Uh, I'm so sorry, Jack."
"Does saying sorry help now? Looking at you like this, I wouldn't dare lay a hand on you."
Raymond broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this, secretly wondering if contracting the Pale Sickness was actually a good thing.
Otherwise, if he were healthy right now and dared to stand in front of Jack, he would definitely be beaten and confined to bed for several months... Soon after, Karl finished dealing with the water ghouls and, while he was at it, hunted a wild boar before returning to the village.
The villagers he met along the way either nodded with a smile, indicating friendliness, or looked at him with surprise, as if seeing him for the first time.
While expressing their goodwill, their gazes couldn't help but fall on the wild boar Karl carried on his shoulder.
Their eyes were burning, clearly revealing envy and covetousness.
Many even secretly wiped the corners of their mouths after brushing past Karl.
Not everyone in the village could afford meat; at most, on some especially significant holidays, being able to eat one or two eggs was considered good.
As for having meat with every meal? Commoners simply didn't have the financial means, so most of them were sallow and thin.
Karl and his companion's diet was the best in the entire village.
Even the butcher shop in the village occasionally needed his help to maintain a stable supply.
"Karl, you're back? You actually hunted a wild boar? Amazing!"
"This wild boar must be seventy kilograms or more..."
"Hmm, Sam, that's about right, maybe a little heavier."
Mid-sentence, Sam, who was greeting Karl, paused, then suddenly realized something.
Wait, something seemed off... Karl actually carried a wild boar weighing at least seventy kilograms on one shoulder?!
"Gulp..." Sam swallowed, astonished by Karl's strength.
This child, Karl, didn't look particularly sturdy on the surface, yet he possessed such strength?
Wouldn't that mean if someone had a dispute with Karl, an ordinary person would be knocked to the ground with one punch and unable to get up?
Karl walked all the way, enduring the envious gazes of the villagers, until he reached the butcher shop.
"Thud!" He placed the wild boar on the table.
"Dales, I'll trouble you, please butcher it as usual," Karl said with a smile.
Dales sniffed the strong smell of blood and the rather noticeable sour odor on Karl, wrinkling his nose and being choked a bit.
"It's no trouble at all. The butcher shop wouldn't be able to open without your help."
"Karl, your hunt this time doesn't seem to have gone smoothly?"
Dales looked with concern at the torn openings on Karl's shirt cuffs and chest.
"Hmm, I encountered a monster midway, but I was lucky and managed to escape using a trap," Karl said with a calm expression, smiling as he recited his pre-planned excuse.
"Haha, I know you're smart, but don't get too overconfident. A small oversight in the wilderness could cost you your life."
Dales picked up the cleaver from the chopping block, rotated his wrist, and swiftly cut open the wild boar's carcass.
Then, along the bone seams, he separated the loin and shoulder meat from the wild boar.
"Alright, it's all done as you requested. As for the rest..."
"Given that wild boar meat is usually quite rare, how about one silver coin per kilogram?"
"Fine, the price is reasonable."
Returning near his home, Karl found a luxurious carriage parked outside the wooden fence, with several guards standing by it.
After a few curious glances, he withdrew his gaze, not showing any shock.
He had seen airplanes and sports cars; what was there to be surprised about a carriage?
At most, it was merely curiosity at suddenly seeing a medieval-style object.
Then, he walked around the fence and was about to open the gate and go inside when a voice from behind called out to him.
"Stop! Who are you? The Baron is negotiating inside the house."
"If you want to go in, you'll have to wait for us to report, and you can only enter after the Baron allows it."
As he spoke, a guard slowly stepped forward and placed his hand on Karl's shoulder from behind.
Immediately, Karl's steps halted. He turned around and swept away the guard's hand from his shoulder with the back of his hand.
"Nonsense, this is my home, and I can't even enter?!"
"Heh, is your Baron a bit too overbearing?"
The guard naturally heard the sarcasm in Karl's words. He clenched his knuckles and replied with an unfriendly expression, "Kid, you dare to insult the Baron? It looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson!"
Before his words finished, he swung his fist towards Karl's face.
The other guards behind him did not step forward to help; they stood still, looking as if they were watching a show.
They hadn't expected to encounter someone so outspoken on a rare outing, showing no respect for their Baron.
The fist, accompanied by the sound of rushing air, gradually approached Karl's face. Just as it was extremely close to his nose, he unhurriedly extended his hand and grabbed the guard's wrist.
"Looking for a fight, are we? I didn't want to cause trouble, but you started it."
The guard, whose wrist was seized, stomped his feet on the ground, struggling with all his might. His face visibly reddened, but he still couldn't break free from the iron-like grip.
He was just surprised by Karl's strength when he suddenly saw the other party's arm lift upwards.
In an instant, the scene before him spun, and then a sharp pain shot through his back, everything in his vision blurring.
"Oh, my goodness... My back! It hurts so much!"
The guard was thrown over Karl's shoulder with one hand, slammed onto the ground in a different direction.
Of course, Karl had restrained his strength and didn't use his full power; otherwise, this fall could have left the opponent on the verge of death instantly.
The other guards who were watching the show from behind became restless after witnessing this scene.
"No way, a villager from a run-down little village just casually took down the captain?"
"Uh, perhaps the captain spent a bit too much energy on a woman last night..."
The three guards exchanged glances, their right hands on their sword hilts, ready to draw their swords.
Seeing this, Karl raised an eyebrow and clenched his fists again. He had no intention of sitting idly by and intended to strike first.
Just then, a scolding voice stopped them.
"What are you doing? All of you, stop!"
It turned out that Raymond's butler, Hans, had opened the door and was standing there, looking displeased at everyone.
"Uh, Master Hans, we were about to teach this impertinent fellow a lesson. He injured our captain."
"And he insulted Master Raymond, saying he was overbearing and unreasonable..."
"Are you Karl? Come in quickly, Master Raymond has been waiting for you for a long time," Hans asked with a smile.
The guard intended to continue speaking, but his voice gradually trailed off midway.
Because he saw that when Master Hans looked at that fellow, he not only didn't scold him but even smiled and invited him inside.
Seeing this, the three exchanged glances, collectively playing dumb, silently carrying away the fallen guard captain without a word.