"You are…" Alice stared at Fredrinn with a mixture of emotions. She didn't expect that the person who would save her was the man she hated the most.
Looking at her complicated expression, Fredrinn sighed inwardly. 'She must be feeling confused right now.'
"T-Thank you, my lord! Thank you for saving my daughter!" The middle-aged woman cried softly.
"Mother!"
Fredrinn immediately went to her side and helped her get up. Although he wasn't a doctor, he could tell that this woman was in bad condition. "Are you alright, ma'am?" He asked.
"I'm fine. I'm just getting old." She replied while forcing out a weak smile.
"Mom…" Alice had so many things to say, but she ended up saying nothing as she sobbed in her mother's arms.
Fredrinn stepped back to give them some space. 'I should open the system prompt.'
[You saved Alice and killed the enemies who humiliated her! You have been rewarded with 500 Fate Points and 3 Years of Cultivation Experience!]
Fredrinn Firecrown [Qi Gathering Stage 7th Layer] [Level 17]
Sword Talent: ⭐️
Fire Affinity: ⭐️
Affiliation: Firecrown Household
Skills: Seven Scorching Sword Style
Fate Grade: F
Fate Points: 900
[The Snake Gang will soon learn of their members' deaths! You must take the initiative to destroy this organized crime group before they become a threat to the Firecrown Household! Reward: 2500 Fate Points, 3 Years of Cultivation Experience, and 3 Years of Combat Experience!]
Fredrinn was pleasantly surprised. He had just recently broken through the first layer of Qi Gathering and now, he was already at the seventh layer! 'Having a high-grade spirit root is really different. When I still had a low-grade spirit root, my cultivation only increased by one realm after receiving a year of cultivation experience. Then what about those with superior-grade spirit roots? Just how fast is their cultivation speed?'
Fredrinn looked at the new mission and frowned. Defeating an entire organization by himself was not an easy task. 'I don't know if the Snake Gang has any experts. I should send someone to investigate them first before making a move.' Although the rewards were tempting, he didn't let it cloud his judgment.
"Thank you for your help, Lord Fredrinn!"
Fredrinn turned around and saw Alice bowing her head deeply.
"If it weren't for you, those beasts might have already…" her shoulders quivered just by thinking about what could have happened.
"There's no need for this, Miss Alice. I don't deserve your gratitude. You will only make me feel guilty by doing this. To tell you the truth, I came here to apologize for what I had done to you back then. Because of me, you two lived in such harsh conditions. Please forgive me."
Alice didn't expect that the arrogant Fredrinn Firecrown would bow and apologize to a commoner like her. He was an unruly bastard who never cared about anyone's feelings.
"To be honest, I resented you for everything that happened," Alice muttered.
"However, my mother always told me that I should let go of my hatred. I thought that it was impossible for me to forgive you, but how could I continue hating you after you saved my life?" She lifted her head and let out a light smile.
Fredrinn was relieved to hear that.
"Ah!"
A sudden scream interrupted their conversation.
They turned their gazes and saw two people outside the house.
It was Olivia and Darius.
"I apologize my lord. I failed to stop her from going here." Darius bowed to him.
"They are?" Alice curiously looked at the two unfamiliar faces.
"Oh, this man is Sir Darius Rockfall. He is a capable warrior from our household. And this is Olivia. She is my personal maid, but she is like a sister to me." Fredrinn gave them a short introduction.
"My lord, we should introduce ourselves later and get out of here. These people seem to be part of some organization. It will be dangerous for us to stay here." Darius furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed the snake tattoo on the corpses' bodies. From his experience, he knew that these people were from a criminal organization.
Fredrinn nodded in agreement. He turned his gaze to Alice and her mother. "You should leave with us. You two can no longer stay in this place."
Hearing this, Alice looked at her mother.
The two didn't speak, but they could tell what was on each other's minds.
"Alright."
Before they left, Darius destroyed the corpses and removed all the evidence of battle.
***
"Are you alright?" Fredrinn gently patted Olivia's back.
Olivia's face looked pale. The sight of the corpses made her repulsed. "I'm fine, my lord. I was just surprised."
Fredrinn rubbed her back as he sighed. "I didn't want you to see that."
"Thank you for worrying about me, my lord."
At this moment, Alice suddenly shouted in alarm. "Mom! Mom! Please don't scare me like this!"
Fredrinn and Olivia looked over and saw Alice shaking her unconscious mother. The latter was unresponsive and her face was incredibly pale.
Fredrinn quickly checked her pulse.
He could feel her pulse, but it was faint.
"She is still breathing, but she needs immediate treatment. Alice, do you know her condition?"
Alice shook her head with a panicked look. "I can't afford to bring her to a doctor."
Fredrinn frowned upon hearing this. "There are doctors in our household, but we are still quite far." He couldn't allow her mother to die.
While he was thinking about where to bring her mother, he saw a momentary change in Alice's eyes. For a split second, he saw her irises turning white.
In that instant, he remembered a certain villain in the game whose eyes shared an uncanny resemblance, the Winter Witch. He only saw posters of her in the game forum. It was said that she was a fearsome figure in the Star Wind Kingdom. She once managed to survive the encirclement of the kingdom's army and the players. It was a major matter that shook the gaming community.
He would never forget those eyes.
'Is it her?! If it's her, then I can't afford to let her mother die!'
"Darius, bring us to the nearest hospital! We have an emergency here!"