The Herb King

139 Hugo Ward

Hyacinth, Henry, and Aethelwolf arrived at the scene.

“That guy is Nicodel Ward from the Ward Household. He is the younger brother of their family head, Hugo Ward. Nicodel is tough to deal with since he has the backing of his brother. You have to be careful.” Henry whispered to Aethelwolf. He visited Aethelwolf’s mansion in the last few days so he knew that Rendell was his subordinate.

“Ward Household?” Aethelwolf’s face was calm, but Hyacinth and Henry felt the coldness in his voice. They didn’t know what would happen if an expert like Aethelwolf would erupt into fury.

When Aethelwolf walked towards the two opposing sides, Henry immediately commanded his subordinates. “Quick! Notify the Black Lion Army and the nearest guard captains about the situation! Hurry up!”

Hyacinth nervously followed Aethelwolf, clueless as to what she would do. She was only a commoner before she decided to work for Aethelwolf and she still felt afraid of confronting nobles.

As they got nearer, they heard Nicodel shouting arrogantly. “How much is it?! Just tell me how much that beast is and I’ll let this matter go!”

“Enough! Do you really plan to ruin our Ward Household’s reputation?!” An exasperated voice echoed in the street.

Everyone turned their heads and saw a middle-aged man with neatly combed short black hair. He was dressed like a thug leader, but everyone could identify the symbol drawn on his shirt. A coiling three-headed snake, the symbol of the Ward Household!

“Brother!” Nicodel’s expression changed when he saw this person. It was his brother, the family head of the Ward Household, Hugo Ward!

.....

There were more than ten Espers escorting Hugo and two of them were even Level 3 Espers!

Hugo slapped Nicodel’s face, leaving a red palm print on Nicodel’s left cheek. “B-Brother, what...”

“I said enough!” Hugo glared at his brother and turned his head to Aethelwolf. He then walked towards the man with an apologetic look on his face.

Nicodel stared at his brother in disbelief. It was the first time he had been slapped by his brother and he even did it in front of many people. He was a reckless man, but he still knew how to think. He noticed that his brother was walking towards a certain person and when he saw this person, Nicodel’s eyes suddenly widened in fright. ‘Did I just mess up with Aethelwolf’s people?! Shit! No wonder brother slapped me!’

“Sir Aethelwolf, I apologize for this matter. My foolish brother didn’t know that the magical beast is yours. I promise that I’ll punish him for his actions. I will also send someone to your mansion to compensate for the damage done to your magical beast.” Hugo smiled apologetically.

Aethelwolf expressionlessly stared at Hugo as he said in a cold voice devoid of emotion. “It seems like the nobles are treating me lightly. First, it was the Rayden Household and now it’s your people. Do I look like an easy target to you?”

Hugo was also a Level 4 Esper, but under Aethelwolf’s intimidating aura, he couldn’t even muster the guts to rebuke him. He took a deep breath and slowly raised his head as he met Aethelwolf’s icy gaze. “Beat up that stupid brother of mine. Don’t stop until I tell you to.” He muttered through gritted teeth as he gave a hand signal to his subordinates.

His subordinates were taken aback by his commands, but they still acknowledged it. They then pounced at the dumbstruck Nicodel and rained punches on him.

Pah! Pah! Pah!

Hugo was shaking in anger, but he still forced out an ugly smile as he faced Aethelwolf. “Are you happy with this, Sir Aethelwolf?”

Aethelwolf was still looking straight at Hugo, making the latter hold his breath in fear. He didn’t know why, but the young man in front of him was giving off a dangerous aura. It was similar to that of a vicious beast that was looking at its prey.

After a moment, Aethelwolf retracted his gaze and said. “Let’s go back to the mansion.” He then turned around and said to Henry. “Just inform Hyacinth when the construction is done. We’ll take our leave first.” He then went inside his carriage without waiting for Henry’s reply.

Hyacinth bowed her head lightly at Henry before following Aethelwolf to the carriage. Albert and Rendell also followed soon after.

Olivia glared at the children who threw stones at her earlier. She then trailed behind the carriage with loud footsteps.

Henry could only sigh as he looked at them disappearing into the distance.

Meanwhile, Hugo also raised his hand to stop his subordinates. He stared at the unconscious Nicodel with a furious look as he muttered. “Lock him up in the mansion and don’t let him escape!”

Hugo had long since noticed the commotion earlier, but he chose to let his brother do as he pleased. However, when he spotted Aethelwolf walking with such a ferocious look, he immediately jumped into the scene before his brother fucked up everything. ‘Dammit! Who would have thought that those guys were actually Aethelwolf’s people?! Hmph! I’ll let you enjoy your prestige now, but once chaos descends, let’s see if you can still maintain that haughty look of yours, Aethelwolf!’ He roared in his heart. In his mind, he added Aethelwolf to his kill list.

As someone who had defected to the Northern Viper Group, he knew some key information about their plans. He was only waiting for the right opportunity to strike and when that happens, he will show everyone the power of the Ward Household!

***

Rendell and Hyacinth didn’t dare say anything throughout the journey. Although Aethelwolf now looked calm, they believed that he was still furious.

‘Strange... My anger is gone just like that. This skill [Demon Heart] is a bit scary. It’s making me turn into an aloof person.’ Aethelwolf thought to himself. He was able to quickly calm his emotion because of his skill.

“Let’s go to the clinic.” Aethelwolf said in a calm voice.

“Yes, Sir Aethelwolf.” Albert who was driving the carriage immediately changed directions when he heard the command.

“I heard that Ward Household’s young lord has joined the battle event. I think it would be interesting if Janrose beats him up in an overwhelming manner...” Aethelwolf muttered silently.

Hyacinth and Rendell who were sitting beside him immediately stiffened when they heard his words.