The Copy Mage

Chapter 131: Joe Howard

The carriage ride from the edge of the royal district was quite a long one, but with the speed of the carriage they were taking, they managed to reach the royal palace in an hour.

The royal palace was built in the centre of the royal district and the carriage that they had taken was the guard leader's personal carriage that was the carriage that was standard issue for a royal unit leader.

The carriage and the beasts leading it were most suited to speed, while were also durable and were good for travelling long distances quickly. They could also be used in combat and was the carriage that the guard leader had been using ever since he became a unit leader.

"Who are you?" asked Elizabeth.

She was very interested about who the guard leader was and what he was capable of, as although he was from quite a small country, he seemed to be quite capable as a fighter.

"I am Joe Howard, a royal unit leader that is currently stationed at the eastern gate into the royal district. I am 25 years old and that's about everything about me" answered the guard leader vaguely.

In the presence of such beauty, he found it hard to act normally, but he was still able to speak clearly and after everything he had already experienced, it wasn't too hard to do.

He made sure that he didn't look at her face or her body when he spoke to her and regulated his breathing to stay calm as he answered her questions.

"That is not enough. Tell me about where you are from, your past and how you got to where you are today. I also want to know what drives you as an individual" stated Elizabeth.

She had managed to take the authority and all she could think about was being more like her mother who was able to do everything despite being frail and not being a cultivator.

'I will be just like mother and will make it to the top even if I cannot cultivate' vowed Elizabeth to herself. Her attitude to life had completely changed and so did her character that had developed to one that was more confident and prideful, despite her weak and frail body.

If she was able to find out what drives him, it would be much easier to communicate and make deals with him, knowing that everybody had something that they wanted.

"Well, I was from a small family. I had 2 brothers and my mother and father and we lived quite a normal life. We were quite poor so from a young age we had to help out, but that all changed when I saw cultivators. The royal military destroyed our village while fighting against a beast and most of the villagers were killed in that battle. My family was also killed and the only reason I survived was because I headed towards the danger to watch the battle rather than being hit by the debris of their battle. They took in any youths that seemed capable, which they would do after destroying areas, so I was taken in by them. I didn't hold any hate towards them and in fact, I was grateful for it" said the guard leader.

From how he was talking he seemed crazy, but from his expression and body language, he seemed normal.

"It was the first time that I experienced excitement and danger. I don't have a Soul Spirit and am not particularly talented, but what got me to where I am was my desire to be exhilarated and rich. War, battle and everything else is fine with me. I don't care what has to happen, as long as I am entertained and benefit from it" stated the guard leader.

From the way he fought with his unit, Elizabeth expected him to be a proud soldier that cared for those within his unit, but from what he said, he was insane and only cared about his own entertainment and gain.

Elizabeth didn't care about the details or what he had done, as long as he could offer her assistance. If he really was the way he said, he would benefit her dearly as she was about to cause a large commotion that would offer him more than enough entertainment.

"So you weren't born as a noble and climbed your way up and reached where you are at 25. That is quite good and it seems that it was all thanks to your crazy attitude" gathered Elizabeth.

"Yes, that is exactly right" affirmed the guard leader with a slight smile.

"Then you will be happy to know that I will be causing quite a large commotion. As long as you protect me and get me an audience with the royal family, you will be entertained and rewarded dearly afterwards" stated Elizabeth.

His deranged character would have made him a liability in any other situation and he was probably only a guard elder because he was seeking the thrill of battle, but in the current situation, it was exactly what Elizabeth needed.

Most in their right mind would be a nuisance in her presence and wouldn't be of much help, especially since what she was doing was very dangerous, but she was quite confident that he would be useful in getting her to the royal family.

A single attack from a low-level cultivator was more than enough to kill Elizabeth with her frail body and before she made it to the royal family, she was certain there would be hundreds of powerful guards.

Because of that, she put her hopes of reaching the royal family on the crazy guard leader who seemed capable and trustworthy as long as he was guaranteed to be thrilled and rewarded in the process.

"Then we have a deal. As long as this is exciting and I get rewarded, I will get you to the royal family. But if not, you will become my personal servant" agreed the guard leader who was excited to see what would happen next.