Darius turned slightly to avoid the full courtesy of the City Lord of Haneulseong City.
With a single step, he naturally positioned himself behind his employer, Illiya.
His intention was simple—to express his stance.
"My lord, there's no need for such formality. If you continue addressing as the Knight Commander, I fear I might lose years off my life. I ceased being the Knight Commander ten years ago, and I've even withdrawn from the Swordsn Association. For a noble such as yourself to bow to , isn't that just a way to shorten my lifespan?"
Darius had made his point quite clear, so the City Lord of Haneulseong City had no choice but to drop the subject.
He straightened up and nodded slightly in acknowledgnt of the forr Knight Commander's words.
"No matter what you say, Captain Darius, it won't change the fact that you were once my superior."
Before Darius could respond, the City Lord shifted the topic to the elves.
Beyond reminiscing, this discussion was of great importance.
"There is no need for concern, Esteed Elf. The rescued dark elf was not hard, he just unconsciousness because he was being drugged. He have already awakened and are currently waiting in the reception hall. Esteed Elf, Captain Darius, please follow there."
Illiya once again bowed to the City Lord, this ti with genuine gratitude.
The layout of the City Lord's residence was not what Illiya had expected.
From what he had learned in the elves' internal library, humans were quite fond of luxury.
If one had the ans, they would spare no effort to improve their living conditions—especially nobles, who belonged to a privileged class.
However, the design of the City Lord of Haneulseong City's residence was completely different from the depictions in the books.
In fact, it was the exact opposite.
The books described how human nobles used only the finest materials, with magic crystals being commonplace in their households.
Their food was the most exquisite, consisting of only the tenderest cuts of magical beasts, while the remaining parts were considered inferior.
Yet, in the City Lord's ho, there was nothing particularly valuable.
Everything along the way was ordinary, utterly mismatched with his noble status—extrely frugal, to say the least.
By the ti Illiya arrived at the reception hall, this impression had only intensified.
The spacious reception hall was astonishingly bare, furnished only with seven wooden chairs and a single table in front of the main seat.
The white walls were completely unadorned—nothing but a vast expanse of white.
Fortunately, the lighting was sowhat "normal"—a chandelier made of magic crystals.
Illiya's mouth twitched.
He couldn't help but lift a hand to rub his temple.
He had every reason to suspect that this elaborately dressed noble was simply too stingy to buy candles and had instead opted for the more durable, albeit slightly pricier, magic crystals.
After all, he had taken a closer look—the so-called "chandelier" only held five magic crystals, and their quality wasn't even good.
A standard-quality magic crystal cost around 10 silver coins apiece, while higher-quality ones were 20 silver coins each.
However, the ones used in the City Lord's chandelier were the lowest-grade variety, which could be bought for just one silver coin per piece.
Even though magic crystals could last a long ti once infused with mana, they weren't ant to be used like this!
That being said, using magic crystals instead of kerosene lamps and candles was, in the long run, quite cost-effective.
Illiya forced himself to stop focusing on the scene before him.
The sheer aura of poverty was suffocating him.
He couldn't understand—there was a mine right beneath Haneulseong City, so why was the City Lord so poor?
It didn't make any sense.
Darius, on the other hand, was unsurprised by everything he had seen.
In fact, he even felt a sense of inevitability.
He tried to hold back, but in the end, he couldn't resist.
"Bearnard, it's been ten years, yet you're still this stingy? Even after becoming a City Lord, you haven't changed a bit. If I'm not mistaken, the outfit you're wearing right now is probably the most expensive one you own—the one you save for eting important figures and presenting yourself before the emperor."
The City Lord of Haneulseong City who is nad Bearnard showed no sha at having his frugality exposed.
In fact, he was quite proud.
"Captain Darius, you just don't understand. It's precisely because I beca the City Lord that I need to be even more frugal. Have you seen my city's army? Look at their uniforms and weapons—each one is the newest and best. That's all thanks to the money I saved!"
As he spoke, Bearnard's tone beca increasingly smug.
Darius let out an undisguised "Tch" and bluntly tore down the city Sir's self-praise.
"Don't go patting yourself on the back. With the little money you saved, it's questionable if you could even afford a single weapon for the army. Their high-quality equipnt is obviously funded by the city's mines and tax revenue."
Bearnard rely laughed heartily, paying no mind to Darius's words.
He took a few steps forward, patted Darius's shoulder like an old friend, and said, "You of all people should know—I've always been stingy. You wouldn't believe how many tis I proposed using magic crystals for lighting, but the higher-ups kept rejecting it. The other nobles mocked , saying I didn't understand anything. But co on, magic crystals are way more practical than those expensive, fancy candles! I really don't get their logic."
Darius didn't know how to respond.
He couldn't very well explain that nobles used such extravagant items precisely to flaunt their status.
Even if he did, his forr subordinate would likely just scoff and call them "idiots" or sothing equally undignified for a noble.
Illiya had been listening to the conversation and finally connected the extravagant lifestyle of nobles described in books to reality.
It seed that most nobles truly were as indulgent as the books claid, but the one standing before him was an exception—an oddity among nobles.
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