Chapter 5: Please, Take Me as Your Attendant!

Foster father of the village chief... that middle-aged man in a sheepskin robe who comes every day to deliver meat or fruit.

Why did he come to see me? Surely not to ask me to settle the food expenses for these days!

Thinking of this, a trace of bitterness appeared on Xia Mingyu’s face. He was truly broke now; if the man really asked for payment, he would probably have to repay the debt through hard labor.

“Your Highness Mingyu, if you don’t wish to see him, I can refuse on your behalf,” Anliya said from outside when Xia Mingyu remained silent for a long time.

“Please... let him in,” Xia Mingyu finally said after some thought.

He wanted to establish himself in this world and could not stay cooped up in a small wooden hut forever; he needed to connect with more people.

The village chief was undoubtedly a good contact; he could probably gather a lot of information from him.

...

“Noble Your Highness, humble I and my beautiful daughter greet you. May the gods bless you!”

As soon as he entered, Robert set down a basket full of fruit and tried to pull Anliya to kneel in respect, but fortunately, Xia Mingyu stopped him just in time.

“Please sit,” Xia Mingyu gestured.

“Your Highness, you’re too kind!” Robert chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his palms but never daring to sit, only standing stiffly.

Xia Mingyu was somewhat helpless—after all, this wooden hut was his own home.

With that, he had no choice but to stand alongside them.

“Village Chief, may I ask the purpose of your visit?” Xia Mingyu asked directly.

“Your Highness, I heard from my daughter that you have already learned the language. I came specifically to congratulate you on your extraordinary learning ability and to inquire if you need anything,” Robert replied with a broad smile.

“Such as whether your living conditions are too simple, whether you need more meat in your diet, or if you are satisfied with the fruits delivered,” he asked.

This caught Xia Mingyu off guard; he had expected the man to first ask which country he came from or why he couldn’t understand the language.

It seemed the village chief had no intention of probing into his origins but was only eager to please.

“I don’t have any particular needs, but if I had to say, I would like to meet the person who saved me,” Xia Mingyu said thoughtfully.

He held a strong impression of the fierce young man who had shot the lead wolf in the eye mid-leap; besides, that person had saved his life. By basic morality, he ought to express his gratitude.

“By the grace of the Sun God above, the person you speak of must be Little Berg. He is the most talented young man in our village. Without any guidance, he became a hunter entirely on his own, unlike other youths who remain serfs like us.”

“You don’t know, but the game delivered these days was all entrusted to me by him to give to you. He’s truly a kind and courteous young man!”

“If it weren’t for the fact that he has always regarded Anliya as an elder sister since childhood, I might...” Robert rambled on until Anliya, unable to bear it any longer, kicked his heel from behind, snapping him out of his over-enthusiasm.

“Your Highness, please forgive our lack of manners; we humble folk mean no offense,” Robert said awkwardly, scratching his head.

“I’ll go fetch Little Berg now,” he added, seemingly to ease the awkwardness, and hurriedly left, completely ignoring Anliya’s anxious glances.

“Miss Anliya, is there something you wish to tell me?” Xia Mingyu noticed the blonde girl’s hesitant expression beside him.

After a moment of thought, Anliya shook her head.

She knew her foster father had noticed her glance; since he gave no response, it meant now was not the time to bring up “that matter.”

Not long after, Robert returned with a lean, stern-faced youth carrying a quiver and bow.

Above the boy’s head were two lines of white text: one reading “Commoner,” the other “Hunter.”

Commoner was a status blessing, while Hunter was a vocational blessing. Unlike status blessings determined by birth, vocational blessings were acquired through effort and granted various abilities.

For example, most villagers had the farmer blessing, which slightly increased their crop yields.

“Your Highness, this is Little Berg,” Robert respectfully introduced, then gestured for him to salute.

Berg immediately bent to kneel but was stopped by Xia Mingyu in time.

“You are my savior; there is no reason for a savior to kneel,” Xia Mingyu quickly said.

“Respected Your Highness, you flatter me. To have rescued you from the wolves is not a favor to you but an honor for me,” Berg replied calmly.

This was not an impromptu remark; he had spent the past few nights preparing what to say.

After all, saving a fallen heir of the Super Kingdom was undoubtedly the most critical and irreplaceable moment of his life.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Xia Mingyu hesitated before asking.

Repaying kindness was his principle.

Though he knew he had nothing to offer in this new world and his ability to repay was limited, the moral values ingrained in him over the past two decades compelled him to speak.

“To help you is my honor; how could I dare to make demands?” Berg said without hesitation.

“But...” the youth shifted tone.

“I do have one request I hope your mercy will grant,” a clear hope flickered across his slightly dust-streaked face.

Hearing this, Xia Mingyu’s expression tightened; even if the request was for a small amount of money, his empty pockets left him powerless.

If necessary, he would have to sell the modern clothes he wore...

Under Xia Mingyu’s anxious gaze, Berg finally spoke:

“Please accept me as your attendant!”

Xia Mingyu: “???”

You saved me and now want to be my attendant?

Confused, Xia Mingyu’s mind raced, but Anliya and Robert beside him looked knowingly, as if they had long expected this.

“Your Highness, rest assured, I swear by the great Sun and God of Justice that I will not hold my favor over you.”

“I pledge to devote my life to your safety, to obey any command you give, whether reasonable or not, just or unjust, I will do my utmost, only seeking that your radiance may shine upon me and bless me as I pursue the path of strength I yearn for.”

Berg knelt solemnly on one knee, his voice clear and strong, his sharply defined face filled with sincerity.

Xia Mingyu was silent for a moment.

Honestly, he was quite inclined to agree. After all, having arrived in this new world with nothing, to take in a fierce warrior who had shot the lead wolf with one arrow as a subordinate would at least guarantee basic safety.

But... he remembered the latter half of Berg’s vow.