Chapter 51: A big lesson

"Hmm... what will become of me if you don’t come back?" Alice asked, clutching her chest tightly.

For hours now, her eyes had been fixed on the horizon, desperately waiting for Ethan.

A sound, a glimpse of a shadow, anything that was at least the slightest sign that he was alive.

Was that too much to ask?

Alice stared at the late afternoon sun, which heralded the onset of dusk.

Time was running out.

Just before she stood up and walked outside, she froze.

A commotion spread through the gates of Goldenveil and her heart leapt in her chest.

Finally...

Her man had returned!

Alice burst out of the Lord’s mansion, running toward the gates at full speed, her huge breasts bouncing with every excited step.

As soon as she arrived, she stopped immediately.

She saw people who looked as if they were about to starve to death, and many soldiers as well.

But... that wasn’t the Goldenveil guard!

Alice’s eyes scanned everyone until, right behind the soldiers, she saw a man with golden hair and transcendent beauty, her man, standing beside Evelyn, her best friend.

Her eyes widened and she immediately threw her arms out, rushing toward Ethan.

The handsome young man barely had time to react, a huge pair of airbags approaching his face at a terrifying speed.

He raised his hands just in time to catch Alice’s delicate waist, her breasts engulfing his face as her legs wrapped around his hips.

"You idiot... why did it take you so long? I was starting to think you wouldn’t come back to me..." She whined, hugging Ethan’s face even tighter, drowning him with her huge, soft tits.

That was, indeed, one hell of a welcome, one that many men could only dream of having.

"Do you really want to do this here, in front of everyone?" Ethan asked, his voice muffled by Alice’s breasts.

"Huh? What do you... ah!" It took Alice only a moment to realize, quickly pulling away and then blushing.

Evelyn, standing beside them, couldn’t suppress a hearty laugh.

It was good to be back, even if they’d only been gone for a few hours.

Bringing her face close to Alice’s ear, the tanned beauty whispered. "Tonight we’re going to teach our perverted Lord a big lesson, aren’t we? Hehehe~~"

Alice shuddered at those words, her face flushing a vibrant red.

After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded quickly in agreement.

"Get some rest. I still have a few things to take care of." Ethan gave Evelyn a gentle pat on the back, resisting the urge to place his hand a little lower.

Watching his beauties wave to him and then return to the mansion with their arms crossed, Ethan flashed a satisfied smile.

"Where is Ulric?" he asked, turning his face toward one of the many old men of Goldenveil, one who was very close to Ulric and was often seen drinking with him.

"Oh? What do you mean by that, my lord? Ulric is at his home. Who are these men? Where are Alaric and the other guards?" The old man leaned forward, looking at Ethan strangely.

"They’re dead, all of them. They committed treason and tried to kill me during the goblin attack."

The moment he heard those words, the old man shuddered.

Turning, he looked at a man who didn’t appear to be more than thirty years old, his son.

"Check Ulric’s house, now!"

The man didn’t hesitate, running there just in time to see flames rising from a window.

"Shit... it’s on fire! Get water, now!" he shouted, trying to open the front door.

When he finally managed to break it down, he saw that the house was empty.

By the time Ethan appeared at the gates, Ulric had set his own house on fire and fled.

What other reason would there be to flee, if not guilt?

"We have to start a search right now if we want to catch him." Doran said to Ethan, who merely nodded.

"It’s no use; you don’t know this forest well enough, unlike that damned old man. He’s also a second-stage aura sorcerer, so we need to be careful." Ethan cleared his throat, displeased.

It sucked that Ulric had fled, but what could he do?

Whining wouldn’t solve anything, and at that hour, as night was falling, it would be madness to start chasing a man who knew those forests so well.

"The families of the dead guards can go to the barracks tomorrow morning to demand compensation. Doran will be the new captain of the guard and will handle setting acceptable compensation amounts for traitors." Ethan said, patting the man beside him on the shoulder.

Ethan was already tall, at just over six feet, but Doran still stood a few inches taller and was, without a doubt, a rather intimidating figure, with cold eyes and a stern face.

"Come on, I’ll show you to your barracks." Ethan smiled, leading Doran and the rest of the guard.

The moment Doran saw the barracks he would command, he was unable to suppress a soft smile on his normally cold face.

He had certainly seen better ones, but... this one was strangely cozy.

"Thank you very much, my lord... as long as I am worthy, I will serve you." Doran turned to Ethan suddenly, kneeling down.

His loyalty increased a little more, reaching 80.

"Hm... you’d better prepare to serve me for all eternity, hahaha." Ethan roared with laughter. "Let’s go inside and have a drink."

He opened the system inventory, grabbing all the alcohol he’d received from his many spins on gacha tickets.

It wasn’t that much, but the quality was very good, at least compared to what soldiers of their rank would usually have access to.

When they heard about the alcohol, the previously cold and reserved guards quickly began to warm up, drinking and celebrating their new life, slowly developing genuine respect and affection for their kind yet ruthless Lord.

Meanwhile, the forty-odd people rescued from the goblin camp began to be cared for by the local population.

A hearty meal was prepared, and each person was given a place to sleep and take a good bath, washing away months of accumulated grime and stench.