Chapter 399 399-The King's Wisdom

Chapter 399 399-The King's Wisdom

Vivia's gaze dropped as she took the paper bag, "I'll go with you."

Howard didn't reply, merely quickening his pace towards the direction the street child had fled.

The street child's trail wasn't hard to follow, as the middle-aged merchant was shouting all the way, so Howard quickly caught sight of the child again.Updated from n0velbIn.(c)o/m

Clutching a bundle, the child bowed his head and dashed, attempting to cross the street but then collided with a young man.

The street child fell backward, and the young man staggered from the impact.

Due to this collision, the merchant easily caught up to the street child.

He grabbed the child's hair and seized the bundle in the child's arms.

"Don't!"

The street child clung tightly, but the merchant, with a fierce tug, managed to pull the items away.

The bag tore open, and several items that looked like oranges scattered on the ground.

"Thief! Orc bastard!"

The merchant spat out, throwing the street child to the ground with disdain, then bent down to retrieve his fruit.

It seemed like the incident was over.

Although the surrounding crowd looked at the street child with disgust, beyond their disdain, there appeared to be no further action.

Howard stood within the crowd, not stepping forward directly.

He wanted to help the street child but not at the risk of involving himself in trouble.

Now that the street child's immediate trouble seemed to have subsided, offering assistance could wait until the crowd dispersed.

Acting now could easily draw unnecessary complications.

This was the wisdom of a king.

Deep-seated beliefs couldn't be changed with mere words or actions.

The merchant, muttering under his breath, didn't seem intent on beating the street child.

After sizing him up and determining there was nothing of value on the child to compensate for the loss, he gave up on causing further trouble.

However, another person approached the street child.

"Half-breed! You bumped into me just now!" The young man looked down at the street child from above.

"I... I can apologize," the street child said timidly, head bowed.

"Yes, I'm sorry, noble sir. It... it wasn't on purpose! Please forgive me!"

"Forgive?" The young man sneered as if he had heard something amusing.

"A half-breed deserves forgiveness?"

He bent down, grabbed the street child's hair again, and forcefully lifted his face.

"A half-breed deserves forgiveness!"

Pain flashed across the street child's face.

Howard narrowed his eyes, ready to take action.

Besides wisdom, a king's might was also not to be underestimated.

"Are you going to let go, or shall I make you?"

Faced with Howard's calm gaze, the thinner follower froze, unsure of what to do.

Caught between his master and an opponent who seemed formidable, choosing either side promised trouble.

The young noble finally noticed the commotion behind him and turned around.

"What's going on! Can't you handle a simple task? A bunch of useless fools!" he snapped impatiently, then froze in place.

He couldn't comprehend how, in just the time it took to turn around, one of his men was on the ground, looking as though he wished he were dead, while the other stood there, stupefied.

Everything happened too quickly for him to react immediately.

"Hey! What are you doing lying there, playing dead? Don't want your wages anymore?"

The young noble kicked the fallen taller follower, unwittingly hitting the dislocated shoulder.

The follower's face instantly contorted, and he let out a scream almost akin to a pig being slaughtered, nearly passing out from the pain.

"Young... master, this guy... seems to be an adventurer!"

Adventurer?

The young noble paused for a moment.

Those brutes? Could brutes be more formidable than nobility?

Thus, without fear, the young noble walked directly towards Howard.

Howard faced the thinner follower with an expression of calm, asking again, "I'll repeat, will you let go, or do I need to intervene?" He was beginning to find the situation bothersome.

Originally intending to simply step in and take the street child away, the response from the followers had caught him off guard.

Now, with the street child under the control of the thinner follower, Howard found himself unable to proceed as planned.

"Hey! You looking to meddle?" the young nobleman coldly eyed Howard.

"Do you know who I am?"

"That has little to do with who you are," Howard replied, stepping aside to face both the young man and his follower directly.

"This child merely bumped into you; an apology should suffice.

What more do you want?"

"An apology solves nothing. She dirtied my clothes! This is fine silk!" The young noble pointed at a small stain on his garment.

"Why can't I take her back to wash my clothes for me?"

Howard fell silent for a few seconds, then sighed, "Am I really that bad at arguing?"

He took a step forward, deciding that if words failed, action was the next course.

Mana began to surge around Howard.

"So, I'll ask you directly, will you let go, or shall I make you?"

The young noble also possessed magical talent, albeit limited.

As Howard began to muster mana, the young noble, being in such close proximity, could feel it.

"Mana fluctuations?"

The young noble squinted at Howard, noticing the change.