Chapter 405 Enlightenment

The professor's brows were furrowed.

"...Don't be silly." He was being held tightly, his head instinctively tilted back as hard as he could. His tone was exceptionally cold. "I've spent so much time, resources, and energy training you, and you haven't even realized your full potential. Why would I kill you now? I won't do such a foolish, meaningless, and unprofitable business."

It was a cold-blooded statement, with naked interest exchange between the lines, but it made Percy feel strangely at ease. It was a good thing that he was useful to his brother, Percy thought, but he was more afraid that he would be disliked by his brother and would not even want to look at him.

"So if you don't want revenge, this matter ends here." The black-haired young man said coldly, "There is no longer any question of who owes whom anything."

Percy's back trembled violently, as if all his strength had been drained away, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Noticing that the man holding him seemed to have calmed down a bit, but still clung to him tightly, the professor finally lost his patience.

"Now I'll count to three," he said, ruthlessly stabbing the man in the stomach with the still hot muzzle of the gun, cursing with a dark face: "If you don't let go, I won't need anyone else. I will personally make a hole in your stomach and throw you into the cellar. One, two——"

At least he didn't have to count to three, and the young man finally and reluctantly let him go. The professor immediately took a step back, straightening his tangled collar with a cold face. The savior, who was about to take action on his behalf, also stopped in his tracks regretfully, his blue eyes quickly scanning the man.

...Tsk, all the wet rain water stuck to the professor's clothes, and a large area on his neck was wet, so that the collar of his shirt was tightly stuck to his pale skin, and the throbbing blue veins and blood vessels were particularly conspicuous.

Percy, who was trying to calm his breathing, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. But he wasn't too scared. Relying on his brother being right beside him, he looked at his brother cautiously with red eyes, sniffing slightly, looking both embarrassed and pitiful.

Azuka: “…”

He suddenly chuckled softly with an ambiguous tone, and then turned to slowly wipe the rain off the man's shoulders.

"In any case, let's go back and talk later." The blond youth leaned forward slightly, tilting his umbrella naturally towards the person, quietly covering most of the unsightly person. He suggested in a very gentle tone: "It would be bad if you caught a cold in the rain."

The professor, suddenly distracted by his change of subject, subconsciously raised his head and blinked slowly under the gaze of those blue eyes that seemed even brighter and more gentle in the dim light. "Okay."

It's a little cold indeed.

Percy stared gloomily at his brother, whose attention had been taken away from him. He pinched his fingers so hard that his nails almost dug into his flesh. But he did nothing. He just followed the man quietly into the Brody family mansion.

When Percy quickly changed his rain-soaked clothes and returned to the front hall, the fire was already lit in the fireplace, and his brother was curled up on the sofa beside the fireplace, his rain-soaked coat already taken off.

He wore only a thin shirt, the top two buttons undone. The collar was damp and wrinkled, revealing his thin, sharp collarbone. The orange-red flames danced across the black-haired youth's pale face, casting a soft, hazy light over his gray eyes. He tilted his head slightly, appearing weary and lost in thought. The unsightly figure, having obtained a dry towel from the maid, was carefully wiping his soaked hair and neck.

Percy stood at the door for a long time. He took a deep breath, and only after he was sure that his expression was correct did he dismiss the servants and personally picked up the steaming cup of tea, placing it steadily on the low table next to his brother.

"Brother," he whispered, "have some cinnamon tea to warm yourself up."

The professor's mouth twitched slightly: "...Thank you, but no, it's summer now."

There was the log fire and the cinnamon tea—he was afraid of the cold, but he didn't think it was that serious.

Azuka took the tea naturally, bent down to sniff it, and then handed it to the person: "The spice taste is not strong, it shouldn't be unpalatable."

"Try drinking a little?" he advised gently, caressing the back of her neck, which had grown cold. "You've been walking in the rain for so long, and your body temperature hasn't returned to normal. It would be terrible if you got sick. Just treat it as medicine, okay? Or I can get you a cup of hot milk."

The professor glanced at him speechlessly. But he also knew that his bravado in the North had frightened people, and the inexplicable guilt and remorse made him expressionlessly accept the man's hand, lower his head and drink a big sip, then frowned at the smell of spices.

Percy on the side: "..."

He was practically pissed off at being shamelessly exploited. Furthermore, his brother, as stubborn as he was, actually changed his mind at the mere suggestion of a few words, even a cup of cinnamon tea... The guy who ended up being the center of the fight was completely oblivious to this hidden war, completely oblivious to its murderous intent.

Being glared at fiercely by that kid with a murderous glare, the savior who had taken vengeance on the spot with such childishness finally felt relieved. He placed the teacup back on the table with a smile and touched the professor's neck naturally. When he found a thin layer of sweat had finally appeared, he withdrew his hand with satisfaction.

"Sit down." The professor raised his chin and pointed to the sofa opposite him. Percy pursed his lips and glanced at the seat next to his brother with a longing look, but he still sat down rationally opposite.

"I just had a few words with a few maids from the Brody family, and on the way I also chatted with the civilians of Ironthorn Territory." Nova said lightly, "The operation of Ironthorn Territory is more orderly than I imagined. The basic lives of the civilians are guaranteed. In the chaotic world of constant power transfer, the basic order of society has been successfully maintained without any major chaos. Well done, Percy."

The young man subconsciously straightened his back. He controlled himself not to show too much complacency, but almost greedily caught the approval on his brother's face.

"But Percy, something has been delayed for a long time, and now is finally the right time to change it." Those smoky gray eyes looked extremely sharp and bright in the firelight, and they looked at him with extraordinary calmness. "Having worked with us for so long, you should understand that the goal of the People's Party is to overthrow all oppressive classes, and the aristocratic lord system is naturally included. This also means that in the future, Ironthorn Territory will not need and will no longer have Lord Brody."

Percy froze, the color draining from his face. He seemed to have not heard clearly, or perhaps was stunned by the sudden and cold declaration. His pupils subconsciously constricted as he stared blankly at his brother.

"Brother..." He murmured almost unconsciously, "Are you asking me to voluntarily give up my status as lord and the title of Viscount Brody?"

"It's not abandonment, it's abolition," the professor corrected calmly. "The Limin Army coming to Ironthorn Territory this time will ensure a smooth transition. This land and its inhabitants will no longer be privately owned by any family. The old contract will be invalidated. The Limin Party will establish a brand new system where the proletariat will be the masters. You will assist them in completing the transfer of power and institutional reform, and contribute to the future development and growth of Ironthorn Territory, just as the Limin Party has done in other Ming districts."

——It’s just that the noble lords of the land usually don’t cooperate in this way, and often end up being hanged.

The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, but Percy didn't feel any warmth at all. He just felt cold all over, and even his teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.

An extremely desperate and despairing feeling suddenly came over him, it was a suffocating pain that tightly gripped his heart.

The young man opened his mouth, wanting to roar, to question, to beg, but no sound came out - had he done something wrong? But he had just praised him for doing a good job!

All this time, he had tried so desperately to catch up with the other person, but in the end, everything he had worked so hard to maintain, everything he had sacrificed, was only casually abolished... The name Brody, the name he and he once shared, was really worthless to this man?!

...But what the other party said was absolutely right, Percy thought with great sadness. In fact, he had expected this day to come a long time ago, but he didn't expect it to be today.

Having worked with the People's Party for several years, he naturally understood their goals and even vaguely agreed with some of their ideas. However, he always blindly believed that he was special, and because of the deep-rooted aristocratic education he received over the past decade, he was always foolishly unwilling to reflect deeply.

But in the end Percy Brody said nothing. He just lowered his head slowly and with great difficulty, staring at his clenched, white-knuckled fingers, without saying a word.

That person never needed his questioning or pleading, and yelling was meaningless - the other party only needed his obedience.

...But is the "value" of Percy Brody's existence to bury the glory that his surname once represented with his own hands?

"...You don't look happy." The professor stared hesitantly at the silent, pale young man in front of him.

He'd been too busy the past few years, leaving him in Ironthorn Territory without giving him much of a thought. Now, the guy seemed to be getting hung up on this. He wasn't a bad person by nature, having done a lot for the People's Party. He couldn't just "break" him physically like he did with other nobles.

The black-haired young man thought for a moment and then said seriously, "If you have any questions, just ask them directly. I don't want you to suddenly become resentful one day in the future and end up with an outcome that neither you nor I want to see."

"You can ask anything you want. Don't be shy." He even tried to make a joke that wasn't funny. "I'm just your brother now, not the leader of the People's Party. Don't worry that I'll hang you from a streetlight."