The Herb King

Night arrived and Albert came back to the mansion with his subordinates. He also brought someone with him. It was a man who was wearing bronze armor and his face could be barely seen because of the hood that covered half his head.

"Butler Rendell, is Sir Aethelwolf here?" Albert asked the man who received them. It was the newly appointed butler of the household, Rendell Lassiter.

Rendell smiled at Albert. His gaze moved past the man behind Albert. "This must be Fast Sword? Sir Aethelwolf is waiting for you guys in his study." He said.

"Alright. Thanks." Albert said. He then told his subordinates to return and only brought Fast Sword with him.

"Wait!"

Albert looked at Rendell in confusion. "What is it?"

Rendell handed him a small jar filled with cookies. "Take this. The young miss might not let you go inside if you don't give her something. I prepared this just in case." He chuckled as he said those words.

Albert laughed along with him and took the small jar from his hands. "You saved me the trouble. Thanks, man."

"No worries. Go on now." Rendell waved his hand.

Fast Sword glanced at the two of them with a confused look, but he didn't say anything. 'Why do we need a jar of cookies to get inside Sir Aethelwolf's study?' He thought to himself.

"Follow me. Everyone inside this mansion is part of the Lassiter Household so there's nothing to worry about. You can relax here." Albert patted Fast Sword's shoulder.

Fast Sword nodded his head.

Along the way, he was observing the mansion as well as the people inside. Everyone had smiles on their faces which made him believe that the Lassiter Household was treating its people well. Many knew about Aethelwolf's benevolence so this didn't surprise him. He just thought that it was rare to see such a scene in the noble households since most of them look down on the commoners. Some servants and slaves were treated like animals or even worse than that.

"We are here." Albert's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Sir Aethelwolf, I've brought Fast Sword with me."

Soon, the door was opened and they saw a res-haired little girl looking at them with her hands on her waist. She then smiled as she extended her right arm. Her hand wriggled as she looked at Albert.

Albert understood this immediately. He took out the jar filled with cookies and gave it to her. "Young Miss, we would like to talk with Sir Aethelwolf." He muttered with a smile.

The corner of Olivia's mouth rose upwards when she saw the cookies. She then nodded her head and said. "Papa is writing something. You may enter."

Suddenly, she noticed the unfamiliar person behind Albert and she couldn't help but look at him curiously. She tugged Albert's clothes and asked "Albert, who is that person?"

"This is Fast Sword, a solitary expert that Sir Aethelwolf invited to the mansion." Albert answered her.

On their way to the study, Olivia kept on staring at Fast Sword, making the man feel a bit conscious.

"Papa, Albert is here." Olivia ran towards Aethelwolf who was buried in a pile of documents.

Aethelwolf lifted his head.

"Greetings, Sir Aethelwolf." Albert bowed his head lightly. He then pointed at Fast Sword as he said. "This is Fast Sword."

"Good evening, Sir Aethelwolf. Everyone calls me Fast Sword, but you can call me by my name, Zachary." Fast Sword introduced himself simply.

Aethelwolf nodded his head. "Thank you for bringing him here, Albert. You may leave now."

"Yes, Sir Aethelwolf." Albert left right away.

"Please take your seat." Aethelwolf said to Zachary.

Zachary was normally a calm person, but he was strangely nervous in the presence of Aethelwolf. He was a Level 4 Esper, but he couldn't even gauge Aethelwolf's power. Some said that Aethelwolf was a late stage Level 4 Esper or even at the peak stage, but after meeting him in person, Zachary believed that Aethelwolf might be a lot more powerful than that. He has the ability to accurately sense the power of someone because of his inborn mutated eyes. Even without the use of an observation skill, he could tell how strong someone was. The only exception were the people who possesses an item that can hide their aura.

The reason why Zachary was nervous was that Aethelwolf activated his skills [Intimidate], and [Overwhelming Aura]. The latter was a new skill he learned just recently. It could make his aura look mysterious and profound in the eyes of others, making it seem like they were looking at a deep ocean or a tall mountain.

Aethelwolf smiled as he put down his quill pen. "I'm sorry for not being able to invite you in person. As you can see, I have a lot of matters to take care of." He muttered in a helpless tone.

"It's alright, Sir Aethelwolf. I understand your situation." Zachary removed his hood as he uttered those words, showing the scar-riddled face of a middle-aged man with short graying hair. One of his pupils had turned white, a sign that it was already blind.

By just looking at him, anyone could tell that this man has been through a lot of danger.

"I believe that Albert has already told you why invited you here." Aethelwolf was a bit surprised when he got a clearer look at the man's face. He could already imagine what Zachary has to go through just to get his wife treated. This was a devoted man.

Zachary nodded his head. "You want me to join the Lassiter Household, but you should already know my condition."

Aethelwolf nodded. "You are looking for someone who can treat your wife, right?"

"That's right. I tried all means and went to many places just to get her treated, but everything failed. If you can treat my wife, I promise that I will serve you until I die." Zachary said with a serious tone.

Aethelwolf smiled as he stood up. "Alright. Bring me to her."

Zachary looked at him in surprise. "You mean now?"

Aethelwolf chuckled and patted the man's shoulder. "Take me to her. You must pour me a drink later after I cure your wife."

His confidence made Zachary feel a sense of hope.

"I will!"