3: The cub's fangs are already showing.

Noon the next day.

Lister, who was sleeping soundly in the carriage, was awakened by a burst of noise.

Rubbing his eyes, and after becoming slightly clearer, he pushed open the small window beside him and looked out of the carriage.

The convoy was passing through a small town. Compared to the roads in the wilderness, the streets of the town were relatively flat and wide.

On both sides of the street, many pedestrians came and went. There were only a few carriages and cargo carts, but none were as 'luxurious' as his carriage.

Most were large wooden boards with two wheels pulled by a single horse, at most with a canopy for sun and rain protection.

Seeing his convoy pass by, the pedestrians, most of whom looked thin and shabbily dressed, either stopped or quickly pulled their carts and horses aside to make way.

Every person's eyes held deep reverence, fear, and even disgust, which clearly fell into Lister's sight.

In his memory, the original owner, who had grown up in luxury, had seen too many such scenes but had never cared.

But he was different. Although he had accumulated some modest wealth through considerable effort in his previous life, this was the first time he had seen such gazes, even when traveling the world.

Of course, this might be because his travel destinations were all in stable and developed countries.

For a moment, he shook his head and laughed self-deprecatingly:

"Heh! Now I've become a detestable fellow too."

At this moment, Thomas noticed Lister awake in the carriage and rode his horse closer:

"Young Master Lister, you are awake. Does your head still hurt?"

"It's fine now."

Lister waved his hand and asked, "Thomas, where are we now?"

"Reporting, Young Master, we are currently passing through Moding Town, which is the territory of Viscount Humphrey Jean."

"Humphrey..." Lister murmured softly.

Last night's divination had just revealed the exciting life of the Humphrey family, and today they arrived at his territory. Was it a coincidence? Or... just as he was about to ponder further, a violent sound of beating and scolding came from not far away.

Is it a coincidence? Or... just as he was about to ponder further, a violent sound of beating and scolding came from not far away.

"Old man, do you not want to live? How dare you ask me for money?"

"You are nothing but a commoner from the Ironthorn Territory. It is already a great grace to allow you to set up a stall in Lord Humphrey's territory."

"If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will kill you right now."

At this moment, the carriage door beside Lister had slightly opened, and he looked towards the sound.

He saw several patrol members gathered by the roadside about twenty meters ahead of the convoy. The leading young man was glaring fiercely at an old man half-lying on the ground.

The insulting words just now came from the mouth of the young patrol member, and the 'commoner' from the Ironthorn Territory he spoke of was the old man.

At this time, the old man was coughing incessantly, appearing to have suffered not only verbal abuse but also a beating.

Beside him, a disheveled and thin 'man' was patting his back, easing his pain.

Although the 'man's' eyes were filled with tears, they showed an incomparable stubbornness.

"A 'commoner' from the Ironthorn Territory..." Lister in the carriage showed a half-smile.

If someone familiar with him in his previous life saw it, they would know this was the expression he wore when he was angry.

At this moment, Thomas's voice came from outside the carriage: "Young Master Lister, there are many people gathered ahead."

"Lest it hinder your journey to the territory, your old servant will go and clear..."

Before he could finish, Lister interrupted him: "No hurry, Thomas."

With that, he opened the carriage door and slowly stepped out.

Seeing him suddenly emerge, Thomas was momentarily confused: "Young Master, why are you...?"

Red, who was leading the team, also dismounted and quickly walked up to Lister.

"Young Master Lister, why have you come out?"

Lister did not answer them but looked at Red and retorted, "Red, what do you think?"

Red was startled, but then he immediately realized Lister was asking him about the situation ahead and respectfully said:

"Your subordinate will obey all of Young Master's commands."

"Heh heh."

Lister chuckled lightly and said, "Red, when did you become so cunning?"

Although Red's expression was calm, he could clearly see the anger in Red's eyes, which pleased him greatly.

If a Knight could remain calm, or even indifferent, upon seeing the common people of his own territory being so humiliated and beaten,

Then he would truly have lost the proper moral character of a Knight, and it would make him re-evaluate whether Red was trustworthy and worthy of heavy responsibility.

As for Thomas... was he angry?

Angry!

After all, he too was once a commoner living at the bottom of society.

If he hadn't been valued by Lister's father, he wouldn't have transformed into a noble's butler.

But his status was ultimately different from Red's. As a butler, strictly speaking, he was no different from Lister's private property.

Everything about him revolved around Lister, whether it was his life, safety, or interests, so the ability to size up the situation was indispensable.

Therefore, he clearly understood that it would be very unwise for Lister to offend a Viscount now.

It was out of a desire to avoid putting Lister in a difficult situation that Thomas was eager to leave, and Red's previous answer was for the same reason.

Of course, there was also the reason that both of them believed Lister would not help that commoner from the Ironthorn Territory, as his previous personality was truly hard to describe.

However, unlike their loyalty to him, the other Soldiers and retainers they brought along were not so.

Most of them followed him, this fallen Baron, out of self-interest or trust in Red, as they were not 'private property'.

Therefore, whether for the sake of his own territory's people or to establish authority and win over these subordinates, he had to step forward.

Having thought this far, Lister patted Red's shoulder and smiled faintly:

"I'll leave it to you, Red. Deal with it quickly, but be mindful of the extent. Your Young Master is in a hurry to travel."

His voice was neither loud nor soft, but it reached the ears of the surrounding Soldiers and retainers perfectly.

As for worrying if Red couldn't win?

Please, he's a Bronze Rank 9 Knight!

A few patrol members were like chickens and dogs to be slaughtered!

Red was stunned, thinking he had misheard, but instinctively meeting Lister's cold, angry gaze... he knew that the Young Master he followed had changed, perhaps from when he was enfeoffed as a Baron, or perhaps from last night's bandit attack... in short, he was no longer that weak, timid, pampered second-generation noble.

The young tiger's fangs were already showing!

Then he grinned: "Hehe, esteemed Lord Lister, your subordinate will certainly live up to your command."

With that, he strode towards the few patrol members in the crowd ahead.

Seeing Red, dressed as a Knight, suddenly appear, the few men were startled.

They dared not offend a noble Knight casually.

Even if the leading young man had some background, it was the same; he was arrogant, not stupid.

His fierce expression suddenly turned into a fawning smile:

"Esteemed Knight, may I ask what your command is?"

"Heh heh, it's not really a command."

Red smiled and tightened his fist: "It's just that I've been ordered by my Lord Lister to loosen your bones."

With that, before the young patrol member could react, Red's fist, as big as a sandbag, slammed directly into his abdomen.

Ah!

A shrill scream rang out, and the young patrol member spat out a mouthful of blood, his body flying several meters away.

The sudden scene stunned the other patrol members and all the onlookers present.

What kind of move is this!

A Knight beating a patrol member?

And he even beat the notorious Baron. Does this Knight not know his background?

At this moment, Baron, who was several meters away, finally managed to get up from the ground, clutching his abdomen which was throbbing with intense pain.

His fawning smile was gone, and he looked fiercely at Red: "You, you actually dared to hit me?"

"This is Lord Humphrey's territory, and I am a patrol member here."

"And my brother-in-law, Parker, is a Bronze Rank 5 Knight Captain! Do you not want to live?!"

Red didn't respond to his previous statement, but scoffed, "Heh heh, since when could a Bronze Rank 5 be a Knight Captain?"

"Alright, stop talking nonsense. Apologize to that old man right now and pay him what's due, otherwise..."

As he spoke, his expression turned cold, and a powerful aura emanated from him, the oppressive feeling causing Baron and the other patrol members to gasp for breath.

In an instant, fear spread across Baron's face. This oppressive feeling was much stronger than what he had felt from his brother-in-law, Parker.

Daring not to say more, he quickly apologized to the old man: "I-I'm sorry, here's the money for you."

Saying that, he took out a few copper coins and handed them to the old man, then scurried away with the other patrol members.

However, before fleeing, he took a deep look at Lister, the instigator behind him, his eyes filled with strong malice.

As for Lister's identity, he had calmed down and remembered: a unlucky fellow who should have inherited a Viscount title but became a Baron instead.

Although he couldn't afford to offend a Baron, a Baron condoning his subordinate beating a patrol member in a Viscount's territory was a violation of the kingdom's law against private fights.

And most importantly, it was a slap in the Viscount's face. Given Lord Humphrey's personality, he would definitely stand up for him.

Lister, of course, understood this, but he had already made his calculations before giving the order.

He showed a wicked smile, called Thomas over, and whispered a few words... On the other side, the old man had been helped up by the thin 'man' and said gratefully, "Thank you, Sir Knight, thank you, Sir Knight."

"Don't thank me."

Red waved his hand: "I am merely acting on the orders of my Lord Lister."

"My Lord is the current Lord of the Ironthorn Territory. Out of compassion for you, his subjects from the Ironthorn Territory, being bullied, he sent me to help."

"You should thank my Lord. Come with me."

With that, Red walked back, and the two quickly followed.

Red's voice was not soft, allowing the onlookers to hear clearly. For a moment, their gazes involuntarily turned to Lister in front of the carriage behind them.

Lister maintained a faint smile, but inwardly gave Red a thumbs up... Resourceful, good!

At this moment, Red stood respectfully beside Lister. The old man and the thin 'man' were about to kneel to express their gratitude, but Lister stopped them and helped them up.

"Old man, there's no need to thank me. As the Lord of the Ironthorn Territory, I have a duty to protect my people."

"You two can return with my convoy."

Upon hearing this, the old man's eyes welled up with tears, and he gratefully exclaimed, "Thank you, noble Lord, may the holy light god always bless you."

The thin 'man' beside him looked at Lister with deep admiration and a hint of a strange glint in his eyes.

Seeing this, Lister's heart tightened: "What kind of look is that? Is he a gay man?"

Shaking his head, he quickly returned to the carriage.

Soon, the convoy departed amidst the admiring and longing gazes of the surrounding common people.

Not long after the convoy left Moding Town, a scandalous 'rumor' about Lady Humphrey and her son-in-law, Wade, gradually spread...