"Oh? Someone's actually helping out the refugees?"
When Felix lifted the curtain of the carriage window and looked outside, Nibald, sitting across from him, also took in the scene outside the carriage and spotted the source of the commotion.
Such a scene surprised Nibald a little, but it also made him feel somewhat relieved.
"Rare to come across kind-hearted people..."
As Nibald sighed at the sight, Andrea seemed curious about what was happening outside, so she peered out of the carriage, her gaze falling on the three people handing out meat.
"Hm?"
It didn't take long for Andrea to notice the most striking one among the three.
"Hey, the little sister in the middle looks real pretty, Grandpa."
Andrea was drawn to the exceptionally beautiful silver-haired girl with a stunning figure who fumbled a little as she handed out meat to the refugees.
"Umu, she really is quite the beauty."
Nibald naturally noticed the striking silver-haired girl as well, nodding while stroking his beard in appreciation.
"A girl with looks like that probably isn't from an ordinary family."
"Isn't that obvious?" Andrea agreed with her grandfather's statement. "I mean, no regular folks could afford to help out that many refugees, and, Grandpa, did you notice the meat?"
"Of course." Nibald chuckled lightly. "Even though the magical energy on that meat is faint, it's still there. No doubt, that's not normal meat but monster meat."
Nibald's words caught Felix's attention, who had been staring intently outside.
"Monster meat?" Felix looked stunned. "They're actually using precious monster meat to feed refugees?"
"Indeed..." Nibald nodded firmly. "Looks like whoever's in charge of helping these refugees is a generous one."
Shortly after saying this, he instinctively turned his gaze toward the luxurious carriage parked on the main road, making Andrea and Felix also shift their eyes in the same direction.
In the next second, all three of them spotted a young man standing in front of the carriage, gazing toward Karudia.
"Hmm... that young man..." Nibald muttered, his eyes flickering as his expression gradually became more serious.
"Who is he?" Andrea muttered as well, feeling a little curious about the young man.
Felix studied the young man carefully, seeming deep in thought, and after a while, he gestured toward Walter and the other guards, who were standing outside.
"Do you guys know who that is?"
Felix pointed in the young man's direction as he asked Walter and the other guards.
Walter and the other guards exchanged glances with each other.
"Sorry, we don't know that person." Walter replied respectfully. "I'm really not familiar with his face, so I'm afraid he's not a local from around here."
As the captain of the guards who guarded the city gates of Karudia and someone who had been guarding them for four or five years now, Walter had a decent grasp of the nobles and wealthy merchants who frequently passed through the city. Given this, if even he had never seen the young man before, it meant the young man was most likely not a local of Mavros Territory.
Of course, unless the young man was a local but had never once set foot in Karudia.
However, was that even possible?
Karudia was, after all, the wealthiest city in Mavros Territory.
It was one thing if the young man was just an average commoner or a refugee, but anyone with money wouldn't pass up the chance to come here.
Considering the fact that the young man had the ability to provide relief for so many refugees, he was definitely someone with a lot of wealth—most likely from a noble family.
Naturally, if the young man really was from a noble family, there was no way he wouldn't have come to check out Karudia after hearing the rumors about it since Karudia was not just home to countless master-crafted weapons and armor, but it also had a massive selection of magic items made by renowned alchemist magicians.
Anyone with money would want to come here, so someone from a noble family, especially noble children who never had to worry about money, would absolutely be interested in the vast selection of equipment and items in Karudia.
Even a great magician like Nibald couldn't help but stop by when passing through Karudia. Aside from taking a break, he probably wanted to see what valuable things the city had to offer.
In truth, Andrea was the same.
At first, she had been really curious about Karudia and was even looking forward to buying some powerful magic items here, but after running into Felix, her excitement took a nosedive.
Given all that, Walter was confident that the young man was an outsider, not a local of Mavros Territory.
"Is that so?" Felix narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled. "Judging by his outfit, he doesn't seem to come from any powerful background. Maybe he just happens to have some money?"
At least, that was what he hoped.
Unfortunately, that hope was shattered the next moment.
"You got it wrong, Young Master Felix." Nibald was still stroking his beard, his gaze fixed on the young man as he chuckled. "I'm certain that young man's background is definitely not ordinary."
"Why?" Andrea asked her grandfather, puzzled. "I mean, his outfit really is pretty plain, so what makes you think he's not ordinary, Grandpa?"
"You can't judge people by appearances, my dear granddaughter." Nibald replied while rubbing the ring on his hand. "Look at the accessories that young man is wearing. They're all magic items."
"Of course, I know they're magic items." Andrea wasn't blind—she could see that much. "But magic items aren't exclusive to people with impressive backgrounds. Anyone with money can buy them."
"Well, the problem is, even I can't tell where those magic items came from..." Nibald said with a wry smile. "You know, that glove and that amulet are fine since I can tell from the way they radiate magical energy that they're not particularly rare or valuable, but that pendant around his neck and that ring on his hand? They're a different story."
Being called a grandmaster and having lived this long, Nibald naturally had sharp eyes and a wealth of experience. He had an exceptional sense when it came to magic and magical energy, easily seeing through most people and having his own method for identifying magic items.
To someone like Nibald, the magic items worn by the young man truly stood out, especially the green jewel pendant and the dragon-claw-shaped ring—whether it was the way magical energy flowed through them or how they operated, they were on a completely different level from ordinary magic items.
Because of this, Nibald was sure that those two items were incredibly powerful and precious, most likely ancient relics passed down from an ancient magic civilization, especially the green jewel pendant—it felt even more valuable and powerful than all the magic items he carried.
Treasures like them, there was no way they could be bought with money, so Nibald was convinced that the young man wasn't ordinary.
Besides, the young man himself was strange, as, despite having an impressive presence, he somehow felt nonexistent. In Nibald's perception, it was as if the young man were completely transparent. If the young man weren't standing right in his line of sight, he might not have even noticed his existence.
Nibald had even tried sensing the young man's magical energy, using the power of one of the rings he wore to enhance his perception, but sadly, he felt nothing—it was as if the young man had no magical energy at all.
Now, this was what interested Nibald.
In this world, there were plenty of people with weak magical energy, but someone with none whatsoever was unheard of. Everyone had magical energy, just in varying amounts, so the fact that he couldn't sense any from the young man already said a lot.
"Hm?"
Just as Nibald was carefully observing the young man, he noticed that the young man was looking back in his direction.
He was just staring this way, his gaze calm, his expression unreadable, but strangely, his eyes seemed to shimmer with a transparent glow, giving Nibald the distinct feeling that he was being seen through completely.
"Hoho, interesting..." Nibald chuckled, then turned to Felix. "Young Master Felix, please wait here for a moment."
"Huh?" Felix was slightly taken aback. "Grandmaster, is there something you need to take care of? I can have the knights assist you!"
"No, this isn't something anyone else can help with." Nibald smiled and shook his head. "I just want to go meet that interesting and exceptional young man."
With that, Nibald stood up and stepped out of the carriage.
"Wait for me! Grandpa!"
Andrea hurried to catch up.
No way was she going to stay alone with this disgusting young master in the carriage. If given a choice, she would rather chat with the refugees than spend time with him. Besides, she was also kind of curious about the young man who seemed to be around her age.
Just like that, Nibald and Andrea left the carriage and stepped onto the ground.
Seeing this, the expression on Felix's face disappeared.
No longer polite and no longer smiling, Felix's face darkened, and his eyes gleamed with a dangerous light, like a predator ready to strike.
"Jack."
"Here."
Felix spoke expressionlessly, making the fourth person in the carriage, someone who had been silent the entire time, respond.
He was a tall, lean man wearing a swordsman's outfit, gripping a sword in his hand, but strangely, his face was stiff, his entire presence lifeless, making him look like a walking corpse.
Just sitting there, without saying a word, he gave off a chilling aura. If the people in this carriage weren't far from ordinary, no normal person would even dare to share a space with him, let alone talk to him.
Felix, however, spoke in a tone full of superiority as he ordered the swordsman named Jack.
"Go find out who that guy is and the people around him, especially that guy. I want every detail."
Hearing this order, Jack gave a stiff nod before vanishing from the carriage.
Only then did Felix turn his attention back outside, his gaze landing on the silver-haired girl distributing monster meat, his eyes filled with obsession.
"So beautiful..."
"A stunning girl like her coming right to me... How could I not take her in?"
"Too bad I still need to watch my image for now... Guess I'll have to take it slow..."