Chapter 9 : Unexpected Danger
Chapter 9: Unexpected Danger!
Without waiting for Leo to respond, Arthur answered his own question, “200 silver coins.”
The fork in Leo’s hand froze midair.
200 silver coins!
In this world, one gold coin equaled ten silver coins, one silver coin equaled one thousand copper coins, and a single copper coin could buy a black bread.
A commoner’s yearly income was only a few silver coins.
As the son of a lord, Leo received five silver coins a month for living expenses from his father.
And this single meal cost two hundred silver coins!
One dish had consumed several years’ worth of his living expenses.
So this was the weight carried by the title of a count’s son.
After a few cups of wine, Arthur became noticeably more relaxed. He slung an arm over Leo’s shoulder. “I’m telling you, when it comes to practicing swordsmanship, the body is the foundation. Unlike ordinary people, a Swordsman must consume several times more meat than normal to possess physical qualities far beyond others.
Three parts training, seven parts eating. Well, that’s what my father taught me.” As Arthur spoke, Leo had already quietly eaten most of the Beastkin Meat in front of him, leaving only a few slices.
When Arthur turned back and saw this, his heart instantly ached.
This single meal had cost him half a year’s allowance. But in order to repay a life-saving favor,
it at least upheld the dignity of the Xilin Family.
“Go on, finish these. This stuff is very common in our family,” Arthur said awkwardly as he looked at the nearly empty plate.
Leo swept away the last few slices of Beastkin Meat.
Then he leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath of hot air.
At this moment, he felt a sense of fullness throughout his entire body, every inch radiating heat.
It was as if a previously depleted part within him had been rapidly filled.
Only now did Leo truly feel the benefits of the Beastkin Meat.
This was likely a type of meat with extremely high nutritional density. Combined with the fact that he had been working hard tending horses for over half a month and had not been eating well,
the accumulated nutritional deficit in his body was being rapidly replenished.
Leo clenched his fists and felt every muscle brimming with strength.
At the same time, he noticed that his panel had suddenly changed.
Strength: 0.9 → 1.0.
This plate of meat had such a powerful effect—this was not meat, it was practically a miracle drug.
Leo silently savored the benefits of the Beastkin Meat.
Meanwhile, Arthur interrupted his thoughts, “Feeling your whole body heating up, right? That’s how it was for me the first time too. It’s because your body’s previous deficiencies are being replenished. Next time you eat it, the effect won’t be this strong.”
“I wonder, Brother Arthur, is there anywhere to buy this?” Leo asked casually.
“Well… not really. But at the beginning of every month, a royal caravan passes through Blackstone City. They bring rare treasures from all over, including edible Beastkin meat—but the prices are not cheap.”
Leo could tell that obtaining this meal of Beastkin Meat today had not been easy for Arthur either.
Putting aside his constant talk about his family, Arthur was actually quite a decent person.
After eating and drinking their fill, the two downed one last cup, becoming friends.
Arthur hooked an arm around Leo’s shoulder, breathing out alcohol fumes. “Brother, after eating Beastkin meat, don’t indulge in lust for the next couple of days—it’s very harmful to the body.”
It seemed that noble youths in this world were already accustomed to relations between men and women at this age.
Thinking about it, Leo realized it made sense. Even Natalie, the maid assigned to him in the castle, had clearly shown signs of flirting that night.
If he wanted, she would certainly throw herself into his arms.
But Leo had no intention of wasting time on that for now.
Once one tasted such pleasure, it was like a devil’s fruit—addictive, and it would consume a great deal of time.
Under the influence of alcohol, all kinds of thoughts surfaced in Leo’s mind as he walked side by side with Arthur along the street.
Blackstone City had a castle backed against a cliff, and the outer town was also protected by walls.
Being far from the border, and with Knight Laforin stationed there, Blackstone City had always been very safe.
So even at night, there were still many people on the streets.
Some went to taverns for entertainment, others lingered in brothels. Compared to the castle, the town at night was far livelier.
Leo saw a traveling performer in the distance performing a finger-fire trick.
Elsewhere, a group of people gathered around a Bard, listening to him sing praises of a Holy Light Knight.
Arthur seemed tempted to stop and watch the excitement.
Leo, however, was eager to return.
After eating the Beastkin Meat, he was full of energy. He could still feed the horses once more at night and practice swordsmanship a bit before sleeping.
After passing through a lively street corner, Blackstone Castle was now less than a hundred meters away.
Suddenly, Leo turned his head sharply and looked toward a nearby alley.
Just now, he seemed to sense something in the alley.
Under the dim light, it looked like something was crouching in the corner. Its shape was strange enough to catch his attention.
Leo focused his gaze.
It was not an illusion!
There really was something there—like a child crouching.
He pointed toward the corner. “Arthur, what is that?”
“What?” Arthur frowned and looked carefully. “A barrel, maybe.”
Leo was not sure. He cautiously took a step forward.
But suddenly, as he approached, the thing in the shadows vanished.
The corner was empty.
This time, Arthur clearly saw it too.
The two exchanged a glance, both feeling something was off.
They moved forward lightly and carefully.
As they drew closer, under the dim light, they vaguely saw—
there seemed to be a hole in the ground!
“So it’s just a dog hole.” Arthur let out a breath of alcohol and relaxed.
Leo was speechless. As expected of a noble. “Since when are dog holes in the ground?”
“Oh… right.” Arthur suddenly realized.
The two tensed up again at the same time.
Leo took off the Wooden Sword he carried and stepped forward cautiously.
The hole was pitch black—nothing could be seen.
He picked up a small stone at his feet and tossed it into the hole, hearing it bounce repeatedly against the walls.
It was a very deep hole.
And at that moment, Leo felt as if his entire body’s hairs stood on end.
A chill pierced straight through his back.
He saw that just in front of his toes, there was a string of footprints the size of a palm.
They were footprints with separated toes.
Five toes.
What kind of thing was that?!
In both his lifetimes, Leo had never seen anything with such footprints.
An unknown fear surged.
Arthur saw the strange footprints as well.
The two exchanged a glance and, without a word, retreated from the hole.
Blackstone Castle was less than a hundred meters away, and there was a guard unit stationed there.
They had to report this immediately.
They rushed into the castle at top speed and found the night patrol guards.
“You’re certain you saw it?” the captain of the guard asked.
“Absolutely certain,” Leo nodded seriously.
“Alright. You two are of noble status—return immediately. We will head over at once.”
Leo watched as the armored guards marched in formation toward the castle gates.
He frowned slightly.
This group of guards seemed a bit too calm.