By the time he returned home and had simply arranged matters, it was already close to noon. Hahn could only choose to arrange lunch for the time being, while Lucius returned to his room and locked the door.
Lucius, however, still couldn't understand what George III's purpose actually was.
Making me choose to become a 'Demoness' but then directly conferring the title of 'countess' upon me is clearly intended to let the world know that 'I am a woman.'
But what value does such a 'countess' have? Infiltrating the 'Church of the Demoness'?
But that shouldn't make much sense. If the things George III promised were all obtained, he could have trained countless Assassins, right? Wouldn't it be better to let them infiltrate slowly on their own? Even if the Demoness Sect were stupid, they would know a 'Demoness' like me is a'spy' and couldn't possibly be one of their own... "Young Master Lucius, lunch is ready."
Hahn's voice interrupted Lucius's thoughts. If he couldn't figure it out, he might as well stop thinking about it; as long as he knew George III's ultimate goal, it would be fine—at worst, he could just report him when the time came... Due to the'special nature' of this period, today's lunch wasn't as lavish as in his memories, consisting only of simple steak, salad, corn chowder, and some desserts like ice cream.
Watching Lucius finish eating, Hahn arranged for people to clear the table and prepared to leave.
"Hahn, come with me for a moment." After finishing lunch, Lucius saw Hahn and thought of Uncle-Master Leif's suggestion from this morning.
Hahn Clayton was a bit surprised to hear this because, under normal circumstances, Lucius would be heading for a nap by now, and in the past, he would have ordered that no one disturb him.
But despite his surprise, he still followed closely behind.
Drawing on his memories, Lucius found his study on the second floor, opened the door, and went inside. Hahn followed him in and shut the door tightly.
Sitting down in a random spot, Lucius said to Hahn, "Find a place and sit down as you like."
Seeing Hahn seated, Lucius spoke, revealing the reason for this conversation:
"Hahn, you are also a 'Beyonder,' aren't you? I wonder which Pathway you belong to?"
Hahn wasn't surprised at all that Lucius would ask such a question and replied calmly:
"It's 'Lawyer,' Young Master. To better serve the 'Sheffield Family,' every 'Clayton' chooses the 'Lawyer' Pathway."
"I am currently a Sequence 9 'Lawyer' of the Lawyer Pathway."
Upon hearing Hahn's reply, he immediately asked, "What about Rex? Has he chosen to become a Beyonder?"
Rex Clayton, Hahn's son, was seventeen years old. Sponsored by the Sheffield Family, he was currently studying at Eton College. If all went as expected, he would become Lucius's butler in about three years.
Hearing the inquiry about his son, he said calmly, "Rex has already begun to come into contact with Beyonder knowledge, but he hasn't taken a potion to become a Beyonder yet. Under normal circumstances, he would take the potion at the end of this year, study law during his university years, and upon graduation, begin preparing to take over my duties."
Listening to Hahn, Lucius felt somewhat relieved. After all, his current situation was truly no longer suitable for joining the army, yet the family's assets couldn't be given away. He had accepted his uncle-master's suggestion to train a 'white glove' to replace him. But where would he find a ready-made candidate? So, he spoke directly:
"Hahn, you are also aware of the Sheffield Family's current situation. There is a very high probability I won't join the army, but the things belonging to the Sheffields cannot be given away. Therefore, I need to train a suitable person to join the army in my place. Your family has worked for 'Sheffield' for a long time, and every one of you has been dedicated. Thus, I am very willing to recommend Rex. You can consider it and then ask Rex if he is willing to go."
Hahn was shocked by Lucius's words. Lucius had just transmigrated and hadn't attended many gatherings, so he didn't realize the value of what he had just said.
But as a member of a family that had always served the 'Sheffield Family,' he understood the value of those words perfectly.
Although the position in the army would eventually be reclaimed, the things gained during that period could not be taken back. The most direct manifestation was that the 'Clayton Family' would then have military connections.
To describe Hahn's current mood, the most direct quote would be from Emperor Roselle: "It's like pie falling from the sky—calling it pie is an understatement; it's more like a title of nobility falling straight down."
Every 'Clayton' became a butler not out of poverty, but because of the name 'Sheffield.'
After centuries of accumulation, the Clayton Family's net worth was no less than that of a viscount. Of course, this money wasn't'stolen' from the Sheffield Family.
Instead, it was obtained through their own investments based on information gained while serving the 'Sheffields.' For example:
During wartime: where the Kingdom of Loen would launch a war, when it would start and end, and what commodities would skyrocket in value during that time.
During peacetime: they could obtain excellent industrial investment news or even participate in the Sheffield Family's investments. After all, they only took a tiny crumb and didn't overreach; even if the main family knew, they wouldn't be blamed and might even be praised for being clever and having a good head for business.
With this kind of information from the highest levels of the state, if one couldn't make money, they wouldn't even be as smart as a "Curly-Haired Baboon."
Furthermore, they didn't have to bear the risks of military service. Basically, every generation was perfectly passed down. Before reaching adulthood, they were mostly sponsored and trained by 'Sheffield.' After becoming adults, they had stable jobs with room and board provided. They would then raise the next generation to succeed them, and after completing the handover, they could return to the Sheffield Family's fief to manage their own and the main family's land and estates, retiring in peace.
The Clayton Family's upbringing was also excellent. Every generation understood that they were where they were because of the Sheffield Family, so they rarely caused trouble for the main house. In fact, they protected the Sheffield Family interests even more fiercely than the Sheffields themselves.
Snapping back to reality, Hahn said with a serious expression, "Young Master Lucius, please rest assured that Rex will certainly follow your will and join the army."
Seeing Hahn Clayton's serious expression, Lucius felt a bit bewildered and could only say:
"We still need to consider Rex Clayton's thoughts. If he doesn't agree, I won't force him."
"I believe Rex Clayton will definitely agree, Young Master Lucius." Hahn could only say this on the surface, but in his heart, he thought:
"If my son doesn't agree, I'll beat him until he does. This kind of opportunity is a once-in-a-century stroke of luck."
If he didn't agree, this opportunity would go to someone else's family; Old Clayton had more than just one son.
If they knew this news, they would surely return to Backlund to beg Young Master Lucius for mercy and another chance for their branch of the family. At that point, it would likely be his younger brother or someone else who went. Although they were all Claytons, he still had his own selfish interests.
The reason was that the 'Claytons' also wanted to replicate the 'Sheffield' success story. If they became 'nobles' first, they would lose this butler job and, consequently, the protection it provided, leaving them to be slowly devoured by other nobles.
Joining the army usually meant starting as a common soldier, and even asking the main house to pull strings wouldn't lead to very high achievements. It was a situation of being overqualified for low positions but under-qualified for high ones, and it cost money. Following the principle of "better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix," they had basically given up on military service.
But the desire for their own family to become nobility had never changed.
"You can discuss this amongst yourselves and just give me an answer as soon as possible," Lucius said calmly, looking at Hahn's visibly joyful face.