"Yes, I know. But still... this is too much. I haven’t done anything to deserve this kind of money," Cynthia replied, shaking her head.
"Who told you that? Your cooking and everything else—you’ve been amazing. I would love it if you could come work for me," Nolan said, a warm smile on his face.
"Thank you, I really appreciate this," Cynthia said, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at the pouch. She brushed them away and composed herself. "Two hundred thousand... it’s enough to change anyone’s life forever. With this money I can... do so much. Work, start something, help people."
"It’s not a problem," Nolan said. "I give it from my heart. I don’t need it. Take it." The rightful source is novelꞁire.net
Cynthia shook her head. "No. I won’t keep it for myself. I’ll take it to the nearest orphanage. Most of the orphanages here," she swallowed, voice catching, "they need help. Please. Let me do this. That’s just the way I am."
"Wow," Nolan breathed. "You’re really kind. Did you have a child? Why the orphanage? Why not keep it for yourself?"
Cynthia’s face hardened a moment with memory. "I once had a daughter. Her father... he wasn’t good. He was a werewolf. I’m a demi-human. He was human and a werewolf. I... we specialized in producing milk." She gave a faint, bitter smile. "People used to joke she looked half cow, half human because of her features. No one knew what happened."
Nolan leaned forward. "You said werewolf... I hope he’s not who I’m thinking of. Luthar?"
Cynthia’s hand tightened on the table. "Yes. How do you know his name?"
"It’s Luthar," Nolan said softly.
Cynthia’s eyes went distant. "From that day I’ve been alone. The guild master heard what happened and offered me a place to stay. He took care of me when I had nowhere else to go. I tried to stop them, to stop Luthar, but he... he used our daughter. They left her on a rock, offered her to people in cloaks. He said things about the end of the world. I don’t understand half of it." Her voice broke. "I tried to stop him, but he killed her. She was about four. She tried to die in front of me. She tried to" Cynthia’s hands clenched, then she shut her eyes. "I escaped. Luthar... he’ll pay for this."
Nolan’s jaw tightened. "Did you report him to the guild master?"
"I did," Cynthia said. "I told him everything. But Luthar... he’s not an ordinary criminal. Since he won the last tournament, he has the king’s favor. He has status. It won’t be easy to put him in chains." She looked up, a quiet fire in her eyes. "That’s why I can’t do it alone."
"So, tell me, do you want me to put a stop to his crimes? I’m already annoyed by him. Now that you’ve told me all this, I won’t spare him. I’ll break every bone in his body," he said firmly.
"No, there’s no need for that," Cynthia replied softly. "I don’t want to put that burden on you. You’ve already been through so much."
He looked at her, expression gentle. I never expected you to go through all this suffering. Please... wipe those tears. A beautiful lady shouldn’t shed tears."
Cynthia blinked, trying to compose herself. "I... I’ll try."
"Celia, stand up. Please, don’t worry," he added.
Celia wiped her tears, while Linda followed suit, brushing them away with an anklet. "Don’t worry, don’t cry. Something will be done," Linda said.
"It’s not just that,"Cynthia interjected. "When I said he’s powerful, you don’t truly understand. He’s extremely strong. I’m not sure even Sir Nolan could defeat him. Not even if every adventurer in the Empire joined together. I don’t know if they would win."
"Trust our master," Celia said firmly. "He’s really strong."
"Yes, he is," Lyra added. "No matter how weak you might think he is, he’s actually too powerful."
"It’s not just that. Luthar has also mastered some forbidden spells over the years. That makes him even stronger. I’m not sure what to do," Cynthia said.
Celia eyes were full of worry. "Master... say something," she urged.
"Wait... what do you want me to say?" Nolan asked.
Both of them stared at him, their expressions heavy with concern. Nolan reached for Cynthia’s hand, gripping it gently. "Do you want me to deal with him? Make sure he stops? Should I stop him?"
"Yes... I would love that, if you can," Cynthia whispered.
"Then say no more," Nolan said. He stood, placing his hand down. "Please, don’t cry again."
Nolan then stood up from the chair, walked over, picked up his sword, and headed toward his room. As he entered, he jumped onto the bed. Wow, here goes his speech. Just trying to act cool. Do I need to train to fight him? Well... no. No matter what he has up his sleeve, it won’t defeat me, Nolan thought.
A knock at the door broke his concentration. The door opened, and Lyra stepped in.
"Hey, why didn’t you wait for me to tell you to come in? And you hurt yourself?" Nolan asked.
"That’s not the matter. So... did you eat? A lot?" Lyra said.
"Yes. And I’m not going to spare him. He’ll be half-dead when I’m done with him. Even if I wanted to kill him, Cynthia wouldn’t like that. No matter what you’ve done to her, she still has feelings for him," Nolan said.
Lyra frowned. "Yeah... to be honest, I don’t really understand human feelings either. But there’s something I want to tell you. When you’re in the tournament, don’t bring out—just don’t summon any beast. Not even a goblin or anything. Don’t. Someone capable of summoning—if they see you summon a wyvern—the Empire might not let you go."
"Why is that?" Nolan asked.
"I told you—it’s a big deal. Only demons can tame a wyverns because they have enough mana to control them. But you’re different. You tamed me—a divine beast. I’m sure you’ll even be able to tame the Dragon King," Lyra said.