Chapter 8: A Noble

*Swoosh* *Shooosh* *Halt*

With lightning speed Lucious ran towards the village, he stopped when he realized the village was only 100 meters away. He could now see the entrance.

Lucious, with his newfound powers and calm demeanor, ventured closer to the village's entrance, where a substantial barricade had been erected to shield the settlement from the dangers that lurked in the night.

"Hmm..." His sharp, blood-red eyes scanned the area, taking note of the two guards stationed at the gate.

They were silhouetted against the dimly lit barricade, carrying an air of vigilance in the dark.

 Lucious approached the guards with a certain level of authority and mystique.

*step**step*

"Huh... Is, is that a person...?" One of the guards, a burly man with a grizzled beard asked his companion.

The other guard, a younger man with a more nervous disposition commented, "....B-But what is a person doing here in the middle of the night..?"

Lucious could hear them talking as he slowly approached without minding their comments, his silver hair glistening under the moon's gentle light.

The two men guarding the entrance watched him approach with cautious eyes. They were dressed in simple attire, not much different from the common villagers, and their duties were to safeguard their homes from the lurking dangers of the night.

As Lucious came closer, his striking appearance and refined clothing caught their attention. His pure white silk shirt and black pants made him stand out like a nobleman. His muscular physique and chiseled features further heightened his commanding presence.

Lucious, towering at an impressive height of 195 cm, strode confidently toward the two men. His commanding presence was impossible to ignore.

"I-Is he a noble...?" The two guards exchanged glances, their faces filled with a mixture of awe and anxiety. "...or maybe someone from the knight's households" In their remote village, encounters with individuals of noble or high-ranking knightly stature were rare, and they could only speculate about Lucious's background.

Lucious approached the guards with an air of nonchalance, The bearded, burly man, his voice laced with trepidation, cautiously asked, "Who might you be, sir? And what brings you to our humble village?"

The were afraid of the nobles, they knew nobles only saw them, the commoners like pigs or ants not caring about them one bit, they were afraid if the man was this muscular and tall with handsome features, with not a single cut mark on his face, could very well hail from a high-ranking household, and that put them on edge.

From their childhood, the villagers, who had grown up with stories of how nobles often treated commoners as less than dirt, were trembling with fear. (A/N: see boies, this is what happens when you don't have internet.)

Lucious, ever perceptive and quick-witted, caught onto their apprehension and turned the tables with a wry and mocking smile, "....Tsk,tsk..." he shook his head as if disappointed.

 He responded, "Ah, manners are important, after all..... well what was I expecting from the village bumpkins....sigh..."

".... Sir..? parden...?"

"you see.... you've asked me a question without introducing yourselves first." Lucious's gase sharpened as he looked at the burly man.

The burly man, Harris, immediately gulped and stammered, "Sorry, sir..... Please forgive my mistake. My name is Harris... and..."

Harris then signaled to his nervous companion, Mike, who took a deep breath and introduced himself in a trembling voice, "I-I am called..... Mike..., sir."

'Just a name and no surname... hmm, I see... ' Lucious thought, his sharp gaze unyielding, listened to their introductions, "Ah.. a Harris and a Mike huh?" he nodded to himself. "So..... Haris... open the gates and inform the village head or chief...., whatever, just inform them about my arrival..."

"W-What, what should we call you... sir?" They asked in unison.

"Well, I go by Lucious... Lucious Valentine.. but you should just call me sir.... is that clear? Now hurry..." Lucious answered arrogantly as the two men hurriedly opened the gates and walked inside. (A/N: Lucious had not seen any vampire-related series, just knows some things from Jack's blabbering. So, at this time he didn't know he could hypnotize or compel others or at least didn't remember.)

Lucious slowly followed the duo from a distance as the duo stopped in front of the entrance of a slightly larger house in the village, they knocked, and after a few moments, an older man in his mid-40s, the village head, came out to assess the situation. His eyes widened as he heard about the mysterious visitor.

Upon hearing Lucious's name, a name that included a last name, a privilege reserved for nobles, the village head's forehead began to bead with sweat.

'A-A noble...? alone..? at this time..? I must take all the precautions...' The village head was illiterate but also the most literate person present in the village.

The village head, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and irritation, addressed the two guards,

He barked, "Harris, Mike, you imbeciles! Leaving a guest like this unattended at the gate? Do you have any idea who we're dealing with?"

Harris and Mike exchanged nervous glances, regretting their lapse in judgment. Harris stammered, "We... we didn't know, sir. He... he just appeared, and, well, he seemed important."

Mike chimed in, "Yes, sir. He's really tall and... and well-dressed. We thought he might be from a noble family or something. We didn't mean to be disrespectful."

The village head rubbed his temples, attempting to regain his composure. He knew that their village rarely received visitors of such stature, and their naivety was understandable.

"Take me to him I should apologize--" But before he could complete his sentence a nonchalant cold voice interrupted him "No, need to go anywhere... old man..." Lucious could be seen coming in their direction, " And yes...., you should apologize" Lucious said as he stopped in front of him.

The head tried to apologize after hearing the man's words but Lucious walked passed him, giving him a side glance Lucious said, "Don't..."

"Huh.. sir..?" V.head became confused.

"Don't worry too much... I just need a place to rest for tonight..." Lucious uttered as he tried to step inside the V.Head's house.

Lucious had made a nonchalant attempt to enter the house of the village head, assuming he could walk in as he pleased. However-

As his foot touched an invisible barrier, a faint ripple shimmered through the air, stopping him dead in his tracks. He quickly retracted his foot, silently acknowledging the supernatural barrier's presence. Lucious had heard of such mystical defenses in some horror movies he watched back on Earth, he remembered a saying from a movie 'A negative energy can't enter someone's residence on its own...' 

Not one to show his surprise or annoyance, Lucious calmly repositioned his foot and gazed at the village head, who was starting to sweat.

"Shall we get inside... old man?" Lucious inquired with a quirked eyebrow, letting the implications of his question hang in the air.

The village head was visibly flustered, he quickly entered his house, and his voice quivered as he responded, "P-Please come inside, sir." He quickly stepped aside and made a sweeping gesture, inviting Lucious into the house.

Lucious gave a satisfied nod and stepped across the threshold, entering the village head's abode without encountering any further resistance from the barrier.

"Didn't catch...." Lucious uttered as he walked further inside. "I didn't catch your name..." He said looking at the nervous old man.

"I-I go by Regurd sir.." Village head Regured replied.

"Umm... why are the lights on dear..?" As Lucious stepped inside the village head's house, he was met with the soft, pleasant voice of a woman emanating from one of the rooms in a far corner.

"What are you doing in the middle of the night...?" The door to the room slowly opened, revealing a gorgeous woman in her late 30s.

 Her long, flowing black hair cascaded down her back, complementing her striking blue eyes. She had a face adorned with striking beauty and a figure that exuded sensuality or in simple terms... She was hot as hell.... It was evident that she had been roused from slumber, her eyes still bearing the remnants of sleep.

Lucious couldn't help but cast a lingering gaze at the woman as she emerged from her room, rubbing her eyes, her presence adding another layer of intrigue to this curious situation. 

Regurd cleared his throat and, with a respectful tone, began to introduce the woman who had appeared.

"Sir Lucious, this is my wife, Megan," he stated, casting a brief glance toward his wife to indicate her presence.

Megan, her eyes still carrying traces of sleep, found herself somewhat taken aback upon seeing Lucious. Although she couldn't grasp the full scope of the situation, she quickly understood that an unexpected guest had arrived. Her expression bore hints of surprise and embarrassment, and she decided to formally introduce herself...

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(So, how was it? And ya, don't just expect Lucious to be like some Chinese gamer protag who suddenly knows everything about his powers, he was a Military General, was not a gamer, and did not have watched as many movies or read novels as you may have done, the man did his own adventures, he either used his free time in training, planning, or having sex...)

NOW! Send me some power stones!

This entertained you... right? right? So can you at least send me your poWer..? Onii-Chan..? Don't be stingy ok?... ok?