"The count's curse made him unable to have any male heir. I know this might not be a big deal for a commoner, but it is a disaster for a noble."
Marcus looked at Caleb speechlessly, his expression saying, 'you've got to be kidding me.'
Caleb stood up, indicating that their conversation had ended. He shook his drinking pouch to confirm it was empty, then left.
"Good night," Marcus said, lying down and contemplating the conversation he had just had. The information he had gained was immensely beneficial for him to understand this world in depth.
Closing his eyes, he continued his contemplation until he fell asleep.
Marcus was awakened by the morning rays falling on his face. Feeling the light on his eyes, he covered them by folding his arms over them.
Suddenly, he received a kick to his side. Startled and angry at the treatment he had received, he looked up at the culprit with a rage-filled expression.
Cedric seemed unaffected by Marcus's reaction. He pointed in a certain direction where a commotion was happening.
For now, Marcus decided to ignore Cedric. He would settle his score with him later. Right now, there were much more pressing issues.
Marcus got up and rushed toward the small crowd that had gathered inside the house. He saw a group of partially armored men pinning down old man Caleb.
The group was led by a person in pure white armor. Though the person's face was covered by a knight's helmet, Marcus could tell it was a woman judging by the body frame.
She stood there overseeing the entire matter without interfering, not even glancing at Marcus. Seeing Marcus, two men from the group stepped up.
He remembered these two; they were the ones who had come here earlier yesterday. Marcus figured out that what was happening now was most likely the work of these two.
Approaching Marcus, one of them declared in a righteous tone, "Yesterday, you injured and humiliated Knight Cornwell's men. As the representative of the honorable Knight Cornwell, whom you have offended, it is my duty to see justice served. You have been found guilty, and thus, you are sentenced to death by the sword, to be executed at dawn today. May this serve as a warning to all who dare to disrespect the honor of the realm and its defenders."
Marcus had never been this furious before. This outrageous monologue had triggered something in him, making the veins in his forehead visible. Marcus looked at the men in front of him coldly with his shining golden eyes.
"What defenders of the realm? Which defender harasses women and the elderly?" he retorted.
They pulled out their swords and slashed at Marcus. Marcus easily dodged the attack, his body strengthened by the huge amount of mana he had absorbed. How could nobodies like these losers have the capability to put a scratch on him?
The self-proclaimed "defenders of honor" did not expect this to happen. However, this did not hinder their momentum. They recovered their stance, but before they could lunge at Marcus again, they found it difficult to keep a grip on their swords.
As if being pulled by something, no matter how much effort they put into keeping the swords in their hands, they ultimately lost their grip. The swords, as if they had their own will, flew out and levitated in the air on either side of Marcus like his loyal retainers. Slowly, they rotated and pointed their tips towards the two baffoons.
This time, not only the two, but everyone was stunned speechless by this display. The armored woman, who had been watching the show all this time, finally made a move.
In a swift motion, she became a blur to everyone except Marcus. Appearing behind the two fools, she drew her sword and with a single horizontal slash, she decapitated them.
Their heads rolled onto the floor, spilling blood everywhere. Marcus's initial anger had receded. He was too shocked by this turn of events. How could someone be so ruthless to kill their own without hesitation?
However, when everyone was in dismay, the perpetrator slowly removed her helmet and looked into Marcus's golden eyes.
"I, Lavaria, a squire of Sir Cornwell, apologize in his name for offending a mage of your caliber. I sincerely offer these two heads as compensation."
Marcus had already dropped the swords he was controlling. He, too, was having a hard time keeping up with the chain of events. Just now, they were fighting, and all of a sudden, it became the other side apologizing to him. He did not even get the time to process; everything just happened too quickly.
The woman slowly came in front of Marcus and handed him a letter. She had blonde braided hair and a pretty face, but her eyes had the sharpness of a skilled warrior.
Marcus absentmindedly took the letter from her. In response to this, a small smile bloomed on the girl's face.
"This is an invitation from the Count of Elfied. We would be expecting you by this afternoon."
After that, she and her underlings briskly left as if they were never there in the first place. Only a haggard Caleb and the two headless corpses remained as a reminder of what transpired here.
'They did not even clean up the mess they had caused,' was the thought that was in the two's minds.
Marcus went up to old man Caleb to check on his condition. To his relief, he found, other than a few bruises, nothing serious had happened to him. Helping him stand up, Marcus took him to the bedroom.
As he entered the room, he found a terrified Mai clasping her hand over a crying Coby's mouth, keeping him silent at all costs. Finally, seeing Marcus and Caleb enter the room, they let go of the tension gripping their hearts.
Caleb quickly closed the door as to hide the carnage from being seen by the faint-hearted. He went and sat on the bed with the rest of his family and tried to console them.
"It's fine now, they have left. But don't leave this room, it's dangerous outside," said Caleb seriously. The mother and son pair did not question anything; they just nodded seriously.
They knew when the ever-cheerful Caleb talked seriously, things were far from simple. Marcus also wanted to console them, but he did not know the right words to say to them. In the end, he gave up and asked Caleb what was bothering him.
"Do you know why I was invited?"
"It's most likely because of the curse. I have heard that the Count has invited mages from throughout the empire to find treatment for his daughter."
Hearing the Count's daughter's name, Mai's complexion fell. They had been through enough already, and her sanity was balancing on a thread.
Seeing all this, Marcus made a decision.
"I will be going to the Count's manor this afternoon."
"Yes, it would be bad if—"
"No," Marcus cut Caleb off before he could finish.
"I will be going to get a proper explanation and compensation."