Eight years ago.“What is this?”Marc had just returned from fetching water at the mountain's peak when he noticed blood splattered across the ground. His instincts screamed danger as he set down the wooden bucket slung over his back and picked up a large branch from the pile nearby.Following the blood trail, he arrived at the chicken coop, its door ajar. His heart trembled with dread as he saw several headless chickens lying lifeless on the ground.Pushing the coop door wide open, Marc crept inside and saw a figure crouching on the ground, facing away from him.“Who’s there?” Marc tightened his grip on the branch in his hand. “Sir, what are you doing there?” he asked cautiously, stepping closer.The figure showed no sign of hearing him and continued its actions, still facing away from Marc.“Please, get out of here.” Marc's voice trembled as he stood less than a meter away from the figure. His body quivered, ready to swing the branch in his hands.“Sir…” Marc tried to issue one fina

Two days earlier."I could have caught that thief by myself. But since you’re all here, let me show you how it’s done," said Jonas to the bodyguards behind him, tucking the pistol he had just cocked back into his waistband."Just watch—I’ll take this thief down with my bare hands!" Jonas quickened his pace as the edge of the forest came into view. He was convinced that Marc’s hint meant the thief was hiding in the woods. And the fact that Marc had returned safely suggested the thief was likely just an amateur.“They’re here at the perfect time,” Jonas thought, glancing back at the still-tense bodyguards. “I’ll amaze them with what I can do,” he mused, a broad, self-satisfied smile spreading across his face.Before becoming the Brown family’s butler, Jonas had been a martial artist who had earned a black belt. “One person? I could take on ten all by myself.” His eyes gleamed with confidence. If he could impress these bodyguards, it would be a great way to show off in front of the mayor

Click!"You've killed my soldiers and innocent people, yet you can still act so nonchalant," Darla's voice seethed with anger as she disengaged the safety on her weapon, pointing it at the back of Marc’s head. Behind the gas mask covering her face, Darla's expression burned with rage. "Daring to endanger innocent lives—you all deserve to die!""My lady…" Bachary, her butler, hesitated, stepping forward to stop her. He wanted to remind her that, no matter how grave their crimes were, these people deserved a trial. An immediate execution would violate the law.However, before Bachary could finish, Darla raised her hand, signaling him to halt."You still have the nerve to act arrogant, ignoring our presence," she continued, her steps slow and deliberate as she moved toward Marc, finger poised on the trigger. Marc’s back remained turned to Darla and her team, a gesture she read as blatant disrespect. "Let’s see if your arrogance can save your head from my bullet.""Lady Darla, please allo

“Mr. Belmont, are you sure about your plan?” Newell couldn’t hide the surprise on his face when Marc mentioned that he wanted to make massive improvements to the village of Greencliff.“Of course, Mr. Brown.” Unlike the expression on the mayor’s face, Marc nodded slowly and flashed a wide smile. “I want to rebuild this village.”Marc thought it would be wonderful if this village could come back to life, just like it was ten years ago before the goblins caused chaos.“But, Mr. Belmont…” Newell took a deep breath before continuing. Since there was no one else in the lobby at the moment, he felt he could express his thoughts to Marc more openly. “The property prices in Greencliff have dropped drastically in recent years, but rebuilding the entire village… that would cost a lot of money.”Rebuilding Greencliff would consume a significant portion of the city's budget. And seeing the state of the city, Newell wasn’t sure it would be profitable from an investment standpoint. “Even if we spen

"Come in, please." Keith forced a smile onto his face as he welcomed Marc into his house. Despite this, his mind was seething with anger. "Damn it! This brat is such a master con artist!"Just yesterday, Keith hadn’t cared much when the three wives of the shop owners said that Marc was a skilled con man. To him, no con artist or criminal could do anything in front of him. They would all kneel before him soon enough.But today, he had to suppress his anger even further when he saw Marc coming to his house. To Keith, it seemed like the young man was challenging him. And what enraged him even more, this damn brat didn’t come alone but brought a powerful figure with him. "If it weren’t for Mr. Robins being here, I would’ve beaten this bastard into the ground!""After deceiving Mr. Wellington and Mr. Skiyd, now he’s managed to con a butler from the Quentin family," Keith thought again, glaring at Marc out of the corner of his eye with anger and disgust that he tried to hide. "I can't let m