By the time Tyler finished bolstering and refurbishing Emilia’s house, dusk had settled in.
The day had slipped away unnoticed, but on the bright side, he’d managed to level up both “Deceiver” and “Heart of Focus” in the course of his work, resulting in an increase of 10 points each in his Dexterity and Intelligence attributes.
Upon exiting Emilia’s house, Tyler realized that quite a number of townsfolk were looking for him.
“Look there! It’s Banning!”
“We’ve found Banning!”
Had it not been for his mind-reading ability, Tyler would have thought he was a wanted man.
Within minutes, he was encircled by a crowd of townspeople.
They informed him that Lord Garvit, the captain of the Emerald City Cavalry, was looking for him and suggested it might be a beneficial encounter, urging Tyler to meet him posthaste.
Tyler pondered the situation, considering Garvit’s haughty nature, he should be reluctant to disclose the embarrassing incident that had taken place.
So, why was Garvit so eager to find him now?
(Could he be worried I’d reveal how he was defeated by the Poison Blade Rat King?)
(Could it be… he’s trying to buy my silence?)
The more Tyler thought about it, the more this seemed to be the only plausible explanation.
Originally, Tyler saw Garvit as a man of repugnant character but not bad at heart, hence he decided to lend him a hand.
He had no intentions of claiming the credit for exterminating the Poison Blade Rat King, as it didn’t align with his low-key demeanor.
But now that Garvit had approached him voluntarily, Tyler thought he might as well squeeze some money out of the situation, especially since he was running short on funds lately.
Thus, thanking the kindhearted townspeople, Tyler headed in the direction they pointed to, in order to meet Garvit, who was equally eager to find him.
.
Soon enough, Tyler spotted Garvit, whose gleaming silver armor was exceptionally easy to identify in the night.
Besides Garvit, Tyler also noticed Oleg, the branch chief he hadn’t seen in a while. He was surprised to see the old man up and about.
Tyler figured that given the number of bystanders, Garvit would probably rush over, hand him a bag of coins, and whisper, “Let’s talk somewhere else.”
Indeed, Garvit did rush over, but to Tyler’s utter astonishment, he knelt on one knee before him in full view of everyone and started to speak…
“Lord Banning, I am deeply grateful for your life-saving grace! I, Garvit, even though…”
Before Garvit could finish, Tyler turned on his heel and sprinted away!
He admitted he had been careless, but with the distance between them, he hadn’t been able to use his mind-reading ability to anticipate Garvit’s actions.
All in all, the situation was a disaster!
Tyler’s painstakingly curated low-profile image was at stake, especially after Garvit publicly knelt and thanked him… the image would be impossible to maintain…!
.
At this very moment, Tyler was striding purposefully down the street, closely pursued by Garvit and Branch Chief Oleg.
Curious residents gathered, wondering what was unfolding.
Out of desperation, Tyler dashed to the stables, marveling at Moto-chan’s three level rise (Lv3+3↑), then mounted the horse and galloped out of Sunny Town.
Approximately ten minutes later, Tyler pulled up in the wilderness outside the town.
He dismounted to rest, waiting for Garvit and Oleg to catch up.
Ten minutes passed before the two non-agility-type combat occupations appeared, breathless and exhausted.
Indeed, Tyler hadn’t ridden away to escape from them, but to find a more secluded place to converse.
He was determined to prevent any further damage to his low-key image.
Seeing that neither man was in a state to speak, Tyler broke the ice.
“Branch Chief Oleg, congratulations on your recovery. Also, I apologize for making you run so far just after you’ve recovered.”
Oleg was still panting heavily and couldn’t respond to Tyler, so he just nodded vigorously.
Next, Tyler turned to Garvit. He had already grasped Garvit’s intentions through his mind-reading ability. Now, he needed to handle this matter discreetly.
“Alright, let’s talk here, Captain Garvit.”
Garvit was still panting heavily, but he grimly knelt on one knee again, even though he was barely able to breathe.
“Lord… Lord Banning… Thank you… for… your… life-saving… kindness… I… I, Garvit… am still… worthless…”
Garvit’s words came out in ragged gasps, which Tyler found rather tiresome. He decided to delve directly into Garvit’s mind.
Tyler saw that Garvit, having narrowly escaped death, was deeply remorseful and determined to reform. He had decided to pledge his lifelong loyalty to “Lord Banning” in gratitude.
(I didn’t expect to encounter such an upright person in the Prison Star world.)
Moreover, he noticed a drastic change in Garvit’s disposition compared to the previous day. The current Garvit was serious, diligent, and honest, a stark contrast to his earlier self.
(After his reformation, he seems to have returned to his true self…)
.
Garvit’s drastic transformation took Tyler by surprise, and Oleg also appeared to be in a state of mixed feelings.
Once Garvit finished speaking, Oleg immediately interjected.
“Banning, I’ve tried to reason with this lad. He wouldn’t listen. He insists that you saved him and that you single-handedly exterminated the Poison Blade Rat King… Ah! What are you doing, Garvit?”
Oleg was cut off by a sharp elbow jab from Garvit, who was dissatisfied with Oleg’s disrespectful address to Banning and insisted that he should be addressed as “Lord Banning”. 𝑜𝓥𝓵ℯxt.𝗇𝓔t
After hearing the conversation between the two, Tyler roughly understood the gist of the situation.
It seemed impossible to change Garvit’s beliefs, and Branch Chief Oleg was not someone who could be easily swayed.
Given the circumstances, Tyler decided it was time to change his approach to dealing with people.
.
“Captain Garvit, let me explain to Branch Chief Oleg.”
Banning patted Garvit’s shoulder, and Garvit obediently stepped aside.
“Branch Chief, I had intended to keep a low profile, but since Captain Garvit saw what happened, I might as well be frank with you.”
Seeing Banning”s suddenly mature and composed demeanor, Oleg was taken aback. Could it be…?
“The Poison Blade Rat King was indeed defeated by me, and Captain Garvit was rescued by me.”
Banning’s statement left Oleg stunned.
How could this be??!!
“No, no, Ban… Lord Banning, this isn’t something to joke about…”
In the face of this shocking revelation, Oleg was still hoping for things to revert back to normal.
However, once the young man he couldn’t fully understand began to speak, there was no turning back.
“It’s no joke.”
Banning took out a magic core and handed it to Oleg.
“Look at this. Isn’t this a third-tier magic core?”
Oleg took it in his trembling hands.
While Oleg didn’t have the skills of an appraiser, his decades of experience allowed him to confirm that what Banning had given him… was indeed a third-tier magic core.
“This is a third-tier magic core, don’t tell me this is…”
“Yes, this is the magic core of the Poison Blade Rat King. If you don’t believe me, you can take it back and have an appraiser confirm it.”
At this point, Oleg was left speechless, while Garvit wore a proud expression that read “That’s our Lord Banning”.