章 10: Christie
Feeling someone on the rooftop but unsure of their identity or strength, Ron refrained from alerting them and continued to move around the room casually, as if nothing was amiss. However, one hand remained near his sword hilt, ready to draw it at a moment's notice in case of an attack.
"With my blocking skills, I should be able to fend off their attack. Let's hope this isn't an assassin who has awakened their Qi Force, because even a skill with 100% block would be a joke against overwhelming power!"
Ron silently prayed, mentally preparing himself for a life-or-death struggle. Yet, no attack came. The intruder was like a hunting beast, lying silently in the corner of the rooftop, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. An hour passed with no movement.
"This guy has patience, probably waiting for me to fall asleep. If that's true, they haven't realized I've already detected them."
"Should I play along and pretend to sleep, luring them down?"
"No! That's too risky! That tactic only works if I'm stronger than my opponent."
Just as Ron was strategizing, he heard the creaking of wooden wheels. A four-wheeled carriage had stopped at the inn's entrance. Two people, a man and a woman, got out and entered the inn, heading straight for Ron's room. A moment later, there was a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" Ron asked without opening the door.
"Ron, it's me! Your classmate, Christie!"
Christie Moore? The Viscount Moore's eldest daughter? Ron wasn't particularly familiar with her, so why was she suddenly here?
Despite his confusion, Ron opened the door.
Standing outside was a stunningly beautiful woman with bright blue eyes, silky blonde hair, and a delicate, oval face. Her fair skin was as pure as snow. She had a slender figure, wearing a pink lace dress that exuded elegance and nobility. Her smile was warm and gave off a refined, ladylike aura. Behind her stood a robust man clad in leather armor, a standard-issue knight's sword at his waist—clearly her guardian knight.
"My dear senior, what brings you here?"
Ron addressed her as "senior" rather than "Miss Christie" to suggest a closer relationship.
"Aren't you going to invite me in? It's not very gentlemanly to make a lady stand in the doorway, talking in the cold wind," Christie said with a smile.
"Oh! I was so surprised to see you, I forgot. Please, come in!"
Ron opened the door wide and gestured for her to enter.
Christie smiled, nodded, and turned to the knight behind her. "Enke, you can wait out here."
The knight named Enke shook his head, glanced at Ron, then up at the roof, and whispered something into Christie's ear. Her expression briefly showed surprise but quickly returned to her sweet smile as she replied, "Enke, I trust that you can keep me safe even from outside the door, right?"
Enke frowned slightly but eventually gave a resigned smile and nodded.
Seeing this, Christie happily walked into the room, closing the door behind her. As soon as she entered, she fixed her gaze on the sword at Ron's waist.
"My dear Ron Knight, would you mind letting me admire Champion's Glory? I've dreamt countless times of possessing it!"
"Of course," Ron said, handing over the sword.
He didn't mind Christie admiring Champion's Glory, but her calling him a knight bothered him.
Knight!
Since Ron's father wasn't a hereditary baron, Ron, as the only son, could inherit the land but not the baron title. According to the laws of the Gust Empire, the children of non-hereditary nobles receive the rank one step below their parents, which for a baron is a knight.
The title of knight is intriguing. While it grants noble privileges, a knight exists primarily to protect the nobility. It's a paradoxical status, somewhere between noble and not.
"Christie didn't use my name or call me her junior; instead, she called me a knight. She must be here on official business, but what could she want with me? I have neither land nor power."
Ron was puzzled, but since Christie didn't bring it up, he wouldn't either.
"Do you know who the previous holder of Champion's Glory was?" Christie asked quietly while admiring the sword.
"If I remember correctly, it was your cousin, the genius hailed as the greatest in a century by Warrior's Grove Academy, Leo Moore!" Ron replied calmly.
"Your memory is sharp. Yes, it was my cousin. But unfortunately, he's dead—killed by an Orc a few months ago."
Christie spoke of her cousin's death with a smile, showing no trace of sorrow.
"Oh! That's too bad. I always wanted to meet that genius, but it seems I missed my chance."
Christie suddenly covered her mouth and laughed.
"Ron Knight, you're quite amusing. Despite losing your land, searching for work, and even fighting to the death to survive, you still talk about wanting to meet my cousin. Even in such dire straits, you can think of such things."
Ron's brow furrowed slightly at Christie's sudden mockery.
"Miss Christie, you didn't come all this way just to mock me, did you?"
"Of course not," Christie said with a smile. "I'm here to help you face reality and offer you a good job."
Ron had a hunch about what she was getting at. But he wasn't interested, so he said, "Thanks for the offer, but I'm not interested. If there's nothing else, I'll show you out."
"You're going to turn me away without even hearing what the job is?" Christie looked surprised.
"You're looking to recruit me as a knight for the Moore family, but I'm not interested," Ron thought to himself. He was planning to leave Lane Town soon—being a knight wouldn't be enough to keep him alive.
Christie laughed again.
"You guessed right but also wrong. Our family does want to recruit you, but not as a family knight. We want you to become my husband. How about it, Ron Knight? How does becoming the son-in-law of a viscount sound?"
Ron's eyes widened in shock.
It wasn't the offer itself that shocked him but the person making it.
Christie was a well-known figure at Warrior's Grove Academy, especially among the male students. And it wasn't her beauty that made her famous—it was her reputation.
To put it bluntly, her reputation could be summed up in four words: unrestrained and promiscuous!
Don't be fooled by her pure and ladylike appearance. Anyone who spent time at Warrior's Grove Academy knew her nickname was "the public carriage!"
Yes, the kind of carriage everyone can ride to get where they need to go.
Marrying her would mean inheriting a host of her ex-boyfriends as "friends," and there's a good chance those exes would be doing things in your marital bed that only spouses should do. In China, this situation is called being a "green hat man"—no, more like the Hulk, green from head to toe!
Ron would rather die than marry such a woman.
He forced an awkward smile. "Thank you for the kind offer, Christie."
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