Fifteen days after the situation in the main chamber of the Lord's Manor, Jody was spending the better part of his days being taught how to read and write in three languages by his mother. His father would also take him on trips while cramming information down his throat. During these trips, Charlotte Slaughter was the one primarily responsible for Jody, drastically improving their relationship.
They were currently walking through a grand palace within a noble estate on the other side of Lake Nicaea. This vast estate was nearly equal in size to the House Trillwolf estate, the size of a small city in Jody's old world but far more quaint in style. There was far less vegetation and verdant land, as most of this estate was surrounded by desert. This was the grounds of Jody's so-called maternal family, House Shu. The House of Shu was a mysterious noble house specializing in sword arts.
As both of Jody's parents were adopted, he was no more a Shu than a Trillwolf in his bloodline. Apparently, this was part of why his talent was such an issue. His bloodline was not pure as far as House Trillwolf was concerned, so how could they tolerate him taking over the mantle? As a celestial body, Osiris' first son didn't pose a threat to the succession of the House.
He was destined for far greater things from birth. No one believed Horus would be limited to this ward for long.
Jody, on the other hand, possessed a Wolf Soul. This made him an eligible heir as long as he could reach the Mage level and unify his blood and soul. Since his parents were foster children, many of the members of the House were strongly opposed to this. However, Jody was sure there was a lot more to it than that.
"Auntie Charlotte is so pretty. Are you a pill model?" asked Jody, clad in elegant white and gold clothes.
Pill models were stunning women who accompanied masters in promoting their services. This was similar to models in his former world. Charlotte's cheeks turned a little pink as this was a very flattering statement to her.
"You kidding me, kid? Where did you even hear of pill models and the like? Has the lady been allowing you to use the profound viewing crystals?" asked Charlotte, holding Jody in her arms.
Her explosive figure was outlined in a soul-stirring manner. Her black hair hung down like a waterfall, shining with a gorgeous brilliance in the sunlight. She was quite tall, about 208 cm, like an amazonian goddess. Her size made her all the more captivating to Jody. This was a tree he desperately wished to climb!
Charlotte's neck and chest were exposed, revealing her delicate and soft flesh and downwards to her chest's deep and snowy valley.
She was wearing a purple dress with a golden wolf design, which had a slit that revealed her sexy chocolate legs. This was, in fact, the most modest Jody had ever seen this woman other than when wearing her honored elder garb. Jody wrapped his arms around her fragrant neck and rested his head on her ample bosom.
It was heaven.
If Lady Isis were to see this, then she would certainly feel betrayed. Jody didn't resist being held by this beauty at all. He was way too comfortable. In fact, he constantly nuzzled her with his face. Charlotte, who usually despised men, thought Josiah was the cutest existence on this planet. He made her maternal instincts go crazy.
"I am no pill model, but I have done so for your father before."
"Wow, really? Pops is a Spiritual Master?" asked Jody curiously. He had never heard this before.
"Indeed, though not many people know. He uses a false identity whenever he goes out as a Spiritual Master. People would never believe it was him if he told them," replied Charlotte, with worship evident in her eyes.
This made Jody secretly jealous of his handsome and cool dad, and he wanted to grow up and woo beautiful ladies as well! What could he do as a child?
"How come Auntie Charlotte doesn't become one of Jody's mothers?" asked Jody sagely.
Jody's smell and hearing had grown excessively sensitive in the passing days. Charlotte smelled different from many other women. It was pure and flowery, a strange sort of pleasant scent. Jody couldn't figure out why certain people smelled this way for a while. His obscenely acute sense of smell still baffled him daily.
Recently, he realized that his mother's younger maids also had this smell. When he asked his mother, the startled Isis told him this was the smell of neon purity! Apparently, dawn purity would smell different.
Jody's words about marrying his father made Charlotte immediately turn scarlet.
'Bingo,' thought Jody to himself.
This reaction didn't mean something was happening between the two, but she at least felt shy about the man.
"I would never marry your bad father. He would play me to death," snarled Charlotte after some consideration, which shocked Jody. The seriousness in her voice was unmistakable. She definitely said those words from the heart. She seemed genuinely terrified of what her father would do as her husband. "I would much rather have a handsome little husband like you, little Joe."
Jody's eyes sparkled with dazzling light.
'Lucky chance!'
"In that case, I will definitely marry Aunt Charlotte once I grow up," little Jody harrumphed. "Don't forget your words, okay? You must wait for this young Lord to reach adulthood. You will definitely be my wife."
"Oh really?" Charlotte pinched Jody's little cheeks, making him turn red. She giggled and thought this lad was most likable. Better than his stinky father, anyway. She smiled flirtatiously and nuzzled her face against Jody's, "It's a deal then. However, you better not treat me like an old maid. I told your father I would only be a second wife and never a third, and I still feel that way. You better not play with too many women before coming to find me, or I will send you back to them. Okay, now let us find your father."
Jody nodded sternly, quietly setting this rule for himself. He couldn't possibly marry more than one woman before he had a chance to woo Charlotte, or that day would never come! This was unacceptable.
Charlotte was honestly only jesting. Years later, she would think of this moment and find it quite inconceivable. How could she know that Jody had already marked her as his woman now and in the future? He would tell his father this at first notice to prevent any confusion. The old man had his chance, plus Jody still hadn't forgiven the man for daring to steal Lylian away.
Everywhere Jody went, the sapphire blue fate gem would float slightly above the back of his head. Or rather, it should now be called a Destiny Star. The destiny star would follow him around like a shadow, glowing resplendently whenever he concentrated on something. It was as if it was thinking with him.
The hue of its soft aura even changed based on what he was concentrating on. It was incomparably mysterious. Jody felt like he had his own little 'mood star.' When he read and studied, the destiny star would glow like a small blue star. At night, when he refined his muscles with astral light, the destiny star would burn golden like a tiny sun.
To Jody's shock, the presence of this gem gave him a level of mental clarity he didn't previously have! It was easier for him to memorize things, and his body's formulation progressed faster! Body transformation was, without a doubt, the most challenging formula to advance in. Every step was far more difficult to take than the last.
However, the suffering became more comfortable to deal with as one progressed, at least for Jody.
Jody's special physique had somehow accompanied him from his past life. Whenever he recovered from a wound, he would be more powerful. For this reason, he wasn't afraid of pain because he didn't believe he would die so easily. Unless he was instantly blasted into dust by a fancy new space cannon. Never knew when Cannon-Kun might pop up.
"Well, if it isn't Sister Slaughter. Still trailing behind House Lord Osiris like a loyal little bitch, aren't we?" came the snide and unremarkable voice of an approaching female warrior.
This woman was plain-looking but had an incredibly sharp aura surrounding her, like she was a sheathed sword. Her combat armor hugged her rather shapely body, making her look both like a warrior and a dancer.
This was Jody's first time encountering such a sharp atmosphere up close.
Charlotte quickly reinforced her True Energy with her saint formula to shield him. She recognized this aura and knew the woman was powerful enough to kill the boy by merely exhaling. Jody and Charlotte were currently both wearing the same frowning face the moment this voice was heard, especially feeling her so brazenly release her sword atmosphere.
Still, seeing the frown on the former made the latter smile and helped her recover her icy composure.
"Selma Shu. To what do I owe the displeasure of this visit?" The approaching woman was no stranger to Charlotte, as this woman was a Seated Elder of House Shu and one of her longtime rivals.
They had fought each other dozens of times in the last 200 years.
If Jody knew this, then he would be totally dumbstruck.
After all, Charlotte Slaughter didn't look a day over twenty-five. By all accounts, he had always presumed he knew the age of those around him. Unfortunately, the only people who appeared their actual age in his presence were his father, second mother, third mother, fifth mother, and his siblings. His own mother was, in fact, much younger than she looked.
"I heard the lord's young son is here. However, I'm disgusted to see you coddling such a large child," Selma Shu turned her nose up at Charlotte, holding such a large child as if he were her baby. "Lying about his age is one thing, but must you take it so far?"
Charlotte was momentarily speechless, as she couldn't refute the woman's logic.
Jody was the size of a five or six-year-old child. As a male, it was a little inappropriate to carry him if she didn't have to. But wasn't Jody only three this year? He was still at an age that needed to be nurtured carefully, and Charlotte couldn't bear to treat him like an older child just because he had overgrown.
That was out of his control!
She felt like he needed to be spoiled for now. His days of training would be rough and endless soon enough.
"You can't talk to her like that!" berated Jody fearlessly, catching both women off guard. Most children wouldn't dare speak in such a situation, but the little Lord was not most children,"Charlotte is my retainer and future confidante. You can't bully her, or I'll tell my dad for sure! Not only that, once I grow up, I'll come to fight you too!"
"Indeed, Little Lord. As the representatives of House Trillwolf, we are owed our due respect," Charlotte chimed in after kissing little Jody on his cheek. "Or did your Shu Clan wish to ignore our intimate relations to attack us here?"
"As if you were worthy," Selma was clearly not resigned to end things like this.
At this moment, both Jody and Charlotte realized that this woman should have come just to cause trouble.
The question was, why?