House Labre is the ruling family of the local county, the County of Oaken. The current head of House Labre is Count Tristan Vas Labre. Under his rule are several dozen baronies governed beneath the county.

Count Tristan is widely known for his admiration of strength and power.

Under his command, many soldiers and high-rank hunters have been sent to hunt powerful and rare monsters. Those captured monsters are then tamed by carefully selected individuals, surrounding him with people possessing formidable beasts and abilities.

And right now, two of his children were arriving in Ashville Town. The carriage carrying them arrived within the vicinity of Robert’s mansion. It was painted in bright yellow that was the trademark color of House Labre, and bore a crest depicting two lions holding swords.

"Urghh... what a terrible smell. I really hate the scent of these common towns." Auron covered his nose in disgust.

He was a twelve-year-old boy with spiky red hair, sharp black eyes, and a long chin. He wore elegant noble garments embroidered with the crest of House Labre.

"You need to get used to it. This won’t be the last town we visit. Father has been telling us to tour every barony under his rule." Aria replied calmly.

She was Auron’s twin sister, with light blue hair and refined features. She wore a noble dress with a long skirt, carrying herself with the elegance expected of House Labre.

"Please be patient, Young Lord. Consider this preparation for the day you inherit the county," Emorim said calmly.

He was the steward assigned to the twins and had been traveling with them for a long time. He had long, straight blond hair and carried himself with a composed demeanor.

The door of the yellow carriage was opened by Baron Eustach, the ruler of the Barony of Delpech, where Ashville Town was located. He was serving as the twins’ escort during their visit.

"It is truly an honor to welcome the Young Lord and Young Lady to this humble residence. Please, come in," Robert said as he hurried over to greet them respectfully.

His servants quickly escorted the group toward the living room.

While the noble visitors walked ahead, Baron Eustach quickly moved closer to Robert and whispered urgently.

"Bad news, Robert. Very bad news!"

"What happened, Baron?" Robert began to grow worried at Eustach’s behavior.

Even though Eustach stood higher than him in the hierarchy, the two had spent so much time together over the years that they were more like close friends than lord and subordinate.

"They’re coming for your town!" Eustach whispered urgently.

"What?! Why would they-"

Before Robert could finish speaking, Emorim noticed the two whispering among themselves.

"Ehem. May we speak in your office? There is an urgent message I need to deliver from the Count," Emorim said calmly.

"Err... alright. Please follow me," Robert said as he led the way.

Inside Robert’s office, the atmosphere became tense. Robert stood facing the group, while Emorim, Eustach, and Aria sat on the sofa. Meanwhile, Auron wandered around the room while examining Robert’s exotic collections with curiosity.

Emorim then unfolded the letter and began reading.

"Please listen carefully. I, Count Tristan Vas Labre, hereby grant permission to the Middleton Group to expand their waterway connection project across the Helen Field region, which include Dewfield Town, Maize Town, and, of course... Ashville."

"Therefore, I order all residents of these towns to cooperate with the project and assist in ensuring that it proceeds without issue."

Emorim then folded the message neatly and placed it back inside its envelope.

Robert was left speechless. He looked at Emorim, then toward Eustach, who deliberately avoided eye contact.

’What the hell is this? Where did this suddenly come from?’ Robert cursed inwardly.

He understood very well what the message truly meant. On the surface, it sounded as if the project would proceed peacefully without affecting the towns.

But in reality, a waterway connection project required an enormous amount of land to function.

In other words, they were selling the town to the Middleton Group.

"Ermm... may I know when the project will begin?" Robert asked, forcing a smile onto his face.

"It will start around one month from now. Please inform your townspeople as soon as possible. Representatives from the Middleton Group will arrive within a few days to discuss the details of the project," Emorim replied calmly.

Robert clenched his teeth. He closed his eyes briefly and his fists tightening at his sides.

He had no power to oppose the order. Disobedience would only risk losing his position, perhaps even his head on the guillotine.

"Yes. I understand," he answered softly.

"And one more thing..." Auron suddenly spoke.

He jumped over the back of the sofa and landed beside Aria, who looked visibly displeased by his behavior.

"...Tomorrow, we’ll be holding a match in this town. I want you to gather the strongest tamers here to face me. Maybe... if someone can entertain me, I might speak to Father about reconsidering the project." Auron grinned as he cracked his fingers.

’The strongest tamer...? That would be Guildmaster Nolan. But he hates meaningless fights like this, and he’s currently busy leading the search for Evan’s group. Then... who else can fight for this town?’

Robert’s mind raced.

’If there’s no other choice... I’ll have to speak to Nolan personally.’

"So? What’s your answer? Is there anyone strong in this town?" Auron asked with a smirk.

"I don’t know what qualifies as strength in the eyes of the Young Lord, but... I do have someone in mind who may be able to compete with you," Robert replied carefully.

"Good! Then let’s go warm up a little, shall we?" Auron stood up and walked toward the door. He was planning to clear a few dungeons today before tomorrow’s fight.

Aria and Emorim followed behind him, escorted by Baron Delpech.

Robert remained standing alone in the room, still trying to process everything that had just happened.

He needed to speak with Nolan immediately.

---

"Hey! I found him!"

One of the hunters from Ashville stopped abruptly and immediately covered his nose as he discovered the corpse of one of the missing hunters.

"Cover the body and bring him back. What about the others?" Arnulf asked grimly.

"No... there’s still no trace of them," another hunter replied.

Arnulf scanned the surroundings carefully, trying to piece together what had happened before finally ordering the team to return.