Chapter 339 247: The Purpose of the Griffin Knight Order (Part 2)

Just as Levi was starting to think he was an idiot, the two of them rounded a corner and a brightly lit street appeared before them.

"You were wrong, my lord. See? It's full of people," the Lord laughed, taking the initiative to walk in.

But as soon as they entered, they both began to regret their decision.

The street was filled with a chaotic mix of perfumes. Torches hung on both sides, and a strange mist rose from the ground, giving the place a hazy feel.

What made them regret it was the countless heavily made-up, provocatively dressed women standing in the doorways of the buildings on both sides.

There were already some Northern Soldiers and officers here. When they saw two nobles arrive, they were immediately flustered and anxious, since visiting prostitutes was a clear violation of military discipline.

They didn't even spare a thought for the women in their arms as they scrambled to salute.

This caused the eyes of every prostitute there to light up.

The Lord waved his hand to dismiss them. The soldiers sighed in relief, and one of the bolder ones even dared to jest, "My Lord, the women here are much more delicate than the ones in the Northern Territory. No body odor, and their skin is as smooth as ice and snow. Definitely worth a try."

Levi and Monvert realized they had stumbled onto Charm Street. But with the Northern Soldiers now watching them expectantly, they couldn't just turn and leave. They were both prominent figures; doing so would surely become an embarrassing story told for years to come. So, they could only bite the bullet and walk on.

"My lord, I'm very tight. Only fifty copper coins."

A woman with curly brown hair, her chest exposed despite the cold, actively approached them. She had thick, bright red lips, and she licked them as she spoke.

"My lord, I'm tighter than she is, and I only need twenty-five copper coins."

Countless prostitutes who had yet to find a customer were desperately batting their eyelashes and swaying their hips. If the old-fashioned etiquette teachers from the court were to see this, they would surely curse it as a debasement of public morals for a day and a night.

"My lord, I don't want money. I only ask to spend one night with you."

One prostitute even came up to the Lord and caressed his fine Chest Armor with her small, fair hands.

Although he couldn't see Monvert's face, Levi knew the old chap was definitely holding back a laugh.

'To think that he, the renowned Lord of High Cliff Castle and Lion Hunter Knight, whose dream is to be a Minstrel mingling with Noble Ladies, would now be lusted after by prostitutes. There's simply no justice in the world!'

"My lord, sixty copper coins. I'm tighter than all of them, and I can even give you a unique experience."

Just then, a grating, duck-like voice rang out. A skinny "woman" with a flower in "her" hair swayed over. His features could be considered somewhat delicate, but they were caked in thick, unidentifiable makeup. He cast a flirtatious glance at the Lord.

Even the blindest person could see this was a man, let alone Levi.

"Get lost!"

The Lord finally couldn't take it anymore and hastily fled the street.

"Damn it, I don't think I'll be able to eat for the rest of the day."

Levi shuddered just thinking about that scene. Even sleeping in a pile of corpses back then hadn't been as shocking as this.

"Hahaha, Levi! I can't believe you've never been to Charm Street. To think the Baron of High Cliff Castle, whose name is renowned throughout Debei, is still just a boy."

The Wolf Island Count laughed mockingly. After all, opportunities to ridicule the Lion Hunter Knight were rare, and he had to make this one count.

"Hmph, you've never been here either. When that prostitute who looked like she could feed five children was draped over you, you went completely stiff, didn't you?" the Lord shot back, not holding back at all. This immediately made the Count fly into a humiliated rage.

"That's because I am loyal in love! I already have a wife, and three children!"

"Then your wife, my lord, must be an unimaginable beauty."

The Lord didn't continue to mock the Wolf Island Count, instead choosing to follow up on the topic.

"No, she's just a Female Ranger. Many people even say she's quite plain, but in my eyes, she is the most precious gift heaven has ever given me." Monvert paused for a moment before continuing:

"When I was young, I was traveling through Debei, and..."

"Stop. My lord, I don't want to hear your love story." Levi's head was starting to ache. He regretted bringing this up and quickly cut off the Wolf Island Count's self-indulgent reminiscing. "You should probably find a married man to listen to this, not a young man like me."

"No, I want to tell it to you," Monvert said with a cunning smile. "Just consider it a Count's prerogative to be willful."

'Son of a bitch, pulling rank on me, are you,' the Lord cursed internally, a helpless look on his face. "Please, go on."

'After all, I was the one who dragged him out to wander the streets, hoping to find a play or a food street or something. I never expected to stumble into Charm Street and make a fool of myself.'

What followed was a long narrative, a mix of his love story and the story of his rise to prominence.

Levi discovered that this Wolf Island Count was truly a fascinating character. He had married that Female Ranger when he was young and had no scandals to his name since. If this were his previous life, he'd be considered a paragon of faithful love.

But in this world, he was a rare breed. After all, even the King had mistresses aside from the Queen, to say nothing of the other nobles. Otherwise, the saying—that if all the bastards in Debei formed an army, they could overthrow the nobility—wouldn't exist.

To take a recent example, despite Count Andao's honest and upright appearance, he was said to be a regular at the Royal Canary Garden. He was known to have at least three or four illegitimate children, one of whom he even kept by his side as a Sword Attendant.

By the time the two of them finished chatting and returned to the encampment, it was already the middle of the night. Levi saw someone waiting at the camp entrance and, for some reason, felt a pang of guilt.

"Levi, where have you two been? I asked Mier and the others, but they didn't know, so I could only wait for you here."

Liya, wrapped in a white fleece cloak and wearing an exquisite, thick gown, came up to greet them. Her nose twitched a couple of times, and she gave them a suspicious look. "Why do you two smell of perfume?"

Monvert looked awkward. He couldn't very well say they had just been for a stroll down Charm Street.

If word of this got back to Wolf Island, he'd probably never be allowed in his wife's bed again.

"Ahem, well..." The Lord gave an awkward laugh and gestured for Liya to follow him as he walked inside.

"Sigh, you'll have to blame Lord Monvert for this. He's been away from home for so long and misses his wife dearly. Since we had some time after the battle, he wanted to find a suitable bottle of perfume in the city to send back to her, to express his longing." The Lord's expression was as noble as a gentleman risking life and limb for a friend. He spread his hands. "I couldn't refuse his request, so I had to go with him. That's how we picked up the scent."

Monvert was silent for a long moment. He looked at the Lord, who was winking and gesturing at him, and finally nodded. "That's right. I did ask Levi to go with me. After all, I only know how to swing a sword; I'm completely clueless about perfume. I figured a young man would know more about this sort of thing."

"So, did you buy the perfume?" Liya asked out of curiosity. After all, he was one of her Vassals.

"No—" Before Levi could finish, Monvert cut him off.

"Levi felt the quality of the perfume in that shop was too poor. He's going to personally buy a high-quality bottle from Kolon and give it to me, so I can give it to my wife." Monvert smiled faintly, his expression as he looked at the Lord utterly frank and sincere.

"That's right, that's exactly what I said." Levi was silent for a moment, not expecting to be hoist by his own petard. He finally sighed. "Black Stone Castle isn't Kolon, after all. The quality of its perfumes is far from worthy of the wife of the Wolf Island Count. So I promised Lord Monvert I would personally select a bottle for him from Kolon."

"Alright," Liya nodded, not forgetting to help them out. "If you really can't find a suitable perfume, I have an unopened bottle here. You can have it, if you don't mind."

The young lady didn't even think to question why a perfume shop would still be open at night.

Monvert thanked her.

Liya waved her small, jade-like hands a couple of times before finally revealing why she had been waiting. "Levi, Fulina has called a meeting. All nobles are required to attend."

At this, her little face turned solemn and serious. "It's about the arrival of the Griffin Knight Order!"