Time passed imperceptibly, and soon it was almost lunchtime.
Hans noticed that Karl remained focused on his riding practice, with no trace of fatigue or impatience on his face.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly—the young master's enthusiasm for learning was truly rare.
He just didn't know how long it would last, as the learning process was always tedious and tiresome.
"Karl, take a break. Lunch will be ready soon."
Hans waved and called out to Karl, who was riding alongside another.
Karl gently pressed his heels into the horse's belly, urging it forward until he reached Hans.
He swung his leg over, dismounted, turned, and gently patted the horse's shoulder and neck to soothe it.
"Hans, before coming to the manor, I also brought a wild boar I hunted. Could you have it prepared?"
"Oh, of course, that's fine. I'll tell Marta to do it."
......
During the lunch break, Karl and Jack sat to Raymond's right at an oval oak table about four meters long and two meters wide.
The butler, Hans, stood with his hands behind his back, positioned about half a meter from Raymond's left hand.
As for Marta and the maids, they had already consciously withdrawn.
Raymond picked up his silver knife and fork, elegantly cut the boar steak on his plate, put a small piece of meat in his mouth, and chewed carefully.
After a few seconds of chewing, he still seemed reluctant to swallow, as if the flavor of the meat could linger between his lips and teeth for a while.
He looked very emotional and said slowly, "Thanks to you, Karl, I haven't enjoyed such a luxurious meal in a long time."
Hearing this, Karl was startled and was about to put the forked meat into his mouth but stopped.
"Uh... Raymond, as far as I know, don't nobles usually have their own estates? Plus there's the tithe..."
"Oh, there used to be businesses and shops making and selling wine, but later that stinking bitch's family couldn't keep them open."
"Those gangs, like jackals, wouldn't let go of my piece of fat."
"As for the tithe, the annual tax is just over two hundred Orens.
"The regular expenses of the manor account for a little less than half, part of it has to be given to the King, and then I spend a lot of money on treatment for my Pale Sickness."
For a moment, Karl was speechless, his mouth open, not knowing what to say to comfort the other man.
He wanted to ask, didn't nobles have relatives? But recalling what the other party had just said, yes, Raymond himself wasn't safe.
Asking relatives for help at a time like this, people's hearts are unpredictable; who knows if it would be inviting a wolf into the house.
When he first came to the manor, he had a rough idea of the estate's situation, but he hadn't expected things to be this bad.
Raymond saw the expression on Karl's face but smiled indifferently and said with relief, "It's alright, Karl. I still have some family heirlooms."
"I can manage a good warhorse and a custom-fitted suit of plate armor."
"Now, I just hope that when I see my ancestors after I die, I can stand tall with my chest out and say that I lived up to the blood of El and was worthy of Alyssa's love."
Listening to Raymond's words, Karl quietly looked at the other man, feeling that his indifferent gesture was more like pretending to be relaxed.
The family heirlooms that weren't bad were most likely his last assets.
Jack had once told him that among a noble's possessions, real estate wasn't the most valuable.
The most expensive were warhorses and plate armor, both costing hundreds.
Even at the cheapest, together they wouldn't cost less than subsequent maintenance and breeding, and for the bottom, it would take hundreds of Orens.
And this amount of money, a knight with great family wealth, would almost go bankrupt for this money and usually couldn't get it from a baron.
Both of these items were symbols of strength and status; if you could get them,
regardless of whether they were exquisite or not, it was enough for ordinary nobles to look up to and even envy.
Karl was silent for a moment, then looked up to meet Raymond's gaze and said with a serious expression.
"Mr. Raymond, maybe I can come up with this money, and you don't have to push yourself so hard..."
Raymond was startled, then frowned slightly and looked into Karl's eyes, realizing Karl wasn't joking.
He pressed his lips together and said slowly, "Child, you need to be clear about what you're saying..."
"As your father, it's only natural for me to provide for my children. You don't need to feel guilty, let alone lie to me."
"Hundreds of Orens in assets—it wasn't easy for me to come up with this money, and you used to be just a commoner."
"Perhaps what you've encountered has given you a slightly skewed perception of money... Forgive me, Karl, I didn't mean to belittle you."
At this moment, even Jack, after finishing the red wine in his glass, couldn't help but shoot Karl a quick glance, asking him not to provoke Raymond further.
In the other party's current state, he was very afraid that Karl would make him angry.
Jack's whisper, Karl naturally understood and rolled his eyes at him in exasperation.
At this moment, he understood that if he just talked, he definitely wouldn't be able to convince the two of them.
"Alright, I won't waste my breath. You two wait for me."
So he put down the knife and fork in his hand, pushed back his chair and stood up, turned, and quickly went upstairs.
"Cough, Jack, did I upset him with too harsh a tone? Maybe I should apologize to him."
Raymond saw that Karl hadn't finished eating and had gone upstairs.
Suddenly, he looked a bit dejected, his mood fluctuating, and he couldn't stop coughing.
After all, he and Karl had little affection and didn't know each other well.
He didn't know how to get along with children, and conflicts due to communication issues were inevitable.
"Relax, old man. Karl isn't that petty; it won't come to that scene."
......
A few minutes later, Raymond and the others stared wide-eyed at the obsidian necklace on the table and examined it carefully.
Raymond gently ran his palm over the white pearls on the necklace, confirming its value.
"Karl, this necklace is worth a lot of money. Where did you get it?" Jack touched the gray beard on his chin and asked suspiciously.
"I'm afraid you won't believe me, but this necklace is a trophy from the Drowners I encountered in the forest the day before yesterday, and I killed them."
"This isn't an ordinary necklace; it's a magical item used by sorcerers."
"It would be a shame to sell it as an ordinary ornament. I wanted to find an opportunity to sell it to a sorcerer later." Karl spread his hands, shrugged, and said quietly.
Raymond withdrew his hand from the necklace and glanced at the blue fluorescent glow, which had almost faded.
He shook his head and sighed, "Unfortunately, I can't help. I've only heard that the King's advisor is a sorcerer, but I've never seen a sorcerer with my own eyes."
At that moment, Jack clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the two.
"A sorcerer? Karl... Your mother might know one."
"Jack, you said Alyssa knew one? But isn't she already dead..."