Chapter 39: The Choice of Path

The castle hall.

Candlelight flickered gently, illuminating the intricate patterns on the wall tapestries.

Silver cutlery and empty wine cups remained on the long table; maids quietly cleaned up the remnants.

Xia Mingyu leaned lazily against the soft back of the main seat, while Karon sat upright and straight-backed in the chair to his left.

The banquet had ended; after Xia Mingyu requested to speak privately with Viscount Hughes, Elise and Danielle swiftly departed with a graceful curtsy, leaving the two alone.

“Why did His Highness wish to keep me alone? Is it because he finds the castle’s environment too poor and wants to leave?”

Though Karon’s face still wore a gentle smile, his heart had tightened; his fingers trembled slightly on the armrest.

He had survived countless battles drenched in blood and gore, believing he would never again face any great emotional upheaval—yet now, facing this prince, he felt as nervous as he had in his youthful innocence.

After all, the prince’s status was simply too exalted!

He carried the weight of fourteen hundred million human beings’ future master—nearly equivalent to the weight of an entire continent!

“Viscount, I have a favor to ask—could you assist me?” Xia Mingyu poured another cup of deep red wine and offered it to Karon.

“Your Highness, speak freely! I, Karon Hughes, swear by the name of Lord of Black Wolf Domain—I will spare no effort to fulfill it!”

At these words, Karon immediately rose from his seat, his expression solemn.

Helping His Highness was his honor—and his opportunity.

He feared nothing more than His Highness asking for nothing at all.

As long as His Highness didn’t demand his wife Danielle to spend the night with him, he would risk his life for any other request.

Hmm. If His Highness would agree to be the godfather of his son Hayden, then spending a few nights with Danielle would surely please her—he could even relax his waist a little.

“My attendant Boge wishes to advance to Hunter. Do you know what conditions are required to rise from Hunter to Hunter?” Xia Mingyu asked.

That’s all?

Karon’s expression relaxed, then he turned serious.

“Your Highness, for a Hunter to advance to Hunter, one must choose and consume a potion made from the organs of certain beasts—such as ‘Eagle Eye’ potion, ‘Cat Tail’ potion, and so on.”

“Viscount, could you help me obtain a bottle of ‘Eagle Eye’ potion?”

After a moment’s thought, Xia Mingyu spoke again.

Boge excelled at archery; ‘Eagle Eye’ potion would suit him best.

“Your Highness, this might be troublesome for other nobles, but for me, it’s effortless.”

“The Archbishop of the Storm Church’s southern provincial branch was once my battle companion in the ‘Dragon Lion War’—we shared life and death. With our bond, he would gladly give me a single potion.”

Karon’s lips curled slightly, his rugged face brimming with confidence.

Ha. If he refused, Karon would loudly shout in the church about how that man once begged to be called “Dad” just to get a single piece of black bread during the siege when his army was starving and barefoot.

“But…” Karon changed tone.

Just as Xia Mingyu thought he was about to make a demand, Karon hesitated.

“Your Highness, I must advise against your attendant choosing the Hunter path. Though Hunters grow stronger quickly and possess superior individual power, the more powerful a Hunter becomes, the greater the risk of losing rationality. They’re excellent as weapons of war, but as attendants—even the Storm Church has drastically reduced Hunter training.”

“Please reconsider carefully. If you truly decide, tell me—I’ll immediately mount Black Abyss Wolf and ride to obtain the potion for you.”

Karon spoke with solemn gravity.

When Xia Mingyu returned to his room after leaving the hall, he found Boge already waiting at the door.

“My Lord, I ask you to make a decision for me.”

Boge, his skin slightly reddened from the sun, knelt on one knee before him and bowed deeply.

“Speak.”

“I learned from Knight Solin the requirements for advancing beyond Hunter. I beg my Lord to decide for me: should I pursue the Hunter path or the Knight path?” Boge whispered.

“Hmm.” Xia Mingyu rested his chin in thought.

Hunter or Knight?

Hunters risk losing control, and their advancement requires replacing body parts with beast organs, turning them into something neither human nor beast. Knights, however, prioritize loyalty and duty above all—undoubtedly the best profession for an attendant.

From his own interests, advising Boge to choose the Knight path would be correct.

But—

“Look up,” Xia Mingyu said firmly.

The boy slowly raised his head, revealing a face still youthful but weathered by hardship.

His face bore numerous bruises—all from before leaving the village, when Luo Bote had beaten him.

“Boge, how old are you?”

“Sixteen,” Boge answered without hesitation.

Sixteen. On Blue Star, that was just a high school freshman—but here, he had already been ambushing merchants alongside him.

He’d also heard from Luo Bote that half of Boge’s hunting spoils were sold to support the village, which was why Guolan Village hadn’t worried about food or taxes for years.

Thinking of this, Xia Mingyu’s gaze grew serious.

“In my homeland, there’s a saying: no matter what you choose, you’ll regret it—so better to choose what you truly want now.”

“So, Boge, ask your heart: which path do you truly wish to take?”

Xia Mingyu stepped closer to Boge and gently patted his increasingly broad shoulder.

He decided to return the choice to Boge—because Boge was not merely his attendant, but once his savior.

Boge had saved him; he had saved Guolan Village once. Though their status was lord and attendant, in his heart he always felt they were equals.

“Which path should I choose?”

Hearing this, Boge froze, his mind flooded with distant memories.

“Boge, you’ll grow up to be a great hunter!”

That was his father’s excited shout after first seeing him shoot an arrow.

“Hunting is the most wonderful thing in the world—you gamble everything against another life, and even if you die, it’s happiness.”

His father sat by the river, swinging his fishing rod, then yanked hard to haul out a giant fish, splashing water across his face.

“Why can’t I ever advance?”

In the dead of night, he’d woken to see his father smoking his pipe, staring at the wall covered in hunting trophies with a long sigh.

“Boge, don’t cry—I’m happy.”

During their escape, the man who had fed him every scrap of food, then collapsed from a wild boar’s charge, weakly whispered.

The memories ended abruptly.

The final image fixed in his mind: himself shielding His Highness, flung away by Knight Solin’s sword.

The boy silently made his decision.

“My Lord, I choose…”

(End of Chapter)