"Ah, my friend!" greeted Hedley Berren.

He immediately walked toward Crowne. He put his right arm around Crowne, urging him to follow. He stepped onto the platform in that room.

"Everyone!" shouted Hedley.

Everyone there instantly turned their heads. The room that had been noisy suddenly became quiet the moment Hedley shouted.

He was the son of Tom Berren, the head of the Berren family. Tom was a Duke. He also held an important position in the royal palace of Everon. Of course, this made the Berren family respected. Including Tom's children.

Some people whispered when they saw Crowne stepping onto the platform. Some did not recognize Crowne's face because he almost never left the Valden residence when he still lived at his home.

But Crowne's neat clothes made some people guess that he was the son of a wealthy merchant who knew the Berren family. However, their guess was wrong.

"We have a guest from far away. All of you must treat him well," said Hedley while patting Crowne's back quite hard. "He is Crowne Valden. The son of Uncle Sorbet Valden!"

Everyone immediately started talking about Crowne. Some were shocked because there were rumors that Crowne had died in a fire, but there were other rumors saying that Crowne shut himself away because of his disappointing talent. There were many rumors about Crowne and almost all of them were bad.

Seeing Crowne appear here surprised everyone. Nobody expected it, including Hedley Berren.

Hedley raised his noisy beer glass. "A toast for our friend Crowne Valden! Cheers!" he shouted.

"Cheers!"

Everyone drank their beer immediately. After that, Hedley stepped down from the platform and walked toward the center of the room, leaving Crowne alone up there.

He stepped down as well. Crowne's gaze was sharp. He looked annoyed, but he held himself back. At the same time, Benson approached.

"What are we going to do?" he whispered.

"I will speak with Hedley," he replied.

He felt that they had come at the wrong time. Crowne did not know that there was a celebration at the Berren family residence today. Benson did not know either.

Crowne clicked his tongue in annoyance because he knew this would be difficult for him.

He patted Benson's shoulder. "Wait here!" Crowne requested.

After that, he walked toward Hedley. However, several teenagers began to approach him. They tried to talk to him. Crowne had to reject them one by one.

Benson stayed where he stood. He scratched his head awkwardly. Some people were staring at him with displeased expressions.

"It seems like this is not a suitable place for an old man like me," Benson muttered.

He really wanted to leave, but Crowne had asked him to wait there. Benson let out a long sigh.

"It seems like I will die of dryness here."

**

Almost thirty minutes passed, yet Crowne still had not returned to Benson's spot. This made Benson slightly impatient.

He looked to his right, noticing a balcony not far from where he stood. He walked there, passing through several teenagers who were celebrating.

After a while, Benson finally got through. He arrived at the balcony and looked down. Below, there was a beautiful garden and several maids watering the plants. Benson observed each of the maids one by one.

He smiled. "It seems like I have been too busy completing missions that I forgot that I should be getting married," he complained.

The maids below were all beautiful. Their clothes were clean, but their faces looked emotionless.

Benson kept observing them for a while until one maid looked up. Benson immediately turned his gaze away, avoiding the maid's eyes.

He scratched his head. "Ah, it seems like I am truly pathetic."

He took a deep breath. Then he exhaled slowly. He did this five times. After he felt ready, he looked back at the maid.

But when he turned, the maid was no longer there.

Benson looked disappointed. He turned to his right, but the maid was nowhere to be found. In all the area he could see, he did not find her.

"It seems like she has left," Benson said.

He rested his chin on the balcony railing. Staring straight ahead while half daydreaming. He scratched his head several times, then let out a long sigh.

"Is Crowne still not finished?"

BOOM!

An explosion occurred. Benson immediately drew his sword. He swung it, cutting several chairs and tables that flew toward him.

Thick smoke filled the room. Benson rushed back inside. He immediately searched for Crowne.

"Crowne! Can you hear me?" shouted Benson.

But there was no answer. Only the screams of injured nobles could be heard. Benson did not care about them.

He kept walking through the smoke. He could not see anything at all. He kept calling Crowne's name, but there was no response.

"Damn. Did something bad happen to him?"

Benson clenched his fists tightly. He felt frustrated because he had left the spot where he was supposed to stand. If only he had stayed there, he could have kept watching over Crowne.

Woosh!

Something moved toward him. Benson turned around and slashed upward with his sword.

Cling!

His body was pushed back slightly. Benson's eyes turned sharp and serious. He could feel that a strong opponent was in front of him, even though he could not see anything.

"Who are you? Why did you attack me?" asked Benson.

There was no response at all. One second later, the sound of a leap was heard. Benson immediately jumped backward, deflecting a quick thrust from the front.

He even counterattacked, but his opponent managed to block it.

Slash!

Blood dripped from Benson's left cheek. He wiped it off and took his stance again. His instincts told him that this battle would be difficult to win.

"I hope you can take care of yourself," said Benson.

**

In another place, Crowne walked behind Hedley. He did not lower his guard at all. He did not know what Hedley was thinking. It was possible that he was planning something bad.

"Do you like exciting things?" asked Hedley.

Crowne frowned, tilting his head. "Exciting things? What kind of exciting things do you mean?"

Hedley looked at Crowne. He looked disappointed hearing Crowne's answer.

"You are really not fun. You are very different from your younger sibling," complained Hedley.

Those words made Crowne even more confused. He did not know where this conversation was going. He wanted to ask more, but they arrived in front of a door.

"I will show you my toys," said Hedley. He turned his body toward Crowne while spreading his arms. "I hope we can become good friends."

Crowne felt suspicious. What he remembered about Hedley was that the boy was strange. He had a twisted and disgusting mindset.

Hedley pushed the door open. When the door opened, the lights in the room turned on. That was when Crowne's eyes widened.

"Come in!" invited Hedley.

The place was a wide room. But what made Crowne freeze was not the room. It was what was inside it.

Dozens of people were there. They were skinny, pale, wearing ragged clothes with chains on their hands and feet. Some were shivering in the corners. Some were forced to stand with empty eyes. The room was filled with the smell of metal, sweat, and despair.

Crowne stood still. "What... is this?"

Hedley walked proudly, showing off his collection of toys. "Amazing, right? This is my favorite place. A place where I can have fun."

Crowne stared without blinking. "You... did this to them?"

"Ah, do not look at me like that. They are nobodies." Hedley lifted his hand. "Nameless slaves. Worthless. You know my father always said that this world belongs only to the strong."

As Crowne stepped deeper into the room, two slaves crawled toward him. Their movements were like frightened animals. They stopped right in front of Hedley and Crowne. Their heads lowered, bodies trembling.

Hedley stepped on one slave's back and sat there as if the person was a mount. "Get on! You should try it, Crowne."

"No."

Hedley raised one eyebrow, then gave a small laugh. "You are truly boring. It seems we are not compatible at all."

Crowne did not answer. He walked deeper into the room, passing the two crawling slaves. Hedley followed while riding one slave. He whistled without any sense of guilt.

Throughout the room, Crowne saw the wounds on the slaves' bodies. Some were bruised, some bleeding, and some were not even moving anymore. But what made him the angriest was their hollow gazes, the look of someone who no longer hoped for life.

"You really call this exciting, Hedley?" asked Crowne without turning.

"Of course. This is entertainment, my friend. Do you not know? Many young nobles do the same. Even your younger sibling"

Crowne stopped walking. His voice was low. "Watch your words."

Hedley became silent, then smiled faintly. "You do not like it, my friend?"

Crowne gave him a sideways glare, his gaze sharp and full of anger. "You are truly disgusting."

Instead of being offended, Hedley laughed as if the words were praise. Crowne could only shake his head in disbelief.

"I want to show you my newest toys," said Hedley.

He hit the slave he was riding, directing the slave where he wanted. Until they arrived in front of the largest cage in the room.

"This is my new toy, but they are still fierce," said Hedley.

Nothing could be seen inside because it was dark. When Hedley clapped his hands, a light turned on. That was when Crowne's eyes widened in shock.

"Lina... Daisy... why are you two here?"

Hedley turned. "You know them?" he asked innocently.

Crowne immediately drew his weapon, slashing toward Hedley. But one second later, the slash was blocked by someone.

Hedley's eyes turned sharp. "Kill him!" ordered Hedley while pointing at Crowne.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.