The black sun hangs high

Chapter 79 "Shug Ernst"

(The title is wrong; we are contacting the editor to correct it.)
After using the Mirror Messenger's abilities to confirm the identities and intentions of these people, Hugh temporarily set aside his hostility towards them.

Although he considers himself a lazy person, he is also a lazy person who adheres to principles and bottom lines. It is only natural to yearn to slack off, but if he has already accepted certain tasks or missions and insists on slacking off when he feels a sense of urgency, that is another matter.

Now, Hugh is ready to take his "work" seriously.

Although he still didn't believe he was capable of becoming the so-called heir to the Ernst family, since he had already accepted the many conditions and benefits offered by the future princess, he had to do a good job of putting on a show, no matter what.

Returning to Ernst Manor formally would be the first step in this plan.

Faced with Hugh's direct questioning, the two loyal bodyguards were momentarily stunned, but their experience and instincts quickly brought them back to their senses.

The two men stood up from their chairs and quickly removed their hats, pressing them to their chests in a gesture of respect.

"Mr. Hugh, do you wish to return to the manor now?"

"Of course, I don't want to find a place to stay on my own. Or do you two have any better suggestions?"

The two bodyguards naturally had no suggestions.

Although their orders were to secretly protect and monitor the journey, this was not the only option. Although they did not know how the other party had noticed them, since they had already come this far, they would do what needed to be done.

Soon, a black magical steam car, mixed in with the reporters' vehicles, drove up and came to a smooth stop on the side of the road. A bodyguard then stepped forward and opened the car door.

"A black luxury sedan... um."

Hughes pursed his lips.

He then quickened his pace and climbed into the back seat before the guys could say "the car is ready."

The exterior of this steam-powered vehicle was simple, with only a few thin gold decorative lines and no other decorations. However, the interior of the carriage was extremely luxurious, with delicate and soft velvet covering almost every corner. After entering the back seat, Hugh discovered that the interior of this steam-powered vehicle was actually engraved with a variety of different magical rituals, but he only recognized the two protective rituals that Verin usually used.

As for the others, he didn't recognize them.

However, judging from the physical and magical perceptions, these rituals should be related to functions such as maintaining the temperature of the carriage and improving passenger comfort.

After the events in Seren, Hughes began to doubt the protective effectiveness of such vehicles. At least the tragedy experienced by Prince Havid showed that weapons capable of easily penetrating and destroying vehicle protection already existed in the world.

"I hope no one will use such methods against me."

Hugh leaned back in his seat, and after the two bodyguards got into the car, the vehicle immediately started driving along the straight road.

The atmosphere inside the car was somewhat oppressive.

The driver naturally didn't speak, and the two bodyguards were also unusually silent. However, Hugh could sense that their attention was actually focused on him, or rather, on the books and weapons he carried with him.

The revolver leaning against Hughes put immense pressure on the two bodyguards.

He smiled and reassured her, "Don't be nervous... This is actually a gift from a friend in the army, and I was just entrusted by him to hand over this weapon."

The older bodyguard sat next to Hugh. He glanced curiously at the wrapped-up gun, then turned to look at the stack of books next to Hugh.

"Is Mr. Hugh learning magic?"

"Just starting out..."

Hugh nodded in response, "There isn't even an official rating yet, but my mentor is trying to help me apply, and I might get my official mage certificate in a few days."

The bodyguard offered a low, flattering compliment.

After Hughes appeared, both his words and his personal behavior surprised him greatly.

He had never imagined that an illegitimate son, who, according to people, could only support himself by writing, could have any friends in the army, let alone be exposed to magic.

At that moment, he finally began to understand the orders issued by the Ernst family.

No one wants to waste their energy and time on a useless gimmick or joke, even if they are just bodyguards; such feelings and thoughts will always remain buried in their hearts.

Hugh Ernst, of course, could not know the specific thoughts in other people's minds. Now, he was trying to dig out the memories that belonged to the original Hugh Ernst.

When he was still in Seren, these memories were of no help in his successful escape, so Hugh had forgotten about them. But now, in order to better understand the Ernst family and try to "integrate" into it, Hugh had to bring them out of the corners of his mind.

Perhaps it's because these memories contain nothing that brings joy or makes one nostalgic; instead, they are filled with a great deal of negative emotions and thoughts, all buried very deep. It seems that for Hugh Ernst himself, these memories have no value in revisiting.

This makes the process of Hugh digging into and understanding them slow and painful, which is completely different from the process of reading the memories brought by the offspring of the Dark Abyss. Hugh now even has to spend energy and even magic to smooth out the emotions that fluctuate back and forth in his mind.

He is suffering from the ongoing effects of his identity as Hugh Ernst.

Or rather, as Hugh Ernst in the present day, he is inevitably accepting everything that happened in the past.

"That's really tragic."

As Hugh flipped through these jumbled fragments of memory, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "Speaking of which, shouldn't I apologize to you? After all, while I can't say I'm the culprit for things turning out this way, I'm certainly partly to blame... Damn it, why did I have to impulsively write such a tragic and resentful character back then?"

Looking at the night view of Borden outside the car window, Hughes was filled with emotion.

Illegitimate child, early death of mother, inexplicable bullying, the shattering of the possibility of becoming a mage...

The elements from this body's past experiences were so complete that Hugh couldn't help but feel guilty as he went through them.

But despite the guilt, the most important thing now is to extract the key information. "Judging from these memories, the 'father's' attitude towards me must have been very clear. From beginning to end, he presented an impatient and cold demeanor in front of his illegitimate son... This is consistent with the series of decisions he made."

“Erevan Ernst’s favorite and most trusted son should be his eldest son, my ‘brother,’ who is indeed one of the best among the young people of Borden… Judging from this, my ‘cash cow’s father’ is intentionally playing a big game, otherwise he would not have been able to, and would never have wanted to, see me openly return to the family, since such a situation could very likely cause unnecessary impact and shock.”

"If the one in charge is most likely not Yerevan, then who could it be?"

Hughes lined up the portraits of the important Ernst family members in his mind, and finally, his attention settled on the old face of the man known as the Three-Clawed Falcon.

Zeke Ernst's influence extends beyond Walter's military system; the old man's presence is equally strong for those living in Ernst Manor.

However, in reality, the memories of old Zeke within this body are extremely limited.

In the past, the poor illegitimate son had only seen old Zeke twice in public. His understanding of the old man was basically the same as that of ordinary people, coming from various rumors and newspapers in the Kingdom of Walter.

It was through Princess Sophia that Hughes truly understood the impact that old Zeke had on the entire Voltel army and its officers.

Over the past decades, he has not only become a master of military theory, but has also successfully cultivated students throughout Walter. For young soldiers who are eager to serve their country, the title "Three-Clawed Falcon" has even become a synonym for idol.

It is conceivable that if the ambitious Princess Sofia were to directly clash with Zeke Ernst in this area, the impact would certainly affect the entire Walter. This is why she sought a more moderate and indirect approach.

Hughes mused maliciously, "Perhaps the princess's true intention is to wear down this old man and then gradually diminish the nobles' influence in the army?"

……

Around 7:30 p.m., the vehicle carrying Hugh finally entered the Leland district of Borden City. This is the residential area exclusively for the nobles of Walter, and it is also the location of Ernst Manor. It is not too far from Borden Palace, which symbolizes royal power, and it is very convenient to travel to and from the bustling city center.

The streets became wider here, and on both sides of the streets, sculptures, greenery, and all sorts of new steam and magical devices began to appear more densely.

Even the shops located in the city of Leland are more exquisite than those in other places.

In the city of Leland, it's unlikely you'll see homeless people loitering or lingering on the roadside. The soldiers patrolling here in the cold wind will drive away anything that damages or disturbs the environment and atmosphere.

"Do these soldiers still kick children's butts in the streets now?"

“That depends on whose child it is, Mr. Hugh.”

The bodyguard beside him replied, "More than a year ago, Princess Sophia oversaw changes to the regulations concerning defense and duty personnel in major cities. Since then, civilians are no longer prohibited from entering the city of Leland."

"Oh? Don't the people living here have any objections?"

"Of course there are, but only a portion... After repeated discussions, the gentlemen and ladies finally demanded that the royal family ensure the cleanliness and safety of the city of Leland, and also needed to increase the number of personnel on duty."

The bodyguard smiled and said, "We don't really care about these things. The Leland District is very large. Although ordinary residents may not be able to afford to live here, they can still enjoy many benefits by opening a shop here."

"What? Your family is also in the Leilan District?"

"My family runs a bookstore here, and also sells some herbal hot drinks. Business is very good. It's just a left turn on the street ahead."

Hughes nodded.

He then asked several questions related to the Ernst family and the Lyland district, such as whether there had been any major changes or expansions to Ernst Manor, whether the family's financial support for Waterloo Academy of Magic was continuing, and whether the academy was still able to provide student places for family members, etc.

During the conversation, the vehicle finally arrived at its destination.

The Ernst family's territory was less of an estate and more of a "small town" "embedded" in the city of Borden. Although it was not as large as a real town, it was truly complete in every sense of the word.

Exquisite gardens, vast pastures and woodlands for equestrian and shooting training, followed by wineries, workshops, and small libraries and laboratories... There is even a hotel inside the estate for entertaining VIPs, and this is Hugh's current destination.

It would be very inappropriate for a family member who has officially returned to the family to be accommodated in a VIP hotel.

If someone else had received this treatment, they would probably have given them a hard time.

However, Hugh was completely calm. He just wanted to know how the Ernst family planned to "deal with" him, such a delicate existence.

However, upon entering the hotel, Hugh was taken aback because there seemed to be quite a lot of people there.

Besides myself, there were at least ten other people in the hotel lobby.

"They were all young people, the oldest being no more than thirty years old, and all dressed in standard aristocratic attire..."

Hugh's gaze swept quickly across the crowd, his thoughts racing as he picked out the useful information: "The ladies and young women are both wearing blue North Wind Chrysanthemums, which means they are not female companions, but formal family members."

Hugh's arrival brought a moment of silence to the hall.

The younger members of the Ernst family turned around curiously, their gazes falling on Hugh's face, clothes, shoes, the revolver on his back, and the book in his hand.

If it weren't for the fact that he was accompanied by someone whose appearance did indeed match the Ernst family's bloodline, they would probably have immediately mistaken this thin young man for someone's follower or servant.

Under the watchful eyes of others, Hughes walked slowly forward and then stood in front of the hotel counter.

"Sir, who are you?"

Standing behind the counter was a middle-aged female housekeeper. She didn't recognize Hugh, so her face was full of confusion.

"Shug Ernst".

So, amidst the attention of the crowd, Hugh announced his name: "Hugh Ernst from Seren."

(End of this chapter)