In a certain city, a robust middle-aged man was walking in the city while humming.
"Mhm, hum, hum." The middle-aged man seemed to be enjoying his walk. He was also observing the locations of the buildings in the area.
"Life is good." The middle-aged man nodded in approval. He continued for another thirty minutes before he eventually reached a two-story building.
When he opened the door, he was greeted with a lot of tools for construction such as hammers, axes, saws, and others.
"Welcome, Sir Douglas. Are you done with your walk today?" A young receptionist smiled at him.
"Oh, Jack. You're already up?" The middle-aged man, who was called Douglas, smiled, watching the young man carrying the tools around as though he was displaying them on the shelves.
"Of course. I don't know why, but I feel like something good is going to happen today. So, I'm setting up the shop as quickly as possible."
"Is that so? Maybe we're expecting the same thing. I don't know why, but I feel energized today." Douglas chuckled, not thinking much about it. "In any case, just open the shop as usual."
"Understood." Jack nodded in agreement as he continued moving things around.
However, their peaceful morning was suddenly disturbed when a man suddenly slammed their door open.
*Bang!*
The sound was so loud that it startled both of them.
"I need one hundred saws and one hundred hammers right away!" The man shouted in an authoritative tone, looking down at them.
Jack couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows while Douglas put on his smile and said, "Welcome, Mr. Raffles."
"So, you're here, you idiot old man." The man snorted, staring at Douglas as if he was a fly.
Jack looked angry because the man looked down on Douglas, but he couldn't do anything. There was a reason why the man could actually look down on them.
"Of course. Since you're here to make a purchase this big, then I should be the one welcoming you." Douglas smiled. "Besides, you're the butler of the city lord, so how could I let anyone serve you?"
"This is an order. Bring one hundred saws and hammers to the city lord's mansion if you don't want this shop destroyed." The man harrumphed, thinking he was far above Douglas.
"I understand. But Sir, we don't have the number you require right now. Please wait for three days, and I can deliver it to the mansion." Douglas replied, still putting on his best smile.
"You don't have that much time. Do you think if not because of the city lord, you could still be alive? You only have until dusk. If you can't deliver the order, I will destroy this shop." The man laughed out loud.
He didn't care about their reply and immediately turned around, ready to leave the shop.
However, he saw a hammer and a window next to the door, so he grabbed the hammer and smashed the window for them to see. He added mockingly, "Hahaha. Since this shop is going to be destroyed, then this one is just in advance."
The man exited the shop while laughing out loud, slamming the door so hard that the wooden door bent.
Outside, he saw two people who were staring at him in confusion.
"What? If you continue looking, I will rip out your eyes." The man glared at them angrily, which caused the two people to look at each other. Because he was in a good mood after destroying the window, he harrumphed and walked away. "This is why commoners are…"
The two were completely dumbfounded since they didn't expect that another commoner would be able to act this mighty.
Due to the wooden door bent, the voice from the inside could be heard.
"Sir Douglas. Why are you serving that man so easily? Couldn't you see how they treated you? You have been helping Count Helsberth for so long, but look at how they treat you in return."
"Even their butler is looking down on you. You… you have… even helped them build a lot of things. Without you, their city wouldn't be this good." Jack was shouting in frustration.
Douglas had reached his hand to a slum guy like him and turned him into his assistant, so Jack was angry when his savior was treated horribly.
"You don't know anything, Jack. And I don't think it's time for me to tell you about it… not yet. Let's just do our best here until the time comes." Douglas smiled, not caring about the treatment.
However, the two people outside had actually opened the door and entered the shop, seeing the mess inside.
"…" They didn't know how to react since this was the first time they went to this shop.
But Douglas seemed to recognize one of them. He didn't know the one wearing a masquerade, but the moment he saw the man behind him, he could make a guess of their identities.
"This…" Douglas gasped. Seeing the second man nod his head, Douglas suddenly dropped to one knee and lowered his head. "I humbly greet your presence, my lord."
"Huh?" Jack was utterly confused. Even though Douglas let everything happen with a smile on his face, he never knelt to anyone, including the city lord. That might also be the reason for their action.
Yet, a single nod from them actually caused Douglas to do the thing he never did in the last few years.
Who could actually force Douglas to do this?
After they closed the door, the younger man took off his masquerade as the blond hair gradually returned to its original color.
From behind the mask, a young yet gallant face was hidden.
Douglas instantly confirmed his identity and put on a small but genuine smile.
"Sorry, Jack. I'm going to take my words back. Sorry for letting you experience all this, but it's time we leave the town," Douglas finally explained the reason. "I have been helping the count because I'm planning to sit away from the spotlight. By making them hate me, they will definitely hide my presence because my existence is equal to their shame. But that doesn't matter anymore. The time has come."
"Sir?" Jack was dumbstruck.
Douglas pointed at Noel and said, "This is the person I've been waiting for. He is Noel Ardagan."
"Ardagan? That Ardagan?"
Obviously, the Ardagan Family's deeds had spread all over the kingdom. They were a merchant family, but instead of using their wealth to rise through the ranks, they used their wealth to help the people.
Even someone from the slum like him knew the name of Ardagan.
"I will explain everything to you later, so go upstairs and pack up your luggage. We'll be leaving the city."
"But the city guards will stop us," Jack warned him while frowning.
"Will that be a problem?" Douglas glanced at Dimitri.
"I have four methods to leave the city. Which one do you want?" Dimitri smirked.
Douglas smiled and waved his hand, telling Jack to hurry.
"I didn't think it'd be this easy…" Noel scratched the back of his head. He thought he had to find a way to convince Douglas, but the latter immediately recognized him and decided to follow him.
"Did Dimitri not tell you?" Douglas pointed at Dimitri.
"Tell what?"
"If Dimitri wasn't standing behind you when you visited us, it would mean that Dimitri still recognized you as the young master of the Ardagan Family. But considering Dimitri is with you now, it's clear that you've become the master of the family. If it's the former, then you might have to convince us because the time is not ripe."
"We've been waiting for you, Master. The former family head told us to lay low for the time being as the revival of the Ardagan Family would be in our hands. He told us to see for ourselves whether you were qualified or not. If you are qualified, then we have promised to follow you." Douglas smiled.
"Did my father tell all of you something like that?" Noel frowned.
"Yes. It seemed that he had known the end of the Ardagan Family and prepared for it. So, this time, we have to rebuild it again."
"It seems that there are a lot of things I want to ask about my father from you and Dimitri. But I guess we should leave the city as quickly as possible."
"Indeed. I'll be ready in just an hour."
Before Douglas left, Noel asked, "It seems that you've encountered a problem. Do you want me to help?"
Dimitri nodded. "Master might still be a Spirit Master, but his prowess is equal to a normal Spirit Grandmaster. I can help as well."
"No. It seems that you do not understand our forte, Master." Douglas smiled. "The Ardagan Family had several pillars. There was a reason why we were acknowledged as pillars and I would tell you after we left the city."
Noel was confused, but it seemed that he couldn't convince him.
Unbeknownst to Noel, he was about to know how Douglas's existence alone could threaten Count Helsbert.
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