HTLCCBFT Chapter 117

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 117

To Oliver’s surprise, the owner of that perfect exam paper named “Oliver” seemed to have vanished into thin air—even the remarkably capable Fosse couldn’t locate him.

This left the butler, who had failed his young master’s expectations, feeling deeply frustrated.

After wasting considerable time in a fruitless search, he had no choice but to return to the city with this disappointing answer that was bound to let His Highness Oliver down.

“Is that so?”

Oliver raised an eyebrow in mild astonishment.

He found it hard to believe that strange occurrences could happen even in a territory personally visited by a deity.

Slowly blinking, a faint suspicion began forming in his mind. Unconsciously, his gaze drifted toward the Cat God, who seemed particularly quiet today.

Those golden pupils wavered slightly.

…Clearly, this innocent and pure deity wasn’t skilled at lying.

“Don’t worry about it, Fosse. Since he doesn’t wish to reveal himself, let’s void this exam paper.”

Oliver smiled faintly as he leisurely rolled up the test paper and set it aside. Addressing Fosse, he continued: “Just move the rankings up by one. Weston shall be declared this year’s top scorer.”

Still somewhat troubled, Fosse pressed his lips together and responded: “As you wish, Your Highness.”

Oliver had already delegated all post-announcement arrangements to others, requiring no further involvement from himself.

Everything would be perfectly concluded once he, as the “Cat God’s messenger,” delivered some encouraging words during the award ceremony.

After Fosse left the hall, Oliver picked up the recently rolled exam paper and looked meaningfully at the guilt-stricken Cat God. “‘Oliver,’ hmm?”

Having absorbed more wisdom, the cat-shaped deity no longer easily lost composure.

Even while realizing “Oliver might have seen through everything,” He maintained a calm facade, lifting his eyes to gaze innocently at the composed blond lord.

“You’ve made considerable progress in this aspect.”

After holding the pretending-nothing-happened deity’s gaze for a moment, Oliver couldn’t suppress a chuckle. He lightly tapped the rolled paper against the deity’s head: “Explain yourself. Why did you do this?”

He gave no opportunity for excuses, demanding a direct explanation.

Tilting his head, the deity answered candidly: “The ‘person’ I created with divine power can… also do what Oliver wants.”

“Moreover,” Those golden pupils sparkled as they fixed on him, clearly reflecting his image. The deity declared matter-of-factly: “they can do it even better than them.”

He genuinely saw no shame in using divine wisdom to compete with slaves and commoners who had only studied for over a month, all while taking “his own” test.

He just wanted to.

If such a person existed, Oliver would surely be happier.

Hearing this expected answer, Oliver couldn’t help but laugh.

“Liar.” He “disrespectfully” tapped the deity’s head once more with the paper roll before smiling knowingly and exposing the truth: “You just wanted me to like you more and direct all the greatest praises toward you, didn’t you?”

The deity’s eyes widened abruptly.

Oliver, how clever!

After a brief hesitation, he still nodded honestly before his beloved believer’s beautiful, gentle smile, admitting to this little scheme.

“Ah, my dear God.” Oliver smiled helplessly, his gaze toward Him incredibly tender: “You will always be the most special, most important deity in my heart. How could their importance ever compare to yours? It’s just that in matters of building Laina, I hope they can rely on their own strength rather than turning to prayer whenever they encounter trouble.”

Though dizzy from this sweet talk, he managed to regain his senses after a brief daze.

“Fosse.” He emphasized seriously: “Oliver, also likes Fosse very much. And Lucy.”

He no longer cared about those chicks anymore.

Once the chicks grew up, Oliver clearly stopped enjoying petting them… and the pigs had never been favored by him from the start.

But Fosse had always been Oliver’s favorite “person.”

Having heard such words before, Oliver remained calm this time, smiling as he retorted: “That’s not right. It’s because they can help me, help build Laina, help spread the glory of the great Cat God – not to trouble you excessively – that I value them so. But the one I truly like is clearly only you, my dear Cat God.”

“I would never share a bed with Fosse.” The blond lord said in an intimate tone while wearing a beautiful smile, slowly approaching the dazed-looking deity to plant a soothing yet perfunctory kiss on the sensitive earlobe of his human form: “Nor would I ever do such things, right?”

“……Mm.”

After careful consideration, the deity with one ear glowing red nodded seriously, acknowledging these words and making a promise: “I won’t… do that again anymore.”

Having skillfully coaxed the jealous Cat God, Oliver was about to ask someone about the merchants when he heard the other speak again slowly.

He suddenly closed his eyes, then slowly opened them.

Revealing golden pupils imbued with cold detachment, as unapproachable as a true Divine Statue.

Having captured information from his farthest strand of divine sense, he unhesitatingly chose to tell Oliver: “There are… large groups of people approaching Laina.”

He clearly “saw” it.

Noticing Oliver’s shocked and uneasy expression, the slow-to-realize deity quickly added: “Not enemies.”

About a day’s journey from Laina City, Piggs rode clumsily and panickily on horseback, accompanied by his three most loyal and quickest-reacting servants.

As for those who weren’t quick enough – they had been forcibly “left” in Albury City along with his family members.

Fearing the pursuers who appeared and disappeared behind them, he hadn’t dared to close his eyes for rest these past two days, wanting only to return quickly to Laina City under the protection of the deity and duke.

But no matter how much Piggs wanted to travel day and night, his horse wouldn’t allow it.

Feeling the horse beneath him breathing more heavily and its steps growing increasingly labored, however reluctant he was, he had no choice but to stop temporarily for a short rest.

“They’re still following behind!”

Piggs kept glancing back nervously, and after a short while, he truly caught sight of those figures emerging at the edge of the hills.

He knew that soon there would be more.

Piggs couldn’t help but grow somewhat agitated: “I clearly told them! They’d be better off trying their luck in Gregor City!”

“But, Master Piggs,” one of his male servants forced a bitter smile, “Laina is closer than Gregor City, and the news of Lord McKenna going out hunting has long spread.”

However, everyone understood clearly that the ever-cunning Count McKenna had likely deliberately chosen this moment to leave and intentionally delayed his return for so long.

“Ah!”

Piggs let out a deep sigh, his mood utterly dejected.

It seemed that ever since leaving Laina City, the persistent bad luck that surrounded him had returned.

He had convinced his family at the fastest speed possible, endured the looks from his friends that screamed “you’re crazy,” and gradually sold off the family assets he couldn’t take with him, converting them into cash.

The main reason for going to Albury City was simply because it was on the way, making it convenient for him to quickly sell the shop he had bought there a few years ago and exchange it for gold coins to bring to Laina.

How could he have imagined that he would be unlucky enough to encounter a slave rebellion that might not happen once in decades?

It was truly insane!

Carrying large and small bundles along with his family, Piggs approached the seemingly calm Albury City completely unprepared and instantly became the unfortunate victim caught in the crossfire.

If he hadn’t happened to see the good weather outside that day and unusually chosen to ride a horse instead of traveling with his family in the covered carriage…

The thought of this sent chills down Piggs’ spine.

Running away was certainly not what a responsible son, husband, and father should do.

But if he hadn’t escaped, his family would truly have no chance of survival at all!

After the horse had rested, Piggs set off again in a hurry, anxiously licking his dry, cracked lower lip.

He truly didn’t dare to hope… whether that unbelievably kind deity and divine messenger would be willing to send people to rescue his family.

And whether those vicious rebel slaves, knowing that he had escaped to seek help elsewhere, might choose to release his family to avoid trouble.

After taking so much property, at least, at least… spare their lives.

With scalding tears in his eyes, Piggs devoutly prayed to the omnipotent and benevolent Cat God in his heart.

Watching from afar as they set out again, those townsfolk of Arbury City in the back—riding inferior horses they had only managed to snatch in the chaos—suddenly panicked.

Laina City was simply too poor. Most people from Albury had only been to Gregor City, which was more prosperous than their hometown, and very few had ever visited Laina.

In their panicked escape, completely separated from family and friends, they momentarily couldn’t find their direction.

After calming down a bit, and knowing clearly that the lord of Gregor City was stingy and indifferent and had been away hunting for a long time without returning, they could only cling to a faint hope and follow behind that merchant whose destination was Laina City.

“I have a distant relative who trades in wool.”

In the heavy, deathly silence, someone spoke weakly, “They say… that lord is like a true angel, beautiful and merciful. Perhaps he would be willing to help us.”

Upon hearing his words, the few people nearby turned their heads numbly to look at him, as if gazing at a raving madman.

Indeed, those nobles who only intermarried with pure-blooded relatives and lived in luxury—the higher their status, the more beautiful they usually were.

But, merciful?

The former ruler of Albury City, Lord Butor, was a viscount from a fallen family, yet he was already cruel and cold-blooded enough to send chills down their spines.

Of course, by now, he had likely been torn to shreds by the furious mob that stormed the castle.

And the reason why the slaves, who had been utterly numb, could no longer endure it and abandoned their instinctive fear to desperately rise in rebellion… was because Butor, in order to purchase that batch of expensive wine from the merchants of Riche City, had sold off all the grain harvested that autumn!

The fields had already yielded a poor harvest, and Albury City’s situation in recent years was only slightly better than that of its neighbor, Laina City.

Now, with everything being sold off… how could the slaves, who were starving even in the autumn when food was most abundant, possibly survive?

Last winter, although the slaves received pitifully little grain, they at least clung to a faint hope—the false hope that “there is still grain in the granary.”

Butor never knew that his decision to sell off that grain for wine became the final straw that cost him his arrogant life.

“I’ve heard such rumors too.”

In the rigid silence, someone suddenly chimed in, forcing an encouraging smile onto their face. “That beautiful lord is said to be kind even to slaves. Perhaps he would be willing to shelter us.”

Of course, this was a lie they were well aware of.

Commoners did receive protection from their city, and they were slightly better off than the most wretched slaves.

But that protection only extended within the boundaries of their own city.

When they traveled to other cities, the treatment they received depended entirely on the relationship between their own city’s lord and the lord of the destination city.

Even they knew… that the Angel Duke had never even met the former Viscount Butor!

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