The Second Son of the Marquis Wants to Laze Around-Chapter 57: Have You Dated?

After the surprise monster ambush led by the ex-mercenary Raven, the Valmont carriage convoy resumed their journey along the main road leading to the Dry Forest.

At the front of the convoy, the knights occasionally glanced at Commander Gareth—but more specifically, at the figure riding beside him: Raven. She was calmly mounted atop a Duskhorn Beast, one of her tamed creatures—panther-like monsters with sleek, midnight-blue fur and glowing amber eyes.

Though most of her monsters had been slain by the elite knights during the ambush, she still had a few remaining. Thanks to her Link Connection skill, she could summon them at will. Of course, she’d need to tame new ones soon, as her current batch was mostly weak scouts—hardly combat-worthy.

Behind her, a few of the knights were whispering among themselves, clearly still shaken and intrigued by the recent events. The latest rumor was spreading fast, that Commander Gareth had somehow made the mercenary who attacked them into his personal slave.

Some had scoffed at the claim—until they saw her with their own eyes. The way Raven followed Gareth around, walking beside him like a bodyguard—or worse, like a lover—left them dumbfounded.

"She doesn’t look half bad," one knight murmured quietly, trying not to sound impressed.

"Yeah," another muttered, scratching his chin. "I still don’t like her, but I won’t lie—her skills might come in handy."

"Hey, how old do you think she actually is?" the first knight asked, curious.

"Thirty-four," the third knight replied without hesitation.

"W-Wha?! How do you even know that?" first Knight blinked in surprise.

"You weren’t there during the interrogation," the third Knight said, brushing imaginary dust off his armor. "So of course you wouldn’t know."

"Yeah," the second Knight chimed in, a little too casually. "Let’s just say... it was an interesting interrogation."

"...Wait, what are you two not telling me?!" the first Knight cried, now even more suspicious.

Up ahead, Leon sighed. He could clearly hear the murmurs from behind and shook his head in mild exasperation. He glanced at his senior, Kristoff—the very man responsible for leaking the news about the contract between Gareth and Raven.

Only a handful of people were supposed to know: Kristoff, Hector, Marie the personal maid, and himself. Yet, Kristoff had the self-restraint of a sugar-crazed child. Even though Leon had reminded him several times to keep it to himself, the man had let it slip.

Well... to be fair, the Commander never explicitly told them to keep it a secret. They all knew the truth would come out eventually.

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Hours Later...

The convoy eventually reached their destination. Commander Gareth pulled on the reins and brought his horse to a halt.

They were now at the edge of the Dry Forest—an expansive woodland known for its gnarled trees, pale bark, and eerie silence. Despite its name, it wasn’t a desert, but it had a dry, haunting atmosphere compared to other forests.

"We’ve arrived," Gareth announced, dismounting from his horse. The knights behind him followed suit, stretching their limbs as they began to organize the camp.

Inside one of the carriages, Marie felt the sudden stop and peeked out the window. Before long, knight Hector, their designated guard, approached and knocked gently.

She slid the window open.

"Master Eren. We’ve arrived," he said politely.

Inside, the young master was lounging luxuriously on the cushioned front seat, a large pillow supporting his head. Just like always. His face remained calm and focused as he continued reading the same "Black-Covered Book" he’d been absorbed in for days.

It was as if he hadn’t heard a single word.

"Young Master Eren. We’ve arrived," Hector repeated. "Do you need assistance?"

This time, Marie leaned in, her tone slightly weary. "Young master, do you need help getting down your luggage?" she asked, already expecting the answer.

After a few seconds of silence, Eren finally replied, eyes still fixed on the book.

"You may go ahead. Call me once my tent is fully prepared."

Marie sighed, half in resignation, half in amusement. She nodded, left the carriage, and began assisting the others in setting up camp—leaving Eren behind with Hector and a few guards standing watch.

...

...

Two Hours Later...

With the help of servants, the knights had managed to finish setting up the encampment near the forest edge. Several tents were now raised, supplies unpacked, and campfires lit. The camp buzzed with activity.

Commander Gareth surveyed the site and began issuing orders. He assigned specific knights to guard duty and told Kristoff to take a group of five to patrol the surrounding area. Unsurprisingly, Raven was assigned to accompany them since she can control small bird monsters that can help them in their scout

"Are you sure we can trust her?" Leon asked cautiously as they watched Kristoff’s group disappear into the forest shadows.

"I don’t," Gareth said bluntly, his brows furrowed. "But thanks to the blood contract the young master provided, I doubt she could betray us even if she wanted to. I even made sure that she doesn’t do anything funny to my knights."

He wasn’t being harsh—just cautious. Gareth didn’t hold a personal grudge over the ambush. It was a job, after all. But that didn’t mean he trusted her either.

"By the way," he continued, shifting the topic, "how’s the young master doing?"

He heard that the young master didn’t left the carriage and waited in there, even after they have fully build his tent first.

Leon glanced toward the larger tent near the center of the camp.

"He only came out of the carriage a few minutes ago and went straight into his tent," Leon replied.

Gareth gave a nod of understanding. Without saying more, he turned and made his way to his own officer’s tent to prepare a report to send to the Marquis.

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When night fell, the campfire lit up and the moonlight shone down. It was mealtime for everyone. The knights sat outside in the field around grouped tables and chairs, while the chefs and servants helped prepare and serve the food.

Meanwhile, other knights remained on guard duty around the camp and would have their meals during shift changes.

Although the knights were eating and chatting, some couldn’t help but glance toward one particular table where a lone figure was eating by herself.

It was Raven.

The commander had told her she could join the knights for dinner outside, and she didn’t refuse—after all, it was free food. The servants served her the same meal as the knights.

But those who looked at her couldn’t stop staring—especially now that Raven had taken off her cloak.

She was a striking woman, her presence commanding both fear and fascination. Her long, flowing black hair fell like ink down her back—wild yet elegant—with one side loosely braided to keep it out of her face during battle. Her piercing blue eyes stood out under the moonlight.

She wore a white, puffed-sleeve blouse that was slightly oversized at the shoulders and arms, cinched tightly at the wrists. Strapped diagonally across her upper chest was a black leather harness, carrying utility items and likely weapons.

Her torso was wrapped in a dark corset-style belt layered with additional belts and pouches, tightly securing her waist and hips—practical gear for a mercenary. Over her hips, she wore a short, black skirt with angular cuts layered above fitted black shorts, giving her full mobility during combat.

A combat holster was strapped to her right thigh—likely for a dagger. Her legs were covered in dark thigh-high stockings accented with crisscrossing straps for both style and secure fit. On her feet were tall, heeled combat boots—stylish yet sturdy, with thick soles suitable for both travel and battle. The boots were strapped at the ankles and calves with detailed leather fastenings.

Altogether, her ensemble struck a balance between elegance and practicality—clearly tailored for someone who walked between the hidden shadows and the battlefield.

The knights could tell she was strong. She gave off the aura of a true professional mercenary. They had experienced her power firsthand—controlling monsters, attacking, even managing to injure several of them during the ambush. Her strength was enough to rival Commander Gareth himself.

While some of the knights looked at her with interest or admiration, others had less pleasant expressions—especially the female knights.

Yes, the elite knight group included some women—around seven for this trip. And many of them stared at Raven with clear dislike and envy.

Why?

Because of her figure, apparently.

Raven’s face wasn’t beautiful enough to leave men speechless, but her body—particularly her chest—was what many of them kept glancing at. Especially after the story about how the young master slapped her chest like crazy had spread around camp. Even the knights who hadn’t witnessed it firsthand became curious, and more than a few eyes lingered on her melons.

That, of course, made the female knights even more annoyed. Some clicked their tongues in disgust at the men staring. freёnovelkiss.com

Naturally, Raven could feel their gazes—but she ignored them, looking completely unbothered. more importantly, she was enjoying the taste of the food, as it felt different from her usual outside camp during her mission, as she would eat dry foods or half cooked raw meat.

And that was all thinks to the personal Chef that came along the trip, so he can serve the young master’s favorite meals, just as the Marquis ordered.

...

Meanwhile, at another table where Leon and Kristoff were seated, the same three knights from earlier who are seating next to the two were whispering among themselves while eyeing Lady Raven.

"I still can’t believe her chest can bounce like that," the first Knight muttered, after hearing the full story from his two friends.

"I know, right? I was shocked at how massive they were," said the third Knight .

"Don’t exaggerate," the second Knight replied while sipping his drink. "I’ve seen a woman with bigger ones than hers."

"Let me guess... your mom?" the third Knight said with a grin.

–Pfffffffffft!

Second Knight spat out his drink and glared at the third Knight.

"Shut up! I’ll have you know I’ve dated five women in the past, all with different chest sizes. I know the difference between ’massive’ and just ’big,’" he argued, wiping his mouth.

"Hah! You expect me to believe you’re not a virgin? Not in a million years," the third Knight scoffed.

"Then what about you? How many women have you slept with?" the first Knight asked.

"Well..." the third knight paused, thinking deeply.

"Virgin!" Feclared the second one, pointing at him with a smirk.

The three friends began arguing loudly right next to Leon, who continued eating with a frown, while Kristoff quietly listened to their nonsense.

Then, Kristoff finally asked a question he had been wondering since that morning.

"...What does Virgin mean?"

The table fell silent. The three knights stared at their squad captain in shock.

"Captain... You don’t know what Virgin means?" the second Knight asked, wide-eyed.

Kristoff shook his head. He was still new to words like that, most of which were introduced to him by Young Master Eren. That boy had taught him all sorts of terms—"virgin," "gold digger," "MILK," "pussycat," "&#!%," "*€\%", "*@&%#", "&@€%", and so on.

The three knights exchanged glances, then began explaining the meaning to their captain.

Meanwhile, Leon quickly finished his meal and left the table before he could hear any more of their conversation.

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