Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 64
No matter how anxiously Lucy wiped her tears and explained, Oliver only relaxed after personally confirming the condition of the chicks.
Indeed, when he had petted them that morning before they left the coop, each one had felt remarkably energetic. It seemed unlikely any serious mishap could have occurred in such a short time.
Only then did Oliver have a moment to address Lucy’s flushed face: “Then why were you crying?”
Had this typically strong and mature little girl not suddenly appeared with a pitiful, tear-streaked face, he wouldn’t have been so startled.
Lucy hung her head in shame, struggling to speak the truth: “Because… because when those bad men came that day, I didn’t even try to protect the Lord.”
Jonathan and Ziken, sharing her feelings, also bowed their heads deeply, clearly convinced they were shameful sinners.
Oliver: “……”
He maintained his habitual smile, though the handsome curve of his lips held a trace of bewilderment.
He looked intently at the little girl he could easily look down upon, then at the two slaves who had once been gaunt and bony but had recently begun to fill out slightly, unable to suppress his confusion.
In the eyes of Fosse, Noel, and others, he might indeed be seen as a pampered, delicate noble.
But compared to these three slaves, no matter how you looked at it, he was the stronger—well, healthier one, right?
Their devotion moved him, but while it might be understandable for Jonathan and the others, for a frail girl like Lucy… if he actually let her step forward to protect him, that would be utterly inhuman.
“The great Cat God will protect diligent and kind believers, regardless of whether their origins are noble.”
Considering he might need to personally join battles more than once, and wanting to ease the minds of these three loyal slaves, Oliver decided to attribute the difficult-to-express sentiments to a deity that didn’t exist: “Perhaps you’ve already noticed—the more one receives the Cat God’s divine favor, the harsher the trials they must endure before gaining greater rewards. Isn’t that right?”
In the eyes of Lucy and the other two, the Lord, who was usually so captivating one couldn’t look away, now seemed to radiate a brilliant holy light.
“Yes……”
Lucy finally felt a little relieved, though also somewhat ashamed.
Everything the Lord said was right.
That being the case, her earlier thought—”If only the merciful Cat God could be gentler to such a wonderful Lord, I’d gladly endure the difficult trials in his place”—now seemed arrogant and foolish.
Yes, only someone as brave and beautiful as the Lord could pass the most severe trials and become the most favored holy messenger of the deity.
Thinking this, she instinctively knelt and bowed: “May the glory of the great Cat God shine upon you forever, respected Lord.”
“Your most important task right now is to take good care of these little chicks,” Oliver instructed seriously. “This is a very important duty—you must not be careless. They are the hope endowed with wisdom by the Cat God, meant for Laina to grasp.”
At least, they were part of that “hope.”
With just a few words, Oliver had lifted the spirits of Lucy and the others. Soon, amid the chicks’ reluctant chirps of farewell, he left the chicken coop.
Over the past few days, the only thing he had Lucy and the others pay attention to was reducing the grazing time.
Although he hadn’t had any prophetic dreams, Oliver always felt that the gang of bandits who had fled in panic would most likely return.
But…..
Oliver instinctively glanced at the more than 30 pieces of cheese in his game backpack.
Fortunately, the cook’s skills were decent—the cheese components were actually recognized by the system and allowed to be stored in the backpack.
[ Cheese ], a food beloved not only by novice players but also carried in bulk by veterans, was undoubtedly one of the most cost-effective healing items.
With the remaining hundred or so—no, perhaps fewer than a hundred—bandits, he refused to believe that he, equipped with the lucky newbie set and over 30 pieces of cheese, couldn’t hold them off.
It was only after entering his first true “battle” state that Oliver noticed his health bar appearing next to the stamina bar.
-It’s good that it’s visible.
Bush and Rudger, who had fled Laina City in panic with their trusted subordinates, had no idea that the Angel Duke was already prepared for their potential counterattack.
After witnessing the brutal death of their brother Slang, the golden-haired beauty wielding a terrifying great sword and shimmering with silver light seemed to them the embodiment of the most horrifying devil, leaving them so terrified that their only thought was to flee.
It wasn’t until they had fled for a full day, lost several members due to getting lost, and were utterly exhausted that the group, under Rudger’s command, set up camp to rest.
As they wolfed down the dry rations they carried, they chattered nervously about the terrifying scene they had witnessed.
Rudger sat with no appetite, his face full of lingering fear. “Bush, tell me, what the hell was that thing earlier? Damn it, he was actually glowing! And he killed brother with just one swing of his sword!”
Slang was not only the strongest and most aggressive of the three brothers but also the most skilled fighter in the entire bandit gang!
Yet such a Slang was killed by some unknown blue great sword as if he were a weak, helpless chick!
Bush’s face was dark, and he shook his head without speaking.
The remaining bandits were all anxious and fearful, most afraid that the terrifying enemy from Laina City would pursue them.
Only one named Noriji, arguably the most knowledgeable among them, after catching his breath, confidently declared, “That was just some trickery to deceive people.”
Though not holding much hope, since Noriji’s words were what he most wanted to hear, Rudger still had him brought over.
“Explain it clearly,” he commanded.
Noriji, who had always been looked down upon in the bandit gang due to his poor combat skills, felt a surge of excitement.
He knew this was his best opportunity. Moreover, although he had been the farthest away and seen the least clearly, that didn’t stop him from firmly believing in his own judgment.
After listening to Noriji’s excited explanation, Bush and Rudger exchanged a glance, seeing similar skepticism on each other’s faces.
“Bone powder?” Rudger repeated suspiciously.
“Yes!” Noriji, sensing the leaders’ doubt, grew extremely anxious, almost wanting to gesticulate wildly to explain. “I saw it with my own eyes…”
“I’ve seen it before, no matter who it is, as long as their clothes are coated with bone powder, they can glow like fireflies at night—”
“But,” Bush interrupted sharply, “that guy didn’t turn into some damn firefly at night—he was glowing so brightly in broad daylight that anyone could see it!”
“That’s because bone powder is too rare, no one would use it extravagantly,” Noriji insisted stubbornly. “If more were applied, the glow would definitely be stronger!”
If Oliver had heard these descriptions, he would have immediately realized that what Noriji called “bone powder” was actually phosphorus powder.
What frustrated Noriji was that no matter how vehemently he swore oaths, the two leaders remained skeptical. In the end, they gave him no reward and dismissively sent him away.
After Noriji left in disappointment, Bush’s expression shifted abruptly as he looked at Rudger, who was lost in thought. “Rudger, do you think he was telling the truth?”
“Now that I think about it, this matter is indeed strange,” Rudger said slowly. “If that glowing individual truly possessed divine power, why didn’t his subordinates and people receive any blessings from it?”
“I didn’t see what happened when my brother was struck by the sword,” Bush added. “By the time I heard his cry, he had already fallen… dead.”
Rather than the killer of their elder brother being an omnipotent “divine messenger,” it appeared far more likely to be an exceptionally frail golden-haired beauty.
In fact, they had been dominating the battle until their elder brother was suddenly killed.
If a divine messenger truly existed, why wouldn’t he kill them from a distance instead of appearing abruptly only after the knights had endured an extremely dangerous and bitter fight?
After a long, grim discussion, Bush and Rudger made a decision that shocked all the bandits.
—They would return to attack Laina.
“There’s no such thing as a damned divine messenger,” Rudger roared. “If he were truly so powerful, how could he have been kicked out of the royal city by that crowned villain and forced to hide in this godforsaken place like Laina? Even if that sword has something peculiar about it, he’s just a person with greater strength—he can’t possibly withstand all of us at once!”
Bush joined in shouting, “Exactly! And you all saw it—those commoners are utterly defenseless, and he only has a pitiful four knights under his command! The most aggressive among them is an old man who’s practically halfway into the grave! Damn it, we never should have fled! If there really were a God in this world, we would have faced divine punishment long ago for all the people we’ve killed—how could we have survived until today?”
If they hadn’t been terrified by that supernatural glow and the sudden death of their brother Slang, causing them to panic and lose their composure, they might have already conquered Laina!
The bandits exchanged hesitant glances, uncertain whether to follow their leaders’ orders.
But it seemed they had no other choice.
As wanted bandits hunted in every major city, leaving the group meant becoming vulnerable and easy prey—without identification or city protection, even a few guards could capture them and send them to the gallows within hours.
Join other bandit groups?
Leaving aside whether they would even be accepted—they were all fugitives forced to hide and evade, unable to even locate traces of other bandit groups!
Thus, whether they believed or not, under the commands of Bush and Rudger—who had a group of blindly devoted followers—they had no choice but to obey.
After all… this should be the time when the people of Laina were at their most vulnerable!
They thought optimistically.
Bush and Rudger led the remaining few dozen ruffians, making their way toward Laina while resting and regrouping along the journey.
Completely unaware that the previously hesitant “god’s chosen” was now also intensively preparing for battle.
The captives remained obediently inside the stone fence.
Under the guidance of the knights and guards, the slaves and commoners began basic physical and swordsmanship training.
Lucy and the others focused seriously on raising chickens.
Fosse watched his young master with growing concern.
And Oliver, the object of his gaze, wandered around inspecting the progress while instructing the kitchen to produce more cheese so he could store it in his game backpack.
