“She told me that you are a hero.”

“Am i?” Gordon asked Arden who sitting next to him with a cheeky smile in his face.

“I understand that you are young and reckless but you can’t kidnap a girl in the middle of the night just so you can play hero.”

“Really? Because I just did...hahahahaha.”

Arden looked at him an unhappy face, he had to work hard to assist Gordon in his duty, day and night like he was a slave that doesn’t need rest. He even doesn’t have times for him to train or to enjoy a night with company yet this brat had a nerve to flying at the middle at the night to kidnap a girl for his amusement. the justice must be served.

“Do you know how hard I worked to settle your position here? Do you know?” Arden glared at Gordon.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry won’t cut it out, you need to take this seriously…more seriously.”

“I did take it seriously, okay.”

“It just….too much for me, I am just a village boy…. Arden.”

“You used to a village boy but you are no more so… you must get a hold of yourself and act like a Baron because you are.”

Gordon sighed. He understands that Arden only wanted the best from him. But eight hours study every day? It would kill him before he finished all those so called curriculum for the noble man. He needs distraction, he needs entertainment. He had heard that noble had a lot of entertainment but from what he had seen this far what he had was a lot of boring thing, read the report, studying, training and read the report again. If this was what a young noble had to do every day he really pitied them, even milk a goats was more interesting, it was easy. You could do it while chatting with your friend and sight-seeing girls that walking by you.

“I did act like a Baron, I read those damn report every day.” Gordon said annoyed by Arden who keep nagging him almost every day when he wasn't out to meet someone who he didn't know at all doing something that he wasn't care at all.

"I can't do this every day, it's too much." he added,

Arden sighed then looked at Gordon with a long a looks that made him uncomfortable.

"I know that you are feeling caged and pressed but I think you are used to this, I mean isn't you work every day back in the village?"

"I was but milking a goat was easy, I could even do it with my eyes closed."

"Yes, I believe you did it with your eyes closed."

"I mean it, not the closed eyes thing but it was an easy job, there wasn't pressure." He really did miss his easy life in the village even if his heart constantly crushed with the fact that no girls want to talk with him except for Sharon who always smiled at him but in the end crushed his heart too and Bertha who always yelling at his face every day.

"More like you did it with your eyes running around looking at butt and breast."

"whoa...whoa...whoa...stop right there sir, what...I mean...why you...".

"Bertha told me."

"That son of a bitch, I did her a favor and this is how she repay me?"

Maybe I should yelling at her face when I see her again.

"You take advantage of her."

"What!...no."

"And you broke Talia Brook heart which I specifically told you not to."

"What!...how do you.."

"And you trashed her brother who I had secured with hard work to train your body." Arden added and after questioning several people he has a conclusion about the reason why was that happened which made him felt a little bit hopeless. He always thought that Gordon was a good boy and all his shenanigans with girls was just his young blood that would pass when he has a responsibilities but after looking at what he did these days he wasn't sure anymore.

"Do you know how much begging I had to do so Viscount Brook willing to let his nephew train you? It was an opportunity for you to make an ally, to solidify you position here, yet you beat him until he has a hard time walking straight."

Arden sighed.

"that...that...absolutely not true." Gordon said.

"I had seen him you know, I just hope that the Viscount just thought this as training gone wrong so he wouldn't crush us which would make you the shortest Baron ever to hold the title." Arden said then smiled.

"The shortest ever to hold the title of Baron, hahahahaha...at least you would go down in history son...hahahahaha."

"hahaha....very funny." Gordon said with a sour face which made Arden laughing even harder.

"it isn't true you know, that I had take advantage of Bertha because it was her who first seduced me, she sit on my lap and then kissed me so deep that I felt like suffocate with her keep sucked my breath out of my mouth."

Arden nodded to Gordon with flat expression.

"It's true..." he said.

"I believe you."

"Thank you, I could see it in your expression which make me happy." Gordon said with sarcasm.

"You could said 'No'."

"and wasted once of a life time opportunity? are you nuts?"

"..............."

"You are a virgin are you?"

"SSSHHHHTTTTT....I don't know what are you talking about."

"Do you ever kiss a girl before?"

"SSSHHHHTTTTT.....I don't understand what are you saying to me, please say it more slowly."

"Do you..."

"SSSHHHHTTTTT.....Please say that again."

"Okay, I get it."

"................."

"You need to visit Markus and apologize." Arden said giving him an even look.

Gordon take a deep breath. He know he had overboard when they trained but the asshole started it first. He may the Viscount nephew but Gordon was a Baron, an official of the Kingdom when Markus was just a knight. If he let a mere knight bullied him because he was angry at him he would lose people respect and his dignity as a person who had defeated a war hero by himself.

"No.."

Arden sighed, he looked tired and defeated.

"I..."

"I know why you ask me that Arden, I really do but Markus is mere knight albeit a knight with ties with Viscount Brook but if I apologies first when in fact it was him who started it I will become a laughing stock among the nobles."

Arden sighed again, he had to admit that what Gordon said has some logic to it, he was a Baron and Markus was just a knight yet he still worried that it would has some repercussion if Markus hold a grudge against Gordon though it wasn't like he had any other choice.

"Fine, do whatever you like, just please be more careful when you about to beat someone."

"Thanks." Gordon said, he felt relieved that Arden could understand the importance for him to not lower himself by apologize to the asshole though he did it more for his pride than his reputation but Arden didn't needed to know that.

"So, how is she?"

"She is fine, just some scratch."

"Good...good." Gordon nodded. "How about those demon?"

"I think they need more time to ensure if it's a demon or not though I am sure it would be more easy if you didn't destroy their body to piece."

Gordon looked at the sky, he seems in a deep thought.

"How many knights do we have?"

"None"

"What! then what about the guys who patrol around the manor? aren't they knight?"

"No, they just grunts that I hired."

"So...we have none at all? how we even defend ourselves in there is an attack?"

"We can't." Arden said while giving Gordon an awkward smile.

"Come on....are you serious? oh Gods....My baronies must be the lamest baronies ever exist."

"................"

"Do Viscount Brook doesn't give me any knight from his arsenal ? even our village has a lot of hunter...this is truly unacceptable."

"In case you wonder why I didn't hire knight or recruit them is because we doesn't have money....the tax won't coming until next month so we....."

"Are poor...just like me back then..damn it, to think that I am still poor even after became a lord, is it some kind of fate jokes?" Gordon said annoyed.

"You have an invitation to a ball three days later, Baron Heaton want to introduce his oldest daughter who will sixteen this year, this is a good opportunity for to make an ally and if you are lucky maybe you could get a loan from one of them." Arden said, he clearly want to cheer up Gordon even when he could see a desperation in his voice.

Gordon sighed after hearing what Arden said. he hate social gathering, the last time he come to that kind of even was when Lily told him that he was ugly and better not speak to her again and what made it even hurt was that he actually want to speak to Sharon but couldn't muster his courage so he decide to speak to less attractive girl who in the end thought that he was ugly. He had seen his own face many times in the mirror so he was sure that he wasn't ugly, not handsome sure but ugly?

"Okay, just take care of Leila, I need to clear my head."

Gordon stand up and walk away then stopped, he looked back at Arden.

"Do I have a cloth for this ball ? or I just wear whatever I have?"

"You don't need to worries because we still have some money, I'll handle your clothes."

"Thanks man." Gordon walked away. Before speak with Arden he had a plan to visit Leila and invited her to eat but now he wasn't in mood to speak to anyone. According to the book that he had read, Viscount Brook has about a hundred knight on his service and also several mage who written as competent though he didn't know how much competent those mage were.

Gordon Sighed, he really miss the easy day back in the village and had a thought to simply abdicate his position and leave. He was sure that nobles would happy with his decision or maybe even throwing a party to celebrate it. And speaking the nobles he suddenly remembered about Jonathan Frost, the man never asking about his promise to give him tax break, he had thought that he would pester him to no end about it.

"Sir..."

The salute from a guard awaken Gordon from his mind. He looked at the man in front of him, his body was thin and he looked a little bit sick which made him wonder what kind of people Arden has hired.

"What is your name?" He asked the guard.

"My name is Sam."

"Okay Samuel, where are you come from?"

"No...it's just Sam."

"Sam is shortened version of Samuel, right?"

"It should be but my name is just Sam."

"..........."

"Alright then, where are you come from?"

"Born and raised in this city sir, the only place I know though my dad and ma coming from Berwin we never visited my parent old town, I really hope I could visit another city, looking at different neighborhood, at least I before die."

"Yeah, that is a good idea....so you born here, I guess you would know many thing about this city."

"Yes I do sir, just say it I would gladly take you walking around this city sir."

"That's good, so....is there a bandit attack around here?"

"Bandit?"

"Yes, bandit."

".....yes there are bandit...in the border of Torun and Berwin but it's been a long times since I heard about them."

"Do you know where exactly was their position is?"

"I....I..don't know, just that they usually roaming around the city border and it's from other people....I mean I didn't see them myself just hearing rumor from people in the tavern and the market."

"It's fine, thanks Sam." Gordon leave Sam then walked to the gate, there is a single person who guard it and he looked surprised when he see him walked alone.

"Sir..." the guard salute him.

"Open the gate, I want to walking."

"Yes...Sir."

Gordon looking at the old gate slowly being open, he nodded at the guard who nodded back at him then walked outside, he doesn't where to go so he turn back to the guard.

"where is the market?"

"This is the main street, you go left then keep going until you met crowded place, the market is in the left side of the street, you won't miss it."

"Thanks."

"You are welcome sir."

Gordon had a thought that if he doesn't has any knight he should protect his land by himself, he was strong after all though he doesn't know how to do it, maybe by flying around in the border and bang-bang, shooting the bad guys in their head.

hehehe...that would make my day.

But he wasn't sure that shooting people's head would doing good for his reputation or got him a loan, and this money problem? he wonder why it never go away either when he was in the village or after became a baron, like it was some sort of soul mate of his that would be forever by his side. You may think he was joking but Gordon consider it pretty serious that the poorness seems never far away from him.

He keeps walking while his mind was in turmoil, he now understand why Cornel looking at him with pity this morning. He wonder what would happen if his baronies didn't had any money at all, would the people riot or Viscount Brook would captured him and throw him in the jail because he was so incompetent, either way wasn't good for him that for sure. So he really need to learn how to get money if he planned to keep his position or maybe marry someone who has some money, it definitely more easy that learn how to ask for a loan.

Arden was right that the gathering in Baron Heaton would be his chance to know someone that willing to became his ally, he need to learn how to dance and how to speak like nobles so he wouldn't embarassed himself or he would be know as a baron who bite dust too soon.