System vs Rebirth

Chapter 1389: First Meeting

”Ha… Ha…” A nine-year-old boy was breathing out loud, trying to get a bit of warmth from his own breath. His eyes were already filled with despair.

When he looked to the side, he wasnʼt the only one who had this problem. There were so many people sitting in front of a building, not having anything to warm themselves up.

In fact, even the buildings might have no owner or that their owner had died. The area looked impoverished to the point where it wouldnʼt be weird for it to be called a slum. The main problem was that this was the main city of a noble and this place used to be a plaza where a lot of people smiled.

In just a short period, the city had been devastated. The lord didnʼt even care about the state of the city.

”Hey. Did you hear that? The lord was found murdered!”

”Really? Serve him right. If not for him, this city wouldnʼt have looked like this.”

”Who killed him?”

”I donʼt know, but there are some rumors that his son was the one responsible for his murder.”

”A family feud?”

”This city is already ruined like this and theyʼre having a family feud?”

”This Ardagan family should have just been destroyed.”

”I know, right? The young lord should be only 9 or 10 years old, isnʼt he? Although we have heard of him being a pretty smart kid, in the end, heʼs just a kid. Thereʼs no way for him to be able to turn around the current living situation!”

The boy squinted his eyes before muttering, ”If only this city was taken over by another noble…”

However, nobility was not such a simple system. With the new lord taking the new position, the city would be over. There was no way to recover, especially with such a young lord to become the head.

That was what most people thought, including the boy.

However, what shocked the boy the most was what happened next.

”Did you hear that? The young lord is selling stuff in their treasury to raise some money. Theyʼre offering a simple meal on the plaza!”

”Are we going?”

”We need to eat.”

”…” The boy looked at the people, who badmouthed the young lord yesterday, acting as if they had never done it before. And that too… was human nature.

The boy lowered his head. He clutched his stomach. Even though it was growling too much, he endured it and looked around, trying to find anything to eat instead of relying on the new lord. He wasnʼt a hypocrite like the surrounding people.

But that was when he heard a young voice.

”Are you not going to take the food?”

”!!!” The boy hurriedly turned his head around, finding a boy not that different in age. He didnʼt look anything exceptional. Even his clothes were covered in dirt.

However, he didnʼt have the same atmosphere that the people around them had.

The boy immediately asked, ”Who are you?”

”Me?” The mysterious boy pointed at himself. ”Iʼm Ray.”

”Ray, my ass.” The boy snarled. ”You are definitely not someone normal. Even though you are wearing similar clothing to mine, you donʼt have the same smell.”

The mysterious boy looked surprised, as though he didnʼt expect for his identity to be discovered right away. The most surprising thing was that he actually smiled. ”You are interesting, arenʼt you?”

”Interesting?!”

”Then allow me to introduce myself. My name is Luke.”

”Luke? Why do you have the same name as… Donʼt tell me…”

Lukeʼs smile became wider. ”As expected, you are smart. Iʼm the current lord of the Ardagan family.”

”!!!” The boy took a step back. He was glancing around as if he was searching for a weapon.

”What are you doing? Well, I donʼt think I need to guess what youʼre planning to do. After all, the Ardagan family has let its citizens suffer this much.” Luke smiled. ”In the end, Iʼm just a kid who doesnʼt know a lot about the city. Even though I have been going around for a few months, thereʼs not much I canʼt find.

”I can only know the atmosphere and what looks like theyʼre lacking. But I donʼt know whatʼs in their mind and what they truly need…”

The boy gritted his teeth. ”Donʼt joke around with me. You are the same as the previous lord. You will just destroy this city even more! Youʼre just flowering your words.”

Luke wasnʼt angry by such an accusation. Instead, he patted his shoulder. ”As expected, I truly like you. Say, do you want to work for me?”

”Work for you? Thereʼs no way I will agree to it. You—!”

Luke actually completed the sentence for him. ”—You will rule the city like your father, right? Well, thatʼs not what Iʼm hoping for either, especially when I ask you to work for me. You seem intelligent enough to tell me the situation of this city and what the people really need, so from you, I know how to deal with the problems of this city.

”What I actually want from you is that… if you want to attack me or kill me so that a noble will take over the territory and improve this place, you should be on my side all the time. There will be plenty of chances to kill me.

”However, all I ask is one thing. If you are convinced that I can change this town… no, this entire territory, will you work for me from the bottom of your heart?”

”!!!” Never in his wildest dream there was a noble crazy enough to keep someone who wanted him dead so close to him.

”Young Lord! Where are you, Young Lord?”

Another voice echoed from a distance.

”Oh my goodness. Silvester would find me at this rate. Unfortunately, I have to retreat today before he catches me. By the way, what is your name? Hurry up and tell me your name.” Luke grabbed the boyʼs shoulder and shook him.

The boy was completely overwhelmed by Lukeʼs pace and subconsciously answered him. ”Laufey.”

”Oh. Then I will meet you again later, Laufey! Keep your promise and work for me!” Luke waved his hand while running away.