Chapter 4

The next morning, the calculations were sent to Liszt after he had breakfast and finished the training session.

His heart was cold as he observed the low, desolate castle. He had no doubt that his future was as unpromising as the castle.

The castle was built on a hill at the southwestern corner of the town.

It did not have a high wall, archer towers, battlements, a moat, or a splendid gate.

It was simply a two-storied house that was slightly larger than usual.

The stone walls had cracks. Many tiles had fallen off the roof. There was no telling if it would leak on rainy days.

It was said that this shabby castle was built a hundred years ago, when Coral Island was not the earl’s territory yet, by local nobles. After Coral Island was given to the earl, he renovated it as his manor in case he visited Flower Town. However, he never did.

The castle had been claimed by Baron Liszt.

Marcus, as an earth knight who had ambitions on the battlefield, was forced to be a frequent guest of the castle.

Together with Baron Liszt, he defended Flower Town, which did not even have a road.

“Mr. Marcus, good morning.” Tom, the footman who was fetching water from the well in the town, greeted him respectfully.

Marcus responded casually, “Good morning.”

He couldn’t remember Tom’s first name, but he knew the man’s last name to be Pigpen, which was a classic surname for civilians. His own family name was “Wheel” because his grandfather, as a coachman, rolled wheels all the time.

Civilians were surnamed after what they were most familiar with.

He envied the surnames of nobles, such as Tulip. He had to work much harder to earn himself a similar surname. All the good surnames were not open to civilians. Flower, Gem, Metal… Nobles never allowed civilians to demean them!

Soon, four tall guys in leather armor came behind Marcus.

“Mr. Marcus.” They greeted him.

“Carl, Rom, Gray, Auden, you’re here.” Marcus greeted them. They were Liszt’s squires.

Squires were servants to knights. They were responsible for taking care of knights on the battlefield.

Marcus was essentially a squire himself, but he was a free man while the squires had been sold to their master.

Soon, Liszt, who was still drowsy, walked out of the leaky gate of the castle. He was wearing a simple training suit. With his handsome face, his height, and his unique vibe, he was certainly the most attractive person there.

“Good morning, Mr. Marcus, Carl Hammer, Rom Barrel, Gray Sickle, and Auden Shoepad.”

“Lord Baron, let’s begin the class.”

“All right.”

In the hill before the castle, Liszt began his knightly training. His four squires hadn’t picked up combat aura yet, so they were only working out.

Fighting aura was passed on through bloodlines. Few civilians could grasp it.

As a matter of fact, Liszt felt that it had more to do with nutrition. How could civilians condense the power inside their bodies into combat aura when they were always hungry?

Few nobles failed to grasp combat aura as long as they tried.

It was also why nobles were the ruling class. With enough money and food, they cultivated combat aura and exploited the civilians, making them even richer and stronger, leading them to exploit civilians even more.

The milk and bread in the morning provided nutrition for Liszt.

He practiced basics of combat aura under Marcus’s tutelage. He had been doing it since six, but to little avail. The combat aura made him stronger than civilians, but he was too weak compared to earth knights and beginner knights. Marcus could beat him single-handedly.

Mysterious feelings, experiences like I never had, training… I wonder what the reward will be after the mission is accomplished. Will I become an earth knight?

Feeling the combat aura inside his body, Liszt worked hard.

The morning class did not stop until an hour later.

“Mr. Marcus, have some water. We will leave in ten minutes.” Liszt wiped his sweat. The class was quite exhausting.

Carter had already asked the servants to serve milk tea.

The four squires all got a cup of tea that had meat, milk, and eggs. They sipped the delicious drinks and forgot the exhaustion of the past hour.

Marcus and Liszt, on the other hand, had additional cheese and cookies.

After they finished eating and got changed, Thomas, the valet, had already brought Liszt’s horse over. It was an adult horse that was almost purely red, although it was only a foal when it was given to him as a birthday present when he was twelve.

The horse snorted and nuzzled Liszt’s arm.

“Fire Dragon, my old friend, you must be yearning for a ride.” Comforting the horse, Liszt seated himself on it agilely.

Marcus and the four squires rode horses, too. Marcus’s was a yellow and gray horse that looked rather impressive. It was his own property. The horses of the squires belonged to Liszt, although they were handed to the squires.

“My lord, safe journey,” Carter said.

“Thank you.” Liszt cracked the whip, urging the horse to run. “Let’s go!”

Liszt, who was leading the ride, wore leather armor made of monster hide that only nobles could afford. It was light and offered better protection than regular armor did.

With the black armor, the sword on his waist, and the helmet topped with pheasant’s feathers, he couldn’t have looked more awesome.

His squires, in addition to their own swords and shields, had to carry a large spear and backup weapons such as hammers and flails, as well as the food and drink for lunch.

Marcus had a bow apart from his favorite spear. He was a great archer, an identity that he was more proud of. It was also why he was confident enough to distinguish himself on Coral Island and be properly knighted.

Da! Da! Da! Da! Da! Da!

The horses’ hooves thudded against the earth and they soon reached the town, the first destination on Liszt’s tour.