​There was an eerie, suffocating silence in the training grounds, broken only by the wet, sickening sounds of tearing flesh and muffled, breathless whimpers. The metallic scent of fresh blood began to heavily permeate the warm afternoon air, mixing with the dust of the courtyard. The remaining guards were staring in pure horror at the scarred boy, who was carving into Alvin like a piece of fruit, as if he were possessed by a demon. Ivory went from severing the right hand to slicing deep into the right leg, and then moved to the left leg, expertly avoiding the major arteries just to make Alvin feel every single ounce of the agonizing pain while bleeding out slowly and nonstop.

​He was just about to move to the left hand when a firm hand gently touched his shoulder.

​"He is gone now. There is no need to continue," Ian said, looking down at Ivory’s tear-streaked face.

​"Huh?" Ivory gasped, jolting slightly. He glanced down at Alvin, who was now lying completely dead in a massive pool of blood. Ivory hadn’t even realized that David and Dennis had backed away. The two boys were standing far from him with shocked expressions, looking at him as if he were something completely inhumane.

​Ivory then looked back at Ian, who was standing right behind him, gently patting his shoulder without a single trace of fear or disgust on his handsome face.

​Ivory looked down at his own hands. They were so coated in thick blood that they began to shake violently from the shock. Fresh tears flowed from his eyes, falling silently onto his crimson-stained fingers.

​"S—Sam... I have just avenged you... sniff..." Ivory sobbed, his voice cracking. "But why... WHY DO I FEEL SO EMPTY INSIDE, YOUNG MASTER?! I avenged him! I killed his killer!"

​"That’s just how it is. Vengeance tastes different for everyone," Ian said quietly, his dark eyes losing focus for a fraction of a second. He suddenly thought back to his past life on Earth. He remembered the cold, heavy grip of the knife in his hand. When he had stabbed that scumbag who messed with his sister, he hadn’t felt empty. He had felt a twisted, overwhelming sense of euphoric happiness in that bloody moment; he hadn’t cared about the sirens in the distance or the legal consequences at all. He had just wanted the threat erased. "Some people would have been thrilled when the deed is done. Or, you can grieve, like you are doing right now. But the bottom line, the harsh truth of this world, is that the dead cannot come back no matter how much blood you spill. I’m not really good at comforting people. If I were better at it, maybe she wouldn’t have..."

​Ian’s voice trailed off, and his fists clenched angrily at his sides. Everyone stared at him in confusion, wondering who he meant when he said ’she.’

​Taking a deep breath, Ian relaxed his fists. "All I’m trying to say is that we grieve for the dead and move on. Do not let them hold you back. And another thing—do not ever say that you are alone again. You have David, Dennis, and Dion in your life now. And, of course, the Thorne family, too. I will be here if you need anything. This is your home now."

​The other kids were deeply touched by what Ian had just said. Even Dion started to cry, wiping her eyes even though she wasn’t the one being comforted.

​’Wow, Young Master, I can see that you are really bad at comforting people. Your face completely gives away that you are just making things up on the spot,’ Trevor thought, watching Ian sweat nervously on the platform. ’But the kid bought it. He is about to cry again.’

​"Thank you, Young Master. I will always be loyal to you," Ivory said, standing up and facing Ian with a dead-serious expression.

​"I hope so," Ian replied with a nod.

​"Now then, all that is left is to deal with these new slaves—oh, sorry, I mean guards," Ian said, a dark smirk returning to his face as he walked toward the surviving men. The guards flinched, some of them visibly shaking. Too many shocking things had happened today.

​"Since I can’t kill all of you, I will have to stick to the old-fashioned way... Sigh, arresting you all and I will not give you any chance to get a trial. Let’s just say you guys are my slaves now. Heh heh heh," Ian chuckled, laughing as if he were already plotting how to wring every drop of value out of them.

​Hearing that Ian wasn’t going to kill or torture them, a collective wave of relief washed over the guards. Jail was infinitely better than ending up like Alvin.

​’In the future, when all the family members have learned cultivation techniques, I plan to build a massive estate that will accommodate all of us and our descendants,’ Ian thought, giggling internally like an absolute idiot.

’Since my system doesn’t provide me with a way to see everyone’s loyalty stats, I will just have to bring the family together to keep a close eye on them. Maybe I will even have a chance to build an entire city... so I will definitely need to keep this free labor around. Heh heh heh.’

​"You, go and fetch me some heavy chains from the storage to tie these bastards up," Ian ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument.

David quickly ran off, eager to follow Ian’s command, and returned minutes later dragging a thick bundle of rusted, heavy iron chains. The loud clinking of the metal echoed ominously across the quiet courtyard. To David’s absolute surprise, not a single guard fought back or even flinched as he roughly wrapped the cold iron around their wrists and locked the cuffs. They simply lowered their heads, completely willing and submissive. The fight had been entirely beaten out of them. It was as if they had already wholeheartedly accepted their miserable fate, knowing that resisting Ian or the terrifying swordsman standing nearby would only lead them to join Alvin in the dirt.

​"Isn’t there a Head Guard around here? Because he needs to be disciplined too for not doing his job properly and letting these fuckers do whatever they want," Ian said, looking around with a displeased expression.

​"Young Master, about that..." Trevor stepped up.

​"What is it?" Ian asked.

​"Well, you see, the Family Head kicked out the Head Guard right after the passing of your father. The Family Head was so frustrated and grieving at the time, and he wanted to blame someone. The Head Guard became the target of his fury for letting his master travel with so few low-level guards. I guess his absence is what caused the remaining guards here to act so recklessly," Trevor explained.

​"Sigh... this is a pain," Ian said, scratching his head. He then looked directly at his bodyguard. "Don’t you want to be the Head Guard of this estate, Trevor?"

​"Huh? Me, Young Master? I am not worthy of such a difficult role! And besides, I h–haven’t even been working at this estate for that long," Trevor stammered, genuinely shocked by the sudden promotion. He scratched his head, while blushing and frantically making up excuses to dodge the heavy responsibility.

​’I can’t even believe you are being shy about this,’ Ian thought, fighting back a smile.

​"There is no one more fit for that position than you," Ian explained logically. "All the veteran guards are currently being arrested. The only ones left are you, the few guards who weren’t drinking in the training grounds today, and of course, the kids. After how you have assisted me today, you are the only one I can trust with this position."

​"But still, Young Master..." Trevor started to complain again.

​Before Trevor could finish his sentence, Ian casually added, "You will be paid one gold coin per mon...."

​"I will do it," Trevor replied instantly, without missing a beat.

​’Wow, that was a fast change of heart,’ Ian thought, shaking his head with a wry smile.