"Father, the academy has started requesting the payment for this semester's tuition. Mine is 80 gold coins, and my brother's is 320 gold coins. Altogether, that makes 400 gold coins."
Ron stood in the study, speaking to his "father" with a serious expression.
His voice was calm, but there was a hint of unease in his eyes.
Sir Bert, the baron, stood by the window and slowly turned around, his eyes filled with a trace of disgust as he looked at Ron.
Without saying a word, he took a bag of gold coins from the desk drawer, tossed it onto the table, and turned back to gaze out the window, as if even looking at Ron for a moment longer would make him feel sick.
Ron noticed the disgust in his "father's" eyes, but remained silent as he stepped forward to count the coins.
However, after counting, he realized that the number of coins was incorrect, and a sense of foreboding filled his heart.
"Father, there are only 320 gold coins here."
Hearing this, Sir Bert's expression grew even more disdainful. He turned his head slightly:
"Ron, I know you're a smart boy, but you like to play dumb.
Since that's the case, I'll be clear with you.
You don't need to worry about my son's tuition anymore!
As for your own tuition?
You're sixteen this year, legally an adult by the empire's laws. It's time for you to become a man and support yourself.
When your mother remarried and came here, I told her I would only take care of you until you turned sixteen.
Even though she's been gone for years, I've kept my word and done as I said."
Upon hearing him mention his mother, Ron's eyes reddened, and he could no longer suppress the anger in his heart.
"Uncle Bert, don't you feel ashamed?
Yes, my mother did remarry you, but this land belongs to my father, Baron Norton.
And I, Ron Norton, as the only legitimate heir, have the right to inherit this land and all its income.
All these years, my expenses have been covered by my own money.
Yet now you're telling me you've been supporting me?
How dare you say that?
Are you basing that on the 10 gold coins you earn monthly as a knight?
You've been squandering the income from my land, and now you're even trying to kick me out of my home?"
Ron could hardly believe that someone could be so shameless.
Sir Bert was once just a knight under Ron's father.
After Ron's father died on the battlefield, his mother Mary was overwhelmed with grief and lost herself. She was seduced by Sir Bert's sweet words and eventually remarried him.
Since then, Sir Bert had moved into the manor as the head of the household.
Of course, moving in didn't grant him any inheritance rights; it was simply because Ron was too young to manage the estate, so all matters of the estate were temporarily handled by him.
During the first year of moving in, Sir Bert was quite diligent and managed the estate well.
Mary even bore him a son, the boy Ron referred to as his brother, and the "family" lived relatively happily.
However, after giving birth, Mary suddenly fell ill with a strange sickness. Her health began to deteriorate rapidly.
First, her hair started falling out in large clumps, then her teeth became so loose that she couldn't eat solid food and had to survive on liquids.
In no time, she became skin and bones.
Later, she even started breaking bones just from walking.
Every day, she was confined to bed, crying out in pain, but unable to pinpoint where it hurt.
And since the cause of the illness was never found, it couldn't be treated.
Eventually, Mary passed away in agony.
Ron was eight years old that year.
It was also that year when the real Ron "accidentally" drowned in a pond.
Yes, the real Ron had already gone to heaven with his mother at the age of eight.
The real Norton family perished on the day Ron died.
The soul currently inhabiting Ron's body actually belonged to someone from 21st-century Earth.
After waking up and receiving the memories, Ron quickly understood his current situation.
He worried about dying mysteriously again, so he lived cautiously.
When he reached school age, he immediately moved to the academy.
He preferred to stay in the academy's shabby dormitory rather than in his own grand estate.
During the holidays when he had to return home, he only ate potatoes he cooked himself.
He also made sure to act ignorant and showed great respect toward Sir Bert.
Whenever he mentioned "father" in front of others, he always appeared to take pride in him.
Ron lived such a humble, suffocating life, merely biding his time until he came of age and gained the strength to reclaim his land.
What he hadn't anticipated was that Sir Bert would make his move so soon.
Though Ron had always known this day would come, he hadn't expected it to arrive so quickly, and he hadn't even completed his studies before being kicked out of his home.
Faced with Sir Bert's pressure, Ron could no longer hold back and finally exploded.
His words hit a nerve with Sir Bert, whose face darkened instantly.
However, with years of experience as a knight, Sir Bert was long used to scorn and had no sense of shame left.
He quickly regained his composure, turned around, and then looked back at Ron coldly, with a sneer.
He then took a legal document out of the drawer, pressed it onto the table, and slowly said:
"Take a look at this. Now, this is Bert family's territory. Make sure you understand that before you speak."
Ron glanced at the document on the table, feeling as if the sky was collapsing.
"How could this be?"
The document was a deed, clearly stating that Territory No. 323 belonged to the Bert family, complete with the Duke of Lorraine's seal.
Ron stared at the crimson seal in disbelief, unable to understand how the ownership of the land had been changed.
He stood there in shock, his mind blank.
Seeing Ron stand motionless, Sir Bert continued, "Now do you understand who the master here is?
If you do, then hurry up and leave.
And by the way, your mother's family has gotten into big trouble.
If I hadn't gone to great lengths to help, my dear Ron, you might already be in jail.
Yet instead of being grateful, you dare mock me!
If it weren't for the fact that you call me father, I could kill you right now."
Ron clenched his fists but didn't know what to say.
His mother's family had been executed for treason, with everyone in the family beheaded.
Of course, Ron didn't believe Sir Bert would help him.
If he helped anyone, it was to save himself, because if the law was strictly enforced, as her husband, he wouldn't escape punishment either.
Though he didn't believe Sir Bert's words, they did remind Ron that he now had no one to rely on.
Ron, with reddened eyes, was ready to kill Sir Bert on the spot, but after a moment of hesitation, he gave up.
Sir Bert stood nearly 2.1 meters tall, was extremely strong, and was a formal member of the Duke's Knight Order of Lane Town, an Extraordinary Knight of Silver Tier 3.
Having lost his land, Ron knew that neither his status nor his current strength could compete with Sir Bert.
"Fighting him now would just be throwing my life away."
"Fortunately, Sir Bert doesn't dare kill me openly and looks down on my current strength. Otherwise, I might not have a life left."
Realizing that the situation was against him, Ron knew it was unwise to provoke his opponent further.
Calming himself a little, Ron replied expressionlessly, "Understood, Uncle."
With that, he turned to leave.
But before he could take a few steps, Sir Bert's voice came from behind him: "I'll give you a day to pack up, and then I never want to see you again."
"There's no need! I'll pack a few clothes and leave immediately."
Since the facade had already been torn down, there was no need to pretend anymore. Ron didn't even look back as he responded and quickly left the study, rushing back to his room to pack his belongings.
Ron had initially wanted to leave everything behind, but with winter approaching fast, he had no choice.
Lane Town's winters were harsh, with river ice reaching half a meter thick, and many homeless people froze to death each year.
Now that he was homeless, Ron couldn't afford to be reckless. He quickly packed his winter clothes.
While he was packing, the door suddenly swung open, and a blond boy of about twelve or thirteen walked in, staring at Ron with a mischievous grin.
Ron felt his mood sink as he recognized his brother.
"Ike, don't you know how to knock?"
"This is my estate. Why should I knock to enter a room in my own estate?" Ike sneered.
Ron didn't want to argue with him. He glanced at Ike and continued packing his clothes.
"My dear brother, make sure to take plenty of clothes," Ike said with a smirk.
"I wouldn't want people to say we mistreated you and let you freeze to death on the streets!"
Ron had no interest in arguing with a child, so he ignored his foolish brother and focused on his task.
Ike's face showed a flash of anger when Ron ignored him, but he didn't lose his temper. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the sword at Ron's waist.
"You can take all the clothes you want, but the sword you're carrying must stay here. That's an honor bestowed upon the Bert family!"
Hearing this, Ron paused for a moment, then slowly turned around, gripping the sword in his hand.
The sword he held was called "Champion's Glory."
The sword was about 1.3 meters long, weighed around 11 kilograms, and had a pale yellow hue. The blade was etched with patterns resembling circuitry. At the end of the sword's hilt was a pointed copper ball engraved with Ron's name and a motivational phrase: "永无止境!" (No Limits!).
This sword, a prize awarded to the champion of the Warrior's Grove Academy's five-yearly swordsmanship tournament, was Ron's pride, his belief, and his future means of survival. Yet his shameless brother thought he could take it away with just a few words. There was no way Ron would agree to that.
"I was wondering why you came here to mock me. Turns out you've got your eyes on my Champion's Glory. This honor belongs only to the champion, and my name, Ron Norton, is engraved on its hilt. My dear brother, do you think you're worthy? As the worst student in the entire grade, shouldn't you be more concerned about getting a tuition reduction? That might be more realistic for you!"
"You..." Ike's face turned red with anger.
"Don't you me! If you want this sword, challenge me to a duel. I'll gladly accept!" Ron said, holding his sword and staring at Ike provocatively.
"Hmph! What's so special about you? Just wait until I awaken my Qi Force, and then you'll see!" Ike, though disdainful of Ron, knew well how skilled he was in swordsmanship. He wasn't foolish enough to initiate a duel on impulse, so he spat out a threat and stormed out, fuming.
Finally rid of the annoying pest, Ron didn't let his small victory go to his head. Instead, he hurriedly continued packing his belongings. Fortunately, he didn't have much, and a single large suitcase was enough to hold everything he needed. With his essential items packed, he hurried out of the manor before nightfall.
The urgency was because Ron feared that Baron might change his mind. Although he doubted Baron would kill him outright, who knew if he'd hire an assassin instead? To save time, Ron hired a carriage and sped toward Lane Town, where the crowds would make it harder for someone to kill him in secret.
As Ron sat in the carriage, his mind was anything but calm. He counted the coins he had secretly saved over the years—only three gold coins. Seeing the pitiful amount, Ron couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
"I'm still growing, and I need to spend a silver coin a day just on food, or it'll stunt my strength development. Add in the costs for lodging and training—how will I ever afford it with this?"
"That's not even the worst part. If Baron notices my strength increasing too quickly, he'll surely find a way to kill me. The situation could get very dangerous!"
"Right now, I'm too weak. If only I could buy more time, just a few more years."
As Ron wrestled with these troubling thoughts, a sudden flash of white light shot through his mind. His once troubled expression finally broke into a smile.
"This year's Skill Point has finally arrived."