Baron Roderik was in his comfortable mansion, occasionally glancing at the gates in hopes of seeing Clavius on his horse. His wish came true, as minutes later there was Clavius's imposing white horse.
"But wait. Where's Clavius?"
In less than five minutes, an entire battalion went out in search of Clavius, since only his horse had returned to the mansion. Half an hour later, the baron heard the hoofbeats of his cavalry, and Captain Clavius came riding in, slung over his own horse.
Upon arriving at the mansion, even before being taken down from his saddle, numerous doctors and nurses awaited their turn to act. Four men carefully lifted him and carried him to one of the baron's rooms, where the baron himself insisted on staying by his side.
Soon after, only the doctors remained, and after confirming that he was not mortally wounded, they left the nurses to care for him. Hours passed, and from time to time the baron went to the room where his knight lay, each time seeing the circle of knights in a restless buzz over their captain's physical condition.
Suddenly, the captain's hand moved, and the nurse nearby informed the baron:
"My lord, the knight is already conscious."
Knowing that the next few hours would be filled with confidential conversations, they all withdrew. The baron could hardly contain himself as he listened to everything that Clavius had gone through. Clavius didn't miss a single detail in recounting the events to the baron, and he knew very well how to lead a narrative, holding his lord's attention impeccably.
"You did what, Clavius?" he shouted, unaware of how excited he sounded.
"That's right, my lord. I didn't intend to go beyond what you ordered me, but when I saw the level of skill with which he took down a brown bear, I couldn't help but challenge him to a fight to gauge our strength."
The baron's eyes gleamed like those of a child, completely mesmerized by the story, which he was sure was one hundred percent true.
"You fought him, Clavius? How does he fight? Is he really everything they say about him?"
"My lord baron, forgive me if you don't believe me, because even I have doubts about how fantastic it was, but I have only one word to describe that man."
"And what is it, Clavius? Tell me, man, what word is that?"
"He's a monster!"
"What? What do you mean, Clavius? Tell me this story properly. What kind of monster are you talking about?"
"A martial arts monster. He started the fight at my request, I didn't see him when he attacked me from the right, nor did I see him when he attacked from the left. All I saw was that I was lying on the floor of the cave. I got up and it was my turn to attack."
"And how many blows did you land on him, Clavius?" asked the worried baron.
"None, baron. He read my movements and didn't even bother to block my blows. All he did was dodge them. In fact, there wasn't even a fight, baron."
"But what? Weren't you just telling me about it, Clavius?"
"I'm sorry, baron, for not expressing myself properly. To me, I had started a fight, but to him, it was just child's play, where he was the child and I was just a toy reacting to what he wanted."
The baron paused for a moment, thinking, and looked concerned.
"But you're a grade three knight with a medium level of training. In fact, you're at the top of the medium level. Even the other three barons don't have a knight as qualified as you."
"I know that, but it seemed that besides not knowing, my opponent in that cave seemed to care. I fought in every way I know and didn't even touch him. Frustrated, I used my sword, and he got annoyed and used the cutting low wind."
The baron widened his eyes with curiosity.
"And how was it, Clavius? Did you see how it was?"
"Just like his son. Smooth and precise movements, connected with nature, and suddenly, a single blow, and I knew my sword was useless for anything else and that my body wouldn't function for a while."
"'Do not let me know that you serve those who conspire against me or my family, or this will not be the last time you will see me.'"
"He told me this and disappeared from the cave. When I woke up, I was surrounded by the knights who serve you, my lord baron, and this is the whole story of today. What conclusion do you draw from this?"
"That we won. And that you performed your mission perfectly well. Congratulations, my brave Clavius. As soon as you recover, I will arrange a good reward for your excellent services to me. And as soon as I leave the room, open this window and tell your men to rest. They've been on guard and worried about you all night."
"My lord baron, can you at least explain to me what we've won?"
"An ally on the rise to power and a master of one of the most coveted skills in this kingdom. If we do this right, our barony will be able to compete on equal terms with the others. And when there is a title dispute, I will be ready to risk mine too."
"Does that mean my lord doesn't want to be just a baron?" Clavius asked, not understanding anything.
"Tell me what positions there are in this kingdom without mentioning the royalty, Clavius."
"That's easy, sir. Besides a knight, which is a lower title usually awarded for bravery or loyal service, there is your title, my lord, which is baron, a title of nobility above the knight, governing a small fief or land area."
"And then, Clavius?"
"Viscount: an intermediate title, superior to the baron but inferior to the count. Then comes count: a significant noble title, superior to the viscount, traditionally governing a county."
"That's right, Clavius. And then comes duke: one of the highest noble titles, superior to the count. Dukes usually govern large territories and have great power and influence."
"And where does my lord want to reach, Baron? All titles above baron lack many soldiers."
"Clavius, let's take one step at a time. Now sleep, because tomorrow we'll need to buy a special gift for our newest little friend, who, by the way, left you with a small memento on your bracelet."
"How so, my lord baron?"
"Well, in any case, you'll need to change your equipment, so sleep well."
"Thank you, sir, and good night."