Everyone turned quiet as strange expressions emerged on their faces. A filthy kid with holes in his clothes, a dark worker's tan, and a musty stench was announcing themselves as a Hawken! How could anyone take him seriously? Benedict sighed and reached for his identity token. He rarely had a use for it since he rarely travelled; however, it represented the authority of one of the twenty-five Grand Nobility Households, the esteemed Hawken Household! This hawk-shaped trinket was easily worth its weight in gold! Below the beautifully carved hawk were a few tiny inscriptions, which showed the Hawken Household's motto and Benedict's full name. He neglected it with the mercenaries because they would not be able to recognize it anyways. Only when shown to an appropriate person would they confirm its authenticity.
"Here is my identity token. You can confirm what I said with someone else," Benedict said.
Before the soldiers could react, Owen charged over and tried snatching the token out of Benedict's hands. His movements were lightning-fast, inviting surprise from Benedict. As it turns out, this simple mercenary was not that simple after all! Owen living this long was not due to luck alone! Benedict gauged this man's martial capability to be Fundamental Realm Expert or even touching Master level. If speaking honestly, then Owen was superior to Benedict right now! Of course, that was leaving Martial Energy out of the equation because once included, Benedict would absolutely dominate. That was the tyranny of those with Martial Energy and those without. Nevertheless, it was not a fight to the death, much less a fight at all, so with one backstep, Benedict moved effortlessly out of the way.
While doing so, he frowned and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm the one who should be asking that!" Owen fumed. "You keep going on about Benedict this or Benedict that. Is your head broken or something? Do you admire him that much? Joking among us, I can understand… but joking here? Are you trying to get us all killed?"
Impersonating a Grand Noble had dire consequences, which was not surprising since the Grand Nobility were the head of the nobility. With a single wave of their hand, they could massacre this small group of mercenaries with no repercussion! That was the supremacy of the Grand Nobility Households! Therefore, Owen was rightfully frustrated and scared of this baboon who continued to spout nonsense!
"I really am Benedict Hawken though," he snapped back.
Realizing the futility, Owen turned to the patrol captain and smiled, "Please ignore my companion. He must've been very tired from our journey here and since he idolized Lord Benedict Hawken so much, one thing led to another. Please do not take his jokes seriously."
The captain raised an eyebrow, saying, "I'll let him off the hook this time, but keep a close eye on him. If he tries that again, don't blame me for taking action."
"Yes, yes… You're too kind. I won't let him utter another word," Owen fawned. Grabbing Benedict aggressively by the shoulder, with a smile that was not a smile, he continued, "Follow me and shut up, will you?"
"It's fine," Benedict replied by throwing off Owen's hand. Ignoring the volatile mercenary, he walked up to the patrol captain again.
"What do you want this time? This is my final warning," the man shouted with half a hand on his sword, and the same went with his patrol. The ten soldiers surrounded the band of mercenaries and Benedict. On his command, they could sweep in, capture them, or execute them if they resisted. In response, the mercenaries were nervous and furious at Benedict. One wrong move and they would be goners too!
"Please inspect my identity token," Benedict said calmly. "If you find out it's a forgery, then you can deal with me appropriately."
Hearing this, the captain paused. The steadiness and confidence in Benedict's tone offered no hesitation or doubt. Either Benedict was telling the truth, or he had gone mad! Thinking about the possibility of offending a Grand Noble made the captain drenched in sweat. Despite no confirmation, at this point, he straightened his back, and his tone became much more polite. He even added a flattering smile to his face. Owen wanted to protest fiercely, but the captain already took the token, who immediately sent for someone to verify its authenticity. Time passed painfully slowly, and no one said a word. Much to the mercenaries' frustration, Benedict was calm and quiet. And thirty minutes later… a large commotion emerged. Several powerful people trotted through the camp towards them with a band of soldiers and knights. All the surrounding soldiers respectfully stepped back, while Owen and the mercenaries felt their stomachs turn.
As they feared, the group stopped before them and dismounted. The mercenaries closed their eyes, afraid to see what would come next. And yet… as the seconds passed, their fear turned to confusion. They opened their eyes and saw those 'powerful' individuals kneeling in front of Benedict. The scene stunned everyone silent. To kneel before a dirty slave boy from the countryside was truly unthinkable! So, it was natural to think that Benedict was genuinely a Grand Noble! But that was impossible! Because if it were, then their previous poor attitude was damnable by a thousand cuts! Their faces sunk as they cursed their lucky stars and thought about fleeing. On the side, Owen really wanted to cry. He survived all those dangerous missions to be offed by a blunder at home! How ironic!
"Our apologies for the poor reception, Grand Lord Benedict Hawken," the first man spoke. "If we knew Your Lordship was coming, we would have prepared a proper reception." Regardless of his relatively high position, his tone was bootlicking to the extreme. That was how powerful a Grand Noble was!
"It's fine," Benedict said quietly, receiving his token back. "If possible, I was wondering if you could notify Her Highness, Princess Elizabeth, of my presence?"
"Very well, I will pass the word on," the man ushered someone close to do it. "For now, a temporary residence has been prepared for Your Lordship inside Pelangi Fortress. Please follow me."
Benedict nodded and mounted one of the horses available. He took one final glance at Owen and the mercenaries before taking off. It would be up to fate if they meet again!
Not long after, Elizabeth heard the news and her expression brightened beautifully. Her entire mood changed for the better! The last time she saw the boy was during the night of the Grand Nobility's party and the short battle with the Second Hand. She could vividly remember it, but it was almost four months ago! Since then, she was so engrossed in the royal training and the inheritance race that they had no opportunities to catch up anymore. However, Elizabeth did not know that Benedict was already missing since the Lannisail explosion due to the Sword King Sin's intervention. Coupled with Benedict's expulsion from the Hawken Household, the aftermath of the Lannisail explosion, and the Whispering Shadow's destruction, he was eventually forgotten. Only because he retained his identity token, and the news of his expulsion was kept a secret did he convince others of his identity. Otherwise, it would have been unclear what the consequences would be for 'impersonating' a Grand Noble!
Lady Christina was with Elizabeth when she heard the news, causing her expression to turn a bit strange. She might have been absent when Sir Roland publicly denounced his own son, but any changes affecting the Grand Nobility Households would be well-known. Speak not about the commoners or even the lesser nobility, since they would never be privy to these details; however, Lady Christina was a Grand Lady from the Highguard Household! Of course, she would be informed of Benedict's expulsion and disappearance! The only problem was that she intentionally kept Elizabeth in the dark. Since the inheritance race was far more important, she thought it was the right move. Now, her decision seemed to bite back in a big way!
Elizabeth rushed out, abandoning decorum, dragging her aunt and Sir Winstin along. Fortunately, Benedict's temporary residence was not far, but on the way, the servants and guards restrained their widening eyes. For the heir apparent to be personally running, without any horses or carriages, just what attracted her attention? Lady Christina was exasperated, yet silent. Perhaps she had underestimated the significance of Benedict in Elizabeth's mind. She sighed. When she thought about it, it was not too surprising. Elizabeth had no one else her age to talk to. In the world of politics, especially at the highest level, a good friend was priceless. Not to mention, Elizabeth was a seventeen-year old girl! She needed friends by her side to walk and laugh together on this long and lonely road…
"Benedict!" Elizabeth shouted with glee upon seeing him. Currently, he had cleaned and dressed up appropriately for someone of his standing, a massive transformation from the 'lowly slave boy' appearance that he had previously. Elizabeth rushed over and hugged him, ignoring the strange looks from the people around them.
Meanwhile, Benedict felt a humongous surge of relief. Learning about Elizabeth's capture by the Second Hand and the later Lannisail explosion, he was initially filled with guilt and anger. Had he succeeded at the Lannisail Household to rescue her, perhaps everything could have been resolved better. There would have been assurance that Elizabeth was safe and sound. That guilt transformed into anger, anger for his own powerlessness, which ultimately helped motivate him to train under the Sword King. Therefore, when he finally saw Elizabeth, the same as always, he finally felt the weight lift from his shoulders.
"It's nice to see you again, Elizabeth."
"You're right about that!" the girl murmured.
"Let's catch up inside," Benedict said, giving a wry smile. He could sense the gazes around them were getting more and more heated.
"Alright."