Chapter 6
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
It was quite late when Abel caught up with Norman. The Sun was slightly leaned towards the west by the time they saw each other. If they didn't go back to the Bennett Castle right away, they would've had to travel during the night, which was not safe at all.
Norman saw the box Abel was holding, but he didn't say anything about it. As far as he was concerned, what mattered wasn't how much money his young master had spent or what he had bought. He was a bodyguard, and the only thing he cared about was his master's safety.
That being the case, Abel still didn't want to let anyone see his box. He was going to put it in his Horadric Cube before, but there were far too few slots for him to put in his qi condensing pill. It was one bottle per slot, so the most he could store was ten. He needed two more for his Tome of Town Portal, meaning that the only way to go was to carry most of the stuff with his own hands.
Fortunately, the two got back without facing any danger on the way, and Abel picked the right time to arrive at home. Zach was just practicing horse-riding with the Knight of Bennett. No one — not his father, his mother, or his brother—no one was going to ask him what he had bought in town. This was a family of royals. They respected each other as royals. Every member, regardless of age, had rights to his or her own privacy.
Abel was loved by his parents, but the love he felt was very different from the one he experienced on Earth. During his life back on Earth, parents showed love by interfering with every aspect of their child's life. They had to have a say in the child's education, social life, romantic life, marriage and anything else. Any secret that a child had was considered a violation of the trust between them.
The rules were very different here. Every time there was an important choice to make, Abel's parents would always listen to what Abel wanted, no matter how drastic the consequences were. As the second son of the family, the path ahead of Abel would be nothing but harsh for him.
Now, the Knight of Bennett knew this. He knew this all too well, but he decided to agree with his love for his son. It was a different kind of love, different from the kind that Abel experienced from his previous parents. They were equal in their weight, however. Abel knew that, and he was grateful to be so blessed in his two very long lifetimes.
After coming back to his room, Abel quickly opened his box and took out a bottle of the qi condensing potion. Whilst facing the sunset, he could see that the bottle was surrounded by arcs of white light which, in ways that were inapplicable to normal physics, kept on flashing and sparking as they swirled around. It was only a lesser potion, yes, but by appearance alone, it would be worth so much if it was found on Earth.
Speaking of Earth, Abel missed his home now. He never had a nostalgia for the whole year that he came here, but something kicked in when he saw that Tome of Portal yesterday.
Whatever. Just don't think about it he forced himself.
Right now, the important thing was his experiment. If Abel's hypothesis was confirmed, his training speed would be much faster than where it was currently.
Abel inserted three lesser potions into the Horadric Cube, then lightly pressed onto the transmute button. After a white light flashed by, the three bottles of the qi condensing potion emerged into just one. It was not surrounded by white arcs of light, however, but a beautiful ray of blue.
It worked. Abel had never seen a greater qi condensing potion before, but this should be it. There was no doubt about it. The Horadric Cube never got its formulas wrong.
It wasn't like he cared too much about it, but a smirk suddenly emerged on Abel's face. If three bottles of the lesser potion cost 30 gold coins in total, and a bottle of the greater potion costs 50 gold coins, he just made 20 coins worth of profit. It was a weird thought to have in a serious time like this, but it was kind of funny in a way.
Abel inserted three more lesser potions into his cube. For reasons he himself wasn't sure of, he was already feeling like a potion master, or an alchemist figuring out the right proportions for his concoction.
As excited as he was, Abel's hands never stopped. He just kept on transmuting the lesser potions into greater potions, then lined up the finished products on his table. Pretty soon, 54 bottles of the lesser qi condensing potions were turned into 18 bottles of the greater qi condensing potion.
Abel was about to scream at this point. Even if he couldn't turn the greater potions into the greatest potion, he was pretty much guaranteed a way to afford his living now. If he wanted to, he could head into the potion-brewing business at any time he wanted. He could become a renowned potion master by selling large quantities of the greater qi condensing potion. Becoming a knight was his topmost preference, of course, but it was always good to have some sort of back-up plan.
Abel calmed himself once more. Then, he inserted three bottles of the greater potion into his Horadric Cube. Without any failure this time, the three greater potions were mixed into one.
It was a bottle surrounded with golden arcs of light. Inside was a potion that could only be produced by an expert. It was the greatest potion which, although makeable given the right amount of experience, was not something that could be sold as a regular item. The greatest potion was inferior to a master's potion, but the creation of both required the brewer to be in the right "zone."
There was something special about this potion. Abel didn't know how much it was worth exactly, but his guess was just as good as anybody else's. Well, there wasn't a lot of potion masters in the Duchy, he knew at least that much.
Soon, 18 greater potions were turned into 6 bottles of "greatest" potions. Abel was right. It was the right choice for him to spend all his money on potions.
He put the three bottles of the greatest potion into the cube, and just like all the times before, everything in the slots vanished when a white light flashed out. What came out was a bottle of a master's qi condensing potion. It was surrounded by arcs of dark, golden light, and there was a thick texture to the liquid that was inside. The liquid itself was amber in color. Strangely, though, it was not translucent like all the other potions. With a gentle shake of its container, Abel would see that it was a little bit sticky.
One more time. At the end of the day, Abel produced two bottles of the master's qi condensing potion. He produced two bottles of the ultimate potion, which would bear no effects whatsoever to its user.
Now, what should he do about these potions? He could consume it right here, but that would expose the existence of the Horadric Cube. He couldn't allow that to happen if he was to survive in this world. The better option was to store it somewhere safe. Whatever Abel was planning to do next, safety always came first.
The more Abel knew about this world, the less safe he began to feel. While everything could be explained by science on Earth, the logic seemed to work very differently here. The injury on Norman's leg should take a few months to recover, but a lesser divine act was enough to treat it on the spot. Knowing something like this was actually more worrisome than relieving, the more you think about it.
With that in mind, if Fort Lee was just a small town, what kind of unexplainable, unthinkable things could Abel see if he went to a bigger town? A bigger city, maybe?
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
A+
A-
Chapter 7
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
The Bennett Castle always held its dinner on time. Since there were knights in the house, the time to eat was set at eight o'clock at night. The meal, as always, was limited to three things: beef, porridge, and mashed potatoes.
Due to financial issues, the beef was not flavored with anything at all. Spices were restricted to only the very rich nobles. They had to be harvested all the way from the Double Moon Forest, which was a faraway territory ruled by the elves. The further a product was from its place of origin, the pricier it was. This was especially true when there were so many merchants involved in the transportation process.
Like always, it was a quiet, yet heart-warming dinner with the family. After a whole day of workout, combat, and adventure, Abel wanted to go back to his room for a shower. He didn't like the sewage system here, though, so he decided to make one himself.
The Bennett Castle relied on one underground stream for its water supply. Like most castles built in this world, no resource could be sent in the fort if it was surrounded by invaders, so the water was crucial for self-subsistence. If it was a castle built for a higher lord, the sewage system would probably be big enough for a few thousand people.
The Bennett Castle could provide enough water for a few hundred people, which was quite a lot in itself. There were less than a hundred residents living here, guards and servants included, so the water was not an issue at all.
To build his own irrigation system, Abel decided to find the carpenter of the Bennet Castle. He ordered the carpenter to build a water wheel. It was meant to be powered by the underground stream, and there would be some pipes connected to it to let the water flow inside a big wooden box, which would be stored on the top floor of the castle. Then, using some bamboo hardened with fire, pipes were built to let the water into the bathroom. Abel had bronze in mind at the start, but metal was far too expensive. There was no mine inside the castle. No blacksmith for hire, either. The Bennett family couldn't even use iron to make the pipes.
After a long, hard thought to himself, Abel came to the conclusion that bamboo was the best option available. Once heated up with fire, it could be bent, hardened and used for a variety of construction work. Most importantly, it was extremely cheap.
After the pipes were ready, Abel had the carpenter make him a full-size wooden bathtub, a wooden washing basin, and even a flush toilet with seat. For once, things were starting to look a bit modern.
Lumber was worth almost nothing in this world. Apart from some of very rare species, anyone with an ax could get some wood from the forest. Speaking of which, the Bennet Family owned all the trees within a hundred-mile radius from the castle. Lumberjacks and carpenters were hired, of course, but their main job was with planting crops in the field. You wouldn't get paid much for chopping down trees.
Thanks to Abel's innovative suggestions, every room of the castle was renovated with the same design plan. The carpenter, after being paid a generous sum for his work, was ordered to sign a contract with the Knight of Bennett. Without his master's permission, he was restricted from making the same system again for anyone else.
Hence, the blueprint of the wooden irrigation system was locked inside the Bennet family vault. As a nobleman who grew up knowing a fair share of things, the Knight of Bennett knew how life-threatening this device could be. If some high lord happened to know about it, he would most likely keep it all in his own family collection, meanwhile killing anyone who happened to know something about it. The Knight of Bennett was all too familiar with this sort of thing.
Which was why Abel didn't invent anything afterward. Without the right status and strength, any creative ideas could bring catastrophe to him and his family. For the thousands of years of this world's history, there had been no change to the way society was structured. It was a very different story to that of Earth, which was very easily influenced by instability and interferences. Rules could vanish and remerge within a span of a few centuries, and nothing could ever be referred to as "constant."
"Abel, come stay with Zach," the Knight of Bennett commanded as Abel was about to head back to his room, "You are a rank one novice knight now. You are now worthy of my tutoring."
After coming to the training room, Abel could see that the servants had already prepared the wooden dummies for him. There were some wooden swords hanging on the wall, and the Knight of Bennett grabbed one to give it to him.
"I have heard about what you did," the Knight of Bennett stared at Abel, "You killed a shadow panther with the strength of a beginner knight. You surprised me, Son. Even if you did it with Norman's help, I am still very surprised about it."
"For my whole life, I have seen countless knights with are more talented than I could ever be. They were stronger than me, faster than me, but none of them lived to be as old as I am now. Do you know why?"
To Abel's surprise, the Knight of Bennet was suddenly giving him a lecture. For all the time he had been in this world, he had never heard so much word coming out his father's mouth before.
"How did I survive to be standing here today? It's because a knight's strongest shield is his sword. The fastest sword is also the sturdiest shield there is. If the knight is fast, he can charge when he's on a horse. When he gets down the horse, he can pull on a heavy bow with a blink of an eye. Now, there are a lot of geniuses in this world. Some of them decided to become the fastest men they could be. Some of them decided to become the strongest men they could be. Now, I am not the strongest man there is. I'm also not the fastest man there is. However! I happen to be the heir of our family, and what our ancestors have left for us is a full training routine dedicated to knights. Because of my heritage, I became the strongest man among the fastest man, and I became the fastest man among the strongest men."
The Knight of Bennet widened his eyes, called out in a rather emotional tone, "What our ancestors gave us is the most complete system there is. Generation after generation, they passed it on to me without making any sort of adjustment. In the near future, I will fulfill my role and passed this treasure onto you both. Remember this: no gold, no renowned weapon, or armor, none of these will be ever as precious as heritage! Heritage, my sons, heritage is the most precious treasure there is!"
"Zach, show your brother how to form an attack," the Knight of Bennett threw a wooden word towards Zach, to which Zach responded with a glare of a beast. He pointed towards the dummy with his sword, drew a light breath from his mouth, and instantly changed into his charging position.
Abel could just barely see it. The dummy was sent flying in an instance. And while it was still in mid-air, Zach quickly went to stab it at three different spots. It was the thigh, the waist, and the throat, all executed in one sequence of movement. It was like something coming straight out a textbook.
"You are faster than this," the Knight of Bennett said. The father was always strict in his demands. Zach understood that, so he quickly responded with a nod.
"Can you see this clearly, Abel? This is a classic knight's attack. You break through your enemy's defense with a charge and finish the fight with a quick slash to their vital spot. Every part of this sequence takes thousands of years to refine. Your role is to execute these movements as perfectly as you can. There is no need to make any kind of adjustment. Countless blood has been spilled to come up with what you are looking at right now.
The Knight of Bennett continued with a slightly ridiculing tone, "There are always some so-called "geniuses" who try to be creative with this. None of them are alive now. Listen here, Son. What you should be doing is to remember these movements. Turn them into your instincts. Use them before you have any second thoughts."
Abel felt so proud to have killed that shadow panther back then, but looking at Zach was a real wake-up call for him. He could be as smart as he wanted to be with his tricks, but they would always be futile against a properly trained knight. Even Zach could dominate him without any resistance.
For the remaining days, Abel continued on his training routine. He practiced combat techniques during the daytime and improved his muscle strength with the metal armor at night. Before he went to bed, he would always practice his knight breathing techniques.
There was a lot more beef on the dinner table that night. From that point onward, Abel was starting to receive the same meal size as Zach. While the Knight of Bennett hadn't said anything about it, he felt like his father had come to some sort of decision.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
A+
A-
Chapter 8
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Being a gym trainer probably had something to do with this. For reasons he wasn't sure of, Abel learned how to fight as knight fairly quickly. He had good reflexes and forms. What he lacked in experience and strength, he would certainly make up for as he got older.
The Bennett Family system taught the use of multiple types of weapons. There was archery, lancing, sword-and-shield play, heavy shield, etc. After about half a year of non-stop training, Abel learned all there was to learn. It was kind of unfair for Zach, in a way, so much so that he had often made complaints to the Spirits. "But that took me more a year!" He would often cry out, and the Knight of Bennett would always wear an ominous look on his face. Abel wasn't sure what his father was thinking of, but he knew something was about to happen soon.
Over these past few months, Abel did not take a single drop of his master's potion. After learning about the importance of heritage from his father, he decided that it was only right to take supplements after he knew all the right techniques. Still, in a very short period of time, he managed to become a rank two Novice Knight with just his raw talent.
On one particular night, Abel knew something was wrong when he sat down for dinner. He noticed how red and swollen Nora's eyes were. He also saw a very resolute expression on his father's face.
"Abel, my son," the Knight of Bennett stood up as Abel had just picked up his fork, "You are the most talented child I have seen in all of my life. The Holy Light has granted you wisdom and courage, but the Bennett Family does not have the resources to raise you to your full potential. This is a great loss to the family name and a disgrace to one who guides us all."
The Knight of Bennett threw a glance at his wife, then back to his two sons. He continued on in a coarser voice, "I have made an agreement with a fellow knight of mine. His name is Marshall. For the next few years, Abel will train to be a knight under his teaching. If Abel manages to meet his expectations, he will be inheriting the unicorn symbol, which is the coat of arm of the Harry family."
Abel knew who the Knight of Marshall was. The Knight of Marshall was his father's best friend. They fought alongside each other during the war against the orcs. During the most desperate times, they saved each other's life and came back home together.
Unlike the Knight of Bennett, the Knight of Marshall never had a child. His only wife died in an incident, and he was never married after that. For all the years that the Marshall family had been without an heir, he just kept on staying in the castle where his wife was buried.
It was no easy choice for the Knight of Bennett to send Abel away. Abel wasn't just going to have his surname changed. As a matter of fact, he was going to cut his ties with his real family. He would be wearing a different coat of arms on his clothes, his armor, and his flag. That's probably how it was going to be for the rest of his life.
Having a talented child was a very troubling thing for the Knight of Bennett. He had thought all kinds of different options before, including sending him to his wife's father, Keith. Still, it had been a long time since he last contacted Keith. Besides, Keith was a merchant. He had money, yes, but simply having money was not enough to raise someone to be a knight. Also, Keith lived all the way up at Koror Duchy, which made it very hard to keep in touch with Abel if he was sent over there.
Seth Bennett. That was the real name of the Knight of Bennett. He was commonly referred with the Bennet title because, well, he was the only one of his kind living on this plain. Two centuries ago, his ancestors became royals because of their contributions to the war. They were also rewarded with a piece of land. Its name was originally the "Bennett Honorary Lord's Domain," but now it was just the "Bennett Knight's Domain."
The direct descendants of the Bennett family lived in Bakong City, which was a major city located inside Carmel Duchy. If Abel was sent there, it was very likely for him to become a regular knight. There was a trade-off for doing so, however. It would mean that Abel would become a bodyguard for a direct descendant of the Bennett Family. He would have to sacrifice his own personal freedom, and if the circumstances called for it, his own life. There was no way the Knight of Bennett would let that happen to his second son.
There was another reason, the Knight of Bennett wouldn't want Abel to lose the status of a royalty. It was something that he had already decided, long before Abel was even born. As the proud Knight of Bennett, he would only make a request from his kinsmen if the Bennett Knight's Domain were to regain its old title as the territory of an Honorary Lord. It was a crucial way of him maintaining his pride, so to speak.
Marshall Harry was a different man to the Knight of Bennett. First of all, his family had a very prestigious name in Bakong City. With the help of his family, Marshall Harry was also rewarded with a Knight's Domain after a war. It was land just 300 miles away from the Bennett Knight's Domain, mainly because of his ties with the Knight of Bennett. Everything there was newly built, apparently. Even the castle was made of new bricks and stones.
The Harry family had a long and fine history to it. A few Elite Knights came to be because of them. And while their philosophy was different from that of the Bennett family, the two had great respect for each other's achievements in the past.
Marshal Harry had always wanted to adopt a son. He had said it on many occasions, but it was hard to find someone with the right conditions. He wasn't just looking for a child that he could look after. He was looking for an heir that he could pass his family name onto.
That being said, the child he would adopt must have royal blood inside of him. Ironically, though, most royal children already had their futures planned ahead of them. Suppose a man had three sons. Even if the eldest was to become the heir, it was very easy for him to disqualify after, say, a lost duel or a common disease. Whatever might take away his life, the next child would always be a back-up solution. And there really wasn't a royal family with just one child. Everyone wanted more kids. The only problem, really, was with how much wealth was distributed to educate them.
Abel was a genius. The Knight of Bennett was very certain of that. He knew how talented Abel was, and there was no way he would let that talent go to waste. Yes, even if such a decision comes with a cost. Sending Abel away was a great loss to the Bennett Family.
All because there wasn't enough money in the family. No wonder everyone was so grim during dinner. Zach kept having his beef sliding out of his fork, which was an act that would usually receive the immediate condemnation from the Knight of Bennett. Strangely, however, the Knight of Bennett just kept on eating his food in silence.
Nora was the only one who didn't hide away her emotions. She barely ate anything during dinnertime, and instead spent of her time sobbing and wiping away her tears.
After dinner was over, the Knight of Bennett had Abel come to his study for a chat.
As the place for storing some of the family's most important documents, the study was usually locked up for anyone except the Knight of Bennett himself. That being said, it was the first time that Abel had laid his eyes on it.
Just by a first glance, Abel could tell that it was a very big room. On one side of the white wall, there were portraits of previous owners of the Bennett Castle. The other side was stuffed with tall bookshelves, which contained various sizes of red or black books.
In the middle of the study was a big, wooden desk. From what Abel could see, it had a very smooth surface to it, which was most likely due to the years of paperwork that were signed on top of it. This was, in other words, the core of Bennett's Knight Domain. All commands, big or small, were officialized at this very spot right here.
The Knight of Bennett walked over towards the desk. He dragged out a big box made of oak wood. It was a fancy box, laced with deer hides and had a red bronze handle on top of it. As the Knight of Bennett opened it, Abel could see a tidy set of armor inside.
A half-body Cuir bouilli. Both the front and back were decorated with small, shiny square pieces of metal. From the shoulder to the wrist were multiple layers of galvanized iron. This was quite an unusual set of armor, which was a mix between a leather set and a metal set. Not only was it cheaper than a full steel gear or chainmail, but it was also more resistant than something purely made of animal skins.
"I got this cuir-bouilli during my battle against the orcs. After I killed an inferno bovine, I carried its corpse to an armorsmith and had him craft an armor set from it," said the Knight of Bennett as he took out the lower half of the armor from the box. It was a pair of leather jeans with galvanized iron as the knee guard.
"Here is a light longsword, a pair of leather boots and a pair of gloves. I don't have a lot of previous things to give you, my child."
Abel's eyes were starting to swell it. He noticed this armor set now. It was his father's back-up set. As it was impossible for a knight to have possess only one set of armor, he had to have a back-up to wear when the original was sent for maintenance. If the original set was elsewhere, the Knight of Bennett would have to fight without protection.
But there was no hesitation. No refusal, either. As Abel took over the box, he was starting to feel the weight of a father's love. There was no other gift that could be as precious as this.
After Abel came back to his room, he saw that his mother had already been waiting for him. Unlike the Knight of Bennett, her parting gifts were much simpler. There were jackets, shirts, a training suit, formal suits and several pieces of handkerchiefs. It was clothing, more clothing and nothing else.
Nora didn't cry this time. She just held onto Abel's hand and talked to him. She spoke slowly and patiently. It was mostly about how Abel should get along with others once he was in the outside world.
The night was quiet, but the Bennett Castle remained alight. Nobody had slept.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
A+
A-
Chapter 9
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
It was until dawn when Nora had left Abel's room. After his mother was gone, Abel sat quietly on a chair and contemplated his life over the last two years.
Despite his appearance, Abel was a forty-year-old man on the inside. It wasn't like he didn't know what the Knight of Bennett was thinking. He agreed very much with the decision that was made for him. If he wasn't so gifted at such an early age, everything could've been normal for him. Instead of leaving to an unknown place at an age as early as twelve, he could've left the family when he reached adulthood.
Abel saw what was coming for him, and he was ready to take it. He took out his Horadric Cube, revealed a bottle of the golden qi condensing pill, and opened its cap. He wanted to save it for later, but the challenge ahead would not let him delay. Not long ago, the Bennett Castle was a safeguard that protected Abel's safety. Without it, he had learned to protect himself with whatever he could lay his hands on.
As the amber-colored liquid slid inside his throat, Abel could feel his inside filled with a vigorous essence. The qi kept on channeling through his muscles, but unlike most regular potions, it did not take away any of the food that he had eaten before. It quickly materialized and was turned into his third meridian. It was doing this at a very steady pace, too. Unlike most times, when he had tried to do it on his own, Abel didn't have to worry if the process was going to fail.
Abel practiced his breathing techniques every night, but he was never so successful as he was now. On a regular night, he could do twenty sets at most. He would have to take breaks between each one of them. Things were very different tonight. He was going very strong. Even the curtains were moving at the rhythm of his breathing.
It took about half an hour for the potion to wear off. By this time, there were three stabilized meridians inside Abel's body and some excess qi which could've filled in half more. Abel was surprised about this, of course. As it turned, the master's potion was much more powerful than what Yvette had told him.
Were the rumors wrong, then? Well, not exactly. Technically speaking, a master's potion was still far from being a "perfect" potion. As skilled as a potion master might be, human craftsmanship still had its limitations. The Horadric Cube was free from such a flaw, though. Since Abel was crafting his qi condensing potion mechanically, every little detail—proportions and such—were all taken into consideration and was in respect to the "Power of the Rule."
this was, to put it simply, was a force that belonged to the gods. As a divine item, the Horadric could utilize a fraction of this power to transform whatever item that it contained. This was the reason why the Master's potion Abel created was much more potent than a regular one. It was like asking a God to help with a novice knight's training, and what kind of god would be so bored to do that?
It was hard to resist the temptation once it started to kick in. After leveling himself up in just half an hour, Abel decided to take in another bottle of his master's potion.
And there it was again. In virtually no time whatsoever, qi quickly emerged and became Abel's fourth meridian. The effect of the potion quickly vanished after it had done its job.
Abel quickly stood up from the ground. He noticed that his entire body was covered in dark, stinky stains. After enhancing his bodily function in such a short period of time, all the dirty substances inside of him were quickly excreted out.
Abel quickly ran to the bathroom to clean himself up. Having used three bucketfuls of water, he tried as hard as he could to scrub away the stench off him. After he was done, he opened up his room's window and tried to let the wind take the smell away.
Abel was half-naked while he was doing this. He had grown 10 centimeters over the past six months, putting him at 160 cm in height. He was just a kid but the muscles on him were already pronounced.
As buff as he was, Abel was still very humble. He had great respect for the fighters in this world. Whether it was a mercenary or a knight, anyone with a weapon could pull off a very impressive fight. That being said, though, most of them wouldn't know how to fight properly with their own bodies. If two men were to fight against each other with nothing but their bare fists, they would simply throw straight punches at each other and watch who went down first.
As a former gym trainer, Abel was acquainted with the use of several types of martial arts. He knew boxing, MMA, Muay Thai, and Tai Chi. He wasn't an expert, so to speak, but the knowledge he possessed has made him a very formidable opponent in any type of hand-to-hand combat.
If it was hand-to-hand combat, Abel could easily defeat Zach, who was, obviously, much taller and stronger than him. Strength wasn't everything, so they said. With the power of sports science on his side, everyone in this world seemed clumsy to Abel when they fought with nothing but their bare fists.
And very rightly so. In this world, there was hardly any need to develop any hand-to-hand combat system. The humans' biggest foes were the orcs. Brawling with those monsters head-on was just suicide.
What about against other humans, then? Well, royals solved their disagreements with sword duels. Fighting with no weapon was considered foul and in some way, very disrespectful to one's opponent.
As Abel practiced a few reps of his standard punches, he could felt a significant increase in his power and speed. It was good and all, but such an improvement was kind of hard to get used to. Just when he was grabbing his wooden cup for a sip of water, his fingers snapped it into shreds.
Too much progress could have their downturns, so it seemed. But that was fine. Abel was twelve years old now, with only one month left before his thirteenth birthday. By that time, he would've already made the same achievement as Zach did when he was eighteen.
Abel readied himself for his Tai Chi practice. While he was repeating the moves that were taught to him, he tried to remember what his instructors used to say. From what he could remember, the instructor said that Tai Chi was the best martial art for holding back one's brute force. Tai Chi was about reserving one's power, moving in an unending sequence of movements, being able to both escalate and deescalate at the same time and having a natural rhythm while fulfilling all these conditions. It was about harmonizing one's entire being into a collected whole—which was much easier said than done.
Abel had to calm himself down after taking that second potion. After stabilizing himself from a state of excitement, he began to act out all 74 postures of his Tai Chi sequence. It was the beginning posture, the vajra pounds mortar, grasp and tuck clothes, all the way until the 74th posture. The Sun was very much up high after he was finally done.
As it turned out, Tai Chi didn't make you have a weaker punch. It just made you appear weaker than you were. With his Tai Chi techniques activated, Abel noticed that he was much weaker than he truly was when he was looking at himself in the mirror. If he was to tone down his Tai Chi, he was a rank four Novice Knight. But if he was to activate it, he could appear in whatever rank which he so desired. He could not pretend to be at a level that was higher than what he was actually at.
This was very convenient. It was hard to make up a reason to explain why he had ranked up for two in just a single night, but having a camouflage meant that there was no need in doing so. Abel could just keep putting himself at rank two while he was packing up his luggage.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
A+
A-
Chapter 10
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
It was a cold morning at the start of December. As things were starting to get busy for the Bennett Castle, the servants had to start cleaning the stables right after they woke up. The stablemen fed beans to the two chariot horses. The cleaners brushed all the swords, armors and boots inside the house. There was even a new rein for the Knight of Bennett's steed.
While Abel and his servants came out with the luggage, six lancers were waiting for him in front of the castle gate. While not necessarily grand in any way, they were standing very neatly around a line of chariots. It was a small farewell parade designated for the young master's leave.
These men were all wearing blue leather armor. They had boots as high as their knees and wore blue woolen hats on top of their heads. Apart from their three meter-long lances, everything they had on them was sown inside the Bennett Castle. While the wool might not be protective against arrows, they did make it easier to pull one out of a soldier's wound.
There weren't many decorations in the parade. Apart from the two soldiers hanging up the Thorned Shield flag on the tip of their lances, there wasn't anything that stood out in particular. Since blue was the base color of the Bennett Family's coat of arms, every fabric in this parade, costumes and curtains and so on, all had to have the same uniform tone.
Just while Abel was carrying the box onto his chariots, the Knight of Bennett rode his battle stead outside of the castle gate. Behind him was Abel's mother, Nora, who had eyes full of tears as Zach held her
The Knight of Bennett was looking especially solemn. Under the bright shine of the Sun, every plate of his silver-white armor was glowing in shivering light. He wasn't wearing his helmet, for some reason. His helmet and weapons were all hanging on one side of his saddle. His long hair was tied up in a simple tail, which kept moving around as the cold wind went by.
Nora didn't say anything to Abel. She just kept looking at Abel, almost as if she had already told him everything last night. It was like she was looking at the most precious treasure in the world.
One way or another, Zach always knew that Abel was going to leave the castle. It was a tradition that no one could go against, which was why he was always so loving towards his only brother. He didn't expect Abel to leave so early, though.
"This is your home, Abel. Come back when you have the time to."
Zach came to hug his little brother. Technically speaking, Abel was just as strong as him, but the grasp was so tight that it felt more overwhelming than intended. Abel was quite calm this whole day, but he felt like he was going to lose it at this moment.
The morning sun didn't feel quite warm during winter. And, because of how loud the wind was howling, every flag in the parade was waving around like they were out of control. Abel didn't sit inside the chariot cabin. Instead, he was riding on top of a three-year-old mare right in the middle of the parade. Because of how oversized his father's cuir bouilli was, he was now wearing a leather armor covered in wool. He was carrying a light sword on his back. So light, in fact, that it felt almost useless for a rank four novice knight.
Abel turned around for a final look at his mother and brother. He couldn't do it for too long, however. The moment he turned his head around, he felt like tears were immediately welling up his eyes.
Since the headquarter couldn't be unguarded, not a lot of people joined the farewell parade. Apart from Abel and the Knight of Bennett, there were about 9 people in total who left the Bennett castle. As the second-best fighter in the Bennet Knight's domain, Norman was left with the task of being the Bennett Castle's temporary headmaster.
Knights were the lowest amongst royalty. That being said, not just anyone could be qualified to serve them. Loyalty, reliability, competence in combat, and being of noble birth were all crucial features to being qualified as a knight's underlings.
Take Norman, for example. He had been a brother of the Knight of Bennett ever since the war. He was only granted the status of a knight after he had his loyalty confirmed, and was taught the Bennett Family's secret techniques at a much later time. It was a rewarding journey for him, to say least the least. For the years of his devotion, he was promoted from a regular guard to being the honored underling of a noble knight.
Many wandering knights were desperate for a master with his own territory. Once accepted, the head knight would be responsible for all their day-to-day expenses. This included weapons, armors, and even the housing of the underlings. With this much at stake, one had to be extra careful in choosing his most trusted underlings.
The parade went on for a total of six hours. Apart from the half-hour break during lunchtime, the men didn't stop their feet at one single time. Thankfully, no one was bold enough to be a disturbance. Even the beasts could tell how dangerous the Knight of Bennett was.
This was the furthest Abel had been from home. He could vaguely recall the eleven years of the "real" Abel's childhood, and it was truly his very first time to be this far away from home. Sadly, though, there wasn't much scenery to lay his eyes on. Apart from some evergreen plants lying on the side of the road, everything just looked kind of gloomy and dull around here.
Thank the Spirit that it wasn't snowing. As dusty as the soil road might be, it was a much more preferable choice than trekking on wet, mushy ground. From what Abel had heard from others, roads in the big cities were all paved in large, smooth stones. For some reason, it kept reminding him of the concrete roads he had remembered from planet Earth.
How nice would it be if there were concrete roads in this world? Abel was about to extend on his imagination, but he also remembered his oath to not make any inventions. Like the irrigation system he had built for the Bennett Castle, creativity without protection would only bring disaster to him and those around him.
As a grown man who had received modern education behind everybody's back, Abel could think faster than the "real" Abel could. He was also smarter than the version of himself on Earth. Whether it was fighting, etiquette, or anything culturally-related, he could pretty much understand in a snap of a finger. It was almost as if he had received a "buff" when he arrived in this world.
After a while, the roads were going from soil to Portuguese pavements. The Knight of Bennett wasn't surprised at it. If anything, he knew exactly why this was the case.
"This is what' makes the Marshall Knight special," the Knight of Bennett said to Abel as he pointed to the ground below, "He's all about not losing face in front of others. If there was a mountain to mine around here, he would've used giant boulders to pave the roads here."
While staring at his father's shiny armour, the newly-sown decorations on his horses, and the brand new gears of the six accompanying lancers, Abel really felt like saying: "Father, if you are just a little bit richer, I'm sure that Marshal Knight would have nothing on you if it's about losing faces."