Chapter 318: Chapter 315: Headache

Wally was very annoyed.

He had thought today would be as boring and leisurely as any other. After all, at the Golden Feather Palace, there weren’t many conflicts or assassins to deal with. Most days were just routine.

But he never expected so many young nobles to gather and cause a scene today.

Causing a scene was bad enough, but of all the patrols, his had to be the one to stumble upon it.

If they were commoners, he could have simply ordered his Knights to restrain the troublemakers.

But the young men and women before him were the scions of the Kingdom’s most powerful noble families. Forget restraining them—he had to speak to them with the utmost courtesy, lest he accidentally offend one side and bring disaster upon himself.

“My lords, my ladies, please, calm down!”

Wally wiped the sweat from his brow. While instructing his Knights to help everyone up, he spoke in a pleasant, placating tone:

“Everyone, this is the Golden Feather Palace. Brawling is forbidden. If you truly have a dispute, you can sit down and discuss it. If you cannot reach an agreement, you can even have an audience with His Majesty the King and let him decide.”

“Sir Knight, you saw what happened!”

Ronin, helped to his feet by a Knight, spoke first, his voice filled with anger. “These people not only used their superior strength to injure my two retainers.”

As he spoke, he stopped a nearby Knight who was about to help David and Tom up.

“My apologies. My retainers are severely injured. It’s best they don’t get up. Just let them lie there.”

Then he turned back to Wally. “They also ganged up on me. If you hadn’t arrived in time, I would have been killed by their Combat Skills and Magic!”

“Bullshit!”

The Red-haired Knight from the Villa Clan, also being helped up, couldn’t help but curse when he heard Ronin’s words.

“Sir Wally, please don’t be deceived by his words! His retainers were rude to us first!”

His companions immediately joined in the denunciation, and the scene devolved into chaos.

Ronin shouted, “My Knights were beaten so badly they can’t even stand up! Sir Wally, I demand justice for them! Forget a simple apology—at the very least, they deserve Five Thousand Gold Coins each for their medical expenses, not a single coin less!”

“Five thousand each? Why don’t you just rob us?” someone roared in protest.

The two young women even began accusing Ronin of lacking a noble’s decorum, calling him a scoundrel.

“Oh, that’s right. They also slandered my family and ganged up on me with the intent to kill. On behalf of myself and the entire Wushan Clan, I demand Fifty Thousand Gold Coins from you for damages to our reputation!”

The Red-haired Knight and his companions were already incensed by Ronin’s demand for Five Thousand Gold Coins. When he suddenly pivoted and demanded another Fifty Thousand Gold Coins for reputational damages, their fury became utterly uncontrollable.

They immediately drew their swords to fight again, but fortunately, Wally was quick enough to intervene, stopping a second brawl from erupting.

As they argued, more and more nobles, drawn by the commotion, began to gather.

Although they hadn’t yet figured out the details, they recognized the identities of the troublemakers and knew this was bound to be an exciting affair.

Some, eager to watch the drama unfold, even sent their retainers to notify other nobles.

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Wally felt more and more sweat bead on his forehead. ’I have to separate these two groups, and fast,’ he thought.

“Your Excellency the Count,” he began, addressing Ronin, “and Young Master Cross, Young Master Facundo, Young Master Harrington, Miss Sally, Miss Milanie, please forgive me, but this matter is beyond my authority to handle. How about this: please return to your residences for now, and I will arrange for a court physician to treat your injuries. At the same time, I will report this incident to His Majesty the King and ask him to pass judgment. What do you say?”

Wally’s words seemed to have an effect, and the arguing gradually died down.

However, the two parties had very different expressions.

Cross and the others had originally only planned to spread some negative rumors about Ronin. They never intended for a fight to break out, much less for the matter to be brought before His Majesty the King.

The situation had now escalated far beyond their expectations.

Ronin, on the other hand, looked rather relaxed.

“Sir Wally, I wholeheartedly agree with your suggestion! Please have my men taken for treatment, and be sure to inform His Majesty of this matter. This attack on me and the slander against the Wushan Clan cannot be so easily dismissed!”

As he spoke, he shot a vicious glare at Cross and his group.

“If a matter like this can be ignored, does that mean this group can just slander whomever they please in the future? If even a Marquis Clan cannot defend its own honor, will all the other Counts, Viscounts, and Barons in the Kingdom not even dare to breathe in their presence?”

Wally didn’t dare agree or disagree. He sensed a trap in those words, so he just wiped away his cold sweat and mumbled a noncommittal assent.

Ronin had no desire to continue a pointless argument in public. He had the Knights help Tom and David up and started walking toward a nearby courtyard.

’I’ll save the arguing for when I see Bruno,’ he thought.

“What do we do?” asked Facundo of Screaming Island in a low voice.

Cros Villa watched Ronin’s retreating back, clenching his fists in anger. But the slight exertion pulled at the injury on his chest, making him hiss in a sharp breath.

“Let’s go back first. We’ll talk then!”

Although the two parties had dispersed, the crowd of onlookers did not leave immediately.

Wally gestured pleasantly for everyone to disperse, but a noblewoman asked when he would be reporting the matter to His Majesty. She also expressed her hope that Wally would notify them when His Majesty was handling the issue, as they wanted to be there to listen.

Wally had no choice but to give a vague promise. Then, using the excuse that he had to see His Majesty, he hastily extricated himself from the troublesome scene.

Only then did the crowd reluctantly depart.

Soon, news of the conflict swept through the Golden Feather Palace like a storm.

Blanche was soaking in a bath, reminiscing about the wonderful day she’d had. But the news her maid brought froze the sweet smile on her face.

’How long have we been apart?’ she thought. ’And Ronin has already been ganged up on and injured.’

Driven by worry, Blanche cast aside all concerns for her image and had her servants take her to Ronin’s residence to see what had happened.

Ronin didn’t know anyone here, and Reis hadn’t come to the palace, so Blanche’s arrival was perfectly timed. She could identify the people who had attacked him.

The introductions were not reassuring. As she explained who they were, Ronin felt as if all his enemies had gathered in one place.

The grandson of the Villa Duke—the Red-haired Knight, Cros Villa;

The grandson of the Earl of Scream Island, Facundo Fleming;

The second son and eldest daughter of the Duke of Ferrensburg, Harlington Gregor and Milanie Gregor;

And the daughter of Earl Jesus of Moonlight Valley, Sally Oduin.

“I heard that my cousin Milanie is already engaged to Cross. They’ll probably be married within the next two years.”

Blanche continued, “Also, my cousin Sally is an Intermediate Mage. Uncle Jesus wants her to marry into the Fleming Clan, a Magic Family.”

So, the three men and two women weren’t just friends; their families were already connected or soon to be connected by marriage.

Ronin’s brow furrowed as he listened to Blanche’s explanation.

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