Wizard: I Have a Cultivation System-Chapter 48: The End of the Five-Year Term

In a bedroom in the deepest part of the Inner Castle, Kelvin carefully carried his swaddled daughter to Baron Duval’s bedside.

The Baron was propped up on thick goose-down pillows, his face ashen. He had been gravely injured in a battle to open the Northern Trade Route more than two years ago, and his health had been declining day by day. Now, he found it difficult to even sit up on his own.

"Father," Kelvin said softly, "this is your granddaughter, Cecilia."

The Roton Knight stood silently at the foot of the bed. As the loyal old Knight looked at the Baron, his eyes were filled with concern.

The Baron struggled to lift a trembling hand and gently touched the baby’s soft hair.

The downy hair was currently a faint, pale yellow, but everyone knew it would one day become a brilliant gold, just like the Baron’s.

"Cecilia... ’Healer of Heaven’..." The Baron’s voice was weak. "Kelvin, this was thoughtful of you. May Oriane bless you, my child."

Kelvin gently placed the baby beside the Baron’s pillow. "It is my duty. I hope this child can bring new hope to our family."

The Baron gazed at his granddaughter’s peaceful sleeping face, and a long-absent smile appeared on his pale features.

He turned to Roton. "Look at the color of her hair. She is truly of the Duval bloodline."

Roton stepped forward and said solemnly, "My Lord, this is a blessing from Oriane upon the Duval Clan. The arrival of a new life often signals new hope. I believe your health will also gradually improve with this blessing."

The Baron gave a noncommittal nod.

Seeing his father’s spirits were slightly improved, Kelvin took the opportunity to propose, "To celebrate Cecilia’s birth, and to pray for your recovery, I plan to hold a three-day celebration in the castle. Let all the subjects of our domain share in this joy."

Upon hearing this, Roton looked at Kelvin, unable to hide his surprise.

’The heir, known for being frugal to the point of stinginess, was actually proposing such a grand celebration?’

The Baron still just nodded slightly, his gaze never leaving his granddaughter. "Do as you say. Let everyone be happy..."

...

Kelvin’s unexpected decision caused quite a stir in the castle.

After all, everyone remembered that this was the same heir who had drastically cut the number of servants two years ago.

He hadn’t even held a big celebration for his own wedding.

And now he was going to hold a three-day festival.

The servants could only marvel privately at how doted upon this Lady Cecilia must be.

In a cramped room next to the stables, Murphy, Bart, and Hank sat together, sharing the food distributed for the celebration: a few pieces of black bread soaked in honey water, a small plate of smoked meat, and some rarely seen cheese.

"It’s been so long since I’ve eaten anything this good," Bart said with satisfaction, taking a sip of his "black bread soup." "Ever since Master Arthur publicly showed his favor for Murphy, Mary from the kitchens and Lisa from the bakery stopped sending us food."

Hank chuckled, chewing on a piece of smoked meat. "I’ve been meaning to ask, Bart," he interjected, "you were putting in such a good word for them before. You weren’t taking bribes, were you?"

Bart scratched his head in embarrassment. "Well, they did give me a few pieces of smoked meat. But it was all for Murphy’s sake! Mary’s stews are superb, and Lisa’s bread is way better than this stuff."

Murphy shook his head lightly. "So you were playing spokesman for them. Well, it’s no use talking about that now."

The three of them looked at each other and smiled, continuing to enjoy the rare feast.

Bart lowered his voice. "Seriously, though, it’s pretty surprising to see the heir being so generous all of a sudden..."

Hank quickly made a hushing gesture. "Watch your mouth! The affairs of the lords are not for us to discuss."

Murphy carefully broke off a small piece of cheese and placed it on his tongue to savor it.

’Hmm, a bit bitter.’

’To be honest, this cheese had some mold spots on it. The quality wasn’t as good as what he’d eaten before he transmigrated.’

’But in an era of scarcity, food with such a rich, milky flavor was a rare indulgence.’

The clamor of the celebration drifted in from outside the window, but Murphy’s thoughts began to wander.

He put down his food, his gaze turning thoughtfully toward the Inner Castle.

’Kelvin suddenly holding a celebration at this time probably isn’t just to celebrate his daughter’s birth. The Baron’s health must be dire. He needs to use this opportunity to consolidate his position and win people over.’

’The hearts of the common folk are irrelevant, of course, but as a noble, he has to maintain a noble’s decorum.’

’Kelvin needs to display his magnanimity as an heir to the other nobles, to make them overlook his status as an illegitimate son as much as possible.’

’Therefore, this celebration is less about celebrating a new life and praying for blessings and more of a carefully orchestrated political performance.’

’But what does that have to do with me?’

’I’m just a Groom. All I need to do is tend to the horses in peace.’

’The power games between nobles are far beyond what a small fry like me should get involved in.’

What Murphy was more concerned about was the day the reward for Option Two would be distributed, which was in six days.

In other words, the most dangerous day of the past five years.

...

After the lively celebration, the castle returned to its usual tranquility.

The setting sun was the color of blood. Murphy, Bart, and Hank were taking a short break, leaning against the fence of the stables.

Bart said gratefully, "Thanks for helping us visit our families the other day. Even though things are easier than a year ago, getting time off is still next to impossible."

Hank shook his head with a wry smile. "We didn’t even have a moment to catch our breath during the celebration. Aside from getting some extra food, it was actually more exhausting than usual."

Murphy gazed at the sunset. "I only have it easier thanks to Master Arthur."

The three chatted idly about daily trifles for a while longer before Murphy got up and returned to his dormitory.

「For the next six days, all was peaceful.」

Murphy wasn’t assigned any patrol duties, nor did he receive any sudden errands that required him to go out.

This surprised him greatly.

’Could the crisis be happening inside the castle?’

’Or was there actually no risk to Option Two at all? Did I just make a mistake because my sample size was too small?’

The reason Murphy chose to stay in the stables, even without being forced by other assignments, was that Option Two explicitly required him to tend to horses.

If he left without permission, there was no telling if Option Two would still be considered complete. He didn’t dare take that risk.

Otherwise, five years would have been wasted for nothing.

Back in his dormitory, Murphy retrieved the Knight’s Sword from deep within a haystack.

He had secretly retrieved it from its hiding place during the celebration, using the cover of night while the guards were relaxed.

Over the years, he had secretly spent money to meticulously maintain it, and the blade remained as sharp as ever.

Before he knew it, it was late into the night. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The stables were exceptionally quiet in the dead of night.

CLOP! CLOP!

Some warhorse was stomping its hooves, probably having another bout of laminitis.

Murphy subconsciously touched the Knight’s Sword under the hay, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to practice Breathing and Guiding.

In this state, his senses were heightened to their peak.

He had already decided to stay up on watch tonight anyway. With his current constitution, he would be perfectly fine working the next day even without a full night’s sleep.

Time passed slowly. Just as even the sound of stomping hooves gradually faded...

Murphy’s eyelids suddenly twitched. He heard a sound. It came from the southwest side of the stables—the sound of something moving. It was extremely faint, yet it registered clearly in his ears.

He immediately opened his eyes, his right hand silently gripping the hilt of the sword hidden beneath the hay.