Life in a Simulation - Chapter 33

After beating the fat man, Baum, into a cripple, the outside of the house was now surrounded by a large crowd of onlookers. Seeing the pitiful state of Baum, who had been beaten into a lifeless heap inside Zhou Ming’s house, one person let out a scream and ran quickly towards the residence of the steward, Brunod. As he ran, he shouted, “It’s bad! Ryan has killed Young Master Baum! Lord Brunod, Ryan has murdered Young Master Baum!” Clearly, this person was a servant from Steward Brunod’s household.

“No good! Alice, quickly pack your things. We need to leave now!” Zhou Ming decided to flee. Although his original plan was to wait until Edward became the lord and then leave with Tony and Alice, the sudden incident meant that they had no choice but to run away early.

“Brother, do we really have to go?” Alice hesitated. She had been living a relatively stable and happy life in the Gran Fief and was not yet prepared to flee to a foreign land.

“There’s no time left. Let’s go now!” Zhou Ming quickly packed a bundle, placing two pieces of clothing and some savings he had accumulated over the years inside. Seeing that Alice was still dawdling, he shouted at her, “Don’t take all the miscellaneous things. Just bring two pieces of clothing!” With that, he stuffed the two clothes Alice often wore into his bundle, left everything else behind, grabbed Alice’s hand, and they fled out the door.

…

On a weed-covered path three or four miles outside Rose Town.

“Ryan, where are you and your sister heading?” A voice, devoid of any warmth, came from behind, chilling Zhou Ming to the bone. It was over. Completely over.

…

Inside the castle’s council hall.

Zhou Ming, with several whip marks bleeding on his back, knelt alongside his sister Alice at the feet of a young and noble-looking man.

“Speak! Why did you beat Baum to this state?” Edward pointed at Baum, who was lying on a wooden plank on the ground, unrecognizable as a human being. This loyal servant, who had devoted himself to Edward, had been beaten to such an extent that Edward was furious, feeling an urge to kill.

Had it not been for the fact that this young man had once saved his father’s life, Edward would have already dealt with him on the way during the pursuit.

“Young Master Edward, when I returned home just now, Baum was assaulting my sister. In a fit of rage, I beat him up,” Zhou Ming explained in a low voice.

“What assault? It’s clear that your despicable sister was trying to climb the social ladder by latching onto my son, Baum!” Brunod, the half-bald and still portly steward, stepped forward, pointing at Alice and scolding her furiously. Then he threw himself onto his son Baum and wailed, “My poor child! I only wanted to find a compliant maid for the esteemed Young Master Edward, but this despicable woman, not content with just being a maid, tried to seduce the future noble knight, Lord Baum. She wanted to become a knight’s lady!”

“You’re slandering her!” Alice’s face turned red with anger as she pointed at Baum on the ground and shouted, “He was the one who forcibly dragged me to the castle to be a maid. When I refused, he tried to molest me!”

“How dare you, you despicable woman! Becoming Young Master Edward’s maid is an honor that many women in the Gran Fief would kill for. How dare you say you refuse? Young Master Edward, this despicable woman is lying! Please, punish this liar with the utmost severity!” Brunod said sternly.

“Enough! Stop talking!” Edward’s face turned ashen as he cut off Brunod’s words. He then turned to a tall and sturdy knight beside him and asked, “Knight Harold, according to the fief’s laws, what punishment should be given to these two?”

Harold glanced at the two people below and said indifferently, “According to the fief’s laws, the crimes of fleeing without permission and insubordination combined warrant a public hanging. Their bodies should be hung on both sides of the road as a warning to others.”

“Then let it be hanging. Take them out and execute it immediately.”

Edward patted his slightly aching head, wanting nothing more than for the two people kneeling before him to disappear from his sight as quickly and completely as possible!

“Young Master Edward, let me handle this. I’m particularly skilled at dealing with criminals…” A tall and thin knight stepped forward, rubbing his hands together with an excited look on his face. His lizard-like yellow-brown eyes gleamed with an intense desire.

“Stop! No one is allowed to harm Ryan!”

It was little Tony, holding a dagger, who walked over and stood in front of Zhou Ming, brandishing the dagger. “As long as I, Tony, am here, no one is allowed to hurt them!”

“Dear Edward, spare this poor brother and sister. Moreover, Ryan saved your father’s life. How can you just hang your father’s savior?” Lady Madeline, dressed in a loose gown, walked over and spoke earnestly to Edward.

“My dear mother, my servant Baum has been beaten to this state. What do you expect me to do?” Edward shouted at Lady Madeline, his eyes red with anger.

“Edward, don’t you know what kind of person Baum is? Let this brother and sister go. Let them leave the Gran Fief and venture out into the world. There are so many peasants in the Gran Fief; we don’t need these two.” Lady Madeline pleaded earnestly.

“Mother, let me go with them! I’ve had enough of this castle. I want to leave with Ryan and the others!”

Tony’s heart grew angrier the more he thought about it. Alice was the woman he liked, yet his brother Edward wanted her to be his maid. Even his servant, the fat Baum, dared to bully and humiliate her. Was there nothing in this vast Gran Fief that belonged to him?

“Get out! All of you, just get out and stay far away from me. I never want to see any of you again!”

Edward waved his hand furiously, grabbed his sword, and left the council hall.

…

Two days later.

On the fifth floor of the castle, in Tony’s room.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Master Tony?” Zhou Ming asked as he watched Tony packing his luggage.

“Absolutely certain!”

Tony nodded, carefully placing a letter written by his mother into his bundle. He looked up at Zhou Ming and said, “This is a letter from my mother to a countess in the royal capital. Mother and the countess are very close cousins. With this letter, once we get to the capital, we won’t have to worry about having a place to stay! Mother also said that if there are no major problems, the countess will arrange for me to study at the Royal Academy and become a learned scholar in the future!”

Tony’s face was full of anticipation. At eighteen, he had hardly ever left the Gran Fief or seen the outside world. This time, he was finally fulfilling his wish.

“But once you leave the Gran Fief, you might never be able to come back,” Zhou Ming posed a heavy question.

“What does it matter? It was bound to happen sooner or later, wasn’t it? It’s just a bit earlier now. Besides, I still have you as a good friend, and Alice. I’ll be able to be with her every day from now on!” A rare maturity appeared on Tony’s face, and he became even more excited when he mentioned Alice.

“As long as you’re happy…”

Zhou Ming’s thoughts were not the same as Tony’s. He wasn’t sure if they would still be together in the future. He wouldn’t always be a servant to others. In fact, last night, he had already left a signal in the secret camp. Given the current season, it would take at most three to five days for those people to follow the signal and find him…

After packing the last bundle, Tony lifted it and felt its weight. He then handed it to Zhou Ming to carry and asked him to place it on the carriage waiting at the castle gate.

Tony himself still needed to go upstairs to see his father one last time and bid farewell to Baron Connor.

At the castle gate.

After placing Tony’s last bundle on the carriage, Zhou Ming leaned quietly against the carriage, waiting for Tony to come down. There was an open square in front of the castle gate, where knights often trained. At this moment, three knights walking side by side noticed Zhou Ming by the carriage. They exchanged glances, and one of them whispered to the other two. After a brief discussion, they walked towards Zhou Ming with mocking smiles.

“Esteemed knights, may I ask what you want?” Zhou Ming tried to avoid their teasing gazes and spoke in a low voice.

“Kid, we heard you’re pretty good with a spear. I want to have a little sparring match with you. Come with us to the training ground.”

The tall and thin knight leading the group leaned on the carriage and looked down at Zhou Ming.

“Esteemed knights, I need to help young master Tony with his luggage. I’ll definitely seek your guidance when I’m free.” Zhou Ming turned to the carriage, pretending to tidy up the luggage.

“Be obedient, kid! Vincent, hold him for me. Harold, cover his mouth so he can’t shout!”

“Don’t do this, esteemed knights… ugh…”

The three knights, like kidnappers, forcibly dragged Zhou Ming to the castle’s backyard weapon training ground.

Bang!

As soon as the training ground’s gate closed, the enclosed yard was left with only the three knights and Zhou Ming.

With a clang, a crude spear fell at Zhou Ming’s feet, and his heart sank to the bottom of a well.

The three knights across from him all donned heavy armor and drew their thick longswords.

“Vincent, Harold, don’t you two fight over it. I’ll take the first round with this kid,” the tall and thin knight leading the group said, twirling his longsword to create a flourish of steel.

“Henry, be careful. Don’t underestimate him. This kid is indeed skilled with a spear,” Knight Harold warned.

“Ferdinand the drunkard deserved his fate. I haven’t been drinking today,” Knight Henry replied with a chuckle, licking his dry lips and his yellow-brown eyes gleaming with a cruel light.

He stamped his foot on the ground, causing the metal plates of his armor to rattle, and approached Zhou Ming with a flourish of his sword. “Kid, pick up that spear on the ground. The noble Knight Henry is about to attack.”

“Henry, go easy. Don’t kill him in one strike. I want a turn too,” Vincent shouted from the side.

“Relax, I know my limits,” Henry said, and with that, he swung his sword at Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming had no choice but to pick up the spear from the ground, dodge the attack, and bend down to look for any vulnerabilities in Henry’s armor.

“Ha!”

Zhou Ming shouted and thrust his spear like a venomous snake, aiming for Henry’s eyes.

“Ouch! Not bad, not bad at all. Interesting,” Henry said with a smirk as he easily dodged the lightning-fast attack.

“Roar!” Zhou Ming growled and thrust his spear again, only to be dodged once more.

After more than ten rounds, Henry let Zhou Ming attack more than ten times, casually and swiftly evading each strike.

“Kid, are you tired? It’s my turn now,” Henry said with a sinister grin after toying with Zhou Ming for a while and noticing his slowing pace. He twirled his sword and suddenly swung it heavily at Zhou Ming’s head.

“Danger!”

Zhou Ming rolled on the ground to narrowly avoid the attack. Just as he was about to move to a safer spot, the knight’s attack followed like a persistent shadow.

This happened several times. Every time Zhou Ming struggled to get back up, the knight would swing his sword at his head again.

“Hahaha, dodge it, keep dodging it. Let’s see where you can run now…” Henry taunted, his sword following Zhou Ming no matter where he moved, until he cornered him with no way to retreat.

Once again, as the sword swung down, Zhou Ming raised his spear to block it. With a crack, the wooden spear snapped in half. Zhou Ming tried to block again, but the remaining half of the wooden shaft broke once more. Eventually, he was left defenseless, cornered with nowhere to run. Faced with the sword, he could only close his eyes and brace for death.

However…

The expected pain did not come. Instead, a sharp sword tip pressed against the right side of his chest.

“Knight, you win,” Zhou Ming said, looking at the sword on his chest.

“Is that so? I’ve won, have I? I don’t feel it,” Henry said, pressing the sword a little harder and muttering to himself.

“Yes, my lord knight, you’ve won. You’ve won! Please let me go,” Zhou Ming groaned, feeling the sword tip pierce his skin and press against his rib, the torn flesh bleeding profusely.

“Let you go? Beg me. Beg me, and maybe, just maybe, the knight will be in a good mood and let you go,” Henry said, slapping the hilt of his sword and pressing it deeper into Zhou Ming’s chest with a mocking smile.

“Ah! Ah! Please let me go! My lord knight, let me go!!” Zhou Ming’s chest was now soaked in blood, and he felt a sharp pain, making it difficult to breathe.

“Not enough, not enough. Beg more, louder. I can’t hear you,” Henry said, digging his fingers into his ears and then began to twist the sword handle, first to the left, then to the right.

“My lord knight! Let me go! Please let me go!!” Zhou Ming’s face was covered in sweat, and the excruciating pain made him grab the sharp blade with his bare hand and pull outward with all his strength. Soon, his palm was bleeding profusely from the cuts.

“That’s enough, Henry. Stop tormenting the boy. Either finish him quickly or let him go,” Vincent, the knight standing nearby, interjected.

“No, no, no…” Henry shook his head and pressed the sword even harder. “It’s too easy to give him a quick death. I want to play with him a bit longer… Boy! What did you just say? I didn’t hear you. Say it again, louder!”

“Let me go! Let me go now!!” Zhou Ming screamed, tears streaming down his face, his voice tearing through the air. His right hand, however, was quietly placed behind his back.

“I can’t hear you! Say it again, louder!” Henry demanded.

“I fucking said let me go!!” Zhou Ming roared. His left hand, gripping the sword blade, suddenly reversed its force, driving the sword deeper into his own body. In the same instant, his right hand swiftly pulled out a dagger from behind and, as Henry lost his balance and fell towards him, plunged the dagger into Henry’s eye socket with all his might.

“Aaaah!!!” Knight Henry, clutching his eye, rolled frantically on the ground, emitting a blood-curdling scream.

Life in a Simulation - Chapter 33

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Hate that cliffhanger, don’t you?

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