorrow (1*), Glacial Ice Manipulation (5*), Fire Manipulation (5*)]

[Harem Abilities: Incubus(SSS), Analysis(SSS), Dual Cultivation(SSS), Love Copy(SSS)]

Strax saw the message and internally...

"HAHAHAHA IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT! NEVER DOUBT A SYSTEM!" He roared internally.