Against Slade Nubis

Alex shook his head. 

Asher lifted his head and gazed at the two moons, which were as beautiful as marbles. "The Tigris family is a special family that has the lineage talent of morphing into a white tiger. When I was young, I heard my father talking about how William Tigris tore a bronze-ranked bear apart, and this was when he hadn't transformed." 

Alex's eyes widened. 

"Liya is the only one who didn't inherit the talent, but she awakened a much better one because of her mother." 

"So the rumors of Count William having an elf for a wife were true," Alex said.

"It is. Her mother is even older than Count William, if I remember correctly. Elves have longer lifespans and can still remain young even after a hundred or two years." 

Alex's brows furrowed. He couldn't understand how his Lord knew about all this. This information did not sound like something Count William would announce to the public. Little did Alex know that Asher spoke from the knowledge he had about Boundless, the online game.

But it coincided perfectly with this world. 

The uncanny similarity baffled Asher each time he thought of it. 

Asher turned his head to the north, where his territory was. 

"There you are; I've been looking for you, Ash." 

Liya walked into the balcony, her white dress and hair fluttering. A soft, barely audible but noticeable chiming fell into Asher's ears, causing him to turn his head, and the first place his eyes went to was her wrists.

The atmosphere changed with her presence. 

This time around, both Asher and Alex were truly amazed at the mild but noticeable ability of the bracelet.

Alex swiftly excused himself. 

"You've grown to become a beautiful woman." Asher said while looking at the radiant young woman. 

"You also transformed from being short-tempered to being surprisingly calm." She smiled. 

Asher smiled and turned to face the city. "You're a powerful mage, and your mother is a priestess. This city is the safest place a man can be in the wastelands." 

Liya giggled. 

"I actually wanted to be a swordsman and train with you, but our fates were different."

Asher glanced at her.

"We grew up." 

Liya's eyebrows furrowed for a moment, but she exhaled. Asher had indeed grown up, and with that, they've grown so far apart that she couldn't read anything about him. No one knew how he got such a bracelet, which could only be found in auctions.

If it was in an auction and Asher bought it, someone might have known, but his territory wasn't wealthy enough to buy the bracelet without facing a financial crisis.

So it remained a mystery. 

Asher, the outspoken and innocent boy, had grown to become a very mysterious man. 

"Do you want to remain a lord of that little town?" She suddenly asked a question that made Asher frown.

"It's my duty."

"You'll die there once winter comes. This winter won't be like the others, Ash. Traces of abyss essence have been found in the depths of the wasteland. Only Tigris County is safe, and that is because of my mother's sacred domain spell."

"Even if the entire north is consumed by a beast tide, I and my citizens will be fine." 

Liya blinks several times. 

"I thought you could think rationally now." 

Right at this moment, Slade walked into the balcony. "Little Lord of the Little Town, it's been a long time."

Asher frowned. He vividly recalled someone saying something like this when he was younger. 

"I guess you've forgotten me. I'm the one that made a bet with you that I'd marry Liya. I bet it was amusing to you then since she was betrothed to you, but now, I just wasn't betrothed to her; we are now engaged."

Slade held Liya's hand and showed Asher the ring.

"Oh? I think it was in the invitation letter, but I forgot about it. Also, I became a cripple, and Liya would never wed a cripple, so I lost twelve years ago."

Creases formed on Slade's forehead. Asher's reply sounded nonchalant. The pain he sought wasn't there, and since it was absent, he didn't get the satisfaction he wanted.

And so, he wrapped his hand around Liya's waist. 

"You should leave your little territory and come stay here or you won't live to see the next year."

"Thanks for the advice." 

Slade snorted. A gleam flashed through his eyes, and his gold-ranked force spread out, but Asher remained unfazed. 

Liya nudged him. "Stop." 

She said it softly. 

"Don't get consumed with the pride of being a lord because you're not capable of being one. You were just picked because you were the only one available." 

"Slade!" 

Liya raised her voice as Slade was too blunt and harsh.

"A man that is down needs fear, no fall, but he that is at the top..." 

Seeing that Asher wouldn't continue, Slade snickered. "All you have now is your sharp mouth. You've lost once because of this same overconfidence, and you'll lose once again, and this time it won't be like before." 

"Alex." 

Alex came and pushed Asher out. Slade gazed at him coldly until he vanished from sight. Although Slade was considered a talented young noble in the entire northern high plains, he still saw Asher as a threat, and it was just because of one thing.

Asher's confidence.

Where in the world did it come from?

...…

The next day, William sat in his study with his chief guard and his butler. 

He turned his head to his chief guard. "What do you think of the cripple?"

"He's no threat. But his personality is alarming; however, no noble will be willing to be his ally because there is nothing to gain from such 

"Is that so?" Willam hummed deeply.

"The only thing that stood out was his bodyguard. He looks young, but he must be a talent that would rot in that godforsaken place." 

Willam rubbed his chin. "Watch him. I want to know how he got that treasure." 

Knock! Knock! 

"Who is it?" the butler asked.

"There's crucial information about Lord Asher that I need to relay to the Lord."