madnovel Chapter 33 Planning
Chapter 33 Planning
It was already quite late when Evan arrived at the Earl of Ahova's villa in Queens. Not long after, a servant knocked on the door and told Evan that his brother had returned.
Upon hearing this, Evan straightened his clothes and nervously followed the servant downstairs.
When Evan first met the original owner's older brother, he was actually very nervous. Not to mention, he knew from other people's descriptions that Robert Horn was a very powerful person. Evan was also somewhat apprehensive about taking over the body of someone else's younger brother, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
When Evan arrived downstairs, he found a handsome man in his early thirties, dressed in a suit, with short hair, taking off his coat and handing it to Hope, who was standing next to him.
"Good evening, Robert. Thank you for having Mr. Hope pick me up; otherwise, I really don't know if I would have been able to find my way here."
Robert stepped forward and hugged Evan, saying, "You only came to Backlund when you were a child, and a lot has changed in Backlund over the years. I was really worried you would get lost if Hope hadn't come to pick you up."
"Brother, I've already graduated from university, why do you still treat me like a child who's never grown up!"
Robert's words made Evan, who was a little nervous, relax a bit, but he couldn't help but refute Robert's words.
Robert laughed heartily, unconcerned, and pulled Evan toward the restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, the tableware had already been set out and the food served. At a glance, Evan saw that the table was full of dishes, including salmon, lamb stew with peas, ham, salad, foie gras, baked lobster, and the famous Olmir wine.
After Evan sat down, Mr. Hope acted as a waiter, pouring drinks for Robert and Evan. When pouring Evan's drink, Mr. Hope specifically said something like:
"This bottle of fifty-year-old Olmir red wine was a gift from the Earl of East Chester to Mr. Robert when he became a Member of Parliament, and it has been brought out today especially for your arrival."
Looking at the blood-red wine in his glass and listening to Mr. Hope's introduction, Evan suddenly paused for a moment, and then remembered that the Earl of East Chester was the father of Miss Justice of the Tarot Club.
This circle is really small!
Robert cut a piece of steak, put it in his mouth, chewed it twice, nodded approvingly, clearly satisfied with the chef's cooking tonight, and then said to Evan:
"Earl Hall is one of the few intelligent and unconventional nobles, and he has great vision. He is very worthy of our friendship and learning. I will introduce you to him in a few days."
Evan took a sip of the red wine from Intis, renowned throughout the Northern Continent thanks to Emperor Roselle's marketing, and then commented:
"I used to think that the 'Tears of the Moon' from the Tingen Estate was the finest wine, and that the Olmir red wine was overrated. Now I realize that the vintage is really important. There probably aren't many Olmir wines from this vintage left on the entire continent, are there?"
Robert Horn chuckled, "Who knows? Anyway, there are century-old wines appearing at auctions every year. I wonder if people a hundred years ago foresaw this day, so they collectively stopped drinking wine that year, stored it up, and are now selling it?"
Evan laughed out loud. This marketing tactic seemed familiar to him, and he thought it must be Russell's doing again, but he didn't say it out loud.
"What you said might be the truth. After all, there are still long-lived races like vampires in the world. It's not impossible that they stockpiled a batch of goods a hundred years ago and are now selling them."
Robert paused for a moment while cutting the meat with his knife and fork, but quickly resumed his normal movements. Mr. Hope had already dismissed the few remaining waiters in the restaurant.
When the waiters had all left, leaving only the three of them in the large dining room, Robert Horn put down his knife and fork, picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, and said with a sigh:
"I originally wanted you to live a peaceful life, marry a beautiful and virtuous wife, have a bunch of lovely children, and live a carefree life. That way, I could also give an account to our deceased parents. But I never expected that you would still embark on this path of no return as an extraordinary person."
Evan also put down his knife and fork and said to Robert:
"Brother, I should be in charge of my own life. Besides, given your position, it's impossible for me to stay out of it. I'm already in the eye of the storm."
Before Robert could respond, Evan continued:
"Since I started attending occult exchange meetings last year, I have clearly felt that some people are paying special attention to me, asking around about me, and trying to pull me into their little circle."
In the Tingen city elections, unlike in previous years, the candidates were not actively visiting the Earl's mansion, hoping to get information out of me about you.
Even people from Backlund want to influence you through me; some are well-intentioned, while others are ill-intentioned.
Brother, I've grown up. I shouldn't always hide under your wing; I should face the fierce storms head-on.
Robert Horn looked at Evan with a complicated expression, and seeing the determination in Evan's eyes, said in an ambiguous tone:
"Yes! You've grown up eventually, and you'll have to experience the storms of life. I shouldn't impose my ideas on you. What kind of magic potion did you drink?"
When Evan first heard Robert's words, he wanted to comfort Robert, who had a "big brother" complex, but when he heard the last sentence, he became speechless.
"I don't mean to blame you. Actually, when I received your telegram saying that someone was using magic potions to tempt you and had started teaching you real occult knowledge, I was already somewhat prepared for you to become an extraordinary one."
I just hugged you, and I noticed that your physical condition is unusually strong compared to before, so I already knew what was going on.
"Damn, I didn't see that coming at all. Are all politicians this composed? They figured me out the moment we met?"
Evan was surprised, feeling like a little sparrow in front of Robert Horn. If the other man hadn't said anything, he wouldn't even have realized that he had been thoroughly investigated.
"I wanted to achieve merit on the battlefield like my brother, so after much research, I found the hunter's recipe for war and became a hunter."
"It's alright, it's alright."
Robert Horn breathed a sigh of relief; it was better than he had imagined. His biggest worry was that his younger brother would drink a potion like the "Secret Prayer" and become a follower of an evil god.
If that's the case, he'll regret it to death, not knowing how to face his deceased parents.
"The Hunter's Path potion recipes are not difficult to collect. Back then, the Soren family of the Intis royal family was hunted down by Emperor Roselle, and many things were lost, including the Hunter's Path recipes. I will have Hope help you collect the corresponding recipes."
Actually, the most important thing for you isn't the potion recipes or the acquisition of potion ingredients, but rather... minimizing the negative impact of potions on your mental state.
Robert Horn spoke hesitantly, as if he was worried about something.
But Evan immediately understood what Robert was trying to say, which also confirmed his earlier judgment: the reason why Count Ahova chose Robert Horn as his successor was because Robert himself had grasped the true meaning of the Acting Method and become a promising Extraordinary.
"Brother, you mean you want to digest the magic potion before planning your advancement, right?"
Robert Horn stared wide-eyed at Evan in disbelief, then received a nod of confirmation from Evan.
Robert Horn couldn't help but burst into laughter, and it took him a while to calm down before he said:
"I was quite worried about how to circumvent the restrictions and teach you the role-playing method, since the treaty I signed back then is still very binding. I didn't expect you to already know about the role-playing method. That's great!"
Evan knows how to act and has a bright future, so Robert Horn naturally wants to pave the way for him.
However, Evan's request was difficult to fulfill because Evan was not a nobleman and could not enjoy the preferential treatment that nobles received when serving in the military. He was not a graduate of a military academy and could not follow this path of promotion. Was it a joke to make his younger brother a common soldier?
But Robert Horn, having spent many years in Backlund, was familiar with all sorts of overt and covert rules, and immediately shared the same idea with Evan, which happened to be within the sphere of his influence.
So before Evan could even think of how to start, Robert spoke first:
"I don't actually want you to join the army. The army isn't as good as you imagine, but since you've made your choice, I won't stop you."
Given your situation, even with my influence, you'd only ever be a second lieutenant. And with the potion you drank, you'd only ever be a captain, not a very significant position.
"Since the formal channels are blocked, let's take a roundabout approach. You'll first join MI9 as a team leader, which will at least give you a military rank. You'll build up your seniority, avoid making mistakes, and learn relevant military knowledge. I'll arrange things for you when the opportunity arises."
Evan was overjoyed to hear this. He hadn't expected that Robert would have planned everything for him before he even had a chance to speak. Even Evan was deeply moved.
He was an orphan in his previous life, so he was quite sensitive. He hadn't felt that anyone cared about him like this for a long time, which made Evan very happy, and his complicated feelings for Robert Horn gradually changed.
They no longer see the other person merely as an object of guilt or a resource to be exploited, but truly regard them as their older brother.
So while Evan thanked Robert for the arrangements, he also inquired about Robert's marriage, which surprised Robert, prompting Hope, who was standing nearby, to join in the persuasion.
Robert made excuses, saying he didn't have those thoughts right now, but at the same time he was delighted by his brother's change.
Because the two brothers used to be quite far apart in age, Evan was always very reserved in front of him, but now Evan is much more cheerful and outspoken.
Robert was naturally very happy about Evan's changes and chatted with him about all sorts of things with great interest.