Chapter 19

"I... I just didn't want that Clayman's filthy hands touching Sister Anlia. I was also trying to protect Your Highness's..."

Berg covered his bright-red cheek, looking completely lost.

"You still dare talk back?!"

But that only made Robert even angrier.

Without showing the slightest sympathy, he slapped Berg hard across the other side of his face.

That cheek instantly turned red as well.

At least now the two sides matched.

But Robert still didn't stop.

He wildly swung his fists, raining blows down on Berg's body like a violent storm.

Facing the man who had raised him since childhood, and knowing that he had indeed made a serious mistake, Berg didn't dare fight back at all.

He simply covered his head with both arms, curled up on the ground, and silently endured Robert's beating.

The villagers watched the scene in horror.

It was the first time they had ever seen their usually kind and gentle village chief become this furious.

However, no matter how worried they were about Berg, none of them dared say a word.

They could only silently look at him with concern.

Blood was already dripping from the corner of Berg's mouth, while bruises covered his entire body.

Anlia was the same.

The young girl even forced herself to turn her head away, covering both ears with her hands and pretending she couldn't see or hear anything.

"You bastard! Have you forgotten everything His Highness has done for us?!"

Robert was about to continue beating him when a hand gently landed on his shoulder.

He turned around.

Xia Mingyu was standing behind him with an expressionless face.

"Your Highness."

The anger on Robert's face disappeared instantly.

A wide smile appeared in its place as he lowered himself and knelt down.

At the same time, he didn't forget to shout at Berg.

"Berg! Get over here and apologize to His Highness!"

Berg struggled to his feet.

He limped over to Xia Mingyu before dropping onto one knee.

He looked miserable.

Both cheeks were swollen and red.

Nearly dried blood still stained the corner of his mouth.

His eyes had almost swollen into thin slits, and his arms and legs were covered in blue and purple bruises.

"Your Highness, I disobeyed your instructions. Please punish me."

Berg lowered his head deeply.

His voice sounded so heavy that it was as if an enormous mountain was pressing down on him.

Whatever his reason had been, the fact remained that he had disobeyed His Highness's instructions.

Nothing could change that.

Xia Mingyu remained expressionless.

He only frowned slightly, seemingly thinking about something.

Robert spoke as well.

"Your Highness, I will expel Berg from the village as punishment for offending you."

There was a trace of reluctance in his eyes, but his expression remained firm.

Robert had always treated Berg like his own son.

But now, that "son" had committed an enormous mistake involving the whole village.

Even as village chief, Robert would never show favoritism in such a matter.

Hearing those words, Berg's eyes began to sting.

He had already decided that he would leave the village before long anyway.

He wanted to search for a way to become Transcendent and fulfill his dream of becoming powerful.

But leaving willingly and being expelled were two completely different things.

The former meant he would still have a hometown.

The latter meant he would never be allowed to return.

He would become like a stray dog wandering outside alone, with nowhere to call home.

Even when his soul finally returned to the underworld, there might not be a single person left to remember him.

So bitter...

So bitter...

So bitter...

Just as Berg felt warm tears beginning to fill his eyes, a familiar voice suddenly pulled him back to reality.

"Raise your head."

Berg slowly looked up.

Xia Mingyu was calmly staring at him.

Berg froze for a moment.

His gaze wandered, and he didn't dare meet His Highness's eyes directly.

He had disappointed this prince.

But unexpectedly, Xia Mingyu didn't scold him.

Instead, he reached into his pocket and took out a pure-white "handkerchief."

Then he gently began wiping the blood and dirt from Berg's face.

Berg was overwhelmed by the favor.

He instinctively tried to move away, but Xia Mingyu firmly pressed down on his shoulder.

So Berg could only accept His Highness's kindness with deep gratitude.

Whenever the "handkerchief" accidentally touched one of his wounds and sent a sharp sting through his face, he gritted his teeth and forced himself not to make a sound.

Even if he was about to leave...

Even if this was the last moment...

He still wanted to leave a good impression on this kind-hearted prince he had only known for a short time.

At the very least, he couldn't show such a weak side of himself.

That way, perhaps many years later, on some peaceful afternoon, His Highness might suddenly remember an ordinary hunter who had once saved him from a pack of wolves.

That alone would be Berg's honor.

Xia Mingyu finally spoke in a calm voice.

"Berg, you broke your promise to the village and to me. By all rights, I should punish you."

Berg lowered his head even further.

"But you once saved my life. By all rights, I should forgive your mistake this time."

Xia Mingyu paused for a moment.

Then he continued,

"Unfortunately, I'm a stingy person."

"So I've still decided to punish you!"

Hearing that, the tiny spark of hope that had just appeared on Berg's face slowly faded again.

Then Xia Mingyu spoke in a deep voice.

"Your punishment is this—"

"From this day onward, you will become my attendant and serve me for the rest of your life!"

The moment those words fell, the expressions of Robert, Berg, and every villager around them completely changed.

Berg stared at him in disbelief.

"Your Highness... I don't think I heard you clearly."

He genuinely suspected that his ears were playing tricks on him.

Otherwise, how could he possibly have heard such wonderful words?

Xia Mingyu sighed helplessly and repeated himself.

"I've decided to punish you by making you my attendant."

"You will serve me for the rest of your life."

Then Xia Mingyu shrugged.

"What? If you don't want to, I can always choose another punishment."

As he spoke, Xia Mingyu casually threw away the dirty tissue in his hand.

It was something he had already been carrying in his pocket before crossing into this world.

He had used most of the pack over the past few days whenever nature called.

That had been the very last piece.

"I want to! I'm willing!"

Berg shouted in wild joy.

He quickly jumped to his feet.

For some reason, all the injuries from Robert's beating suddenly seemed to stop hurting.

"Haa..."

The young man took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

His rough, calloused hands clenched tightly into fists.

His knuckles even turned pale from the force.

There were still traces of tears on his sharp-featured face, along with the swollen red marks left by the beating.

But his eyes grew more determined than ever.

Within his brown pupils, it almost seemed as though a blazing fire had been ignited.

Under the expectant and blessing-filled gazes of all the villagers, Berg slowly dropped onto one knee.

Then he spoke loudly.

"Creator above, gods above, I, Berg, hereby swear—"

"Wait."

Xia Mingyu suddenly interrupted him.

Berg immediately became nervous.

He was terrified that His Highness had changed his mind.

If that happened, it would feel even worse than dying.

Xia Mingyu looked serious.

"Before you swear your oath, I've decided to grant you a surname."

From what Xia Mingyu knew, in medieval times, when many nobles accepted someone's loyalty, they would sometimes bestow a surname upon that person.

It was a way to deepen the bond between both sides.

He had already been exposed to the nobles of this world.

Because of that, he needed to make proper use of every card he had in his hand.

Berg would be his first card.

Xia Mingyu slowly spoke.

"In my homeland, there was once an extremely powerful dragon slayer."

"He possessed incredible strength and an unshakable will."

"I've decided to grant you his surname."

"I hope that one day, you can become as reliable as he was."

Then Xia Mingyu looked directly at Berg and declared,

"From this day onward, your name shall be—Berg Chu."