The next day, Drake woke up in a hurry. His father had left in the evening with his Dark Legion, an elite troop that was well-known for its full sets of heavy armour, their individual strength and the quality of their skills. Each one of them was personally trained by the Viscount, and some of them had already reached the realm of preparatory knight.
Drake resumed his routine. He didn't have pressing issues, and he was fond of training in the early morning, in the gardens of the Castle. The landscape was magnificent. After all, the Moonford, which housed his family since its foundation, more than three hundred years ago, was built on top of a mountain. From this place, you could see the Capital of the territory: Blackwater, and hear the hustle and bustle of markets, children playing in the street, soldiers patrolling and young men trying to earn the favours of ladies.
Blackwater had 4-meters-tall walls, and was built in a fashion that was symmetric and organized. That way, fires would not spread quickly. As for the walls, considering the 500 archers and 300 swordsmen loyal to the Moonlight Family, or the 600 mercenaries and adventurers ready to sell their life for money, the city could be considered a fortress. Even armies of more than two thousand men were unable to do more than scratching the city's wall in the History.
Feeling power from the high gardens, Drake enjoyed practicing his breathing techniques. He could only practice it two to three hours a day depending on his condition and moral. One mistake, and he would enter a bloody coughing fit. One error, and he might be bedridden for days. Such were the consequences of practicing a Grand-knight-level breathing technique as a mere preparatory knight.
However, the gains were evident.
[Beep! Moonlight Grand Knight level breathing Cycle successfully completed! Expected gains: +0.005 Strength, +0.06 Constitution, +0.003 Dexterity, +0.01 Internal Energy]
'Seems like the higher my attributes are, the less effective the breathing technique becomes. But no matter how I look at it, it is still surprising to see my body attributes go up so much for just 2 hours and a half's worth of inhaling and exhaling.'
As soon as Drake started to get up, a butler engaged a conversation. The butler was a man in his early thirties, who followed the Viscount in many battles, but ended up captured after falling in the battlefield. Left for dead, abandoned by his companion, he had to go through days of torture. But no matter how many nails were plucked from his fingers, no matter how many cut his body received, he uttered no words about the Viscount's position, or his army.
His left hand and ears ended up cut, as well as his 'private body parts'. The Viscount managed to win the war, and successfully raided the enemy barony, plundering villages, destroying the enemy baron's castle. And he ultimately found Lewis, who showed utmost loyalty. Very moved by Lewis, the Viscount gave Lewis the choice: either return to the Dark Legion or serve the family as a friend, as Drake's personal butler.
"Sir, in the absence of both of your parents as well as your uncle James, the lord has given you temporary authority of Castle Master. Everything that goes in the castle of some importance will have to be checked by you."
"Alright, Lewis. Thanks. Officially, I have authority but truthfully, do you really think anyone will follow my orders? Come on, we both know that is bullshit."
"…"
"Unless I become a knight, no one will recognize me as anything besides a pampered young master. Let's go to the kitchen, Lewis."
Drake started to eat. It was scrambled eggs with sweet vegetables, a rare delicacy in this era. Food was Drake's biggest hobby nowadays. He bought spices from foreign kingdoms, hired special chefs and spent dozens of gold coins on a monthly basis just to eat his preferred dishes.
However, none of these dishes ever produced as much surprise as the one he was currently eating. The taste was heavenly, and he had goose bumps since the first mouthful. However, besides the taste, Drake could feel his energy replenished in an instant.
[Beep! Rare Vitamins and nutriments have been ingested! Expected gains: +0.02 agility, +0.02 constitution]
[Beep! Rare Vitamins and nutriments have been ingested! Expected gains: +0.02 agility, +0.02 constitution]
[Beep! Rare Vitamins and nutriments have been ingested! Expected gains: +0.02 agility, +0.02 constitution]
[Beep! Rare Vitamins and nutriments have been ingested! Expected gains: +0.02 agility, +0.02 constitution]
"Lewis! Go ahead and investigate what kind of dishes it was, please!"
"Oh? You sure have good tastes! The lord decided to make you a gift before traveling to the barbarian mountain. These eggs are not something that average mortals can ever taste. These are the eggs of a strong beast called Yaksha, a flying lizard that is said to descend from dragons. These creatures are quite rare in the Porfield Kingdom, but a decade ago, a horde of Yaksha decimated a city in the Pol Dukedom. Two thousand soldiers lost their lives, including hundreds of knights and a Grand Knight. They could do anything against them."
"Then…how did anyone manage to find the eggs?"
"Your father purchased it from a wealthy merchant. The latter had gotten it from gold-rank adventurers. Do not waste a gram of these eggs, or your lord will scold you, considering the absurd price he paid."
Drake felt some sort of warmth inside him. Ever since he was born, he had been loved and pampered by both his mother and his father. Although his mother was rarely present, she still passed down the lunar elven sword art, a rare Knight-level sword art superior to that of the Viscount himself.
The Viscount was someone who was well known not to spend a single coin on useless things. Yet, ever since Drake showed a passion for food and gastronomy, his father went to great lengths to acquire new ingredients and dishes, even going to the extent of hiring a high chef who used to work in the royal palace: Henry Lion.
"I will resume my training this afternoon. Please notify the Dark Legion Trainees that I will spar with them."
"As you command, sir."
After a while, Drake finished his dishes in satisfaction. This was paradise. He was in a beautiful world, in a peaceful and rural area, and he had good food. What could he ask more?
Of course, Drake was not stupid. He knew that many neighbouring nobles were waiting in the shadow for the Moonlight Household to show weakness to conquer their territory and steal their gold. This is why Drake never missed a day of training since he was 6, a year in which he caught a harsh fever. This dedication allowed him to become stronger over the years, since hard work never lies.