Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 306 - 306 305 The Old Maid

Chapter 306: Chapter 305: The Old Maid Chapter 306: Chapter 305: The Old Maid Rolin and Russell, the two brothers, successfully entered Fort Poplar.

Although they were on a mission, they obviously couldn’t go straight to the point right away, they needed to play it slowly.

Of course, this was something Rolin was much better at than Russell, so Russell didn’t need to worry about anything, he could just treat it as a tour.

The one guiding Russell was Baron Bullhorn’s second son, the yet underage Grontan Bainroot, only fourteen years old but already having awakened his Qi Seed for over a year, qualifying as a seasoned Armed Knight.

At the moment, Grontan rode his warhorse and introduced to Russell, “Although conditions in the Gobi are harsh, many wild beasts show up and Phantom Beasts are often found there.”

He couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Russell’s mount, Unicorn Polly, and said enviously, “But Phantom Beasts as good-looking as Big Brother Russell’s mount, I’ve never seen… Such a beautiful battlehorse.”

“Rush!” Polly snorted through her nostrils.

Russell immediately corrected him seriously, “Grontan, I have to correct a fundamental misconception you have.”

“Huh?” Grontan, puzzled, asked, “What’s that?”

“My partner Polly, she’s not a horse, she’s a Unicorn. A Unicorn isn’t a horse; they are two different creatures.”

“Oh.” Grontan still didn’t understand, “If it’s not a horse, then what is it?”

“It’s just a Unicorn.”

“And what’s a Unicorn?”

“You’ve got me there, but all you need to remember is that a Unicorn is a Unicorn, a separate species; it is not the same as a horse,” Russell could only explain this way, as he himself was also unclear.

Polly’s appearance was essentially that of a horse with a horn, at most a bit more handsome and stylish.

If the Nightmare Specter Horse evolved from a horse, then in theory, Unicorn Polly should also be an evolution of a horse.

Russell guessed that Polly might have Pseudo-Dragon ancestry, but no matter how noble the Pseudo-Dragon bloodline is, Pseudo-Dragons evolved from Fantasy Beasts, which in turn evolved from ordinary wild beasts — in the end, Polly’s ancestors might still be horses.

Of course.

It’s difficult to tear down both human and horse hardships, and Russell didn’t mind satisfying Polly’s requirement — Unicorns are not horses!

Luckily, the young lad Grontan didn’t dwell too much on what exactly a Unicorn was; he quickly tour around the Gobi with Russell. It was very easy for him to take a liking to Russell, as riding a Unicorn made Russell incredibly handsome.

It fit all of a young person’s fantasies about a knight — Handsome man, handsome mount, and an exceptionally strong fighter!

Even on the return trip to Fort Poplar, Grontan had a sudden idea, “Big Brother Russell, can I follow you?”

“Hmm?” This surprised Russell, “What made you think that?”

If Grontan had been just the second son of a minor Lord, such words wouldn’t surprise Russell. But Grontan was the second son of a Baron’s grand house, and sooner or later he could manage to become a minor Lord himself.

Even if Baron Bullhorn didn’t wish to grant him a fief, and his older brother Grungo wasn’t kind to him, he’d still receive some resources to strive for the status of a Duchy’s Lord.

“I don’t know.” Grontan, feeling somewhat embarrassed, scratched his neck, “I just feel that there’s something about you, Big Brother Russell, that makes me want to follow.”

“Haha, it’s fine to say that in private,” Russell reached out and patted Grontan’s shoulder, his fondness growing for the insightful young man, “Of course, if one day I make a name for myself, you’re welcome to come along.”

“Yeah, it’s a deal!” Grontan nodded emphatically, “I believe in you, Big Brother Russell, you will definitely make great achievements!”

In his heart, he added silently, “A knight who can ride such a handsome battlehorse must be an exceptional one!”

Clearly, the young boy’s wish to follow Russell was entirely because Russell rode a Unicorn that he envied!

Russell was unaware of this, but that didn’t prevent him from feeling good about himself.

He even took the initiative to say to Glontan, “I’ll be staying at Fort Poplar these days. You can ask me for advice on your training. I can’t guarantee anything else, but when it comes to swordsmanship, no one in the Shadowflame Duchy understands it better than I do!”

“Really?” Glontan was surprised.

Russell could tell from his expression that he didn’t believe him, but he didn’t mind. He knew that after demonstrating his skills tomorrow, Glontan would naturally kneel and beg to become his disciple.

The number one swordsman of the Shadowflame Duchy was not known for nothing!

After a bath and changing clothes, the banquet started soon, and the banquet of Fort Poplar wasn’t luxurious, even somewhat simple. However, Russell didn’t mind; he was already a Phantom Beast Knight and no longer needed to devour magic power food avidly.

So at the banquet, he focused more on the people from the Rootline Family.

Gradually.

He began to sense something different.

“Gwyn seems to get along with Big Brother quite well, those occasional eye contacts indeed suggest something is there,” Russell had to admit, Roland was really good at charming women, always making Gwyn laugh with his jovial banter.

But aside from that, the Roots from the Rootline Family seemed somewhat aloof.

Baron and Baroness Gevedas hardly spoke a few words at the banquet; their eldest son, Grungo, and his spouse were equally perfunctory.

Only the second son, Glontan, occasionally asked Roland some questions.

“Kunnila Sunflower is the granddaughter of Baron Swan Quinbylf Flame-shadow, so clearly Baron Gevedas will support the Chosen Son Kunsley Sunflower… But Baron Gevedas wouldn’t refuse to marry his daughter to Roland, would he?”

Set aside the issue of taking sides for now.

If Gwyn married Roland, she would become a Baroness in the future, and that is the best outcome for a daughter from a major noble family.

“Besides, apart from Roland, Gwyn doesn’t have a better marriage prospect… Sure she can’t be thinking of marrying Cousin Mel, right?” Russell thought to himself.

There were only two Earls in the entire Shadowflame Duchy.

The son of Count Shard Osklo Willow, one of the Chosen Sons, Augustus Water Willow, was already married.

Although Cousin Mel wasn’t married, the likelihood was that his marriage partner would be from a collateral branch of the Shadowflame Family. Only this would strengthen the Shadowflame Family’s recognition of Cousin Mel, since he was nominated a Chosen Son as an external relative.

In addition, there were five Barons in the Shadowflame Duchy.

Baron Swan Quinbylf Yinyan was elderly, his granddaughter Kunnila Sunflower had already married into Populus Gobi; it wouldn’t make sense for his grandson Kunsley Sunflower to also marry Gwyn and pile on the kinship.

Baron Gold Davis Golden Cap had no son.

Baron of Blackgarden Curis Tianzigao’s son Copper had already married Russell’s sister Rolin.

Thus, only the son of Baron Youguang Roland remained the most suitable marriage prospect for the Rootline Family, and the two families had indeed verbally agreed upon this beforehand.

“Forget it, why am I thinking so much about this, let Big Brother handle it himself.” Russell couldn’t understand the reason for the Rootline Family’s coldness and thus didn’t bother to think further. He was always insensitive to social niceties, “Maybe it’s just me overthinking.”

After the banquet, Russell habitually went outside for a walk to aid digestion.

Meanwhile, Roland stayed behind to chat with Baron and Baroness Gevedas.

When Russell returned from his stroll and came back to his room, he saw Roland waiting for him with a sullen face.

“What happened, Big Brother?”

“There’s been a change,” Roland clenched his fist, “Dinner went well, so while we were having tea, I took the opportunity to propose the marriage. But guess what, Baron Gevedas didn’t agree, instead he made an excuse about Mrs. Joanna not wanting Gwyn to marry too early!”

With that, Roland punched the table, “What kind of nonsense is that, Gwyn is nineteen already, in two more years she’ll be considered an old maid!”